"After Caesar came back that time, she would often look at that manga and giggle foolishly. Lucy even said she was lovesick."
"Bernice! What nonsense are you talking about? I was not! You'll make people misunderstand me." Caesar loudly defended herself, her face flushing red. At that time, she was just reading the content of the manga and her mind had wandered to a few things, which was why she was blushing.
Bernice, hearing this, let out an embarrassed, silly laugh to ease the tension. Wise, seeing this, didn't know how to interject and could only smile without saying anything. "By the way, this is grandma's citizen ID. Please take it." Wise said, taking out the citizen ID and handing it over.
The old woman took it and glanced at Caesar and Bernice, who were still talking. Suddenly, she said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Young man, do you have a partner right now? If not, what do you think of Caesar?"
"Wh-what?" Wise was a bit taken aback by the old woman's sudden question and didn't react for a moment. But she continued, "You and Caesar knew each other before, so you should know that she's a good kid and very capable. I also know her old man. If you think it's okay, should I play matchmaker for you two?"
"Uh, thank you for your kindness, grandma. It's just that young people nowadays don't seem to be very accepting of arranged marriages by their elders." Wise didn't mean that there was anything wrong with Caesar; he was just politely refusing the old woman's kind offer.
Seeing this, she was a little disappointed but didn't insist on persuading him further. "By the way, Caesar, didn't you two say you were going for a stroll just now?" The old woman's words interrupted the conversation between the two.
Bernice then came back to her senses. "Oh right, I almost forgot. Does grandma want to come along? And this little brother Wise, do you have time?" Bernice was still as enthusiastic as ever.
The old woman waved her hand. "I don't need to go. You young people go by yourselves."
Seeing the old woman refuse, Bernice looked at Wise. Seeing her enthusiasm, and thinking that he was going to go shopping with Belle later anyway, he nodded in agreement. "Yay! Then let's go together."
A short while later, Belle, looking at her brother who had just been separated from her for a short time but had come back with two beautiful girls, couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
"Belle, long time no see. Do you still remember me? It's me, Caesar." Caesar, seeing Belle with her head bowed, seemingly lost in thought, mistook her for having forgotten her and reminded her.
But of course, Belle still remembered Caesar. After all, both of them were big fans of her brother's works and were friends who got along well.
"Oh? Hello, my name is Bernice. You must be Wise's younger sister, right? Your name is Belle, so cute! You two siblings are both so good-looking!" Before Belle could speak, Bernice's enthusiastic greeting made her forget what she was originally going to say.
"Uh, hello..." Belle smiled and greeted the two of them, but her gaze was on Wise, filled with a questioning meaning. The latter naturally understood and explained what had just happened, as well as the plan to go shopping together.
Belle, hearing this, nodded and was actually quite happy. After all, no matter how good her brother was, he was still a boy. There were always some disagreements when shopping with him. For example, she just wanted to look a little longer, but her brother would always impatiently urge her on.
(Wise: No, it's not that I'm rushing you, but taking over an hour to pick one piece of clothing!) Wise didn't see the thoughts in Belle's mind, otherwise he would have definitely complained.
Seeing that his sister had no dissatisfaction or complaints, Wise felt relieved.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Jane, who had just secured an opportunity for Seth, had returned to the transfer station. The former was locked up again. She began to take stock of the escape supplies. After confirming that everything was in order, she felt a little more at ease. With these, the survival rate would be slightly increased. But only slightly. At this point, she had to seek a breakthrough in the duel with Seth. She had mentally prepared herself. She had to complete the mission and leave a bite mark on Mountain Lion's neck.
"Mhm, what's that in your hand?" Jane, lost in thought, suddenly noticed something in the hand of the gatekeeper kid on the side. Although it looked a bit old, it was exquisitely made. It seemed to be a protective charm.
"Ah, Big Sis Jane, you mean this? I found it by chance while on patrol. I thought it was pretty, so I kept it. Oh, if you like it, please accept it. Consider it a reward for helping me bring back Potter Mountain." The gatekeeper kid said and handed the charm to Jane. Then, without giving her a chance to refuse, he ran off without looking back.
"Hey? You wait... sigh, forget it." A protective charm? If it really works, then please bless my next plan to go smoothly. Heh, just kidding. Jane chuckled softly, inspected it, and then casually put the charm in her pocket without paying it much mind. Compared to this...
The place where I left the guard kid before was in the direction of the rift that the mechanism in the passage had warned about. He said he had been on duty at this transfer station all this time and was familiar with all the Hollow rift shortcuts in the area. I can only bet that he was telling the truth... Please, you have to be safe... Jane's face showed a worried expression at this moment, and she whispered a prayer for him. (This inadvertent display of vulnerability is truly fascinating.)
Due to the two worker hostages going missing, plus the upcoming duel, the leader of the Mountain Lion Gang, Riza, decided to evacuate ahead of schedule. The agitated gang members began to pack up in a hurry. Jane was still thinking about how to break the situation when Riza's confidant suddenly found her, saying he was taking her to the [Lion's Den]. This sudden change made Jane unable to worry about the supplies she had prepared. The escape plan would have to be adapted on the fly. And everyone else was busy packing to evacuate. No one noticed two figures in the Hollow who had seen the entire process.
...
Evening. After a day of shopping, the two finally returned to the video store. "Phew, finally done. Is it because we added two more people? The shopping time was extended for so long." Wise said with some fatigue. Logically, with his current physical fitness, this amount of exercise should be nothing to him. This fatigue was more mental.
Actually, Caesar and Bernice had no intention of trying on clothes at first, but they were persuaded by Belle. In the end, they shopped until so late before coming back. And Belle, seeing her brother in this state, couldn't help but chuckle secretly. "Eh? Is brother already tired? You're always so energetic when you're bullying me. Why do you seem so useless now?"
Wise, looking at Belle's mischievous smile, had an inexplicable urge to teach her a lesson and said in a deep voice, "Belle, you should consider the consequences before you say such things."
"Ooh..." Belle immediately closed her mouth. She couldn't help but think of a time when her brother had deliberately let her win, and she had gotten a little carried away. The result was that she was "educated" to the point where even begging for mercy was useless... She suddenly felt a little scared, shook her head, and then started to please Wise.
Wise didn't say anything about this. Just then, the door suddenly opened, and Aurelia and Odette walked in.
"You two went to the Balai Building Hollow again, right? Well? Did you find anything?" Wise looked at the two of them. Of course, he knew about the sisters' actions and had allowed them.
Hearing his words, the sisters first nodded, then shook their heads, their movements perfectly synchronized, almost like a mirror image. "Hm? What does that mean?" Wise was a little confused.
Odette then explained, "My sister and I did find the charm in the Hollow, but... someone else got to it first. It wasn't convenient for us to take it at the time, and now it's been taken somewhere else."
"Somewhere else?"
"Mhm, that's right. Because there were a lot of people at the time, we couldn't just take it by force. So, I sent Mu Mu to steal the charm back..." Aurelia trailed off here. Clearly, the plan had gone wrong.
Meanwhile, a certain little white snake, which had been accidentally packed and boxed during a secret infiltration, was quietly waiting for its master's rescue. Mhm, I should be able to wait, right? I won't be abandoned, will I? The little white snake was currently hypnotizing itself. After all, with the number of enemies around, a small Ethereal like her would definitely not be able to escape if discovered! Weak, pitiful, and helpless... Master, come and save me!
...
"So you're saying Mu Mu has been taken away by them?"
"Mhm, yes, Master. But on the bright side, I can use her to locate the whereabouts of that group of people." Aurelia calmly extended an index finger.
Wise rubbed his forehead helplessly. He had thought it was just a matter of finding a charm. Had it become complicated again? Oh well, as long as I get Mu Mu and the charm back...
"By the way, Master, there's something else I need to report to you. We saw that young lady who came to borrow a videotape before in that gang. They also tied up someone they called a Public Security officer." Odette raised her small hand.
Wise, hearing this, couldn't help but feel his mouth twitch. Did I just accidentally get involved in something major?
...
"This is... Hollow Zero?! The [Lion's Den] is actually hidden inside Hollow Zero?" Jane, walking out of the rift, looked at the surrounding scenery and immediately guessed where this was. A look of astonishment appeared on her face.
But the Mountain Lion Gang confidant beside her just smiled smugly. "Hmph, the most dangerous place is the safest place. The cowards from the Public Security Bureau don't dare to venture into dangerous territory. We Mountain Lions are not afraid!"
At this moment, Jane also understood everything. The Mountain Lion Gang knew the location of a stable rift within an associated Hollow that could connect to Hollow Zero. Every time they escaped, they had secretly run to this area of Hollow Zero! That's why the bureau could never catch them no matter how they searched. No wonder the transfer station had to prepare abundant anti-erosion supplies. It was probably for use when hiding in Hollow Zero. After the heat died down, they would sneak out through the rift.
"I'm impressed. It's indeed a dangerous strategy that only the highly skilled and bold would dare to attempt." Jane couldn't help but exclaim.
But this confidant just dismissed it. "No need to be envious. You'll soon be able to join this highly skilled and bold team, as long as you... are worthy!!" As he spoke, he suddenly pushed her from behind, causing Jane to fall to the platform below.
Although she reacted in time and landed easily, Jane still questioned him angrily, "Hey, what's the meaning of this?"
"The dueling ground is on the stairs ahead. You can go up as long as you meet the conditions."
"Wait a minute, I never heard there was a preliminary round before the duel!" This sudden change made Jane feel uneasy, but the elite guard didn't give her a chance to argue. Forced, she could only continue forward.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Wise and the sisters had arrived in front of a rift. Aurelia suddenly nodded with certainty. "That's right, this is it. Mu Mu's scent extends to here."
"In that case, those people must have left through here. But where does this rift lead?" Wise fell into thought. This transfer station was now empty. It wasn't hard to guess that they had all entered another Hollow through the rift. Rushing in might alert the enemy. Besides, this matter also involved a Public Security officer, so they needed to be even more cautious.
"You two wait here. I'll go check it out first." After saying this, Wise directly activated his talent and rushed through. Thanks to the effect of his Shadow Glide talent, with his current strength, it was difficult for ordinary people to detect him.
The sisters and Belle, who was controlling the Bangboo, were a little worried but didn't have time to speak up and could only obediently wait for the time being.
After crossing the rift, Wise didn't see any enemies. After observing his surroundings, he also realized that this was Hollow Zero. At the same time, he noticed Jane not far away, who was about to complete the trial. So, he first retreated back through the rift, then came back again with the sisters and Belle. This time, they happened to see the scene of Jane being ambushed but successfully countering after ascending the steps.
Wise and the others sensed that something was wrong. However, as they were rushing over, Jane on the platform was ambushed again. A sharp pain came from behind, and the unexpectedly strong impact sent her flying.
"Crippling one of her hands, that was my order!" Hearing what Riza said, Jane was both panicked and in disbelief, but her face still showed incomprehension and anger. "Riza... Boss? You... why?"
Jane had thought her identity had been exposed, but after hearing Riza's next words, she found it laughable. He was demanding that she deliberately lose to Seth after getting on stage, and then he would personally finish the latter off to consolidate his own position.
"Heh, ha... haha! So, this whole monkey show was just because... you were afraid of losing face and losing your position? I thought... you had found out some secret... cough! Turns out it was just... a lucky guess...!" Jane herself was so angry she laughed. She was playing 'Infernal Affairs' here, and she never thought Riza and his people were just playing house!
-------
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