New Eridu, Janus Quarter, a ruin outside a Hollow.
The members of the Cunning Hares had just completed an Inter-Knot commission and were now sprawled on the ground without any care for their appearance.
"Billy, get up and stand guard already!"
Nicole Demara lay on the ground, her large chest rising and falling.
"Roger that, Boss Nicole!"
Billy replied with high spirits, then shouted, "Starlight Knight, transform!"
However, nothing happened. Billy's robotic body creaked as he lay flat on the ground.
"Apologies, Boss Nicole. Even the great Starlight Knight Billy Kid can't work for twelve hours straight."
Billy lay flat on the ground, speaking weakly.
"If it weren't for your stinginess, Nicole, we wouldn't be in a state where we can't even stand up."
The expressionless Anby offered her commentary without emotion.
That said, Anby still maintained a seated position, serving as the lookout.
Hearing Anby's words, Nicole reacted instantly, speaking emotionally from the ground, "What do you mean by that?! If it weren't to save money, I wouldn't have hired such a lousy Proxy!"
After finishing, she deflated with exhaustion and could only mutter softly, 'Who knew this Proxy would be so unreliable! Had us circling inside the Hollow for half a day before finding the exit. Phaethon was way better.'
Nicole was full of complaints, reminiscing about the times when they worked with Phaethon.
Phaethon had everything going for him—except the price.
This Proxy had nothing going for him—except how cheap he was.
Just as Nicole was grumbling to herself, a shadow suddenly appeared from two meters above without warning and landed squarely on her.
Already thoroughly exhausted, Nicole blacked out the moment she was struck.
'There are always shady people out to get me!'
That was the last thought that flashed through Nicole's mind before she lost consciousness.
Who am I? Where am I?
Su Chen sat on a soft cushion, completely baffled.
Just moments ago, he had been watching the PV of Zenless Zone Zero, when a bright flash of light suddenly transported him to another world.
Looking at the shattered alloy walls around him, and the red-clothed robot and green-clothed emotionless girl nearby, Su Chen fell into deep thought.
Those two… they looked like the characters from Cunning Hares in Zenless Zone Zero.
Could it be that he had crossed over?
But wasn't Cunning Hares a trio?
Where was the big-busted Nicole Demara?
"I'm warning you—get off of Boss Nicole right now! No one defeats the Starlight Knight!"
"A rational entity suddenly appeared on Nicole's chest. It doesn't look dangerous outwardly, but we can't rule out the possibility of a predator in disguise."
Billy held up his dual pistols, and Anby drew her arc blade, both of them watching Su Chen warily.
A man who appeared suddenly and without warning was highly likely to be a dangerous individual.
Especially since he was sitting directly on top of Nicole—any rash action was out of the question.
"How long are you planning to sit there?!"
Just as Su Chen was still dazed, an angry female voice rose from beneath him.
Looking down, Su Chen found himself staring into a pair of furious pale green eyes.
He was sitting directly on Nicole's bouncing assets, the black beauty mark beside his leg standing out starkly.
It was none other than the busty, beauty-marked Boss Nicole.
Oh, so Boss Nicole was underneath me all along.
No wonder it felt so soft just now.
Wait… underneath me?!
Su Chen jolted in shock and stood up immediately.
"Sorry, sorry! I didn't do it on purpose!"
Su Chen bowed deeply to Nicole in apology, his humility on full display.
But with every rise and fall, that black beauty mark continued to sway in Su Chen's line of sight.
Seeing Su Chen behave like that, Anby and Billy looked confused.
He really did seem like an ordinary person.
But how could a normal person suddenly appear on top of Boss Nicole's chest?
However, once Su Chen raised both hands and naturally performed a French military salute, the two turned their weapons from him to the ground.
Not because they fully let their guard down, but because Nicole had already set her suitcase cannon up right in front of Su Chen.
One shot was all it would take to blast his flesh and blood to pieces.
"Ohoho, Boss Nicole, I'll leave dealing with this mysterious intruder to you!"
Billy shouted excitedly.
"Got it. I'll handle him just fine."
Nicole rubbed her slightly tingling chest with her left hand and glared at Su Chen.
"Speak. Who are you? Why did you ambush me?"
"My name is Su Chen, and…"
Su Chen began to speak, but stopped abruptly.
He was from Earth, a 22-year-old orphan and college student with a clean record and no bad habits, aside from a fondness for black stockings and busty ladies.
But now that he had transmigrated—and with his body no less—none of that mattered.
So, Su Chen said with a blank expression, "My name is Su Chen. As for everything else… I don't know."
"Where did you come from?"
"From where I came."
"And where are you going?"
"To where I go."
The zen-like answers only gave Nicole a headache, not satisfaction.
"You little punk, are you messing with me?!"
Nicole grabbed Su Chen by the collar and glared into his eyes.
"Sorry, I really don't know anything."
Su Chen answered helplessly.
Rather than lie and risk being mistaken for a spy or something, it was better to just claim ignorance.
After all, he was just a modern weakling with no strength whatsoever—surely that was obvious enough.
Given how kind the Cunning Hares supposedly were, they wouldn't kill an ordinary person like him, right?
Probably?
"Heh, you're definitely playing dumb. You're an assassin hired through the Inter-Knot!"
Dark energy radiated off Nicole as if she were about to break.
Her prized pair of bouncies—things even she seldom touched—had almost been crushed by Su Chen.
If not for the clear, idiotic look in Su Chen's eyes that didn't suggest a liar, she might've already fired.
Nicole pulled out her phone and took a photo of Su Chen, sending it to her contact at the Hollow Investigative Association.
If there was even one thing off about him, she'd make sure this guy ended up picking up soap in prison!
Ding-dong. No information found in the municipal system. This is a total ghost ID.
Reading the message on her phone, Nicole was a little surprised.
A total ghost ID meant no identification—and no criminal record.
That kind of identity likely came from one of the fringe villages in the outer districts.
Given Su Chen's frail physique—at least from her perspective—this really might've been an accident.
Still, letting him go just like that left her feeling a bit unsatisfied.
Hmm… if he's a ghost ID...
Nicole looked Su Chen up and down.
Roughly 178 cm tall, sharp brows, bright eyes, handsome features. Easily attractive enough to be a phone wallpaper.
Placing him at the base as an unpaid vase—handling logistics—actually didn't sound too bad.
Nicole cleared her throat and said, "Ahem. Su Chen, right? As compensation for mentally traumatizing me, medical costs, and lost work time, you must work for the Cunning Hares for free—for the next twenty years!"
"Ugh, Boss Nicole's scamming someone again… but is it really okay to take in this mystery guy?"
Billy muttered quietly.
"Due to the extraordinary nature of this incident, Nicole's retaliatory behavior toward the mysterious human aligns with her tit-for-tat personality traits. Risk assessment is likely impaired by hormone fluctuation."
Anby stated her analysis expressionlessly.
Compared to the chatty Billy, Anby seemed more like a robot.
"You two shut it! I'm doing this for the Cunning Hares' budget—not for personal reasons!"
Nicole shouted at her teammates.
No matter what, Su Chen—who had sat on her bouncies—wasn't going to get off easy.
"If you don't accept the compensation arrangement… then let me step on you too!"
Nicole turned toward Su Chen with a sinister smile.
As she spoke, she stretched her long legs clad in torn black stockings.
"I accept the compensation! Please use me however you see fit!"
Su Chen felt a chill down below and immediately agreed to Nicole's terms.
If he didn't… there was a high chance of penile fracture!
As a ghost ID from another world with no strength to speak of, he didn't really have a better option.
Even if he had to be a slave—at least he'd get fed, right?
Besides, Nicole, the big sister in torn black stockings, really was his kind of thing.
Staying here… might not be a bad shot at becoming the one in charge someday.