Ether Aptitude of 90!?
Such shocking news left Nicole briefly stunned.
But she immediately snapped out of it—someone was trying to steal her talent!
"Hey! Su Chen belongs to the Red Fang Gang!"
Nicole yanked Su Chen over and glared fiercely at the middle-aged researcher.
"Red Fang Gang?"
The researcher blinked in confusion.
Wasn't the Red Fang Gang just some ordinary street gang?
How could they have a genius with an Ether Aptitude of 90?
Moreover, this woman looked suspiciously like the infamous Cunning Hares boss from New Eridu.
The more he looked, the more convinced he was.
"Hey, you're clearly that Cunning Hares boss! Young man, don't follow her—there's no future in it!"
The middle-aged researcher shouted.
But in that brief moment, Nicole had already dragged Su Chen far away.
"Phew… I really didn't expect to pull in a little genius like you!"
Nicole looked at Su Chen, her bright eyes twinkling.
An Ether score of 60 was enough to explore Hollows.
But a score of 90? That meant a future ace investigator—or maybe even a legendary Agent.
"Nicole, I didn't expect you to impersonate someone from the Red Fang Gang."
Su Chen teased.
It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, but she had lied so seriously.
That's so like you, Nicole.
"Driving out wolves with tigers is the survival instinct of a rabbit. With a boss like me, you should count your blessings."
Nicole waved her finger smugly.
"But I heard him say you're infamous."
Su Chen looked at her, amused.
"What do you mean, infamous!?" Nicole shook her pink twin-tails and snapped, "Sure, I might deal in shady business, treasure money above all, and always prepare three escape plans—but I'm a great Agent and a great boss!"
"…"
Su Chen gave her a complicated look.
Great boss was still believable. After all, if Nicole were terrible, Anby and Billy wouldn't be following her while living off nothing but potatoes.
But… great Agent?
If her clients found out, they'd probably cry.
In the scenes he'd seen, swallowing the commissioned items or changing the mission's goal was basically Nicole's standard routine.
"What's with that look!?" Nicole caved under Su Chen's gaze and changed the topic. "Fine, since you're a genius with an Ether Aptitude of 90, I'll overlook your disrespect to your boss!"
"But finding a wild guy with an Ether Aptitude of 90 out of nowhere… something's not right."
Nicole eyed Su Chen suspiciously.
A person who appeared from thin air and had such a high Ether score definitely raised red flags.
Everyone in Cunning Hares had deep secrets.
"So, Boss Nicole, are you planning to kick me out of the Cunning Hares?"
Su Chen didn't seem the least bit worried.
If yesterday he still needed the Hares' protection, today he no longer feared for survival.
With his abilities, he could easily go solo and aim for legendary Agent status.
"After what you did to me yesterday, and now you want to leave like it was nothing? Dream on!"
Nicole glared at him. "A guy with an Ether Aptitude of 90, and you still owe me 20 years of free labor—you think I'll let you go that easily?!"
Just remembering how Su Chen landed on her chest gave her an odd feeling.
If she let him go now, she wouldn't be worthy of leading the Cunning Hares.
"So, what do you want then?"
Su Chen spread his hands, helpless.
He was a total ghost ID, couldn't even prove he was innocent.
Just last night, he'd left his normal life behind for good.
"I want you to take my surname—Demara! That way, you'll have all of my trust!"
Nicole smiled slyly at him.
"You want me to take your surname? Are you… proposing to me?"
Su Chen blinked, stunned.
That was the first thing that popped into his mind.
He wasn't against the idea, honestly. Rich wives cooked the best meals and gave the softest hugs.
It's just… Nicole didn't look like a rich wife.
"It's not marriage—it's just establishing a stronger bond! Now, answer: yes or no."
Nicole gave him an annoyed look.
Just like when she'd picked up Anby and gave her the Demara surname, she now wanted to do the same with Su Chen.
Su Chen, with his Ether Aptitude of 90 and mysterious but harmless presence, was worth the risk.
She placed her hand on his shoulder and forced eye contact.
"…"
Su Chen met her pale green eyes, filled with earnestness.
Clearly, this rabbit-like schemer wasn't joking.
Nicole's soft scent wafted into his nose, her chest subtly moving with her breath.
It was clear—she genuinely wanted to bring him into Cunning Hares, or at least get herself a free laborer.
Su Chen had already decided to stay. Adding "Demara" to his name was just like gaining another English middle name.
But agreeing too easily felt… cheap.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "I can accept the name Su Demara Chen—but I have one condition."
"What condition? Anything but salary can be negotiated!"
Nicole looked at him expectantly.
Su Chen glanced at her… well-developed assets. He wanted to say "let me touch them," but that wasn't the demand. Not yet.
He looked away and said seriously, "I want you to take my surname too—Su Nicole."
Taking a surname had two meanings.
One, if Nicole wanted a bond, then deepen it.
Two, he was very clearly attracted to her beauty—and wouldn't mind having her as his wife.
"If it's mutual surname-taking, I agree!"
Nicole only hesitated a moment before nodding.
As long as it didn't involve Dennies, it wasn't a problem.
And mutual surnames sounded both strange and reliable.
She looked at Su Chen, eyes now gentler.
"Let's reintroduce ourselves. I'm Su Chen Demara."
Su Chen extended his right hand toward her.
"Mm~" Nicole bashfully took his hand and smiled. "I'm Su Nicole Demara. Welcome to the Cunning Hares."
"So… I wasn't a member yesterday?"
Su Chen asked with a smile.
"Of course not. Yesterday, you were just a free laborer. Now, you're officially part of the Cunning Hares." She seemed to recall something and added, "Of course, there's still no salary."
Not because she planned to make him work for free for twenty years—it's just that the Cunning Hares were broke at the moment.
"It'll get better."
Su Chen chuckled softly. He didn't care about the pay.
With his cheat, if all he aimed for was the Cunning Hares' measly cash flow, he'd be pathetic.
Even if they weren't broke, they couldn't afford his 10-million Dennies-per-pull gacha system.
Maybe only top-tier conglomerates like [TOPS Alliance] could keep up with that.
Thankfully, the system kindly offered one free pull per day—so at least he wouldn't go broke over it.
…
Back at the Cunning Hares' base, Nicole proudly announced the news to Billy and Anby.
"All hail the Starlight Knight! Mutual surnames—that's just so cool!" Billy struck a bodybuilder pose and shouted, "From now on, call me Su Billy Demara!"
Compared to Billy's antics, Anby was much more composed. She simply said, "Welcome to the Cunning Hares, Su Chen Demara."
Though in her heart, she felt a strange pang toward this man who now shared her surname.
Like something was taken… or maybe something had been added.
"Let's get along from now on."
Su Chen smiled as he shook hands with the white-haired, expressionless girl.
"Ahem." Nicole coughed twice to draw attention. "To celebrate Su Chen joining, I've decided to take everyone to a high-end buffet! Expenses will be deducted from your wages!"
"Awesome! I'm gonna drain 50 Ether batteries dry!"
Billy jumped up with excitement.
For a robot like him, high-energy Ether batteries were the tastiest thing imaginable.
"Nicole, weren't you supposed to pay off that debt to Phaethon?"
Anby asked from the side.
"It's fine! Debts can wait—welcoming new blood is more important!"
Nicole patted her chest confidently.
She was an old client of [Phaethon]—they had a great relationship. Surely Belle and Wise wouldn't mind delaying for two days.
Seeing Nicole like this, Anby no longer objected. She swallowed and said, "Then let's go quickly. The longer we stay, the more we can eat."
Clearly, after half a month of eating potatoes, she wanted something better.
"This feeling… isn't bad at all."
Su Chen looked at their happy faces and smiled.
He'd been here less than two days, but he already kind of liked it here.
It wasn't just big-busted Boss Nicole—the atmosphere in the Cunning Hares was light, fun, and welcoming.