The Outskirts of New Eridu, while technically part of the city, might as well be another world. Compared to the modern metropolis of New Eridu proper, the Outskirts felt more like the Wild West. And it wasn't just the scenery; the rules were the same, too.
There was a saying in New Eridu: if you threw a brick in the Outskirts, you had an eighty percent chance of hitting a wanted man. It was because of this... rustic local color that Peacekeepers were rarely seen here, with the unfortunate exception of Officer Mew.
By the time Mo Wang drove Caesar and his foolish little sister to Wildfire Town, a very impatient Nicole was already waiting. She stormed over and grabbed him by the collar.
"You bastard! You finally decided to show up, huh?! I'm gonna kill you!"
"Whoa, whoa, let's talk this out. What's with getting all handsy the moment we meet? People will think we have a special relationship or something," Mo Wang said, prying her hands off him.
He was a man with a girlfriend now; he couldn't just let anyone grope him. At least, not until after dark.
"You have the nerve to say that! You actually poached my talent! Give me back my Anby!" Nicole shrieked, so furious she looked ready to open her case and blast him on the spot.
"Hold on, what do you mean I poached her? Anby told me you approved her off-site assignment. Besides, I just introduced her to a job. How can you slander me like this?!"
"I don't care, I don't care! Do you have any idea how hard it's been without Anby? I've had to turn down so many jobs because we're short-staffed! So tell me, how are you going to compensate me?" Nicole demanded, her hands on her hips, a look on her face that said she had him cornered.
"Compensate you? How about I compensate you with my fists? This is clearly a shakedown! Dream on!" Mo Wang shot back, wary of her intentions. He had to protect his precious little wallet from this terrifying creature. "And don't give me that 'short-staffed' crap! You had three people before, and you have three people now. What's the difference?"
"It's not the same! Anby is irreplaceable!"
"Heh, so you're saying Nekomata isn't as good as Anby in your eyes?"
"Shut up! When the Cunning Hares are short-staffed, it's because I say we're short-staffed! Now, are you going to compensate me or not?!"
"Hehehe, why don't you pay me back the money you owe me first, then we'll talk about compensation."
"You—!"
"Alright, alright, you two just met and you're already fighting. Calm down," Belle said with a smile, stepping in to play peacemaker. Billy and Nekomata quickly restrained their boss to prevent her from going completely berserk.
"By the way, isn't Anby here yet?" Belle asked, looking around.
"It's a long way from Hollow Zero. But at the speed those girls travel, they should be here soon," Mo Wang replied.
"What?! You sent Anby to Hollow Zero?! And you didn't even bring her back with you?! No, this requires extra payment!" Nicole screeched.
"You really do have a one-track mind, don't you?" Mo Wang said, rolling his eyes. Did the Cunning Hares go broke again?
"Ahem, Boss, she... invested in something again recently. You know," Billy whispered in his ear.
"Ah, I see. Lost it all again, huh? Tsk tsk, you really never learn." Mo Wang pulled out his bank card, and Nicole's eyes lit up as if it were glowing with a golden light.
"Hehehe, that's right. I just wanted to see that jealous look on your face!" Mo Wang said, making a face at her.
"I'm... I'm gonna bite you!" Nicole finally snapped.
"Ahem."
A cough from behind them interrupted the chaos. Mo Wang turned to see a group of familiar faces.
"Well, if it isn't the members of Section Six. What brings you to the Outskirts instead of Hollow Zero?" he said, putting on a cheerful facade.
Before him stood the foodie loli of the green-skinned oni, Soukaku; the tone-deaf matriarch who could slice through anything, Yanagi; the number one slacker in ZZZ and his sickly good bro, Rina and Anton; and, of course, miHoYo's must-have dish: the Thiren Sword Saint, Miyabi.
The others were familiar enough, but Miyabi deserved a special mention. As one of the first characters to be revealed, she was incredibly popular.
With her predecessor, Yae Sakura, having switched classes to ninja and miko, Miyabi had taken up the mantle of miHoYo's new Thiren Sword Saint.
She was T0—top tier—in both story and gameplay, with mobility that surpassed even Ellen's and unparalleled damage output. She was, without a doubt, the current ceiling of ZZZ's power level.
However, it seemed her entire stat sheet had gone into combat, leaving her brain... not dumb, exactly, but endearingly dorky.
"Hahaha! What a coincidence, seeing you here in Wildfire Town, Brother Mo Wang. And to see the legendary White Banner Chariot—Billy the Kid—and the renowned Gravity Warden—Nicole Demara," Harumasa, Section Six's sole emotionally intelligent member, said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
At the mention of their chuunibyou-level titles, the Cunning Hares crew cringed.
"Tsk tsk, to think that our friend Mo Wang, who works with us all the time, has such an impressive identity. And his friends are just as legendary," Harumasa said, clapping him on the back.
"Well, being friends with the Hollow Investigation Team is pretty legendary, isn't it?" Mo Wang replied, unfazed by the back-pats that made Harumasa wince in pain.
"Ooh, what a coincidence! Mo Wang, are you here to play today too?" Soukaku asked, blissfully unaware of the tension in the air.
"Oh, so you all know each other? When I was told we couldn't trust the official channels anymore, Lucy suggested I contact the Hollow Investigation Team. And when Section Six heard about our situation, they came right away," Caesar explained.
"Hehehe, well, that's nothing compared to a certain someone who pretends to be an ordinary video store owner in Sixth Street, but is actually the legendary Proxy Phaethon," Harumasa said, his hand inching towards his weapon.
Billy was faster, his own weapon already aimed at Harumasa. Nicole's case snapped open. The atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing.
"Mo Wang, you owe me an explanation," Miyabi said, walking up to him, her expression one of deep betrayal.
"Oh? You guys are only just finding out I'm Phaethon? If I remember correctly, I did tell you, didn't I?" he said, feigning surprise.
"Hmm?!"
"You... told us?" Harumasa asked, confused.
"Of course. Didn't you ask me before why I was so good at being a Proxy? And I said it was because I'm Phaethon, didn't I?"
They all froze. Now that he mentioned it... they did seem to recall him saying something like that last month, when he had led them deep into a Hollow. But... they had thought he was joking!
"Oh, oh! I remember! Mo Wang did say that! But... what's a Phaethon?" Soukaku asked, turning to Yanagi.
"You... you're Phaethon, and you dare to just admit it?" Harumasa asked, his mind reeling.
"Is there a problem? Firstly, I haven't committed any crimes. Secondly, I'm properly registered with the HIA. I'm even affiliated with the military, and I pay my taxes. Is there a problem?" Mo Wang said, his voice filled with righteous indignation.
"Huh? Is... is that true?" Harumasa looked at Yanagi.
"I'll... I'll check. It's true!" she said, pulling up the information on her device. Phaethon's identity had been verified some time ago, with a guarantee from the military.
"Brother, when did you do all this? Why didn't I know?" Belle asked.
"You're always slacking off, you salted fish. How would you know what your busy brother is up to?"
After the Silver Squad incident, Mo Wang had realized his clandestine identity was becoming more and more inconvenient.
Figuring he would be exposed sooner or later, he had gone straight to Zhu Yuan and "turned himself in." Having already maxed out his affection with Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, and the others, and with no actual criminal record, he was let off after paying his back taxes.
In exchange for his future cooperation, they even helped him conceal his identity.
He then went to the HIA and re-registered.
They were overjoyed to have the legendary Phaethon join them and gave him high-level clearance. And with Trigger's help, he even managed to get himself affiliated with the military.
In just one month, he had transformed from a wanted man in the gray area to a powerful figure who ran both sides of the law.
The only downside was that the little money he had worked so hard to earn was now more than half gone.
Looking at the strange expressions on the faces of the Section Six members, Belle began to wonder... were they really a law-abiding family?