A/N: When I wrote my previous A/N, I was honestly expecting some people to complain about Caelu's nerfs due to powerscaling. The comments I received weren't something I expected. Still, thanks for all the support.
As a thank you, here is another extra chapter. Also, I won't promise you guys with 'Gimme Power Stones, 500/1000 Stones for extra chapter' stuff, cuz you all know my fic update schedules. Still, I'll try to find time to update now that things have slowed down after the Chinese New Year.
Also, what's with some people in internet trying to 'correct' everyone by saying 'It's not Chinese New Year, it's Lunar New Year' to the ones who invented the holiday in the first place?
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Back with Phil
"Ugh...my head is killing me..." Phil mutters as he slowly wakes up. Light slowly enters his eyes, and the first thing the bunny Thiren sees is Zhao simply sitting at the left side of the table in a fancy-looking dining room, drinking her tea.
"Ah, you're finally awake...again," Zhao says.
"...really?" Phil mutters in disbelief. Of all the things he expected when he woke up from getting shot by a tranquilizer dart for the second time, seeing Zhao waiting for him to wake up while drinking tea like some Saturday cartoon villain is not one of them.
"Hey, you took quite a long time to wake up. I can't simply do nothing, and trust me, if not for my business client, I wouldn't even bother to wait for you." Zhao shrugs, looking slightly annoyed.
"...how much money did my parents pay you to retrieve me?" Zhao raises her eyebrow upon hearing the venom in Phil's tone before she simply snorts.
"I doubt you have that much money to outmatch your family's wealth," Zhao says bluntly, and she expects Phil to falter, but she was slightly surprised that Phil didn't even react to her sentence. Of course, she hides her reaction.
"And besides, money isn't something they planned to trade with me. It is a vital piece of information that I've been trying to obtain for my boss," Zhao says as Phil can't help but wonder what kind of information his parents are willing to trade for him.
Phil may hate the fact, but his parents saw him as valuable. Not in a way parents saw a child, but like a businessman saw profits. So, for them to just trade an information for Zhao means this information is vital.
Or perhaps it was just a scam. They're quite shrewd as businessmen.
"Speaking of them, they're here." Both Zhao's and Phil's ears perk up as they hear footsteps and the sound of a wheelchair. The door opens and reveals a man, who appears to be a hare Thiren with white hair, a pair of long white ears, and blue eyes, sitting in a wheelchair. He wears a typical businessman's uniform.
Behind him is a tall rabbit Thiren, with a pair of large and long ears, her body is covered with black and grey fur, long grey hair, a pair of red eyes, and a rabbit nose, wearing a white dress and a large white hat.
If Caelus is here, he will silently remark how she looks like a Lopunny but with black and gray fur.
"Ah...you truly did it," The man in the wheelchair muses, a hint of approval in his tone. Phil can't help but gulp as the man stares at him.
"It was an easy task," Zhao dismisses it as she places down her cup.
"I suppose you do deserve being the elite among the Krampus Compliance Authority," The woman says, causing Zhao to furrow her eyebrow. She used to people looking down on her due to her appearance, but the tone used by this woman aggravated her.
"Phil..." The man calls the young bunny with an authoritative tone. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
"I...don't have anything to say to both of you..." Phil mutters, staring at the hare and rabbit pair defiantly.
"Oh dear, it seems leaving this house makes our little boy enter his rebellious phase," The young woman says with a false sweet tone, which makes Phil and Zhao shiver in unison. Zhao stares at Phil with a look that says: 'I get it now.'
"Ahem," Zhao clears her throat, getting the duo's attention. "Since I have clearly kept my end of the deal, I suppose you guys would keep yours."
"Of course," The man says with a slight nod.
"Great! Now, let us not waste any more of my time and tell me everything you both knew about this 'Exaltist',"
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With Caelus
"...the universe truly is the sickest joke that was ever created. Because what do you mean, a heavy traffic is just conveniently happening during this type of emergency!??!"
Caelus can be seen gripping the handle of the taxi's door while holding the floating crystal in his hand, while sitting next to the driver, an orange cat Thiren, who seems nervous around Caelus. Mem is lying on his head while remaining invisible. Seed sits at the back with Trigger; the former looks anxious, while the latter looks like she's ready to shoot everyone.
When Caelus says heavy traffic, he wasn't exaggerating, as every side of the taxi is nothing but cars with some riding motorcycles slipping through any tiny gaps possible. The music on the radio is drowned out by the loud honk at every side.
"I can hear a bunch of morons singing like a herd of dying bulls under the red light." If it wasn't for the blindfold, everyone could've seen Trigger's left eye twitch like crazy.
"...you know what, fuck this," Caelus casually summons the system screen, and several drones start flying out of it, startling the driver. Caelus lowers the car window, and the drones fly towards the lower part of the car before attaching themselves to it.
With mental activation, Caelus commands the drone to fly, and the car starts floating upward, causing the driver to panic even more.
"Sorry for doing this without warning, but my little brother had gotten himself kidnapped by a whore, and I need to get to him as soon as possible. So, forgive me as I turn your car into an advanced hovercraft and take control of it." Caelus politely begs the driver, who simply nods shakily. "Thanks, I'll make sure the car is in one piece and pay you triple the amount."
With that, Caelus commands the drone to follow the trails of memorias while not forgetting to blast the singing idiot when passing by. Caelus also makes sure to turn on the cloaking device to prevent everyone from spotting them.
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Back with Phil
"Exaltist...?" Phil mutters in confusion as Zhao and his 'father' stare at each other. The entire dining room falls silent as the hare raises his hands and claps once. Then, a young maid holding a file approaches them and hands it to Zhao.
"..." Zhao remains silent as she opens the files and takes a look. Upon seeing the content, she can't help but raise her eyebrow.
"I was expecting more information when we're making this deal, but all you provided for me is the location of the Exaltist's hideout," Zhao says as she waves the file. "Are you both forgetting the deal, or are you both treating this business as a joke?"
"We're not," The man says without hesitation. "We all knew the Krampus Compliance Authority was filled with powerful individuals like you; we believed providing this information might lead you both to more information regarding the Exaltist."
"So, you're saying that you simply believe providing a bare minimum is enough and let us do the rest of the hard work," Zhao scoffs. "You know, with the way you spoke about how much Phil meant to you two, I thought you would provide quite a goldmine of information. You, along with the rest of the TOPS, know how much profits have lost since the Exaltists slowly show themselves to ruin your business, and yet you both choose to do nothing to fully stop them from ruining the business further."
This statement alone raises a huge alarm on Phil's head. That is the first time he had heard about how TOPS' organisations are losing profits due to this 'Exaltists' group, and with how Zhao pointed it out, there's no way his 'parents' wouldn't do anything to stop these groups. He had dealt with most of his childhood hearing his parents demand that he study so they could gain more profit, so Phil believed they were acting out of character.
Also, he can't help but wonder how the house feels so silent. Due to his enhanced hearing, he always heard his siblings arguing and fighting to get ahead of each other. But he hasn't heard any arguments since he woke up.
He had suspected that they had soundproofed the house, but he noticed there were no signs of renovation or modification in this room. The only change in this room is the slightly worn-out wallpaper. His siblings wouldn't be going out and doing whatever the kids their age do, given that they're not only obsessed with gaining their parents' inheritance, but they're all introverts like him.
"My siblings..." Phil speaks, getting everyone's attention. "Where are they?"
"They're in their room," His 'mother' says smoothly, but Phil has lived with them for so long, and he knows she's lying through her teeth.
"I don't hear them arguing as usual since I woke up," Phil says while narrowing his eyes. "And don't tell me you guys are soundproofing their room, cuz the moment you guys choose to spend your money on them in any sort of way, it'll be the day I become the 'failure' of this family. And from what Miss Zhao said, that has yet to happen."
"Dear..." His 'mom' says lowly, a hint of warning in her tone. Phil should've been scared by this, as his 'mother' would use that tone before punishing any of his siblings, and she had never used it on him.
"Yes, Mom?" Unfortunately, due to hanging out with Caelus so much, he had grown bolder. No one knows if he did it out of bravery or stupidity.
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Back with Caelus
"So, this is the house..." Caelus mutters as Trigger and Seed stand behind him, with the taxi hastily driving away as fast as possible. They're currently in a forest with a huge mansion right in front of them. Caelus had made sure he landed as quietly as possible while letting some of his drones remain on the taxi to avoid alerting anyone at the mansion.
With how fast the taxi moves, it didn't take long before the taxi reached far enough to not alert anyone, and Caelus mentally commands the drone to return.
"..." Trigger remains silent as she faces Caelus. She knows how much Caelus has been feeling since he started investigating Phil's whereabouts, especially with the increased heart rate she's been hearing since the beginning. If not for the dire situation, she would be impressed at how he keeps himself together for his friend's sake.
"..." Without a single word, Caelus summons his baseball bat, and his drones start flying towards it. Piece by piece, it starts to fuse with Caelus' baseball bat before it glows blue and spikes come out from the side, turning the bat into a spiky club. "I wonder how many kilograms of TNT are enough to destroy a good chunk of the building, but not enough to hurt Phil."
Nevermind, Caelus has shown signs of insanity.
Before he could act, they heard footsteps from behind, and they turned around to see a young rabbit Thiren with pale blonde hair, short blonde bunny ears, heterochromic eyes, and a cotton tail, wearing a white long-sleeved buttoned shirt and a pair of tight jeans with a retractable sabre attached to her left waist. She blinks upon looking at the trio standing in front of the mansion, and before she could open her mouth, the trio rushes and covers her mouth.
"Not a sound," Caelus hisses quietly, and the girl nods. He knows who this young woman is, Alice Thymefield, but he has no idea why she is here. "My friend got himself kidnapped, and we're here to rescue him from this mansion. And I need you to cooperate with us so we can rescue him safely."
"...may I know who your friend is?" Alice can't help but ask out of curiosity.
"Phil Legwork," They say in unison, causing Alice to blink.
"Wait, why is cousin Phil getting kidnapped in his own mansion?"
To be Continued