Meanwhile, on the other side, Lycaon was outlining their next move.
"Rescuing Miss Proxy's friend is a top priority—we can't afford to waste any time. How about splitting into two teams?"
Ellen poked her head out from behind Phaga, bending down to study the two routes Lycaon had sketched on the ground. She muttered to herself, "Hmm... so it's either brainwork in the control room or physical labor hauling batteries in the emergency power room?"
"So tiring~~ But moving stuff's still easier, relatively speaking. Phaga, let's go to the emergency power room."
"Hm?"
Phaga's brows lifted at her suggestion, and he couldn't help glancing back at her. Truth be told, he didn't mind the idea of going with Ellen to haul batteries—but this was work, after all... would that be appropriate?
"That actually sounds like a good idea!"
Suddenly, Rina clapped her hands, then as if remembering something, snatched the data pad from Lycaon's hands and firmly pressed it into Phaga's palm.
"Rina?"
Phaga looked up, the light under his monocle reflecting his confusion.
Rina, however, ignored him. She gently patted Phaga's shoulder and said, "Phaga, even though Ellen tends to slack off a bit sometimes, don't look down on her, alright?"
"What's that supposed to mean? You make it sound like I'm lazy."
Hearing that, Ellen puffed out her cheeks, protesting, "I just conserve energy when it's not needed so I can give my all when it counts!"
"Yes, yes."
Rina smiled softly, eyes narrowing as she reached out to ruffle Ellen's hair. Ellen wriggled slightly but soon gave in, letting Rina pat her head.
Seeing that, Rina's smile grew even warmer. She turned to Phaga and said, "Besides, this way our combat balance stays even... Anyway, Phaga, take Ellen with you to the emergency power room."
"Safe travels."
"Well, alright then."
Since it was an order from the organization, Phaga simply nodded and complied, taking Ellen along as they headed downstairs.
At the same time, Lycaon wasted no more words. Like Phaga, he lifted Eous into his arm and said in a steady tone, "Then, Miss Proxy, we'll rely on you to lead us to the central control room."
Eous grinned, eyes narrowing with excitement. "No problem at all! Leave it to me!"
...
It was common knowledge that the Ballet Tower possessed an inexplicable enchantment:
No matter the time of day, once inside, it was always an endless night bathed in hazy moonlight.
But the moment one stepped outside, the sky would return to its normal daylight.
At that moment, Nicole stood under the blazing sun. Two hours past noon, the sunlight was merciless, scorching her like an ant on a hot pan—impatience written all over her face.
A man dressed like a lawyer appeared beside her without her noticing. Seeing she was still alone, he spoke coolly, "Miss Nicole, your associates have yet to arrive. May I assume you've forfeited this court appearance?"
"Are you kidding me? If Cunning Hares skips court, are you going to cover the lost commission fees?"
Already irritated from waiting, Nicole snapped the moment the opposing lawyer mocked her. "And what about your client, huh? I heard Perlman got shot dozens of times by his own people. He's probably half-paralyzed by now—can he even show up to court?"
"Mind your tone, Miss Nicole. If Mr. Perlman were truly incapacitated, the court wouldn't be issuing its verdict tomorrow."
The opposing lawyer straightened his suit, his gaze flicking disdainfully over Nicole's casual outfit before he turned away.
"Besides, Mr. Perlman is already here."
"What?"
Nicole's irritation instantly gave way to curiosity. Following the lawyer's gaze, she turned to see the infamous short man who had somehow survived a rain of bullets.
Her expression froze. Her mouth fell slightly open. It was hard to believe the man before her was actually Perlman.
"Good morning, afternoon, and evening, ladies and gentlemen! I am Charles Perlman, representative of Vision Industry!"
The short man she remembered was escorted across the floor by New Eridu's Public Security Bureau officers. Yet instead of looking ashamed, he was grinning ear to ear, waving to the press like a celebrity.
Parading through the streets!
The words echoed in Nicole's mind. She couldn't understand how Perlman could look so smug—so utterly devoid of guilt.
Still, that wasn't what bothered her most. Panting with anger, she turned to the opposing lawyer beside her and snapped, "Didn't he take dozens of bullets? If he didn't die, fine—but how's he walking around with just a cane?!"
She was fuming inside. Dozens of bullets? This bastard doesn't even need a wheelchair!
Instead, he was leaning on a cane—like he was doing it just to mock them.
"Fifty percent tech, fifty percent money," the opposing lawyer said, pushing his glasses up. The glint in his lenses reflected something sly.
"Well, Miss Nicole? Don't you feel even a little disillusioned with this world?"
He smirked, clearly hoping to see anger or despair on her face.
But she gave him nothing.
The man blinked in surprise as Nicole closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and quickly regained her calm.
"Regrettably, no."
She looked him up and down, then said with quiet confidence, "If anything, it's made me even more determined to achieve my ultimate goal in life—getting rich."
"You—pfft... hahahaha!!!"
The lawyer burst into laughter so hard he nearly teared up. Nicole just stared, confused, wondering if he'd gone insane.
But no—he composed himself after a few breaths, smoothing his coat as he reached into his briefcase.
Pulling out a business card, he handed it to her with a faint smile.
"Allow me to introduce myself. Kovei Kunmutu, senior attorney at TOPS Financial Alliance."
"Kovei... Kunmutu!"
Nicole instinctively accepted the card, eyes widening as she read the name printed on it.
The moment she saw the surname Kunmutu, she froze.
Kunmutu?
Was he related to Phaga?
And wait—if Phaga was one thing, how come this guy wasn't afraid of the sun either?
"Oh? It seems you recognize the name Kunmutu."
Kovei raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised—he hadn't expected her to know it meant anything.
"Of course I do. Don't underestimate my intel network."
Nicole bit her fingertip nervously and took a step back. "Kunmutu—the only surviving vampire surname still around today!"
"Then why... aren't you afraid of sunlight?"
She knew he probably wouldn't answer—but still, she asked.
"Because I'm not a pureblood vampire," Kovei said casually.
Nicole blinked, caught off guard.
He smiled faintly. As Perlman walked past toward the airship, Kovei followed, continuing over his shoulder, "If you don't inherit the power, you don't inherit the fear of sunlight."
"That's what it means to be a hybrid..."
Watching him go, Nicole's head throbbed. She muttered under her breath, "A vampire working at TOPS? And this vampire is helping Vision Industry? What the hell is this?"
But there was no time to dwell on it. From afar came Billy's booming, excited voice:
"Boss Nicole! We're here!"
Nicole turned around in relief. Seeing her teammates from Cunning Hares finally arrive, she waved and shouted, "Anby, Nekomata, Billy—hurry up!"
"Coming, coming... quit yelling."
Nekomata finally caught up, collapsing into Nicole's arms the moment she reached her. "So tired... need a hug."
"Hey, Nekomata! Don't breathe on my stomach!"
Nicole's cheeks flushed as she tried to push her away but couldn't quite bring herself to.
Glancing at Anby, who stood nearby looking mildly annoyed, Nicole sighed. "Alright, Nekomata, get up already. Billy ran here too, and he's not nearly this tired."
"Huh? No way!"
At that, Nekomata pulled away from Nicole's embrace like a carrot being yanked from the ground, staring at Billy in disbelief.
Moments later, she shouted, "Wait, Billy! Since when do you have that kind of stamina?!"
"Heh-heh!"
Billy puffed up proudly. "Because I upgraded to a new anaerobic respiration system—perfect for running!"
"Oh no..."
Halfway through showing off, Billy froze, clutching his face in horror. "Crap! I can't switch back to aerobic mode!"
Anby glanced over, expressionless. "Who told you to install cheap parts on yourself again?"
"How's that my fault? You know how broke Cunning Hares is—"
"Alright, everyone, onto the airship," Nicole interrupted. "Forget Billy. He's a robot; missing a little oxygen won't kill him."
Nekomata and Billy obediently boarded the airship. Only Anby lingered behind.
Thinking she was still sulking, Nicole walked over, wrapped an arm around her, and teased gently, "What's wrong, Anby? Still jealous about Nekomata?"
"It's not about Nekomata..."
Anby's gaze drifted aside, her tone faint.
Nicole raised an eyebrow. "Then what's wrong?"
"It's about the Proxy," Anby replied.
"The Proxy? What about her?"
Nicole blinked, then suddenly realized. "Oh right, we're all here now—who's protecting the Proxy? Rain isn't left without help, is she?"
Anby shook her head. "No. We ran into Victoria Housekeeping on the way."
"Then what are you worried about?" Nicole tilted her head.
From the looks of Phaga, their service quality had to be top-notch. The Proxy wouldn't be in any danger. So why was Anby still concerned?
Anby sighed quietly.
"No, I'm worried that after working with another team, the Proxy will realize just how big the service quality gap is... and stop hiring us altogether."
Click.
Nicole froze mid-step, her entire body going rigid as she blinked in stunned silence.