"It feels like there are even more of them now."
Cautiously, Anby revealed half her face through the crack of the warehouse door.
Earlier, under Ignis' command, the Cunning Hares had managed to eliminate every nearby Ethereal lurking outside the warehouse.
But not long after taking shelter inside, a new horde began gathering around the area once again.
Several Hatis prowled the perimeter, sniffing the air—but since becoming Ethereal, such senses had long decayed, leaving only the faint echo of primal instinct.
"They're about as persistent as our debt collectors," Billy muttered under his breath, careful not to draw attention.
Suddenly, the robot's expression shifted. He hurriedly silenced the beeping timer on his belt.
"Another round finished—that's the fourth," Billy sighed, glancing toward Nicole, who sat on the ground.
"If you don't recover soon, you can forget about collecting your debts forever!" Nicole barked, holding up Phaethon's Bangboo in mock threat.
But the small scarf-wrapped unit gave no response, only staring blankly at her with its round eyes, stubby legs twitching aimlessly.
"Communications must've been cut," Ignis murmured quietly. "No telling when they'll reconnect."
The giant remained kneeling, having shut down his jump pack to prevent its hum from drawing Ethereal attention.
Without the strength of his Mark X Gravis Power Armor's electro-muscle bundles, the armor's weight pressed down on him heavily.
Though movement was limited, Ignis honed his senses—the enhanced organs of a Space Marine, the Lyman's Ears, allowing him to track the faintest sounds around them.
"Supplies are running low." Nicole gave up trying to interrogate the Bangboo. One hand kept it restrained, while the other flipped open her briefcase.
"Anby, drink your tonic," she said, nodding toward the girl.
The briefcase, once full of provisions, was nearly empty. The air grew heavy—everyone understood that if the Proxy couldn't reconnect, they'd likely never leave this Hollow alive.
Billy stirred, as if to lighten the mood, but Ignis raised a hand, signaling silence.
"Multiple contacts approaching," the giant whispered. "Footsteps—organized. Not Ethereals."
"Could it be the Defense Force or Public Security?" Billy crept closer to the door's crack.
"It's the Hollow Investigative Association," Anby confirmed.
Sure enough, a team of Public Security officers escorted an HIA investigator down the track.
Public Security officers wore blue, white, and black armor suits, each carrying bullpup rifles. The vanguard, clad in heavier plating, wielded high-voltage batons sparking faintly with energy.
"Enemies spotted! Prepare to engage!"
With that command, the melee squad formed up, while the ranged unit took positions, overlapping their fields of fire.
The nearby Ethereals rushed toward the new arrivals, but the pre-set firing lines tore through many mid-charge.
Once they closed in, the frontliners met them head-on—shock batons flaring, stunning their foes before finishing them with gunfire.
Only a few Hatis managed to last a few moments longer—but with coordinated strikes, even they were dropped swiftly and permanently.
The investigator crouched to collect fragments from a fallen Hati, then exchanged words with the officers.
"This is a storage zone," he said, marking it on his tablet. "We'll flag it and contact the property holder later. Let's move—we still need to track the spatial shifts in this sector."
"Right, the train wreck opened a new route," one officer noted. "Maybe a dominant Ethereal emerged, claiming territory."
"Boss," Billy whispered, sneaking beside Nicole, "if that's the HIA team—they've got an investigator! They'll have a Carrot! We could ask for help—follow them out of the Hollow!"
Nicole rolled her eyes, turning away from his hopeful face.
"Don't be stupid. Public Security's with them," she sighed, her chest rising slightly with exasperation. "We're Hollow Raiders, Billy. What are we supposed to do, surrender? That still gets us locked up."
"Maybe if it was just us," Billy said, pointing at the Bangboo in her hands. "But with this thing…"
"Remember the policy? Report a Proxy, and you get credit for it—even if you've got a record…" His voice trailed off, the idea unconvincing even to himself.
"Given our situation, Billy's plan holds a certain degree of logic," Anby interjected. "We could exchange the Proxy's identity for safe passage… or wait for the Bangboo to reconnect."
"Nicole, boss…" Billy hesitated. "We'll follow your lead—whatever you decide."
Nicole's gaze swept over Anby, Billy, and Ignis, who still knelt silently, before settling on Phaethon's Bangboo.
The tiny unit squirmed in her grasp, its legs twitching as if it still wanted to walk somewhere.
"There's no sacrifice too great to accept, nor betrayal too small to forgive," Ignis said quietly. "I trust Phaethon. She's had countless chances to betray us—and didn't. Not once."
Nicole took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
"Boss?" Billy asked as she stayed silent.
She exhaled slowly, opened her eyes, and her usual confidence returned.
With a sharp smack, she slapped the top of Billy's head. "Quit whining. We're not staying here."
Setting the Bangboo down, she watched it start walking again, single-mindedly.
"Let's go." Nicole brushed the dust from her shorts. "I want to see where it's trying to lead us."
Anby and Billy followed, and once the Public Security officers were out of range, Ignis reactivated his power pack.
With a hum, the armor's electromagnetic bundles came alive—the crushing weight eased, and his full strength returned.
"I'll take point," Ignis said, stepping ahead. "You keep your eyes on that little one. Don't let it get lost again—maybe Phaethon will reconnect soon."
Eous seemed guided by something unseen, darting out of the warehouse and onto the tracks.
"Feels like that little thing's leading us straight into Ethereal territory," Billy muttered, guns ready.
"Not ruling out the possibility it's a shortcut," Ignis replied, checking the fuel level on his flamethrower. "Got a better option?"
"At this point, it's our only one." Anby drew her combat blade, power pack crackling as it charged the weapon.
"Then we fight. The Cunning Hares don't always run."
Nicole loaded a custom gravity round into her weapon.
A black gravity sphere shot down the narrow track. The confined rails and wreckage left nowhere to escape—the cluster of Ethereals was caught entirely within its pull.
"Nice work."
Spotting the immobilized enemies, Ignis charged, igniting the flamethrower.
"Burn! Purge! Cleanse!" he roared, jets of holy flame engulfing the trapped Ethereals. Pinned under the Fire-Sight's purifying blaze, they had no chance to strike back, reduced to ash by the Son of Vulkan.
"Look out!" Billy shouted. Two Hatis leapt from behind the wreckage, lunging at Ignis.
Billy's twin revolvers flashed—the left Hati dropped, screaming.
Anby's muscles surged with electrically enhanced power. She leapt, grabbed Ignis' power pack, vaulted onto his shoulder, and sprang again—meeting the second beast midair.
Her blade pierced its abdomen—lightning erupted, shattering it before it hit the ground.
As a precision suppression unit, Billy reloaded instantly, firing a tight burst to destroy the fallen Hati's core.
"We holding up, boss?" Nicole asked, patting Ignis' leg plate.
"Of course," the Salamander rumbled, his tone firm.
"Wish someone could've filmed that," Billy grinned. "Looked like a scene out of a tokusatsu show."
"Focus," Anby cut in sharply. "The Proxy's Bangboo hasn't stopped moving."
"Then stop gawking and move!" Nicole kicked Billy's backside to get him going.
Chaotic as ever—but that's what made the Cunning Hares such a good crew.
Ignis tracked the Bangboo's thermal trail, charging forward—only to meet yet another wave of Ethereals.
"This never ends!" Billy shouted, already reloading.
"Then we end them," Ignis growled, storming ahead. His massive fist smashed into a towering Ethereal, sending it reeling.
"If we live through this, I'm renegotiating Phaethon's escort fees."
Nicole flipped the briefcase's chamber, slotting in another costly custom round.
"At least we'll earn back the ammo money."