["Yesterday, the C41 Hollow suddenly exhibited abnormal activity. Despite having already entered a recession phase, it became active once again. This change resulted in injuries and even fatalities among citizens who illegally entered the Hollow without authorization. Here, the New Eridu Public Security issues a special reminder to all citizens: with the Golden Week approaching, this is a peak season for scams. Do not blindly trust information on the Inter-Knot, and do not be deceived or incited by scam syndicates and Hollow Raiders to privately enter Hollows for exploration, lest you suffer unnecessary financial losses or endanger your life."]
["At present, the Hollow Investigative Association is conducting an investigation into the cause behind the C41 Hollow's sudden activation. Using professional techniques and equipment, they will carry out in-depth studies on the Hollow's terrain structure, ether energy fluctuations, and other aspects. The Association has stated that once the cause is determined, it will be released immediately so that citizens may stay informed and escape in time should similar incidents occur."]
["According to Bringer, Chief Officer of the New Eridu Public Security's new branch, scam syndicates and Hollow Raiders who spread false information and place citizens in danger will be dealt with using severe measures. Chief Bringer once again urges all citizens: if scam syndicates or Hollow Raiders are discovered, please report them to the Public Security immediately. Rewards will be given to those who provide effective intelligence."]
As the news broadcast played, Ignis lowered the heat on the stove. The chicken soup in the pot was giving off an enticing aroma. If he were more familiar with the local medicinal herbs, he would have liked to add some and make a proper medicinal stew.
"Phaethon scheduled a video conference with us today. Said it's to consolidate intel," Nicole said as she got up from the couch and stretched. "Wow, that smells amazing."
"It's for Anby. Remember to bring it to her later," the Salamander said as he wiped his hands on his apron. "Where's Nekomata? Still not up?"
"Let her rest a bit more. She blamed herself so much she didn't fall asleep until dawn. And Billy is over at the hospital. He usually looks unreliable, but at times like this, that robot is the most dependable," Nicole said, checking the time on her phone. "It should be about time for the meeting."
"Have there been cases before where a Hollow in recession suddenly reactivated?" Ignis asked Nicole. As experts in Hollow-related affairs, the Cunning Hares should know about this.
"There are records, but I've never encountered one personally. Cases like this are extremely rare, whether it's a Hollow being pacified or one on the verge of disappearance suddenly becoming active again," the boss of the Cunning Hares said while holding her phone, seemingly messaging someone. "The doctor said the emergency treatment for Anby was handled very well and will greatly help her recovery. That Wolf Thiren really isn't simple. I looked into their background—aside from normal housekeeping services, I couldn't find anything else."
She finished sending the message and slumped back against the sofa.
"You seem to be fairly familiar with them. Any thoughts?"
Ignis walked into the living room. The television was playing dull news, so he sat cross-legged on the floor.
"I wouldn't say familiar. We've only met a few times. Von Lycaon is an interesting one. He's investigated our Cunning Hares before. I get the feeling our intel is firmly in their grasp."
At those words, the boss of the Cunning Hares visibly stiffened.
"You see, he knows about us dealing with Razor. He even told me their employer knows I saved members of the Public Security twice," Ignis said. "He even knows my personal income. Their intelligence-gathering capability is extremely strong. Fortunately, they're not enemies—and they're even willing to help."
"You mean the thing I asked you to investigate, that so-called Saint Love Behavioral Correction School? They're helping with that too. The only comfort is that this organization serving New Eridu's upper-class residents isn't our enemy."
"That much is true…" Nicole sighed. "My intel channels are still too limited, especially upward. Barely anything. I really don't want to go to that guy… feels like I'd get fleeced."
Ignis was curious who she meant—someone bold enough to fleece the boss of the Cunning Hares. Just then, his phone vibrated. It was a video conference request from the Proxies.
"Looks like everyone's here. Do we need to make introductions?" Belle asked the participants on the call.
"I don't think that's necessary. We already met inside the Hollow," Anton Ivanov said. His background showed a construction site, and Ignis saw Gotthardt's massive foot step past. The old warrior was clearly engaged in transport work.
"Anton is correct. We've already cooperated with the Cunning Hares and Belobog Heavy Industries before, so we're not strangers. Besides, the situation is urgent. We can skip unnecessary pleasantries," Von Lycaon said with a polite smile.
"True enough, though it might get a bit noisy here. Construction site noise is pretty heavy," Anton said, glancing behind him at the Bear Thiren workers and numerous Bangboo. "The chairman and vice-chairman went to the city for a pre-holiday safety construction meeting. Grace Howard is busy maintaining intelligent engineering machinery, so it's just me here for now. Please bear with me."
This felt familiar to the Salamander. Before every holiday, there were always meetings, directives going up and down. Turns out it was the same here. The giant noticed the Leviathan Dreadnought even gave him a greeting—the mech's head-mounted sensor was wearing a yellow safety helmet, crookedly.
At least wear it properly. Ignis wanted to complain, but then reconsidered. That "head" was entirely a component made of adamantine-ceramite, paired with a projected shield. What kind of falling debris could possibly hurt it?
Perhaps for the Imperial Fists, the safety concerns on construction sites weren't about falling objects at all.
"To get straight to the point, we've gathered everyone to discuss the C41 Hollow," Wise said, stepping in and getting right to it. "We've confirmed through multiple channels that the ether activity of the C41 Hollow is slowly increasing for some reason. If this continues, it may break free of its 'recession' state and once again become an active Companion Hollow."
"Since everyone encountered disorientation or even entrapment during exploration of the C41 Hollow, we wanted to share intel and deduce possible causes together."
"So first, please share your respective exploration experiences," Belle said with a smile at the camera.
"I'll go first," Anton said. "Belobog Heavy Industries explored the C41 Hollow mainly to study the data on military-industrial machinery stored in the warehouses. We—"
His words were drowned out by a sudden, loud, rhythmic clattering sound. Ignis knew that sound well—it was a demolition hammer. They were probably breaking apart concrete structures.
Then came the roar of transport vehicle engines.
"…defense machinery…"
"…Belobog Heavy Industries' situation is roughly like this."
Both the Cunning Hares and Phaethon were completely baffled. Through the gaps in construction noise, they only caught a few fragmented words and had no idea what Anton actually said.
"I didn't hear anything except noise!" Belle said, utterly speechless.
"Belobog Heavy Industries' exploration was concentrated in certain warehouse areas and didn't go too deep into the C41 Hollow. The defense machinery they encountered was within expectations," Von Lycaon summarized what he had understood.
"As expected of a Wolf Thiren. Outstanding hearing," Wise said, full of admiration.
Ignis thought something was off. If it came to hearing, an Adeptus Astartes' Lyman's Ear should be even sharper than a Thiren's, yet all he heard was construction noise too.
"You flatter me. I couldn't distinguish the sounds either. I inferred it by reading his lips," Von Lycaon said with a slight smile, revealing the truth.
Wait, that's even more impressive.
"Uh, hello? Sorry—there's no noise now, right? The wolf brother got the last part wrong. The defense machinery we encountered wasn't exactly normal. We don't know if it was due to long-term neglect or ether corrosion," Anton said.
It seemed the construction had paused briefly on his end.
"My apologies. It appears my lip-reading ability still needs improvement. Please forgive me," Von Lycaon said before continuing. "As for Victoria Housekeeping, on the first day we explored the area opened up by the Cunning Hares. Yesterday, we followed the route opened by Belobog Heavy Industries."
"We didn't encounter any particularly noteworthy abnormal enemies, but we did see many newly arrived treasure-hunting Hollow Raiders along the way. Most defense machinery or Ethereals were drawn away by their immature exploration actions and gave chase."
"Is that so? Malfunctioning defense machinery and more Hollow Raiders… It doesn't sound particularly abnormal," Wise said thoughtfully. None of this seemed too out of place.
"Our turn," Nicole cleared her throat. "The Cunning Hares explored the widest area of the C41 Hollow. We run escort services, after all. New Hollow Raiders who need a bit of muscle can pay to hire our people. We explored both warehouse zones we opened up. The Ethereals were weak, but the Midsummer Group's defense machinery was plentiful. And they suddenly went berserk all at once. Billy and Ignis were fine, but Anby and Nekomata had it much worse."
"I see. Defense machinery," Wise said, dragging his foot slightly. "Although machines can be corroded by ether, only those equipped with components broadly recognized as 'intelligent parts' can be corrupted and transformed into Ethereals."
"Most defense machinery uses low-level autonomous structures and doesn't qualify as intelligent machinery. Logically, the C41 Hollow should lack a source capable of triggering active ether. So why is the activity increasing?"
Wise fell into deep thought. As a Proxy, he was well-versed in Hollow theory, yet the state of the C41 Hollow clearly exceeded existing frameworks.
There must be something we're missing. A completely unknown reactivation principle can't just appear out of nowhere.
"It—"
Construction noise erupted again, completely drowning out Anton's voice. The timing was almost too perfect.
Everyone felt a bit awkward. Anton kept talking, but no one could hear him.
"Please allow me to attempt lip-reading once more," Von Lycaon said.
He carefully observed Anton's mouth movements for a while before speaking.
"Understood. Mr. Anton says that the Midsummer Group's defense machinery is equipped with early-generation intelligent components. This was their distinctive feature when they entered the market, and also the reason Belobog Heavy Industries wanted to study them," Von Lycaon said, looking puzzled. "Mr. Anton also described a rather complex metaphor involving drills, sweat, and animal cubs. It should be specialized knowledge related to engineering machinery."
No, that was just swearing. Ignis complained internally.
"Uh, sorry, wolf brother. That part really was just me cursing the construction noise… my bad," Anton said awkwardly.
"My apologies. It seems my understanding of both lip-reading and construction site culture is still lacking. Once again, I've made a fool of myself," Von Lycaon replied.
"But everything before that was right! The Midsummer Group's defense machinery does have old-model intelligent components! Our technical lead Grace Howard said so!" Anton added.
With the evidence piling up, someone as sharp as Nicole had already deduced the reason behind the C41 Hollow's reactivation.
"Heh heh, I've solved the mystery completely," the boss of the Cunning Hares said proudly. "The source of ether activity is the Midsummer Group's defense machinery! As treasure-hunting hype grew, many inexperienced Hollow Raiders flooded into the C41 Hollow. While recklessly searching the warehouse zones, they triggered the defense machinery! As more and more intelligent defense units were activated and corrupted, they became a breeding ground for active ether!"
Nicole finished with a look that practically begged for praise. Ignis really wanted to point out that maybe those inexperienced Hollow Raiders had rushed in after seeing the Cunning Hares' actions on the Inter-Knot.
"That makes sense. Looks like Nicole's sharp as ever," Wise said with narrowed eyes and a mysterious smile. "So then, what caused such a large influx of people, Ms. Nicole?"
"I heard the entry fee was ten thousand dennies per person," Belle said, also squinting at the camera. "You must've made quite a bit."
"Uh…" The boss of the Cunning Hares panicked. If this line of reasoning continued, wouldn't she herself be the root cause of everything?
"This plan was Ignis's idea in the first place!" Nicole decisively shifted the blame. "He smashed the wall open too! It wasn't my idea at all!"
Boss, you didn't look like this when you were taking the money.
"It was indeed my proposal. I didn't expect it to trigger such a serious crisis," Ignis said calmly, accepting the blame. There was no denying it—this did start with him.
"So, what's a good solution? Destroy all the defense machinery?" the Salamander asked seriously.
"That's not very realistic. There are too many targets," Belle shook her head. "When we went to find you yesterday, we only did a rough count. There are several thousand defense machines here."
"It's not that they can't all be dismantled," the Salamander considered. "It would just take time. We'd need the Proxies to guide the way."
"You're actually planning to do that?" Belle was stunned. "And there isn't enough time. More people might enter and get hurt."
"Based on the distribution of the defense machinery, there should be larger units in the deep core warehouse area. Grace believes there may be a large machine with command capabilities," Anton relayed Grace's findings.
For someone like Grace, almost an Omnissiah reborn, Ignis trusted her judgment on machinery completely.
"If such a super-large intelligent unit exists, it could become the core of this Hollow. Destroying it would eliminate a large amount of ether and should revert the C41 Hollow back to a recession state," Belle said after some thought. "Just like when you dealt with the Dead End Butcher."
"Then we need to stop Hollow Raiders from wandering around causing more trouble, and send a strong operative straight to the source," Nicole said, her gaze naturally falling on Ignis.
As the Cunning Hares' champion warrior and Nicole's most trusted enforcer, this job clearly fell to him. And ultimately, it was his proposal that caused this situation. The biggest beneficiary had been the Cunning Hares, so handling the aftermath was only right.
"Can the old veteran move?" Ignis asked Anton. If the Leviathan Dreadnought could come along, things would be much simpler.
"No. That thing's too noisy. It would attract too many targets. This operation is best done as a solo infiltration—decapitate the target, then withdraw," Wise said after thinking it over. "Once the level of active ether drops, the activated defense machinery will automatically fall dormant again."
"Then it looks like I'm going alone," Ignis said, taking the mission upon himself. "Nekomata needs rest. Anby needs care. Billy isn't suited for this. Nicole has to stay. I caused this mess—so I'll clean it up myself."
"With Lord Ignis's combat capability, this plan is highly feasible," Von Lycaon nodded. "Victoria Housekeeping will block Hollow Raiders attempting to enter from the Hollow perimeter."
"Good. Then we'll release relevant information on the Inter-Knot to alert anyone planning to enter the C41 Hollow," Wise said, turning to his sister. "The conclusion and plan are set. That concludes this operation meeting. Could you handle it?"
"Then we'll be counting on everyone. Prepare to begin the operation," Belle said, clapping her hands crisply.
===BREAK===
Like the story and want more chapters?
Join and support me by joining my Patreon!
[email protected]/SiRoasa