New Eridu, Janus Quarter, amidst the ruins just beyond a Hollow.
The Cunning Hares, fresh off a grueling rope-net commission, sprawled across the ground, utterly spent.
"Billy, get up and take watch already!"
Nicole Demara lay flat, her chest heaving with each labored breath.
"Roger that, Boss Nicole!"
Billy's voice brimmed with his usual enthusiasm as he shouted, "Starlight Knight, transform!"
But nothing happened. The robot's body creaked and groaned against the dirt.
"Sorry, Boss Nicole," Billy wheezed, sprawled out like a discarded toy. "Even the great Starlight Knight, Billy Kid, can't keep going after twelve hours straight."
"If you weren't so stingy, Nicole, we wouldn't be too exhausted to even stand," Anby deadpanned, her expression as blank as ever.
Despite her words, Anby sat upright, ever vigilant, keeping watch over the group.
Nicole bristled at the jab, sitting up with a jolt. "What's that supposed to mean?! I only hired those cheap rope-weavers to save us some Dennies!"
Her energy fizzled as quickly as it came, and she flopped back onto the ground, muttering under her breath. "Who knew those rope-weavers would be that useless? Dragging us through the Hollow for half a day before we found the exit. Ugh, Phaethon was so much better."
Nicole's voice dripped with resentment, her thoughts drifting to the flawless—albeit pricey—Phaethon. Sure, they were great, but their fees? Astronomical. Meanwhile, these bargain-bin rope-weavers were cheap... and completely incompetent.
As Nicole grumbled, a shadow appeared out of nowhere, plummeting from two meters above and landing squarely on her.
Already exhausted, the sudden impact was too much. Nicole's vision blurred, then went black as she passed out.
"Some villain's always out to get me!" was her last fleeting thought.
Su Chen sat on something soft, his mind a fog of confusion.
Who am I? Where am I?
Just moments ago, he'd been watching a Zenless Zone Zero PV. Then, a blinding flash—and now, here he was, in another world. Shattered alloy walls surrounded him, and nearby stood a red-clad robot and a green-haired girl with an expressionless stare.
Su Chen blinked. Those two... they were Billy and Anby from the Cunning Hares, weren't they?
Had he... transported into Zenless Zone Zero?
But wait—the Cunning Hares were a trio, right? Where was Nicole Demara, the big-chested leader?
"Get off Boss Nicole, or face the wrath of the unbeatable Starlight Knight!" Billy barked, brandishing his dual guns.
"An unidentified individual has appeared on Nicole's chest," Anby observed coolly, her arc blade drawn. "No visible threat, but a predator's disguise can't be ruled out."
The two eyed Su Chen warily. A man appearing out of thin air, with no warning, sitting on their boss? He could be a high-risk entity. Especially since he was pinning Nicole down.
"How long are you gonna sit there?!"
A furious voice snapped from beneath him. Su Chen looked down, meeting a pair of blazing, pale-green eyes.
He was sitting on Nicole's chest, pressing down so hard she coughed, struggling to breathe.
Oh. So that's where Boss Nicole went.
No wonder it felt so soft—and why he hadn't been hurt by the fall.
Wait. I'm on top of her?!
Su Chen shot to his feet, heart racing. "I'm so sorry! It was an accident!"
He bowed repeatedly, channeling the spirit of a master craftsman in his apologies.
Anby and Billy exchanged glances. This guy... seemed like an ordinary person. But how had an ordinary person materialized on Nicole's chest?
Su Chen, sensing the tension, raised his hands and offered a crisp French military salute. The gesture was so natural that Billy and Anby lowered their weapons slightly—not to the ground, but no longer aimed directly at him.
Not because they trusted him, but because Nicole had regained consciousness. She now stood, glaring, with her suitcase cannon locked and loaded, aimed at Su Chen's chest. One wrong move, and he'd be reduced to ash.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Boss Nicole! This mysterious guy's all yours to handle!" Billy exclaimed, his voice as excitable as ever.
"Got it. I'll deal with him properly," Nicole declared, rubbing her tingling chest with her left hand. She glared at Su Chen, fury blazing in her eyes. "Speak! Who are you, and why'd you ambush me?!"
"My name's Su Chen…"
He started to answer but stopped short.
Back on Earth, he was a 22-year-old orphan, a college student with no criminal record and a penchant for women in black stockings. But that identity was useless here. He'd body-transported into another world.
So, with a bewildered look, Su Chen said, "I'm Su Chen. That's all I know."
"Where'd you come from?" Nicole pressed.
"From… where I came from."
"And where are you going?"
"To… where I'm going."
His cryptic, almost Zen-like responses didn't impress Nicole. Black lines of exasperation creased her forehead.
"You're messing with me, aren't you?!" she snapped, grabbing Su Chen by the collar and staring daggers into his eyes.
"I swear, I really don't know anything!" Su Chen said helplessly.
Better to play dumb than to spin a wild story and get mistaken for a spy or worse. He was just a modern-day weakling with no strength to his name. That much was undeniable.
Surely, with the Cunning Hares' kind hearts, they wouldn't kill an ordinary guy like him… right?
Probably?
"Heh, you're definitely messing with me. You're one of those rope-net assassins, aren't you?!" Nicole growled, her aura darkening as if she were on the verge of snapping.
If not for the clear, almost foolish sincerity in Su Chen's eyes, she might've already blasted him with her cannon.
Nicole whipped out her phone, snapped a quick photo of Su Chen, and sent it to her contact at the Hollow Investigative Association. If there was even a hint of trouble with this guy, she'd make sure he was picking up soap in a New Eridu prison!
Ding! Her phone chimed with a reply: "No records found in the municipal system. Absolute black ID."
Nicole blinked, caught off guard. A black ID—no registered identity, no criminal record. Likely some nobody from an outer-district village. Combine that with Su Chen's scrawny frame, and this might actually have been an accident.
Still, letting him off so easily? That stung her pride.
Hmm… a black ID, huh?
Nicole sized Su Chen up. About 5'10", with sharp brows and bright eyes—a handsome face that could grace a phone wallpaper and still stand out. He'd make a fine addition to the Cunning Hares' base: a free laborer, maybe handling logistics or playing eye candy.
Clearing her throat, Nicole announced, "Ahem, Su Chen, is it? For the emotional distress, medical bills, and lost work time from your ambush, you're gonna work for the Cunning Hares—for free—for twenty years!"
"Whoa, Boss Nicole's scamming again!" Billy muttered under his breath. "But taking in a shady guy like this… is that really okay?"
"Given the unusual circumstances, Nicole's vindictive reaction aligns with her retaliatory mindset," Anby said flatly, her face as expressionless as ever. "Her risk assessment may be clouded by hormonal influence."
Compared to Billy's chatter, Anby sounded more like a robot than he did.
"Both of you, shut it!" Nicole barked at her teammates. "I'm doing this for the Cunning Hares' budget! No ulterior motives here!"
No matter what, Su Chen—the guy who'd crashed onto her—was not getting off easy.
"If you don't like the compensation plan, how about I return the favor and step on you?" Nicole turned to Su Chen with a sinister grin, flexing her long leg, clad in torn fishnet stockings.
"I'll take the deal! Working off the debt is fine!" Su Chen blurted, a chill running down his spine.
If he refused, he'd probably end up a eunuch, right?
A powerless black-ID outsider in this world, he didn't have many options. Even if it meant being a glorified indentured servant, at least he'd get a meal or two.
Heck, if black folks could rise to power in America, maybe I've got a shot at running this place someday, he thought.