The next morning, Su Chen woke up on the Cunning Hares' lumpy sofa, stretching with a yawn.
First things first: time to test his luck with the system.
"One draw a day—let's see what the ether pulls!" Su Chen muttered, focusing on his Proxy-like interface.
The system's card pool hummed to life in his mind, and a blue light flared from the virtual deck.
"White, green, blue, purple, gold—a blue card's not bad!" Su Chen grinned.
His luck was holding strong, unlike that useless Eous's Memory Chip he'd drawn before.
He activated the blue card, and a pair of sleek, high-tech pistols materialized in his system storage. Their matte black and silver frames pulsed with faint ether energy, exuding danger.
[Twin Ether Blasters]: Forged for Hollow combat, these pistols hum with unstable energy. Their shots pierce like a Hollow's wail.
The system's description was cryptic, but Su Chen felt their power. These weren't standard New Eridu gear—maybe relics from a deep Hollow dive.
With a thought, he summoned the blasters: one in his left hand, the other in his right. They spun effortlessly in his grip, as if they'd been made for him. Despite never touching a gun before, he wielded them with uncanny precision, the system granting him instinctual mastery.
"Good stuff. Mine now," Su Chen chuckled, storing the blasters back in his system space.
The timing was perfect—he'd need weapons for whatever New Eridu threw at him. Maybe the system was looking out for him after all.
Su Chen didn't head to the kitchen today. Not out of laziness, but because of Nicole's orders last night.
"We had a fancy buffet in Lumina Square, so let's savor it a bit longer," she'd said, patting her stomach with a satisfied grin.
Su Chen could guess the real reason: after splurging on that buffet, Nicole was probably pinching Dennies again, even if it meant skipping breakfast potatoes.
"As expected of the Cunning Hares, drowning in debt yet led by a boss who'd sell her soul for Dennies!" Su Chen sighed.
With nothing else to do, he flicked on the TV.
Last night, a New Eridu research lab was attacked. Critical ether tech was stolen, and several researchers were injured. The Red Fang Gang is suspected to be behind it.
A female reporter stood outside a smoldering building in Sixth Street, delivering the news with urgency. Her male co-anchor grabbed the mic, practically shouting.
It's not just suspicion—it's definitely the Red Fang Gang! Those scumbags deserve to rot in a Hollow!
"New Eridu's reporters don't hold back," Su Chen remarked, amused.
Yesterday's news was about a Hollow outbreak in an alley off Sixth Street. Today, it was a gang attack on a lab. Life in New Eridu was never dull.
"Hold on," Su Chen muttered, stroking his chin. "The Red Fang Gang hitting a research lab… that sounds like the start of a bigger plot."
He hadn't followed ZZZ's full story, but the opening cinematics were burned into his memory. This felt like the spark of something major.
Bang!
The door flew open as Nicole stormed in, rousing Billy and Anby with the energy of a caffeinated Bangboo.
"Big job, people! We've got a big job!" she shouted.
The team gathered around the rickety table in the Cunning Hares' base, buzzing with anticipation.
"What?! We're gonna be rich?!" Billy exclaimed, his robotic eyes gleaming.
"Spill it, Nicole," Anby said, calm but curious.
Nicole cleared her throat, adopting a serious tone. "I just scored a commission with a fat payout. We're hitting the Red Fang Gang to recover a safe they stole. This one job's worth half a month's commissions!"
"Time for the Starlight Knight to shine!" Billy said, running a hand through his spiky white hair and striking a dramatic pose.
"The Red Fang Gang's a known player in New Eridu's underworld. They've got numbers and aren't pushovers," Anby said, her hand resting on her sword's hilt.
"Hey, Anby, you scared or what?" Billy teased, his voice dripping with mock drama.
"I'm saying we need a plan," Anby replied, unfazed.
"Can I tag along for this one?" Su Chen cut in.
He'd always wanted a crack at a gang like the Red Fang.
"You? Sure, you've got a 90-point ether aptitude, but you're still a rookie. Not ready for this," Anby said, her tone cool and analytical.
From what she'd seen, Su Chen didn't exactly scream "combat-ready." Potential? Sure. But not yet.
"Oh yeah?" Su Chen smirked.
He leaped from his spot, pulling off a flawless Hollow-dodging flip—spinning twice in midair before landing lightly on his feet.
"Bravo!" Billy clapped wildly. "Kid's got moves like a Starlight Knight stunt double!"
"Thanks," Su Chen said, bowing playfully.
Nicole's eyes widened, then narrowed suspiciously. "Hang on. Didn't you say you were just an ordinary guy?"
That kind of agility was way beyond normal—more like a seasoned Hollow Raider.
"Ordinary, just… a bit enhanced," Su Chen said, pinching his fingers with a grin, as if measuring the vastness of his system-boosted strength.
Compared to New Eridu's bear-like bruisers or cat-eared fighters, he was just a slightly superhuman guy.
"Fine, you're in," Nicole said, smirking. "Let's see what else you're hiding, Suchen Demara."
She was curious about his secrets—and a 90-point aptitude was too good to leave on the sidelines.