About ten minutes later, Wise finished debugging the HDD device, and Su Chen and Nicole set off, carrying Bangboo, who was named Eous.
More precisely, Su Chen was carrying Bangboo, and the injured Nicole walked beside him.
"This is the difference between Phaethon and other Proxies."
Nicole pointed at Bangboo and explained to Su Chen, "Phaethon can connect to Bangboo with his consciousness and enter the Hollow with the Tomb Raider, analyzing the situation inside the Hollow in real-time."
"Compared to those Proxies who use temporary 'Carrots,' he's much more formidable. This is also why Phaethon could quickly become a Legendary Proxy."
"With Phaethon actively helping, rescuing Billy and Anby shouldn't be a problem now!"
Nicole rested her hands behind her head, looking very relaxed.
"Indeed, he's extraordinary. It seems I need to build a good relationship with them."
Su Chen nodded in agreement.
Having played the game, he naturally knew Phaethon's special abilities.
It could be said that when it came to Hollow exploration, as long as they made a move, success was almost guaranteed.
If he could hold onto Belle's jade leg, he wouldn't have to worry about future Hollow explorations.
Moreover, if he remembered correctly, Belle, whose main account hadn't been logged out yet, was a rich loli.
"Wait, what are you thinking? Are you trying to scheme against Belle?"
Nicole noticed the strange look on Su Chen's face, and her eyes became a little dangerous.
Rabbits' senses are as keen as their ability to escape; Nicole smelled the scent of a scumbag.
He had just been carrying and embracing her, and now he was looking at another woman.
She remembered that just now at the video store, Su Chen only shook hands with Belle.
"No, I just think they are very capable, and I need to get along well with them, that's all."
Su Chen replied calmly, but secretly, he broke out in a cold sweat.
This woman's intuition was truly terrifying; she actually guessed correctly.
"Really?"
Nicole's eyes narrowed like a fox's.
"Of course." Su Chen felt a little guilty, then tugged on Bangboo's ear in his arms, changing the subject, "This little guy is so cute, his ears are soft, just like real rabbit ears."
"Um, Mr. Su Chen, thank you for the compliment!"
"If you don't mind, please put me down. We're not far from the Hollow now."
Belle's voice suddenly came from Bangboo.
Apparently, Belle's consciousness was already connected to Bangboo.
She hadn't expected Bangboo to be held in Su Chen's arms.
Although it was Bangboo's cold mechanical body, being held by such a handsome man still made her a little shy.
She'd never felt this way when Nicole or Anby had held Bangboo before.
"Alright, Belle."
Su Chen placed Bangboo on the ground.
"Eh, why did you suddenly call me so intimately!"
Belle felt a little embarrassed hearing Su Chen's address.
"Of course, because Belle is very cute, just like my little sister."
Su Chen said with a light chuckle.
Actually, it was just involuntary; it was normal to feel a bit of familiarity with Belle, a character he had cultivated to level 28.
"Thank you for the compliment, let's hurry into the Hollow to rescue them!"
Belle said a little shyly.
Even she, who was a bit mischievous, felt shy being complimented on her cuteness to her face.
Beside them, Nicole watched Su Chen flirt, secretly gritting her teeth.
In the video store, Wise was already considering putting up a sign that read, "No entry for Su Chen and dogs."
Amidst their banter, Su Chen and the others officially stepped into the Hollow.
...
On the other side of the Hollow.
Anby was recording into her headset: "Hello, this is Anby Demara, an official employee of the all-purpose agency, Cunning Rabbit House. In an accident, I arrived in one of the most difficult regions to survive in the world, the Hollow!"
"If you don't master the rules of survival here, you might not even last a day. Here, you will encounter fierce Ethereals and dangerous Aether erosion. You must be extremely cautious to survive as long as possible."
"Next, I will record the entire process, demonstrating the correct way to survive in the Hollow, and hold out until rescue arrives. If I unfortunately perish, I will leave evidence for future investigations."
After her monologue, Anby began to move forward in the Hollow.
She encountered several Ethereals and cut them down with her electric blade.
Suddenly, a mechanical voice entered her ears.
"Wow, isn't this Anby! This is great, I knew you'd be safe and sound—" Billy's neck was held by the electric blade, and he struggled to utter the last word, "—safe~"
"Oh, ouch, what are you doing? You almost cut me just now!"
Billy jumped to the side, shouting exaggeratedly.
Anby: "Encountered another rational individual. He looks very much like my colleague: Billy Kid."
Billy: "What do you mean 'looks like'? I am Billy Kid!"
Anby said seriously, "There was once an investigator who encountered an Ethereal imitating human speech and behavior in the Hollow. The investigator had just brought the Ethereal, who was impersonating a teammate, out of the Hollow when the Ethereal revealed its true form, causing huge losses to the city. Thanks to a brave investigator who sacrificed himself, the Ethereal was finally pushed back into the Hollow."
"Hey, hey, hey, Ethereals will be ruined the moment they leave! What you're talking about is a movie plot!" Billy remembered something and shouted, "It's that horror movie that just came out!"
"The victims of that incident made up a long death list, and I read them all." Anby still insisted on her point of view.
"That was the credits roll~!"
Billy held his forehead, feeling a bit helpless.
"Question, who would you most like to have lunch with?"
Anby asked expressionlessly.
"Who would I most like to have dinner with? Well... of course, the special effects superhero, Starlight Knight!" Billy hesitated for a moment before answering with less confidence.
"Incorrect answer. Executing purge command."
Anby raised her blade, blue electric arcs dancing on the blade.
"Wait, wait, put the knife away!" Billy was so scared his oil was about to leak out, and he quickly blurted out the truth: "It's Monica, the lead actress from the midnight drama 'Oh~ Sweetheart'!"
"Warning cleared. The individual suspected of being Billy Kid is indeed the genuine article. Meeting up with Billy Kid will increase my survival rate by over 68.7%."
Anby sheathed her blade, saying with a slight relaxation, "I'm glad you're alright, Billy."
"I told you it was me."
Billy said weakly, then changed the subject, "It's been a while since we fell down. Boss Nicole must be figuring something out outside, right? Do you think Boss Nicole will ask someone to rescue us?"
"That's Boss Nicole! Uh hahahaha."
As he spoke, Billy started laughing to himself, amused.
"According to Boss Nicole's habitually tight budget, I believe your skepticism that she might not call for rescue is valid."
Anby analyzed expressionlessly.
"Damn it, now that you mention it, I'm really starting to worry."
Billy covered his face in agony, muttering softly, "After all, Boss Nicole has a new reliable employee."
"Anyway, don't overthink it for now. Let's work together to overcome this difficulty. Same as always, you take the lead, and I'll provide fire support!"
"Hmm!"
"By the way, Anby, are you really not my kind? I mean, like a cyborg or something?" Billy probed again.
Compared to him, a highly emotional advanced machine, Anby seemed more like a medium-intelligence robot.
Billy thought somewhat impolitely.
"The rational individual suspected of being Billy Kid needs to pass the test again."
"Question, who would you most like to have dinner with?"
Anby drew her electric blade again.
"I was wrong! I was wrong!"
Billy raised his hands, and seeing that the blade wasn't lowered, he had to shout, "It's Monica, the big sister from the midnight drama 'Oh, Sweetheart'!"
"Verification passed. The individual suspected of being Billy Kid is indeed the genuine article."
Anby retracted her blade, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on her lips: "Right, what were you just going to ask?"
"Nothing."
Billy replied listlessly.
In the Hollow, already exposed by his teammate.