The armed personnel on the train were completely stunned.
When they'd faced enemies like Nekomata before, they could still rely on superior firepower to suppress them.
But this spear was different—it crashed down from the sky like a missile, nearly tearing apart half the carriage.
This level of attack had already gone far beyond what they were trained to handle.
"Calling the Captain, requesting support, requesting support—"
There was no support to be found.
Before they could make contact with their captain,
a bruised and battered armed soldier was suddenly hurled from above, landing hard inside the carriage.
Looking closer, it turned out to be the very captain they had been trying to reach.
Then came a voice from above the carriage.
"Nekomata, are you alright?"
It was Sam Li.
He had run into Nekomata and the Bangboo controlled by Belle on his way back, and stepped in to help them.
Hearing Sam Li's voice,
Nekomata lit up with surprise and joy. "Sam Li, you're alive?!"
The armed men flinched and immediately turned their guns toward the top of the carriage. "There's someone up there—!"
Sam Li ignored the weapons aimed at him.
He dropped into the carriage through the hole blasted open by his spear, landing with his back to more than twenty armed soldiers. His tone was calm and composed.
"Drop your weapons and surrender. Or end up like your captain."
The soldiers glanced at their fallen captain lying motionless on the ground, then at the Vortex Vanquisher embedded in the floor of the carriage. Fear filled their eyes.
This kind of strength could only belong to a top-tier operative from the Hollow Special Operations Department.
Someone they absolutely couldn't afford to provoke.
Soon enough,
one of them lowered his weapon.
The rest quickly followed, setting down their guns and squatting in a line in the corner of the carriage.
Crisis averted.
Nekomata rushed over and circled Sam Li, finally relaxing once she confirmed he wasn't hurt.
"Thanks again, Sam Li. You saved me, meow."
She then looked curiously at the long spear embedded in the floor.
From the moment they met, she'd known Sam Li was strong—faster than a cat.
But seeing him in action again left her amazed. The infamously formidable Hare's House was even more powerful than the rumors on the forums made them out to be.
Sam Li retrieved his spear and looked at her, confused.
"Where are Nicole, Anby, and Billy? And why are you with Eous?"
His question reminded Nekomata that the people in Canvas Lane were still waiting to be rescued. She quickly explained:
"Here's what happened. After Nicole, Anby, Billy, and I fell out of the Dead End Hollow exit, we landed in Canvas Lane—the place I used to live. There are hundreds of residents there, and they're about to be killed by that vile company, Vision...
Nicole told me to head to Sixth Street to get help. She had Anby stay behind in Canvas Lane, while she and Billy went deeper into the Dead End Hollow to rescue you.
By the way, did you run into either of them?"
She climbed up onto the roof of the carriage and looked around again.
No sign of Nicole or Billy.
Sam Li nodded slightly. "I see. No time to waste—we need to head to Canvas Lane."
Nekomata hurriedly stopped him. "Wait, how can we do that? Nicole and Billy went into the depths of the Dead End Hollow looking for you.
If they run into the Butcher of the Dead End, they won't stand a chance. Shouldn't you go save them?"
First, Nicole and Billy had saved Sam Li.
Now, she was asking Sam Li to save Nicole and Billy.
Even as she spoke, Nekomata realized how absurd it sounded—as if she'd just made everything more complicated.
Sam Li, however, wasn't worried about them.
The Butcher of the Dead End had already been slain by him. Most of the Ethereals in the area had also been wiped out—fewer than one in ten remained.
With Nicole and Billy's strength, they could move through the Hollow freely.
There was no need to worry.
Sam Li said calmly, "Don't worry about Nicole and Billy. Nekomata, take me to Canvas Lane."
Nekomata was still deeply concerned.
But the moment Sam Li spoke, his words felt like an order. She couldn't muster the will to object.
At that moment,
she even forgot her original purpose: to destroy the wicked Hare's House, to avenge White, to bring justice to the people of New Eridu—
Now that Nicole and Billy were lost in the Hollow,
not only did she feel no satisfaction,
she was filled with anxiety.
...
While Sam Li and the others made their way to Canvas Lane...
Deep within the Dead End Hollow—
Nicole cradled a suitcase tightly in her arms as she carefully leapt down from the second floor.
Billy stood in the middle of the street, holding dual pistols, scanning their surroundings.
"Boss Nicole, where'd the Butcher go? Did Sam Li already bite it? Poor guy, he just joined Hare's House and didn't even get a chance to watch Star Emblem Knight with us—"
"Shut up. With the W-Engine I gave him, there's no way he'd die that easily."
"But the Guardian Angel W-Engine only blocks one hit..."
"One's enough. Sam Li isn't as dumb as you. That one moment is all he needs to escape.
He's probably hiding in some corner right now. Let's look carefully...
Sam Li, can you hear me? Billy and I are here to rescue you."
Nicole continued forward,
quietly calling out Sam Li's name as she walked.
Just as they rounded a corner—
Suddenly,
Nicole wasn't paying attention and walked straight into Billy.
Nicole snapped, "Billy, why'd you suddenly stop?"
Billy whispered, "Nicole, boss, look over there…"
Nicole frowned. "Why are you freaking out again? Did you spot more Ethereals?"
She shoved Billy aside and followed the direction he was pointing.
The moment she saw it, she froze. "Security personnel? No, there are also agents from the Hollow Special Operations Department! Billy, why didn't you say something sooner?! Run—!"
Billy protested, "I did warn you, boss—!"
Sensing the danger, the two of them immediately bolted.
At the same time, their movement drew the attention of the nearby personnel.
"Calling the captain. We've spotted two criminal Caver suspects. Unclear if they're connected to the death of the Dead End Butcher. Should we engage?"
"Engage. Capture them."
"Roger. All units, begin pursuit of the cave thieves immediately."
"Captain Zhu Yuan of the Criminal Investigation Team is nearby. Contact Captain Zhu Yuan now—request backup from her squad to apprehend those two slippery cave thieves."
With the order given,
the entire security squad shifted direction and began chasing after Nicole and Billy.
As they ran, Billy shouted, "We're screwed! Not only did we fail to save Brother Sam Li, now we're the ones about to get caught!"
Nicole groaned in regret. "I never should've taken this job…"
...
While Nicole and Billy were running for their lives...
At that moment—
Canvas Lane.
Under Nekomata's lead, Sam Li finally arrived and met up with Anby, who was guarding the area.
Just like Nekomata had said,
there were indeed over a hundred civilians here, all facing imminent danger from the looming explosions.
And that wasn't all.
While Sam Li spoke with the residents,
they began talking about White Boss:
"We barely survived White's oppression, and just when things were starting to improve, that cursed Vision Corporation showed up. We really hope the Security Bureau comes soon—just like when they blasted White Boss into the Hollow—send all those Vision bastards into the Hollow to feed the Ethereals..."
Whether it was White Boss or Vision Corporation,
the people of Canvas Lane spoke with gritted teeth.
But as she listened to their words,
Nekomata froze. "Wait, what did you just say? Sam Li, Anby, weren't you the ones who lured White Boss into the Hollow and took him out?"
Sam Li turned to look at Anby.
Anby shook her head. "We didn't."
Nekomata blinked in confusion. "But didn't you say…"
Anby replied seriously, "Nicole said that claiming credit for taking down the Red Fang Gang under Hare's House's name would help boost our commission rates in the future. Sorry—we kept that from you."
Hearing that,
Nekomata didn't get angry. Instead, she felt relieved.
She had misunderstood.
From beginning to end, Hare's House had never been her enemy.
And it wasn't anything like the villainous image it had on the forums. In fact, Hare's House was capable, responsible, and always willing to help.
The first time she encountered the Butcher of the Dead End, it was Sam Li from Hare's House who saved her.
Just earlier in the train carriage, it was Sam Li who arrived just in time to save her again.
And now, Hare's House was here to save the hundreds of civilians in Canvas Lane.
No matter how she looked at it, Hare's House wasn't some evil agency.
She had been wrong about them all along.
Looking at Sam Li, then at Anby, Nekomata felt even more ashamed.
If not for her,
Hare's House wouldn't have gotten entangled with the Dead End Butcher, and Sam Li, Nicole, and Billy wouldn't have ended up in danger one after another.
Nekomata lowered her head, ready to apologize.
But Sam Li spoke up first.
"Miss Nekomata, let's talk about that after we deal with the current situation. Miss Proxy, we don't have much time before the explosions begin. Is there a way to evacuate the civilians?"
Of course, Sam Li wasn't afraid of the explosions.
Nor did the so-called Vision Corporation pose any threat to him.
But if a large-scale detonation or battle broke out,
the ones to suffer first would undoubtedly be the innocent civilians.