Upon hearing this, Belle immediately replied,
"Okay, okay, press the emergency stop button, and we're done!"
She didn't realize that at that moment, inside the train, armed personnel in anti-corrosion armor were busy complaining about their ill-fitting shoes. Suddenly, one of them let out a surprised "Hm?"
Two rows of armed men looked up following his gaze.
There, two short, white Bangboo feet were kicking helplessly, the small body slowly sliding down...
and then, it fell straight onto the floor of the train.
At the HDD system, Belle froze the moment she saw the scene unfold.
This is bad.
More than a dozen guns were now aimed at the tiny Bangboo, their dark muzzles spelling silent danger.
"This train isn't just loaded with explosives—but the news never mentioned this!"
Unfortunately, Belle's complaint was meaningless.
"Calling the captain: a talking Bangboo has fallen into the train. Should we hand it over to Officer Perlman when we arrive?"
"Negative, eliminate it immediately!"
Upon receiving the order, the team members prepared to fire—
Just then, the glass window on one side of the train suddenly shattered!
"Hey!"
Nekomata launched a flying kick through the broken window, knocking down several armed personnel before landing lightly, her long hair fluttering.
"What? Who's that?!"
The armed men were caught off guard by the sudden intruder. Seizing the chance, Nekomata tackled two of them aside.
"Over here!"
She grabbed Eous and hurled her out of the train window.
"You go back first! Leave this to me—I've got 'Carrot' with me. We'll meet up at the store later!"
Just as Eous was about to hit the ground, a hand reached out and caught her easily.
One kick, one catch—balance restored.
Zane moved swiftly through the dim tunnel, holding Eous steadily in his arms. His expression remained calm, while faint streams of glowing light coiled around his legs, boosting his speed.
"Leave the kitten to me. You take Panta and head back. Things are getting too dangerous for Bangboo to be involved."
"Don't worry. I've got this."
He gently placed Eous on the ground and then sped off toward the train car where Nekomata was trapped, his figure flickering in and out of the flickering tunnel lights like a ghost.
"Sis, can you hear me?"
"What happened just now?"
Belle replied anxiously,
"Something's not right... Wait for me and Panta at the store first!"
Inside the vast tunnel, Eous, though not fast, ran as hard as she could toward the distant light.
Panta, though confused, followed closely, guarding her all the way out of the Hollow.
...
Meanwhile, back on the train—
"Hands up or we'll open fire!"
The black muzzles aimed straight at Nekomata. Of course, she wasn't about to surrender quietly. Tension written all over her face, she desperately searched for a way to escape.
Seeing her intent to resist, the armed men prepared to open fire.
Boom!
A wall of dark Ether crystals suddenly pierced through the side of the carriage, separating Nekomata from the soldiers. A figure leapt in after it.
"Nekomata, Proxy shouldn't have gone far. Catch up with Eous and head back to the video store to explain everything."
Zane brushed dust off his shoulder as he strolled toward Nekomata, speaking with relaxed ease.
"And you..."
Looking at Zane, Nekomata felt an unexpected sense of reassurance, though worry still tinged her voice.
"Don't worry," Zane said with a carefree wave of his hand and a grin.
"Just a bunch of small fry."
Nekomata nodded, swiftly leaping out the broken window and chasing after Eous.
Zane watched her disappear into the distance.
Cracks spidered across the Ether crystal wall; the sounds of bullets hammering against it rang without pause, mixed with the heavy footsteps of approaching enemies.
Beyond the crystal wall, armed personnel were regrouping rapidly, firing relentlessly at the obstruction.
Zane turned to face the wall, his blue eyes glowing brilliantly, golden light flickering at the ends of his hair.
In an instant, ghostly flames ignited, frost condensed, arcs of electricity danced, and the surrounding space twisted faintly.
Ether energy roared around him, gathering at an alarming rate.
Crack—
Crack-crack-crack—
Crash!
The fragile Ether crystal shattered completely.
The armed men immediately tightened their grips on their weapons, ready to capture the intruder.
But instead of a nimble Cat-Thiren, what appeared before them was a towering, dark-gold figure that nearly brushed the carriage roof, radiating a suffocating presence.
Zane spread his arms wide and laughed.
"Ha ha, let's play a game."
"Third-Form Survivor..."
"Death immunity."
Teasing, playful, utterly relaxed.
At that moment, Zane stood like a god above all, toying with the ants before him.
For traitors who aided the enemy, there was no need for mercy as one might offer to defense soldiers.
Before the soldiers' despairing eyes, a black sphere rapidly condensed in the air.
...
Time passed.
At the video store, Nekomata was explaining the entire situation to Belle and Wise, replaying Emily's footage.
Nicole's "genius" money-grabbing plan, Anby's stubborn insistence on staying—all of it was taken in by the siblings.
As Nicole's long-awaited reinforcements, they naturally accepted the request.
Thus, Eous and Nekomata prepared to dive into the Dead End Hollow once again.
But before they left, Wise glanced at Panta, who was staring blankly in a corner, and said to Nekomata,
"Take Panta with you."
"I have a feeling he might come in handy."
Although puzzled, Nekomata didn't refuse.
So, the two set off again from the store.
...
Meanwhile, inside the Dead End Hollow—
Zane, still in his Etheral form, heightened his senses and moved toward a spot where the commotion was loudest.
Soon, he arrived at the ruins of a building, quietly observing the hulking, black-and-green figure in the distance.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Dead End Butcher hadn't noticed Zane and was furiously attacking an overpass, chunks of rubble crashing down in clouds of dust.
"Looks like my luck's pretty good this time. I found the Dead End Butcher without even needing Phaethon's help."
Zane chuckled softly, slowly approaching, his palm opening slightly as a long crystal spear materialized beside him.
But suddenly, he paused and glanced behind him.
Tch, it seemed it wasn't his luck—it was the Butcher's.
Ether energy dispersed from Zane's body, flowing back into the Hollow. Wrapped in a swirling halo of colors, his form shrank slowly.
When the light faded, Zane had returned to his human form.
"Sigh..."