Billy, hang in there!"
"Qingyi said the more high-concentration Ether explosives we recover, the more payment Hare's House gets."
Since the Dead End Butcher was taken down solo by Zane, the Ether explosives hadn't been used. Recovering them meant a considerable payout.
Eous stood with hands on her hips and continued speaking to Billy.
"I gave Nicole the complete method for disabling all Ether explosive detonators—at her personal request. So don't screw this up."
If the Public Security Bureau's reward wasn't enough, Hare's House would have no choice but to use their signature "delay tactic" again!
"I'm done, Boss. I really can't go on!"
Billy slumped, completely unmotivated. Watching the security officers hauling explosives nearby—especially the energetic Seth—he sighed.
"I get the reasoning, but why am I the one who got left behind?"
"This was supposed to be my moment to shine! Maybe after this, my heroic deeds would finally earn me an invite to the Starlight Knights' next tea party!"
It was just a possibility—but Billy, being a believer in the theory of maximum loss, had already convinced himself it would've happened.
The thought of losing a chance to meet his idol just because he had to dismantle detonators and carry explosives drained all his motivation.
"Billy, think about it—who else could pull off the incredibly difficult task of disarming these detonators but a robot as skilled as you?"
"Nicole and Anby definitely can't do it. That's why this mission can only fall to you. Carrying the burden in a critical moment—that's what a Starlight Knight would do, right?"
"These Ether explosives determine Hare's House's future. Billy, right now you carry that future on your shoulders!"
"For the Starlight Knights! For Nicole! For Hare's House! Billy, go out there and give it your all!"
Without missing a beat, Belle (controlling Eous) delivered a motivational speech with dramatic flair.
And sure enough, Billy was instantly fired up.
"You're right—I am the one who bears this burden!"
"Hahaha! For the Starlight Knights! For Nicole! For Hare's House!"
"Boss, you get me! My parts feel brand new, my core programming is cleansed!"
Without delay, Billy enthusiastically jumped back into the transport work, joining Seth in their "battle."
Seeing this, Belle (via Eous) let out a small sigh of relief.
Guess her understanding of Billy wasn't too far off.
As expected of her—brilliant work.
She'd convinced Billy to do backbreaking labor... with just four lines.
Truly impressive!
...
At the demolition command site—
"Wait, Miss Sarah! Someone's coming out of the tunnel to the Hollow!"
One of the armed officers suddenly called out, pointing behind Nekomata.
Everyone's attention shifted. The area quieted, and the sound of steady, crisp footsteps echoed.
A figure appeared, stepping out slowly before the eyes of all present—dressed in a black tuxedo, wearing a tall top hat, and a strange clown mask.
"Who are you?"
Sarah frowned, visibly displeased.
Just when everything was going smoothly, a weirdo like this had to show up. Not only unexpected—but it felt like control of the situation was slipping away.
"You may call me…"
"The Masked Fool."
A youthful voice rang out, loud and clear.
Nekomata, who had been on guard, widened her eyes in surprise at the voice, then quickly composed herself.
She recognized him.
Behind the mask—it was Zane.
But now, he called himself the Masked Fool.
The suit, hat, and mask—he'd picked them up in the Dead End Hollow on a whim.
Looking at the confrontation unfolding, it was clear he was thrilled. His little Hollow adventure hadn't satisfied him, and now he was in full playful mode.
Zane removed the top hat, bowed slightly, and under the lights, his pale gold hair shimmered.
Masked Fool?
What kind of ridiculous name is that?
Sarah was baffled for a second—then scoffed. Had she seriously let this clown get to her?
All she had to do was give the order, and he'd be riddled with bullets.
"Be sure to remember this name. Someday, these four words will represent the greatest magician in New Eridu—famous across the land."
Zane straightened up, ignoring her mocking expression, calmly placed the hat back on his head, and smiled behind the mask.
He spread his arms wide.
"Now, allow me to present my very first performance."
"I call it... 'Farewell to the Vision.'"
...
In the shadows of the command center, outside the reach of the lights, Zhu Yuan furrowed her brow.
No one had said anything about a magician called the Masked Fool being involved in this op.
Glancing at the nearby reporter filming the live broadcast, Zhu Yuan quietly spoke into her comms.
"Senior, where are you guys right now? What's going on?"
"Weren't we supposed to capture evidence and then move in for the arrest?"
...
In the tunnel, Qingyi stood with arms crossed. Behind her were Nicole, Anby, and the residents who'd made it out of Canvas Lane.
She sighed as Zhu Yuan voiced his confusion.
"The Masked Fool is Zane."
"What? Zane?"
Zhu Yuan processed the message. She mostly understood what was happening, but Zane's actions still made no sense to her.
"What is he trying to do?"
Qingyi thought back to when she'd scolded him for putting himself in danger. His sweet, innocent "Master~" still echoed in her ears. She sighed again.
Her student. What else could she do?
"Just roll with it, Zhu Yuan."
Hare's House agreed. The rescued residents agreed.
What reason did she have to refuse to play along with Zane's show?
Still, after all this, she had to admit—Zane's personality was full of surprises.
Sigh... robots really don't get how complicated humans are...
...
As Zane finished speaking, Sarah's expression turned cold. She sneered.
"How presumptuous."
Then, heavy footsteps echoed again. Nicole and Anby emerged from the tunnel, leading hundreds of Canvas Lane residents.
Qingyi stayed at the rear of the group to avoid being recognized—she hadn't forgotten there were still moles in the PSB.
"Vision Company treats human lives like garbage! Down with Vision!"
"You can't silence us!"
"Vision's every pore drips with the blood of the innocent!"
"It's Nicole—and everyone's here!"
Their chants thundered through the site. Nekomata was stunned, then relieved.
Nicole crossed her arms, basking in pride, doing her best to maintain her "savior" aura.
She knew someone was filming—this was a perfect PR moment for Hare's House!
If this made the front page, her photo had better be front and center.
Sarah's smile faded into a scowl—but then she smirked.
"Well, well. You actually made it out of the blast zone. Not bad."
She turned to Zane.
"This is your 'magic'? What a joke."
"You think this will expose anything? Don't forget—right now, only our people are here…"
She raised her hand. Her gaze turned icy.
"On my command—fire."
Seeing that she wasn't bluffing, the Canvas Lane residents began to panic.
Just then, Zane's voice cut through the chaos.
"No need to rush... the magic's just getting started."
Bang—!
A second before the trigger was pulled, a massive cloud of Ether dust exploded across the scene, blanketing everything in blinding particles.
In the next moment, the sirens of the Public Security Bureau blared.
"This just in—Vision's inhumane practices have been exposed in a shocking scandal! Our reporters have followed PSB units and gathered irrefutable evidence!"
The reporter's voice was laced with fury.
The moment Sarah gave the order to fire—every second of it had been caught on camera.
And this was a live broadcast!
...
Amid the swirling smoke and dust—
"So this is the fall of Vision... Masked Fool, I'll remember you."
Even faced with the coming consequences, Sarah showed no panic. She and Zane stood alone in the haze.
Zane looked at her and smiled.
"To be remembered by such a beautiful lady—what an honor."
His tone was polite, but laced with mockery.
"An honor... heh..."
Sarah laughed coldly. Right now, she found him absolutely revolting.
She knew—Masked Fool or not—the PSB was going to show up eventually. The result would've been the same.
But the way he did it... made her feel humiliated.
Winning or losing wasn't what bothered her. That was just the game.
But losing like this—being turned into a joke in someone's show—
It didn't hurt. But it disgusted her.
"Oh? You're not enjoying this?"
Zane took a step closer, his voice light.
"Think about it—watching your company fall, being held accountable by the PSB... Isn't that just delightful?"
"Hahaha! Isn't this fun?"
Sarah's face twisted in fury.
This was pure, unfiltered mockery.
"Let me guess... You're not mad because of Vision. You're mad because of something else, right?"
Zane's tone shifted. The clown mask glimmered with an eerie light.
"Because of... the Demon?"
In an instant, the air turned frigid.
The dust still hung in the air.
And Sarah's face went completely dark.