Sam Li and Soldier 11 continued chatting about other matters.
From her, Sam Li learned that she hadn't come to Sixth Street specifically to find him, but rather to look for the brother-sister duo who ran the video store. They had once worked together during the C97 Hollow mission. Soldier 11 found them to be highly skilled—despite being virtually unknown, they were nearly on par with the legendary Proxy Phaethon.
So this time, with a plan to enter the Imperial City Hollows to eliminate the rebels, she hoped to recruit Ling to help the Defense Forces gather intel.
After another cup of coffee, it was time to part ways.
Soldier 11 called over Master Tingman and took the initiative to pay both her and Sam Li's bill. But after just a few steps out the door, she suddenly stopped.
Without turning around, she spoke in a serious tone.
"Rock Coffee Knight, please take care of Anby. Don't let her die."
Sam Li responded slowly, "You care about her."
Soldier 11 immediately shot back, "No, I'm just afraid she'll die too soon—before I get the chance to deal with this traitor myself."
Sam Li set down his coffee cup. "Is that a commission?"
Soldier 11 gave a quiet nod. "I suppose it is. I'll pay the fee when the day comes that I personally deal with her."
With that, she let out a quiet breath and walked away from Master Tingman's café, disappearing down the far end of Sixth Street.
Watching her leave, Sam Li let out a sigh.
She'd just asked him to protect Anby—yet right to his face, she was talking about wanting to handle Anby herself as a traitor. What a bizarre commission.
Still, Sam Li wasn't worried about Soldier 11 doing anything to Anby. He hadn't sensed any malice from her—on the contrary, he genuinely felt she wanted him to protect her.
They may have acted like strangers, but there was clearly something deeper between them.
Sam Li was curious: what exactly had the two of them been through to make their relationship like this?
...
Shortly after Soldier 11 left, Nicole, Anby, Billy, and Nekomata appeared at the end of the street and quickly made their way toward Sam Li.
As they walked, Nicole complained, "I told her last time we weren't giving Sam Li up, and she still came to ask? Sam Li, you didn't say yes to her, did you?"
Just moments ago, as they were approaching Sixth Street, they had run into Soldier 11 on her way out. She had brought up transferring Sam Li's contract again.
Naturally, Nicole had flat-out refused, even considering blocking Soldier 11's messages completely to put an end to it.
Seeing Nicole fuming, Billy quickly stepped in.
"Nicole, calm down. Soldier 11 represents the military—they're loaded. She's an important client! No need to block her."
Nicole thought for a moment. "Good point. Let's leave her unblocked for now."
She checked the time—it was already noon.
Without wasting more time, Nicole grabbed Sam Li's hand and led him off.
"Right, we haven't paid for the coffee, have we? Master Tingman, how much is it this time—how many Dennies?"
Just as she called out, Master Tingman stepped outside.
"The young lady from earlier already paid Mr. Sam Li's bill."
Nekomata immediately caught on. "Nicole, he means Soldier 11."
Billy gasped, "Soldier 11 knows Sam Li likes coffee and tried to buy him off with it? What a devious plot…"
Hearing that, Nicole first looked irritated—then started laughing.
"It's fine. I trust Sam Li wouldn't fall for that. And hey, we got free coffee out of her. Nicely done, Sam Li. That's why you're the ace of Hare's House!"
Anby was speechless. "…"
Sam Li stayed quiet. "…"
...
After leaving the coffee shop, Nicole, always looking to save money, opted to take the subway instead of a cab to the Janus District Branch.
But before they reached the station, a patrol car suddenly sped toward them and came to a screeching halt right in front.
Nicole jumped like a startled rabbit, instinctively ready to bolt—before remembering this wasn't a Hollow. There was no reason to be afraid of the Public Security officers. They were heading to the bureau to claim a reward, after all.
No need to panic.
Just as she calmed down, two figures stepped out of the patrol car—one tall, one short. It was Zhu Yuan, the captain of this district's security force, and Qingyi.
Seeing the whole Hare's House crew there, Zhu Yuan let out a sigh of relief.
"No wonder I couldn't find you at the agency. So you were all here."
Qingyi smiled. "The rewards are ready. Quite a few reporters are waiting, too. Let's see where you plan to run now. Come on, all of you—let's go."
If not for the smile on her face, you'd think Qingyi was arresting criminals.
Nicole cleared her throat. "Ahem. Of course we're not running. We're here to collect our reward, not confess to anything."
Besides, with Captain Zhu Yuan personally picking them up, they didn't need to pay for a cab. Only a fool would pass that up.
With that, Nicole hopped confidently into the patrol car.
Anby, Billy, Nekomata, and Sam Li all squeezed in after her.
With Zhu Yuan and Qingyi added, there were now seven people packed into a standard patrol car.
Zhu Yuan suddenly realized. "Wait... isn't this against traffic regulations?"
Qingyi smiled. "Then let Sam Li kick that robot out."
Billy jumped. "Hey! Officer, we're on the same side here! No need for violence! Hang on, I haven't even gotten seated yet—Nekomata, you kicked me! Nicole, you stepped on my leg!"
Billy wailed the whole way there...
...
They finally arrived at Lumina Square, home of the Janus District Branch of the Public Security Bureau.
As soon as they got out, Zhu Yuan led them into a large hall—clearly the venue for a press conference about the recent case.
The moment Zhu Yuan and Qingyi stepped in, a group of reporters swarmed over.
"Officer Zhu Yuan! We heard you were the one handling the case that day—can you tell us how you took down the criminals?"
"Officer Zhu Yuan, what weapons did you use? Did you fire your gun?"
"Officer Zhu Yuan, we heard it was a civilian named Sam Li who brought down the criminals. Can we speak with him?"
Surrounded by the press, Zhu Yuan was clearly overwhelmed.
"Mr. Sam Li, I'm leaving this to you..."
Sam Li had zero interest in interviews.
He gave Billy a gentle push—straight into the pack of reporters.
The questions came flooding in.
Billy glanced back at Sam Li. Seeing him nod in approval, he immediately struck a Star Knight pose and began loudly boasting about Sam Li's deeds and the glory of Hare's House.
A reporter asked, "Mr. Sam Li, are you a fan of Star Knight?"
Still holding the dramatic pose, Billy replied, "Sorry, I'm Billy."
...