"Tch... Should I give them a heads-up?"
"No need. With their level of professionalism, spotting danger and retreating safely shouldn't be hard."
"Besides, everyone's still in peak condition."
Zane shook his head and looked into the distance. Based on the intel he had, he already knew where the others were.
The group quickly moved toward their destination.
...
"Zane, over there!"
Billy was the first to spot the small plaza up ahead. In the center, dozens of ordinary-looking people were being held together, guarded by four or five fully armed rebel squads.
"Yeah, I see them."
Zane nodded but frowned slightly.
Something felt off.
That was all the defense they had?
"Zane, we should—"
Ben was about to ask for instructions, but Zane suddenly charged forward. Billy and Anton followed immediately.
"Let's go, brothers!"
"Let the Starlight Knight shine again!"
Ben had no words—he just sighed and rushed in with his weapon.
Forget it. Why overthink?
Let's just do this!
Not long after...
"My drill can pierce the heavens!"
Anton sped past a combat mech, the drill in his hand spinning wildly with arcs of blue electricity dancing around it.
He flung his arm aside, blew at his hair, and behind him came a loud explosion—the mech had already turned into a blazing fireball.
A real man never looks back at explosions!
Meanwhile, Zane had begun calming the rescued civilians. But he clearly wasn't good at it and soon passed the task to Ben.
Just as things were settling down and Zane was preparing to ask for more details, a familiar voice called out from nearby.
"You again?"
Zane turned and was a little surprised.
Victoria Housekeeping had followed them?
His eyes fell on the rebel Lycaon was dragging, and Zane suddenly realized something. He looked up at Ellen.
Did Victoria Housekeeping have the same objective as him? Tch. If he had known that earlier, he would've coordinated with them.
The Victoria Housekeeping group quickly approached. Corin, holding her chainsaw, smiled and greeted him.
"Sir, we meet again!"
"Yeah... again."
Zane nodded, a little helpless.
Barely ten minutes had passed since they last saw each other.
So why did Corin act like it had been ages...?
"So... what exactly are you all doing in Dead End Hollows?"
Zane looked over the group and asked curiously. Ellen opened her mouth to reply.
"You shouldn't... mmph—"
Right then, Rina covered Ellen's mouth and gave an apologetic smile.
Who knew what kind of grudge the two had—but now wasn't the time for drama.
"Ellen, focus."
She gave Ellen a little nudge, then turned to Zane with a gentle look.
"Lord Zane, we're here to rescue people."
"Rescue people? Perfect. Then you can take these ones."
Zane raised an eyebrow in surprise, then waved toward the trembling survivors.
Could there be some high-profile figures among them? Or people related to Victoria Housekeeping?
That didn't seem likely. Those maniacs might be heartless, but they wouldn't be dumb enough to create such powerful enemies... right?
As Zane wondered, Ellen gave him the answer.
"They're not here!"
She scanned the crowd with a grim expression. Her worry deepened.
Ellen had spent most of her life alone.
Ruby and the others were among the very few people she cared about—dearly. That's why she had been so easily threatened by Zane last time.
Seeing this, Corin stepped up to Zane and softly explained the situation. Zane quickly caught on.
So that girl named Ruby was among the missing?
He remembered the blonde girl clearly.
"Let's ask them what they know. These people should have some information."
Zane pointed at the survivors nearby. It was a pity—he'd left no rebels alive due to their fierce resistance and his own foul mood.
If he had, this would've been a lot easier.
A few moments later, after hearing the survivors' accounts, the group got a clearer picture of the situation. These weren't all the captives—some had been taken elsewhere for experiments.
This group had been next—until Zane and the others showed up and saved them...
Zane noticed Ellen's expression shift and spoke up.
"Ellen, don't be impulsive. Wait until Lycaon finishes mapping out a safe route with the carrots. Don't let emotions cloud your judgment."
Given the mission's importance, Victoria Housekeeping had spent heavily to purchase several Dead End Hollow carrots and compile the data.
They had the route now, but it wasn't safe yet. Lycaon still needed to adjust for hazards like buildings, Ethereals, and spatial rifts.
As the saying goes—sharpening the blade doesn't delay the chopping.
A brief delay now meant faster movement later.
"Billy, you three take these people and leave Dead End Hollow. There aren't many enemies left—we can handle the rest."
Zane glanced again at the survivors, then spoke amid their pleading gazes.
As his words landed, voices of gratitude echoed around them. Zane didn't pay them much mind—how much of that gratitude would really amount to anything was uncertain.
Still, that didn't stop him from saying something like, "They're the ones escorting you out. Why are you thanking me?"
The three had followed him in—at the very least, they deserved some recognition.
If it brought good press to Hare's House and Belobog Heavy Industries, then that was a decent return.
"The Hollow's dangerous. Stay sharp."
"If anything unusual happens..."
As Billy and the others were about to leave, Zane gave a quiet reminder. He didn't finish his sentence, but Billy and Ben already understood.
The two exchanged a complicated look with Zane, said nothing, and left with Anton.
Zane watched them go. Saving people wasn't his main mission—it was just a side goal.
In his mind, if it ever came down to choosing, Billy and the others were clearly the priority. Of course, if he didn't have to choose, all the better.
He turned his gaze to the distance. There was still more to be done...
Soon after Billy's group left, Lycaon found a safe route.
Ellen, already impatient, took the lead. She moved fast, and the others hurried to keep up.