"Brother Sol, I love you!"
Billy's eyes turned into heart shapes, pink bubbles practically floating around him.
He lunged forward, clearly intending to leave a mark on Sol's cheek.
After all, these were two real Starlight Knight Transformation Belts.
He honestly wanted to dedicate his whole existence to Sol—serve as his loyal follower, or even his servant, if Sol ever needed it.
"Gay robot, get lost!"
Sol kicked Billy away with a sharp motion, looking thoroughly annoyed.
Brothers were brothers, but that kind of affection was absolutely forbidden.
"Hehehe."
Billy stumbled a few steps back, but he still held both Transformation Belts in his hands, grinning like a fool.
Still, he knew when to be serious. Straightening up, he quickly promised Sol, "This time, I'll definitely cooperate with Caesar and the others. I guarantee there won't be a single problem!"
"Good. That's what I like to hear."
Sol nodded in satisfaction. Despite Billy being a flamboyant robot, he could be surprisingly reliable when it mattered.
He turned toward the group and said, "Everything's in place now. Time for us to move out."
Zhu Yuan hesitated for a moment before saying, "Understood. Let's begin the operation."
Given Justin Bringer's high position, if he truly was an undercover agent, the organization behind him had to be substantial. He was unlikely to be acting alone—so the more careful they were, the better.
At that thought, she suddenly remembered her classmate, Hoshimi Miyabi.
A powerful Void Hunter, capable of handling missions completely on her own.
If Sol's team and the Cunning Hares took one side, and the Sons of Calydon held another, then with support from Hollow Special Operations Section 6, they could form a three-pronged encirclement—an ambush ready to strike from the shadows.
That way, they could lure the enemy toward an isolated area as quickly as possible, minimizing civilian casualties.
But since Bringer was still only suspected at this stage, it would be better to wait for solid proof before involving Miyabi.
Once everything was confirmed, the team split up.
Qingyi led Caesar, Billy, and the others into the city. Their goal was to stay near the New Eridu Public Security Bureau where Bringer worked—lying in wait and observing his movements.
Qingyi drove a Public Security vehicle herself, since the Bureau's cars were fitted with tracking devices.
If Zhu Yuan personally drove there in a Belobog Heavy Industries vehicle, Bringer would definitely sense something was wrong.
Having Qingyi behind the wheel could mislead him, buying them more time.
Meanwhile, Sol, Zhu Yuan, and their group took Perlman with them, heading for the Brant Street Construction Site under Belobog Heavy Industries' jurisdiction to verify the evidence. It was part of a municipal development project, and Vision Corporation's construction data had been stored there earlier.
Belle and Wise accompanied Sol as well. The siblings were deeply curious about the high-profile case, and at the same time, they wanted to use this opportunity to build connections with so many influential figures—it could help them find a new mentor.
Everyone involved was a top-tier figure from the black, white, or gray zones of New Eridu's underworld, and their efficiency reflected that—clean, precise, and fast.
...
Two hours later, Sol's group arrived at the Black Swan site.
Belobog Heavy Industries had already received the message. Grace and Anton stood at the entrance under Koleda's lead, waiting to greet them.
Inside the records room, Ben was working with Belobog's accountants, quickly sorting through the documents and extracting evidence hidden within.
Behind Koleda, Grace studied Sol with open curiosity.
He was New Eridu's newest legend—a man who had neutralized an entire Hollow shortly after arriving in the city, earning a direct promotion to ACE Investigator.
Of course, that wasn't the main reason she was interested.
Belobog Heavy Industries had found in him an incredibly powerful business partner. The profits from developing the Companion Hollow alone could become a cornerstone for their company's future.
Compared to that, the follow-up payments from Vision Corporation's municipal contracts were insignificant.
In fact, Belobog Heavy Industries had only secured those projects because of Sol's cooperation with the Cunning Hares and the Public Security Bureau to bring down Vision Corporation's previous schemes.
But there was another, more personal reason for Grace's curiosity.
Her beloved little sister Koleda had been acting strangely ever since she came back from meeting Sol for a business discussion.
Sometimes she'd talk in her sleep, muttering things like [No, onii-chan… onii-chan, no…].
Grace, who usually buried herself in engineering, had immediately noticed something was off. At first, she assumed the petite but mature Koleda had fallen in love. She didn't mind free love, but if her sister was being deceived, that was another story entirely.
She even questioned Ben about it, but the big guy stammered and wouldn't say a word. That only made her more suspicious.
After pressing him relentlessly—until the poor bear nearly cried—she finally learned the truth.
That was how she found out Koleda had recognized Sol Mercer as her onii-chan.
So, today, she couldn't help being curious about this man her sister seemed oddly attached to.
Seeing him now, Grace thought he looked proper and dependable enough. From the past events she'd heard, his character seemed solid too. All in all, she was satisfied—and relieved.
"Long time no see, Koleda."
Sol greeted her casually.
His gaze swept across and landed on Grace. He wasn't leering—she was simply too striking to ignore.
He couldn't help thinking, Are all Electric-types this wealthy-looking?
"Long time no see."
Koleda glanced up at Sol nervously. Her usual sharpness was gone; her voice was soft and hesitant.
She still remembered that because of their previous Hollow collaboration, she had accepted Sol as her brother.
Privately, calling him onii-chan while blushing wasn't so bad—she'd done it more than once. But saying it here, in front of all these people? No way!
Especially with Grace standing right there—if her adoptive sister found out she had another brother, that would be disastrous.
Sol didn't think much of it and simply asked, "What's the situation now? Did you find the evidence in the construction files?"
Koleda exhaled softly, a mix of relief and faint disappointment washing over her.
She didn't have to call him onii-chan here—that was good. No embarrassment.
But the way he acted like he'd forgotten about it entirely… that stung just a little. Made her feel as if she'd been overthinking everything.
It hurt, just a bit.
Regaining her composure, she answered in her usual crisp, professional tone, "Ben and Belobog's accountants are working full-speed through the project documents. So far, we've found quite a few irregular files mixed in."
"These documents indicate a connection between Justin Bringer and Vision Corporation. They're heavily tied to the Canvas Street incident."
"There's also evidence suggesting that Vision Corporation's growth over the past few years has relied on Bringer's direct support."
When it came to official business, Koleda's demeanor became completely serious.
She despised corruption—especially collusion between officials and corporations.
Only now did she understand why Vision Corporation, despite its weaker bids, had repeatedly beaten Belobog Heavy Industries in contract competitions.
It was all because of Bringer's secret manipulation.
Despicable.
And to think he even tried to blow up Canvas Street—that man was insane!
"You see? I told you! Bringer really is a bad guy!"
Perlman, barely a meter tall, shouted gleefully.
Now that Bringer's crimes were confirmed, Perlman knew he'd still be imprisoned—but at least he wouldn't be executed.
Since Bringer and Sarah were the main culprits, and Perlman had provided key evidence, his sentence would likely be drastically reduced.
"Is that so…"
Zhu Yuan's expression faltered slightly, her heart sinking.
Even though she had prepared herself mentally—already suspecting Bringer—the truth still hit her harder than expected.
"Take us to see it," Sol said, patting Zhu Yuan's shoulder before turning to Koleda. "This is serious. Let's handle it properly."
Zhu Yuan felt steadier now. With Sol and everyone else supporting her, she could finally correct the Bureau's mistakes—
—and lay to rest the memory of the hero, Justin Bringer.