"Suddenly, Billy's acting kind of weird," Caesar said, frowning as he glanced toward him.
"Really? I think he's pretty funny," Burnice replied with her usual optimism, grinning cheerfully.
"You're overthinking it, Caesar. This guy's always been this dramatic." Lucy crossed her arms and mimicked Billy's voice in mock grandeur. "'My life has always been as fragile as thin ice… tell me—can I make it to the other side?'"
A shiver ran down her spine, and she grimaced. Just saying that line made her feel cringey.
How on earth did Billy manage to say such corny stuff with a straight face?
"Maybe I've been around Lighter too much… I can't get used to Billy acting like this," Caesar muttered, scratching his head and deciding to drop it.
Still posing coolly, Billy froze mid-motion. He hadn't expected that to be the image everyone had of him.
He stood up abruptly, looking a little embarrassed. "Don't worry. When the time comes, I'll definitely show my power."
"Let's just work together," Qingyi replied calmly, though she couldn't help but eye the Starlight Knight transformation belt with a trace of concern.
It was new tech—something that far surpassed what her generation of officers had ever used.
Still, no matter what happened, she wasn't about to let a single criminal into the city's main districts.
Just then, a message came through from Jane.
"Everyone, prepare for battle. Stay sharp." Qingyi's youthful face turned serious as she added solemnly, "Bringer's people are here."
"We're ready."
Everyone straightened up instantly, gripping their weapons and fixing their eyes toward the direction of the Public Security convoy.
…
Some distance away, Bringer's motorcade thundered down the road, speeding toward them.
He led a fully armed squad—long lines of vehicles rolling in formation.
At the rear marched ten towering robots, each ten meters tall, their heavy footsteps shaking the ground.
The tremors cracked the high-density asphalt beneath them.
Inside the convoy, aside from Bringer himself, every operative was suited in full Public Security tactical armor, concealing their identities completely.
To draw out Sol Mercer and Hoshimi Miyabi, Bringer needed a spectacle—something big enough to ensure both would come.
Charging through the city in plain sight wasn't recklessness; it was bait.
Of course, that was him overestimating his own control.
Jane, expert in infiltration, had also donned a set of combat armor and slipped seamlessly into the convoy. Disguised as an unremarkable grunt, she continuously relayed information to the outside.
In the chaos, there was no way Bringer could verify every soldier's identity—she was safe for now.
At the very front of the formation, inside an armored Public Security vehicle, Bringer sat confidently in the passenger seat, as composed as ever—as if his exposure meant nothing.
As the convoy neared the transportation hub, they finally encountered the blockade set up by Qingyi's team.
The vehicles slowed to a halt. Bringer looked at Qingyi, his tone edged with reluctant admiration. "Officer Qingyi. So you are one of the Bureau's elite. To think you'd dare to stand in my way."
He remembered the two times Qingyi had deliberately misled him with her patrol car. If not for his extreme caution, he would've already been caught inside the Bureau—without even the chance to make use of his exposure.
Seeing her now, he almost respected her nerve.
"Chief Bringer," Qingyi said firmly, her expression calm but resolute. "I advise you to surrender peacefully. Director Zhu Yuan's team has already surrounded you. If you surrender now, you can at least enter prison with some dignity."
"Zhu Yuan, huh?" Bringer chuckled. "She used to idolize me—her so-called savior. And now she bites the hand that fed her?"
"It's because she once admired you that your betrayal cuts deeper," Qingyi shot back without hesitation. "You're no longer the hero who risked his life to rescue citizens from the Hollow."
"Turn yourself in now, and I'll write a personal report requesting leniency for you. You can explain everything to Zhu Yuan yourself."
Even as she spoke, part of her couldn't understand how this had happened.
How had Justin Bringer—the once-bright beacon of the Public Security Bureau, the hero who'd survived a Hollow disaster to save civilians—turned into this?
Time could change people, yes. But shouldn't something of that hero have remained?
"Hero? I was never one."
Bringer's voice turned cold as he sneered, then burst into derisive laughter. "That so-called hero who saved the citizens—he was abandoned by the very people he protected, because of ether corruption. How absurd!"
Back then, he had been part of that hero's team when they first entered New Eridu.
When the real hero was forsaken, Bringer had taken his identity and face, returning to the city in his place.
That was the truth behind the "undying hero who emerged from the Hollow." The hero was dead—and Bringer had replaced him.
He did respect that man. But his faith in humanity's goodness had long since perished.
Only the Creator could create a new world—one where all beings have evolved beyond the weakness of ether corruption. A perfect, fearless race.
Such a vision was beautiful.
"So he was swapped out…"
Qingyi frowned, committing the information to memory.
Not only would this be vital evidence, but it might also give Zhu Yuan some measure of closure.
Nearby, Caesar and the others were listening with rapt attention, wide-eyed at the revelation.
A deputy chief being an impostor—that was one for the history books.
Bringer's gaze swept over them with disdain. "You think you lot can stop me? Don't make me laugh."
He had no intention of retreating. He'd force his way through—drawing every pursuer straight into his trap.
He raised his hand. The long motorcade stirred into motion.
Out rolled the Bureau's newest high-grade autonomous combat robots—
Ten meters tall, each bristling with high-caliber machine guns and energy cannons, all coordinated through advanced fire-control AI.
If not for the hard-coded restrictions in their systems, they could've achieved true independent thought.
Hundreds of elite soldiers poured out of the vehicles, wielding cutting-edge riot weaponry. Trained, disciplined—nothing like street thugs.
"Stop them here!"
Qingyi's sharp voice rang out, her tone firm and commanding.
"Understood!"
Caesar drew sword and shield, shouting boldly, "With the Sons of Calydon here, not one step forward!"
Billy, his usual playful air gone, stepped forward to face the towering robots head-on.
His steel-clad figure stood proud and unwavering.
Adjusting the red-and-black transformation device at his waist, he raised his chin and declared with confidence—
"It's showtime!"