In the past, they would never have dared provoke a high-tier Ethereal. But things were different now.
After countless battles, the members of Hare's House had grown much stronger. Even without Sam Li's help, Nicole, Billy, and the others had plenty of ways to bring down a high-tier Ethereal. And this time, Sam Li was with them. Not to mention Hu Tao and Xiangling were lending their aid.
Soon, guided by Belle, the group entered an abandoned district. They had barely stepped inside when several ordinary Ethereals appeared.
Billy made a flashy entrance, bullets pouring from his guns as he instantly riddled the Ethereals with holes.
With a confident flourish, Billy twirled his pistol and said,
"That can't be all the Ethereals, right?"
Belle shook her head.
"No, there's a big one nearby. Everyone, stay alert..."
Her warning had barely finished when suddenly—the building ahead began to shake.
From within the crumbling ruins, a massive wolf's head emerged, startling Billy.
"What the hell kind of Ethereal is that?"
Belle's expression hardened.
"That's the Notoriety Hati, a large Ethereal resembling an ancient jackal... Records on it are scarce, but what's known is clear—it's a power-type Ethereal. Don't fight it head-on..."
But before she could finish, Billy had already charged out.
"Good thing I brought plenty of ammo this time. Don't worry, Manager—leave it to me."
Gripping both pistols, Billy sprinted forward. From a hundred meters out, he locked onto the Notoriety Ethereal and opened fire.
With stronger rounds equipped, his suppressive fire was more powerful than ever. His plan was to pin the Notoriety Ethereal down, trapping it inside the building.
However—Billy had underestimated its defense.
At that distance, his bullets barely scratched the Notoriety Hati, only leaving superficial wounds.
The beast let out an enraged roar. It smashed through the building around it and charged straight toward Billy.
"Billy, get out of the way! I'll hold it!" Anby's voice rang out.
Without hesitation, Anby drew the blade from her waist and leapt into battle. Gripping the weapon with both hands, she cranked the electric-Anomaly amplifier on her back to maximum output, ready to clash with the Notoriety Ethereal.
Hu Tao, Nicole, Nekomata, and the others quickly joined the fight as well.
As the Notoriety Ethereal came barreling forward, Billy suddenly heard Lu-lu's cry. The next second, a small brown figure dashed out.
It was Guoba. Instead of hiding behind the others, he charged head-on at the Notoriety Ethereal.
Billy froze.
"Hey, Guoba! You're seriously going to duel that thing?!"
Nekomata shouted anxiously.
"Guoba, get back! You can't beat it!"
Even Xiangling cried out,
"Guoba, don't go—!"
But Guoba, as if driven by an unshakable resolve, ignored them all and kept running forward. His tiny legs pumped furiously as he threw all his strength into the charge.
Worried for him, Xiangling chased after him.
"Guoba, wait! We'll fight together—"
Billy yelled after them.
"Guoba, this isn't bug fighting! Don't be reckless... I'll play bug fights with you when we get back!"
Yet to everyone's shock, despite his short legs and small frame, Guoba was incredibly fast. In just moments, he had already sprinted far ahead.
They could only watch helplessly as Guoba rushed straight toward the Notoriety Ethereal, seemingly to throw his life away. The little creature leapt high into the air, about to collide with the towering beast.
Billy covered his face in despair, unable to keep watching. He had grown attached to Guoba, already considering Bangboo his close friend and bug-fighting partner. He never thought they would be separated so soon.
Finally—
With a thunderous crash, the tiny Bangboo, barely a meter tall, slammed into the colossal Notoriety Ethereal, seven or eight meters in height. The impact resounded like thunder, kicking up clouds of dust.
"Guoba—why'd you run out there—?!"
"Brother Guoba, I'll avenge you..."
"Calm down! Guoba used to be a mighty god—he'll be fine..."
...
When the group rushed over, they were stunned.
Guoba stood there unharmed. And the massive Notoriety Ethereal? It lay collapsed in the ruins a short distance away.
"What...?"
Billy gawked at Guoba in shock.
"Huh? You actually knocked it flying?!"
Guoba squealed happily.
"Lulu-lu—"
Xiangling quickly explained.
"Guoba says he wants to help us fight the bad guys."
Before Billy or Nekomata could react, Guoba charged the Notoriety Ethereal again, using the exact same move—a simple, straightforward tackle.
The tiny creature relentlessly rammed the towering power-type Ethereal, leaving Billy's jaw hanging open.
What was even happening? How could such a little guy have that much strength, enough to take on a powerhouse like this?
At the same time, Billy recalled something Xiangling had said before.
Guoba had once been the Stove God of Liyue, older than even Adepti like Cloud Retainer and Xiao—only now had he lost his power.
Billy had doubted it before. How could such a tiny creature compare to mighty Adepti?
Now, he was convinced. Guoba wasn't just a Bangboo, nor a small bear, but an existence as extraordinary as an Adeptus.
And then Billy remembered the Azhdaha Bangboo he'd encountered in the Outer Ring. Strictly speaking, that creature wasn't a Bangboo either, but a shrunken Geo behemoth... And Sam Li had mentioned before that the Azhdaha also came from Liyue.
Suddenly, everything made sense. Liyue truly was a land of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
With that thought, Billy's gaze snapped to Sam Li.
Sam Li had once defeated the rampaging Azhdaha and cut down high-tier Ethereals as if they were nothing. That kind of strength was far beyond a mortal's.
Billy finally understood. Sam Li had to be one of Liyue's Adepti as well.
No wonder Xiao the Vigilant Yaksha and Cloud Retainer had been so courteous toward him. Billy had only recently begun encountering Adepti himself—no wonder it took this long for him to realize.
As the others rushed to support Guoba, Billy cleared his throat, then casually walked over to Sam Li.
He leaned in and whispered,
"So you're an Adeptus of Liyue too. It's so obvious—I can't believe I only just figured it out..."
Sam Li blinked, confused.
"?????"
Billy grinned confidently.
"Everyone has their secrets. Don't worry, I won't tell Nicole, the boss... Alright, I'm off to help Brother Guoba fight."