Late at night, when Zhong Yan and the Phaeton siblings arrived at the agreed-upon location, they discovered that the entire district had been sealed off by the New Eridu Public Security Bureau.
The explanation? A recent explosion. The cause was still under investigation, and many victims were reportedly trapped beneath the rubble while emergency rescue was underway.
"An explosion, huh… Zhong Yan, that must've been Uchiha, right?" Wise turned to him. Zhong Yan had previously mentioned letting Uchiha take action. Judging by the scale of the incident, it was clear Uchiha was involved.
Zhong Yan didn't deny it. He simply nodded and said, "It's a bit complicated, but I'll talk to him later. Hopefully I can get some useful intel out of it."
Airi's recruitment and the founding of Akatsuki—these events had already been relayed to him via the consciousness-sharing link with his shadow clone. Everything Airi had shared about the Exaltists was now fully known to him.
And he now understood: to stand against an organization as powerful and mysterious as the Exaltists, he needed his own force. Going solo would make future investigations nearly impossible.
As expected, personal heroism didn't get you far in these kinds of situations. All his efforts until now had yielded little more than what Airi had just offered.
Unless the Exaltists sent more Twelve Shields after Airi—and Zhong Yan managed to defeat them—their trail would go cold once again.
The only silver lining was the Exaltist leader's extreme arrogance. Convinced of his own biological perfection, he didn't fear anyone.
Especially not Zhong Yan, whom he'd already marked as a prime specimen. More agents would surely be dispatched to capture him.
And as for Airi—now a fugitive and one of their biggest liabilities—the organization wouldn't rest until she was recaptured.
She knew too much. Her successful escape alone spoke volumes about how careless they'd been.
"So in the end, we're basically just… useless," Nicole muttered, arms spread in a helpless shrug.
The best part about working with Uchiha? You never had to worry about mission success. The worst part? You got zero participation. It almost felt like none of it had anything to do with you.
"Let's be real—someone like him, his strength and thought process are way beyond us. Be glad he's on our side," Wise said.
With the situation now "resolved," there was no point in sticking around. They could only hope Zhong Yan could extract more details from Uchiha. Otherwise, this entire trip would've been a waste.
…
"Boss, what's this? A phone?" Airi stared blankly at the device Zhong Yan handed her.
"It's a means of communication," he replied. "I'm not ready to share my identity with you yet, so for now, all contact between us—and within the organization—will be through this separate phone."
He turned it on, showing her the one and only chat group labeled "Akatsuki."
Zhong Yan was still cautious. Trusting someone he'd only just met wasn't an option, and this setup allowed for safety and control.
"You're really cautious, huh?" Airi pouted slightly, clearly a little annoyed.
Still, it made sense. Total trust between two strangers was unrealistic.
But she had patience. As long as she and Uchiha stood on the same battlefield, she'd feel safe from the Exaltists' reach.
So, she accepted the phone with a nod. "Got it, Boss. If there's anything you need from me, just say the word. As long as it helps destroy the Exaltists—I'll do anything!"
She said it half-jokingly, but her resolve was unshakable.
As one of the few who had resisted the Exaltists' brainwashing, she remembered every torment she'd endured.
That alone was enough to fuel her hatred. Not just for herself—but to make sure no one else ever suffered as she had.
"From here on, go about your own business. If you spot any trace of the Exaltists, report it in the group immediately," Zhong Yan instructed.
Honestly, she didn't need to be told. Airi had dealt with them longer than he had, and she knew exactly how to handle them.
"Alright, Boss~ see ya later!" Airi waved cheerfully and made a cute parting gesture before disappearing into the night.
Zhong Yan remained in the dim alley for a while, alone. After a moment of contemplation, he activated Kamui and vanished into the Kamui dimension.
…
A few days passed.
Surprisingly, the Exaltists didn't retaliate after Zhong Yan killed one of the Twelve Shields.
Even stranger, their entire network seemed to vanish overnight. Not even Fairy's surveillance skills could find any trace of them.
It left everyone puzzled. But for now, no one really cared.
Weeks of high-intensity investigation had left them drained—physically and mentally.
Nicole, in particular, was on the verge of collapse. The obsessive money-chaser had abandoned nearly every commission from the Cunning Hares during the investigation.
In other words, she hadn't earned a single Denny in ages. For her, that was a torture worse than the eighteen layers of hell.
The rest—Anby, Belle, and the others—weren't doing much better.
So after some thought, Wise announced a short vacation. Time to recharge and recover.
It would last about seven days. To minimize risk, Wise would take everyone along for the trip.
And since it was the height of summer—the hottest time of year—there was only one place that came to mind.
The beach. Wise was taking the whole crew on a seaside vacation.