"You're saying Ethereals were found on a street in New Eridu?" Zhao Anmen stared at the report handed to him, hardly believing his eyes.
According to what was written, Ethereals had actually been sighted in one of New Eridu's districts—an idea that defied all reason.
Everyone knew Ethereals could only survive in environments saturated with high-density Ether—in other words, within Hollows.
Once they left the Hollow, even the most powerful of Ethereals would disintegrate into dust in mere moments.
He remembered seeing something similar once—in a sci-fi film, where Ethereals emerged from the Hollow. But now, that absurd fiction had become reality.
"Yes, sir. According to eyewitness accounts, those Ethereals were extremely aggressive—but their presence was weak enough that most adult males could subdue them with their bare hands," reported the officer.
"That may be true, but an Ethereal is still an Ethereal. Even in a weakened state, it poses a serious threat to the people," Zhao Anmen said with a weary sigh, massaging his temples.
He didn't know why, but ever since a few years ago, New Eridu had been plagued with crisis after crisis—so many, in fact, he'd lost count.
Previously, things were manageable—within the capabilities of the Peace Officers to contain. But this time... this was different.
Ethereals walking out of Hollows—this was catastrophic.
Hollows were flooded with Ethereals beyond count. Right now it was just the weak ones appearing... but what about tomorrow?
What would happen if those massive ones emerged?
If that happened, New Eridu's fate was all but sealed.
"Have someone look into this with priority. We need to uncover the cause. I'm sure we're not the only ones investigating this," Zhao Anmen ordered, motioning for the officer to take his leave.
Once he was gone, Zhao Anmen exhaled deeply, exhaustion heavy in his expression.
It was only after taking this seat of power that he truly understood how complicated everything was.
The pressure from above, the chaos from below—if he slipped up even once, the consequences would be irreversible.
"Take it one step at a time. As long as I sit here… I won't let New Eridu fall."
...
After the first incident of an Ethereal attacking civilians outside the Hollow, similar cases began surfacing over the following months.
News of Ethereals leaving the Hollow quickly spread, inciting panic across the city.
Even those criminal groups that once flaunted defiance against the authorities had gone into hiding. Many—those with foresight—had already fled New Eridu with their families.
Meanwhile, Zhong Yan sat in front of the television, brows tightly furrowed as he watched the breaking report.
Pei was lounging on the bed, gleefully looking at a photo of Zhong Ling—overjoyed that the child called it "Big Brother."
"So, the Exaltists have made this much progress already?" Zhong Yan muttered.
He had assumed it would take them at least another ten years to develop such a breakthrough. He hadn't expected it to happen this soon.
Fortunately, he now possessed the Rinnegan, giving him overwhelming power.
Even if New Eridu were to be destroyed, he could simply store everyone important to him in the Kamui Dimension, then find a safe place to release them and build a new home.
But that wasn't the outcome he wanted.
If possible, he didn't want to see New Eridu fall. This city carried too much weight, too many memories.
"I'd better go investigate. No giant-class Ethereals have emerged yet, but that could change as soon as tomorrow."
Feeling deeply unsettled, Zhong Yan made up his mind to head into the Hollow.
If he could find even a trace of the Exaltists' movements, there might still be a chance to turn the tide.
He gave Pei a quick word before activating Kamui and vanishing from the house.
Moments later, the front door was knocked.
Hearing the sound, Pei tucked away its phone, jumped off the bed, and hurried to answer.
"Eh-ne eh-ne! (Who is it?!)"
When it opened the door, it found a stranger—a silver-haired teenage boy.
The boy looked about sixteen or seventeen, his young face bearing an expression of quiet resolve that seemed far too mature for his age.
He had rare, silver-white hair and wore clothes that didn't align with modern trends—his figure slightly hunched, as if carrying exhaustion on his shoulders.
"Eh-no? (Who are you?)" Pei tilted its head curiously.
It assumed the boy might be one of Zhong Yan's friends—but that wasn't the case.
"It's been a long time since I've seen you like this… Big Brother Pei," the boy suddenly said, looking at Pei with nostalgia—as if something deep in his memory had been stirred.
Hearing the name, Pei froze for a second, visibly confused. "Eh… no? (Big Brother Pei…?)"
It started thinking—only one person ever called it that.
Zhong Ling.
But Zhong Ling was just over a year old. How could he suddenly be this grown?
Even as innocent as Pei was, it knew people didn't age that fast.
The boy noticed Pei's confusion and quickly corrected himself.
"Sorry… I said something I shouldn't have. I'm just here to ask—is Zhong Yan home?"
That, at least, was a question Pei could understand.
It shook its head. "Eh-ne! (Zhong Yan's not here. He just left a moment ago. I don't know where exactly.)"
"I see. Sorry to disturb you, then." The boy gave Pei one last look, then turned and walked away without another word.
Pei scratched its head, watching him go, still utterly confused as to who he was or what he wanted.
Yet, for some reason—it couldn't shake the feeling that it had seen him before.
But no matter how hard it tried, it just couldn't remember where.
Unable to make sense of it, Pei turned around and went back to its spot on the bed, resuming its favorite activity: admiring pictures of Zhong Ling.
That silver hair really was eye-catching.