[Belle: @Victor, are you there? Something terrible is happening!]
The next day, Victor received an urgent message from the chat group and immediately exited his cultivation practice to check it.
[Victor: What happened?]
[Belle: I just received news that a massive number of alien creatures have appeared in Hollow Zero! There are so many of them, and they're all different types!]
Victor's expression grew serious.
[Victor: Where are you right now? Is it convenient to talk?]
[Belle: I'm at home. It's fine, please come over!]
[Victor: On my way.]
After closing the chat group panel, Victor immediately used his dimensional travel talisman to cross over to Belle's world.
When he emerged from the dimensional gate, he found himself in Belle's room, with Belle herself standing right before him.
Before Victor could ask any questions, Belle grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door.
"Come downstairs with me first!"
When they arrived at the secret room on the first floor, Victor was surprised to see not only Wise and the two Bangboos, but also a familiar face, Nicole from the Cunning Hares.
"Is this the helper you mentioned, store manager?" Nicole looked Victor up and down carefully.
Handsome appearance, extraordinary bearing, and most importantly, those clothes were clearly expensive. This had to be a wealthy individual.
Maybe she could develop him into a potential customer!
With that thought, Nicole immediately put on her most charming smile and stepped forward to introduce herself. "Hello, my name is Nicole from the Cunning Hares. And you are?"
Though Victor couldn't quite read Nicole's thoughts, he responded politely enough.
"Victor Stone."
"Mr. Stone? What a wonderful name, as distinguished as you are!"
After the compliment, Nicole pulled out a business card emblazoned with the Cunning Hares logo from her wallet.
"It's clear at first glance that Mr. Stone is someone who makes good money. But even successful people like yourself must have tasks that are... inconvenient to handle personally."
"If you need someone reliable, you can always work with the Cunning Hares. This is my business card!"
Victor didn't refuse. He accepted the card, feeling the lingering warmth and faint fragrance still clinging to it.
"That's our Nicole for you," Wise said with a wry smile. "Even at a time like this, she's still trying to drum up business."
Nicole flashed a sly grin. "The Cunning Hares' motto is to never let a potential customer slip away!"
Belle put her hands on her hips, her voice tinged with exasperation. "Can you two stop wasting time? Saving people is more important!"
"Save someone?" Victor asked, confused. "Who needs saving?"
"The people from Hollow Special Operations, of course!"
Belle quickly explained. "Just a few hours ago, a massive swarm of alien creatures suddenly appeared in Hollow Zero."
"They attacked the investigation station that Hollow Special Operations Section 6 set up at the edge of Hollow Zero! Even the treasure hunters who'd ventured into the Hollow couldn't escape the assault!"
"After that, about three hours ago, Hollow Special Operations sent a combat team of seven hundred personnel to eliminate the invading creatures. But the team was defeated in less than half an hour, and many people are still trapped inside the Hollow."
"Despite such heavy losses, they haven't given up."
"Just recently, they've assembled an even larger force to rescue those trapped in Hollow Zero."
"I'm worried these people will end up the same way, so I asked you to come with me to Hollow Zero to rescue them and eliminate the invaders!"
If these creatures could defeat a seven-hundred-person combat team in such a short time, the enemy's strength this time was clearly formidable.
Thinking this over, Victor nodded. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
"Wait a minute, store manager!" Nicole suddenly interjected. "I know you're both very strong now, but are you sure it's just the two of you going? We at the Cunning Hares can help too, you know."
Belle shook her head. "Thanks for bringing me this information, but the enemy this time is extremely dangerous. I can't take you with me."
She had no intention of bringing Nicole and her team along, she didn't even want to take Wise and the Bangboos.
Nicole nodded in understanding. "All right, but don't forget to pay for the information."
"Don't worry, I'll cover it," Wise said from the side.
After leaving the video store, Victor tore open a spatial rift and transported himself and Belle directly to Hollow Zero.
This wasn't Victor's first visit, but the scene before him felt completely alien.
The sky hung gray and oppressive, while the ruins of the shattered city were now covered with crimson crystals that emitted an eerie, faint glow.
"What are these things?" Victor approached one of the crystals and examined it closely.
He didn't recall seeing anything like this in Hollow Zero before.
Though Ether crystals did exist in the Hollows, he'd seen those before, and they definitely didn't look like this.
Belle shook her head. "I don't know either. These weren't here the last time I came."
"Looks like they're byproducts brought by those invaders."
Victor retracted his gaze and expanded his spiritual sense, instantly covering the entirety of Hollow Zero.
"Seems we're not too late."
Hearing this, Belle immediately extended her own spiritual awareness.
Soon, she detected a group of people engaged in combat with the invaders not far from their current position.
"Let's get over there quickly! They won't be able to hold out much longer!"
The human forces were clearly at a disadvantage. Under the fierce assault of the otherworldly invaders, people were dying every moment.
Meanwhile, on the invaders' side, there were very few injuries or casualties.
Victor nodded.
The two of them immediately flew at high speed toward the battlefield.
"The commander is down! Deputy Chief Yanagi of Section 6, you're in command now! Everyone, retreat immediately!"
At the center of the battlefield, a pink-haired woman swiftly dispatched another enemy before issuing the retreat order.
"Teams One and Two will cover the rear! Team Three will escort the wounded!"
The command brought order back to the previously chaotic army.
"Yanagi, are you all right?"
A figure suddenly appeared beside Yanagi like a ghost, cutting down an enemy attempting a sneak attack with a single slash.
"Thank you, Chief. I'm fine."
Yanagi covered her bleeding shoulder and shook her head. "Just a minor injury. It won't affect my combat ability."
Miyabi nodded. "What do you need me to do?"
Though Miyabi was the chief of Section 6, in reality, Yanagi was the one who coordinated all of Section 6's affairs, she was the brain of the operation.
"Chief, I need you to lead, "
Before Yanagi could finish her sentence, the ground suddenly shook violently.
Everyone looked up to see a giant humanoid creature, hundreds of meters tall, emerging behind the enemy forces.
"What... is that?" Yanagi's mouth fell open slightly, her eyes filled with astonishment that was difficult to conceal behind her glasses.