However, after trying many different methods, they still couldn't restore the connection with Nicole's side. In the end, a helpless Belle chose to restart the system. But it was clear this wouldn't solve the problem, as it wasn't a system issue at all.
Looking at the mysterious person exuding an arrogant air at them through the computer screen, Wise felt a sense of regret. He hadn't implemented enough protection for the HDD's system. The other party's goal was clearly the safe, and the reason for all this was to get the password. But of course, Wise wasn't going to hand it over so easily, especially since he had long prepared a backup plan.
On the other side, Nicole's group was carrying the now-disconnected Eous and proceeding along the route Wise had given them earlier. Sensing that an accident might occur, Wise had told them the specific route in advance and warned them that if they didn't hear his voice directly, they should just take Eous and follow the original path.
To make movement easier, Nicole had originally wanted to carry Eous, but after just a little while, Anby volunteered to take over. Nicole just thought her subordinate was trying to be considerate, but as a good boss, she couldn't let her subordinate get tired, so she refused. She just didn't understand why the look Anby gave her didn't seem like one of gratitude.
As for why not give it to Billy? Because he dual-wields pistols.
Things were going relatively smoothly on Nicole's end. Meanwhile, Wise and Belle, after feigning weakness for a while, managed to make the hacker on the other end become careless with arrogance. He even took the initiative to reveal details about the safe's contents to them. Although he later became angry with embarrassment after being mocked and wanted to retaliate, carelessness is a bad habit. The hacker naturally ended up in the hands of the Public Security officers, sent by the siblings to enjoy some jail time.
"Yay, that's great! That annoying guy finally got what he deserved," Belle said, feeling extremely satisfied. Wise, at her side, made some adjustments and then prepared to sync his consciousness again.
"It's just a shame about the account."
"What's that to worry about? We're Phaethon! With you here, brother, it won't be long before we become legendary Rope-masters again. Oh, maybe we can even set a new record for the fastest to become a legendary Rope-master." Belle didn't seem to care much about the account being deleted, but Wise knew that what was truly important wasn't the account itself, but the high income it brought.
As a legendary Rope-master in the business, Phaethon's daily income was unusually high. Now that the account was gone, they could only rely on the video store's income to get by for a while.
Alright, putting aside the tangent for now, Wise initiated the consciousness sync again. After the view shifted, all he could see was a pair of milky-white mounds.
"Huh?! This is..."
Just as he got a clear view of the scene, before he could even react, his Bangboo body was pulled out of Nicole's arms by Anby.
"Ah, Rope-master, you're finally back! What happened just now?"
"Uh, that's a long story..." Wise then explained what had happened while still being held by Anby. But Anby holding him like this made things difficult for him. After all, he had already decided to be a "player," but thankfully, Anby was the rather innocent type.
"So you were disconnected because your equipment was hijacked by a mysterious hacker? That was so close! Thankfully, the boss had the foresight to tell us the route beforehand," Billy said in a very relieved tone. Anby, on the other hand, asked anxiously, "Then Wise... I mean, Rope-master, are you guys okay over there?"
"We're fine, don't worry, Anby. We just lost an account. Looks like I'll have to give Nicole a discount on the commission fee now," Wise joked.
"Huh? Rope-master, are you serious?" Nicole's eyes instantly lit up when she heard this. Just how happy was she?
[Ding! Nicole's favorability has increased by 5 points. Current favorability: 75. 500 Emotion Value obtained. Current Emotion Value: 2500.]
"Alright, let's talk about the discount later. Your Aether Adaptation is nearing its limit. It's better to complete the commission as soon as possible."
Hearing Wise's words, the three members of the Cunning Hares didn't linger and instead resumed their search for the safe. Finally, after some effort, Wise was the first to spot the safe, lying quietly in an open area, looking just like a trap.
"Ah, that's my safe!" Nicole exclaimed happily, about to rush forward to pick it up. Before Wise could warn her, the Dullahan, which had suddenly appeared behind them, launched an attack on Anby.
Reacting instantly, Wise threw himself into Anby's arms, causing the Dullahan's attack to miss. The Bangboo's soft body didn't harm Anby. At the same time, she herself reacted quickly after being knocked aside and landed steadily. This meant that Anby could have handled the attack herself, but she would have definitely sustained some damage. Anby was very touched by Wise's concern for her.
[Ding! Anby's favorability has increased by 1 point. Current favorability: 94. 300 Emotion Value obtained. Current Emotion Value: 2800.]
"What bad luck!"
"Ah! That's... my safe!" Nicole shouted as she struck a combat pose. Anby and Billy quickly gathered around her, and a great battle ensued. Although it was a high-level Ethereal, for the three members of the Cunning Hares, it was still manageable. In the end, they were naturally victorious.
However, just as a happy Nicole was about to embrace the safe, Wise jumped directly onto it, and the words he spoke were like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing the fire in her heart.
"Nicole, I don't want to spoil the mood... but don't celebrate too early. That hacker just deleted the Hollow escape data I had prepared."
"Huh? So you're saying we can't get out?"
"Mmm, at present... yes."
Hearing this, Nicole seemed to instantly lose all her strength, collapsing to the ground, wanting to cry but having no tears. She had already gotten the safe, completed the commission, and was on the verge of receiving a huge fee, but now he was telling her she couldn't get out. Didn't that make everything meaningless?
At her side, Billy was crying his eyes out about not being able to have dinner with "Big Sister Monica." Only Anby was relatively calm, but while comforting the other two, her gaze kept drifting towards Wise. She opened her mouth several times but didn't know what to say. Although she didn't make a sound, by reading her lips, Wise could roughly guess what she meant. But that was a conversation for after they got out.
"Everyone, I never said there was no hope at all. Why don't you listen to my solution first?"