By three in the morning, the once-bustling Sixth Street had fallen silent.
Even Belle couldn't stay awake any longer and had gone to bed. After confirming Number 11 was stable, Trigger had returned to the military base to cover up the fact that Anby was still alive.
As for Number 11, after Anby explained everything, she had fallen back into a deep sleep. As Anby had said, when she woke up again, she would have no memory of this time.
Anby, still awake, watched her sister sleep on the sofa, her gaze hardening with resolve. Whether Number 11 understood her or hated her after learning the truth no longer mattered. She had saved her youngest sister; now it was time to deal with the other one.
"The Silver Squad must not be revived," Anby whispered, though it was unclear if she was speaking to the sleeping Number 11 or to herself.
She, the former captain and most outstanding member of the Silver Squad, should have been the one most supportive of its revival.
Instead, she was the one trying to stop it, even if it meant killing her own sister and burying any hope of the Silver Squad's return—even if it cost her own life.
Anby stood up and walked resolutely towards the door. But as her hand touched the handle, she paused.
"How long have you been waiting here?"
She turned to see Mo Wang sitting on a chair by the entrance, his eyes fixed on her.
"Not long. I just finished a match," he said, waving his phone. For a night owl like him, who was often up past four, this was prime time for gaming.
"When... did you know I was going to leave?" Anby asked, her mind elsewhere.
"Please, it was so obvious. Who do you think you were fooling? Your little plans might work on a simpleton like Number 11, but they wouldn't even fool Nicole," he said, rising to his feet and gently pinching her nose.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hide it from everyone," she said, lowering her head like a child caught in a mistake. "It's just... this is something I want to resolve on my own."
"You know, that's pretty much the definition of 'intentionally hiding it from everyone'," he pointed out.
"I..."
"Sigh, honestly, I wasn't planning on stopping you anyway. You don't have to apologize to me. This is your business, after all," he said, patting her head reassuringly.
"You won't?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Of course not," he replied. "We're all adults. We have to be responsible for our own choices. People who try to control you aren't friends; they're parents."
"Then..."
"However," he continued, "even if you don't need help fighting, you'll still need a Proxy in a place like the Hollow, right? Don't worry, I'll have Eous follow you. It would be pretty funny if you went into the Hollow, couldn't find the enemy, and got lost instead."
Anby stared at him, touched. "Why... are you always so good to me?"
"Well, maybe it's because I have a thing for white-haired girls?" he said, not entirely sure himself. "Or maybe I just think you're pitiful and wanted to help. Why worry about the details? Do friends need a reason to help each other?"
He patted her head again. "Now go on, take care of business before sunrise. If you take too long, Nicole and the others might show up, and that'll be harder to explain."
Anby nodded. She knew, in that moment, that she owed Mo Wang a debt she could probably never repay. But... having someone like him always watching her back gave her an incredible sense of security.
"By the way, are you sure you don't want to tell Number 11 about this?" he asked.
"No," she said. "I don't want to involve her anymore. As her older sister, it's my job to clear the obstacles in her path, isn't it?"
She gave him a sweet smile, then picked up the onlooking Eous and turned to leave.
"So? Did you hear that? Any thoughts?" Mo Wang said, turning back towards the room. A white-haired girl with a tiger-like ferocity peeked her head out, looking flustered and angry.
"That idiot! Who needs her help!" Number 11 blurted out, her words not matching her expression. "And I'm strong too, you know! Why is she leaving me out of this?! I'll never forgive her!"
"Heh, I never knew you had a tsundere side," Mo Wang chuckled at her blushing face. A tsundere Number 11? Now that's a rare sight. I have to get a picture of this for Trigger.
...
Anby didn't head straight for the Hollow. Instead, she went to a Cunning Hares' hideout.
"Good, it still fits."
Standing in front of a mirror, she had shed her green, punk-style outfit for a white combat suit nearly identical to the one Cui Ji had worn. Her weapon was no longer a single blade but a pair of swords emblazoned with lightning symbols.
"Hmm, new style? I didn't know you had an outfit like this," Mo Wang's voice came through Eous.
Anby tugged at the slightly snug combat suit, a small smile playing on her lips. "It's what I used to wear on missions. I'm surprised it still fits."
Mo Wang's gaze drifted thoughtfully towards her chest. "Hmm... probably because certain... areas... haven't grown at all."
The air instantly froze. Anby's eyes narrowed dangerously. She snatched Eous from the table and began mercilessly kneading its soft, spherical body.
"Mmm-hmm! Mmm-hmm! (W-wait! Why are you taking it out on me for something Master said!)" Eous cried out in a distorted voice.
...
Just over ten minutes later, Anby and Eous arrived at a special Hollow.
The air was thick with the damp, metallic smell of rain. As she landed, she felt the first cool drops on her skin, and memories flooded back—the same rain, the same laboratory silhouette.
But back then, the Silver Squad had stood behind her, and Cui Ji had been pressing a cup of hot cocoa into her hands.
"Captain Anby, weather like this is perfect for a mission!" Cui Ji's cheerful voice from the past echoed in her mind.
"Anby?" Mo Wang's voice snapped her back to reality. "Your heart rate's a little high. Need a moment?"
"No," she said, shaking her head as rain streamed down her face. "Let's make this quick."
She took off, a white blur against the downpour. The moment the first mechanical guard registered her presence, she was already behind it, her twin blades a cross of dazzling electricity. In a flash, every enemy in her path was cut down.
"Hmm? You seem even faster than before," Mo Wang remarked through Eous. The swift lightning, the white hair... it gave him a strange sense of déjà vu, like watching Kiana from Honkai Impact wielding one of Mei's katanas.
Anby didn't reply.
Her movements became a blur, a whirlwind of blades weaving an impenetrable net in the rain. Her once-suppressed combat instincts were fully unleashed.
By the time the last guard fell, thunder cracked across the sky, as if it were struggling to keep up with her speed.
"How much were you holding back on your missions?" Mo Wang asked, piloting Eous over to a still-smoking circuit board. "At this level, you could probably solo a Hollow boss."
"I just remembered how I used to fight after putting this on," she said, flicking the rain from her blades. Then, she turned to Eous and tilted her head with a smile. "Do I look cooler now?"
With her silver hair clinging to her face like liquid moonlight, she looked absolutely stunning.
Mo Wang found his voice module stuttering. "Ahem... you certainly look... wait! Three o'clock!"
Anby stood at the laboratory entrance, her gaze piercing through the rain to the familiar figure leaning against the rusted iron door—Cui Ji, a faint smile on her lips. Beside her stood another clone, identical to Anby, but with blank, empty eyes.
"Sister, you finally came," Cui Ji's voice was soft, but laced with mockery. "I'm surprised you'd involve others in our family matters."
"Even without help, you're no match for me," Anby said, her voice steady as lightning crackled around her blades. "Give it up, Cui Ji. It's not too late to abandon this idea of rebuilding the Silver Squad."
"Oh?" Cui Ji's smile widened. "Where's your boyfriend from last time? Why didn't he come?"
"I don't need him. This time, I'm all I need to fight," Anby replied, her blade pointed at Cui Ji.
"Heh." Cui Ji's smile turned cold. "Why? Why did you betray us? Betray the Silver Squad?"
"I didn't betray anyone," Anby said, her voice low and firm. "I just... don't want to lose anyone else."
"How ridiculous," Cui Ji laughed. She raised her hand, and the clone beside her adopted a combat stance. "In that case, let me see just how strong my dear sister's resolve is."
With a snap of her fingers, dozens of clones, all identical to herself, appeared around them. "Sorry, but I have to tell you," she said, her smile turning triumphant as she saw Anby's eyes widen.
"The Silver Squad clones have already been completed. They were all created using my own DNA. They may be flawed, but even you can't take on this many at once, can you, Captain?"
"Sigh~ I knew this would happen," Mo Wang's voice came through Eous. "But the timing is perfect. Looks like we made it just in time."
Just then, another silver figure leaped from behind them, landing in front of Anby.
"No way?!" Anby stared in disbelief.
"Anby! You idiot! Don't think I'm going to forgive you for what you said!"
At the most critical moment, Number 11 had arrived.
While Anby was shocked, Cui Ji was seething, her face contorted with rage as if she were looking at a rival who had stolen her lover. How is she here?! I injected her with the poison myself!
"Hoho, this is getting juicy," Mo Wang chuckled through Eous, thoroughly enjoying the drama.
With Number 11's appearance, the plot had instantly shifted from a love-hate sisterly showdown to a battle for their older sister's affection.
A rebellious little sister and a yandere older sister fighting for the eldest sister's love? Now we're talking! This is prime-time drama!