Lifting his gaze, Ignis saw towering skyscrapers surrounding him on all sides.
This scenery was nothing like the cramped and dim skyline of the hive cities. It reminded him more of the cities he once saw back on Earth—when he was still a civil safety officer.
Looking around, he realized they were at the mouth of a narrow alley. A small cargo van was parked near the exit.
Anby opened the van's rear door and placed Phaethon's Bangboo, Eous, inside.
"Quit staring, get in already!" Billy called from the driver's seat, waving at Ignis.
Beside Billy sat a pink-haired girl with twin tails—likely the "Boss Nicole" they had mentioned.
She wore an off-shoulder jacket over a cropped tank top that did little to conceal her full chest. Below, she sported denim shorts, a leather garter on her left thigh, and a black torn stocking biting into her leg.
"Hurry up and get in before the Public Security spots us."
Ignis sighed and ducked into the cargo hold. As he climbed aboard, he felt the poor vehicle tremble violently under his weight—as though it might come apart at any moment.
"Boss Nicole, this thing's not gonna collapse, right?" Billy asked after hearing the ominous groan. "You sure it's roadworthy?"
"Less talk, Billy. Cash on hand could only get us this one," Nicole said urgently.
After confirming Ignis was seated properly, Anby shut the rear door.
"Good. Everyone's here."
Ignis heard Nicole open the front passenger door, grabbing Anby's wrist to help her climb in faster.
"Move out, Starlight Knights," Nicole ordered.
"Got it, Boss!"
As Billy released the clutch and disengaged the handbrake, Ignis could feel the truck's machine spirit awaken. It was old and weary, riddled with hidden ailments—but still a strong mechanical beast.
With a push of the accelerator, the spirit growled to life.
Sitting in the dark cargo hold, Ignis felt a strange sense of familiarity.
He remembered sitting in similar cramped trucks while working with other laborers building wind farms out in the desert.
A sudden sandstorm had once forced them all to pile into the truck bed for shelter—a dozen sweaty men squeezed together like sardines in a can.
They cursed, spat insults at their bosses and the wind, sharing a single cigarette and a promise to drink together that night—and somehow, that made them brothers for life.
When he became a Space Marine, he had also ridden with his squadmates in a Rhino APC.
It was his first real battle. Sergeant Volkanic kept him calm, while Veteran Sindefist promised to protect him no matter what.
Then they disembarked—and faced the Tyranid swarm.
The mortal soldiers of the Astra Militarum held their trenches bravely; autocannons, heavy bolters, and flamers overlapped fields of fire in a deafening storm.
The human defenders cheered at the arrival of the Emperor's Angels—and among those Angels, one man was swallowing hard, trying to keep himself steady.
The Tyranid tide rolled in like a living flood. Three Aggressors stood at the frontlines, their Flamestorm gauntlets spewing walls of promethium that burned countless gaunts to ash. The Imperial Guard's guns thundered, exchanging fire with the enemy's bio-cannons and warrior beasts.
His first melee came against a Tyranid Warrior. He crushed its skull with his power fist.
He survived only because a brave guardsman had shot the beast's leg with a heavy bolter, stopping it from impaling Ignis through the armpit—the armor's weakest point.
But in the end, the line fell. The Imperial Guard withdrew under their cover—though that same guardsman who had saved Ignis never made it out.
He and his heavy bolter were obliterated by an acid bomb, leaving not even a corpse behind.
"Boss! That's a red light!" Billy's voice yanked Ignis from the memory.
"So what? Run it!" Nicole shouted back, lively and defiant. "We're Hollow Raiders, criminals—what's a red light to us?"
"The Cunning Hares are turning into a criminal syndicate," Anby said flatly. "Will we end up like the Fast and Familial?"
Emperor above, Ignis thought. Guess those incense sticks I promised You might still be safe—but the alien head trophy's probably off the table.
The vehicle wasn't slow; every turn pressed him sideways with sharp centrifugal force.
Then the Bangboo, Eous, was tossed from its perch and landed squarely against his chestplate.
The tiny thing smacked into his ceramite armor and tumbled back, rubbing its head as if in pain.
Ignis found himself oddly intrigued by it. Compared to the cherub servitors and servo-skulls of the Imperium—grotesque, half-living things—this little construct was far more pleasant to look at.
"Ehne~ ehne~ ehne~" the small unit chirped from his leg, facing the driver's cabin.
"I thought you could talk," Ignis said, holding it up by its scarf and placing it in his palm. "Or does that only work when Phaethon is sharing its senses with you?"
"Ehne, ehne, ehne!" The little machine flailed its tiny limbs, seemingly protesting.
"Apologies, little one. I can't understand a word you're saying. But you are… admittedly adorable." He poked its head gently. Its shell was flexible and soft to the touch.
That only seemed to anger it further. The Bangboo let out louder "Ehne, ehne!" sounds, clearly expressing its frustration.
But resistance was futile. Ignis's fingers were thicker than its entire body; the tiny thing was completely at his mercy.
At first, it fought back, waving its arms indignantly. But as the poking continued, its spirit faded, and it finally went limp, lying motionless in his palm.
From the driver's cabin, Ignis could hear the three discussing him. Nicole curiously asked about the giant's origins, Anby calmly recounted the "super-soldier" tale, while Billy threw in his usual over-the-top commentary.
Then Billy began describing Ignis's combat style—peppering his story with endless tokusatsu references to emphasize the Salamander's speed and strength.
"Doesn't sound human," Nicole remarked.
"He took off his helmet once," Anby replied evenly. "Definitely human. Just… dark-skinned, and his eyes glow."
"Fine, whatever he is—at least he saved you two," Nicole said, giving orders to her subordinates. "Billy, get repairs done tomorrow. Anby, you're visiting the clinic."
"You two stayed in the Hollow far too long. Full checkups. We need to be sure there's no ether contamination."
"What about the repair costs, Boss?" Billy asked carefully.
"I'll cover it for now," Nicole sighed. "I know you just bought new gun oil, Starlight Knight merch, and Monica's limited-edition postcards."
"Boss, you're the best!" Billy cheered.
"Don't celebrate yet. It's coming out of your next bonus," Nicole said coldly. "I said front it, not gift it."
"Anby, remember to put on a teary performance for the Proxy later. Get us a discount," Nicole added, turning to her. "I'll write you some lines."
Maybe this "Nicole" wasn't as greedy as he'd assumed.
Ignis placed Phaethon's Bangboo back on the floor and stopped teasing it.
The truck began to slow down, then braked to a halt.
"Nicole, you're back too soon," came a familiar female voice from outside—the one he'd heard through Eous before. "Don't tell me you ran another red light."
"Nope. Just passed a very enthusiastic green light with an R value of 255," Nicole replied. "Anby, hand Eous back."
Anby opened the door, and Ignis stepped out of the cargo hold, carefully cradling Eous in his palm.
The giant knelt down, lowering his hand. The Bangboo leapt off immediately and hid behind its owner's legs.
"Did you bully him?" the girl asked, tilting her head up at Ignis. "He's tattling on you."
"I apologize, citizen. I was merely curious about the little one," Ignis answered truthfully. "He's quite endearing."
"First off, you can call me Belle," the girl said, pointing to herself, then gesturing to a man stepping out from a nearby building. "And that's my brother, Wise."
"See, Wise? I told you! A giant—way taller than any Thiren!" Belle exclaimed, beaming with excitement.
"Ignis," said the Salamander, pointing to himself.
"All right, enough chit-chat for now," Nicole interrupted.
"Nicole, we got your people out," Wise said, barely glancing at Ignis. "Time to settle the payment, right?"
"Hold up," Nicole crossed her arms, twirling one of her pigtails between her fingers. "The deal was: 'Bring back both my people and my stuff.' You've only delivered half."
"Oh? Is that so, brother?" Belle looked at Wise, blinking innocently.
"So, you'll help me find that safe," Nicole said with a sly grin.
"The safe's under the foot of an upper-class Ethereal," Ignis spoke up. "Anby called it a Dullahan."
"Yeah, the Red Fang Gang guy who got corrupted by volatile ether," Billy added. "The big guy tried to take him down, but that monster was no joke. We couldn't recover it."
"Boss Nicole, what's even in that safe?" Billy asked. "Was it worth nearly getting killed for?"
"You'll find out soon enough. Take a look at this." Nicole pulled a red fang-shaped pendant from her shorts pocket.
"Picked it up in the building where the Red Fang were chasing me—it's a data storage device."
"So, what, you gonna gift it to me?" Belle teased.
"I did some digging," Nicole continued. "That gang boss carried this with him at all times. Whatever's inside must be valuable."
"I bet it's tied to the safe's passcode." She handed the pendant to Belle. "Phaethon, think you can crack it using your shop's big computer?"
"The HDD's mostly running Hollow data processes," Wise replied, arms crossed. "But if it's just reading disk contents…"
"Perfect. Then it's settled," Nicole said cheerfully. "We'll track the safe's position inside the Hollow and contact you once we've got a lead."
She turned to Ignis with a grin. "Ignis, right? Hop in. The Cunning Hares may be broke, but we can still afford to buy our savior a meal."
"You could also repay some of your debts first," Wise suggested, glancing at the giant heading toward the van.
"Eh? Sorry, can't hear you—too much wind!" Nicole said quickly, already dragging Billy back into the driver's seat.