"Hey, what're you spacing out for? Help your boss up already!"
Nicole's hand slapped Su Chen's shoulder, her voice dripping with mock menace.
"Oh, uh, right!"
Su Chen snapped out of his daze, nodding obediently.
According to Nicole, they were near a Hollow. If it suddenly expanded, the Cunning Hares trio would probably be fine, but him? He'd be toast.
Nicole shoved her explosive suitcase into Su Chen's arms, then leaned her full weight against him, practically draping herself over his back.
"Uh, Boss Nicole, is this… okay?" Su Chen asked, hesitating as he felt the softness pressing against him.
It wasn't that he was trying to be a gentleman—far from it. He just didn't want Nicole finding another reason to chew him out.
"Boss Nicole, if you can't walk, the great Starlight Knight is happy to lend a hand!" Billy chimed in, flexing his mechanical arms to show off his "muscles."
"Based on analysis, this mysterious individual named Su Chen is ill-suited for carrying biological loads," Anby said, her calm gaze sizing him up.
Su Chen stared at Anby, speechless. Was this deadpan girl implying I'm weak? Sure, lugging fifty pounds back home was a struggle, but carrying someone like Boss Nicole? He could manage that all day, no problem.
"Billy, this is the newbie's first task—no need for you to butt in. And Anby, were you just calling me fat?" Nicole snapped, hands on her hips, glaring at her teammates.
"Understood, Boss Nicole!" Billy saluted.
"No such implication, Nicole," Anby replied flatly.
With that, Billy and Anby backed off.
"Alright, newbie, hurry up and carry me!" Nicole said with a sly grin, hopping onto Su Chen's back.
She was determined to make him suffer a bit, a little taste of the Cunning Hares' grunt work. After all, he'd already sat on her—what was a little more contact?
"Yes, Boss Nicole!"
Su Chen slid his hands under Nicole's smooth, slender legs, his fingers sinking slightly into her soft thighs as he secured her on his back. Following Billy and Anby's lead, he started walking.
Man, these legs are something else!
Not only were her thighs silky and smooth, but the plush sensation pressing against his back with every step sent his mind wandering. If this was punishment, he'd gladly take a hundred rounds of it.
To be clear, he wasn't a pervert. At least, not the kind who'd want to be crushed to death by Hoshimi Miyabi's high heels. Half-dead would do just fine.
Still, landing in a strange world and getting this close to a beautiful girl so soon? The experience was… surreal. He was adapting a bit too well.
"Hmph. I might've made a mistake here," Nicole muttered, noticing the faint grin on Su Chen's face.
She'd underestimated her own charm. This guy wasn't suffering at all—he was enjoying it.
After a fifteen-minute trek, they reached a passable road. Nicole slid off Su Chen's back and called a car to take them to the Cunning Hares' base. Su Chen couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret that the piggyback ride was over.
Soon, they arrived at the Cunning Hares' temporary base—a modest, slightly rundown shack.
"Ugh, I'm beat! Time for some serious R&R!" Nicole said, stretching languidly, her voice dripping with exhaustion.
"Woo-hoo! I get to watch Midnight Sweetheart with Monica-neesan tonight! So hyped!" Billy flailed his arms, his robotic body moving with the flexibility of an octopus.
Seriously, is this guy really a robot? Su Chen thought, watching Billy's antics. If he is, he's gotta be some kind of octopus droid.
"Goodnight, Nicole," Anby said, stifling a small yawn before heading to her room.
"Night, Anby," Nicole replied, turning toward her own room.
"Uh, Boss Nicole?" Su Chen raised a hand awkwardly. "Where am I supposed to sleep?"
As the trio started dispersing, he felt like an outsider. Then again, he was a stranger here.
"Oh!" Nicole smacked her palm, as if just remembering he existed. "You can crash on the living room sofa. If you're bored, watch some TV—but the electricity bill's coming out of your salary… in twenty years."
With that, she disappeared into her room.
Su Chen was left alone in the living room.
"Electricity bill from my salary in twenty years? Oh, right, because I'm working for free for two decades. Real thorough, huh?" he muttered, settling onto the sofa.
Oddly, the thought gave him a sense of security. It meant the Cunning Hares were likely to keep him around for twenty years. In this dangerous world, that was a small comfort.
Rummaging around the sofa, Su Chen found a remote and flicked on the TV. A news broadcast was airing.
"Breaking News: A linked Hollow disaster has struck Nineteenth Street, breaching Level 2 containment. Four dead, thirty-nine injured, six missing. The Public Security Bureau and Hollow Investigative Association are conducting urgent rescue operations. Citizens are advised to avoid Nineteenth Street."
"This world really is dangerous," Su Chen murmured, a shiver running through him.
Compared to Earth, this near-futuristic world was a different beast. Old Eridu had fallen to the arrival of Hollow Zero, and New Eridu was built in its shadow, right beside the catastrophe.