Meanwhile, in Canvas Street, the trapped residents gathered the last commission forms and handed them all to Anby.
But the little girl's grandmother couldn't stop worrying about Nekomata, who had been gone so long seeking help and still hadn't returned.
"Little girl, your friend who went out for help… why hasn't she come back yet?" the old woman asked.
"Sigh, you're right… Could something have happened to her?"
Nicole felt a wave of worry when she heard the old woman speak, but it vanished the moment a familiar voice rang out.
"Although we ran into a few accidents, don't worry. Everything's already taken care of," the voice said calmly.
"This voice? It's Wise!"
Anby looked over and saw Wise in his Bangboo form, being held by Nekomata. She froze for a second, completely surprised.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting!"
Nekomata looked super excited, as if hope had suddenly returned, and she rubbed against Wise without thinking while holding him.
Anby, on the other hand, frowned a little and pouted, clearly a bit annoyed. She didn't say anything, but Wise could tell.
He patted Nekomata's hand, signaling her to put him down, then hopped to the center of the crowd with a skip.
Together, they recounted the entire story of the trip.
"I see. So you originally wanted to stop the train to prevent the explosion, but you didn't expect it to be packed with Vision Corporation reinforcements."
"Hmph, judging by this, they're going all out to stop the residents from confronting them directly." Nicole snorted.
She already disliked Vision Corporation, so Wise's plan naturally earned her approval.
"I think Wise's plan to seize the train and move the people is solid. He really lives up to the title of legendary Proxy, Phaethon, a man of wisdom and courage!" Billy clapped a few times in praise.
"Hehe, thank you for the compliment, but I'd be even happier if Nicole could pay off the debt once this commission is successfully finished," Wise teased, causing Nicole nearby to stiffen.
"Haha... I see it's getting late, old lady. You must have heard about the plan just now. I'll leave it to you to organize the residents here to gather at the metro platform," Nicole said to the little girl's grandma, who was the leader of the community.
Seeing that Nicole was pretending not to hear, Wise could only shake his head helplessly. Just then, Anby approached silently and quietly picked him up.
Then she rubbed against him frantically as if trying to completely mask Nekomata scent.
The cat girl immediately noticed the sudden movement. Although she didn't fully understand, she felt uncomfortable, as if someone were playing with her favorite toy.
"Anby, let's stop for a moment. Now is not the time for this. Why don't you visit the video store later?"
Anby's cheeks flushed slightly at Wise's words. She nodded quietly and gently set him down.
As for Nicole, after the old lady agreed to gather the residents, she asked about the Red Fang Gang stronghold in the area.
"Nicole, you're still thinking about Nekomata commission?"
Wise's question was met with a sharp reply.
"You can't just ignore it. That item is an important family heirloom for her. The residents here might have some information."
Nekomata remained silent throughout the exchange, leaving the old lady to respond to Nicole's inquiry.
"I know the place you're talking about. Actually, everyone around here knows about the Red Fang Gang."
From the old lady, the group learned that the Red Fang Gang had begun their operations on Canvas Street, and most of the people there were somehow connected to them.
Moreover, the Red Fang Gang wasn't always like it is now. In the past, they would take in orphans, teach them to read, write, and fight, and they would also stand up for the weak.
"But then everything changed. A few years later, Miguel Silver changed his mind and was wanted by Public Security. In the end, he fell into the Hollow while being chased by Public Security, which was his own fault."
"What, what did you say?!" Nekomata, who had been silent all along, suddenly widened her eyes in shock, her words tinged with disbelief.
"What's wrong, little girl? Is there a problem with me saying I don't want to be associated with the Red Fang Gang?"
The old lady was somewhat puzzled by her words, but it was clear that she was not referring to that.
"You mean Miguel Silver fell into the Hollow while being chased by the Public Security and wasn't killed by the Cunning Hares?!" she inquired, clearly shocked.
"Uh… well, this..."
Nicole stood to the side, looking embarrassed, and cast a pleading glance at Anby and Billy.
"Uh… how do I even say this? Little kitty… no, client, you get what I mean, right? Every time I see those bright, shining eyes of yours, I just can't bring myself to tell the truth. I'm sorry. Even though we were there that day, it was definitely Public Security who did it." Billy said, scratching his head.
"Ah? So it wasn't you..."
After hearing Billy's words, Nekomata visibly became dejected.
Anby spoke up, trying to reassure her. "Nekomata, don't be discouraged. Even without Public Security involved, the Cunning Hares could take care of Silver easily."
"Well, even though Nekomata misunderstood at first, we still share some responsibility. We'll give you a discount on the commission fee for the family heirloom."
"Ahem, anyway, let's leave this topic here for now. We still need to seize the train and get the residents out."
Nicole brushed the matter aside and naturally began planning the next steps.
After traveling for a while, their own people arrived near the train. Just as they were about to seize it, our lovely Anby even added background music for the operation.
That's right, the kind you sing out loud.
There was no need to describe the fight in detail. A few minutes later, the group had already taken down the armed personnel guarding the area.
They had even managed to capture the highest-ranking figure within Vision Corporation, the short, white-haired old man, Charles Perlman.
However, just when everything was ready and they were about to set off, an unexpected incident occurred.
[|Warning! The planned route has been unexpectedly disrupted. A small explosion has been detected, causing the railway to break apart. The original plan has failed and a new plan is being drafted.|]
"What?! Nicole, something terrible has happened! There's been an accident on the railway!"
After receiving Fairy's message, Wise immediately informed the others.