"This is… the Ballet Twins Hollow area? So there's a base here, too?"
After entering the building through the entrance, Jane carefully observed her surroundings while the subordinate beside her explained the place.
It turned out to be a transfer station, one of the closest hideouts to the Mountain Lion Gang's main base.
Usually, using this place required approval from the gang leader, Mountain Lion himself. Having gotten in this time by sheer luck, Jane figured she might as well gather more intel.
During this period, Mountain Lion himself had visited once, but fortunately, he didn't notice anything unusual and left quickly.
Seeing her opportunity, Jane began her operation as planned. The only variable was the PubSec officer who had been captured alongside the others.
His name seemed to be Seth, a hot-blooded fool. At first, she thought Public Security had a new plan and tried to communicate with him.
However, after some probing, Seth appeared completely clueless and even attempted to persuade her to change her ways.
Jane was honestly at a loss for words. Undercover work, pretending to be a criminal, was tiring enough without this extra headache.
She didn't have much choice except to have her people keep an eye on the hostages while she got back to the mission.
During all this, she managed to get her hands on a material storage list from some gullible gang member. From that, Jane pieced together what kind of operation this transfer station was running.
Additionally, the guard watching the hostages seemed to be new. His resolve was weak, making him an easy target for intimidation or deception.
At the moment, rescuing the hostages didn't seem too difficult.
'Phew… situation sorted. I'll reward myself with an energy bar. For now, things aren't too bad.'
With that thought, Jane pulled out a crunchy energy bar, opened the wrapper, and ate it calmly.
That said, it was still unclear when Razor would return. To be safe, she needed to find clues about the Lion's Den and escape with the hostages as soon as possible.
After finishing the bar, she wiped her lips. Following a brief discussion with a patrolling gang member, she took his place to scout for an escape route.
Unfortunately, without a special keycard, she could only return the way she came.
On her way back, she stopped another dispute. The gang members were easily agitated, something she could take advantage of later.
The argument stemmed from a shortage of food and medicine in the station.
'Looks like I'll have to go out. If I bring back enough supplies, it'll solve the issue and strengthen my influence within the gang.'
Soon after, Jane secured permission to leave. She also needed to bring back a film for the guard at the gate, but as long as she could get out, that was a minor issue.
<<>>
At night, inside the closed video store, the lights were still bright.
"Brother, are you ready to leave?"
Belle looked at the three people preparing to depart and brought over Eous, fully charged. Odette immediately took him.
Since Wise would be entering the Hollow with the two sisters, the Bangboo had to be controlled by Belle, so he gave her a few instructions.
"Yes, if everything goes smoothly, we should be back soon. I'll leave things to you."
At that moment, the store door was suddenly pushed open. The two sisters reacted instantly, grabbing Eous and rushing into the staff room.
Such a reaction was clearly excessive. If it had been just an ordinary customer, there would have been no need for that.
In fact, it might even raise suspicion, especially since they would soon be applying for citizen IDs.
However, ordinary people wouldn't notice movements that fast anyway, so he ignored it.
As the door opened, a Thiren woman stepped inside, a gentle smile on her face, her nimble tail wrapped around her left thigh.
"Excuse me, are you the owners of this video store? I'd like to rent a film."
'Hmm? Something just moved into that room... Did I imagine it?'
With her view partially blocked, Jane couldn't clearly see inside and instinctively turned her gaze toward Wise.
'Oh, what a cute little boy… Wait, something feels off. What is this feeling?'
Despite her doubts, she maintained a gentle and charming smile on the surface.
"Eh, there's still a customer at this hour?" Belle blurted out without thinking.
Hearing that, Jane couldn't help but feel a hint of inner conflict.
'Sorry, I totally get how it feels to have work suddenly show up right when you're about to clock out, forcing you into overtime. I'll get a membership later as an apology.'
The contrast between her thoughts and her appearance made Wise pause for a moment.
[Ding! New favorability target detected.]
[Name: Jane Doe]
[Gender: Female]
[Charm: 97]
[Unique Traits: Rat Thiren, possesses a slender and flexible tail]
[Hobbies: Teasing people and eating energy bars]
[Current Status: Normal]
[Current Favorability toward Host: 10]
[Evaluation: Appears strong on the outside, but is actually a gentle girl at heart, kind and remarkably resilient.]
[Inner Thoughts: Oh no, I think I forgot the name of the film.]
"I'm really sorry for delaying your closing time. I'd like to rent a thriller film about mountains," Jane said gently.
"Hmm… with just that keyword, it's a bit difficult to narrow it down," Wise replied after a moment of thought.
Even though he ran a video store, he didn't usually watch thrillers, and there were plenty with that theme.
"It's my fault for not paying attention and forgetting the exact title. Is it really that hard to find?" Jane sighed lightly.
Not being able to bring back the film wasn't a big issue, but it might affect her standing among the gang members.
"It's not that difficult. May I ask, how brave is your friend?"
Seeing her troubled expression, Wise took the initiative to help. As soon as she heard his question, Jane quickly analyzed the situation.
"Hmm, he acts brave, but when it actually matters, he's not very daring, and he's good at making excuses."
"Sounds like an entry-level thriller fan… Hmm? Isn't that about your level, too, Brother?" Belle suddenly chimed in with a mischievous smile, glancing at Wise. "So, which of the recently stocked thrillers do you dare to watch?"
"Please don't use me as a comparison, but if you put it that way… 'Silent Valley', 'Great Hollow', and 'Porter Mountain'. Just those three."
Wise admitted it without hesitation. It was just horror films, after all. Compared to that, Belle seemed far too excited.
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Novels Available:
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