Holly obediently wiped away her tears and returned home.
"What a perceptive child. Even if they looked nearly identical, even if Teddy's memories could be recovered... to Holly, "Teddy II" would still be just another Bangboo, wouldn't it?
Qingyi let out a quiet sigh, and Wise, standing beside her, nodded in agreement.
"The preciousness of life lies precisely in the fact that it cannot be replaced."
"I suppose... I think I understand a little better now. Humans truly are fascinating creatures."
A trace of melancholy passed across Qingyi's face, but she brushed it aside with practiced ease.
"Thank you for covering for me back there. I'll make it up to you."
"Hmm? Make it up to me? In what way?" he asked, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"How about a cup of tea, brewed by my own hands?"
He had half-expected something like that, yet the idea still carried a quiet appeal. The chance to taste tea she had prepared herself was not something to dismiss lightly.
"That said, I'll be heading into the Hollow soon for a rescue operation, and that's no place for a simple manager. I'll handle things on my end. Take care," Qingyi said, before turning and leaving without waiting for a reply.
Wise then gathered Belle and the others to share the news: the "Teddy II" plan had failed, and if they wanted to find the real Teddy, they would have to enter the Hollow themselves.
"Do you think Qingyi can manage on her own? Brother, maybe you should bring Odile and Odette with you and check on her?"
"The thought crossed my mind, too, but the more people we bring, the higher the risk of being noticed. I should go alone."
With that decided, Wise sent Qingyi a message asking for the exact time she planned to enter the Hollow. However, as the appointed hour for community service drew near, she remained silent.
Their unease steadily grew until a knock shattered the tension, echoing against the front door.
"Hello, excuse me! Public Security community service."
Those familiar words triggered the same instinct in both siblings: it had to be Qingyi.
Wise quickly crossed the room and pulled the door open, but the person standing outside was a PubSec officer they had never seen before.
"H-Hello!"
The officer blinked, clearly caught off guard by the sight of Wise, before quickly composing herself.
"We had an appointment with Qingyi. Do you happen to know where she is?" Wise asked, a thread of concern slipping into his voice.
"Ah, well, Officer Qingyi submitted a leave request for today, citing urgent personal matters."
The siblings exchanged a quiet glance. Neither had expected Qingyi to take leave, though the reason wasn't difficult to guess.
They saw the officer off without lingering. Realizing that Wise had only been looking for Qingyi, the officer walked away with a faint trace of disappointment.
"I just tried contacting her again. Still nothing... I have a bad feeling about this."
There was a somber note in Wise's voice, and Belle couldn't stop herself from reacting.
"Don't tell me she went into the Hollow alone without filing for a Carrot?"
Without wasting a second, Wise asked Fairy to scan Inter-Knot for anything that might be connected to Qingyi.
[Understood, Master. You really do worry about her, don't you? Search complete. One post has been flagged as highly suspicious. The full text is as follows...]
[Dear Proxy, this is to inform you of a commission requiring Bangboo rescue in the Cretan Hollow. Based on data analysis and pattern recognition, the target is estimated to be in the T8-AE32 area. Interested parties, please leave a message for further details. We look forward to this collaboration effectively advancing the work.]
"Data analysis, pattern recognition, and that unmistakably rigid phrasing... that's Qingyi, without a doubt."
He knew her patterns well enough to be certain, but Fairy continued before he could act.
"Master, this post has received no replies from any Proxy. The poster's most recent message was thirteen minutes ago. It reads, 'Arrived near the Hollow. One last confirmation. If no one accepts the commission, then disregard it.'"
Neither sibling hesitated. They dispatched Eous to the target area without another word.
[|Master, Qingyi has been located.|]
The Bangboo body under Wise's control hopped forward into Qingyi's line of sight, and she noticed him immediately.
"Ah, a very familiar face. We meet again, Phaethon. For someone wanted on Inter-Knot, you're being rather bold, taking on a commission like this."
Wise couldn't exactly tell her the truth.
"To be honest, I was curious why Public Security was recruiting Proxies. Think of it as an early investment in goodwill in case I ever need to ask for leniency."
Something flickered across Qingyi's expression as she studied him for a long moment.
"Wait. Did you already know this was a Public Security post when you accepted it?"
"Officer Qingyi, if I'm being honest, your Inter-Knot post was extremely suspicious..." Wise replied, not quite able to hide the exasperation in his tone.
Had she really not done it on purpose?
His words seemed to genuinely catch her off guard, her eyes widening slightly.
"It was that obvious? No wonder no one responded. But that still doesn't explain why Phaethon would... wait, are you actually a decent person?"
The surprise in her tone was a little too genuine to be flattering.
"I appreciate the sentiment, but your tone isn't exactly helping."
"Ahem. Regardless. I need your help right now, so I should make an effort to be civil."
Qingyi had already picked up traces of a vehicle potentially connected to the case, and she needed a Proxy to guide her through the Hollow.
"Please, lend me your assistance."
Her request was sincere, and Fairy, who had been quietly gathering data since their arrival, had already locked onto a Bangboo distress signal.
Things progressed smoothly until Wise reached the final catapult mechanism, which chose that exact moment to malfunction. Qingyi firmly told him to stay put while she fixed it.
He ignored her and went ahead anyway.
Following the signal's source and guided by Fairy's instructions, he eventually uncovered a battered Bangboo head buried beneath scattered debris.
Suddenly, someone burst out from the shadows, introducing himself as Bingbong. His movements were erratic, his eyes darting wildly as he lunged toward Eous without warning.
It didn't end well for him. With Wise controlling it, Eous was far from an ordinary Bangboo. One punch was enough to knock the man to the ground.
Wise was just about to head back and find Qingyi when his vision abruptly went dark. The link with Eous severed without warning.
"The screen just went black! Did the sync with Eous break? Brother, are you alright?"
Belle was on her feet in an instant, rushing over to him with concern written all over her face.
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