"Uh, you're right, Yanagi. But... Let's not talk about this for now. We should focus on getting Perlman back first."
As soon as Wise finished speaking, everyone sprang into action.
This time, however, he did not bring the two sisters along, since their current combat strength was already more than sufficient.
More importantly, if the sisters' abilities were exposed, explaining them would be difficult, and things could become troublesome if anyone uncovered the truth.
One should never underestimate Section 6's intelligence network.
In short, the group swept through the area and soon arrived at the mercenaries' contact point.
Wise swiftly cracked the database there. Unfortunately, the clearance level was too low, and it contained no information regarding Perlman's whereabouts.
Under normal circumstances, they would have needed to visit additional contact points to obtain higher-level authorization and disable the defense systems.
However, that was not enough to stop Wise. Using his abilities, he directly infiltrated the enemy network database and located the target.
Soon afterward, the group found Perlman wailing in panic. From him, they learned that the enemy had planted explosives throughout the area and was preparing to detonate them.
It had to be said that Perlman, the honorary "Bangboo Thiren," was practically a legendary survivor, considering how often he managed to escape disaster.
Not long after, a spatial rift in the distance flickered with light.
The sounds of explosions from every direction gradually drew closer, while the piercing warning alarm of the HDD System rang out once again.
[|HDD sound output failed, calling alternative output device!|]
[|Warning! The path ahead is risky!|]
'What? Is the enemy attacking the store's network again? Why is there another problem?!' Wise thought uneasily.
There was indeed an exit ahead, but the test results displayed only a single route. Normally, there should have been several.
Wise had a bad feeling about this, but there was no time to hesitate. They had to escape immediately.
The explosions triggered a massive collapse. Amid the chaos, everyone rushed into the spatial rift.
At that moment, light swallowed their senses.
The strange, oppressive atmosphere within the Hollow vanished instantly—but in the very next moment...
"Oh? This is quite an unexpected encounter."
A calm male voice echoed in their ears.
Everyone looked up in surprise.
"Bringer...!"
Miyabi frowned slightly at the man standing before them, though Bringer paid her no mind. After all, he had come specifically to cause trouble.
"Perlman, the culprit behind the Vision Industry scandal! After deliberately destroying a witness's airship and fleeing to the Outer Ring, he secretly returned to New Eridu during the sensitive election period, only to be caught red-handed by Public Security!"
"And now… appearing together with the primary suspect, Perlman, assisting him in entering and exiting the Hollow… the executives of Hollow Special Operations Section 6 under HAND, and this individual as well…"
Bringer's gaze shifted toward Wise.
Fortunately, Wise had already activated his cognitive interference ability, preventing Bringer from recognizing him.
At that moment, Sarah, standing behind Bringer, frowned slightly as well.
This person was not listed among Section 6 personnel.
'Never mind. It's irrelevant...' she thought indifferently.
"In short, in the name of the provisional Commander of Janus Quarter, I order all of you to accompany me to Public Security headquarters and provide an explanation! And you, Chief Miyabi, are suspected of maintaining improper dealings with the serious criminal Perlman. You and your subordinates will come with me immediately."
As Bringer spoke, he waved his hand, signaling the armed Public Security officers behind him to step forward.
However, at that moment, Yanagi spoke with a darkened expression.
"Please wait, Inspector Bringer. You seem to have misunderstood something."
As she spoke, she stepped forward to shield everyone behind her, her tone calm and composed.
"Section 6 is indeed suspected of making unauthorized contact with an important suspect, but... that was Chief Miyabi's personal decision."
When Yanagi finished speaking, Wise was briefly stunned, then immediately understood her intention.
Sacrificing a rook to save the king? No... this was more like sacrificing the king to save the rook.
Miyabi did not refute her words. Instead, she simply trusted Yanagi unconditionally while Yanagi continued negotiating.
"As members of Hollow Special Operations Section 6, we discovered inappropriate actions taken by our superior and immediately rushed here to stop her. It just so happened that you witnessed the situation."
"Hahaha! You expect me to believe none of you are involved? Do you take me, the provisional Commander, for an idiot?" Bringer sneered.
"I would never dare, provisional Commander Bringer. I am merely stating the facts. If you have objections, we can report directly to the Public Security Inspector for verification."
While Bringer and Yanagi argued, Miyabi, standing behind them, suddenly threw Perlman back into the Hollow.
"Hoshimi Miyabi! What are you doing?!"
Bringer immediately shouted in anger after witnessing the scene, but Miyabi merely replied calmly.
"He answered incorrectly, and in a fit of irritation, I threw him back into the Hollow. Yanagi is right. I am that arbitrary. This has nothing to do with them. My actions just now are proof enough. If you wish to arrest someone, arrest me alone."
"You...!"
Bringer wanted to continue, but Sarah interrupted him from behind.
"It's almost time for the speech. There's no need to get overly entangled here. Know when to stop."
"Tsk... Fine. Very well, then I shall grant your wish! In the name of the provisional Commander of Janus Quarter, Chief Miyabi of Hollow Special Operations Section 6 is hereby suspected of endangering public safety! Arrest her immediately!"
<<>>
A short while later, inside the Hollow, the remaining three members of Section 6, having shaken off Bringer's pursuit, began searching for Perlman once again.
It seemed Bringer had already achieved his objective, to the point where he paid little attention to Wise and was easily misled by the casual excuses Yanagi fabricated.
Still, to avoid unnecessary complications, Wise first returned to the video store to help Belle inspect the system and prevent similar incidents from happening again.
Some time later, the communicator rang.
It was a message from Yanagi. They had successfully located Perlman using the tracker and were currently hiding him at Belobog Heavy Industries to avoid Bringer's pursuit while also helping him gather evidence regarding Bringer's collusion with Vision Industry.
Koleda and the others were assisting as well, and they believed results would come soon.
However, just as Wise was about to establish a remote communication link with Section 6, a familiar figure rushed into the store.
It was Zhu Yuan.
"Wise, Belle, can you contact Section 6 right now? Are they with Perlman? There's something extremely important I need to confirm!"
Zhu Yuan's tone was urgent, and seeing her expression, Wise immediately became serious.
"Zhu Yuan, calm down. Section 6 just found Perlman, and we're about to contact them now. Come with us."
After speaking, Wise led Zhu Yuan into the room on the first floor.
A moment later, they successfully connected with Section 6 and briefly exchanged information.
"I'm sorry, everyone. We still haven't been able to track Miyabi's whereabouts..."
"Understood... I subtly asked around with department heads and some friends in the media. So far, none of them have received any information regarding Miyabi's arrest or Perlman's reappearance..."
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Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
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