"Hmph, do you still dare to welsh on your debt?"
"We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare! Grandpa Bangboo, spare our lives!"
At this moment, Eous had her hands on her small waist, looking down at the Red Fang Gang members who had fallen into the pit, her face full of disdain.
Did you think she would wander around the Hollow alone with this group of hooligans without some preparation?
She had been guarding against them from the start!
The route had been planned by Belle in advance. If these guys dared to make trouble, she would lead them here—a guaranteed pitfall every time.
Inside a Hollow, the one person you absolutely must not offend is a Proxy.
"Can you pay up now?"
"Yes, yes, this... this is my savings in the New Eridu Bank. It's exactly five hundred thousand. Can you let us out now?"
The lead hooligan threw out a bank card. Eous hurriedly caught it with her two small hands and examined it.
[Bank card number confirmed. Password decryption complete. Transfer successful. Master, receipt of five hundred thousand Dennies has been confirmed in your account.]
"That efficient? As expected of Fairy!"
[Hehe, praising me like that makes me shy. (o(////▽////)）]
Fairy's flat mechanical voice made her tone sound somewhat strange, but Belle didn't care about these details right now; she was completely captivated by the five hundred thousand she had just secured.
Five hundred thousand. This was five hundred thousand Dennies.
It was enough to cover the Video Store's income for a month with some to spare.
However, she would have to split the loot with Nicole and the others later. Thinking of this, Belle suddenly felt a bit of heartache.
"Um, Grandpa Bangboo..."
"Hmm?"
"Bang... Grandma Bangboo, can you let us out now?"
The Red Fang Gang lackeys down below pitifully pleaded with Eous, but Eous—controlled by Belle—wasn't about to be fooled again.
"You want to come out? Wait a bit longer. Someone will come to get you out. I won't be keeping you company anymore. Bye-bye~"
After speaking, Eous took off running back the way she came. She still needed to rendezvous with Nicole and the others. As for the Red Fang Gang, she had already asked Fairy to call the police; someone would come to collect them soon enough.
"Nicole, are you guys okay?"
Returning to that clearing, the battle had already ended. That fierce Dullahan had dissipated into the air with full resentment, returning to the embrace of the Sea of Ether.
The Cunning Hares trio stood there unscathed, with only the corners of their clothes slightly dirty.
"Of course we're fine. This guy couldn't stop us."
"But, Boss Nicole, I just feel like this Dullahan was a bit different from the one we met that day."
It wasn't until the fight was over that Billy scratched his head in confusion. He felt that compared to the Dullahan that Boss White had turned into that day, this one seemed quite a bit weaker.
"Indeed. Moreover, there seems to be a difference in the body size of the two Ethereals."
Just as people often can't tell foreigners apart, unless one is a scholar or professional who specifically studies them, ordinary people naturally find it hard to distinguish between Ethereals of the same race.
Plus, the size difference between the two Dullahans wasn't that large; Anby only noticed the difference between them at the very end.
"Is that so? Could it be that 'Boss White' is no longer here?"
Belle crossed her arms, her mind starting to ponder where the Dullahan that Boss White turned into could have gone. Could it be that Geno and his team really disposed of it?
However, none of this was important anymore. Nicole put away her weapon, transforming it back into the shape of a suitcase.
"Forget it. Anyway, we've dealt with the Red Fang Gang's side of things. Since that's the case, why care about that Ethereal?"
Hearing Nicole say this, everyone wore a shocked expression.
"Boss Nicole, don't you want to know what 'Boss White's Treasure' actually is?"
"Indeed. This is very un-Nicole."
"Nicole hasn't been swapped with someone else, has she?"
The other three were extremely surprised by Nicole's behavior. Generally speaking, shouldn't Nicole be extremely excited about the so-called treasure at a time like this, and then beg Belle and the others to help find clues?
Why the sudden change of character today?
"What?! Is that the image I have in your hearts?"
The three nodded.
"Ugh. You guys... Forget it. I'm not interested in that stuff. No matter what that treasure is, it's someone else's legacy. What does it have to do with us?"
Nicole's words were stiff, making everyone feel she was hiding something from them.
But since Nicole wasn't willing to say, then let it be.
Seeing that everyone stopped questioning, Nicole seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and gently patted her ample chest.
In truth, she was indeed very interested in this so-called treasure. However, she didn't want to get mixed up in these strange matters anymore.
After today, the other leaders of the Red Fang Gang would likely all know about the treasure.
If they got roped into this turmoil again, the Cunning Hares would find it even harder to extricate themselves.
Although there was the matter of stealing the safe before, now that Boss White was dead, no one would pursue that matter anymore.
But if they got involved in the Red Fang Gang's internal strife, the Cunning Hares would likely find little peace.
Compared to treasure or whatever, those two are more important.
Nicole glanced at Billy and Anby, then spoke in a serious tone, "Alright, we should head back too. By the way, Proxy, did you get the stuff?"
Nicole, who just a second ago had acted completely uninterested in money, had her eyes lighting up when discussing the Red Fang Gang's payment, her pupils practically turning into the shape of Dennies.
"I handled it, don't worry. It's secure."
"That's just great! Don't worry, we'll split it forty-sixty. I get four, you get six. Consider it an apology for dragging you into this."
Nicole was very experienced in worldly affairs, and naturally, Belle had no problem with this.
The three people and one Bangboo walked along the path leaving the Hollow, chatting and laughing, already starting to think about how to spend this money.
-----------------
However, Geno, who was also in the Silver Base on the other side of the Hollow, did not share this good mood.
In the cafeteria, Geno told Twiggy and the others everything he had seen during the day in full detail.
"You're saying there's a group of strange guys wandering near the base?"
Twiggy put down the coffee in her hand. After listening to Geno's intelligence, her brow furrowed completely.
"This isn't good news, Twiggy. We need to make some preparations."
Number 5's expression was also ugly. These guys had come with ill intent, and most likely, they were coming for them.
"Could it be people from the military?"
"Probably not. From Geno's description, the opposing party didn't seem to be wearing military uniforms. Moreover, they seemed capable of controlling Ethereals."
The other sisters at the long table were also discussing spiritedly. Although they had rebuilt the base, if someone were to really attack them, they likely wouldn't have much ability to fight back.
"Mm. Later, Number 5 and I will try to repair the defensive measures in the base. At the same time, we must prepare for the worst."
Twiggy thought for a moment, then called out to Number 1 and Number 2 beside her.
"Prepare some basic supplies in advance. We need to be ready to evacuate from the Hollow at any time."
____
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