"Are you going to come out on your own, or do I need to come and invite you out?"
Geno, still tucked behind the wall, wore a faintly surprised expression — he hadn't expected this person's observational skills to be sharp enough to actually pinpoint his location.
Still, based on the conversation he'd just overheard between the two of them, Geno had already deduced that this person wasn't a Hollow Raider at all, but rather an undercover operative planted by Public Security.
'If these mechs end up being scooped up by Public Security, the trail might well go cold. Better off negotiating with her instead.'
At that thought, Geno glanced down at Eous beside his feet.
His own being exposed wasn't really a problem — after all, he could be counted as an official auxiliary of the Defense Force. But Belle and the others, with their identities as Proxies, really weren't well-suited to showing up in front of Public Security personnel.
So Geno wanted Eous to leave first, while he himself would go and negotiate with the other party.
"Belle, you head out of the Hollow first. I'll come find you afterward."
"Got it."
One confirming glance, and Belle understood exactly what Geno was thinking.
Without any unnecessary fussing, Eous obediently ducked behind the wall.
Then Geno drew in a deep breath, raised both hands high, and walked out — putting his most harmless face forward for Jane Doe to see.
"Miss, I have something I'd like to—"
But before Geno could even finish, Jane Doe had yanked him over and pinned him in place, twisting him around to face back the way she'd come from.
"Don't come any closer, or I'll do it!"
?????
Giant question marks sprouted up all over Geno's head — what on earth was she pulling here?
Right in front of Geno and Jane Doe, more than a dozen Public Security officers, armed to the teeth, came charging into view.
Jane Doe, with her arm clamped around Geno's neck, faced down this squad of well-equipped Public Security officers — and the desperado-on-the-run air she projected was so convincingly dangerous that even Geno, the old hand, nearly bought it himself.
If he hadn't watched her drop the act and expose her identity with his very own eyes just earlier, Geno would never in a million years have believed that a person's whole bearing could undergo so dramatic a shift in such a short stretch of time.
'This woman is a natural-born infiltrator.'
Geno arrived at this assessment. The last person who'd ever earned that same evaluation from him had been the Doppelganger he'd personally put down back in the day.
The Mouse Thirren standing behind him gave off exactly the same vibe that Doppelganger had.
Faced with this sudden 'hostage' and the 'resisting terrorist,' the Public Security officers' performance didn't surprise Geno in the slightest.
If anything, it only reinforced his entrenched stereotypes about Public Security officers all the more.
"You over there, listen up! You're already surrounded! Release the hostage immediately and drop your weapons, and we guarantee you'll be treated leniently!"
Mm. Beautifully classic standoff dialogue. Right out of a movie script.
But faced with Public Security's announcement, Geno was once again a little puzzled. Wasn't this person standing behind him supposed to be the undercover? Why were the two sides about to start scrapping again?
And besides — wasn't the net supposed to have already closed? Could it be that — just like in the movies — there was some compelling reason behind it?
"Heh. You want me to surrender? Try it, if you've got the nerve."
As she spoke, Jane Doe's tail gave a single flick, and a smoke grenade — pulled out of who-knew-where — went sailing in the direction of the Public Security officers.
With a poof, smoke billowed open, blanketing the officers' line of sight. By the time they'd regained their vision, Jane Doe and Geno were long gone.
"Phew~ Reporting in, sir — the suspects have escaped."
"And the other side's ringleader?"
"The ringleader has already been secured."
"Good enough. Pack it up!"
"Sir!"
The brief exchange laid out the situation clearly. The commanding officer subsequently issued the order to escort the rest of the suspects back to Public Security.
He didn't seem all that concerned about the escaped Jane Doe and Geno.
And with that, this squad of Public Security officers took its leave of the Hollow.
Only after everyone had left did the hidden Eous cautiously poke her head out.
After confirming the coast was truly clear, she finally stepped out into the open.
"Fairy, can you locate Geno?"
[Now determining the location info for contact label 'World's Greatest Boss Ever.' Target is currently moving toward the nearest Hollow exit, with an estimated departure from the Hollow in ten minutes.]
"Phew, that's a relief. But — what's the deal with this contact label?"
[As per the boss's request: as long as I update his contact label within the system, he's willing to cover an extra month of my electricity bill as a bonus.]
"...True to form."
For a moment, she didn't know whether to roast Fairy for failing to hold her ground, or to roast Geno for throwing money around like it was nothing.
But now wasn't the time to be mulling that over. She needed to clear out of the Hollow too, and there was no telling what was about to happen on Geno's end — she had to go round up some backup.
With that thought, Eous's tiny short legs pumped along at speed as she made for the Hollow exit.
Back on Geno's end — Geno, forcibly conscripted as Jane Doe's accomplice, had only just collected himself when he turned to Jane Doe, who was strolling ahead leading the way as if nothing had happened, and asked:
"What exactly is going on right now?"
"It's simple — you're my accomplice now, Mister Geno~"
"You know me? Oh — the news, again, no doubt."
Geno, still a little blank, suddenly remembered his own reputation around New Eridu, and he was instantly at peace with it.
Not only had he married the dazzling young heiress, but he'd even gotten promoted from son-in-law to adoptive-grandson-and-heir — practically a cheating-the-system protagonist out of a light novel.
And Old Master Timefield had absolutely zero intention of keeping things low-key, so by now the people in all of New Eridu who didn't know him were probably in the distinct minority.
The only reasons he hadn't already been on the receiving end of New Eridu's citizenry's scorching collective gaze were that he hadn't been out and about much these past days, and that his employees were all Bangboo.
"It seems Mister Geno is well aware of his own reputation. So — would you mind explaining why you happen to be turning up in such a dangerous place? Could it be that you came here behind your fiancée's back, looking for a little thrill?"
Jane Doe lightly tapped a finger to the corner of her lips, her willow-leaf brows curving up just a fraction, the corners of her mouth carrying a hint of charm — alluring without crossing into seductiveness.
It would have been more than enough to send plenty of hot-blooded young men — or, frankly, not just young men — losing their heads.
However, for someone as sensorily acute as Geno, the persona Jane Doe was putting on did absolutely nothing to stir him.
"As for that matter — I'll keep it under wraps for the time being. After all, your conduct so far isn't yet enough to earn my trust."
"Alright then. Mister Geno really is the cautious type. But…"
As Jane Doe was speaking, she suddenly leaned in right up to Geno's face, gazing at him with eyes brimming over with affection.
"I don't dislike it, you know~"
Faced with Jane Doe's surprise offensive, Geno made it very clear his heart was as still as standing water.
"Miss Undercover-Agent, I'm a man with a family."
"Oh~ is that so? I wonder — this 'family' of yours that you're referring to — is it that Young Mistress of the Timefield household? Or is it that Lady Researcher who never makes a public appearance?"
The instant she said this, Jane Doe felt the surrounding temperature drop in a single beat. And looking at Geno's bearing now — his eyes glittering with frigid light, his expression dark and shadowed — he was, for all the world, like a giant dragon whose reverse scale had just been brushed against.
____
👻🔥Whant more?: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Homelander: Founding the Hero Association
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