Fourteenth Street, Cretan Companion Hollow.

Sol Mercer and his group followed a Bangboo into the depths of the Hollow.

"Based on yesterday's data, plus the intel Nicole gathered, I've roughly pinpointed the safe's location," Eous said with a serious expression. "But the direct path there is swarming with Ethereals."

"No problem—we'll take care of the Ethereals." Sol Mercer replied casually. "Besides, we haven't done today's elimination mission yet. Might as well take care of it while we're at it."

"Ohoho! Hearing you talk so hot-blooded, I can't wait anymore!" Billy twirled his dual pistols, striking a dramatic pose. "Leave those Ethereals ahead to the Starlight Knight!"

"Exactly, exactly! Hurry and lead the way—I need to get my safe back already!"

Nicole urged Eous on, clearly impatient.

Her eyes sparkled with golden light, already dreaming of completing the commission and raking in a hefty pile of denny.

"Got it. Everyone, follow me."

Seeing the group so enthusiastic, Eous trotted ahead on his stubby legs to guide the way.

Meanwhile, in the video store, Belle and Wise exchanged confused glances—their HDD system was suddenly suffering poor signal, incoming data fragmented and choppy.

Still, they didn't think much of it, assuming it was Ether interference from within the Hollow.

"If we run into Ethereals, don't waste time skirting around—just cut straight through them," Sol Mercer instructed Eous.

"Understood."

Eous sighed, but complied with Sol Mercer's request.

Reckless? Absolutely. Most people would only find death in doing that.

But this was the same Sol Mercer who took out a thousand Ethereals in an hour—so, no problem.

Led by Eous, they advanced without avoiding encounters, running into several waves of Ethereals in quick succession.

Each group had around a dozen Ethereals—formidable for regular folks.

Then came the response…

Bang bang bang!

Clang clang clang!

Billy and Sol Mercer unleashed four guns in synchronized firepower, while Anby dashed forward, blade flashing in a relentless assault.

It was a textbook team setup—Anby on the offensive, Billy and Sol Mercer providing ranged support.

Nicole, meanwhile, stood watch nearby, holding her briefcase-shaped integrated weapon, something jiggling across her chest with each breath.

Nicole handled the age-16-and-up content—no, correction—she handled tactical oversight.

The clusters of small Ethereal groups couldn't even stall Sol Mercer's team for three minutes combined.

Almost as soon as bullets left their chambers, bodies were already on the ground.

"This is way too easy… It's like window shopping," Eous couldn't help but marvel.

Even for a Hollow veteran like Phaethon, this "shopping mall-like" mission experience was rare.

His gaze naturally drifted toward Sol Mercer—slaying Ethereals was just that effortless for him. He didn't give them a shred of respect.

As the group pressed on, the environment noticeably changed.

"The air's getting heavier—that means the Ether concentration is increasing," Anby sniffed the air and offered her analysis.

"That means... means we're getting close to the high-tier Ethereal Dullahan. The safe is... right next to it..." Eous's voice grew distorted, with faint electric interference bleeding through.

"What's going on? Is the Bangboo's signal glitching?"

Nicole tapped Eous's head in confusion.

"Apologies—Ether activity in the Hollow might be interfering with the HDD system," Belle began, only to realize—

"Wait… I've been forcibly ejected from the system!"

"Belle? Why are you suddenly back?" Wise asked, face turning grave.

"It wasn't voluntary—the link between the HDD system and the Hollow cut off. I got kicked out!" Belle shook her head, a bit dizzy.

"Run emergency diagnostics immediately! We've got to restore the link—Nicole and the others can't stay in the Hollow too long!"

Wise dove toward the computer and began scanning hardware status.

"Got it!"

Belle nodded and started checking the software side.

...

Inside the Cretan Companion Hollow, Fourteenth Street.

Eous's screen had gone completely black. The Bangboo lay motionless on the ground.

"Proxy, what happened!? Why did it suddenly shut down!?"

Nicole stared at the powered-off Bangboo, clearly panicked.

"Manager, this isn't funny—wake up already!"

Billy was utterly flustered, praying it was just a minor hiccup.

As if responding to Billy's plea, Eous suddenly powered back on—but now, its eyes glowed red.

"Yikes! It's alive—it's back!" Billy shouted with relief.

Except this red-eyed Eous immediately darted off, taking advantage of its small size to slip under Billy's legs and flee.

"The Proxy's back online—quick, follow it!"

Nicole shouted, charging after Eous.

Billy shouted in confusion, "Eh!? Why's it running toward the Ethereals!?"

Sure, Sol Mercer had said they didn't need to avoid Ethereals on the way—but this was straight-up charging into them!

Anby's expression turned serious. "Something's wrong."

"This is so messed up!" Nicole growled while chasing after Eous. "A Bangboo with a 'Carrot' module malfunctioning in a Hollow—that's a recipe for disaster!"

Sol Mercer reassured her, "Don't panic—we'll figure it out. First, we need to get it back."

He already understood. A hacker had infiltrated the HDD system and was dragging them deeper into the Ethereal swarm.

But more Ethereals? You think that scares me!?

Sol Mercer's lips curled into a grin. Time to give this hacker a taste of god-mode firepower.

Sure enough, red-eyed Eous led the team straight into a massive Ethereal gathering—two to three hundred of them.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Sol Mercer opened fire full throttle, bullets pouring like rain.

No matter how many Ethereals there were, none survived his barrage.

Today, without a camera to record him, he wasn't even pretending.

Unlimited ammo, paired with ghost-like marksmanship—he was unstoppable.

Seven Ethereals fell every second. For him, hundreds of them were just more moving targets.

He kept one eye on Nicole's group, delivering key support whenever they were at risk.

In moments, the entire massive Ethereal group—hundreds strong—was wiped out.

Red-eyed Eous tried to bolt again, but Sol Mercer snagged it effortlessly.

He held the twitching Bangboo aloft. No matter how hard its tiny legs kicked, it couldn't break free.

"Sol Mercer, thanks! You saved my butt—again!" Billy holstered his guns and thanked him gratefully.

If Sol Mercer hadn't provided covering fire in time, he would've needed major repairs.

And replacement parts for old models like his were not easy to come by. A few more hits and he might've become a disabled bot for good.