Gazing at the new phone in his hand, Moon Carver spoke slowly.

"Thank you, young friend. Should you ever face any difficulties in the future, you may come to this immortal at any time."

Mountain Shaper smiled and added, "I happen to have some leftover artifact-forging materials. When I find the time, I'll craft them into weapons and present them to you as a token of gratitude."

Seeing Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper speak this way, Cloud Retainer cleared her throat and followed with,

"I excel at storytelling. Allow me to recount a few tales from that child's younger days..."

With that, Cloud Retainer launched into an endless stream of anecdotes about Ganyu's childhood, drawing hearty laughter from Qingyi beside her.

Receiving the gifts of the Adepti, Zhu Yuan was delighted. She quickly bowed and said,

"Many thanks to the Adepti—"

As Keqing, Zhu Yuan, and Soldier 11 listened to Cloud Retainer's stories, suddenly, Cloud Retainer seemed to sense something. She cut her tale short at once.

Zhu Yuan immediately straightened. "What is it, Lady Xianyun? Has something happened with Hollow Zero?"

Her gaze darted to the nearby computer, which displayed real-time monitoring data from Hollow Zero. The readings all appeared normal. She let out a breath of relief.

Lady Cloud Retainer said calmly, "Mr. Sam Li has returned. Let us go welcome him."

At this news, Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, Soldier 11, and Keqing all jumped from their seats, following the Adepti out of the observation station and quickly hurrying toward the edge of Hollow Zero.

Sure enough, just as Cloud Retainer had said, the moment they rounded a corner, they spotted Sam Li at the Hollow's edge.

He looked exactly the same as before. Even after consecutive battles, not a single thread of his clothing was torn, nor did he carry a speck of dust.

Seeing this, Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, Soldier 11, and the others all exhaled in relief.

Zhu Yuan hurried over. "Mr. Sam Li, you've finally returned."

Moon Carver stepped forward as well. "I thought you would keep pushing forward until you shattered the entire hollow. I didn't expect you back so soon..."

Just earlier, Moon Carver had been betting with Mountain Shaper. Moon Carver believed that for the Archon to single-handedly break through Hollow Zero, it would take at least three or four days to return. Mountain Shaper, however, believed the Archon would stick to the plan, gather enough intelligence, and return within a day.

And yet, barely an hour had passed before Sam Li came back. It seemed Mountain Shaper had won the bet.

However, Sam Li's quick return wasn't because he had already gathered enough intelligence—it was because he sensed danger looming over New Eridu and returned at once.

After listening to the Adepti's words of praise, Sam Li spoke slowly.

"Hollow Zero isn't as simple as it looks. Deep inside, there seems to be some strange substance that is driving the Ethereal to evolve..."

According to the information provided by New Eridu, neither ordinary Ethereal nor high-tier Ethereal could leave the Hollow. If they tried, they would instantly die, dissolving into free-floating Ether.

But during his battle inside, Sam Li had a sudden idea. He deliberately forced the massive Ethereal out of Hollow Zero—only to find its body completely unharmed.

This meant that certain powerful Ethereal might already have evolved resistance to the outside world, allowing them to remain there for a short time... even to fight.

If that were true, New Eridu would be in grave danger.

Zhu Yuan and Qingyi were stunned by his conclusion.

"Though rumors have long circulated—that Ethereal can disguise themselves as humans and infiltrate the human world to attack us—no one has ever confirmed it..."

Not just among the common folk. Even official scientists had speculated and experimented on this theory. All had failed.

The Adepti beside them all frowned.

If they entered the Hollow, dealing with Ethereal was no real challenge. But if Ethereal could enter the human world, protecting the people of New Eridu in a full-scale war would be far more troublesome.

Just like the Black Calamity five hundred years ago. Those monsters that emerged from the Abyss weren't as powerful as the Archons' followers during the Archon War, yet their sheer numbers overwhelmed the Adepti, catching them off guard.

Mountain Shaper said gravely, "It seems we'll need to draw up a new battle plan."

Moon Carver, however, remained optimistic. "No need to worry. With Mr. Sam Li and us Adepti here, the Ethereal will never be allowed to run rampant."

...

After a brief rest at Scott Outpost, Sam Li, along with Keqing and the Adepti, set out for H.A.N.D. Headquarters to discuss countermeasures with New Eridu's leadership.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side of New Eridu, in Sixth Street.

As soon as Belle guided Eous back to the video store, she released her control, her consciousness instantly returning to her body. The commission had just concluded.

Belle immediately told Wise the details that hadn't been transmitted back—the battle between the golden dragon and the colossal Ethereal, and how one of them had even been driven out of the Hollow.

After a moment of silence, Belle said earnestly,

"Brother, Sam Li and those Adepti are incredibly strong. Maybe they can help us find our teacher."

Wise nodded. "Yes. We must uncover the truth of what happened back then."

Their eyes met, and in each other's gaze, they found hope.

After a long silence, Belle finally made her decision. She would see Sam Li again—this time to tell him everything. Their identity as the [Children of Sin], the events of that year, and the terrifying hand of that Ethereal...

...

At the same time, on the other side of New Eridu, inside the Janus District Bureau.

A temporary podium stood in place, where Chief Bringer was clutching a speech draft, rehearsing for tomorrow's election. But no matter how many times he practiced, the words still felt wrong.

Suddenly, the sharp click of high heels echoed through the hall. A tall figure in red approached slowly, ignoring Bringer's irritation.

"Practicing so hard... the position of Janus District Director is as good as yours."

"Sarah, what are you doing here?"

Chief Bringer clearly didn't want to see Miss Sarah.

Sarah smiled. "Don't forget—Perlman is still alive. He's like a ticking time bomb, ready to blow apart your future as Director at any moment."

Bringer frowned. "That man is under interrogation at Headquarters..."

Sarah only laughed. "So what? You, the soon-to-be Director of the Janus District, can't even deal with a mere Perlman?"

With that, she handed Bringer a document.

"Then let me teach you."