Since the first suppression of Hollow Zero by Old Eridu a century ago, countless Ethereal have been slain within its depths. Among them were even Destruction-tier beings. Yet Hollow Zero has never shown the slightest sign of decline—on the contrary, it has continued to expand without end.

Even after Sam Li and the Adepti joined the effort, slaying dozens of Destruction-tier and Apocalypse-tier Ethereal, Hollow Zero still showed no sign of weakening. Only now did Zhu Yuan and the others finally understand why.

No matter how many Ethereal they destroyed, it was pointless. The Sun-Colored Starlight Giant could continuously create new high-tier Ethereal—and even resurrect those already slain.

That meant the difficulty of suppressing Hollow Zero would rise once again.

For New Eridu, this was certainly bad news. But for Sam Li, it was the opposite—a welcome opportunity.

Although his role-playing progress had reached ninety-seven percent, daily tasks, check-ins, and ordinary routines could no longer raise it any further. The progress gained from defeating high-tier Ethereal had also diminished so much that even killing all of them might not bring him to one hundred percent.

However, if the Ethereal within Hollow Zero could revive… then Sam Li could keep returning there, grinding his role progression until it was complete.

Beside him, Zhu Yuan asked earnestly, "Mr. Sam Li, do you have a plan to deal with this?"

Sam Li nodded. "There's no need to worry. Our true enemy is only one—the Sun-Colored Starlight Giant. Once it's sealed away, there will be no Ethereal left in this world."

From the very beginning, he had never regarded the Destruction-tier or Apocalypse-tier Ethereal as real threats.

Seeing his composure, Zhu Yuan, Hoshimi Miyabi, Keqing, and the others all felt a weight lift from their hearts.

Then Sam Li turned to Keqing and Hoshimi Miyabi. "How are your preparations coming along?"

Keqing answered seriously, "Together with the Adepti and several of New Eridu's top officials, we've drafted a final battle plan. This is the initial version…"

As she spoke, Keqing handed a freshly written document to Sam Li.

He glanced over it briefly, noting that it included the names of the H.A.N.D. Headquarters, the Public Security Bureau, the Hollow Investigation Association, the Defense Force, major laboratories, and even major corporate conglomerates—Cunning Hares was on the list too.

This draft had clearly gathered nearly all of New Eridu's mobilizable strength.

Seeing Sam Li frown slightly, Keqing asked quickly, "Mr. Sam Li, is there something wrong with the plan?"

Sam Li paused for a moment before replying, "From a general standpoint, this draft is already quite complete. But there are still some details that should be added…"

Keqing tilted her head. "What kind of details?"

Sam Li said calmly, "The battle against Hollow Zero isn't only for me, the Adepti, or New Eridu's organizations—it concerns every living being in this world. The forces from the Outer Ring should also be included in this plan."

To Sam Li, whether one lived in the city center or the Outer Ring—such as the Sons of Calydon—there was no difference in worth or status.

This was a battle that would decide the fate of the entire world. The Outer Ring factions deserved to take part as well. If they failed, they would all perish together. If they succeeded, they would all share in victory.

Of course, in Sam Li's eyes, failure wasn't an option.

Hearing this, Zhu Yuan and Hoshimi Miyabi exchanged glances before nodding silently in agreement.

Keqing's eyes lit up, and she said quickly, "Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Sam Li. I'll revise the draft immediately and work to unite the Outer Ring factions as well…"

As she looked back at Sam Li, admiration filled her gaze.

As expected of the Geo Archon—he had seen the problem at a glance. She had nearly overlooked an entire region.

At that moment, Nekomata turned to Hoshimi Miyabi and Zhu Yuan curiously. "What about your side? Have you started preparing yet?"

Hoshimi Miyabi nodded. "We're the department specializing in Hollow suppression. We don't need much preparation—we can join the fight at any time."

Not only H.A.N.D. Headquarters, but the Public Security Bureau, the Hollow Investigation Association, and other departments were ready to be mobilized at a moment's notice.

Meanwhile, the major corporations and research institutes were working around the clock to produce large quantities of advanced W-Engines and Drive Discs for the coming war.

Zhu Yuan added, "I heard the Defense Force is taking major action. They've developed a massive weapon called the [Eye of Hell] Ether Cannon. It's said to be the largest, tallest, and most powerful Ether ray cannon ever created—and one has already been completed."

She hadn't seen the [Eye of Hell] herself—she'd only heard about it from Soldier 11. The cannon's platform was said to be several dozen meters long, moving extremely slowly, but with terrifying destructive potential—supposedly capable of annihilating even Destruction-tier Ethereal.

Of course, all of this existed only in theory. With no time for testing, the [Eye of Hell] carried enormous risks when used.

Then Nicole suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right! There are also the two store managers. Yesterday they mentioned Belobog Heavy Industries—they've stopped all construction projects and are preparing to join the battle with all their intelligent machines."

Hearing that, Billy's eyes lit up. "This war wouldn't be complete without them!"

Ever since returning from the Hollow Zero core for the first time, Sam Li had told Belle and Wise everything about what he'd seen there. Their teacher wasn't in the core—either elsewhere in Hollow Zero, drained by the Sun-Colored Starlight Giant, or located somewhere unknown…

For now, Sam Li still couldn't find their teacher.

After discussing their plans, everyone quickly went their separate ways.

Keqing hurried off to revise the battle plan draft.

Nicole, Billy, and the others went to Sixth Street to find the two store managers.

Zhu Yuan returned to continue training the Bangboo units.

Since Azhdaha had brought back hundreds of Bangboo from the Outer Ring and repaired them, they had been temporarily incorporated into New Eridu's Public Security Force under Guoba's training.

After the others departed, Sam Li also left the Hollow Zero Operations Department. He didn't go to Sixth Street for coffee, nor did he return to the Cunning Hares.

Instead, he set out to find an old friend—a powerful ally.

In New Eridu, beyond the forces listed in Keqing's plan, there was one name Sam Li hadn't mentioned.

That was Venti—or rather, Barbatos.

Though often underestimated by others, Sam Li knew the truth: the seemingly carefree Venti, who rarely took things seriously, possessed strength far greater than anyone imagined.