It seed this Bangboo was trying to play dead, but due to extre fear, its body kept trembling, giving it away.
"I am Officer Qingyi. You are safe now, Bangboo. Hmm, how strange. Why is it trembling at such a high frequency? Could it be that entering the Hollow without permission made it panic even more upon seeing a Public Security Officer?"
Even so, the Bangboo stubbornly kept up the act, remaining silent while it continued to shake. Seeing this, Qingyi sighed inwardly, feeling sowhat helpless, and decided to apply a bit of appropriate pressure.
"Continuing to feign death will be regarded as obstruction of an investigation," she said calmly.
The Bangboo imdiately sprang up in panic, abandoning its act as it hurriedly explained why it had entered the Hollow. It was here to rescue its companion, Teddy.
After Wise and Qingyi assured it that they would capture the culprit responsible for kidnapping Bangboos, the naïve little unit handed over a spare key to a nearby safety valve with trembling hands.
Leaving it alone was far too dangerous, so Qingyi simply picked it up and placed it into the large bag where the other rescued Bangboos were kept.
Wise carried another bag, though the ones he held were all Bangboos that had already lost their signals.
Without wasting ti, the two continued forward. Before long, they found Teddy.
Fortunately, he was unhard, only completely drained of power. Qingyi accessed his mory chip and shared the data with Phaethon.
The information was extensive. It detailed Teddy's critical condition, the reason behind his power depletion, and, most importantly, the identity of the organization's leader who appeared at the end of the recording.
After analyzing the data, Qingyi confird that this individual was a fugitive linked to three major criminal cases.
It was no wonder he had evaded capture for so long. He had been hiding within the Hollow all this ti.
Once they secured Teddy, the two, along with the Bangboo, entered the gang's lair.
"Ugh..."
"Hmm? Qingyi, your stress levels have reached a critical level. Let handle things from here."
Noticing her rubbing her forehead, her expression strained, Wise spoke up, unable to hide his concern.
Qingyi, however, shook her head and said, "No need... I'm fine. Rescuing them takes priority."
Though she insisted otherwise, it was clear she was pushing herself beyond her limits. Wise said nothing, but from that point on, he dealt with every enemy as quickly as possible.
After retrieving Teddy, Qingyi had already reached her breaking point. Her body felt light and unsteady, as if she might collapse at any mont.
The alarm in her mind continued to blare, and her firewall was on the verge of failure.
Wise imdiately stepped forward to support her. The mont she felt his support, Qingyi subconsciously leaned her weight onto him.
"Let's... go. The exit... is just ahead..."
"Alright. I've got you."
Pressed against his warm, steady back, Qingyi's remaining consciousness gradually faded.
'Heh... humans really are fascinating... For sothing that isn't even truly alive, they still choose not to give up... This obsession, this desire, this pain... is this what it ans to live...?'
With that final thought, her awareness slipped away into darkness.
After leaving the Hollow, Wise contacted Zhu Yuan through special channels, asking her to retrieve the unconscious Qingyi along with the rescued Bangboos.
Qingyi and Eous, both heavily affected by Ether corruption, were sent for maintenance and cleansing. Several days later, they were finally returned.
However, the one who brought them back was Qingyi herself.
"Phaethon, Belle, I've returned your Bangboo. Also, the repaired Teddy has already been sent back to Holly. Thank you for your assistance during this ti," she said calmly.
"Uh... Qingyi, what are you saying? This isn't our Bangboo, is it? I an, the model is the sa, but..."
Facing Qingyi at the door, Belle forced a nervous smile as she tried to brush it off. They had clearly agreed that after maintenance, Eous would be placed outside the Hollow and allowed to return on her own.
Yet now, Qingyi had personally brought her straight to the video store.
What exactly was she planning?
"Please rest assured. I am here of my own accord, not in my capacity as a Public Security Officer."
Not only that, she had deliberately chosen a ti when the store was empty, as if silently declaring, 'I already know you are Phaethon. There is no need to hide, and I an no harm.'
"In that case... please co inside," Wise said calmly.
"Huh? Brother... ugh, fine."
Seeing that Wise had already made the decision, Belle could only follow along. As he headed into the back room on the staff room, Qingyi stepped right in behind him without hesitation.
From the mont she entered, her gaze had never left Wise.
The instant they were inside, Qingyi suddenly moved closer. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around him from behind and gently rested her cheek against his back.
"Qingyi, this is..."
"Hmm... yes, this is the feeling," she murmured.
"Huh?"
"Do you know why I was so certain you were Phaethon?" Qingyi ignored his confusion and continued on her own.
"Ever since you appeared in the Hollow that ti and we ca into contact... from that mont onward, my system began experiencing an unexplainable form of corruption. Eventually, even my firewall collapsed completely. After returning, I underwent multiple professional examinations, yet no abnormalities were ever found. But I knew... sothing was wrong."
She paused briefly, taking a slow breath as if grounding herself.
"After I woke up, your image kept surfacing in my mind without reason. Along with it ca a strange sensation... one that compelled to find you. And when I saw you again, that certainty only grew stronger."
Her words left Wise slightly uneasy. After all, everything had started from that accidental contact, and as for his identity...
She had likely suspected it for quite so ti.
"Um... Qingyi, why don't you and my brother sit down and talk first?" Belle, who had followed them inside, finally spoke up.
Behind her, the twin sisters had already prepared tea and snacks.
"If that is the case, then let's sit and talk."
Qingyi released him, though her gaze never wavered. She sat down calmly, took a sip of tea, and then continued.
"I ca here for one reason only. I want you to remove this abnormality from ."
"Uh... about that, I'm afraid I can't," Wise replied, shaking his head.
"I see. I didn't expect much to begin with. In that case... I have no choice but to try another thod."
"Another thod?"
Qingyi didn't answer. Instead, she acted.
Rising from her seat, she stepped forward and placed one knee on the sofa between his legs. One arm slipped around his neck, while her other hand lifted his chin, forcing him to et her gaze.
Before he could react, she leaned in and kissed him.
This ti, it was deliberate and firm, far more assertive than before. After a long mont, she finally pulled back.
"...Just as I thought. The firewall is reacting again. How curious..."
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Novels Available:
-> Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street. (Translation)
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