In an ordinary video rental store on Sixth Street, a television was reporting a breaking news incident.
"An associated Hollow disaster has occurred on Fourteenth Street, breaching the Level 3 containment on-site. The Hollow Investigation Association has dispatched investigation teams for emergency response. Evacuation of residents in nearby blocks is also underway."
"Citizens are advised to avoid Fourteenth Street. Residents in adjacent blocks, please evacuate in an orderly fashion."
A Bangboo hopped onto the sofa, staring intently at the television. Beside it, a girl with short dark blue hair was half-lying on the sofa. She removed the earphones from her ears and slowly sat up, showing great interest in the news being broadcast.
Her overall style was sporty and casual: a hooded vest, a high-neck long-sleeved top, a gray skirt, and sneakers. Her hair was unevenly cut, with bangs crossing inward.
A hair accessory with English words adorned the left side. She had a standard oval face with a hint of roundness, sparkling eyes, and no apparent traces of makeup—exuding a pure, cute, and youthful vitality.
"Bro, come look at this news."
She propped her elbow on the sofa, resting her head on her hand—her lazy demeanor unmistakable—and called out without turning around.
"What is it?"
A gray-haired boy carrying a stack of books walked over from behind the sofa. He was instantly captivated by the news on TV, which reminded him of something, though he couldn't quite recall it immediately. "Fourteenth Street… I think there's something happening over there…"
"Wait a moment."
He hurried to the computer with the books in his arms.
"Mhm, it's in the Janus Quarter," the girl on the sofa reminded him. "It said the Level 3 containment has been breached."
The gray-haired boy set the books aside and quickly searched on the computer, soon finding the information he needed. "Just as I thought. The Public Security Bureau happens to have a search operation in that quarter today."
"The evacuation might not go smoothly."
The dark blue-haired girl hugged the Bangboo beside her, raised her eyebrows, and her eyes lit up. "That means..."
"Work is coming! Let's prepare in advance," the gray-haired boy stood up and continued her line of thought. "We might have business coming our way soon."
"Alright~ Now, we wait."
The dark blue-haired girl muttered to herself, her tone carrying a hint of playfulness.
In contrast to the calm inside the video store, on Fourteenth Street in the Janus Quarter, three figures were sprinting inside a high-rise building.
"Go left!"
Nicole, running at the rear, shouted to the two ahead.
The three ran down a corridor to a stairwell entrance, turning into it without looking back—as if a man-eating monster were hot on their heels, relentlessly pursuing them.
Exiting the emergency exit, they found themselves in a straight, long hallway. Billy, with his mechanical legs, led the way. Anby, looking tense, ran in the middle. Nicole, clutching a safe, brought up the rear.
"Huh?"
As Nicole passed a pile of clutter, she suddenly stopped. Tilting her head, she curiously looked at a dark blue Bangboo statue inside.
It was turned away from her, revealing a gap. Its hands were holding up its pants in front—whether it was about to put them on or had just taken them off was unclear…
She quickly called out to the two figures sprinting ahead and led them to hide behind the blue Bangboo statue.
"After them!"
Soon, a large group of pursuers caught up. A series of crisp footsteps echoed in the quiet hallway, making the hidden trio break out in a cold sweat.
Fortunately, no one noticed the Bangboo statue large enough to conceal them. One by one, the three peeked out from behind the statue and, without hesitation, ran in the opposite direction.
"Don't run!"
The pursuers who had overshot weren't fools and quickly realized something was wrong. As one, the group turned and chased after the trio.
Seeing they were discovered, the trio instinctively quickened their pace, scrambling haphazardly through the building. Turning into a hallway lined with televisions, they saw one TV broadcasting a live news report related to the ongoing incident.
"Ahem… citizens, I am thr supervisor sent by Public Security to overseeing the pursuit operation on Fourteenth Street."
A man with slicked-back golden hair spoke slowly to the camera.
"I… I apologize. Due to the sudden Hollow disaster here, the pursuit operation has been affected."
"I… would like to remind all citizens that we are pursuing the masterminds behind the recent terrorist attack on the research institute: the Red Fang Gang."
"They are extremely dangerous… tough guys—er, I mean, criminals. Especially their leader, Old Miguel Silver. Please until the situation has been handled be very careful!"
Suddenly, a reporter beside him snatched the microphone, angrily shouting into the camera, "I'm ** the reporter for this station! I can't take this anymore! These damn..."
While listening to the reporter's furious outbursts down the corridor, the trio reached a metal door. Billy suddenly lifted his leg and delivered a stylish knight's flying kick, sending the door flying.
"It's a window! Boss Nicole, we can get out from here!"
The empty room had floor-to-ceiling windows in place of walls, giving Billy hope of escape as he excitedly called out to Nicole behind him.
"But below is a Hollow… Fine." Nicole remained relatively calm. "If we can get out, we'll figure something out… Can you break the glass, Billy?"
"Easy! Leave it to me!"
Billy struck an overly flashy pose while simultaneously pulling the trigger of his revolver.
With a sharp crack, the bullet shot from the barrel, speeding forward at high velocity.
The moment the bullet struck the glass, it ricocheted with a loud "bang."
"Ah…"
The bullet, after bouncing off the glass, hit a thin wire in the air. A television suspended by the wire fell and, quite unfortunately, landed squarely on Billy's head. After uttering a final groan, he lay on the ground, motionless.
"It ricocheted. The window seems very sturdy."
Anby slightly pursed her lips, glancing away from Billy to explain to Nicole.
"Darn, I knew it wouldn't be that easy. This floor-to-ceiling window is…"
Nicole gently placed a hand on the glass, only to be interrupted by a sudden voice.
"Reinforced bulletproof glass. With your firepower, breaking it to escape is impossible!"
The voice was accompanied by intermittent sobbing.
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