"Belle, I will hold her off in a moment."
"To buy you time to leave."
Anby said firmly; she had already prepared to sacrifice herself.
"Anby, what nonsense are you speaking!"
"If we go, we all go. We won't abandon you."
Saying this, Belle walked to Anby's side, raised her briefcase, and aimed it at Hoshimi Aya.
"That's right. As a Knight, I will never abandon my comrades."
"Anby, we go together!"
Billy was the same, aiming his dual pistols at Hoshimi Aya.
The three stood ready, watching Hoshimi Aya, the atmosphere extremely heavy.
Hoshimi Aya looked at the few people before her, placed her hand on her sword hilt, and walked forward. But after only a few steps, Hoshimi Aya somehow tripped and fell to the ground, lying motionless.
The group:...
"Ling, quickly go check what's wrong with her!"
Belle tested cautiously. She couldn't figure out Hoshimi Aya's situation. What if it was a trap to lure them over and kill them?
Ling saw this and controlled Eous to trot over to Hoshimi Aya to check. Finally, she confirmed that Hoshimi Aya had truly fainted.
"Belle, it's fine."
"Aya, she fainted."
Saying this, Ling prepared to take the Demon Sword from Hoshimi Aya's hand. That way, even if she woke up and lost control again, they wouldn't have to be afraid.
"You scared me to death, Boss Belle."
"I thought we were going to die here today."
Saying this, Billy wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!"
"Billy, don't say such unlucky things!"
"Let's check on Dumb Fox's condition first."
After speaking, Belle walked toward Hoshimi Aya's direction, with Billy and Anby following behind her.
"Belle, hurry up and help me! I can't hold on."
"Aya is gripping it too tightly!"
Ling said forcefully as she tried to pry the Demon Sword from Hoshimi Aya's hand.
Seeing this, Belle and the others joined the sword-snatching contest. Finally, they managed to pry the Demon Sword from Hoshimi Aya's grasp one finger at a time.
"There, now we're safe."
"Even if Dumb Fox wakes up, she won't pose much of a threat."
Belle looked at the Demon Sword in her hand, wiping sweat from her forehead. Taking the sword down had cost her considerable effort.
"Billy, Dumb Fox is up to you later."
"Mao You is still waiting for us!"
Belle commanded, gesturing for Billy to carry Hoshimi Aya on his back.
"No way, Boss Belle."
"What if she suddenly explodes and takes me out?!"
Billy was scared, but his movements didn't stop. Obediently, he hoisted Hoshimi Aya onto his back.
"There's no choice, Billy."
"You're the most suitable one to carry Dumb Fox here."
"Alright, Ling, lead the way."
"Mao You must be getting anxious."
Belle gestured. Ling nodded upon seeing this and led the group into the tunnel toward the station from the other side.
...
Outside The Hollow
Vision Company Demolition Site
Mao You was currently talking with Sarah, that wicked woman.
Sarah patiently conversed with Mao You, assuming he had obtained some crucial piece of information.
However, after chatting for a while, she realized the information Mao You possessed was merely about the residents who hadn't evacuated. She prepared to eliminate both Mao You and Perlman!
Fortunately, enough time had been bought. Belle was shouting through a loudspeaker, "Vision Company treats human lives as grass!"
At the same time, a large group of people followed behind Belle—all residents who hadn't evacuated.
Sharp-eyed Sarah immediately spotted Hoshimi Aya being carried on Billy's back next to Belle.
Sarah naturally mistook Hoshimi Aya for Hoshimi Miyabi.
"Interesting. I didn't expect a Void Hunter to get involved in this matter?"
"Things are getting more and more interesting," Sarah said, stroking her chin as she looked at Hoshimi Aya.
Simultaneously, Bai Zhi Heavy Industry, Public Security Officers, and reporters swarmed the area.
The Public Security Officers immediately apprehended the imposters, while Bai Zhi Heavy Industry blocked the people from Vision Company.
Seeing that the situation was turning bad, Sarah quietly retreated when no one was paying attention.
The reporters were interviewing the victims of the incident when a sharp-eyed reporter suddenly spotted the unconscious Hoshimi Aya on Billy's back.
"Look! It's Hoshimi Miyabi!"
The reporter rushed toward Billy, and this shout attracted the attention of the other reporters.
To avoid falling behind on the scoop, they similarly rushed toward Billy's direction.
"Ugh (>_<) So noisy!"
Hoshimi Aya mumbled groggily, weakly opening her eyes.
But as soon as Hoshimi Aya woke up, she realized she was surrounded.
After Belle and Anby came out, Mao You, who had found them, was holding back the reporters, preventing them from getting close.
Billy looked around, searching for an evacuation route.
"Miss Hoshimi, was your participation in this incident official?"
"Lord Xu Shou, was this rescue operation a secret mission or...?"
"Did the authorities discover Vision Company's disregard for human life long ago?!!"
The reporters, seeing Hoshimi Aya awake, began bombarding her with questions.
Seeing this, Belle could only lead the group to forcefully break through the encirclement. Finally, with the help of the Public Security Officers, the group boarded police cars and headed to the Public Security Bureau to give detailed statements about the incident.
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the fanfiction has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 or more chapters in advance over on my patreon: patreon.com/FTLGenBen
Also every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone, Thanks.