Chapter 154: Day One Loot: Over a Thousand Bombs

Zhong Yan's firm, unrelenting tone left the six Shadows in complete silence.

Their displeasure was written all over their faces, but in the presence of someone overwhelmingly stronger, even if they were brimming with resentment, none dared voice a single objection.

As Zhong Yan's oppressive energy gradually spread throughout the underground chamber, it was Kuro who, under the surprised gazes of the others, finally nodded and said, "Fine. We'll do it."

With Kuro's agreement, the deep blue energy around Zhong Yan began to retract, and the previously unstable underground room returned to a tense stillness.

Yet only those who experienced it firsthand knew how close they had come to catastrophe. If even one of the six had dared to act recklessly, the Nin-Village might have been leveled then and there.

"Uchiha, let's be clear. We're only agreeing to this to save our lives. But if you ask us to do anything overly dangerous—we're not doing it," Kuro added after giving his word.

Zhong Yan nodded in response. "Relax. For a ninja like you, this'll be effortless. And once it's done, I'll do something in return. This deal—pure profit for you."

With that, he raised his hand. A palm-sized ether bomb appeared from a swirling vortex via Kamui.

"There are three thousand of these bombs scattered across New Eridu. I need you to help me find and defuse them. Don't worry—the Public Security Bureau is busy with the same task. They don't have the time or manpower to come after you."

Zhong Yan laid it all out in one breath. Though the six Shadows hesitated at first, with Kuro already having agreed, they didn't voice further objection.

And so, under Zhong Yan's uncompromising terms, the Nin-Village became one of the primary forces in the bomb search.

...

In the blink of an eye, a day passed.

The crisis of the three thousand bombs, once a secret, had now spread across New Eridu like wildfire thanks to countless whispering mouths.

Once the public learned their lives were potentially at risk, panic surged. Residents began searching their neighborhoods for bombs.

The worst part? People actually found some—confirming the terrifying reality of the threat.

Meanwhile, inside a video store in Sixth Street—

"A total of 783 bombs have been disarmed so far. Over half were handled by Public Security officers, the rest mostly by us. A few were discovered by civilians by chance."

Fairy was reporting the current count of defused bombs. After one day of effort, they'd taken care of over 700.

The pace was intense—but even with that, three days might not be enough to clear all of them.

Fortunately, that number only reflected what Fairy knew. Belobog Heavy Industries and the Nin-Village had each disarmed over 400 more.

While there might be some overlap, the estimated redundancy was less than thirty percent.

Putting the data together, they'd defused over a thousand bombs on the first day. At this rate, they could realistically disarm all three thousand in three days.

And even if they fell short, it would still drastically reduce casualties—far better than losing a tenth of New Eridu to explosions.

Moreover, the city's upper echelon appeared to have finally caught wind of the Exaltists' presence.

They'd taken measures—what kind, exactly, was unclear. But Zhong Yan could feel it: something in the ether energy systems that powered New Eridu had been altered.

For everyday citizens, the changes had no effect. But for those with ether implants—modified bodies—it was lethal.

People like... Airi.

The next day, while Zhong Yan was out searching for bombs, he suddenly received a message from her.

[Airi: Boss, can you come out for a moment? I'm near an abandoned district by Hollow Zero.]

[Zhong Yan: What is it? I'm busy.]

[Airi: I know… I know you're dealing with the three thousand bombs. But please—just this once. Come find me.]

Her tone was pleading. Zhong Yan hesitated, but after a few seconds of thought, activated Kamui and headed to her location.

It didn't take long to find her, spatial teleportation cutting the travel time to mere moments.

There she was—curled in a corner of the abandoned district. Airi looked like she was in agony. Ether energy was leaking uncontrollably from her body, yet not a drop of sweat could be seen.

That was because she'd lost the ability to sweat after her modifications. Unlike Zhao Anmen, who'd only had his heart altered, Airi was indistinguishable from other Exaltist constructs—except she hadn't been brainwashed.

"Boss…" she said weakly, eyes filled with desperation. "I'm sorry. The city's upper brass activated that system. I can't stay in New Eridu anymore. I have to hide in the Hollow."

Zhong Yan frowned. It was strange… But now that he thought about it, that clone of the Exaltist leader did say he'd gone all-in just to play this game.

Maybe this was what he meant.

If so, it meant the Exaltists could no longer enter New Eridu. All their operations would be forced into the Hollows.

Unless their actions led to Hollow Zero expanding again, the city could simply turn a blind eye to their chaos.

Now Zhong Yan had to decide what to do with Airi.

If she entered the Hollow, she could be ambushed by other Exaltists.

And inside the Hollow, normal communication wouldn't work. Without specialized equipment, even cell phones were useless.

That meant if something did happen to Airi, Zhong Yan wouldn't know. By the time he found out, she could be dragged back and brainwashed by the Exaltists.

And at that point, before the Akatsuki had even formally taken shape—it would be as good as dead.