Chapter 56: Bangboo, Abandoned in the Hollow

The air was still for a moment. Zhong Yan hadn't expected the man to notice him, and for a split second, he felt genuinely awkward.

After a brief pause, the lion-like man suddenly spoke in a gentle tone, "Kid, were you planning to adopt these kittens?"

Snapping back to reality, Zhong Yan quickly shook his head. "No, I just found it odd... a grown man like you, feeding stray cats."

The type whose looks don't match his personality—this guy definitely fit the bill.

"Hahaha, don't judge a book by its cover! I'm actually a total cat lover. And honestly, these little guys are adorable. Don't you think so too?" The man laughed, not seeming the least bit offended.

For some reason, Zhong Yan felt something strange about this man—but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

So, he just offered a polite nod. "They are cute. It's just… I don't really have the time or energy to care for pets. Otherwise, I'd definitely take them in."

Zhong Yan wasn't against the idea of pets. Like he said, he simply couldn't afford the time or attention required.

The man didn't press further. He tossed the last piece of sausage near the kittens' paws, then stood up and said, "I don't have the time or energy either. But I still try to care for them when I can. That's all I can do."

"If you live nearby, you should visit them often. Cats remember kindness. They might even bring you weird stuff to thank you. Anyway, that's it for me. This cat lover has other business to attend to."

With that, the man turned and walked away without looking back, casually waving over his shoulder.

Zhong Yan didn't think too much about it. Watching the kittens nibbling at their snack, he couldn't help himself—he stepped forward and gave them a thorough head rub session.

...

Meanwhile, the so-called cat lover ducked into a quiet alley and slipped on an earpiece.

"Kuro, we were too late. Uchiha already took it. We... we couldn't do anything. The mission's failed."

On the other end, the man referred to as Kuro didn't scold them. Instead, his voice was surprisingly reassuring.

"I heard about the Uchiha from Aka. That's not someone you three can deal with. The fact you didn't run into him directly is already the best outcome."

Hearing that, the speaker silently exhaled in relief, though they kept calm over the comms.

"Forget about the Celestials for now. What matters is Victoria Housekeeping. They've been targeting us quite a bit lately. Aka suggested it's time we send them a serious warning."

"You three will be part of the operation against Victoria. Prepare accordingly. Chairo originally volunteered to go solo, but Aka and I were worried that his Ether Quantum Cannon would cause too much collateral damage. It'd be a mess to clean up."

When they heard that Chairo had wanted to act personally, the three on the line stiffened with involuntary shudders.

He was the organization's most powerful member—renowned for single-handedly hunting down infamous Corrupted Entities. Even massive Ether Mutants barely made him flinch unless they were top-tier threats.

In terms of raw power, he could go toe-to-toe with the Void Hunters.

He probably wouldn't win, but the fact that it was even close said everything.

Everyone in the organization had experienced that first-hand.

"...Understood. We'll prepare thoroughly. Those Victoria folks will finally learn what it really means to provoke Nin-Village."

...

Time always moves faster than one expects.

A few days later, Ellen kept her promise and returned to school the day after her message. She even brought Zhong Yan a cherished lollipop as a gift.

Zhong Yan, of course, accepted it with a smile.

At the same time, his latest novel volume had gone live online—and it received glowing reviews from readers across the board.

The most direct result? His income shot up—by far more than just a little.

He was now one step closer to achieving his dream.

The day after his reunion with Ellen marked the start of the weekend. As much as he wanted to hang out with her, she gently declined his invitation.

Thankfully, Zhong Yan wasn't exactly short on things to do.

Ever since becoming Belle and Wise's personal Agent, he had been receiving frequent commission requests through the Proxy Network.

Unless there was a compelling reason to refuse, Zhong Yan would accompany them on every job.

The tasks weren't too difficult, and with Fairy's support, their efficiency was off the charts. Their client satisfaction rate had remained at a perfect 100%.

That said, not everything went as expected.

For example—this time, they stumbled across a Bangboo in the Hollow.

...

The sky was gloomy, like it had just finished raining—leaving a heavy, stifling atmosphere.

"Fairy, run a diagnostic on that Bangboo."

In the Hollow, Zhong Yan and the siblings had discovered a heavily damaged Bangboo—one so broken it was nearly beyond repair.

Its design was unusual. Two miniature long swords were strapped to its back, and its face was covered by a specialized mask that concealed everything below its eyes.

It looked like it had been abandoned here. Its battered body slumped against the wall, unable to move.

Its battery was nearly drained, and its flickering expression only emphasized its dire state.

Even more disturbing, it kept muttering fragmented phrases:

"Ehn...neh... (Mission... organization...)"

"Ehn...neh... (Don't... leave me...)"

"Ehn...neh... (It hurts... I wanna cry...)"

"Ehn...neh... (Please... help me...)"

Realizing it had been found, the Bangboo let out a desperate cry for help.

"Internal systems critically damaged. This Bangboo is on the verge of what humans call 'death.' Suggestion: perform humanitarian rescue operations immediately."

After a quick analysis, Fairy relayed the Bangboo's status to the group.

"An abandoned Bangboo..." Belle's heart instantly softened at the pitiful sight.

She guided Eous forward, gently reaching out to pat the Bangboo on the head.

As another Bangboo herself, Eous clearly felt for the poor thing. But under Belle's control, it couldn't express its empathy.

Whether to rescue this Bangboo or not—that was now the choice they faced.