“King…”
What was that sound…?
King?
“…King… where are you…”
My head hurts so much!
King… could it be!
Before Li Qianqiao could even process the thought, a flash of white light blinded him, and the dream shattered…
Li Qianqiao violently jolted awake from his sleep on the floor, his eyes snapping open, his forehead drenched in cold sweat.
He slowly sat up, rubbing his temples to ease the lingering pain.
“My head still hurts. King… Is it the Orphnoch King? Why do I feel so irritable…?”
“Huh? You’re awake, A-Qiao?” Wise noticed the movement behind him and turned around.
Li Qianqiao’s pale face immediately caught his eye.
“A-Qiao! What’s wrong? Why do you look so awful?!”
Belle and Nekomata were drawn by Wise’s exclamation and both looked toward Li Qianqiao, crying out in shock.
It wasn’t that their reactions were exaggerated; Li Qianqiao’s complexion was genuinely terrifying.
His face was completely drained of blood, his facial muscles were tense and twitching, and his pupils flashed with a faint gray light that mixed with the bloodshot whites of his eyes.
Li Qianqiao looked like a beast overflowing with sheer brutality!
Just looking at him made them shudder.
Seeming to realize his current state was alarming, Li Qianqiao quickly chanted the twenty-four character core socialist values three times in his head, and the intense irritability in his heart finally began to fade.
“Sorry, Brother Wise, Sis Belle. I just had a nightmare. Didn’t mean to worry you.”
Seeing Li Qianqiao gradually return to normal, Wise breathed a sigh of relief, though he was still a bit uneasy.
He walked over to the sofa and asked softly: “Are you sure? Maybe we should go to the hospital just in case.”
“Little Li, are you okay? Was my punch too hard?” Belle ran over to check on him.
Seeing the two of them so concerned, Li Qianqiao smiled brightly, stood up, and struck a dramatic JoJo pose.
“No worry! Who do you think I am? I’m invincible!”
Belle was amused by Li Qianqiao’s bizarre pose and burst into laughter, holding her stomach.
Wise also smiled happily.
Li Qianqiao cracked himself up with his own antics, and the three of them laughed heartily together, creating a lively and cheerful atmosphere.
What… what are they doing?
Nekomata stared at the three of them in utter bewilderment.
Just a second ago, everyone was tense and worried, and now they were all laughing like absolute idiots?
Don’t tell me… they’re all crazy?!
Nekomata gulped, feeling incredibly nervous.
Watching the three of them still laughing, her brain went into overdrive.
Nicole never told me the Proxies were mentally unstable!
Did they catch it from that pervert?
No, I need to find a way to escape… but if I run, how will I save Nicole and the others?
What do I do, what do I do?!
“Hahahaha, huh? Why are you still standing there?” New chapters come out on g.com first.
Just as he stopped to catch his breath, Li Qianqiao noticed Nekomata standing off to the side.
Nekomata glared at Li Qianqiao with deep resentment.
“So you guys were laughing your heads off for half a day and didn’t even notice a whole living person standing right here? Are you meow-ing kidding me?!”
“Oh right, laughed too hard and forgot we have business to attend to.”
Belle took a breath to suppress her laughter and then gave Li Qianqiao a quick rundown of the situation.
“So, Nicole and the others went into the Dead End Hollow and are currently in the demolition zone?” Li Qianqiao asked, scratching his chin.
Even though he already knew the plot, he still had to play the part.
“That’s right, that’s exactly it, meow!” Nekomata nodded in agreement.
“Master, the current broadcast on the news channel is hypothesized to be closely related to the commission. Please pay attention.”
Fairy, having finished silently observing the drama, popped up at the perfect time to remind everyone.
Hearing Fairy’s prompt, everyone turned their eyes to the TV.
Coincidentally, the broadcast was just mentioning that the final train was about to enter the Dead End Hollow for the demolition process.
“Oh no! The last train is departing this early?!” Hearing that, Nekomata’s little face filled with panic.
“We can’t waste any more time. We need to find a way to rescue Nicole and the others right now!” Li Qianqiao stated decisively.
“Do any of you guys have a plan?”
Everyone racked their brains, but no one had a solid idea.
Fairy stepped in with a suggestion.
“Proposal: It is possible to intercept the train within the Hollow.”
It was indeed a good plan, and everyone agreed with Fairy’s suggestion.
“Fairy, can you track the train’s real-time location?”
“Affirmative. Calculating a safe route to the target vehicle.”
Li Qianqiao nodded.
He gathered his gear, picked up Eous, and said, “Time waits for no one. I’ll go in too. I have a bike, so Nekomata, you can ride with me. Sis Belle, Brother Wise, I’m leaving the navigation to you.”
“Go with confidence, Little Li. With us here, you absolutely won’t get lost on the way.”
“Alright! I’m heading out! Hurry up and follow me, Nekomata!”
“Ah? O-Oh, coming, meow!”
Inside the Dead End Hollow.
Another beautiful day begins.
Mr. Teleporting Ethereal (Thanatos) was taking a leisurely stroll down the ruined street.
Sigh, life is pretty good, but I heard the neighborhood has been a bit restless lately.
Heard the humans talking about a certain ‘Dead End Butcher’ tearing the place apart.
I just hope it doesn’t come mess with me.
Otherwise, I’ll show it what a ‘Hollow Flash’ looks like!
Ahahaha!
Mr. Teleporting Ethereal stood with his hands on its hips, laughing triumphantly.
Wait, you ask how I could tell it was laughing?
Well, you’d have to ask the opportunistic Li Qianqiao, who was hiding in ambush nearby!
Li Qianqiao looked at the camera, “That’s right! I totally just imagined all of that!”
“What kind of episode are you having now? The control room is right ahead! Hurry up and get rid of that Ethereal blocking the way, meow!” Nekomata punched Li Qianqiao in the head.
“Alright, A-Qiao, stop goofing around. It’ll take Nekomata a while to deal with that Ethereal, so you’re the only one who can do it quickly.”
“Got it, got it.”
Ever since they entered the Hollow, Li Qianqiao had been acting a bit unhinged, constantly muttering things like ‘Saikou ni high tte yatsu da!’ and ‘There is only one answer…
HOJO EMU!’
Li Qianqiao did have a problem.
The ‘Orphnoch King’—this guess had been hovering in his mind, giving him a suffocating sense of pressure.
To dispel his anxiety, he could only cope by constantly reciting famous anime/tokusatsu memes.
Besides, he had a strong premonition about this commission: he was very likely going to encounter his own kind!
…
Ah, look how beautiful the sky is today!
Mr. Teleporting Ethereal was still strolling down the street.
COMPLETE!
Mhm, look how smooth this Ether crystal is.
It perfectly reflects my handsome, heroic figure.
The Ether crystal reflected the Teleporting Ethereal’s body, along with a faint red glow emanating from behind it…
EXCEED CHARGE!
Oh, listen to that standard English pronunciation.
It’s simply the best I’ve ever heard…
“EAT MY CRIMSON SMASH, KONO YAROU!”
In the final moments of its life, Mr. Teleporting Ethereal only saw a size 42 boot hurtling straight toward its face.
May there be no English in heaven.
Amen.
“Wow! What is this?! Such cool armor, meow! Can I touch it?” After the Ethereal was annihilated, Nekomata ran up to Li Qianqiao with sparkling eyes, looking him up and down, her face full of curiosity.
“Heh heh, awesome, right? You can touch it, but only if you let me touch your cat ears.” Li Qianqiao finally revealed his true motives, walking toward Nekomata with a huge smile.
Because of the helmet, Nekomata couldn’t see his creepy smile.
So from Nekomata’s perspective, a guy in bizarre armor was reaching his hands out and slowly walking toward her.
“Ahhh! It’s a pervert, meow!”
Watching the noisy duo, Belle slapped her forehead in exasperation.
So this is what it feels like for Nicole to lead a team.
“Alright, stop messing around! Fairy has already hacked the track operation permissions! There’s a deceleration device here that can help us board the train, but we need to switch the tracks, so hurry up and help!”
“Okay~”
Li Qianqiao and Nekomata obediently replied in unison and followed Belle’s orders.
After all, neither of them wanted to get punched again.
CLANG!
The first track switch was completed, but immediately after, another loud boom echoed through the Hollow, making everyone’s hearts jump into their throats.
“Meow? That noise… is the Dead End Butcher here?” Nekomata stared nervously at Eous.
“No. Although the Dead End Butcher is nearby, it’s still some distance away. That’s the train arriving. We need to hurry!” Wise dispelled Nekomata’s doubts and urged them to move.
“Got it! The other switch is over there, right? Get on the bike, we’ll charge straight over!” Li Qianqiao hopped onto his motorcycle and shouted to Nekomata and Eous.
One cat girl and one Bangboo didn’t waste any words; they jumped on the bike, and they sped toward the next destination.
“By the way, pervert! I’ve been wondering since the beginning, do you even have a motorcycle license?” Nekomata shouted into the wind at Li Qianqiao.
Li Qianqiao suddenly slammed on the brakes.
Nekomata, holding Eous in the back, crashed straight into his armor.
“Hey! What’s wrong? Why did you suddenly stop?”
Li Qianqiao slowly turned his head to look at Nekomata, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke:
“I don’t think… I have a license…”