As that familiar suffocating sensation washed over him, Buyuan appeared inside the Hollow once more.
The scenery was still that same bizarre, kaleidoscopic landscape, but the tension from the first time was gone.
“Phaethon, this time we just follow them until the mission location.
During the mission, I’ll let a few small-fry go to spread word of my existence.” Buyuan had everything arranged, clear as day.
“Got it.
Take this earpiece.
It’s linked to our internal chat channel.” Belle, piloting Eous, pulled a small Bluetooth earpiece from behind her back.
“Also, just call me Belle.” Belle thought it over and decided Kabuto was trustworthy, so she told him her name.
“I’m glad you’re putting your trust in me, but I’m not ready to reveal myself just yet.” Buyuan was a little surprised that Belle and Wise trusted him this much.
“It’s fine.
Our cooperation will continue for a while yet.
We’ll work on earning your trust too.” Wise suddenly cut into the channel.
“Brother!
Don’t just barge into the channel like that.
It’s creepy.” Belle sat in front of the HDD, hands on her hips.
Buyuan tailed PubSec from behind with Eous.
During this time, Zhu Yuan sensed them many times.
Every time she tried to investigate, Qingyi brushed it aside.
“Kabuto, your tailing skills could use some work.
If it weren’t for your inside contact, I feel like we’d have ended up fighting PubSec first.” Belle watched Qingyi divert Zhu Yuan yet again and roasted him mercilessly.
“Tailing isn’t exactly a skill I’m supposed to have mastered.” Buyuan was a bit helpless too.
After all, he really had never done this kind of sneaking around before.
Along the way, PubSec suppressed every Ethereal they saw with all manner of firepower.
Buyuan was perfectly happy to coast.
“They’ve got this much firepower, so why do they need you to step in?” Belle was puzzled.
“That’s the price of being the good guys.
PubSec officers can cage criminals like a prison, but that same cage also binds the trigger that could take a life.
For them, ‘all evil shall be brought to justice’ isn’t just a catchphrase.
They don’t care what crime you’ve committed, because the law will hand down the sentence.” Buyuan didn’t express any particular stance on this.
He wasn’t qualified to say whether it was right or wrong.
After all, he wouldn’t be using lethal weapons himself shortly.
Unless someone threatened his life first, he wasn’t too keen on going on a killing spree.
“And you?” Belle was curious.
Eous’s little head leaned in closer.
“Me?
I imagine if things turn into a bloodbath with limbs everywhere…
Belle would terminate our cooperation, wouldn’t she?” Buyuan glanced teasingly at Eous.
“Not necessarily.
You could try it.” Belle, of course, knew he was joking.
“Yeah.
They’re all gang members and rebel soldiers, but in the end, they’ve done me no personal wrong.
If someone surrenders outright, I’ll let them off.
Of course, if someone wants me dead…
or if they’re some truly irredeemable scumbag, then naturally, I’ll make sure there’s not enough left to bury.
This time, since I’m butting in and working with PubSec, I can’t give my inside contact a headache.
Long-term cooperation requires mutual understanding.” Buyuan spotted Qingyi’s hand behind her back, signaling him to halt.
Buyuan scooped up Eous, turned, and slipped into the buildings to stand by.
Soon, the PubSec officers swiftly merged into the surrounding structures and set up their ambush.
Surprisingly, Qingyi actually split off from Zhu Yuan and crept over towards their previous position.
Buyuan tossed a pebble to guide Qingyi to his hiding spot.
“What’s your plan?” Qingyi got straight to the point.
“I’ll coordinate with PubSec to subdue them.
But I need to let a few unimportant small-timers escape.” “Oh?
You want to use them to introduce Kamen Rider to the public eye?” Qingyi was puzzled at first, then it clicked.
“Yeah.
I do have an Inter-Knot account, after all.
It’s fine if no one knows me, but not knowing Kamen Rider?
Unacceptable.” After speaking, Buyuan gestured towards the clearing ahead, indicating movement.
Soon, a squad of rebel soldiers clad in special material armor appeared in the clearing.
Their equipment was top-notch — they even had a large mech.
“Two heavy gunners and a Guardian.
Looks like if I hadn’t come, your PubSec wouldn’t have scored a single achievement.
So what were you planning to do?
Even with me here, you’d still take unnecessary casualties.” Buyuan knew full well that Bringer was a mole.
He hadn’t assigned them any proper equipment at all.
Aside from Zhu Yuan and Qingyi, the only other person on the team was Seth, leading up front.
“You’re not wrong.
The situation’s changed.
It looks like we can’t be the ones to initiate.
Can you handle it?” Qingyi turned her gaze to Buyuan, looking at this eighteen-year-old male high schooler.
“Of course.
What, PubSec’s pinning its hopes on an outsider now?” Buyuan’s words carried a hint of sarcasm.
“Not at all.
Why can’t you be an off-the-books field operative for our PubSec?” Qingyi’s scheme was obvious.
“Impossible.
At least, not right now.” Buyuan naturally wouldn’t agree.
Until Bringer was exposed and dealt with, PubSec couldn’t exactly be called the righteous side.
“Fine.
If you can make sure your people don’t try any underhanded moves, I’ll take point in a moment.
You just focus on holding down anyone who tries to run.” Buyuan watched the growing number of figures in the clearing.
A rough calculation formed in his mind.
“No problem.
Much as I hate leaving it all to you, I can’t accept letting comrades die for orders I can’t even make sense of.” Qingyi’s mood was somewhat heavy.
“Time passes, people and things change.
Sometimes the people…
or the things you hold in respect are no longer as noble as they once were.” Buyuan knew some things couldn’t be stated outright.
“Oh?” Qingyi was no Zhu Yuan.
Unassuming as she was, she was sharp and clever.
“What do you mean?” Qingyi turned her head, only to find a tilted-head Eous staring back at her.
“All units, attention.
New intel — Kamen Rider Kabuto has also learned of this operation.
Hold your positions and let him handle it first.
We can gather combat data on him and clean them all up in one sweep.
Make sure no rats slip away in the chaos.” Qingyi used the radio to spread word of Kabuto’s entrance to the other officers.
“Senior Qingyi?
That guy from last time?” Zhu Yuan’s voice came through the radio.
“By himself?!
Isn’t that too dangerous?
Does he need our support?” Zhu Yuan actually had a somewhat favorable impression of this Kamen Rider.
“Is he that weird armored guy you mentioned last time?!
Can’t wait!” Seth, on the other hand, was excited.
A hot-blooded youth like him was a big fan of Starlight Knight.
“Relax, Captain Zhu Yuan.
If he can’t hold on, it won’t be too late for us to step in then.” A slightly older officer reassured Zhu Yuan.
Please.
Last time, he’d watched that guy slap heads like they were rubber balls.
The man was an absolute god of war.
“Oi!
Old man!
Where’s the goods?” By now, the various small gangs had mostly gathered.
A scar-faced, bald, burly man lugging a massive hammer shouted at the old man at the front of the rebel forces.
“Oh?
What’s the rush?
Instead of asking me where the goods are, ask yourselves.
Where are the dennies?” The old man’s hawk-like eyes swept across the ringleaders.
“Hmph!
The m-money…
we brought it, of course.” That ringleader was startled by the old man’s gaze and spat, signaling his underlings to haul the cases forward.
Just as the other gangs were about to follow suit, a sudden voice put everyone on high alert.
“Yo.
Arms deal, huh.” An armored figure, red and white in color and radiating a sense of overwhelming power, stepped out.
“Alright.
Surrender now.
You’re surrounded by me.” Buyuan casually surveyed the sea of people before him.
“Did you bring him?” The old man shifted his gaze to the equally panicked gang members, then shook his head.
“I don’t know where you got the guts.
From that flimsy armor of yours?” The old man’s eyes gleamed with mockery.
A reckless fool had conveniently delivered himself — perfect for making a show of strenght.
Buyuan didn’t reply.
He understood that, judging purely by appearances, the Guardian, clearly a full size larger than him, looked far more dangerous.
Its massive cannon muzzle and heavy machine gun were undeniably imposing.
“Kill him.” Seeing Buyuan’s silence, the old man lost interest.
Amid the pouring fire and the clatter and clang of impacts, every bullet merely sparked off the surface, dealing no damage at all.
“Military’s new tech?
No, private sector.” A flicker of surprise crossed the old man’s eyes.
“Boy, interested in cooperating?
All you have to do is hand over—” “You sure do love talking.” From who-knew-where, Buyuan produced an oddly-shaped handgun and fired directly at the old man’s arm.
“Ugh, take him down!” The old man merely grunted, clamping a hand over his arm as he calmly gave the order.
“Well now, quite a tough guy.” Buyuan was genuinely surprised.
These days, people who took a bullet without making a sound were rare.
Casually slapping unconscious any small fry who charged at him, Buyuan made a beeline for the Guardian.
The Kunai Gun in his hand shifted forms to the accompaniment of mechanical notification sounds.
It looked like the same gun, just held differently.
As Buyuan drew all the firepower towards himself, the PubSec officers in the surrounding area popped out one after another, guns at the ready.
As the fearless die-hards dropped and slept one by one, many began surrendering and laying down their weapons.
“What a drag.” A flash of anger darkened the old man’s eyes.
He stealthily reached a hand into the inner lining of his suit jacket.
Inside was a reagent the organization had given him.
The organization claimed that as long as the liquid in this reagent made contact with the air, in an instant, every Ethereal in the vicinity would swarm towards this location.
The Guardian’s massive cannon muzzle slammed down towards Buyuan, while its other modified machine gun arm began to spin up.
Buyuan didn’t dodge.
He took the heavy, forceful blow head-on and pressed the button on the Zecter.
“Avalanche Break!” The mechanical sound effect accompanied the Kunai Axe as it blazed with light.
Buyuan brought it down with explosive force.
A massive fireball, accompanied by the blast, engulfed the armored soldiers and the troublesome gunners.
The firelight gradually faded.
The red-and-white armored figure still stood in place.
The blue sections of his helmet emanated a high-tech glow.
“So that’s all you’ve got?” Buyuan walked step by step towards the visibly tense old man.
Seeing this monster tear through their forces, everyone around had long since given up resisting.
As PubSec officers took the field to control the situation, all that remained were the old man in the corner and Buyuan, advancing step by step.
“Leave him alive.” Qingyi’s voice came from behind, along with Belle’s voice in his earpiece.
“She says she’ll compensate you afterwards.” “Understood.” Buyuan reached out and grabbed the old man by the collar, his gaze fixed on the hand still inside the old man’s jacket.
“Whatever you’ve got, bring it out.
I’ll take it.” Buyuan looked at him with casual indifference.
“You arrogant fool!” The old man’s expression turned manic.
He pulled his hand out — in his grip was a vial of brilliantly multicolored reagent.
He hurled it violently against the ground.
“Interesting.
A member of the Exaltists?
Should I let him go?
Show my face in front of that Sarah just right?” Buyuan’s quiet muttering went unnoticed by the old man.
“May…
the Creator…
lead…
aaagh, cough cough.” Buyuan didn’t even bother with this guy, casually tossing him over to PubSec.
“Forget it.
Bringer’s in that organization too.
If this old man really is one of theirs, he’ll serve the same purpose.” “The Ether levels in the area are spiking!
Ethereals are all swarming this way!” An officer with a scanner rushed over to Zhu Yuan, his expression panicked.
“What?!
It’s because of that reagent?” Zhu Yuan also grasped the severity of the situation.
“What’s with all the panic?
Don’t you still have military support?
They should’ve arrived by now.” Buyuan was completely unhurried.
Once the military arrived, it’d be time for him to leave.
Casually, he used the Kunai Gun to knock down each Ethereal that charged at them, one by one.
The PubSec officers quickly rallied and began holding off the Ethereal onslaught in an orderly fashion.
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