T/N:
Anyways here is chapter 12!
enjoy~
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After waking up, washing up, and having breakfast, Louis arrived at the Security Bureau for work.
He clocked in exactly five minutes before his shift started.
Not too rushed.
Not too slow.
Perfect timing that left no room for complaints.
“Louis is here.
Have you eaten?”
Qingyi was already waiting in the office.
She greeted him with her usual cute smile.
“I have.
Is Senior treating me today?” Louis replied with a smile.
“No way.
It’s just to stop you from puking when you enter the Hollow later.”
“It’s not that bad, is it?”
“You’ll see once you’re inside.
Spinning and dropping from a hundred meters up.”
“That’s an experience I’d rather skip.”
Louis said with a troubled expression.
He wasn’t scared of fighting.
But falling a hundred meters without transforming?
That would probably kill him.
How the heck did the Security Bureau people deal with this every time?
“Let’s go.
I’ll take you to the Temporary Hollow for your internship.”
Zhu Yuan walked into the office right then.
She was fully equipped like always, with weapon parts attached to her arms, waist, and legs.
Those parts could combine into different weapons depending on the situation.
Louis nodded.
A regular Temporary Hollow right after breakfast sounded like a decent warm-up.
He grabbed his newly issued riot shield and standard one-handed sword, then followed Zhu Yuan out of the building toward the parking lot.
The vehicle Zhu Yuan drove was the Security Bureau’s riot-control transport truck.
The back was big enough for a whole squad.
Louis and Qingyi sat in the rear while Zhu Yuan took the wheel.
Even for a low-danger Hollow, full preparation was necessary.
Just as Louis was thinking about how to handle his first real Hollow and Ethereal encounter, he heard Zhu Yuan answering a call from the driver’s seat.
Her voice stayed steady.
After a short exchange, she ended the call.
“Louis, plans have changed.
We’re not doing the internship today.
We need to head to the Temporary Hollow that appeared from the Crete Hollow on 14th Street.”
Zhu Yuan explained calmly, then suddenly yanked the steering wheel.
The truck drifted sharply onto another road and sped toward the new destination at full throttle.
“What happened?”
Louis asked, surprised.
The Crete Hollow was one of the six major Hollows.
Its Temporary Hollow was no place for a temp worker.
The danger level had just shot way up.
“The Giant Tooth Gang raided a research institute and stole something.
Then another group tried to steal it from them.
Both ended up cornered by the Air Police and fell into the Hollow by accident.
Our job is to recover the stolen item and rescue them.”
Zhu Yuan said seriously.
The Air Police handled aerial matters in New Eridu, so Hollow incidents naturally fell to them.
The Criminal Investigation Special Response Team was the top unit, which meant it fell to Zhu Yuan.
And she never turned down a mission.
Louis casually complained.
He had already taken down the Giant Tooth Gang, and now there was apparently a Red Tooth Gang.
At this rate, there wouldn’t be any teeth left for new gangs.
The moment he finished speaking, he noticed Qingyi staring straight at him from across the seat.
He touched his face, wondering if he’d said something weird.
“You hear that the mission suddenly changed to a Temporary Hollow connected to one of the six major Hollows…
and your only reaction is about the gang names?”
Qingyi’s eyes carried a hint of suspicion.
It was as if he didn’t react like a normal rookie at all.
Like the danger didn’t faze him.
Louis stayed calm on the surface, but inside he was shocked.
He didn’t expect the seemingly harmless Qingyi to catch his slip so easily.
Yeah…
his reaction really didn’t match a normal new recruit.
It was like he had some hidden ace up his sleeve.
No wonder it raised suspicion.
“Ah?
Senior Qingyi, you mean I have to go in too?
But from Officer Zhu Yuan’s tone earlier, it sounded like she wanted me to wait outside.
Can someone like me, a temp worker, really enter such a dangerous Temporary Hollow?”
Louis quickly pivoted with a surprised look.
He thought to himself how lucky it was that Zhu Yuan was easy to read.
It gave him the perfect out.
“Eh?”
Qingyi tilted her head, clearly not expecting that answer.
She thought he hadn’t even considered joining the actual mission.
“I didn’t expect Senior Qingyi to have such high expectations of me.
That’s awesome!
I was planning to just stand by outside, but if you think that highly of me, then I’ll definitely go in and help investigate this time.
Please make full use of me.”
Louis nodded enthusiastically at Qingyi.
He made it clear he hadn’t planned to enter, but since his senior encouraged him, he had no choice but to step up.
“Senior Qingyi, I don’t want Louis taking any unnecessary risks.”
Zhu Yuan’s voice came from the front.
She had been listening and wasn’t surprised by his decision, but this wasn’t work for a temp.
“This…
me?”
Qingyi felt completely countered and looked a bit deflated.
She wasn’t sure if the guy in front of her was genuinely clueless or just playing dumb.
Still, his willingness to risk his life was admirable.
“It’s okay, Officer Zhu Yuan.
Please let me come along.
None of you specialize in defense.
Having a heavily armored unit at the front will make things much safer.”
Louis took over the conversation.
If he had chosen a fragile class, he probably wouldn’t get this chance.
But as heavy armor, his survival rate was much higher as long as he wasn’t focused down.
“But you…”
Zhu Yuan still hesitated.
She knew young people could get hot-blooded when provoked, but she really didn’t want to see Louis get hurt, even if he was only a temp worker.
“If it’s just a rescue and retrieval mission, I should be fine.
Worst case, I can always run away, right?”
Louis argued his case.
Zhu Yuan considered that it wasn’t a full extermination mission and finally agreed.
If Louis performed well here, it would help him when he transferred to full-time.
“Then you must follow orders and stay disciplined.
No rushing in blindly.”
Zhu Yuan warned.
Honestly, he really wanted to see what it was like inside a Hollow.
If it wasn’t too dangerous, he wouldn’t show off.
He had even used his transformation belt as a regular light bulb before.
Why would he need to act tough now?
The riot-control truck screeched to a halt on the street.
Through the window, Louis could already see a massive semi-circular Hollow covering part of the ground.
It looked like an upside-down bowl, glowing with an eerie iridescent black.
The sight gave off a strong villainous vibe.
“The residents in the area have all been evacuated.
The Air Police are keeping things under control.
Let’s move.”
Zhu Yuan held her red and white pistol, checked the ammo, then gripped it with both hands pointing downward as she walked steadily into the Hollow.
Swift and decisive.
That was the captain of the Criminal Investigation Special Response Team.
Louis took a deep breath.
He held the shield in his left hand and kept his right hand loosely clenched to stay relaxed.
His one-handed sword stayed sheathed on his back.
No monsters in sight yet.
No need to run around with a drawn blade and risk hurting his own team.
“Lou, don’t be too nervous.
First time entering a Hollow builds up a lot of pressure.
You’ll end up throwing up if you’re not careful.”
Qingyi patted his back and said with a smile.
She stopped half a meter away from the Hollow entrance.
Zhu Yuan also waited there.
They clearly wanted to enter together.
Entering at the same time lowered the chance of getting separated inside.
Louis nodded, smiled, and followed the two seniors into the Hollow.
The three of them vanished behind the shimmering black wall.
The world instantly flipped upside down.
Louis had walked in upright, but the moment he crossed the threshold, his feet lost all contact with the ground.
When he looked down, his heart nearly stopped.
He was already hundreds of meters in the air, free-falling straight toward the city below.
And there was no bungee cord attached to his legs.
Louis cursed wildly in his mind.
He had never heard of having to beat gravity before he could even fight monsters.
With his current body, hitting the ground would turn him into paste.
Dead before he even got started.
To survive, he would have to transform mid-air and use his powers to cancel the fall damage.
But Zhu Yuan and Qingyi were falling right next to him.
Louis hesitated.
Was it too soon to reveal himself?
The ground was rushing up way too fast.
There wasn’t much time to think.
Just as he prepared to summon his belt, Zhu Yuan adjusted her posture and moved closer toward him.
Louis paused.
Maybe Zhu Yuan had a way to land safely.
He decided to wait and only transform if it became absolutely necessary.
As the three of them fell closer to a tall building, Qingyi drew her weapon.
It was a three-section staff connected by chains.
She flicked her arm, snapping the sections into one long staff.
Then she activated her electric power, leaped forward in the air, and slammed the staff hard into the building’s outer wall.
The sudden brake slowed their descent.
She reached out with her free hand toward Zhu Yuan.
Bonus chapters
200 – Stones
400 – Stones
600 – Stones
And so on, do you best!