“You mentioned before that almost everyone on Sixth Street knows your real identity.
Are they really that united?
Has no one ever reported you?”
Louis thought back to the bold claims Belle had made earlier.
It made him curious.
He had originally assumed Phaethon was a highly classified secret.
He never expected all the neighbors to know about it, leaving him completely in the dark.
“Well, everyone here has their own side hustles.
You’ll understand eventually.”
Wise replied, looking a little embarrassed.
Louis more or less understood what he meant.
No one’s background was completely clean around here.
They either cooperated with each other or they all went down together.
Naturally, no one was foolish enough to report anyone else.
That was simply how things worked on Sixth Street: straightforward people, plenty of talent, and tight-knit neighbors.
Louis let out a sigh.
“Spending time around you two really drives the point home.
The people you hang around with end up rubbing off on you.”
He had a point.
Hanging around Zhu Yuan was clearly starting to influence him for the better.
As for this pair of troublemaking siblings, they were something else entirely.
“I have another question.
In your eyes, am I actually a resident of Sixth Street?”
Louis asked, shifting the topic.
He knew full well that he was an outsider who had suddenly appeared in the neighborhood, yet no one here had ever asked about his background.
It was strange.
“Aren’t you?” Belle shot back.
“I’m just a newcomer who recently moved in.
I don’t know nearly as much about Sixth Street as the Public Security officers do.”
“That’s true.
You’re clearly new around here, so why does it feel like you’re no different from any other neighbor?
That’s why I didn’t hold back when we were talking earlier.”
Belle thought it over and realized she had overlooked something.
Even though Louis was a newcomer, she had never treated him like one.
She had completely ignored the fact that he was an outsider from the start.
Only now, after he brought it up himself, did it really sink in.
“Don’t blame your own lack of awareness on some mysterious force.” Wise teased his sister.
“Well, don’t you think so too?
It really feels like Louis was always meant to be part of Sixth Street.”
“It does seem that way.
Maybe Louis just has one of those friendly faces.
He’s a good person.
He isn’t bound by rigid rules and always follows the justice in his heart.”
Wise nodded in agreement.
There was a good reason he called Louis a good person.
Even though they were technically on opposite sides, the fact that Louis was willing to sit down and listen to their explanations was already impressive. Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping dot com.
Without any solid evidence, he still believed they hadn’t committed any crimes.
On top of that, he had gone into the Hollow during the day to take down dangerous Ethereals.
Every single one of those points earned Wise’s genuine respect.
“I love hearing that.
Keep going,” Louis said with a pleased expression as he leaned back on the sofa.
He wasn’t some saint without desires.
Of course he enjoyed being praised.
It actually felt pretty good.
“Your skin is thick enough to make shoe soles out of,” Belle muttered under her breath.
“Phaethon, you wouldn’t want the Public Security finding out your true identity, would you?”
Louis looked at Belle with a meaningful smile.
Belle felt a chill run down her spine.
This was the “good person” her brother had mentioned?
Right now, she wasn’t even sure what the word “good” meant anymore.
“Um…
This handsome and dashing Security Officer…
I’ve never admired anyone in my life, but I really admire heroes like you who risk their lives to protect the citizens.
My admiration for you is like the endless flow of ether energy through the underground pipes…
continuous and never-ending.
And just like the expansion of a Hollow, it’s completely unstoppable.”
The reluctant look on Belle’s face disappeared in an instant, replaced by an almost overly flattering smile.
Louis realized she had a real talent for this kind of bootlicking.
He almost wanted to take notes so he could show Qingyi later.
“Alright, do whatever you want from now on.
Just don’t do anything that causes real harm.
I’m heading out.”
After enjoying himself enough, Louis stood up.
Before leaving, he finished the last drop of tea in his cup.
“Wait a second, why did you come back all of a sudden?” Belle asked the important question.
If Louis hadn’t returned unexpectedly, she wouldn’t have had to say all those embarrassing things against her will.
Those lines were exactly what the Hollow raiders had used to thank her before.
“It’s that movie called Super Great White Shark.
I rented parts one and three, but I realized I was missing part two.
I wanted to get it so I could watch the whole series together.”
Louis pulled out the videotape he had rented earlier.
If he was missing the third one it might have been fine, but having one and three without two?
No one with even a hint of OCD could stand that.
“I hate Great White Shark!” Belle said through gritted teeth.
After finding the tape for him, she didn’t even bother collecting payment.
She basically shoved Louis out the door as if sending away a plague.
“It’s a good thing he knows the truth.
Otherwise, having a Public Security officer living right here on Sixth Street would make things really stressful,” Wise said with a smile, trying to comfort his clearly annoyed sister.
Besides, quite a few people already knew their identity, and they were all Sixth Street neighbors, so the pressure wasn’t that bad.
“Just wait. Find the original chapter at g.com.
Next time I catch him in a vulnerable spot, he’s finished,” Belle said, clenching her fist.
If Louis had humiliated her this badly today, then next time she would definitely get her revenge and make him understand exactly how it felt.
When he got back home, Louis started his daily workout.
The injuries he had suffered earlier had healed completely.
He suspected it wasn’t just his natural durability at work.
The Knight’s power seemed to be helping repair his body as well.
Netizens always joked that the belt would eventually take your life.
Maybe the belt itself realized that if its only host died, it would be finished too.
As a community of shared fate, it had to look after him.
Louis worked out while listening to the screams coming from the television.
After watching the entire movie, he concluded that the Great White Shark actually had the best acting performance.
He rated the film as “way too over the top.”
“Bangboo, thanks for all your hard work today,” Louis said to the Bangboo exercising beside him.
This was the first time he had used its ability, and he found it incredibly convenient.
It ran on a hybrid of electrical and ether energy.
Inside the Hollow, where ether energy was everywhere, it could even recharge itself.
Louis still found it hard to believe that he had created such an amazing Bangboo himself.
All he could say was that Genius Form was truly on another level.
“Ora!”
The Bangboo’s voice rang out as strong and energetic as ever.
After letting out the shout, it struck a perfect bodybuilding pose to show that everything was fine.
“Still, I can’t keep playing dead every single time.
Next time, you might have to take my place and infiltrate the group.
Make sure you don’t get exposed,” Louis said with a sigh.
The fake-out trick couldn’t be overused, or it would eventually be figured out.
The Bangboo’s mimicry ability had to be used carefully.
It was just like the Worms from the Kabuto world.
Mimicry worked fine, but people close to you could spot the differences immediately.
The best approach would be to act cold and emotionless, but Louis couldn’t bring himself to do that.
His female boss was far too kind.
How could he possibly feel nothing toward her?
The next day…
Louis woke up from his sleep.
The first thing he did was open a blind box.
Honestly, getting a random belt every day was pretty fun.
No one could predict what form it would take.
There was no belt today.
Louis paused for a moment.
He knew that even if the belt was hidden somewhere, it would always materialize when it first appeared.
But today, there was no belt by his side.
Instead, he found a card deck holder.
“So it’s you this time,” Louis said with a smile.
He picked up the card deck holder and examined the exquisite dragon pattern engraved on it.
After getting up, he walked over to the full-length mirror in his home.
There was only one change in his reflection: a metal belt had appeared around his waist, with a card slot in the center perfectly sized for the deck holder in his hand.