If Sam Li were alone, surrounded by Vision Company's armed forces, all he would need to do is shout, "Unshakable as stone!"
Neither bombs nor bullets
could break through the Jadewall Shield.
But now, with over a hundred civilians around him, the range of his shield wasn't large enough to protect everyone. If he wanted to keep them safe, large-scale conflict had to be avoided.
If Vision Company got wind of their presence and set off the explosives early,
the ones to suffer would be the civilians.
Naturally, Belle had already considered this.
She quickly contacted her brother and fairy, and together they came up with a flawless rescue plan.
"If we can't fight them head-on, then let's send two people to Vision Company's surveillance post three kilometers away. We'll seize their boss and hijack the train they use to transport armed personnel. Those trains are resistant to Ether erosion—perfect for getting the civilians through the Hollow safely."
Theoretically, the plan was nearly perfect.
And it was highly feasible.
Now the only question was—
Who would go to the surveillance point to seize the train?
And who would stay behind in Canvas Lane to protect the civilians?
Anby gripped her blade tightly and said with determination, "Let me go. I'll bring this war to an end."
Belle agreed right away, then looked toward Sam Li and Nekomata.
"We just need one person to stay here and guard the civilians."
Nekomata said impatiently, "Obviously me. But between Anby and Sam Li, I'd much rather go with Sam Li—he's way more reassuring."
Anby was clearly displeased. "Don't question my strength."
Nekomata sighed. "Fine, Anby it is. As long as we capture Vision's boss, I can manage on my own."
With the roles assigned,
Belle, Nekomata, and Anby set off according to the pre-planned route.
A strange background tune suddenly started playing.
"Dun, dun-dun-dun-dun, dun, dun-dun-dun-dun, dun-dun-dun-dun—"
"Meow! Anby, you scared the fur off me! We're almost at Vision's surveillance post and you're still making noise. Don't tell me you're scared?"
"This is pre-battle music. It boosts combat power."
"Keep it down. If Vision's people hear us, we're toast—"
Because most of Vision's armed forces had been sent to the front lines, the surveillance point wasn't heavily guarded.
Security was relatively lax.
Nekomata, nimble and petite, slipped past the guards with ease.
Anby darted through the shadows, weaving nimbly through obstacles, bypassing the defenses as well.
Belle, controlling Eous, crept forward cautiously, using the ruins for cover.
she stepped on a stone and lost her footing.
Her round body tumbled forward—rolling, rolling—until she landed right in front of the Vision guards.
Belle controlling Eous: "!!!!"
Vision guards: "????"
Just as the guards raised their guns—
In the next instant, two shadows burst out from the darkness—Anby and Nekomata.
Each took down a guard in a flash.
Anby landed smoothly. "Done."
Now that they'd been exposed,
they had no choice but to go in loud.
Nekomata scooped up Eous. "Ready to charge, Proxy?"
Belle, through Eous, protested, "Me? Charge? Hey, Nekomata, what are you trying to pull this time?"
Before she could finish—
Nekomata had already hurled Eous toward the armed men.
"! Stick out your leg and kick them, meow!"
Soaring through the air,
she instinctively had Eous extend a leg—aiming for the nearest enemy's head.
Eous was just a distraction.
Before the guards could react, Nekomata and Anby burst out from behind Eous, taking down the remaining enemies in an instant.
Eous's flying kick landed on the last enemy, knocking him down—though she nearly toppled over herself.
Anby said firmly, "Keep moving!"
Nekomata smirked. "Let's see who catches the Vision boss first, meow."
Belle, still controlling Eous: "..."
Even with that little mishap,
everything was still going exactly as planned.
Nekomata and Anby found Vision Company's boss, Perlman, inside the surveillance room.
"Don't even think about running, you short little murderer! You treat lives like they're nothing. Time to give it up."
"Get him on the train. We'll head back to Canvas Lane to pick up Sam Li and the civilians."
Nekomata pinned Perlman's arms while Anby pushed his head down, forcing him onto the train.
Belle, controlling Eous, was also ready to return to Canvas Lane.
Suddenly, a message came through from fairy:
"Warning: small-scale explosion detected. The rail line from Canvas Lane to New Eridu has been damaged. The plan has failed—"
She quickly relayed the message to Anby and Nekomata.
At that moment, a voice called out from outside the carriage. It was one of the surviving armed men:
"Officer Perlman, I did it. I blew up the track to New Eridu. They're finished."
Perlman was livid. "You idiot—! With the tracks gone, how are we supposed to get out?! You've ruined everything!"
The plan had been so close to success...
But the moment the track was destroyed, it collapsed completely.
Anby slumped into a seat, haunted by old memories, muttering to herself,
"Failed again... I still couldn't save them. I failed... again..."
Belle was at a loss for what to do.
And fairy brought more bad news—enemy reinforcements were rapidly approaching.
If they didn't move soon,
they'd be surrounded.
Nekomata held a small medal in her hand, looking at the photo on it as a smile crept across her face.
Belle was exasperated. "Nekomata, what are you smiling at?!"
In this crisis, one of them was lost in her own thoughts, and the other was randomly grinning.
Belle was losing her mind trying to keep them together.
Nekomata stood up and smiled. "I just thought of something."
Belle blinked. "What?"
Nekomata grabbed Perlman by the collar and dragged him to the train door.
"I'll go negotiate with Vision Company's demolition command center. I'll stall them as long as I can. The civilians in Canvas Lane are in your hands now."
Belle immediately objected. "No! That's way too dangerous!"
But before she could stop her,
Nekomata had already pulled Perlman out of the train, slammed the door shut behind her, and locked it from the outside.
Belle shouted through the door, "Nekomata, don't—!"
Nekomata gripped Perlman's collar with one hand and waved to Anby and Belle with the other.
"Sorry, Anby... I dragged you all into this mess, almost got everyone killed. Tell Sam Li goodbye for me. I won't be able to pay the commission I promised—but I owe you. I'll pay you back in the next life..."
she used Perlman as a hostage to threaten the nearby armed guards, demanding they bring him a protective suit and take her to Vision Company's demolition command center.
Belle kept shouting Nekomata's name, but it was no use.
Anby, realizing how serious things were, drew her blade and began hacking at the train door—but it wouldn't budge. It was a reinforced door made to withstand heavy damage.
Watching Nekomata disappear into the distance with the guards,
Belle grew frantic and quickly contacted fairy.
"Is there any way to open this door?!"
Fairy's voice chimed in: "Scanning... Only one object nearby can break through the door."
Belle responded urgently, "What is it?!"
"Anby's blade. Estimated time required to cut through: 30 minutes."