Thirty minutes was too long.
The people of Canvas Lane were still waiting for rescue, and Nekomata was in deep trouble. They couldn't just sit here and do nothing.
Belle pressed on, "Fairy, is there a better way?"
Fairy was silent for a moment before responding, "Scanning… new method detected. Initiating train to Canvas Lane. Requesting Mr. Sam Li's assistance in opening the doors. Estimated time required: ten minutes—"
From thirty minutes down to ten.
Belle's eyes lit up. "Let's go with this plan! Anby, don't cut it down—we're taking the train back to Canvas Lane and having Sam Li open the carriage doors."
Anby hesitated. "But the carriages are physically locked. Sam Li doesn't have the key. Can he open it?"
Belle replied firmly, "We have to trust him."
She had seen Sam Li's terrifying strength firsthand.
Back in the Hollows, she had watched him fire a single shot that pierced through an entire train carriage, blasting a massive hole in its roof.
If Fairy hadn't reminded her, Belle might have forgotten—Sam Li was here, and he was powerful.
If only they had brought him along from the start.
Without wasting any more time, Belle started the train with Fairy's assistance…
Soon, they arrived at Canvas Lane.
Awaiting them was a large crowd of residents.
Belle leaned out the window and shouted, "Mr. Sam Li, help us! Just like in the Hollows—use your spear to blast the train doors open!"
Anby blinked in surprise. "Sam Li uses a spear?"
She had spent days with Sam Li but had never seen him fight. She had always assumed he was just a civilian.
Hearing Belle's call, Sam Li approached with a puzzled expression, then quickly grasped the situation.
He could blast the door open with a single shot, no problem.
But that would be overkill.
"Give me a moment—I'll open it."
Sam Li stepped up to the train's emergency mechanical lock, pressing a hand against it. He channeled Geo energy into the mechanism, instantly mapping out its internal structure.
With a small manipulation of Geo, he nudged the lock's core—and the sealed door clicked open.
Meanwhile, inside the carriage…
Belle had Eous grab the hem of Anby's skirt, signaling her to step back. "Careful! That shot is too powerful—if you're too close, you'll get caught in the blast."
Anby's expression grew serious. "Got it—"
She hadn't believed Sam Li had that kind of strength.
But seeing how serious Belle was, she started to take it seriously too, cautiously retreating to the edge of the carriage.
This should be far enough.
"Hold on tight, Anby—"
The next second, there was a soft click.
The carriage door swung open.
No spear shot through the carriage.
Just a simple, quiet unlocking—like using a key.
Wait. Weren't they supposed to be blasting the door open with a spear?
Wasn't there supposed to be a dangerous explosion?
Belle scratched her head awkwardly. "Uh… well… thanks for the help. I didn't realize you were such a skilled locksmith, haha—"
There was no time for Belle's awkward jokes.
Anby quickly stepped off the train and explained the situation to Sam Li—the failed plan, the destroyed track, and the current danger.
"The track to New Eridu has been blown up. The plan failed. Nekomata locked Proxy and me in the train while she took Perlman to the demolition command post to buy time…"
A wasted trip, and now they had lost an ally.
Things had just gotten worse.
While Anby updated Sam Li, Belle tried communicating with Fairy again. "Fairy, is there any way to evacuate the civilians?"
Fairy's voice chimed in her ear. "Analyzing current conditions… formulating plan… plan successfully created. Master can use the train to transport the residents of Canvas Lane to the site of the rail explosion, then proceed on foot to New Eridu. This will save approximately thirty minutes."
Belle frowned. "But the explosion site is in the Dead End Hollows. The people of Canvas Lane are ordinary civilians—how will they survive in the Hollows?"
Fairy responded, "Master, I forgot to inform you—the Dead End Hollows are rapidly collapsing. By the time you reach the explosion site, the path to New Eridu should already be exposed beyond the Hollow's influence."
The Hollows were retreating.
That was actually good news.
Belle hadn't noticed it when they returned from the monitoring station. If Fairy hadn't pointed it out, she wouldn't have realized.
She immediately turned to Anby and Sam Li. "We have a way out! Gather everyone onto the train—we'll head to the explosion site and walk to New Eridu from there!"
Anby brightened. "I'll rally the residents. Let's move!"
The people had been waiting for this moment.
As soon as Anby called out, they quickly gathered, boarding the train in an orderly fashion under her direction.
With Belle and Anby here, everything was in good hands.
Sam Li turned his gaze toward New Eridu. "I'll leave this to you. I'm heading to Nekomata."
Belle, through Eous, nodded. "Please—take care of my client."
Sam Li replied calmly, "Miss Nekomata is my client too."
And with that, he left.
Sam Li stepped into the dark night, his pace appearing slow—yet he moved with remarkable speed.
After he left, Anby suddenly realized something. "Wait… where's Sam Li?"
Belle explained, "He went ahead to help Nekomata."
Hearing this, Anby grew anxious. "Sam Li isn't good at fighting. Even if he gets there first, he'll have a hard time against the Vision Corporation. We need to go help him!"
Belle stared at her in disbelief. "Huh?"
Did she hear that right?
Anby just said… Sam Li isn't good at fighting?
If it were anyone else saying that, Belle wouldn't have been surprised. After all, Sam Li did look like the scholarly type.
But Anby—his own partner—didn't know how strong he was?
Was she truly unaware, or just pretending?
Belle chuckled. "Actually, Sam Li is pretty amazing."
She could still vividly remember that shot from the sky—the sheer power of it.
With the train's help, they quickly arrived at the site where the tracks had been destroyed.
Just as Fairy had predicted, the tracks were blown apart, and the road ahead was now exposed beyond the collapsing Dead End Hollows.
Even without the train, they could reach New Eridu on foot without issue.
Anby was relieved. "The Hollows are collapsing, which means Nicole and Billy are safe! Let's hurry—Sam Li is waiting for us!"
Belle, controlling Eous, nodded. "Full speed ahead!"
Though traveling on foot was slower, the absence of Hollow interference meant the path was clear, and they would soon arrive at Vision Corporation's demolition command post.
They hadn't walked far when suddenly—
Anby spotted two bright lights up ahead.
As the lights drew closer, she finally saw their source—
Reuniting at last, Anby couldn't contain her excitement. "Nicole! Billy! You made it back!"
Belle smiled as well. "Why the long faces? Worried about Sam Li? Don't be. He made it out of the Hollows a while ago and is already on his way to Vision Corporation's demolition command post in New Eridu."
Hearing this, Nicole and Billy looked relieved—
But only for a moment.
Their expressions quickly darkened again.
Anby frowned. "What's wrong?"
Nicole sighed. "See for yourself. Today's just not our day. We finally escaped, and guess what? The moment we stepped out of the Hollows, we ran into two enforcers—"
As she spoke, she and Billy raised their hands—
Revealing two pairs of silver handcuffs, gleaming under the light.