Zhu Yuan and Twiggy confirmed the abnormality in the report.
And that the vehicle responsible for cleaning up the special Etherals residue from Bai Zhi Heavy Industry might run into trouble.
They ultimately decided to head to The Hollow.
Meanwhile, Ling and Zhe also decided to do what they could to help Zhu Yuan and Twiggy.
They hurriedly returned to the Video Store and sent Eous to The Hollow.
Because they were worried about the possibility of Hoshimi Aya being recognized, they did not let Hoshimi Aya accompany them, instead having her observe from the Video Store.
After entering The Hollow, Twiggy and Zhu Yuan easily found the evidence vehicle.
They also discovered signs that the evidence vehicle seemed to have been opened.
At the same time, they were attacked and quickly surrounded.
However, with Ling's help, the two still managed to break through the encirclement.
But this also exposed the existence of Eous and their identity as Proxys.
Fortunately, they were able to return safely without turning on Eous and capturing him.
...
The next morning,
Cat arrived at the Video Store again.
"Three of you, I'm here!"
"I am already prepared."
Cat said with a smile.
"Good, that works."
"Cat, since you are already prepared,"
"Let me explain the precautions for sorting videotapes."
"Then you can start working with Aya."
Zhe said with a grin.
"Huh?! Work!!"
Cat exclaimed in disbelief; she didn't come here to work.
"Wait, wait a moment! Didn't you agree to take on the Proxy commission?"
"We agreed last night!"
"Are you assisting me and the client in entering The Hollow today?!"
Cat asked back; she never said she was coming to work.
"Oh, so doing business together means this!"
Ling looked as if she had suddenly understood.
"Of course, it's business in The Hollow!"
"You guys... don't tell me you thought Belle asked me to come here to work off my debt?!"
"Although Belle seems to have a bank account where her conscience should be, she's still quite good to me."
"Besides, if anyone's going to work, it should be those three white-haired bastards!"
Cat said indignantly.
"Sorry, we misunderstood."
"But if you're going to The Hollow, why aren't the others here?"
Zhe asked doubtfully.
"Because this commission is my personal idea."
"How should I put it? I caused a lot of trouble for everyone during the previous incident at Yuanjing, but Belle still invited me to stay."
"Now that Cunning Hares is in the red, I feel it's time for me to step up!"
Cat proudly puffed out her chest after speaking.
"The boss can't afford wages, so the employee takes on private jobs, actively earning extra money to subsidize, that's truly enviable,"
Zhe mused.
Hoshimi Aya, who had just walked in carrying four bowls of ramen, happened to overhear this sentence.
"I can go out and earn extra money too."
Hoshimi Aya placed the ramen on the table and looked at the few of them.
"Aya, we weren't talking about you."
"You're fine just being yourself as usual,"
Ling said with a smile.
"When I earn money this time and go back, I will definitely mock those three white-haired bastards thoroughly!"
"Especially Twiggy!"
"Belle will surely praise me then... ( *ˆoˆ﹡ )"
Cat said fiercely.
"What's wrong?"
"What happened with Anby and the other two? Did you have some conflict?"
Hoshimi Aya asked confusedly.
It shouldn't be like this. Anby and the others didn't seem like people who would bully a cat.
"It's nothing much, just that hateful Twiggy!"
"She had half a month's wages docked, and she actually stole the money I saved for mackerel to buy a weapon for that Anby girl!"
"But luckily I found out, and I got Belle to help me get it back. She was punished with another half-month of sleeping on the sofa."
"It's truly hateful, the three of them actually ganged up to bully a lone individual like me."
"Twiggy disguised herself as Xiao A, and Xiao A dressed up like Twiggy to stay near Anby, making me think Xiao A entered my room to take something!"
"As a result, they took the money I saved for mackerel."
"But thank goodness Belle stood up for me and I got my money back."
"When I return from this commission, I'll surely make them look at me with new eyes."
"I'll tell them money doesn't grow on trees; it's earned through hard work, and they shouldn't always be eyeing other people's pockets,"
Cat said fiercely.
"I see, then there's no problem."
"Go ahead, what is this commission?"
Zhe nodded, as it was someone else's private matter, he shouldn't say too much.
"Recently, a certain corporation lost a batch of Aether resources in The Hollow."
"They are currently recruiting capable agents and Proxys through Inter-Knot to enter The Hollow with the corporation's representatives for an on-site survey, in preparation for future resource recovery,"
Cat recalled, stroking her chin.
The commission was finally settled, with the commission fee split fifty-fifty.
Afterward, the group began eating the three small and one large bowl of ramen that Hoshimi Aya had brought.
Of course, the large bowl of ramen was for Hoshimi Aya; it was specially customized because her appetite was slightly larger, and a normal large portion wasn't enough, hence the one specially large bowl.
...
Inside The Hollow.
"Aya, are you sure you want to dress like this?"
"It makes us look like villains."
Cat asked, looking at Hoshimi Aya, who was covered by a cloak, leaving only her eyes and shoes visible.
She didn't know why Hoshimi Aya wanted to dress like this.
"My face is too recognizable; it's very easy to be identified."
"This cloak is perfect for covering me up."
"And I'm quite satisfied with it."
"It wouldn't be good if I'm misunderstood again when I meet the client later,"
Hoshimi Aya explained.
New clothes were bought, so they definitely had to be worn.
Besides, she was quite satisfied with this style.
"It really does look a bit like a villain,"
Ling agreed.
It gave off the feeling of a villain carrying out a secret mission.
Soon, the group arrived at the designated mission location inside The Hollow.
"That person over there should be our guide."
"Let's go over quickly."
Hoshimi Aya pointed to the man in the brown trench coat not far away.
"That's right, that must be him. Let's hurry over,"
Saying that, Cat trotted over.
Hoshimi Aya and Ling followed suit and ran over.
"Hello, you must be Miss Cat, right?"
"Let me introduce myself, I am Ouli, the person in charge of this operation."
The man in the brown trench coat introduced himself.
"Operation?"
"It's just a survey commission. Are corporations nowadays fond of such fancy titles?"
Cat's eyes widened in shock.
"Cough, cough, what I meant was, the guide for this commission, yes, the guide for the commission, haha."
Ouli explained somewhat awkwardly.
"Right, and this must be the cooperating Proxy,"
Ouli then extended his hand towards Hoshimi Aya.
"..."
"I am not the Proxy."
"The Bangboo next to me is,"
Hoshimi Aya explained.
Suddenly, a roar from a Etherals was heard nearby, and Ouli's scream followed.
And Ouli's scream made Cat's ears stand straight up, giving her a feeling of her fur standing on end.
"Hey, hey, can you consider the feelings of a Nekomata!"
"I feel like my eardrums are about to be pierced!"
Cat complained.
"Never mind that for now, let's deal with the approaching Etherals first,"
Saying that, Hoshimi Aya took out a black box from her waist, which transformed into a compound longbow.
Cat stared blankly at the weapon Hoshimi Aya took out.
---------------------------------
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