Chapter 330: The Rescue Turns into a Death Knell
After listening to Nicole's frantic narration, the Deputy Commander of Hollow Special Operations Section 6 stepped forward. Tsukishiro Yanagi, a picture of refined composure, adjusted her glasses with a slender finger. The fluorescent warehouse lights glinted off the lenses as she analyzed the situation, her voice an unwavering, methodical calm.
"Miss Nicole, we appreciate you providing such crucial intelligence," Yanagi began, her tone perfectly polite yet entirely detached. "However, Commander Bringer's status complicates matters. He is not merely a high-ranking official within Public Security; he is a leading candidate in the current election for Chief Security Officer of the Janus District., his political use within City Hall is substantial."
She paused. Her sharp gaze swept over the ragtag members of the Cunning Hares, carrying the heavy weight of official rigor. "Section 6 does operate with a high degree of independent authority. Our primary mandate, however, is addressing Hollows and the catastrophic threats they produce."
"When the matter involves severe accusations against an active, high-ranking security official, the protocol shifts," Yanagi continued, her posture rigid. "We cannot execute an arrest based solely on the unilateral testimony of a witness—especially one currently classified as an 'escaped fugitive'—without substantial physical evidence to back those claims."
"To do so would violate standard procedure. It would inevitably trigger severe political turmoil and severe public backlash across New Eridu. We require a conclusive, obvious chain of evidence before we can act."
As Yanagi delivered her bureaucratic explanation, the atmosphere in the warehouse began to shift. Wise's eyes narrowed. Beside him, Billy and Anby stiffened. The three Section 6 operatives led by Hoshimi Miyabi were moving. The shifts in their footing were microscopic, entirely silent, yet unmistakably deliberate.
Miyabi remained rooted to her spot, her expression a mask of absolute indifference. She looked entirely unconcerned with the unfolding drama, yet her casual stance had subtly shifted. The angle of her shoulders and the placement of her boots effectively severed the Cunning Hares' primary escape route toward the main passage.
To her right, Asaba Harumasa paced with a lazy, almost bored saunter. Yet, every seemingly casual step he took precisely choked off any avenue of retreat to the side or rear.
Meanwhile, Soukaku hoisted her massive weapon with a deceptive clumsiness, her positioning naturally applying a crushing, invisible pressure against the Hares' exposed flank.
The three elite operatives moved as if connected by a shared nervous system. Their coordination was terrifyingly natural, weaving a loose, inescapable net that quietly boxed in Nicole, Wise, and the small Bangboo, Eous.
The air grew heavy, thick with unspoken hostility. The metallic hum of the warehouse lights suddenly sounded deafening against the suffocating silence.
Just as the invisible snare was about to snap shut, Anby tilted her head up. Her emerald eyes, sharp and unyielding, locked onto Harumasa and Soukaku.
"Enough."
Anby's voice didn't rise above a conversational volume, yet it sliced through the warehouse with a biting chill.
Without anyone noticing the exact moment she moved, her right hand had already settled onto the hilt of her blade. Her center of gravity dropped. Every muscle in her lithe frame coiled, adopting a flawless, hair-trigger combat stance.
Her emotionless gaze tracked from Miyabi to Harumasa, and finally to Soukaku.
"Since a moment ago, your squad has been shifting positions to form an encirclement," Anby stated, stripping away any pretense or diplomatic padding. "Please remain within my line of sight and cease these tactical movements. They clearly indicate hostility."
She let the silence stretch for a fraction of a second, her grip on her hilt tightening just enough to let the metal creak.
"Otherwise, there will be no need for this conversation to continue."
The ambient air practically solidified into concrete. Anby's blunt warning cranked the tension of an already taut bowstring past its breaking point. The warehouse bristled with lethal intent; a single dropped pin could have ignited a bloodbath.
Genuine panic flashed across Nicole's face. Her emerald eyes widened. She had called Section 6 in as reinforcements, desperately hoping they would solve the crisis. She never imagined her supposed saviors would instantly pivot, transforming into a guillotine suspended directly over their necks.
Throwing her arms out, Nicole stepped firmly in front of Wise and Anby, shielding them with her own body. She glared at Miyabi. "Hey! You martial arts fanatic fox! What is the meaning of this? What exactly are you trying to pull here?!" she shouted, her voice echoing off the corrugated metal walls. "I'm the one who called you! I asked for your help! Why are you trying to apprehend my people?!"
Miyabi's eyes, as placid and unreadable as a frozen lake, drifted past the furious pink-haired leader. Her gaze finally locked onto Wise.
When she spoke, her voice was a crisp, chilling breeze—completely devoid of emotion, yet carrying an absolute, unyielding authority. "The Vision Corporation case is far-reaching. Its background is exceedingly complex."
"To guarantee the safety of the witnesses and ensure the smooth progression of all subsequent investigations, securing the key witness, Perlman, is not enough." Miyabi's hand rested loosely near her katana. "We must also ask this gentleman to accompany us to assist in the inquiry."
Wise blinked, a jolt of genuine surprise piercing his usual calm demeanor. He mentally reviewed his recent operations. He had never made direct contact with Section 6. He and Belle had always operated from the shadows, carefully scrubbing their digital footprints. There was absolutely no logical reason for an elite government strike force to single him out by name. Why target him?
Sensing the silent question radiating from the young man, Yanagi stepped in to clarify. She raised a hand, gently pushing her spectacles up the bridge of her nose. Behind the polished glass, her eyes were as sharp and analytical as a surgeon's scalpel.
"You are Mr. Wise, correct?" Yanagi asked, though it clearly wasn't a question. "According to our internal investigations, a distinct pattern has emerged. From the initial Vision Corporation scandal, to the subsequent construction site anomaly managed by Belobog Heavy Industries... then the recent, highly abnormal crash of the Public Security airship. Even the Tour de Inferno competition that recently concluded in the Outer Ring, which was fraught with unmatched twists..."
She ticked the events off on her fingers, her voice echoing with damning clarity. "In every single one of these major incidents that have captivated New Eridu, there appears to be a mysterious Proxy deeply entrenched behind the scenes, providing critical intelligence and unmatched technical support."
Her gaze pinned Wise in place, dissecting him. She slowly, deliberately articulated the identity Section 6 had painstakingly stitched together from scattered breadcrumbs.
"If our intelligence division is not mistaken, the individual operating at the epicenter of these numerous crises—the very same person who served as the head of the Scott Outpost Independent Investigation Team—must be none other than you. The legendary Proxy."
Wise's heart slammed against his ribs. A cold sweat broke out along his spine. He had vastly underestimated them. He never imagined Section 6's intelligence network possessed such terrifying reach. They had dug with surgical precision, connecting nearly every major, highly-classified operation he and Belle had orchestrated, drawing a straight, obvious line right to his front door.
The crushing weight of the official government machinery bore down on him. A lone individual, or even a highly skilled duo, was practically transparent against the grinding gears of a vast, hyper-efficient state apparatus. No matter how brilliantly they encrypted their comms or masked their Hollow dives, they had inevitably left ripples in the ocean of data. Section 6 had simply followed the current.
Nicole's anxiety spiked into outright panic. She threw her hands up, her voice pitching several octaves higher in a desperate bid at misdirection. "What investigation team leader?! You people are completely out of your minds! You've got the wrong guy! He's just an old acquaintance of the Cunning Hares! He's just a regular Proxy who happens to be good with computers!"
"He just takes our commissions to help pay his bills!" she insisted, stepping closer to Yanagi. "I am the one who led this operation! I am the one who called you! If there's a problem with protocol, you take it up with me! Arrest me if you have to!"
Yanagi didn't even blink. Section 6 possessed hard data, and no amount of Nicole's frantic, loud excuses was going to sway their operational parameters.
While Nicole desperately tried to verbally defuse the ticking time bomb, the rest of the Hares prepared for the worst. Billy's custom revolvers twitched in their holsters. Nekomata's twin blades caught the dim light, her playful demeanor entirely vanished. Anby remained perfectly still, her thumb resting heavily on her sword's release catch.
Their eyes sharpened into predatory slits. Muscles coiled tight beneath their clothes, resembling crouching leopards ready to spring. They were entirely prepared to draw steel against New Eridu's most elite task force, willing to tear the warehouse apart just to buy Wise a fraction of a second to escape.
Down at their feet, Eous let out a low, aggressive "Eh-nah!" The little Bangboo bravely threw its stout, metallic body directly in front of Wise, raising its tiny arms to shield its master from the encroaching threat.
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