In the blink of an eye, it had already been two full days since Sol and Billy teamed up to speed-clear the Ethereal horde.
Sol spent one day teaming up with Nicole, and another with Anby.
The location remained near Zone T8-AE32.
The place was littered with abandoned forklifts and construction machinery, offering terrain advantages for hunting Ethereals and being relatively close to the Hollow exit—an ideal spot for gathering enemies.
Whether paired with Nicole or Anby, their hunts never exceeded one hour.
As for the rest of the time—if with Nicole, they'd go for ramen, then hunt for potentially valuable antiques at the flea market.
If with Anby, it was burgers followed by a romance movie and another random film.
All in all, the two days passed in a relaxed and cheerful blur.
Reflecting on this carefree life, Sol murmured with slight regret, "If luck had been just a bit better, it would've been perfect."
Two days of card draws yielded [Liu Mao Xing's Six-Flavors Mapo Tofu] and [Xiao Fugui's Eight-Treasure Hotpot]. (T/N: Both are dishes from the Chinese anime: Chūka Ichiban! And Magic Boy Kitchener.)
Even though they were white cards, they still had their uses.
At the very least, they helped the Cunning Hares polish off several extra bowls of rice.
The only disappointment was that Nicole searched the entire block but never again found that clothes-burstingly delicious flavor.
Now it was Sunday morning, and everyone at the Cunning Hares was gathered around the breakfast table as usual.
Perhaps due to the weekend, breakfast was noticeably richer today.
In front of Billy sat a plate of Hydro Cells, with several side dishes on the table. In front of Anby were two steaming hot burgers.
"Sol, it's already Sunday. Let's all head to the Hollow together after breakfast," Nicole said with a radiant smile.
Watching the Cunning Hares' financial situation improve so quickly over the past two days had put her in an excellent mood.
Especially the way Sol got along with everyone—it only made her more satisfied.
She had secretly worried that someone as strong as Sol might look down on them for being weak.
But after these days together, she realized Sol genuinely treated the Cunning Hares like family.
Whether it was her, Anby, or even Billy—the male robot—Sol's attitude was flawless.
Sol teased, "No problem, Nicole. But you were terrified the other day. Why so chill now?"
He still remembered how, when they entered the Hollow two days ago and a horde of Ethereals came charging in from his [Taunt], Nicole had panicked and burrowed right into his arms.
Her adorably scared reaction had tempted Sol to keep using [Taunt] over and over just to enjoy the view.
Even while holding Nicole with one arm and fending off Ethereals with the other, he was still unmatched within the Hollow!
That day's progress was worth three times what he and Billy had done. The entire Hollow was reduced to 50% of its original size!
No wonder people say mixed-gender teams don't tire easily—it really had some truth to it.
"Hmph, that was all your fault!"
Nicole shot Sol a sharp glare.
She had indeed been scared at first, curling up in his arms—but then Sol got excited, charging straight into the Ethereal swarm with her in tow.
He even shouted bizarre phrases like "Offense and defense as one, impervious to weakness!" and "Dragon's might, tiger's courage—cut down foes and break formations!" while doing it.
Later, when she tried to get down, Sol wouldn't let her. He only held her tighter and plowed through the enemies seven times in and out.
By the time they left the Hollow, she had finally been put down—but she was so drained from being held that it took her a while to recover.
After all that, she found it genuinely hard to feel scared of Ethereals anymore.
Now with the whole Cunning Hares heading into the Hollow together, it felt more like a team-building event than a mission.
Billy was itching with curiosity, practically dying to dig through Nicole's brain for gossip. "Nicole boss, what really happened that day?"
"Don't ask what you shouldn't!" Nicole shot Billy another glare, barking, "Go suck on your Hydro Cell—our boss's business is none of yours!"
Billy picked up his Hydro Cell in defeat and chewed away dejectedly.
Even his favorite snack now tasted like chewing on wax. Without juicy gossip to spice things up, Hydro Cells were just dry and bland.
Anby glanced at Billy's plate of Hydro Cells, frowning slightly. The packaging looked different from what she remembered.
She shook her head and bit into her burger, choosing not to overthink it.
Nicole snuck a guilty peek at Billy—she'd been worried Sol was spending too much on Hydro Cells, so she bought a cheaper batch herself. And apparently, Billy hadn't noticed.
Soon, breakfast was done.
The entire Cunning Hares squad squeezed into an old car and headed toward the Cretan Companion Hollow near Fourteenth Street.
"Today we're hitting the Cretan Hollow. Let's make it quick and clean!" Nicole said seriously from the passenger seat.
She was determined to prove herself this time and redeem the face she'd lost before.
"No problem, Boss Nicole! The Starlight Knight's got plenty of ammo!" Billy responded first, full of confidence.
With forty pounds of bullets funded by Sol, his firepower was loaded.
He'd even spent his own money on premium gun oil to properly pamper his two beloved ladies.
Right now, his martial virtue was overflowing.
Anby nodded lightly. "Don't worry, Nicole. I'll do my part."
Nicole was very pleased by their responses. "Once we're out of the Hollow, we're all going to a luxury buffet!"
"Eat as much as you want, no limits!"
Sol had been gone for a month, and during that time, the Cunning Hares had lived through some rough days to pay off their debt to Phaethon.
Although things had improved significantly since his return—
As their leader, Nicole felt she had to do something.
It would be today. They'd already visited the Cretan Hollow many times. With everyone together, clearing it should be a breeze.
Sol looked at Nicole's enthusiastic expression and silently shook his head.
That was a textbook flag. The kind that made your hairs stand on end.
And he had spotted some shady characters lurking within the Hollow earlier.
Looks like today's clean-up… wouldn't be so simple.
But that's fine. I'll take care of it.