If they were only entering the outer perimeter of Hollow Zero, Keqing, Xiao, and Hoshimi Miyabi's group shouldn't encounter much danger.
So the commander of H.A.N.D. Headquarters agreed without hesitation.
However, he added a condition.
"Before you head to Hollow Zero, I'd like the two of you to cooperate with a strength assessment. We'll use professional equipment to evaluate your abilities."
At this, even Hoshimi Miyabi and Tsukishiro Yanagi exchanged curious glances, wondering just how high the numbers would go.
Keqing and Xiao shared a brief look and nodded.
"Alright, please lead the way."
The commander smiled slightly.
"This way, please… Tsukishiro Yanagi, contact the testing facility and have them prepare the site and equipment."
"Understood, I'll get on it immediately—" Tsukishiro Yanagi replied.
When the staff saw the commander walking alongside Keqing, they couldn't hide their surprise, quietly speculating about her identity.
Meanwhile, the commander glanced at both Keqing and Xiao out of the corner of his eye.
According to the intel, the prodigy Xiao was stronger than Keqing, yet in conversation he always deferred to her.
It was obvious that within this team, the girl named Keqing was the leader.
Soon, the group left the H.A.N.D. Headquarters building and, under the commander's lead, arrived at a facility dedicated to ability testing.
The moment they entered, Keqing and Xiao saw a wide open testing field, flanked by strange pieces of equipment neither had seen before.
Tsukishiro Yanagi came over from the other side.
"The equipment and site are ready. As you can see, this is where we'll test your speed."
To ensure accuracy, a full row of precision sensors was set up along both sides, with padded buffers on the far wall to prevent injury if a tester overshot the track.
"Shall we begin?" Tsukishiro Yanagi asked.
Keqing gave a small nod.
"Xiao, let them test your strength first."
Xiao answered calmly, "Alright."
Following Tsukishiro Yanagi's directions, Xiao positioned himself at the starting line.
"Mr. Xiao, please get ready," she instructed. "When the whistle blows, run the length of the track and back at full speed."
"At full strength?" Xiao asked after a short pause.
"Of course," Tsukishiro Yanagi said with a smile. "We're measuring your maximum capability. Do you need a running start?"
"No." Xiao shook his head. He didn't even know what a "running start" was, but it wouldn't matter.
Behind him, Keqing, the H.A.N.D. commander, the Public Security Bureau commander, Hoshimi Miyabi, and several testing staff all watched closely.
Keqing knew exactly how fast Xiao could be.
The others expected an impressive but ordinary result—maybe a bit faster than the average person, but surely not surpassing Hoshimi Miyabi.
According to facility records, the fastest speed ever recorded here was still held by Hoshimi Miyabi.
The whistle blew, cutting through the silence.
Xiao moved instantly, drawing on the Anemo element to push his speed to the limit.
His first stride carried him more than twenty meters.
All they saw was a flash of green light—and in the next instant, it flashed back. Xiao had already touched the far wall and returned to the starting point.
The H.A.N.D. commander was left dumbfounded. "????"
Hoshimi Miyabi's brows furrowed in shock. "!!!!"
Tsukishiro Yanagi covered her mouth. "!!!!!"
Keqing remained calm as ever. "…"
The testing staff stared at Xiao, certain their eyes had deceived them.
"Wait—what just happened? You have to reach the wall before turning back—how far did you actually go?"
No one had seen it clearly. One moment he was there, the next he was gone, and before they could even process it, he was back again.
"I touched the wall before turning," Xiao said evenly. "I left a palm print there."
The commander immediately sent someone to check.
Sure enough, on the buffer pad at the far wall was a shallow palm print. When touched, the padding inside the print crumbled to pieces.
Tsukishiro Yanagi quickly called over to the technicians.
One staff member checked the display.
The number made everyone's eyes widen.
Even someone as fast as Hoshimi Miyabi had only ever clocked just over four seconds. This young man had done it in barely more than one—on his first try.
That meant Xiao's speed wasn't just faster than hers—it was vastly beyond it.
A few technicians, thinking it must be an error, asked, "Should we run it again?"
"No need," the commander said, shaking his head. He had known Xiao was strong, but not .
"I want to see the high-speed footage," Hoshimi Miyabi said quietly.
"Bring it up," the commander ordered.
A moment later, the video was on-screen. Even slowed to a third of the speed, Xiao's movement was still a blur.
At ten times slow motion, they finally saw it—his steps didn't just cover dozens of meters in a single bound, they seemed to hang in the air.
Before his foot even touched the ground, he had already taken the next step… in midair.
The H.A.N.D. commander looked back at Keqing and Xiao.
Only now did he fully grasp just how extraordinary the two before him were.
If they said they could enter Hollow Zero and take down its Ethereals… they weren't boasting. They meant it.