As the New Eridu Public Security prepared to mobilize, events were quickly escalating in the Fourteenth Street.
"This... this is..."
The Cat Thiren girl clutched her mouth with trembling hands, her voice quaking in disbelief at the scene before her.
Just moments earlier, Anby had listened to her story and, for now, decided to trust her. Since both had business on the upper floors—Anby searching for Zhong Yan, the girl for Silver—their goals didn't clash. So, they agreed to team up.
What neither expected was the sheer brutality that awaited them on the eleventh floor.
The floor was littered with the corpses of Red Fang Gang members. Every single one bore wide, fear-stricken eyes as if they had died in utter terror.
Their wounds—precise and eerily uniform—suggested they had all been killed by the same person.
To be able to slaughter so many gang members alone… even if Anby and the Cat Thiren girl joined forces, such a feat would be impossible.
It was hard to even fathom the power of the one who had done this.
That only made Anby more anxious for Zhong Yan. If he had encountered this mysterious killer… there was little hope.
"Could… could your companion have done this?" the Cat Thiren girl asked hesitantly, clearly disturbed by the possibility.
Anby shook her head firmly. "No. His weapon is a sword. Look at these wounds—they don't match."
Her assessment was sharp, though her expression betrayed growing unease. She needed to find Zhong Yan—now.
She quickly relayed the situation to Belle over the comms.
"Proxy, something's off. Aside from us and the Red Fang Gang, there are at least two other unknown parties in the building. Don't come up—go regroup with Wise instead. I'll handle things from here."
Belle, who had just managed to guide Eous up to the fifth floor, hesitated.
She wanted to help. But she also knew she might only become a burden if things went south—her current form was too limited for a quick escape.
"Belle, come back down. Once Nicole and the others arrive, you can join up with them," Wise said gently, reading his sister's thoughts.
Reluctantly, Belle agreed, retreating the way she came.
Anby, after confirming Belle was safely leaving, muted her comms and turned to her new companion.
"Let's go. We need to keep moving up. Things aren't what we expected—but no matter what, I have to find him." Her expression hardened with resolve. Zhong Yan was too important. She couldn't lose him.
Without another word, she sprinted up the stairs. The Cat Thiren girl followed close behind.
She had to find Silver. But in the back of her mind, a thought stirred—what if this mysterious killer had already reached him?
As they ascended, floor by floor, the same haunting scene repeated itself—corpses everywhere, the air thick with the stench of death.
A heavy dread began to creep into their hearts.
Suddenly—thump-thump-thump!
Rapid footsteps echoed from above.
Startled, the Cat Thiren girl instinctively ducked behind Anby. Anby herself raised her weapon with grim focus. If it was the one responsible for all this carnage, they were in serious trouble.
Then, a figure appeared.
Anby's eyes widened.
"Anby!"
The voice snapped her back to reality. It was Zhong Yan—rushing down the stairs, clearly out of breath and clutching a large, very conspicuous safe.
The safe.
Their target.
Zhong Yan froze for a second when he noticed the Cat Thiren girl behind Anby.
Nekomata... Full name: Nekomiya Mana.
A character from the game—once an orphan taken in by the Red Fang Gang, she had split from them over ideological differences.
In the game's storyline, she later lured the Cunning Hares into a Hollow trap to avenge Silver, using a massive Ethereal called the Dead End Butcher.
But upon learning that Silver had been corrupted into an Ethereal, and moved by the team's kindness, she changed her mind.
Eventually, she joined the Cunning Hares as their fourth member.
Her appearance now was clearly far ahead of schedule.
But there was no time to dwell on it.
The Ether activity in the air was skyrocketing—Zhong Yan could see it with his Sharingan. They had to leave now, or risk being pulled into a Hollow outbreak.
"Zhong Yan, you're okay?!" Anby's face lit up with joy the moment she saw him safe.
But Zhong Yan didn't even slow down. "Run! There's a monster in the building!"
The panic in his voice froze Anby.
And then—from the shadows behind her, a figure emerged.
Clad in a flowing deep-blue robe and wearing a distinctive white spiral mask.
Anby's eyes narrowed. "Uchiha?"
The Cunning Hares had worked with Uchiha once before—she remembered his appearance. But she hadn't expected to see him here.
So, this explained Zhong Yan's panic.
Without hesitation, Anby bolted down the stairs, dragging the stunned Nekomata behind her.
But Nekomata didn't move.
Seeing this, Zhong Yan didn't waste time. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into a full sprint.
He couldn't afford to let her blow his cover.
That "Uchiha" behind them? Just a Red Fang Gang member, controlled via genjutsu.
A clever illusion.
It served two purposes: explain the massacre, and divert suspicion from him.
This way, no one would think he was Uchiha—no one would connect him to the slaughter.
Nekomata's appearance had been a wild card. And he couldn't risk her seeing through the trick.
No matter what—it had to stay hidden.