At the same time, outside the Hollow, Wise had just pulled the car out of the parking lot when he noticed the expanding rift in the distance. Without hesitation, he slammed the gas and drove away from the Hollow as fast as he could.
"Anby, what's your status?" Belle asked through the comms, with Eous secured in the back seat beside her.
They were dangerously close to the Hollow's radius—if things got worse, they might be pulled in.
"We're still outrunning it for now, but at this rate… it doesn't look good."
Anby's voice came through, distorted with static—clear evidence that the Ether surge was already interfering with communication devices.
Wise grimaced. "Belle, be ready. We might have to go in after them. And contact Nicole—ask where she and Billy are. If they've been pulled in too, we're going to be in real trouble."
Belle, stationed back at the video store, quickly called Nicole. Fortunately, the line connected after only a few rings.
They were still en-route to the Fourteenth Street and hadn't been caught in the outbreak yet.
However, news of the Hollow disaster at the Fourteenth Street was already spreading online, and it wouldn't be long before it became breaking news across television channels.
Nicole, upon hearing that Anby might be inside the Hollow, panicked immediately—but knowing the person calling her was the Legendary Proxy, Phaeton, reassured her somewhat.
With them on the case, there was hope Anby would make it out alive.
Meanwhile, Zhong Yan and his group were still frantically fleeing from the Hollow's expanding wall.
Thanks to her nimble Cat Thiren physiology, Nekomata had sprinted far ahead, yet she kept glancing back, clearly worried for the others.
But Zhong Yan and Anby had no time to care. The Hollow wall was right behind them—and closing fast. They knew… they weren't going to make it.
"Anby!" Zhong Yan shouted, voice raw.
She turned, immediately reading his expression.
In sync, the two stopped running.
Zhong Yan grabbed Anby's hand in the final moment—and the Hollow swallowed them whole.
Nekomata stopped, stunned, staring back in disbelief. But she had no time to process what she'd seen. She had to keep running.
Not long after, once the Ether surge hit its limit, the massive companion Hollow finally ceased expanding.
Thanks to her agility and instincts, Nekomata narrowly escaped being consumed. But the knowledge that Zhong Yan and Anby had been pulled in left her feeling deeply unsettled.
Just then, a rescue team dispatched by the Hollow Investigative Association—alerted by early Ether readings—arrived on the scene.
From the look of them, they were preparing to enter the Hollow and rescue any civilians trapped inside.
That gave Nekomata an idea.
She'd sneak in with the rescue team.
She hadn't found Silver yet. And while he may already be dead, she needed to confirm it with her own eyes.
Besides, her conscience wouldn't let her abandon those who'd been dragged in.
Especially not Anby and Zhong Yan.
Without their warning, she might not have escaped this disaster at all. With them now lost inside, she couldn't just stand by.
As more Hollow Investigative Association agents and New Eridu Public Security officers arrived, the entire remaining perimeter of the Fourteenth Street was locked down.
Civilians were barred from approaching the rift, and evacuations of nearby neighborhoods began in full.
A large-scale rescue operation was about to begin.
...
Breaking News: A Companion Hollow outbreak has occurred at the Fourteenth Street. The Hollow has exceeded Level-3 emergency containment. The Hollow Investigative Association has deployed a response team.
According to the Janus Quarter Public Security, the Red Fang Gang was being pursued in the area. Citizens are advised to stay away from Fourteenth Street and follow all evacuation orders. Repeat…
The news blared over the car radio as Belle and Wise listened in, confirming what they already feared. Anby's signal was now completely lost—she and Zhong Yan had been swallowed by the Hollow.
"Nicole and the others are nearby. Let's go meet up with them," Belle said from the back seat. Wise nodded and quickly steered the car toward their location.
In minutes, they spotted Nicole and Billy waiting at the end of the street.
After regrouping, the team immediately began planning their rescue.
"You two have the worst luck, huh? No matter where you go, trouble follows," Nicole quipped.
This wasn't the first time they'd dived into a Hollow to rescue Zhong Yan. The siblings really had a knack for stumbling into messes lately.
"We're sorry for the trouble, Nicole. We didn't think things would escalate like this. The priority now is getting them out," Wise said, apologizing first.
Truth be told, this was the third time this month they'd come to Nicole for help.
In the past, it would've been the other way around.
"It's not really trouble," Nicole replied, "Anby's inside too. Even if you didn't call me, I'd find a way in. With you two here, I feel a bit more reassured."
Nicole trusted their abilities deeply. If it weren't for their packed contract schedule lately, she would've relied on them a lot more.
"Let's get inside then. I'll draw the Carrot as soon as we're in to map the Hollow and guide you to them," Belle said.
When it came to drawing the Carrot and mapping unknown Hollow terrain, they were far more skilled than most association agents.
The only drawback was that with just one person running the HDD system, drawing the map would take time.
Wise could go back to assist—but it would take at least two hours to drive back to Sixth Street. And with potential traffic, it might be too late.
"Then I'll leave it to you," Nicole said, picking up Eous. "Let's get moving."
With Billy at her side, she and Nicole slipped through the Hollow's external barrier and entered the rift.