Zhong Yan didn't hesitate. He used all of his tokens to redeem the [Shadow Clone Technique]. And the moment the exchange went through, he finally understood why a B-rank jutsu was so absurdly expensive.
Its description read: Since the Shadow Clone Technique wasn't originally created by the Uchiha clan, but was used by nearly every Uchiha member in some capacity, its inclusion in the Uchiha Panel caused its price to skyrocket.
Zhong Yan: '...'
Reading such a far-fetched justification, Zhong Yan couldn't help but suspect a certain yellow-haired ninja from the Leaf Village had meddled in the system, causing the jutsu's price to balloon to this ridiculous level.
But on second thought, it was that guy's technique, after all. The rights belonged to him. And considering how he typically felt about the Uchiha, letting their panel even have this jutsu was already a big deal.
If he ever found out what Zhong Yan was doing, he'd probably mutter something about the evil Uchiha...
"Anby, hold this for me. I'll be right back."
Back in the present—having just successfully exchanged for the [Shadow Clone Technique]—Zhong Yan was ready to temporarily hand off the safe to Anby while he found a quiet spot to summon the clone.
Taking the safe from him, Anby asked curiously, "Where are you going?"
Naturally, Zhong Yan couldn't tell her the truth. After a brief pause, he gave a simple response.
"Bathroom."
The excuse was lame—but Anby didn't question it and nodded.
Though she lacked a lot of common sense, she did know the basic differences between men and women, so she wasn't about to trail him under such circumstances.
Seeing her trust him so readily, Zhong Yan felt a little touched. He quickly slipped into a spot outside her line of sight, raised his index and middle fingers, and formed the one-handed seal.
A thought flashed through his mind—and in the next second, with a puff of smoke, a second Zhong Yan appeared. Identical in every way.
He could immediately feel it—the technique had drained nearly half his energy. It tracked with the lore: chakra gets evenly divided between the user and their clone.
Still, even with only half his strength, an Uchiha could make all of New Eridu tremble.
"Belle and Wise are probably searching for us inside the Hollow. Find a way to lead them here."
The Shadow Clone, being fully sentient, raised an eyebrow at the command. But he didn't question it. Activating the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, he used Kamui and vanished on the spot.
Why not just bring Belle and Wise out directly?
Zhong Yan had his reasons.
If they just up and vanished from the Hollow, those still inside—unaware of the escape—would keep wandering aimlessly. Someone had to inform them first.
More importantly, Zhong Yan needed Uchiha to make a personal appearance.
Only then would the identities of Zhong Yan and the Uchiha become two distinct figures in their eyes.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Hollow, Billy had already gathered most of the civilians nearby per Nicole's orders.
There were quite a few people—some of whom lacked Ether compatibility, and thus began slowly being corroded into Ethereals.
Each time that happened, Billy would use a single bullet to end their suffering.
Then, not far off, he spotted a woman in plain clothes walking by. Thinking she was just another trapped civilian, Billy immediately called out to her: "Hey! Don't go any further! Come over here, quickly!"
What he didn't know... was that the woman was Zhu Yuan—also caught in the Hollow.
And even more unexpectedly—she was a New Eridu Public Security officer, specifically one who specialized in investigating and arresting Hollow Raiders like him.
Zhu Yuan hesitated briefly upon hearing his voice but then walked toward him.
Soon, she noticed the group of civilians he had gathered and asked, "Are you... a Hollow investigator?"
Seeing such a good deed, her first instinct wasn't to assume Billy was a Raider. After all, the only people who'd help civilians inside a Hollow were either New Eridu Public Security or official Hollow investigators.
"That's right! I am a Hollow investigator! But more than that, I prefer to be called Starlight Knight!" Billy puffed up his chest, crossing his arms with pride as he turned his head dramatically.
Nicole had told him in advance to pretend to be with the Hollow Investigation Association, so he played along perfectly.
But then Zhu Yuan's self-introduction knocked him into a daze: "Nice to meet you. I'm Zhu Yuan, squad leader under the Criminal Investigation Special Ops Unit of New Eridu Public Security—Janus District Division. A pleasure, uh... Sir Starlight Knight."
"Y-You're with Public Security?!" Billy's eyes widened in disbelief.
He had just greeted someone and ended up flagging down a law officer.
And his real identity? Hollow Raider. If Zhu Yuan found out, she'd arrest him on the spot.
Which could drag all of Rabbit Warren down with him.
So when he spoke again, his tone was clearly more nervous: "N-Nice to meet you, Officer..."
"These civilians—you gathered them, right? I've got a group too. Why don't we combine forces, keep everyone together, and wait for rescue from the Hollow Investigation Association? You... must've been caught in the Hollow unexpectedly, too? I don't see you wearing any of the Association's protective gear."
Normally, investigators wore specialized suits to protect against Hollow exposure. Some even took anti-Ether corrosion meds before going in—though those were extremely expensive, and not something the average person could afford.
"Ah—yeah, totally! I was just strolling down Fourteenth Street, got caught in the Hollow outta nowhere. Didn't bring my ID or uniform or any of that official stuff... But hey, at least I packed enough ammo! What a coincidence, huh? Hahaha..."
Billy scratched the back of his rock-solid mechanical head, his face awkward. How could a robot manage to show so much emotion?
Internally, he was cursing his luck.
Why the hell is a Public Security officer even in here?!
"Boss... please come save me already!"