Anby's sudden hug caught Zhong Yan completely off guard—but if anyone was truly suffering in that moment, it had to be Belle.
Controlling Eous, she now found her little bot body sandwiched awkwardly between the two. Eous's tiny hands flailed helplessly, struggling to break free from the plush prison of emotion.
The scene, from a distance, looked hilariously absurd, drawing a laugh from Nicole.
Still, she knew this wasn't the time for jokes. She quickly stepped in, her voice bringing everyone back to reality.
"Alright, now that everyone's found, let's hurry and regroup with Billy. We've got no idea what's happening on his end."
At Nicole's words, Anby reluctantly lifted her head from Zhong Yan's chest, releasing him. Eous, finally free, wriggled away like a survivor of war.
Nicole then shifted focus, turning to Zhong Yan.
"We were brought here by Uchiha. He said he struck a deal with you, which is why he helped us out. So... is that true?"
To be honest, Nicole found it a little hard to believe. That Zhong Yan could have any kind of relationship with someone like Uchiha? But if it was true, it could mean huge things for both Rabbit Warren and for Phaethon.
After all, getting the backing of someone like that could turn many impossible problems into trivial ones—assuming, of course, that Uchiha was willing to lend his power.
Anby was equally surprised. In her memory, Zhong Yan had just been fighting Uchiha not long ago. When had that shifted into an alliance?
Zhong Yan didn't deny it. Instead, he calmly explained,
"It was back in the building. He said he was interested in my Ether-null body, so we came to an agreement."
"The deal is—I'll provide him with some physical data, and in return, he'll help me with anything he's capable of handling. No limits on the number of times—but he'll only come when he's available. Unless it's an emergency."
The meaning was crystal clear: set aside the weird condition about offering his body data, and it sounded like he had a free elite bodyguard on call.
He claimed Uchiha would only assist with things he could handle—but really, in New Eridu, what couldn't he handle?
As for the trio's reactions, they each processed it differently.
Nicole was envious. To her, Uchiha's power was a gateway to immense wealth and protection. Just that one prior collaboration had radically improved life for the entire crew of the Cunning Hares.
She couldn't help but wonder—if they could keep working with Uchiha, maybe she'd never have to worry about money again. Maybe the orphans she'd once taken care of would never have to suffer in poverty again.
Anby, on the other hand, looked concerned. Zhong Yan was giving his body data to someone? What did that even entail? Could it hurt him? Endanger his life?
Belle was thinking along the same lines—but from a different angle. Having never met Uchiha, she simply didn't trust him. Her worry wasn't just for Zhong Yan's health—it was that he might be getting tricked.
"You guys are looking at me like I'm a fool. You really think I'm that easy to scam?" Zhong Yan scratched the back of his head, a little exasperated.
Then he added, "You all know how powerful Uchiha is. He soloed nearly the entire Red Fang Gang in that building. Someone like that—I wouldn't even have the power to say no. If I refused, I'd probably be dead."
"And if he really had bad intentions toward me, do you think he'd waste time talking? He could've just knocked me out and dragged me off. That would've been easier."
It was hard to argue with his logic.
It was like a dying man offering up all his gold to avoid death—but if the killer didn't care, why not just kill him and take the gold? Sparing the victim implies something deeper.
"Come on, he did help us find them, didn't he?" Nicole interjected. "Let's stop overthinking it. A little trust isn't so hard, right? It's not like he's done anything evil."
Truthfully, Uchiha didn't have a terrible reputation in New Eridu.
Sure, the official agencies labeled him a rogue Hollow Raider, but public opinion was something else entirely. People knew two things about him: he was mysterious and he was powerful.
Aside from slaying Ethereals in Hollows, there were no records of him ever harming citizens.
Rumor had it that a private research squad once encountered a massive Ethereal in Hollow Zero. They were on the brink of annihilation when Uchiha showed up and saved them.
Maybe his target had just been the monster, but a rescue was a rescue.
Since then, that research team had become die-hard Uchiha fans. Every time they entered a Hollow, they wore white masks and deep-blue cloaks in tribute.
Online, Uchiha had a massive fanbase—well over a million followers.
Put simply, if you set aside his "illegal" identity, Uchiha was New Eridu's biggest underground icon. Way more respected than most grassroots organizations.
As for the Red Fang Gang massacre? Let's just say those guys had it coming.
And Zhong Yan himself? He never cared about public opinion. He did whatever he wanted—just like Uchiha always had.
Which made sense, considering Uchiha was really just his other identity. Everything Uchiha did was ultimately for Zhong Yan's benefit.
It wasn't weird—he was just helping himself. Why wouldn't he?
Back in the moment, with no better options, Anby and Belle had no choice but to put aside their skepticism about Uchiha.
"Prejudice" was the wrong word, really. They were just worried about Zhong Yan. Giving up your body data to someone? That sounded sketchy no matter how you spun it.
Their next goal was to link back up with Billy on the other side of the Hollow, then disguise themselves as Hollow investigators and escort the civilians out.
But just as the group began to move, Billy's voice suddenly crackled through the comms—frantic and urgent.
"Boss! We're under attack—two upper-tier Ethereals! Get over here, now!"