As the middle-aged security officer spoke, he glanced toward Qingyi, who had just entered.
Qingyi paused to think, then said, "Hmm? Let me recall. Not long ago, we received intel confirming the Mountain Lion Gang's presence at the old construction site hollows. They're planning to kidnap nearby construction workers for ransom. If we want to eliminate them, now's our best chance."
Hearing this, Seth quickly responded, "Then what are we waiting for? We have to stop them before they kidnap anyone!"
Standing off to the side, Qingyi's calm demeanor stood in sharp contrast to Seth's urgency.
"Seth, calm down. Charging in recklessly will only tip them off."
The middle-aged officer nodded in agreement and turned to Zhu Yuan.
"Zhu Yuan, you'll lead the team. We've poured a lot of time and resources into this operation. Failure is not an option. Understood?"
Zhu Yuan responded firmly, "Understood! Leave it to me, sir."
Then she looked toward Qingyi, Seth, and the rest of the operation team.
"Operation start!"
"Move out!"
Minutes later, Zhu Yuan led a temporary squad of elite agents toward the old construction site hollow.
...
Around the same time, both the Mountain Lion Gang and the Public Security Bureau were heading toward the same location.
The gang's target was the students participating in outdoor practice activities near the hollow. The Bureau's target—was the Mountain Lion Gang.
...
Outside the hollow, Sam Li had just arrived with the social practice group. As Ellen's older brother, he had come along to accompany the event.
The teacher gathered the students together and began explaining the origin of the old construction site hollow and the meaning behind its name.
It was straightforward.
The site was called the "old construction site" simply because it was extremely aged and had been abandoned for decades.
Back in the days of Old Eridu, this area had been designated a key development zone. But then, a sudden Hollow outbreak engulfed the entire site. The authorities named the resulting rift the "construction site hollow."
Decades later, with Old Eridu's destruction and the founding of New Eridu, the name was updated to "Old Construction Site Area."
The teacher not only explained the history of the Hollow, but also pulled out a long list.
"When the Hollow erupted, the workers didn't have time to evacuate. In total, 732 people died..."
As the teacher read out the names of the victims, one by one, a heavy mood fell over the students.
After listing dozens of names, the teacher stopped.
"The list goes on. What you're seeing here is just one of many tragedies caused by Hollow disasters. Over a hundred years ago, there were seven billion people on this blue planet. Now, even counting those in the outer ring, there are fewer than seven million of us left..."
The students had only studied Hollow theory in textbooks. Very few had witnessed the terror of a Hollow outbreak firsthand.
But now, hearing the names of the dead and standing on the site where over 700 workers had been turned into monsters—they finally felt it.
The teacher took a deep breath.
"This isn't just a list of the dead. It's a snapshot of every Hollow disaster. Every time one breaks out, a list like this is born..."
After the teacher's impassioned speech, a student stood up.
"Then how do we defeat the Hollows?"
The teacher shook his head.
"I don't know how to defeat them. But I believe someday, someone will lead humanity to victory over the Hollows. I hope that person is one of you."
As he spoke, his eyes swept over the group, filled with hope and encouragement.
That was the true purpose of this social practice activity—to make these privileged students understand the horror of Hollow disasters and inspire them to become the future of humanity.
Sure enough, after the speech, the students were fired up, itching to rush into the Hollow and cleanse it.
Only Ellen remained indifferent.
"Defeat the Hollows? Yeah, right. I couldn't care less. If it weren't for the money, I wouldn't even bother going on missions with the boss in the Hollow."
Sam Li stood just as calmly beside her, though his eyes held a trace of deeper thought.
"Is it really impossible to defeat them?"
Originally, he had simply wanted to live a quiet life in New Eridu—like a retired Morax, just blending in as Zhongli among the people.
But the more he learned about this world, the more he understood its suffering. And the harder it became to remain indifferent. Something inside him had begun to stir—a growing sense of resolve.
In truth, Sam Li didn't know if that feeling came from his own experiences or from the role he played as Morax.
But whichever it was, it was changing him.
He looked toward the Hollow in the distance, took a deep breath, and muttered to himself:
"I may have no desire to vie for power... but I know the pain of the people."
Ellen couldn't care less about any of it. She stood next to Sam Li, visibly impatient, stamping her foot.
"One pigtail shark, two hornsharks, three... Sam Li, can you get the teacher to hurry up?"
Sam Li just shook his head.
"..."
Ellen kept counting with growing irritation.
"Three tiger sharks, four Ethereal sharks..."
...
At that moment, the teacher announced free activity time.
Before long, he returned with several local security officers and gathered everyone again.
"Are there any parents or students who'd like to come with me and take a look inside the Hollow?"
The question caught everyone off guard. Students and parents alike stared at him in shock.
Then, chatter broke out.
"Teacher, there are Ethereals inside! Won't they eat us?"
"What if we get corrupted and turn into monsters?"
"I'm not going in!"
"Teacher, entering a Hollow without authorization is illegal in New Eridu. Only law-breaking raiders do that."
"Let's not go in. It's way too dangerous..."
...
Hearing their concerns, the teacher smiled.
"No need to worry—I've already considered all of that.
According to reports from the Hollow Investigation Association and the Wise Tower Society, the Ether concentration at the Hollow's edge is extremely low and poses no threat to humans.
Look over there. Workers from Belobog Heavy Industries have already entered the perimeter and started construction."
Then, he pointed to the nearby armed security team.
"This activity was fully reported to the Public Security General Bureau. With these officers here to protect us, I guarantee it's completely safe."
...