"Stop!"
"Wait—"
With a sharp whoosh, a Dennies charged with electric energy shot out, instantly piercing through several walls before embedding itself deep into the thickest wall inside the building.
Arcs of electricity crackled and sparked, casting faint blue glows.
Next to the spiderweb-like cracks, Trigger—who had just stopped a teammate from firing—silently swallowed hard.
It had been a near miss. Again.
"If you'd been even a second slower, he'd be dead."
Zane's voice came through the mask, tinged with a chilling edge. He had sensed killing intent—and reacted without hesitation.
Had that intent not vanished just in time, the Dennies would've gone straight through the sniper's skull next to Trigger.
Beside Zane, Soldier 11, still catching up to what had just happened, glanced around and began to understand.
"Zane, these are my teammates. They're just on edge around outsiders. That's why..."
She began explaining. Given how tense things were, she dropped the codenames and spoke seriously.
She hadn't expected Zane's senses to be that sharp. It had all happened in an instant, yet he'd acted immediately.
If she hadn't been recognized in time, if Trigger hadn't redirected the weapon in time, the outcome could've been tragic.
"Sir."
Trigger stepped out from the shadows of the building, the team member following close behind. She had already recognized Zane the moment she saw Soldier 11.
She, too, was grateful for her quick reflexes.
"Who is this...?"
The uniformed, helmeted man next to Trigger asked. From his reaction, it was clear he now realized he'd messed up.
He still felt shaken—and stunned.
Was it really possible for a human to react that fast?
Before Trigger could fabricate a convincing identity, Zane stepped forward and answered plainly.
"Hollow Special Operations Unit 6. Identity classified."
The man nodded in realization.
Of course—beyond the elite units of the Staff Army, there was that special department's own elite force. What else could explain such overwhelming combat prowess?
"My apologies, sir. I acted rashly."
Technically, he hadn't broken any rules—he hadn't fired, and hadn't even had time to verify identity.
Still, avoiding conflict was best right now.
"No harm done."
Zane shook his head, his tone now calm.
To the others, that calm demeanor only reinforced the impression that he was truly from Hollow Special Operations Unit 6.
"Alright, we'll head back. Stay alert. Don't let the rebels sneak through."
Trigger waved her hand and began leading Zane and Soldier 11 toward several nearby floating towers.
Before they left, Zane paused and glanced back.
The sniper was returning to his ambush spot.
Soldier 11 had said "these few," but from start to finish, he'd only seen Trigger and that one sniper.
As for the others...
Zane had spotted two more.
If there were more than that, their concealment skills were seriously impressive.
He turned and followed Trigger as the three of them moved deeper into the area.
...
Moments later.
"Zane, this is the reason I brought you here. You get it now, right? Pretty sincere of me, don't you think?"
Trigger offered a faint smile from the shadows of a ruined corner.
"So I'm not here to break a deadlock or play the helper… I'm the yellow sparrow watching the mantis stalking the cicada, huh..."
Zane replayed her words and shook his head slightly.
The rebels had entered Hollow Zero from the outskirts of the Old Capital with unknown motives—and somehow driven two high-risk Ethereals, along with over a dozen major Ethereal clusters.
Now, most of the Obsidian Squad and a few Heaven's Judgment members were trying to hold the line—preventing those Ethereals from crossing the red boundary and triggering Hollow Zero's expansion.
According to Trigger, among the rebels were several former researchers from the White Star Institute—people who had once been the loudest voices supporting the idea of "controlling" Fire Pickers.
Expelled from the Institute, they had little value to the military...
But to Zane? They might hold significant potential. That's why Trigger had Soldier 11 bring him here.
She also briefed him on the general deployment of Obsidian Squad in the area and warned him not to stir up too much chaos.
Truthfully, Trigger wasn't worried—she trusted Zane enough for that.
To her, he was a human who had become an Ethereal.
That was how she defined him.
"From here on, Soldier 11 and I won't be of much help. It's all up to you now."
"But from what I've seen over the past few days, I trust your capabilities."
With her message delivered, Trigger waved her hand, already preparing to step back with Soldier 11.
Their partnership with Zane didn't go beyond this. Getting any more involved would be unnecessary—and unwise.
Besides, the two of them wouldn't be of much use in what came next.
"Alright. Until we meet again."
Zane nodded. That suited him just fine.
"Oh, right!"
Just as he was about to leave, Trigger called out.
"We helped you this time. So next time, take your teaching of Soldier 11 seriously, alright? Stop being so careless!"
Still lost in thought beside Trigger, Soldier 11 lit up when she heard that—turning to Zane with eyes full of anticipation.
My gold-medal coach!
Zane waved his hand without turning around. Trigger blinked, puzzled.
But Soldier 11, who'd taken many a beating from him, understood right away.
"That gesture means 'yeah, yeah.' He usually uses it when he thinks I'm being too weak. So… that's probably a yes."
Seeing her so confident and sincere, Trigger nodded with a complicated expression.
Something about her had definitely changed.
She couldn't help but wonder—
Was this really the right thing for Soldier 11?
...
"These mechs are way bigger than the ones I've seen before. Looks like their offensive and defensive capabilities are on a whole different level..."
From atop a floating high-rise, Zane watched a squadron of mechs advancing toward a distant location.
His gaze focused on two towering machines—each over twenty meters tall—and he murmured to himself.
Massive cannons.
Countless small firepower modules.
Thick armor.
Gigantic flight engines.
Twin bladed weapons of solid steel.
Everything about them radiated power.
"Yeah, these are definitely a step up from the standard Defense Army models. But we've got even bigger, stronger 'monsters'—still in development, though."
A calm female voice came through beside him. Zane's expression didn't change.
"Development?"
"That's right. Somewhere in the Mars District."
Beneath his mask, Zane smiled faintly.
"And you're just telling me this?"
"Don't worry. If you fail to explain your identity properly, you won't be leaving this building alive."
Her tone remained calm.
Zane turned slightly to glance at her.
Soft pink.
Elegant white.
...