Ignis's gaze swept past Ollie, who was intently operating his tablet, then turned his head slightly and lowered his voice to speak to Nekomata.
"This guy is obviously suspicious. He said he works for a company, but when you asked him about the cut, he didn't deny it immediately—instead, he paused to make up a number."
Phaethon, however, fixed his attention on Nekomata. "I was just wondering—you were doing perfectly fine working with the Cunning Hares, weren't you? What's with this sudden career change? So, it was just to probe him, huh?"
Nekomata nodded thoughtfully, resting her chin on her small hand. "Yeah, because what he said was kind of strange. He claims he works for a company, but his story's full of holes—clearly, he doesn't know much about it."
"Proxy, what do you think?" she asked Phaethon.
"Maybe he's just a low-level employee—doesn't know much about the business, got sent here by some heartless boss?" the Proxy offered his guess.
Ignis shook his head. "You're oversimplifying it. This guy's got issues."
"Agreed," Nekomata followed up quickly. "From my years running the streets, I can tell—he's no company man. More like a rookie thief trying to make some extra cash in the Hollow."
Her brows furrowed as she added, "But what's weird is that he's clearly timid. So why would he personally enter a Hollow? There's got to be something important behind this. Maybe even a big score waiting to be found!"
The black cat grew more excited as she spoke, her eyes glimmering.
"Then our best move for now is to follow him, finish this commission," Ignis nodded, "and see if we can uncover what's really going on."
His words earned immediate agreement from the others—after all, they weren't monsters looking to strip someone to the bone. But if there was a secret to be found, they wouldn't mind getting a slice of the profit.
"Miss Nekomata, Mister Ignis, Proxy?" Ollie called after confirming the data on his tablet. "Is something the matter?"
"Ahahaha…" Nekomata flashed a sugary-sweet business smile. "We were just discussing how to handle emergencies—like, say, if an Ethereal suddenly jumped out at you."
"Uh…" At the mention of Ethereals, Ollie flinched, stepping back half a pace. "Th-The survey route has been confirmed already…"
The man's voice trembled. His close encounter with Ethereals earlier had clearly left a mark. Still, he managed to suppress his fear and bent down again to recheck his data.
"This way," he said, standing before the entrance to another room in the abandoned building. "Please, stay close…"
Ollie took a few shaky steps forward, turning to make sure they were following. Once he saw Ignis and Nekomata close behind, he exhaled in relief.
"Stay close…" he muttered under his breath, as if trying to encourage himself.
He might look timid, but it was obvious he took this survey mission seriously. Even trembling like a leaf, he still pushed onward.
Of course, his pace was painfully slow—far too slow for Nekomata and Ignis. Eous even rolled lazily on the floor out of boredom, making Ignis wonder what the Proxy's view of all this looked like.
"Mr. Ollie…" Nekomata suddenly spoke up, making Ollie nearly jump three meters in fright. "About your company…"
Hearing the question, Ollie stiffened but didn't stop walking. Ignis figured the man had already realized their suspicions—which was why he chose not to answer.
They entered another room partitioned by unfinished blocks. Suddenly, Ollie froze mid-step—or rather, he half-stepped forward, spotted something, and immediately withdrew.
"W-Wait… something's making noise ahead…" His voice quivered as he tried not to yell. "C-Could you… maybe go check it out…?"
Nekomata and Ignis exchanged glances. The Salamander shrugged, spreading his hands, and moved forward. The giant stepped past the motionless Ollie and into the shadowed corner.
There lay a dark-cased fixed timer, still ticking. The sound Ollie had heard came from it.
Ignis picked it up and showed it to him. Ollie let out a long sigh of relief.
"It's not that I'm overly nervous—that sound just reminded me of an emergency alarm," Ollie said, patting his chest.
But had he forgotten his supposed company role? What kind of company employee regularly hears emergency alarms? Did they have workplace accidents that often?
Nekomata blinked at Ignis, signaling him not to expose Ollie's inconsistency. Ignis nodded knowingly and said nothing.
"O-Our equipment's old," Ollie stammered, trying to patch up his story. "We often have fires, power leaks, sewer blockages… hahaha…"
That laugh was too forced—and the excuse too ridiculous. If his workplace really had that many accidents, the factory would've shut down long ago.
"At least it's not Ethereals," Ollie muttered, changing the topic. "Let's get out of here."
"This way," he said, turning toward a corridor on the opposite side of the room.
Ignis tossed the timer aside and followed. Nekomata's tails swayed lazily—she was already thinking of how to pry more information from him.
The unfinished building had an unusually high ceiling. Judging from the layout, it was likely meant to be residential, but designed to accommodate the Thiren of New Eridu. Even a giant like Ignis could walk comfortably without hitting his head—he couldn't even reach the ceiling with his arm fully extended.
As they moved through the corridor, the walls became scarcer—only a few half-built sections remained.
"Wait—there's something up ahead!" Ollie's voice suddenly rose sharply. Out of caution, Nekomata covered her ears.
He didn't scream, though. The earlier close calls with sound-sensitive Ethereals had clearly made him wary.
"Behind that wall—I saw a shadow moving. Could you go check?" His tone was almost pleading.
Ignis and Nekomata advanced. Sure enough, something vaguely human-shaped was swaying behind the wall—just an old, wrinkled suit jacket.
Nekomata picked it up and showed it to Ollie, who looked visibly relieved.
"If I ever showed up to work with a wrinkled uniform like that, I'd get scolded…" he muttered softly.
"Your company has uniforms?" Nekomata pressed casually.
"Suit—I meant suit! Look, there's something in the pocket!" Ollie pointed at the bulging fabric.
Nekomata reached in and pulled out a few pens, a tape measure, and a plumb bob used for vertical alignment. Ignis couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia—he'd once carried a bunch of little tools like that while patrolling construction sites.
Nekomata then fished out a piece of paper—a supermarket discount coupon. "Nice! Shopping spree once we get paid!"
She quickly stuffed it into her pocket before Ignis could read the details. Was that coupon even still valid?
"Hey, look over there—something's written on the wall. We should check it," Ollie said, pointing from a distance.
Ignis thought it might be some worker's scribbles—reminders or notes about construction parameters. But when he got closer, it turned out to be a casual message.
"Congratulations on finding the place I've been to! May good luck follow you every day! Let me offer you my blessing!"
Ignis frowned. What the hell kind of blessing—
Then something clicked on. A recorder beneath the graffiti activated—motion-triggered.
The cheerful song that blared out wasn't much better than a scream. Nekomata clutched her ears, and Ollie nearly fainted.
Ignis stomped the device into pieces, cursing whoever had the time to set up such nonsense.
But the sudden noise drew in sound-sensitive Ethereals—and not just one kind. The room grew instantly lively.
"Let's go, magnificent Nekomata!" Phaethon's voice rang from within Eous, before it darted to hide in a corner.
As for Ollie, he'd already crouched behind a half-built wall, hands over his head.
Ignis sighed, igniting his flamethrower. This kind of cramped indoor fight—that was the Aggressor's favorite battlefield.
Clusters of lightly armored targets—perfect prey for using the Flamestorm Gauntlet. The heavier ones wouldn't even have time to react before being crushed by the power fists.
"For the Emperor! Perish you xeno scum!"
Ignis's vox roared its first war cry, the thunderous sound making Nekomata wince. She shot him a sidelong glare but held her tongue—he was being unusually restrained today.
During the Vision Corporation train incident, he'd been shouting the entire time, much to her ears' misery.
Jets of burning fuel spewed from the nozzles as the Son of Vulkan bathed the horde in fire. The air itself shimmered with heat distortion.
Nekomata knew her role—to handle whatever slipped past him. That part, she excelled at.
The cat girl gripped her short blade, crouched low, and prepared to strike.