However, after trying many methods, they still couldn't restore contact with Nicole, and in the end, the helpless Belle decided to restart the system.
It was clear, though, that this wouldn't solve the problem, as it wasn't a system issue in the first place.
Watching the mysterious man arrogantly reveal himself on the computer screen, Wise felt a sharp pang of regret.
He hadn't taken sufficient precautions to protect the HDD system, and it was obvious that the intruder's goal was the safe.
Everything pointed to one thing: the other party wanted the safe's password.
Wise certainly wasn't about to hand it over easily, and he had already prepared a backup plan.
Meanwhile, Nicole and the others were carrying the disconnected Eous, following the route Wise had previously outlined.
Fortunately, Wise had given Nicole and her companions the exact path in advance. He had also warned them that if they didn't hear from him later, they should continue with Eous along the original route.
To make things easier, Nicole had originally planned to carry Eous, but after only a moment, Anby stepped forward and offered to take over.
Nicole assumed her subordinate was just being considerate, but as a good boss, she couldn't let her subordinate struggle, so she politely refused.
But she still didn't understand why Anby's expression showed no hint of gratitude.
As for why she didn't hand it over to Billy, it was because he was using dual pistols.
On Nicole's side, everything was going smoothly. Meanwhile, Wise and Belle, after showing a bit of weakness, managed to make the hacker across from them complacent.
He even voluntarily revealed information about the safe, although he later became furious at their teasing and tried to get revenge.
But carelessness is always a bad habit. In the end, the siblings handed the hacker over to the Peacekeeper to serve his time in prison.
"Yay, that's great! That annoying guy finally got what he deserved," Belle cheered.
She felt a wave of relief at that moment, while Wise, standing to the side, made a few adjustments before preparing to reconnect his consciousness.
"It's just a shame we lost the account," he muttered.
"What's there to worry about? We are Phaethon! With Brother around, it won't be long before we become legendary Proxies again. Who knows, we might even set a new record for becoming a legendary Proxy faster than anyone else."
Belle didn't seem too worried about the lost account, but Wise knew the real problem wasn't the account itself.
It was the high income it provided.
As a legendary Proxy in the business, Phaethon's daily earnings had been extraordinarily high. Now that the account was gone, they would have to rely on the Video Store's income to get by.
Putting that aside for the moment, after synchronizing his consciousness again, Wise's perspective shifted, and he saw a pair of milky-white snow bunnies right in front of him.
"Hmm? This is…"
Just as he clearly saw the scene in front of him, before he could react, Wise's Bangboo body was pulled out of Nicole's arms by Anby.
"Ah, Proxy, you're finally back. What happened just now?" Nicole asked, noticing his return.
"Uh, that's a long story..." Wise, still being held by Anby, then explained what had just happened.
At the same time, he thought about Anby's little jealous moment, which could make things a bit complicated. He had already decided to act like a "playboy," so he hoped Anby would stay as straightforward as always, so things would not become difficult for him.
"So, the disconnection happened because the equipment was hijacked by a mysterious hacker? That was close! Luckily, the store manager had the foresight to give us the route in advance," Billy said, sounding very relieved.
Anby asked eagerly, "Then Wise… I mean, Proxy, are you guys okay?"
"It's nothing, don't worry, Anby. We only lost an account. Looks like we'll just have to give Nicole a discount on the commission fee."
"Ah? Proxy, is that true?"
Hearing this, Nicole's eyes instantly lit up. She looked overjoyed.
[Ding! Target: Nicole has increased her favorability toward the host by 5. Her current favorability is now 75. Additionally, 500 Emotional Value has been obtained.]
[Current Emotional Value: 2500]
"Alright, we'll discuss the commission discount later. Your Ethereal-attuned physiques are almost at their limit, so it's better to finish the commission as quickly as possible."
At Wise's words, the three members of Cunning Hares stopped lingering and continued searching for the safe.
After a while, Wise was the first to spot it. The safe sat quietly in an open space, looking suspicious, almost like a trap.
"Ah, that's my safe!"
Nicole, seeing it, immediately tried to move forward and grab it. Before Wise could warn her, the Dullahan suddenly appeared behind everyone and attacked Anby.
Reacting quickly, Wise crashed directly into Anby's arms, causing the Dullahan's attack to miss.
Bangboo's soft body didn't hurt Anby, and she quickly steadied herself after the bump, landing gracefully.
Anby could have handled the attack herself, but there would have definitely been some damage. Wise's care for her touched Anby deeply.
[Ding! Target: Anby has increased her favorability toward the host by 1. Her current favorability is now 94. Additionally, 300 Emotional Value has been obtained.]
[Current Emotional Value: 2800]
"What bad luck!" Billy muttered, making a frustrated expression.
"Dammit! I won't let you get my safe!" Nicole shouted, striking a combat pose.
Anby and Billy quickly joined her, and a fierce battle erupted. Even though it was a High-level Ethereal, the three members of Cunning Hares handled it without much trouble, eventually emerging victorious.
However, just as Nicole gleefully prepared to grab the safe, Wise jumped directly onto it. His words hit her like a bucket of ice water, instantly wiping the smile from her face.
"Nicole, I don't want to ruin the mood, but don't be happy too soon. That hacker just deleted the Hollow escape data I had saved."
"Ah? So that means we can't get out?"
"Well, judging by the situation right now… yes."
Nicole seemed to lose all her strength at once, collapsing to the ground with tears welling in her eyes.
She had clearly secured the safe and completed the commission, with a large fee within reach, but now she was being told she couldn't leave.
All that effort, did it mean nothing?
Billy, nearby, was crying bitterly because he still hadn't had dinner with Sister Monica.
Only Anby remained relatively calm. While comforting the others, her gaze kept drifting toward Wise. She opened her mouth several times, but couldn't find the words.
Although she made no sound, Wise could roughly understand her meaning by reading her lips. But this was something to discuss after they got out.
"Everyone, I'm not saying there's no hope at all. How about you hear my solution first?"