Just as everyone was puzzled, Ling, who was slumped in the chair, panting heavily, straightened up excitedly: "I've heard that voice! She's the one who was talking in my head while I was unconscious!"
Fairy: "Affirmative. You may call me Fairy. It is a pleasure to serve you."
"According to the User Agreement you signed, I will assist you in all aspects, help you complete your work, and await the arrival of the [Opportunity]."
Zhe looked at "her" suspiciously: "Were you the one who put my sister in danger just now?"
Fairy: "Apologies. The data storm just now was not intentional on my part, but was caused by the rejection I experienced from the original intelligent assistant within this computer."
"If I hadn't resisted, I would have been completely devoured, and the important data I stored would have been deleted along with me. Therefore, to complete my mission, I had to fight back."
Ling scratched her head in confusion: "Wait a minute, what agreement are you referring to? What do you mean by waiting for the opportunity? And what is your mission?"
Fairy: "According to the User Agreement, I am unauthorized to answer that question. The Master will learn the answer at the appropriate time and place."
Next, to prove her worth, Fairy proactively offered to use her unrestricted access to over 80% of the smart devices across the entire city to help Ling and Zhe rebuild their database and compensate for their losses, thereby reviving their Ropemaker business.
Since a portion of the original database in the HDD had been transferred out of the system along with the Rope Net account, and the other part was completely destroyed in the data storm, Ling and Zhe were somewhat forced to accept Fairy's proposal.
Seeing that Ling had returned to normal, Hu Tao and Maoyou finally relaxed.
But then, they realized they had forgotten something: "Crap! The White Guy's corpse is still inside the Hollow!"
Fairy observed their reaction and said to Ling: "I have observed that the Master's two friends seem to have left something behind inside the Hollow."
"I believe this is a good opportunity to prove my value."
"I have fully learned the auxiliary mode of the original intelligent assistant. Please, Master, try connecting to the HDD now as you did before. I guarantee there will be absolutely no risk."
However, before Ling could speak, Hu Tao and Maoyou spoke up first: "We refuse!"
Fairy paused, then said apologetically: "My apologies, I forgot that the Master has just recovered from the data storm. It is indeed inappropriate to enter the system again at this time."
Hu Tao also comforted Maoyou: "It's fine. The elite Remnant that the White Guy turned into was converted back into a corpse by me when they opened the safe. It shouldn't turn into a Remnant again, it will just be a bit troublesome to find next time."
Maoyou nodded: "You're right, our friend's safety is more important."
Thus, the group, exhausted from the day's events, dispersed from the video store, leaving Ling a quiet space to recover... The next day, Ling attempted for the first time, with Fairy's assistance, to lead Hu Tao and Maoyou into the Hollow to search for the White Guy's corpse.
The entire process was surprisingly smooth, with fewer of the common incidents like "accidentally encountering a Remnant and being forced to fight." This made Ling and Zhe truly appreciate Fairy's capabilities... After transporting the White Guy's corpse out of the Hollow, Hu Tao contacted members of the Red Fang Gang as Maoyou had instructed. Since they were still overwhelmed with problems, they didn't have time for further questions.
In fact, they were even more grateful to Hu Tao and the "Red Fang Gang member who wished to remain unnamed," as this provided a good opportunity to reorganize the gang.
At the funeral site, the atmosphere was solemn yet somewhat strange. Hu Tao, dressed in her signature black attire, held a soul-summoning banner and chanted incantations as she presided over the ceremony.
Surrounding her were the Red Fang Gang subordinates, whose usually arrogant faces now showed a hint of reverence. It seemed the White Guy's prestige still lingered.
Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew through, causing the burning candles to flicker violently, their flames dimming and brightening. Hu Tao's heart tightened, but she calmly continued the ceremony.
Just then, a subordinate pointed at the coffin in horror and shouted: "Boss... the Boss moved!" Everyone's eyes immediately focused on the coffin, watching the lid slowly slide open with a creaking sound.
Hu Tao took a deep breath, pulled out the staff of homa, and cautiously approached the coffin. The moment the lid was fully lifted, a pale hand reached out.
However, this was not the White Guy "resurrecting," but rather an attack sent by a rival gang of the Red Fang Gang to disrupt the ceremony. They intended to use this opportunity to strike a blow to the Red Fang Gang's morale.
Hu Tao reacted quickly, swinging the staff of homa to engage the enemies in battle, eventually repelling them and bringing the funeral to a safe, albeit eventful, conclusion.
After the funeral, Hu Tao walked toward a dark corner at the edge of the venue. As she stepped in, Maoyou burst into tears and hugged her: "Thank you... thank you..."
In Maoyou's voice, one could hear both sorrow for the White Guy's death and grief over the Red Fang Gang's decline.
Hu Tao said nothing, simply holding her quietly, sharing her pain.
Once Maoyou calmed down, Hu Tao asked softly: "Do you have any plans now?"
Maoyou nodded: "Yes, I plan to go with Nicole and the others to Canvas Alley in the Dead End Hollow. That was the Red Fang Gang's original base."
"Ever since the White Guy was wanted, he spent a long time hiding there."
Hu Tao thought for a moment and asked: "Do you intend to continue investigating that safe?"
Maoyou: "Yes. Although you and I know what was in the safe, we don't know where it came from, how it got here, or who hired the Red Fang Gang and Nicole to steal it."
"Therefore, to find out this information, the Ropemaker, the Cunning Rabbit House, and I have partnered up again. The only breakthrough we can find is through the White Guy."
"Unfortunately, he is now dead, so we can only search for clues in his hiding place."
Hu Tao nodded with concern: "I wish you good luck. If you need any help, you can contact me anytime."
Maoyou hugged Hu Tao tightly again, then flashed into the shadows and vanished instantly... One day a week later, Hu Tao was leisurely lying on the sofa in her residence, watching television.
Since the Wang Sheng Funeral Parlor staff had become relatively proficient under her training and could handle minor funerals, she had become much more relaxed.
After conducting the White Guy's funeral, she had inquired with Fairy about the possibilities related to her crossing over, but unfortunately, Fairy was not clear about her specific situation.
However, Fairy rekindled her hope:
"As long as I can follow the Master's Hollow activities and search for more specialized data, perhaps one day I can find data related to the spacetime rift that allowed you to cross over, helping you find the way home."
Thus, Hu Tao simply signed a backup proxy contract with the two Ropemakers. In her ample free time, she followed them in and out of the Hollow to complete commissions on the Rope Net, helping them acquire more Hollow data while also training her own combat abilities to deal with potential future dangers.
At this moment, the latest news was playing on the television: "As the municipal election approaches, the highly anticipated livelihood project—the Old Capital subway renovation—has officially begun..."
While watching, Hu Tao lamented: "Wow, using specialized trains to cross the Hollow to transport explosives directly to Canvas Alley—Yuanjing Industry sure knows how to think big."
Then, she suddenly thought: I wonder if Nicole and the others found any useful clues in Canvas Alley?
Speak of the devil. At that moment, the door to Hu Tao's residence was violently knocked. When she opened it, Maoyou rushed in:
"This is bad! We have to find a way to stop this explosion immediately, or Nicole and the others will turn into landfill ash!"