"Uh... well..."
Faced with Qingyi and Zhu Yuan's pointed questions, Zane found himself momentarily speechless. Their sudden appearance had caught him off guard, and coming up with a reasonable explanation on the spot wasn't easy.
"Hm?"
Qingyi raised an eyebrow as she stared at him.
Zane turned to look at Zhu Yuan, only to see her expression growing colder by the second. He sighed helplessly.
"It wasn't exactly lying."
"Just... omitting a few details. Senior already knew about most of it back when we were in the Dead End Hollow."
Seeing Zhu Yuan's expression soften slightly, Zane glanced back at Qingyi and continued.
"I honestly don't know why a red notice was issued. I only went into the Hollow to retrieve some Ether."
As for whether Sarah had leaked the information—that was just his personal suspicion. No way he could bring that up right now.
Qingyi noticed the questioning look in Zhu Yuan's eyes, so she began explaining Zane's connection to Hare's House.
Put simply, Zane was technically a raider.
As she listened, Zhu Yuan's expression eased. If that was all it was... it was much better than she'd feared.
"You went in just to retrieve Ether?"
"Are you short on money?"
Zhu Yuan looked at him curiously, thinking back to the time he'd borrowed money in front of the Public Security Bureau. A few pieces started falling into place.
"But Zane, it shouldn't be that hard for you to earn Dennies legally, right?"
"Why resort to this?"
Qingyi gave him a searching look. Recalling the reports about Hare's House, she began to understand.
According to sources, Hare's House was always buried in debt and constantly operating at a loss. Could that be the reason?
"It's... for a special reason."
A breeze stirred the strands of hair by Zane's ear as he gazed down at the cordoned-off area. Then he told them about the cat café.
"What? Seriously... it was for something like that?"
Zhu Yuan's expression finally softened completely, tinged with surprise.
All that—going into the Hollow, stirring up a commotion—just for some cats?
"You..."
Qingyi tapped his forehead with a finger, exasperated.
She'd thought something huge had happened. Turned out it was just to open a stray cat adoption café.
"Officer Zhu Yuan, I know entering a Hollow to mine Ether without clearance violates public safety regulations, but I had my reasons."
After a brief pause, Zane raised both hands, looked up at her, and added softly,
"But it's still illegal. If you feel you need to arrest me—do it now. I won't resist."
Zhu Yuan frowned, deep in thought. Qingyi simply raised a hand and smacked his outstretched hands away.
"Idiot. Do you even understand what a red notice means? If they really took you in, this wouldn't end with a trip to prison..."
Qingyi's tone was sharp—almost like a warning meant for Zhu Yuan.
Hearing this, Zhu Yuan made her decision. She never cared much for regulations. What she upheld was her own sense of justice.
"I told you before—just call me Zhu Yuan."
That was her only reply before she turned away, not bothering to look at Zane. Instead, she fixed her gaze on the approaching security officers.
"So, Zane... what are you planning now?"
"A red notice isn't something to take lightly."
Zane shrugged.
"It's fine. The red notice was for the Masked Fool. What's that got to do with me, Zane?"
"Even if I stood right in front of them, they'd have no reason to arrest me."
Qingyi and Zhu Yuan exchanged glances.
She was right—only a handful of people knew the Masked Fool and Zane were the same person. Hare's House wouldn't sell out one of their own.
Which meant only the two of them held that secret.
And they'd already made their choice—not a word had been reported to the Bureau.
"Alright. Just be careful."
Qingyi rubbed her forehead, equal parts exasperated and impressed.
"And what now? Planning to just sit here and watch the show?"
"Of course not."
Zane shook his head at her question.
"Senior, my Ether's still inside the sealed area. I have to find a way to get it back."
"Otherwise, this trip would be a waste."
Before leaving, he'd hidden both Panta and the Ether somewhere safe—just in case.
He couldn't just abandon them now.
"But right now..."
Zhu Yuan was about to say something when her phone buzzed with a notification. She glanced at the screen and her eyes widened.
"Senior! The red notice has been canceled!"
Qingyi blinked, clearly just as shocked. She moved to Zhu Yuan's side and frowned at the screen.
"Are they kidding? First they issue a red notice, now they're just canceling it?"
"Senior, the cancellation came directly from Chief Bringer. Looks like something's going on inside the Bureau..."
Zhu Yuan's tone turned serious. She'd never seen a red notice issued and then revoked—especially not within the same hour.
And this wasn't some clerical mistake. It was a real notice—one that had triggered a full-scale operation.
"Chief Bringer?"
Qingyi furrowed her brow, resting a hand on her chin as she thought.
This kind of blunder would deal a huge blow to the Bureau's credibility.
And yet... here it was.
The internal fractures at the Bureau must be worse than anyone imagined. Bad enough they were tearing into each other over something like this.
A power struggle?
Her gaze shifted to Zane. The man at the center of it all... was the one behind the mask of the Fool.
That's what baffled her.
She'd never heard of any real crimes committed by the Masked Fool. Could a red notice really be issued over just illegal Ether collection?
There had to be more going on.
"Senior, they're retreating."
Zane spoke as he watched the scene below.
With the notice withdrawn, the blockade had been lifted. Security officers were now pulling out in an orderly fashion.
In the end, all that effort to sneak out of the perimeter... had been for nothing.
Based on the current search pattern, they hadn't even been close to Panta. Even if he'd stayed inside, chances were slim he'd have been found.
"This whole thing's just bizarre."
Zhu Yuan stepped to the edge of the rooftop to stand beside him. She looked down at the scene below—so much had happened in just an hour that it upended everything she thought she knew.
Strange or not, the situation with Zane seemed to be wrapping up. With that, a bit of the tension in Zhu Yuan's chest finally eased.
She was ready to leave.