At the same time Anby and Ellen were being admitted to the hospital—
Back in the video store on Sixth Street, one of Zhong Yan's shadow clones was still coordinating with Fairy, discussing the rescue plan.
Just then, Zhong Yan's phone vibrated with a message from Zhu Yuan.
[Zhu Yuan: Mr. Zhong Yan, Miss Anby is at the hospital now. Are you able to come over?]
He froze for a moment reading the message. Based on the intel he had, only Ellen had been rescued.
As for Anby, her whereabouts had been completely unknown.
But if Zhu Yuan said she was safe, then there was no doubt about it.
Knowing Anby had made it out gave Zhong Yan some relief.
Now, only Belle remained.
To find her, he'd need to uncover the origin of the attackers.
Which meant... it was time to pay a visit to the Public Security Bureau.
...
Evening fell, and the Public Security Bureau's office hours came to an end.
Zhao Anmen organized the documents on his desk, placed them into a drawer, and locked up his office, ready to head home for the night.
But not long after leaving the bureau, while passing through a quieter part of the city, he spotted a figure that immediately caught his attention.
It was Uchiha.
Zhong Yan stood within a blind spot outside of surveillance range, arms crossed, leaning against a wall like he'd been waiting.
Zhao Anmen wasn't a fool—he knew this wasn't a chance encounter. Without hesitation, he ducked into a nearby alley.
Zhong Yan followed without delay.
Inside the alley, once they confirmed no one else was around, Zhao Anmen finally spoke. "I hope you're not here about Nin-Village. Those guys have been quiet lately—no more trouble."
Zhao Anmen's biggest fear was that Zhong Yan had come to reopen old wounds. After all, he was still part of Nin-Village and couldn't just stand by while the organization he worked so hard to build was destroyed.
But his concerns were unnecessary—Zhong Yan had never seen Nin-Village as much of a threat. After their last crushing defeat and the citywide manhunt from the Public Security Bureau, they'd been completely neutralized.
"I've encountered some strange people recently. They're clearly human, but their bodies are structured just like Ethereals. They can enter and exit Hollows freely and even use Ethereal powers. I figured you might know something."
Zhong Yan didn't waste time. And his words made Zhao Anmen fall silent for a few moments before he finally replied.
"They were researchers back in the Old Capital era. Their focus was on exploring the compatibility between humans and Ether. After the Old Capital's collapse, they lost government funding... and turned to unrestricted human experimentation instead."
"The result is what you've seen—they successfully implanted Ether into human bodies, creating hybrid beings… part human, part Ethereal. I was one of their test subjects, actually. A failure, so they discarded me."
Learning that this group dated back to the Old Capital, Zhong Yan's eyes narrowed.
Like Nin-Village, they were a faction never mentioned in the original game—formidable and dangerous in ways far beyond criminal outfits like the Red Fang Gang or the Mountain Lion Gang.
What mattered most now was finding out where their headquarters were.
Cut off the head of the snake, and he might still have a real chance to save Belle. Otherwise, who could say what might be left of her if he waited too long?
Zhao Anmen went on to explain that the success rate of the experiments was extremely low—out of a hundred candidates with Ether compatibility, maybe one or two would become perfect hybrids.
The rest? Most died. The few who survived were dumped back into New Eridu—half-finished products under observation.
If a "prototype" managed to evolve into a complete form over time, then they'd be deemed truly "perfect."
The organization didn't kill these failures outright because they were waiting to see if evolution occurred.
As for why they hadn't reported any of this to the authorities? Their strongholds were located far outside New Eridu. Even if the government could find them, the whistleblowers themselves would be implicated as former test subjects—their fate all but sealed.
Incidentally, their candidates were usually abducted from Hollows or from within New Eridu itself—anyone with a trace of Ether compatibility.
These included Hollow Raiders, government agents, and even ordinary civilians.
Clearly, Belle and the others were part of the latest batch. And if they weren't rescued soon, it could be too late.
"Where's their base?" Zhong Yan asked. Right now, Zhao Anmen was the only person who knew anything about this group, and he had to extract as much information as possible.
But the answer was disappointing.
"I don't know. Some bases are hidden in Hollows, others in New Eridu, but their main headquarters is located somewhere outside the city. I've tried tracking them for years… nothing."
Zhao Anmen shook his head. He had been knocked out and dumped back into the city—he never saw the route, let alone where he had been.
Though disappointed, Zhong Yan wasn't surprised. For someone who had been discarded, even surviving was a miracle. If he'd known their central base, he'd never have made it back.
The trail ended here. All Zhong Yan had learned was the group's origins, their motives, and their methods.
It was a valuable breakthrough—but time wasn't on his side.
The only option left was a large-scale search using his army of shadow clones. If those people were still inside New Eridu, there was still hope.
But first, he decided to visit Ellen and Anby at the hospital.
Having divided his strength among too many clones, Zhong Yan's main body was considerably weakened. Avoiding unnecessary combat—especially against unknown enemies—was crucial.
According to Zhu Yuan, Anby's condition was serious. Like Ellen, she had gone into shock due to extreme blood loss.
Fortunately, both were stabilizing under hospital care. While full recovery would take time, their lives were no longer in danger.
For Zhong Yan, that was—at the very least—a small mercy.