Zenless Zone Zero: I'am a Dullahan!

"Alright, let's move quickly before the pile driver starts shifting."

With that, Wise gave the signal and the group sprang into action.

Zane took Eous toward the Dead End Hollow, and though Nicole and her team hadn't even caught their breath yet, they immediately followed close behind.

"Man, I hope this mission goes as smoothly as the last one. There's a Starlight Knight fan event tonight—I really wanna make it in time..."

Billy grumbled as he caught up, clearly looking forward to something he'd waited ages for.

"Billy, are you going to oil shop?"

Anby asked quietly beside him.

"Hehe, let me tell you a secret, Anby. That motor oil shop I used to go to always gave me discounts... but I reported the full price to Nicole."

Billy smirked as they got into the vehicle, clearly proud of his little scheme.

Anby glanced down, thought for a moment, then hit him with a soul-piercing question.

"Billy, no dennies ever slip past Nicole's radar at Hare's House. Are you sure yours haven't already been... confiscated?"

Billy froze. His smile stiffened as he slowly turned to glance at Nicole, who was starting the car.

Feeling his stare, Nicole glanced back, confused.

"Something wrong?"

Billy just shook his head, not knowing how to respond.

Nicole rolled her eyes.

"Alright, we're off!"

She slammed on the gas, and the crew sped away.

...

Inside the video store...

Belle was just about to connect to the HDD system when she caught a glimpse of the news on TV and paused mid-motion.

"Brother, there's been a rise in missing persons in Janus District and the three surrounding zones... I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Who knows. But stuff like this happens all the time. Besides Hollow disasters, those Hollow syndicates and crime groups have probably been getting bolder too."

Wise sighed, shaking his head.

"I bet the Criminal Investigation Task Force is swamped right now. Zane hasn't been to the Public Security Bureau lately, and Qingyi and Zhu Yuan haven't shown up here either."

"You really notice everything, huh... I wonder how they're all doing now..."

Belle said softly, then let the thought go. There were more important things to handle.

After confirming with Fairy, she quickly synced to the HDD system—

and the moment she opened Eous' eyes, she instantly regretted it.

Why the hell was Nicole speeding?!

And what were those sirens?! Why were there police cars behind them?!

...

Deep within the Dead End Hollow, the teams had regrouped and, guided by the Proxy, made their way deeper inside.

It was eerily quiet.

"Whoa, this place feels way more desolate than any Hollow we've been in before. And the Ether concentration's way thicker too."

Anton scanned their surroundings with a frown.

"This Hollow's been here for a long time," Ben explained.

"Dangerous environment, plus it's close to the Old Capital. Staying here too long is a recipe for disaster... Let's just find that pile driver and get out."

Nicole's expression tensed at his words.

After two missions, she'd learned that whatever Ben said—no matter how ominous—it usually came true.

With that kind of jinxing power, she couldn't help feeling nervous.

Last time, stealing a safe turned into a full-blown incident. Was protecting a Bangboo going to bring about another disaster?

No way their luck was that bad... right?

Anton, meanwhile, didn't seem too bothered.

"If Proxy says the pile driver's just ahead, we should be able to grab it and head back in no time, right?"

"Anton, blind optimism can be dangerous."

Ben's tone was serious.

"The tunnel borer and the grabber we found before—they both had serious behavioral changes. Grace still hasn't figured out the cause."

Compared to Anton's laid-back attitude, Ben's caution made sense—one of the reasons he was trusted as the company's CFO.

"Oh, come on. Even if their personalities changed, they're still part of the team. What kind of apocalyptic mess could they possibly cause? Let's go!"

The group picked up the pace. Behind them, Anby leaned in close to Zane and murmured,

"Zane, with everything going on... I can't help but feel like something major's about to happen. Everything they've said so far—it's straight out of a disaster movie..."

She was trying to warn him. But what she seemed to forget was...

Among them, they already had a disaster-class existence.

"Relax..."

Zane smiled as he glanced at Anby's furrowed brow and motioned for her to ease up.

She looked at him and nodded slightly, her heart feeling a bit steadier.

After all... Zane really was dependable.

Soon, the group caught up to the pile driver. Nicole furrowed her brows as she looked at the machine, which seemed to be hard at work.

"Wait... what's it doing?"

"Duh. It's a pile driver. It's driving piles."

Zane reached over and flicked Nicole on the forehead before casually walking past her to catch up with Belobog Heavy Industries.

"Hey! You could've just explained it—don't go hitting me!"

Nicole grumbled and followed quickly.

Grace, now closest to the pile driver, looked like she was about to speak when Ben suddenly tensed.

Wait... why is the ground sinking?

The moment he felt his footing give way, Zane realized something too. A memory clicked.

He immediately shouted,

"Prepare for landing!"

"Huh?"

Nicole, who had lagged behind, looked confused. Prepare for what? They were on the ground—

"WAAAH!!"

With a loud crack, the ground collapsed beneath them. Everyone—along with the pile driver—plummeted downward as Nicole screamed.

"Why is there more ground under the ground?!"

"Because we've been walking on the roof this whole time!"

Someone answered her, but Nicole was too panicked to process it. She flailed in mid-air like a fish, scrambling for a landing spot.

Then her eyes landed on her twin ponytails.

She remembered that rope-spinning movie she watched yesterday. She'd laughed so hard back then. But now? She was filled with envy.

If only her ponytails spun like helicopter rotors, she wouldn't be dealing with any of this right now!!!

In the air, Anby moved with agility, bouncing between falling rubble. She quickly caught Eous and Panta in her arms.

After a swift mid-air spin, she landed steadily on a flat slab of debris, eyes sharp as she scanned for the best place to land.

...