For those with traumatized hearts, simple care and doting are like a thousand-foot-deep abyss, only drowning them. The most correct approach is to find a way to enable them to truly return to normal society.
Building them a shelter, a home, is the fastest therapy. Even a girl with a tragic past like Cui Ji, after one or two months of interaction, basically recovered her social skills. Those unbearable memories were indeed tragic, but they also provided Cui Ji with a maturity different from her peers, which complemented her wisdom.
Calculating the time, due to the high-end or expensive maintenance of Cui Ji's mechanical prosthetics, the resources obtained from plundering a single Hollow were clearly no longer enough. Yao Ji felt it was time to re-enter a Hollow, and also planned to have Cui Ji provide her with informational support.
It must be said that in the original plot, after Cui Ji embarked on a path of despair, she directly conquered the Silver Army technology that the military had failed to conquer for many years. She almost achieved the 'magic of creating an army from sugar and air.' Her talent, surpassing both arts and science students, was truly remarkable; in just one month, Cui Ji almost became a master in technology.
Just yesterday, Cui Ji picked up a Bungbu from outside. In Yao Ji's eyes, that Bungbu was completely sparking and flashing, broken beyond repair, basically declared beyond saving.
As a result, Cui Ji used parts from the motorcycle that was shot down last time to stubbornly modify this Bungbu. What's more outrageous is that, according to Cui Ji, this Bungbu is a comprehensive model, equipped with many weapon modules, and under her own positioning, it can also serve as real-time navigation.
"Actually, I considered uploading consciousness, but we currently don't have the relevant equipment. Otherwise, the exploration of the Hollow would definitely advance to a new level!" Cui Ji said to Yao Ji while modifying the Bungbu, "I remember the legendary Rope Master on the Rope Net, what was his name? Oh right, Phaeton! Their Hollow navigation directly uses Bungbu, maybe they use this stream-of-consciousness data upload technology?"
Yao Ji: ...Alright, alright, you can be the protagonist.
Yao Ji and Cui Ji, relying on the previous carrot data, first entered the Hollow and skillfully found the familiar black market. Basically, all black markets must be reached through Hollow methods. This time, the two did not set their sights too high; they exchanged information at an intelligence exchange that was between a low-end and a mid-end exchange.
Information from the black market is not necessarily much better than some overt sources. In fact, many capable intelligence brokers are unwilling to trade information on the black market, as the black market is primarily chaotic, with various murders and robberies possible. Intelligence brokers are not combat personnel, and the other party might very well obtain information without paying, instead giving you a knife.
But conversely, anyone who dares to open an exchange on the black market generally has backing, and their intelligence is credit-backed, almost absolutely accurate.
The two's main goal this time was to accumulate wealth, and the Hollow targets they sought were those that originally had many residents. After considering various comprehensive factors, the two ultimately decided on two targets, one of which was located in Fourteen Minute Street, which had long since broken through Level 3 control.
"The Hollow on this street rapidly breached control. Even if residents evacuated promptly, there are still a large number of valuables inside that haven't been cleared out, suitable for us to move," Cui Ji said, holding a very expensive-looking electronic tablet. "Don't worry about moral issues. Emptying all the property inside means that companies under the Tops consortium will have to compensate residents in that area with insurance. According to their original strategy, as long as their dispatched personnel can find any remaining resident property in the Hollow, they will greatly deduct the insurance payment."
Cui Ji put away the tablet and righteously added, "So we must thoroughly scour all the property!"
Yao Ji, beside her, nodded after hearing this, then raised her hand and asked, "It's fine if we run into the consortium's small fry; their combat power is zero. But what if we encounter official personnel from the Public Security Bureau or the military on the way?"
Upon hearing this, Cui Ji pushed up her non-existent glasses and added, "Scrap them, or let me tie some highly concentrated Eihai bombs and sell them directly to the rebels, or let me modify them for reverse output. Actually, I think the Outer Ring is also a good selling ground."
Some time later, within the semi-Hollow of Fourteen Minute Street, two girls and a rabbit-headed robot flying in the sky emerged from a hidden corner.
That Bungbu was a combination of blue, white, and black, with a flying device and missile launcher on its back, and a cannon nearly as large as its body mounted on its chest. Its eye area was also fitted with laser-eye-like facial goggles, giving it a very high-tech feel.
"There shouldn't be many monsters on this route, right?" Yao Ji asked Cui Ji, watching her.
"Hard to say. This is my first Hollow exploration. I hope our luck is a bit better..."
"Boom!" A huge sound came from afar. A massive Eihai smashed through the wall in front during an attack, revealing three people still struggling with it.
Cui Ji: ...Hmm? Why does that person seem so familiar?
"Boss Nicole, it looks like there are still people over there?"
"I don't care about that much, you scoundrel, give me back the box!!!"
"Billy, Nicole is completely enraged now; she won't listen to anything."
Anbi dodged the blade of the white-haired man while speaking to her companion, Billy. She then spun around, charged, and slashed at the white-haired man. The white-haired man turned, raised his sword, and slashed back. Facing the heavy blow, Anbi remained calm, raised her sword to parry the blade, completing three consecutive parries.
Three consecutive heavy blows created a brief pause in the white-haired man's attack. Seizing this moment, Anbi's eyes glowed, her momentum like thunder, her blade like frost, and lightning coiled around her sword. Combined with Anbi's instantaneous high-speed movement during the white-haired man's attack window, only vanishing lightning and afterimages could be seen. Anbi continuously swung her sword. The white-haired man looked around, only observing the sword marks Anbi left on him each time. After several attacks, Anbi noticed that the white-haired man's window was about to close, and she quickly delivered a heavy vertical downward chop. She unleashed a combo with a lightning strike, briefly pinning the white-haired man, and then quickly widened the distance.
Billy immediately began to provide covering fire, and Nicole picked up a box and threw an Eihai orb. The white-haired man was frozen in place.
But clearly, this wave of operations wasn't enough damage. Not long after, the white-haired man broke free and roared once again.
But just as he roared, he felt something above him enlarge. Looking up, he found that Anbi had unleashed her ultimate, a direct beam of lightning slicing through the white-haired man's body, forcibly causing a stun.
Then, Billy's gun-firing movements around them were so fast that only afterimages could be seen, striking in a 360-degree circle with no blind spots.
During this process, Nicole had been charging her weapon. The black sphere appearing on that unknown weapon had reached a somewhat terrifying degree, already half the size of Nicole herself.
Just as the white-haired man broke free from the stun and roared for the second time, that black sphere precisely landed on his face.
White-haired man: ...A boss in the Novice Village , what should I do, waiting online?
The scene erupted into a spherical black hole. This time, the white-haired man truly knelt, and after the attack, his body became ethereal and began to dissipate.
The two girls and a flying Bungbu quietly watched the three complete this perfectly coordinated battle. Upon entering, both girls had tacitly wrapped their heads in long burlap robes to prevent being recognized.
"...Captain, she," Cui Ji's voice held a hint of bitterness, yet also a touch of relief, "she has a home, she can eat hamburgers, fall in love... like a normal person."
Mid-sentence, she suddenly felt a familiar warmth emanating from her shoulder. Turning her head, Yao Ji looked at him with her characteristic smile, a smile that conveyed warmth.
"Do you want to see her? I won't object. As an independent individual, you should have your own personality and decide your own future." A maturity and composure unsuited to her apparent age came through in her words. "First, you must understand that you are not a tool; you are a person with independent dignity. Everyone is like this."
"Now is not the time," Cui Ji shook her head upon hearing this, responding with a polite smile—a smile she had recently relearned. "Regardless, at least today I am not as miserable. I need to overcome a hurdle."
Amidst the flash of the explosion, the figures of the two, along with that Bungbu, vanished into the distance. After all, they still had their primary mission.
Anbi, with her remaining vision, saw the two figures. She inexplicably felt one of them was familiar but couldn't quite place who it was.
----Divider----
Zenless Zone Zero Faction Popular Science
Cunning Rabbit House.
Current Boss: Nicole Demara. A child who grew up in an orphanage, she once reached an adoption agreement with the Demara family but was soon back on the streets. According to existing intelligence analysis, this person operates in both legitimate and illegitimate circles, possessing extremely strong connections. Some intelligence indicates that Nicole's so-called old classmates are either high-ranking officials in the Defense Force, steel pipes in TOPS, or managers in the Municipal Government.
Even the green daily equipment currently used by the signboard girl Anbi was procured by Nicole (the core of green equipment is the Demara battery).
Summary: Never doubt this person's network of connections.
Members
Anbi Demara. Former captain of the Defense Force's Silver Squad, Silver Army Clone #0. Generally lacking in common sense, she loves movies, her favorite food is hamburgers, and she can exhibit some emotionally unintelligent behavior.
Based on PVs and plot, her combat power is T1 or T2 tier. In PV performance, she possesses combat power to rampage through dangerous deep areas of the Hollow, instantly eliminating Level 3 Eihai. Theoretically, her combat power is Level 4 to Level 5. In her exclusive secret story, "The Demise of Silver," she once stated that she could kill Yuecheng Liu. Given that Anbi had previously observed Bringer's combat during his stay in the port area, it can be inferred that Anbi indeed possesses combat power surpassing normal Yuecheng Liu. Her actual combat power should be Level 5, or even higher. In the plot, she is definitely T1 tier (T0 tier is Void Hunter).
However, if Yuecheng Liu's time-stop skill is factored in, it's unknown. This is purely a sneaky skill; if used well, it can even trap Void Hunter-level combatants. This book's plot combat power is set at Level 5, definitely T1 tier.
Members
Billy Kid. A robot who passed the Forbidden Fruit Test, qualifying him as a human. (In Zenless Zone Zero's setting, robots who pass the Forbidden Fruit Test are considered human and have citizen rights.) According to his self-narration, he was created in the Outer Ring by an ambitious individual using lost technology, possessing absurdly powerful combat capabilities.
At the time of his creation, his full name was 【High-Intelligence Tactical Combat Body for Firepower-Type Area Suppression】. He was the previous Ever-Victorious Champion of the Children of Calydon, and is currently known as one of the very few individuals in the Outer Ring capable of defeating Light, the Ever-Victorious Champion of the Children of Calydon.
Furthermore, according to known intelligence. In the game's plot, Caesar, the top combatant of the Outer Ring, only replaced his arm, which had died due to a car accident, with one of Billy's mechanical arms. Currently, Caesar is suppressing the power of this arm; otherwise, a light touch on a table would shatter it. In the plot, after seeing Silver Anbi, Billy also considered reverting to his original paint scheme.
When Cunning Rabbit House is low on funds, his firepower suppression is reduced to just two small pistols. However, in full gear, his combat power is definitely not low; in Billy's own secret story, it's mentioned that small gangs in the Outer Ring would faint upon seeing him. Currently, in his weakened state, his combat power is rated at Level 3.5, and his superb combat awareness can reach Level 4, but only at the basic line. Basic Level 4 cannot contend with a true Level 4, which is an nascent Dead End Butcher.
Member, Nekomiya Mana. Also abbreviated as Nekomata. Known as the person with the least background in Cunning Rabbit House, but she is a hexagonal warrior. She once served as the #2 figure in the 【Red Fang Gang】, possessing extremely strong leadership, analytical, and observational skills. In her exclusive secret story, she showed her ability to single-handedly clear out a large group of tunnel-robbing bandits, creating the meme "Sorrow of the Balls." Her combat power is absurdly strong, her intelligence is absurdly high, and most importantly, her emotional intelligence is also high, and she can even act cute. The game plot describes her as "can act cute and can fight."
Overall evaluation: No flaws except for her height, a perfectly obedient kitten. Of course, a loli physique might be a plus in some people's eyes (crossed out). Combat power rating is Level 3.5. Not reaching Level 4, her core equipment is too poor. Strongly recommend Nicole to replace her equipment.
Cunning Rabbit House faction, introduction complete.