RandomPlay, the video store, had hung up a [Temporarily Closed] sign.

Sol, Nicole, and the others had returned to the store carrying the safe and were now gathered in the workshop for discussion.

"I'm telling you, when are you going to put in one more couch? We can't all fit here!"

Nicole grumbled at Belle.

She was currently crammed on a single sofa with Anby and Sol—it was definitely a tight squeeze.

Billy, meanwhile, was sitting on the chair by the workbench.

"Sorry about that, Nicole. Didn't mean to make you guys sit so close together." Belle smiled, then added with a sharp tone, "But if you paid off all your debt earlier, buying another sofa wouldn't be a problem."

"Don't rush me, I am about to pay it off."

Nicole looked a bit embarrassed.

What she owed Belle and Wise in dennies was enough to buy dozens of sofas.

"Alright then, Nicole. Now that the safe's out of the Hollow, I believe we agreed it was time to settle your debt."

Wise grinned.

"Of course, no problem. I'll transfer it right now."

Nicole didn't try to dodge the debt.

This time, the siblings had taken a serious hit—they even lost Phaethon's main account.

If she still tried to weasel out now, she'd be downright heartless. Just like how dennies once meant the world to that friend of hers, right now, dennies were incredibly important to Belle and Wise who had just lost their main.

It might not be a matter of life and death, but the two really did need that money.

Nicole quickly sent over the full 5.12 million dennies she owed the siblings via her phone.

That was the result of the Cunning Hares saving every last bit of cash this month by living off giant potatoes every day.

"Unbelievable… Nicole's actually paying us back!"

Belle looked at the notification on her phone and sighed emotionally.

Debt repayment was basic decency, yet here she was getting emotional just because Nicole actually did it.

Is this a distortion of human nature, or a collapse of morality?

"Debt's paid, so quit mocking me already!"

Nicole snapped with a mix of shame and irritation.

Normally she wouldn't care about these things.

But now Sol was sitting right next to her—what would he think?

He might think she was the kind of irresponsible woman who dodges debts and lives carelessly!

"Nicole, act normal."

Belle looked a bit speechless.

Seeing Nicole like this… was really out of character.

This woman used to have skin thicker than armor—pretending like this just didn't suit her.

"Ahem ahem."

Nicole cleared her throat and acted as though nothing had happened. She straightened up and said seriously, "Anyway, let's talk about the real issue now—the safe."

"What exactly is inside this thing? It caused so much trouble!"

Back in the Hollow, due to being tailed by Public Security, they had to put this topic on hold.

Now, in the unmonitored video store, they could finally talk freely.

"…"

Sol remained silent, opting to be a listener.

He knew a thing or two about the contents, but revealing them would only raise suspicion.

Best to let Belle and Wise explain first—then he'd chime in.

Wise took a sip of water, then said, "According to that mysterious hacker who broke into the HDD system, the safe contains an item with functions similar to the Rosetta Data."

"Rosetta Data!" Nicole exclaimed, shocked. "Isn't that the super confidential Hollow data prototype only the Mayor has access to?!"

"Nicole, you know about that?"

Belle looked surprised.

Rosetta Data was so classified that even knowing the name wasn't something ordinary folks could manage.

"Heh, connections, you know?"

Nicole waved it off, clearly not wanting to elaborate.

She had some history and knew plenty of New Eridu's secrets. That was why, despite the Cunning Hares' shady reputation, they still had steady clients.

But that wasn't something she wanted to get into now.

Belle didn't pry and continued, "According to the hacker, the item inside the safe functions similarly to Rosetta Data. With it, you could enter and exit Hollows freely."

"That powerful?!"

Nicole looked down at the safe in her arms, wide-eyed with disbelief.

New Eridu's survival and development depended on Ether harvested from Hollows.

Free access to the Hollows? That was a ridiculous fortune.

It wasn't even about how much money could be made—used right, it could create an entirely new TOPS financial group.

Belle smiled. "Now you understand how precious this safe is."

"No wonder so many people were after it." Nicole nodded seriously, then lit up with excitement. "Now that I've got this treasure in my hands, how many dennies do you think it's worth?!"

She couldn't even begin to guess the value.

Hundreds of billions? Trillions?

Nicole's eyes sparkled with the gleam of dennies—nothing else could fit in them now.

"Nicole, I suggest you calm down."

Wise spoke up. "This thing's value is beyond estimation—do you really think you can keep it safe?"

"Think of how many conspiracies will start rolling in."

His warning wasn't wrong. This treasure had already caused a multi-party scramble while it was still in the safe.

"Wise is right. This safe's entanglements run deep."

Sol nodded. "It was in the White Star Institute's lab. The people backing the Red Fang Gang wanted it. They went after the Cunning Hares. A mysterious hacker wanted it too."

And those were just the surface-level factions. Behind the scenes was an entire Thiren organization.

The "Fairy" AI inside the safe was only one of the four major AIs—it was one of the keys to triggering a massive future event.

Although the storyline hadn't progressed to that part before Sol transmigrated, he was certain:

That event would be bad news. At the very least, it would come with a massive storm.

"Ugh, so after all that, this treasure's just a poisoned gold mine…"

Nicole's excitement instantly deflated.

When life and dennies were on the scale, she knew which one to prioritize.

All the money in the world meant nothing if you were dead.

"Are we seriously just going to hand this safe over to the client?" Nicole snapped. "Even if they offered me ten times the commission, I'd still feel so unwilling!"

"And even if we do hand it over, that doesn't mean we're safe!"

This commission was just too hot to handle. Even if they turned it in, who knew whether the employer would just kill them afterward?

Keeping it was risky. Giving it up was risky.

A real damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.

"Then don't turn it in. Keep what's inside and use it ourselves."

Sol said seriously.

He had never planned to hand over the safe in the first place.

An AI that could freely explore Hollows? No way he was letting that go.

Even if the Fairy was a bomb in disguise—he wanted to hold the fuse himself. That way, he could at least be ready before it went off.

"But didn't you just say the safe was extremely dangerous, with huge risks?"

Nicole looked at him, puzzled.

"Exactly. That hacker got into the HDD—clearly not some random nuisance. What if his people hack your system?"

Wise also tried to reason with him.

"And the people behind the Red Fang Gang might come for you. So might the White Star Institute. Even your employer might make a move."

"So many enemies—how are four people in the Cunning Hares supposed to fight them all off?!"

Belle was visibly anxious.

She knew how valuable the safe was—but that was exactly why she wanted to steer clear of it.

This many dangers? They couldn't possibly withstand them!

Sol's lips curled into a confident smile. "Simple. I'll just become a Void Hunter."

For a moment, it felt like background music began playing behind him.

In the desolate valley, cold winds blow. In spring, cicadas sing—youth returns…