At that moment.

Inside Zhu Yuan's patrol vehicle, Sam Li, Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, and the others were taken aback when they heard from Keqing's call that a hollow disaster had broken out.

Moon Carver frowned slightly.

"Does Azhdaha have some kind of constitution that attracts hollow disasters?"

Cloud Retainer let out a cold snort.

"Don't speak nonsense. It's merely coincidence. Zhu Yuan, stop the car here."

Traveling by vehicle to the Bangboo Maintenance Headquarters was far slower than flying directly there.

Hearing this, Zhu Yuan quickly pulled the patrol car over to the roadside.

"Did something happen?"

Cloud Retainer replied casually, "Azhdaha has once again encountered a hollow disaster at the Bangboo Maintenance Center. We'll go take a look."

As she spoke, Cloud Retainer and Mountain Shaper transformed into cranes and soared into the sky.

Moon Carver took the form of a divine deer, stepping onto the air itself and racing toward another district of New Eridu.

As for Sam Li and Xiao, they leapt upward, flying into the sky in their human forms.

The sight drew the attention of countless New Eridu citizens. Cars screeched to a halt, and people stepped out, staring in astonishment at the distant figures of the Adepti vanishing into the clouds. It was even more breathtaking than the cloud-riding scenes seen in mythological films.

Zhu Yuan, like everyone else, looked up at the sky, silently watching Sam Li and the Adepti disappear from view.

At that moment, Qingyi drove another patrol car over and stopped beside Zhu Yuan. The moment the car halted, Qingyi jumped out.

"What's going on? Where are they headed?"

Zhu Yuan quickly relayed what she'd just learned.

"They said a hollow disaster broke out at the Bangboo Maintenance Headquarters. Azhdaha and his Bangboo followers were swallowed by the hollow… Senior Qingyi, let's go check it out too."

Qingyi sighed.

"Let's go. By the time we arrive, they might have already subdued the hollow disaster."

Even so, Qingyi and Zhu Yuan each took a patrol car and sped toward the Bangboo Maintenance Center on the opposite side of the city.

...

Meanwhile, as Sam Li, the Adepti, Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, and squads of New Eridu Public Security officers rushed toward the Bangboo Maintenance Center—

At the outskirts of the city, near the Maintenance Center itself, a vast pitch-black hollow had already formed, expanding at terrifying speed. In moments, it devoured the entire Maintenance Center and several surrounding blocks.

The air was filled with panicked cries and urgent warnings from the security personnel:

"Residents nearby, evacuate in an orderly manner! Do not panic! Avoid stampedes—"

"Residents nearby, evacuate in an orderly manner!"

The hollow's expansion was far too fast. Some people barely managed a few steps before the black void swallowed them whole.

Even the fully armed security officers were powerless before the disaster. Like the civilians, they could only retreat while trying to direct people to safety. But despite their efforts, chaos spread, and countless citizens were still consumed by the hollow.

"Help me… Officer, please help me…"

A young girl had fallen to the ground, eyes filled with despair as she watched the fleeing crowd and the officers ahead.

Seeing this, one officer gritted his teeth and sprinted toward her, determined to get her out before the hollow reached them. But he underestimated the hollow's speed—and overestimated his own.

He had just lifted the girl to her feet when the expanding hollow overtook them both.

Instantly, a crushing wave of Ether corruption and pressure hit them. They could hardly breathe, gasping desperately for air.

Then, when they turned around, both were stunned by the sight behind them.

A massive rock beast—over a hundred meters tall, like a living mountain—glowed with golden light as it fought a horde of high-tier Ethereal.

The creature unleashed a blast of dragon flame, incinerating one Ethereal to ash. Then, with a single swipe of its claw, it shattered another into fragments.

The sight was utterly awe-inspiring.

The little girl asked breathlessly, "Officer… is that one of the Adepti protecting New Eridu?"

The officer snapped out of his daze and shook his head quickly.

"I don't know…"

An officer of his rank had never come into contact with the Adepti. Like most citizens of New Eridu, all he knew of them came from the videos posted online.

Thinking that, he hurriedly pulled out his phone to record the scene of Azhdaha battling the swarm of high-tier Ethereal.

Meanwhile, on Azhdaha's side—

Having only recently faced the Bangboo Village hollow disaster, Azhdaha was still seething with fury. Before it could even seek out Hollow Zero for vengeance, its enemies had come to it instead.

Roaring in rage, Azhdaha unleashed its wrath on every Ethereal in sight—whether Notoriety Ethereal or other high-tier ones. Anything below Destruction-Class was powerless to withstand even a single blow.

In moments, over a dozen high-tier Ethereal had fallen. With their deaths, the once rapidly expanding hollow began to slow.

But that wasn't enough.

Azhdaha leapt high into the air, and when it slammed back down, the earth quaked violently. Under the shockwave, the Ethereal on the ground were thrown upward. Azhdaha's claws swept through them, obliterating dozens in a single strike.

As the rampage continued, the hollow disaster's expansion came to a halt and began to wane.

Then suddenly—Azhdaha froze, sensing something behind it.

A massive spatial fissure had appeared, and from within it, a gigantic hand was reaching out, trying to cross over from Hollow Zero.

Seeing this, Azhdaha's fury ignited once more. Before the creature within the rift could emerge, Azhdaha charged straight into the fissure, slamming through it headfirst.

The rift, originally only tens of meters wide, was forced open wider and wider under Azhdaha's immense bulk until it spanned over a hundred meters across. With sheer force, Azhdaha squeezed through the fissure and plunged into Hollow Zero.

The citizens who had been swallowed by the hollow but had not yet turned into Ethereal matter stood frozen, staring in disbelief as the spatial rift slowly vanished.

With most of the Ethereal destroyed, the newly formed hollow rapidly began to collapse.

At the same time, Sam Li, Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, and the other Adepti finally arrived at the hollow's edge.