Nicole kicked Billy out of the way with one swift motion, then examined Sam Li from head to toe. Seeing that he was completely unharmed, she finally exhaled in relief.

Immediately after, she scolded him seriously.

"You! Why did you sneak into Hollow Zero alone again? At the very least, you should've brought us with you to fight together—"

Billy quickly added, "Exactly! I've upgraded my gear and loaded double-power ammunition."

Nekomata piped up excitedly, "Kitty's battle-ready too, meow!"

It wasn't just the members of Hare's House.

Nearby, Hoshimi Miyabi, Tsukishiro Yanagi, Zhu Yuan, Soldier 11, and the others also breathed sighs of relief upon confirming that Sam Li was unharmed.

After fighting such a terrifying enemy for so long, returning without a single injury was already the best possible outcome.

At that moment, Mountain Shaper spoke gravely.

"Mr. Sam Li, were you able to discern what that giant truly was?"

To the Adepti, that colossus was neither a god nor an Ethereal being. Though it emanated immense Ether energy, the true source of fear came from another, unknown kind of energy—something none of them had ever encountered before.

Even with all their vast experience, none of the Adepti could determine the giant's origin.

Cloud Retainer spoke softly.

"This isn't the place to talk. Let's return and discuss it in detail."

Nicole nodded eagerly. "Let's go to the Hare's House."

Hoshimi Miyabi shook her head. "We should go to the Hollow Zero Operations Division instead."

With so many people, the Hare's House would surely be too cramped.

Billy agreed immediately. "Exactly, let's head to the Operations Division."

Nicole shot him a glare. "Hmph."

Billy quickly shut his mouth. "..."

...

Half an hour later, the group arrived at the Hollow Zero Operations Division and reunited with Keqing.

As soon as they met, Keqing immediately asked about the mission's outcome, her expression tense with worry. Only when she confirmed that Sam Li was uninjured did she finally relax.

Under everyone's expectant gazes, Sam Li began recounting the battle with the giant, as well as his theories about the mysterious being.

After Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, and the others had left with Azhdaha, Hoshimi Miyabi, and Tsukishiro Yanagi, Sam Li had fought freely without holding back.

They had clashed for a long time—Sam Li's attacks couldn't suppress the giant, and the giant's strikes couldn't harm Sam Li.

Several times, the colossus tried to devour him, but every attempt failed.

Moreover, during their battle, the giant had spoken in a strange, indecipherable tongue.

Those words clearly did not belong to the planet where New Eridu resided—they were of extraterrestrial origin, a language from the stars themselves.

After more than an hour of back-and-forth combat, neither side managed to gain the upper hand.

When Sam Li finished recounting his story, Billy blurted out, "Then why did you stay in Hollow Zero for half an hour before coming out?"

Sam Li replied calmly, "The Ethereal around the battlefield were in the way, so I took care of all of them."

Everyone fell silent.

The members of Hare's House and the Public Security Bureau hadn't witnessed the battle firsthand, but Hoshimi Miyabi and Tsukishiro Yanagi had—and they remembered clearly that the battlefield had been surrounded by over a dozen Destruction-level and Apocalypse-level Ethereal.

Sam Li had wiped them all out effortlessly.

No wonder the readings at Scott Outpost had fluctuated so drastically—first spiking, then stabilizing again shortly after.

After hearing Sam Li's explanation, Zhu Yuan and Qingyi exchanged uneasy glances.

They both knew how powerful Sam Li truly was. They knew he was the Geo Archon himself.

If even Sam Li couldn't defeat that colossus or suppress Hollow Zero... then no one could.

At that moment, Sam Li continued, sharing his conclusions.

"That giant isn't native to this world. It came from the depths of the cosmos."

Cloud Retainer and Moon Carver, who had already suspected as much, showed no surprise.

But Nicole and the others were stunned.

"From the depths of the starry sky? You mean... aliens?"

Sam Li shook his head. "It's not that simple. The giant wasn't its true body, but a manifestation of energy—a projection. Its true form lies within those two Sunlight Star Gems."

Destroying the manifested giant was something Sam Li could accomplish now.

However, the real danger lay within the two intertwined gems—their delicate equilibrium. If that balance were broken, or if either gem were destroyed, the resulting energy surge would be catastrophic. Not just New Eridu, but the entire planet would be torn apart.

This was no exaggeration.

Hearing this, everyone stared in disbelief.

The entire planet could be destroyed?

That would mean the extinction of all humankind.

Such a consequence was unacceptable—to both Sam Li and the people of New Eridu.

That was why Sam Li hadn't forced a decisive battle. Instead, he had focused on eliminating the Destruction-tier and World-Ending-tier Ethereal, gaining a massive amount of points and role-playing progress.

After this battle, Sam Li's role-playing progress had reached 95%—just one step away from completion.

Thinking of this, Sam Li glanced at the system within his mind:

[Host]: Sam Li

[System]: Ultimate Role-Playing System

[System Points]: 5,376,000

[Current World]: Zenless Zone Zero

[Current Role]: Geo Archon - Morax (Zhongli)

[Role Progress]: 95%

[Abilities]: Spearmanship - Rain of Stone, Jade Shield, Stone Stele

[Weapon]: Vortex Vanquisher

[Items]: None

[Shop]: Statue of The Seven, Jade Chamber, Serenitea Pot...

...

Sam Li had originally planned to push his progress directly to 100%, but the scarcity of Destruction-tier and World-Ending-tier Ethereal made that impossible.

Even after clearing out all the high-level Ethereal, his progress only reached 95%.

Not wanting to waste time in a fruitless stalemate with the giant, Sam Li withdrew from Hollow Zero for now, planning to seek other opportunities to reach full completion.

Meanwhile, as his progress surged, so too did his strength.

By now, his power was nearing the level Morax had once possessed at his absolute peak.

Raising his gaze skyward, Sam Li could even perceive meteorites brimming with pure Geo energy drifting deep within the vast starry expanse.

For a moment, he stood silently.

Then Zhu Yuan spoke with concern.

"So... does that mean we'll have to coexist with Hollow Zero from now on?"

Sam Li shook his head. "From a universal perspective, Hollow Zero is more like an eggshell—one that nurtures those two gems. Once the Sunlight and Starlight gems have absorbed enough life energy, they will descend upon this world in another form."

At those words, everyone's eyes widened in shock.

That mountain-sized giant—was merely an embryo?