When Belle mentioned her teacher, her expression visibly grew forlorn, and Zhong Yan finally solved a major doubt in his heart.
The Phaethon siblings had indeed become Proxies because of their teacher, and the truth they sought was deeply tied to her.
What he hadn't expected was that their teacher would turn out to be the alleged culprit behind the fall of the Old Capital. Even if that claim was questionable, in the public's eyes, Carole Arna was the sinner responsible for countless tragedies.
Her name would forever be nailed to the pillar of shame in New Eridu.
As her students, the fact that Wise and Belle hadn't been arrested by the Public Security Bureau showed just how thorough Carole's cleanup had been.
"Let the past stay in the past, Belle. At least you and your brother are still alive, aren't you? I believe your teacher must have had some unspeakable reason for her actions. Or perhaps... she was framed altogether."
Zhong Yan reached out and gently grasped Belle's clenched fist.
Feeling the comforting warmth from his palm, Belle's mood lightened considerably.
"No matter what, I'll definitely help you investigate this. No matter how dangerous Hollow Zero is, it can't stop the footsteps of an Uchiha."
Zhong Yan's words deeply moved Belle. Looking at his serious expression, she found herself momentarily dazed.
She remembered when they first met — Zhong Yan had saved her from a runaway car. From that moment on, he had left an indelible mark in her heart, and over time, that mark had blossomed into yearning.
Belle's breathing and heartbeat quickened, but she still clung to a shred of rationality. Her response was a charming smile: "Of course I know that. You're the hero who has saved me countless times. The person I trust the most... is you."
A girl's fall often happens unconsciously.
Meanwhile, back at the video store preparing to close, Wise suddenly sneezed.
Somehow, he felt as if he had lost something, though he couldn't quite put a finger on what it was.
Elsewhere, the seemingly distant subway station finally came into view as Belle and Zhong Yan walked slowly toward it.
Once the subtle atmosphere between them dissipated completely, their minds cleared.
"Thank you so much for today, Zhong Yan. If it weren't for you, I'd probably have ended up sitting in the café with my brother all day," Belle said, standing in front of the subway station with her hands clasped behind her back, pulling a cute face.
Zhong Yan chuckled lightly and replied, "I should be thanking you. Without you, today would've been unbearably boring for me. Thanks for keeping me company."
After their pleasant chat, the moment of farewell arrived. Belle waved to Zhong Yan reluctantly, then disappeared into the subway station.
Watching her fading figure, Zhong Yan fell into deep thought.
His feelings for Belle were, of course, genuine. Even if it had started from physical attraction, his emotions were real and tangible.
But now, as he got closer to the truth, he realized how little he actually knew about this world.
The detailed events of the Old Capital's fall were among New Eridu's top-classified secrets — probably known only to the very highest authorities.
As for the Phaethon siblings' teacher, based on the course of events, it was unlikely that Carole Arna alone had caused the fall of the Old Capital.
What lay behind it must be unimaginably vast and complex. Even with Zhong Yan's current power, approaching it would require utmost caution.
For now, he planned to visit the old site of the Helios Academy, to see the place where the siblings had once lived.
...
Thought quickly turned into action. When Zhong Yan appeared again, he was already inside Hollow Zero.
Hollow Zero was vast, comparable to the size of some countries. Even the former Eridu probably occupied only a tiny fraction of it.
Deep within its core, there must be existences far beyond human understanding.
Fortunately, Zhong Yan's destination wasn't that far in.
The location of the old Helios Academy wasn't exactly a secret in New Eridu. Before setting out, Zhong Yan had already found its approximate location online.
It was still quite a distance from the depths of Hollow Zero, but for the Hollow Investigative Association, it was already an unreachable zone.
For Zhong Yan, though, there was no such concern. With Kamui's space-warping ability, he could instantly teleport wherever he needed.
"The Ether here... it's ridiculously oppressive..." Zhong Yan muttered upon arriving at the old Helios Academy site.
The Ether pressure here was extremely intense — perhaps even surpassing that of natural Hollow cores elsewhere.
The abandoned streets were a twisted maze, with terrifying creatures lurking in every corner. Some even ruled entire streets as their domains.
It wasn't the first time Zhong Yan had seen an ecosystem like this, but what shocked him was the caliber of the monsters — the weakest ones here were at least upper-tier, and ordinary beasts were almost nonexistent.
Each street had no fewer than three massive beasts inhabiting it — a terrifying reality.
Just clearing one of these streets would be a nightmare for the Hollow Investigative Association.
Worse still, there were more than a dozen such streets just around the Helios Academy.
It was hard to imagine how many years it would take for New Eridu's people to fully uncover Hollow Zero's mysteries.
Or if they would even survive long enough to see that day.
The only good news for Zhong Yan was that he hadn't yet encountered a colossal Ethereal — otherwise, he would have immediately been discovered.
If battle broke out, he would have to clear the entire surrounding area first before he could even begin his investigation.
"So, the old research site is here, huh?" After scouting around, Zhong Yan finally spotted a cluster of buildings engulfed by dense Ether crystals at the center of one street.
Based on the information he had found online, that cluster was indeed the remnants of the Helios Academy.
Only part of the old academy remained, but it was the core area, making it the top priority for investigation.
However, the dense web of Ether crystals made it very hard to approach.
Luckily, Kamui had another function...
That was... subterranean phase travel!