Sixth Street – inside [RandomPlay], the video store.
It was early morning when Wise was the first to wake. After a quick wash, he powered up all the Bangboos that had been recharging overnight and sent them back to their assigned posts. Then he flipped the sign on the shop door to "Open for Business."
Their little store wasn't particularly popular in Sixth Street. On a good day, it brought in just enough to cover their basic living costs—barely any surplus denny to spare.
But for them, running the video store was more of a side hustle. The real money came from their identity as the Proxies of Phaethon—a single job could easily net them hundreds of thousands of denny.
Million-denny commissions were rare on the Proxy Network. Those kinds of high-paying requests were usually handled by established organizations like Victoria Housekeeping Co.
Compared to the Proxy Network, those groups had more authority, more power, and much higher credibility than any freelance Proxy or Hollow Raider.
Most importantly, people with influence and wealth wouldn't risk exposing themselves on an illegal forum like the Proxy Network. The consequences of being caught there could be devastating.
Someone in that world had countless enemies—and they'd never hand those enemies ammunition willingly.
So, when Belle had lost her mind over the reward Zhong Yan offered, it was because the amount was astronomical—so big it was simply impossible to refuse.
"That Zhong Yan… he's definitely not as simple as he looks." Wise sat down on the sofa in the video archive room, already deep in thought.
First off: the money. A boy who looked no older than sixteen or seventeen, younger than even them—how did he have the means to casually throw down a 3-million denny deposit?
And then there was the incident in the Hollow. He remembered it clearly—the explosion had drawn in so many Ethereals that even a professional Hollow investigation team wouldn't have stood a chance.
Let alone the fact that a high-risk Ethereal had appeared.
And yet Zhong Yan walked out of it completely unharmed. Then had the audacity to casually chat with them like nothing had happened.
Sure, the guy was strong. But that strong?
Unless he was one of the officially recognized Void Hunters… But that couldn't be. Those with the Spectral Hunter title had long been public figures. Their faces weren't exactly secrets in New Eridu.
And Zhong Yan definitely wasn't among them. That ruled out that possibility.
Unless... he had Void Hunter-level power, but hadn't yet been officially acknowledged.
"I'll need to interact with him more. There's no way to figure out his identity or goals with what we currently know." Wise couldn't make any further headway in his reasoning, so he set the topic aside.
At that moment, Belle came downstairs from the second floor, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
Clearly, she'd stayed up late again—probably until dawn.
"Brother, Zhong Yan messaged me this morning. He said he's found Miguel Silver's location." She immediately pulled out her phone and held it out for Wise to see.
Wise took the phone and examined the messages Zhong Yan had sent around 6 a.m.
[Zhong Yan: Sorry for the early message. I've found Silver's whereabouts. We can move tonight. I'll wait for you at 8 p.m. at the metro station in Fourteenth Street.]
[Zhong Yan: If possible… I'd like to see what you two Legendary Proxies really look like before the mission. But if that's too forward, feel free to ignore this.]
[Zhong Yan: I'm transferring the remaining commission now. Tonight's operation is crucial.]
[Transfer]
Seeing the transaction notification made Wise's eyes widen.
He really just transferred the rest, just like that?!
But Belle hadn't accepted the payment yet—which meant she still had some reservations.
Wise shared that sentiment. But when he thought about it, Zhong Yan had never once tried to hide his face. On top of that, he'd risked himself multiple times to save Eous in the Hollow.
If they kept hiding everything from him despite that... it would be a serious lack of trust.
Besides, it wasn't like it was a big deal for them to show their faces to a client. In the game, most characters already knew who Phaethon was—everyone except maybe the Public Security Bureau and a few in Section VI.
"Do you think he's being a little reckless?" Belle suddenly asked, her voice laced with concern.
Wise blinked. He hadn't considered that.
But it was true—Zhong Yan's messages radiated urgency. So much that it made you worry he might go overboard when things got tense.
After a pause, Wise looked at Belle, his expression suddenly serious.
"Belle... do you think Zhong Yan is someone worth building a deeper relationship with?"
"What kind of question is that?" she frowned. "We've only met him once—and that was while I was controlling Eous. How am I supposed to judge that?"
Still, her impression of him was generally positive. Mysterious, sure—but clearly someone hiding a lot of secrets.
Wise explained, "What I mean is—if he's someone worth trusting, then we should meet him in person. His strength is real. Someone like that... it wouldn't hurt to form a closer connection."
Belle's eyes widened slightly in realization.
Wise wasn't just talking about a meeting—he was talking about making Zhong Yan their exclusive agent.
In the world of Proxies, there were two kinds: public agents and private agents.
Public agents worked with any Proxy that hired them, splitting rewards based on the job.
Groups like the Cunning Hares were classic public agents—they took all kinds of commissions, no matter the client.
Private agents, as the name suggested, worked solely with one Proxy.
For example, Victoria Housekeeping's staff served only their employers. If their employer was a Proxy, then the maids were considered that Proxy's private agents—even if the relationship was more "master and servant."
What Wise was suggesting now… was to make Zhong Yan the private agent of Phaethon.