Although her memories were a bit jumbled, when it came to business, Caesar's state of mind returned very quickly. With a couple of light coughs, the pink bubbles popped and Caesar immediately snapped back to her senses. A hint of panic laced her swiftness, so quick that Andrew, who had just turned back, didn't even notice anything was amiss.
The three of them quickly got their things in order and headed back the way Susanna came.
Following Susanna's lead, the trio climbed over two half-collapsed walls, rounded three corners, and traversed four corridors before finally arriving at the door of an inconspicuous room.
It had to be said, if it weren't for a pure-born Ethereal like Corrupted Overlord - Pompey that could teleport, Susanna's chances of a successful escape would have been quite high. But alas, there were no 'if's. But fortunately, Andrew and Caesar had arrived in time.
Collapsed wooden boxes blocked most of the room's door, but there was a gap at the bottom just large enough for someone with the body of a ten-year-old girl to squeeze through.
When Susanna reached the door, she couldn't contain her excitement and pounded heavily on the wooden cabinet in front of it, shouting:
"Sulina! Come out quickly, your big sister is here to find you!"
Although Susanna was eager to go straight in and find her sister, at thirteen years old, the gap was no longer big enough for her to pass through.
But despite her repeated calls, the room remained deathly silent. Not a single echo came back.
It was the same after several tries. For a moment, the three of them just stared at each other, bewildered.
"Don't tell me Susanna panicked while escaping and remembered the wrong place?"
At Caesar's question, even Susanna herself hesitated for a moment.
"Could it be? I was so nervous when I ran... did I really remember it wrong?"
Andrew, however, didn't think so. He waved his hand to get their attention, then pointed to the footprints on the ground and said:
"No, we're not in the wrong place. According to your tracks, they definitely lead right here."
As he spoke, Andrew set Susanna's tracks as the target for his Scoutflies, which began to hover over a messy pile of footprints in front of the door.
Susanna had indeed come this way. The trail of footprints led directly to this hidden door.
And in this messy patch of prints, there were only two types: one large, one small.
The larger ones were Susanna's footprints, and another set, clearly from someone who was with her but a size smaller, was also plainly visible.
Collecting samples from where the footprints started, and after successfully gathering a few, the Scoutflies got to work again.
This time, their target was crystal clear, pointing unerringly toward the tightly shut, silent door.
Andrew shrugged, also starting to feel puzzled.
But when Susanna confirmed her sister was really inside, she immediately started pounding on the boxes with greater force and raised her voice.
"Sulina! Come out! I know you're in there!"
This time, however, it wasn't silent. Instead, the faint, muffled sounds of someone trying to suppress their crying could be heard.
At this reaction, Caesar and Andrew exchanged another baffled look, unable to figure out what was going on.
But Susanna seemed to have realized something. The source of the problem dawned on her, and she sheepishly explained to Andrew and Caesar:
"I think I know what the problem is..."
To the two waiting for an explanation, Susanna said:
"Last night... I made up a ghost story for Sulina."
"In the story, I said that when people die in the Hollows, a special kind of Ethereal appears. It retraces the person's original path and uses their voice to trick the living, luring them out to kill them."
As she spoke, Susanna grew even more embarrassed. She awkwardly put her hands behind her back.
She subconsciously lifted her right heel, twisting the tip of her shoe on the ground, while turning her head slightly, not daring to look them in the eye. A smile that was both awkward and polite appeared on her face.
Seeing Susanna's incredibly awkward expression, blinking her eyes, how could Andrew and Caesar not know who the culprit behind all this was.
Everything Susanna just did was a perfect reenactment of the horror story, wasn't it?!
Imagine a little girl, already huddled in a room, trembling with fear. Then her sister, who was supposed to be as good as dead, suddenly comes back and starts pounding on the boxes, calling her name, telling her to come out.
Add the ghost story she just heard yesterday to the mix, and it's basically a childhood nightmare come to life.
Caesar listened from the side, utterly dumbfounded, while Andrew had already covered his face, speechless.
You could only say they were truly sisters. When there's danger, your big sister is the safest person around. When there's no danger, your big sister is the danger.
Now knowing the reason, Caesar stopped Susanna from pounding on the boxes and took over, calling for Sulina herself.
The change to Caesar was remarkably effective. As soon as Sulina heard Caesar's call, her crying stopped.
But just a few seconds after Caesar turned back with a smug smile, the crying from inside erupted into loud sobs, freezing the smile right on her face.
Turning to look at Susanna's even more awkward face, Caesar said, completely baffled:
"Susanna, what on earth did you tell your sister in that story?!"
Susanna stammered.
Her eyes darted back and forth, as if she were desperately trying to think of the right words to explain things delicately enough for her boss to accept.
"Well, it's mainly because... you're the strongest person we know, boss. Billy Kid is a robot, and he's been away from the Outer Ring recently anyway."
The explanation was a masterclass in cowardice, perfectly glossing over the fact that she'd used Caesar as a prop for her ghost story. Susanna's voice, however, grew weaker and weaker.
"So... I had to use you as the benchmark, boss..."
Hearing Susanna's words, Caesar actually started to laugh. It wasn't a big deal, after all. She laughed, put her hands on her hips, and said proudly:
"Heheh, so you're saying you did it because I'm the strongest? You've got good taste! In that case, I won't blame you!"
Watching the cheerful Caesar, Andrew couldn't help but sigh, 'She's so easy to please...'
After her laugh, Caesar looked at the pile of boxes, scratched her head in frustration, and after failing to come up with a better idea, said decisively:
"Since Sulina won't come out, looks like I'll have to move these boxes myself."
For Caesar, who was already strong, it wasn't a problem. For Andrew, with his incredible physique, it was even less of an issue.
Of course, Andrew wouldn't just stand by and watch Caesar work. The two strong individuals worked together and quickly moved the boxes out of the way. Even Susanna did her best to drag away what she could.
Perhaps it was because she heard the sound of the boxes being moved outside. Just seconds before the boxes blocking the entrance were cleared, a crisp click was heard.
The door was locked, a sign of the little girl's final act of defiance.
While that sense of caution and self-preservation was admirable, wasn't it extremely unhelpful—and a bit troublesome—when directed at her own people?
Seeing how difficult her sister was being, Susanna puffed out her cheeks. Then she turned and saw the uniquely shaped great tachi on Andrew's back. Her eyes darted, and an idea came to mind.
"We can't wait any longer! Let's just use the sword to cut the door open!"
Andrew thought about it and agreed. They had already wasted enough time here. Who knew what other accidents might happen in this Hollow if they delayed any longer.
And they certainly couldn't leave Sulina here all by herself—that would be even more dangerous.
Breaking down the door was indeed the fastest method in this situation.
So, without hesitation, Andrew lifted his tachi and sliced a long gash in the door. As the door broke open, Sulina's incredibly panicked and terrified scream came from inside.
Andrew had just cut open the door, his blade still stuck inside and not yet retracted, when Susanna was already at the opening.
Thinking she was just anxious to save her sister, Andrew stopped his follow-up action. But then he saw Susanna get to the opening, stick her face through, and shout with a ferocious expression:
"Here's Johnny!"
As Susanna's words, deliberately spoken in a harsh, altered voice, faded, Sulina's screams from inside the room became even louder and more desperate.
_____
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