Before long, Hans finally stopped the lovestruck machine girl.
Greta lowered her display screen pitifully and murmured, "But it's been over eighty thousand seconds since I last saw Mr. White… eighty thousand!"
"She actually converted a full day into seconds... that's some next-level devotion," Eous sighed. He'd long lost track of how many times he'd had to make the same complaint.
"Our girl's still as spirited as ever!"
Anton strolled over, patting the drill in his hand with a goofy grin.
Phaga and Ellen followed close behind. Ellen glanced briefly at the nearby machines, then folded her arms. "So what now? The Hollow's huge—tracking down a single machine's gonna be a nightmare."
"You're not suggesting a full sweep, are you?"
"No need for that."
Eous crossed her arms, the round eyes on her display narrowing into cheerful crescents. "Since the prototype's signal is what drew those three machines in, we can use that same frequency to pinpoint its location."
"Exactly! That's just what we at Belobog Heavy Industries had in mind. As expected of the well-informed Phaethon—thinking on the same wavelength as us."
Anton looked slightly surprised but quickly recovered. A reputation like Phaethon's wasn't undeserved—only someone truly capable could live up to the name Legendary Proxy.
But the next instant, a man's voice came from within Eous:
"Appreciate the compliment, Anton."
"Huh?! Don't tell me you're—poisoned? Wait, no, right, Phaethon's a duo."
Startled at first, Anton quickly realized who it was and patted his chest in relief. "My bad, Proxy… bro. Hah, I've gotten so used to hearing your sister's voice that a sudden male voice nearly gave me a heart attack."
"But wait—are you covering for her today?"
"Unfortunately, no."
Wise's calm voice carried no hint of emotion. "Belle's still leading the way. I'm handling everything else. Do you have a phone or a tablet on hand?"
"I've got one," Phaga replied, pulling out his phone.
"Good. Connect it to Eous with a data cable," said Wise, his tone measured.
Phaga did as instructed. The moment the phone connected to the Bangboo, a file transfer request popped up on the screen.
Once downloaded, he opened the file—a flat map with three red dots marked on it.
Ellen leaned in close to look over his shoulder. "I can tell this is a map of the Old Capital," she said thoughtfully. "But what are those three red dots for…?"
With Phaethon's commission now complete, the era of Master and Main Culprit had come to an end.
Belle rested her chin on her hands at the computer desk, lips pursed as she listened to Wise explain.
"Since Belobog Heavy Industries couldn't pinpoint the prototype's exact location, I suspect its energy is nearly depleted. The unstable signal means transmission keeps dropping."
"So, we'll need three intelligent machines to act as relay stations to stabilize the signal. Once they're in position, we'll send out a pulse and wait for the prototype's reply. That'll let us triangulate its location."
"But this means splitting into three teams. Each intelligent machine must serve as a relay from a different position…"
Wise paused mid-sentence, his tone shifting. "Are Grace and Koleda still arguing?"
"Still?"
Phaga, Ellen, and Anton turned their heads in unison.
Come to think of it, had they ever actually stopped?
"What arguing? We're just having a friendly workplace discussion!"
Turning around, the group spotted Big Ben's burly figure. He quickly turned back toward the two women, bending down as he tried to mediate. "We're just talking, not arguing, not arguing! Koleda, Grace—calm down, calm down."
Grace didn't mind; her patience was almost boundless.
Koleda, however, wasn't quite as forgiving. The mere mention of arguing made her irritation flare. Still, with Big Ben's steady voice soothing her, she managed to swallow her anger, letting out a cold snort before turning away from Grace.
Wise ignored the scuffle entirely and continued, "Alright, based on everyone's strengths, we'll divide into three groups."
"But remember this—once the relay begins, you'll draw Ethereal attention. Whatever happens, hold your position."
[First Team: Anton, Koleda, Big Ben, and the Grappler]
Soon after, the trio dismantled a small building with the Grappler's help.
Anton and Big Ben plunged into the Ethereal horde—Anton attacking, Big Ben defending—their coordination flawless. They couldn't wipe out the swarm, but holding the line was no problem.
"Put that stone there, and that one there. Pack down the dirt. Grappler, Slow down—rush it and you'll ruin the base… There! Anton, Big Ben, the wall's ready—fall back!"
Koleda, though not fighting directly, was far from idle. She directed the Grappler's construction work like a seasoned engineer.
The instant the wall was finished, her eyes lit up. "Perfect! Anton, Ben—pull back!" she shouted.
The two exchanged a glance before retreating behind the barrier.
The Grappler immediately hoisted two massive boulders and hurled them into the Ethereal swarm, covering their withdrawal.
"Whoo! Home run! That's the kind of power only real men have!"
The Grappler was ecstatic, its massive frame bouncing side to side, its mechanical arms swinging wildly despite the weight.
Anton gave it a thumbs-up. With his approval, the Grappler became even more fired up.
"Ha! Unbreakable, unstoppable—the manliest machine alive!"
Meanwhile, Anton and Big Ben took down the stragglers that slipped past the machine's barrage.
"Hey, Proxy," Koleda's voice came through the comms. "A few hiccups aside, our setup's stable. How are things on your end?"
The reply came from a different voice entirely.
"Oh? That message's from my Sweet Peace? How sad — I thought my dear sister would report to me first, not to the Proxy~"
[Second Team: Ellen, Grace, Eous, and the Tunneler Machine]
At a residential complex, Grace leaned against a building while talking with Koleda when she noticed the Tunnel Bore Machine plowing through a cluster of Ethereal with its spinning demolition saw.
"Nice one, Greta! Your Mr. White would be proud of you!" she called.
"R-really?"
Still blushing like a shy girl, the TBM wiggled bashfully—completely missing the Ethereal dropping from above.
"Watch out!" Eous shouted.
"Huh?"
The TBM froze, only realizing what was happening when a shadow fell over her. It was too late to swing the saw.
Clang!
Boom!
A huge pair of scissors flashed past, followed by a girl whose footsteps froze the ground beneath her. With a single slash, jagged ice spires erupted upward, skewering every Ethereal in the area.
"Be careful. Stay sharp."
Ellen shot a brief glance back, then rushed forward again. Ice peaks rose from the ground, exploding into shards as she cut her way through.
When the last shard fell, only chaos and frost remained—shattered debris, drifting snow, and at the center of it all, a girl more brilliant than any blossom.
Then, with another swift motion, she dashed forward once more.
So… cool!
Greta froze, eyes on her display blinking rapidly. It took several taps from Eous to bring her back.
"Hey, Greta! Greta! Send the signal already!"
"Huh? Signal? Oh, right—signal!"
Snapping to attention, Greta raised her demolition saw high, face glowing. "Time to send out a signal of love! Let's cheer for big sis!"
"Hey! You've already got Mr. White!" Eous cried out in exasperation.
From afar, Grace watched the whole thing with a fond, teasing smile. "Hehe, kids these days… so full of life. Don't you think so, Sweet Peace?"
"We're still on duty! Focus!"
"Don't be so uptight, Sweet Peace. We've already finished here. Should we still worry about Phaga's team?"
"Phaga? Honestly, all I know is that he soloed the Dead End Butcher. But this time, he's carrying dead weight and surrounded by a horde of Ethereal. Can he really handle that?"
Koleda's words made Grace falter. Her heart skipped a beat.
"I'd better check on the Pile Driver!"
[Third Team: Phaga and Pile Driver]
Pile Driver nervously watched the gathering Ethereal swarm, his display trembling. "Mr. Phaga… can we really handle all that?"
"Since when were you so polite?"
Phaga wasn't even looking at the horde—just mildly amused by Pile Driver's sudden manners. He hadn't been this polite yesterday when mouthing off at Big Ben.
"Um... Miss Grace was repairing me last night. She opened my hard drive and checked my memory logs, then started fixing me again... But that's not important right now, Mr. Phaga!"
The machine's voice faltered, then rose again in panic. "How do we fight so many Ethereals?!"
"You don't need to worry about that."
Phaga turned his head slightly, slowly drawing his blade. "If they were human, I could enter the fight missing both legs and still walk out unscathed."
"But if they're Ethereal…"
His eyes narrowed sharply as he sliced open his own palm. The torn flesh curled back, a faint red glow pulsing beneath—like the gates of the dead beginning to stir.
Blood dripped to the ground, each drop whispering like a voice from the underworld.
After a moment, Phaga quietly finished, "Then I suppose I'll have to pay Ellen a visit afterward."