After hanging up the phone, Hu Tao thought for a moment, changed into a set of casual clothes, and put on a mask.
After all, if the workers there saw her, the Hall Master, openly appearing on the construction site, it might cause some unnecessary trouble.
Next, she picked up the Staff of Homa again. Since her special ability was inseparable from the Hollow, she speculated that Ling might have run into trouble inside the Hollow.
Afterward, she got into a company vehicle and drove towards the Black Goose construction site... When Hu Tao arrived at the Black Goose construction site parking lot, she immediately saw a tall, muscular man anxiously waiting there, holding IES high up, causing passersby to frequently glance over.
After the car stopped steadily, Hu Tao quickly jumped out, stepped forward, and asked, "So urgent? What major problem occurred?"
At this time, "IES" also recognized Hu Tao and quickly said to the muscular man, "Anton, she is the Special Individual I told you all about."
The muscular man, who was called "Anton," immediately put down "IES" upon hearing this, rushed forward, and tightly grasped Hu Tao's hands: "This is great, you're finally here!"
"—Ah, my apologies, I got too excited! Please quickly follow us into the Hollow to take a look at the 'major problem'!"
Next, he immediately used the hand he had just put down to grab "IES" and quickly dashed into the now-shrunken Dead End Hollow.
Seeing this, Hu Tao followed closely behind.
Stepping into the Dead End Hollow again, a special aura once more greeted her. However, the oppressive feeling was much less intense compared to the Dead End Hollow before it had shrunk.
Perhaps this was why Belobog Heavy Industries's construction was proceeding more smoothly than Vision Corporation's.
After proceeding deeper into the Hollow for a while, a massive roar gradually began to emerge in front of the three of them, mixed with the sound of breaking structures, mechanical operation, and human voices.
Upon hearing this sound, Anton's pace quickened: "Run faster! I feel like the President and the others can't hold on much longer!"
When the three finally reached their destination, Hu Tao was shocked once again:
In an open area between a cluster of containers, a petite, red-haired girl wielding a Heavy Hammer, a woman excitedly throwing Electric Energy Bombs, and a robust Bear Alien carrying a War Pillar were working together to confront a giant engineering machine!
Hu Tao recognized it immediately: it was one of Belobog Heavy Industries's proud Intelligent Engineering Series—the Grabber Crane.
This massive machine was about four stories high. Its lower chassis was equipped with four sturdy walking legs, while its upper chassis, besides the engine and central control room, was fitted with a huge bucket and a huge grabber, capable of easily lifting large boulders.
But why would it suddenly start fighting its own masters?
Hu Tao looked closely and found that its body was covered in obvious aether crystals, indicating that it had begun to be eroded by the Aether Energy inside the Hollow.
Seeing this, Anton quickly activated the Power Impact Drill on his left arm and joined the battle: "Everyone, I've brought the Special Individual back for support!"
Seeing that Hu Tao hadn't seemed to recover yet, "IES" quickly ran up to her: "Hu Tao, there's no one else here; they are all trustworthy people."
"The Intelligent Central Hub on the lower chassis of that Grabber Crane has begun to be eroded, and it has gone berserk. Now, perhaps only you can safely take it out of the Hollow."
Hu Tao patted her chest and said confidently, "Don't worry! I already told you, we're good friends, and I will definitely help you out!"
However, before Hu Tao's voice even faded, the battle situation suddenly escalated!
The Grabber Crane, which was eroded by aether but still retained some consciousness, let out a piercing shriek of metallic friction and energy overload upon seeing reinforcements arrive.
Immediately after, its huge bucket swept out fiercely, accompanied by a whistle that tore through the air, aiming directly at the woman who was throwing Electric Energy Bombs to interfere with its sensors.
"Grace, watch out!" The man carrying the War Pillar roared, smashing the heavy War Pillar into the ground like a shield, attempting to block the strike.
At the same time, the red-haired girl's Heavy Hammer fiercely slammed into the side of the bucket, attempting to alter its trajectory.
"Rumble!!!"
The deafening roar echoed within the Hollow. The man's War Pillar successfully blocked most of the impact, and although the red-haired girl's hammer strike deflected the bucket slightly, it failed to stop it completely.
The edge of the bucket grazed the Bear Alien's defense, and the resulting strong wind knocked Grace away. She skillfully tumbled in the air to absorb the force, but the Electric Energy Bomb in her hand went off target, exploding in a burst of electric sparks on a distant container.
Anton's Power Impact Drill roared, fiercely boring into the joint of the still-lowered bucket. Sparks flew, but it only left a white mark on the heavy armor.
Just then, the massive grabber on the Grabber Crane's upper chassis struck out again like lightning, aiming for Grace, who had just landed.
Its speed was astonishing. Grace's pupils contracted slightly; she couldn't completely dodge it in time!
"Now!" Hu Tao, who had secretly approached earlier, seized the opportunity while the Grabber Crane was defenseless and abruptly released the blazing Purple Flame towards the Intelligent Central Hub on its lower chassis!
Simultaneously, the massive grabber reaching for Grace slowed down significantly, allowing Grace to seize the chance to evade the strike.
Following this, the four members of Belobog Heavy Industries saw the grotesque aether crystals, emitting a faint purple glow, covering the Grabber Crane's grabber joints and Hydraulic Rods, begin to melt and recede at a visible speed.
"Roar—!" The Grabber Crane let out a non-mechanical, painful roar, as if from the depths of its soul. The entire machine trembled violently, its attack movements completely ceased, and it fell into a brief state of rigidity.
"Good chance, let me do it! Haa!" The Bear Alien erupted with astonishing strength, pulling out the deeply embedded War Pillar. He leaped up like a cannonball and smashed the incredibly heavy War Pillar fiercely onto the Grabber Crane!
The next moment, the Grabber Crane's lower chassis violently slammed into the ground, completely paralyzed.
Meanwhile, Hu Tao, who had retreated to a safe area earlier, continued purifying the machine until she could no longer sense much Aether Energy attached to it before stopping her spellcasting.
Seeing Hu Tao finish her spellcasting, Grace quickly ran up to check the condition of the Grabber Crane: "That's incredible! There are absolutely no signs of aether erosion!"
Anton, on the other hand, walked up and gave Hu Tao a hearty thumbs-up: "That's amazing! Truly worthy of being called a 'Special Individual'!"
"'Special Individual'?" Hu Tao turned to face "IES," pretending to be annoyed: "Shouldn't you be calling me your good friend instead?"
"IES" detected Hu Tao's mood and laughed: "Haha, doesn't that make you sound more professional? — Right, let me formally introduce them to you."
Next, Ling briefly introduced the identities of the four people to Hu Tao:
The petite, red-haired girl is named Koleda, the President of Belobog Heavy Industries; the robust Bear Alien is named Ben, the Financial Controller and Combat Member;
Grace is responsible for Hollow-related technology research and development and equipment management, making her a key R&D staff member for intelligent engineering machinery; while Anton is the Site Manager and Supervisor for the engineering work. His enthusiasm makes him popular with all the employees.
As for why everyone was here, the story starts a few days ago.
A few days ago, shortly after Grace updated the Logic Core of Belobog Heavy Industries's intelligent engineering machinery, three machines ignored their commands while working inside the Hollow, went deep into the Hollow on their own, and never returned.
Therefore, having no other choice, everyone had to issue a commission through reliable channels to Ling, asking her to lead them deep into the Hollow to retrieve the three lost machines.
Due to insufficient Combat Personnel and few people with relevant mechanical experience, Koleda, as the President, personally led the operation.
This Grabber Crane was the first one they found. However, just as everyone was about to take it away, it suddenly bolted and, unfortunately, rushed straight into a Pile of Remnants, where it suffered erosion.
And thus, the scene Hu Tao witnessed unfolded.
After the summary was complete, Koleda stepped forward and looked at Hu Tao gratefully: "Thank you so much. If it weren't for you, this Grabber Crane might have been completely eroded by aether."
Hu Tao waved her hand and said with a grin, "It's nothing, really. How could I not help a friend in need?"
Afterward, Koleda hesitated for a moment and said, "Um, then... could I possibly ask you to participate in our subsequent operations? I worry that the other two machines have also begun to be eroded by the Hollow."
She then added, "Don't worry, compensation will certainly be provided. As for your special ability, we promise not to spread word of it."
Hu Tao grinned: "Sure, I'll help with this. Let's be friends! But as for the compensation, you can't skimp on it, okay?"
Koleda nodded happily: "Thank you, friend! Don't worry, the compensation will definitely be generous."