"Faster! Move faster!"
"I can't... I really can't run anymore, Boss Nicole."
"You're a robot, how can you say something like that!"
"But Boss Nicole, you really are heavy... Wah!"
Billy's head was ruthlessly struck a hard blow. This time Nicole had learned her lesson and used her suitcase.
"What are you saying! This young lady maintains a perfect figure at all times, yet you dare say I'm fat!"
In fact, Nicole's figure was indeed fantastic; big where it should be big, and slender where it should be slender.
But perhaps precisely because it was too big, her weight was...
"Billy, let me carry Nicole."
"Thanks so much! Anby!"
Nicole, having been transferred to Anby's back, wore a fierce expression, seemingly still holding a grudge over Billy calling her fat just now.
"Tch, if it weren't for the fact that I hurt my foot kicking you, I wouldn't do this! Hiss~"
Seemingly aggravating her swollen ankle, Nicole couldn't help but twitch in pain.
And this movement allowed Anby to clearly feel the massive sensation of pressure coming from her back, causing her face to instantly turn dark.
"Nicole, Billy is right. You should lose weight."
"How can even Anby say that!?"
When three people say there's a tiger, it becomes true; although there were only two people right now, it was enough to make Nicole start doubting if she had really gained weight.
But she hadn't had money to improve her diet recently. Three meals a day were either discount bento boxes from the supermarket or cheap macaroni.
How could she be fat...
"Watch out!"
Billy suddenly let out a startled shout, and Anby immediately went on alert.
Biu!
Ding!
A sharp sound of piercing air reached their ears—it was a bullet.
But for Anby, this didn't count as much of a trouble. Relying on her superhuman reaction speed, she used the weapon in her hand to knock the incoming bullet flying.
Following the momentum, she was even able to turn around and face the attacker behind them.
"Jie jie jie, you can't escape. Just obediently go back with us, and maybe you'll suffer a little less physical pain."
The gangster boss let out a laugh like a villainous elder from the Hall of Souls, seeming to have already seen a future where he didn't have to become an idol.
"That line is! The classic line of the villain gangster Crocodile from Starlight Knight Season 3, Episode 42!"
Billy's sudden shouting and screaming stunned everyone present. Everyone, that is, except for the gangster boss who had spoken the line; his eyes sparkled, revealing the expression of one who had found a soulmate.
"So you watch Starlight Knight too? A true connoisseur!"
"To think I could meet a fellow Starlight Knight fan here! I'm so moved! Wuwah!"
"Understand the situation!"
Another heavy blow, only this time, someone suffered it along with Billy.
The gangster boss opposite them was also bonked by the brother beside him.
"Is this the time to talk about that stuff?! Hurry up and grab them!"
Another boss issued orders, and the subordinate lackeys immediately pressed forward, surrounding the trio of Nicole and the others.
However, Anby, who had been observing the situation the whole time, suddenly discovered a sparkling object on the eaves of the roof above their heads.
"Billy! Aim for above our heads!"
Hearing this, Billy immediately looked up and instantly understood what Anby meant.
"Leave it to me!"
Biu! Biu!
His two pistols, one left and one right, each fired a bullet.
If it were an ordinary person, they might have hesitated due to a lack of confidence in their aim, but Billy absolutely did not have such concerns.
The first bullet to shoot out knocked the shining item from the eaves into the air, and the bullet closely following it struck it precisely, triggering it.
In an instant, a blinding white light exploded overhead. It was a fully-charged flashbang.
"Ah! My eyes!"
"Damn it! I can't see anything!"
The group of gangster lackeys had their attention attracted by Billy's actions, so none were spared.
Anby and the others had made preparations in advance, so they hurriedly slipped away amidst the chaos.
Following closely behind them were two small tails.
"Phew~ Finally safe."
Billy slumped onto the ground. Although he didn't have the function to sweat, he still pantomimed wiping his forehead with his hand.
"It's a good thing there's an unstable Hollow Fissure nearby, otherwise that would have been really hard to handle."
Nicole rejoiced. Not just for this fissure, but also for that flashbang overhead earlier—who exactly had placed it there?
"We can't let our guard down yet. Those gangsters might catch up very soon."
Anby silently calculated the time it would take for the opposition to recover; the time they had to rest wasn't much.
Moreover, there was the threat of Ethereals inside the Hollow, so they had to leave as soon as possible.
"No problem, my database has the 'Carrot' data for this part of the Hollow. As long as we don't run into Ethereals, we can quickly..."
Thud!
"Wuwuwu?!"
"...leave."
Several low-level Ethereals, such as Hati and Hoplites, slowly surrounded them. And in the middle of them was one that was obviously the leader—a [Dullahan].
"Billy, you jinx! Your three meals this month will be nothing but discount cheap machine oil!"
"Nooo! Boss Nicole! This really isn't my fault!"
The trio was emotionally agitated. Anby decisively hoisted Nicole onto her back, while Billy opened fire to delay the Ethereals' encirclement from a distance.
However, two fists can't fight four hands; the number of Ethereals was simply too great.
Coupled with the fact that their stamina was already nearly exhausted, they soon faced a situation where they were besieged on all sides.
"Wuwuwah!"
"This is bad! Is my life going to end here?! Damn it, I haven't even gone on a date with Big Sis Monica yet!"
Billy shouted and screamed on the side, while Anby and Nicole, watching the slowly closing circle of Ethereals with grim faces, appeared much more composed.
'A few Hati are easy enough to deal with, but adding a Dullahan makes it very troublesome.'
Anby subconsciously adjusted Nicole on her back. If Nicole weren't injured, they could run away easily. But with a burden to carry, if she and Billy had to distract themselves to protect Nicole, it would be very difficult.
Just as Anby was struggling with how to handle the situation, Nicole on her back slowly leaned down and pressed her lips to Anby's ear.
"Anby, in a moment I'll attract their attention. You and Billy take the chance to run."
"Nicole?!"
Anby was instantly startled, but then felt a burst of pushing force from her back.
Unlike before, the force this time was so great it caused her to fall to the ground.
Nicole, having flown off Anby's back, wore a face full of final determination. At the same time, her hands tightly gripped the Ether Cannon disguised as a suitcase.
"Die with me! Little monsters!"
She prepared to detonate the weapon in her hand to buy time for Anby and the others to escape.
However, before she could act, she felt her body crash into something and get intercepted. Immediately after, a force from the opposite direction threw her back.
"Boss Nicole!"
Billy flusteredly caught Nicole. Then, along with Anby who had stood up again, the three of them looked together at the mysterious reinforcement that had suddenly appeared.
A... strange Ethereal?
-----------------
New Story: Bleach: Dominating Soul Society in One Sting
✅ New releases are dropping, plus get exclusive content & updates.
✅ Help us unlock community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan