Seeing how relaxed Sam Li looked,
Piper was filled with question marks.
What did he mean by just grab the rocket?
The trigger mechanism for a rocket is right at the front. The fact that he reacted faster than a launched rocket was already unbelievable, but to also avoid triggering it?
It was just too absurd.
Piper could only chalk it up to a crazy coincidence.
"That was way too dangerous. If it had exploded, you would've been blown to pieces. Don't ever pull something like that again."
Even though she had only just met Sam Li,
after going through a battle together—and being saved by him—their bond had clearly grown closer.
Back in the truck, Piper started it up again.
"We're almost at the Old Capital Metro. See that black sphere up ahead?
That's it."
Originally, Piper had just planned to give Sam Li a quick lift.
But after being saved by him, she decided to go all the way and drop him off right in front of the Old Capital Metro.
"You said before you were heading there to hunt Ethereals. Since you helped me once, I want to help you too. Let me kill a few of them for you."
Sam Li didn't really need help,
but seeing how serious Piper looked, he didn't refuse.
He simply nodded. "Thanks."
With Piper's help,
they quickly crossed the wilderness and arrived at the outskirts of the Old Capital Metro.
Outside the Hollow,
they could still see the abandoned tracks stretching far into the distance.
Since the station had been consumed, the tracks had been left to rot as well.
Piper parked the truck beneath a giant mutant cactus.
She and Sam Li got out together.
Just as they were about to head inside,
Piper suddenly remembered something and stopped.
"Wait—did you bring radishes?
If you don't have a radish to guide you, you'll get trapped inside."
Sam Li hadn't brought any radishes.
But the Geo element could serve the same purpose.
He had already tested it when he first arrived in this world.
"Don't worry," Sam Li said calmly. "I'm an agent. I have my own radish."
With that,
he stepped directly into the Hollow.
Afraid of losing him, Piper quickly chased after him.
...
In the next moment,
when they opened their eyes again, they were already inside the Hollow, standing atop an abandoned stretch of railroad.
Just like the outside,
the interior was barren and lifeless, save for a few mutated cactus trees—no animals, no other plants.
Sam Li lightly stomped his foot.
In an instant,
countless Geo elements spread outward under his control, covering several kilometers around them.
All the terrain, the landscape, the details—everything was mapped out in his mind.
At last, he located Mr. Cass.
And he also detected a high-level Ethereal nearby.
Without hesitation,
Sam Li set off along the abandoned tracks toward Cass's location.
Seeing Sam Li heading deeper into the Hollow,
Piper called out anxiously,
"Hey, where are you going?
Boss said there's a Notoriety Ethereal somewhere in there! If you go too deep, you'll run into it!"
Piper absolutely did not want to face a high-ranking Ethereal.
But seeing that Sam Li had no intention of turning back,
she hesitated for just a second—
then gritted her teeth and ran after him.
After all, Sam Li had just saved her life once.
She couldn't just stand by and watch him march to his death.
...
At the same time,
deeper inside the Hollow, several kilometers away—
Cass had just entered the area.
He carried an Ether observation device, monitoring the surrounding fluctuations in Ether concentration and activity, hoping to locate the Notoriety Ethereal.
In his other hand,
he held the W-Engine—the A-rank Guardian Angel that Sam Li had helped him retrieve.
First, Cass walked a few meters east, then north, then west,
methodically tracking the increasing Ether readings.
The spike was coming from the northeast.
To avoid getting thrown off by the shifting space,
Cass didn't waste any time.
He quickly packed his things and moved toward the northeast.
Since he didn't have a radish to stabilize the path,
he had to walk a little at a time, stop, and check the Ether readings again,
making sure he wasn't being misled by spatial distortions.
It was slow, tedious work—
but it was effective.
Soon, he pushed into the deeper parts of the Hollow.
Standing atop a small mound,
Cass looked out over the wasteland.
After ten long years, he was finally back to the place that had once crushed him with despair.
In the distance,
he saw the wreckage of abandoned trains scattered across the tracks,
the shattered carriages torn apart by Ethereals.
He pressed forward.
Finally, he saw the station.
Memories from a decade ago came rushing back.
He remembered the horrifying Ethereal—merged with the front of a train, monstrous and immense, a nightmare capable of smashing through anything in its path.
"I'm back," Cass muttered.
"This time, you're the one who's going to feel what it's like to be smashed."
Without bothering to check the Ether readings anymore,
he marched straight toward the station.
...
But the deeper he went,
the worse his condition became.
Cass's Ether resistance was too low.
The closer he got to the station, the harder it became to breathe.
His face twisted in pain.
He clutched the Guardian Angel tighter,
his eyes sweeping the surroundings for any sign of the Notoriety Ethereal.
But nothing.
No sight of it.
Still... something felt off.
Cass pulled out his observation device again—
and his heart skipped a beat.
The Ether readings were completely abnormal.
Activity was five or six times higher than before.
Concentration was three or four times greater.
Something was wrong.
The Notoriety Ethereal was definitely nearby.
Gripping the W-Engine in one hand and the observation device in the other,
Cass began shouting into the emptiness:
"Come out, you damn locomotive! I know you're here! I'm back too—come on, kill me if you can!"
He screamed with all his might,
his voice raw and shaking from anger and fear.
"I know you're close! Come out!
I'm not afraid of you—!"
...
As he shouted,
the observation device started vibrating violently, blaring alarm after alarm:
"Warning: Ether activity anomaly.
Warning: Ether concentration anomaly.
Immediate evacuation recommended.
Immediate evacuation recommended."
Hearing the blaring warnings,
Cass started trembling.
Not from fear.
From excitement.
He quickly glanced at the device—
the Ether activity was now over ten times what it had been when he first entered, and the density was seven or eight times higher.
There was no doubt.
The Notoriety Ethereal—the Locomotive—had heard him.
And it was coming straight for the station.
The observation device kept screaming warnings, but Cass didn't need them.
The air itself was thick with Ether corrosion now.
Each breath was harder.
His body grew weaker and weaker.
He could feel it approaching.
And he was ready.
Even if the Locomotive struck him down in the next second,
he wouldn't be surprised.
...