It wasn't just Victoria Housekeeping.
At that very moment, across Sixth Street, in the district where Hare's House was located, and all over New Eridu, people were watching today's news reports.
Some scoffed at Hare's House, accusing them of stealing credit, and flooded New Eridu with long rants.
Some, however, were starting to believe in Hare's House, changing their opinions and even considering entrusting them with new commissions.
...
Zero Zone Frontlines – Scott Outpost, Obol Squad
Soldier 11 sat in front of the TV, eyes fixed on the news broadcast.
When she saw Hare's House defeat the Butcher of Dead End, a flicker of surprise crossed her face.
But the moment Anby appeared on screen, that surprise faded—her gaze hardened, fists clenching tightly.
"Zero… was it you who killed the Butcher of Dead End?"
She didn't blink, watching Anby's image on the screen until it finally disappeared. Only then did she shift her focus.
Suddenly—
Her phone buzzed.
Soldier 11 unlocked it and saw a message from her superior.
They were urging her to wrap things up quickly, track down the rebel faction's hideout, and wipe them out completely.
But…
Locating the rebels wasn't that simple.
To pinpoint their base, she needed a strategy that could fool both the spies who had infiltrated the military and the rebels they were in contact with.
At the very least, she needed two separate plans.
The first plan:
She had already contacted Shepherd, arranging for a skilled Proxy to impersonate Phaethon, the rebel spy's idol.
The second plan:
She needed a group to pose as defectors from the military and establish contact with the rebels.
Originally—
Soldier 11 had planned to play the traitor's role herself.
But she despised traitors to her very core. She could never convincingly act like one.
She considered using actual military personnel, but they were either too weak or too loyal to pull off the role.
After thinking it over, she realized something—
She needed to hire agents.
If she could find civilians to play traitors, they might actually be more convincing than she ever could be.
And now, watching the news—
She saw Hare's House.
A smooth-talking rabbit of a boss.
A reckless robot.
A stoic, handsome young man.
And a burger-loving… traitor.
A strange mix of people—but maybe, just maybe, they could pull it off.
The only issue?
Soldier 11 didn't like them.
Or more specifically—
She didn't like one of them.
She debated for a long time.
Then—her phone buzzed again.
Her superior was asking if she had finalized her plan.
With no other choice, she picked up the phone and sent a message outlining her two-pronged strategy:
Use a Proxy to impersonate Phaethon.
Hire agents to pose as defectors and contact the rebels.
She also promised that within three days, she would begin the operation.
The response came quickly—
Plan approved.
Soldier 11 turned off the TV, took a deep breath, and muttered to herself—
"I really don't want to work with your agency…"
She would check with other agencies first.
If she could find someone else, she wouldn't go to Hare's House.
...
Three Days Later – Sixth Street
Time flew by.
Three days had passed in the blink of an eye.
In that time, Sam Li had gone back to his old routine.
Every morning, he took his usual stroll—walking all the way to Tingman Café on Sixth Street, where he would sip coffee and listen to the radio.
He often spent entire mornings there.
When he got a commission, he would have the client pay his bill—then send Nicole, Anby, Billy, and Nekomata to handle the job.
When there was no commission, he simply charged the bill to Hare's House, making Nicole pay.
And on rare occasions, when he ran into Zhu Yuan and Qingyi, they would pay his tab without him even asking.
The bad news?
In these three days, only one commission had come in—and the pay was abysmal.
Hare's House was running out of Dennies—they were practically broke.
The good news?
Thanks to the recent commissions, the reward for killing the Butcher of Dead End, and the Canvas Lane rescue mission, his acting progress had reached 19.7%.
According to the system, if he hit 20%, he would unlock a new ability—Stone Ridge.
Once he had Stone Ridge, his attack power, defense, and Geo control would all advance to the next level.
Sam Li was eager to hit that threshold.
...
As his coffee neared its last sip, he waved over Master Tingman.
"Mr. Sam Li, are you ready to settle the bill?" Master Tingman's voice reached him before he did.
Sam Li shook his head.
"No rush. Another cup of New Eridu's special blend."
It was almost noon.
If no clients showed up soon, he'd just bill it to Hare's House again.
But just as he was about to finish his last cup—
Finally!
A white-haired girl wearing glasses stepped into the café.
She bore a striking resemblance to Anby—at least 70% similar.
She walked in without hesitation, heading straight for Sam Li.
"Calm Knight. Can we speak somewhere private?"
Sam Li looked up.
"Calm Knight?"
The girl nodded.
"That's right—Calm Knight. I have a commission for you, but this isn't the place to discuss it. Can we talk somewhere else?"
Sam Li immediately understood.
A paying client had arrived.
"Of course," he replied. Then, turning to the counter—
"Master Tingman, the bill."
Master Tingman chuckled.
"Mr. Sam Li, you're in luck—you've got yet another person picking up your tab today."
"..."
The girl visibly hesitated, but for the sake of her mission, she sighed, took out a few Dennies, and handed them over.
With the bill settled, the two left the café and walked into a secluded alleyway.
Her expression turned serious.
"Calm Knight, you may call me Soldier 11. Remember—this conversation never happened. You have never met me. What I'm about to tell you is highly classified."
Sam Li corrected her.
"My name is Sam Li."
Soldier 11 continued as if she hadn't heard him.
"Your name isn't important. For this mission, your codename is Calm Knight. I saw the reports about you—saving Canvas Lane, killing the Butcher of Dead End. You managed both in a single day. Your skills are impressive—at least a third of Obol Squad's level."
Seeing that Sam Li didn't deny it, Soldier 11 got straight to the point.
"Recently, we received intel about a rebel faction's hideout. I need you to pose as defectors from the Security Forces and establish contact with the rebels to uncover their exact location."
Originally—
She didn't want to hire Hare's House.
But after searching multiple agencies, she had found a Proxy for Phaethon's role but no one suitable to play the traitors.
So, in the end…
She came to this café and handed the commission to Sam Li.
Her tone was firm and serious.
"Well? Calm Knight. Do you dare take this commission?"
Sam Li remained unfazed, as calm as ever.
"Deal. Transfer the advance payment to Hare's House."
…