"The news report states that the figure of the Hollow Raider 'Uchiha' has been spotted once again inside the accompanying Hollow near the Original Hollow [Hawara]."
"According to the latest intel from the Hollow Investigation Association, 'Uchiha' eliminated a giant Ethereal within the accompanying Hollow, causing nearly half of it to collapse."
"To this day, the authorities remain unaware of the true identity of the Hollow Raider 'Uchiha'. No one knows his real intentions—whether he's a hero or a villain..."
Zhong Yan picked up the remote and casually turned off the news broadcast on the TV. At the same time, his gaze shifted toward the nearby computer screen displaying the author's content dashboard.
At this moment, he was planning out the latest volume of his novel, but before beginning his writing, habit compelled him to first open the comments section.
All kinds of mixed reviews from readers quickly appeared before his eyes.
[Reader A: Oh my god, in this volume the protagonist is already strong enough to clear an entire accompanying Hollow on his own. At this rate, is he going to wipe out the Zero Hollow too?]
[Reader B: I thought this would be another high-quality piece, but it just gets more and more absurd as it goes on. Is the author perhaps being influenced by that guy called 'Uchiha', which is why he keeps scaling the protagonist's power up like crazy?]
[Reader C: Update's too slow.]
[Reader D: I don't know if any of you noticed, but the way this author writes Hollow expeditions... it's too real. So real that I can't help but wonder if he's actually been inside one—and really fought a giant Ethereal.]
[Author's reply: Actually, I am a Hollow Raider. I fight those giant Ethereals all the time, fifty-fifty odds.]
[Reader E: The author's alive!]
[Reader F: Caught!]
After reading the latest comments, Zhong Yan silently closed the comments section and began writing the new volume.
As he typed, he suddenly stopped and let his hands drop from the keyboard, slumping weakly against his gaming chair.
'It's already been six months…' Zhong Yan murmured.
Half a year ago, he had unexpectedly transmigrated into this city called [New Eridu].
He wasn't unfamiliar with this place—it was the world setting of Zenless Zone Zero, a new game by the well-known studio MiHoyo.
He had started playing on the very first day of the open beta. Although, he had to complain a little— MiHoyo had announced the servers would go live at 10 AM, so why did they open them at 8:20?
Thinking he was clever, Zhong Yan got up at 9:30 AM to camp the launch, convinced he was ahead of the curve. But once in the game, he realized his UID already started with a 2.
Who was he supposed to complain to about that?
Well, whatever. A two-prefix UID was still playable.
The good news was, Zhong Yan was detail-oriented. He knew the game's plot and world-building inside out, and figured he could thrive in this world without much trouble.
The bad news? Being a new game, the storyline and lore were still under development. There was so little confirmed information that he couldn't act too boldly.
Initially, Zhong Yan planned to just develop cautiously. As long as he stayed far from the Hollows, there was a good chance he wouldn't encounter any real danger in this world.
But of course—as a transmigrator, how could he get by without a cheat?
So, on his very first day here, he obtained a power called the [Uchiha Panel].
The so-called Uchiha referred to the famous clan from a well-known anime. With the Uchiha Panel, Zhong Yan could use nearly all of their clan's abilities.
Whether it was the Sharingan or the Fire-Style Jutsu the Uchiha clan specialized in—he mastered them all. He even evolved his Sharingan into the Eternal Mangekyō.
Thanks to this cheat, his survival prospects skyrocketed. But he never let that power blind him to the realities of this world.
Just to be safe, he created a dual identity.
On the surface, he was a 17-year-old student at a high school in New Eridu. Writing web novels was just a hobby. With his unique perspective and strong writing skills, he'd already gained some success.
But in secret, he was Uchiha—the elusive Hollow Raider who had only recently entered the public eye, his movements as ghostly as shadows.
The codename Uchiha was one he crafted specifically for himself. Every one of his actions centered around eliminating Ethereals. His impressive efficiency even attracted offers from Stringers and unofficial organizations alike.
However, he rejected all these invitations—unless the client offered so much that he couldn't refuse.
Even then, he almost never met clients face-to-face. As a result, no one in New Eridu had ever seen his true identity.
Knock knock knock!
Suddenly, a knocking sound pulled Zhong Yan out of his thoughts. He sat up from his gaming chair and glanced at the clock.
11:30 PM.
"Who would be coming to see me at this hour?" he muttered, a hint of caution creeping into his voice. His operations in New Eridu were far too secretive. Besides a few classmates from school, he had no other acquaintances.
And those classmates definitely wouldn't show up now.
With that in mind, he stepped toward the door. A faint blood-red glow flickered in his eyes—he was ready to enter battle mode at a moment's notice.
The next second, as the doorknob turned, he yanked the door open.
Two figures of differing heights appeared outside.
"Uh…"
The moment he saw their faces, Zhong Yan froze in place.
Blue uniforms. The distinct Security Bureau badge. Two women—one tall, one short.
'Aren't these Zhu Yuan and Qing Yi from the game's storyline?'
Both were Security Officers with the Bureau, usually handling civilian cases and disputes. What were they doing at his door at this hour?
'Could it be that the teasing with Shark Girl at school finally got labeled as exotic animal abuse?'
'No no no, that makes no sense. Honestly, I'd rather believe my Uchiha identity has been exposed.'
"We apologize for disturbing you this late," said Zhu Yuan, her tone calm and polished—perfectly professional. "Could we come in for a talk? There are some things better not discussed out here."
As Zhu Yuan spoke, Qing Yi beside her peered past Zhong Yan into the chaotic mess inside the apartment, her eyes narrowing slightly as if analyzing something.
Seeing this, a chill ran through Zhong Yan's heart.
'Crap… they're here for me!'
***
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