Having just dealt with the Mountain Lion Gang and now facing the rebels, even Sam Li had to admit—New Eridu was in utter chaos.
Even professional agents were constantly under threat.
Let alone the average citizens of New Eridu.
If ordinary people ran into rebels or Mountain Lion Gang thugs, they'd probably be dead before they even had time to resist.
At the same time, Sam Li sensed something unusual.
According to Nicole, while New Eridu had always faced crises, the areas surrounding the city had remained relatively safe.
But about two months ago—right around when Sam Li joined Hare's House—the surrounding Hollows began to stir.
First was the Dead End Hollow, where the Dead End Butcher inexplicably became aggressive...
Then the C97 Hollow began to reawaken, and the rebels tried to create two Notoriety Ethereals to fight the Defense Force...
Next came the Imperial City Hollow, which cycled through phases of decline and revival unpredictably...
And the Metroline Hollow...
Aside from those, several other Hollows Sam Li hadn't paid attention to also suddenly became active, with reports suggesting new Notoriety Ethereals had emerged...
All of this led Sam Li to one conclusion:
Someone was orchestrating things behind the scenes.
Of course, no matter the conspiracy, Sam Li wasn't worried. If anything, he hoped they'd make their move soon—so he could trace them back to the real mastermind.
After finishing his chat with Belle, it was already evening.
Sam Li ended his workday and strolled back to Hare's House with his birdcage in hand.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of New Eridu, Ellen finally managed to escape her teacher and classmates and returned to the Victoria Housekeeping apartment just before dark.
The moment she stepped inside, she saw Rina and Corin waiting for her.
Rina greeted her with a grin. "Welcome home, our brave and exemplary student!"
Ellen blinked. "????"
Brave? Exemplary student?
What were they even talking about?
Corin clutched her chainsaw and explained cautiously, "It was on the news. It said you and Mr. Sam Li assisted the Security Bureau in the Hollows at the old construction site, helped take down the entire Mountain Lion Gang, and got all of them arrested..."
She looked at Ellen with clear admiration in her eyes.
She wanted to be a maid as cool as Ellen.
But Ellen didn't seem pleased at all—if anything, she looked annoyed. "I told the security agents not to report my name..."
Rina chuckled. "Oh, come on. Even though Victoria Housekeeping doesn't need advertising, something like this only boosts our reputation."
Seeing that Ellen wasn't interested in continuing the conversation, Rina quickly shifted gears with a smile. "Alright, enough of that. Lord Lycaon is still waiting—go and report on how your mission went."
Ellen frowned, clearly reluctant.
But then Rina added, "Once you're done, I'll personally cook dinner for you."
Corin's face turned pale, as if recalling some traumatic memory, and she instinctively stepped back.
Ellen, on the other hand, just sighed. "Fine..."
...
Rina led Ellen to Lycaon's study.
There, Ellen gave a general summary of the day: meeting Sam Li at the school gate, running into classmates, the parent-teacher conference...
Of course, she left out things like what Sam Li and the teacher talked about—she hadn't paid attention to any of that.
Then came the part where she and Sam Li accompanied their classmates to the old construction site, entered the Hollow, ran into the Mountain Lion Gang, Sam Li was kidnapped... and by the time they reached the gang's hideout, the thugs were already on the floor.
Ellen left out a lot of unnecessary details and just stuck to the main points.
After hearing the summary, Lycaon frowned. "Controlling stone statues—what kind of ability is that?"
Ellen shook her head. "No idea. But I'm sure those statues were Sam Li's doing. He's taken down a Notoriety Ethereal before—dealing with a few thugs is no big deal for him."
With her story finished, Ellen turned to leave, but paused at the door.
"Oh, right. I added Mr. Sam Li on chat. If anything comes up, we can message him directly."
Lycaon nodded. "You did well."
Once Ellen left, Lycaon and Rina exchanged glances, still digesting what she had said.
Turning into a butterfly out of thin air had already been shocking—but now a massive rock giant? It sounded like something out of a movie.
If Ellen hadn't said it herself, they wouldn't have believed it.
Rina said slowly, "Could Sam Li's attribute really be...?"
Lycaon's expression darkened.
"Yes. It's exactly what Master suspected—the new attribute: Geo."
He paused for a moment, as if the name carried weight.
"The term was chosen after a thorough analysis of the elemental manifestations observed in the Hollows. Among the Hollow Special Operations Unit, there was unanimous agreement—this was something entirely new. A power unlike any seen before: solid, unyielding, shaping the earth itself as if it answered to will alone."
"According to Master's intel, the Hollow Special Operations Unit first detected this attribute two months ago. It's shown up in the B44 Hollow, the Dead End Hollow, the C97 Hollow…"
Time-wise, that lined up exactly with Sam Li's appearances.
And geographically, Sam Li had been to all of those Hollows.
Combined with what Ellen just described, it confirmed Lycaon's theory: the one who possessed the new attribute was Sam Li.
The very person the Hollow Special Ops had been searching for was him.
Lycaon's face grew even more serious. "No wonder Sam Li is so powerful. This explains everything."
Rina asked, "Even if his attribute is Geo, can he really reshape rock at will?"
Lycaon nodded. "If his control is advanced enough, it's entirely possible. Ellen can already manipulate a small portion of ice, after all."
Which meant—
Sam Li's attribute control was far beyond Ellen's. His strength was on a whole different level.
None of this surprised Lycaon.
He took a deep breath and muttered, "If we could recruit Sam Li into Victoria Housekeeping, our plans would go a lot more smoothly."
...
He didn't waste time.
Lycaon immediately transmitted the latest intel to his Master.
A few minutes later, a reply came.
Rina smiled. "Does Master have new instructions?"
Lycaon's brows furrowed. "It's the latest lead on the Sacrificial Ghost. This time... it's connected to the rebels. Things could get messy."
...