Facing Qingyi and Zhu Yuan, the two thieves quickly gave up any thought of resisting and obediently surrendered.
After contacting the other Public Security Bureau officers still on duty, Qingyi conducted a brief routine interrogation.
The two thieves, clearly shaken, spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube.
As they listened, Zhu Yuan and Qingyi's expressions grew grim.
"Senior, it's incredible that Ethereals are appearing outside of Hollows..."
Zhu Yuan's eyes flickered with thought. Between Zane's existence, the Hollow's disappearance, and now what the thieves were saying, her understanding of the situation was being completely overturned.
"Officer, I swear! I'm telling the truth!"
Seeing their serious expressions, one of the thieves quickly spoke up, afraid of being charged with lying on top of everything else.
Zhu Yuan ignored him and exchanged a look with Qingyi.
Anything unusual was never simple.
Nearly half the Janus District had been swallowed by the Hollows, yet only here had something like this happened.
Soon, the Public Security Bureau officer Qingyi had contacted arrived. After handing the two bound criminals over, Zhu Yuan and Qingyi didn't head back to the bureau.
Instead, they went toward the location the thieves had pointed out.
...
After a while, the two arrived at the ruins.
They weren't too late—Zhu Yuan caught sight of an Ethereal completely dissipating right in front of her.
"Senior, it looks like those thieves were telling the truth. Ethereals were definitely here earlier, but now..."
Qingyi's delicate nose twitched slightly. She caught the scent of blood and, after scanning the area, spotted a few faint bloodstains.
There had clearly been a fight here between humans and Ethereals—and judging by the scene, it didn't look like anyone survived.
"Senior, over here! Someone's here!"
Zhu Yuan suddenly called out. Qingyi, who had been collecting evidence, immediately looked over.
Zhu Yuan was heading toward a half-destroyed, slowly dissipating Ether Crystal that looked like a cracked eggshell.
Qingyi frowned. Where's the person?
Following Zhu Yuan's gaze, she noticed the figure inside the Ether Crystal. Qingyi moved a few steps onto a pile of rubble to get a better view.
There really was someone there.
Unable to see clearly, Qingyi approached the Ether Crystal.
"I'm Officer Zhu Yuan. Please step out of the Ether Crystal immediately. It's dangerous. If anything's wrong, let us know—the Public Security Bureau guarantees your safety."
Zhu Yuan's voice rang out. Qingyi blinked. Was it one of the thieves who stayed behind? Or someone else?
Just then, Zhu Yuan, who had gotten closer to the Ether Crystal, suddenly stepped back, her slim frame trembling slightly.
Qingyi's eyes sharpened at the sight, thinking Zhu Yuan was in danger. She quickly rushed over—but stopped when she saw Zhu Yuan turn her head.
Why was her face so red?
"Senior, the Ether Crystal... no, the person inside, he... he's not wearing any clothes..."
Zhu Yuan stammered, clearly flustered and completely lost for words.
Qingyi let out a helpless sigh.
Inside the Ether Crystal, Zane listened to the commotion outside, his face darkening. Was he being taken advantage of?
Why did something like this have to happen now, of all times?
The fluid-like Ether energy covering his arms was quickly dissipating, soon to vanish completely.
He had planned to form an Ethereal body and find a nearby abandoned clothing store. After all, Ethereals didn't wear clothes, and he hadn't prepared any either.
But now, that plan was clearly dead.
Sigh...
Moments later, a few brand-new sets of men's casual clothes were tossed into the Ether Crystal, accompanied by Qingyi's voice.
"Hurry up and put them on. I'm not sure if they'll fit. Most of the clothing store was destroyed—this was all we could find..."
Soon, Zane had dressed, and the Ether Crystal around him slowly dissipated.
Zhu Yuan and Qingyi finally saw him clearly.
Qingyi crossed her arms, her eyes lighting up slightly as she took in his appearance.
Zhu Yuan, meanwhile, was still visibly flushed. She tried to avoid looking at Zane directly but forced herself to stay composed.
"Alright, explain why you're here,"
Qingyi said. Maybe because the man in front of her was pleasant to look at, her tone was noticeably gentler than when she had interrogated the thieves.
Zane's eyes flickered slightly.
"As you can see, officers, I'm just an ordinary citizen who was taken hostage by a gang. They said they were going to use me as a bargaining chip to escape once they were discovered."
He paused.
"But I didn't cooperate. I resisted—and as you can see, this was the result..."
As he spoke, Zane blinked his striking blue eyes, a pitiful expression appearing on his face.
Hearing that, Zhu Yuan's heart softened a little. Those thugs were truly despicable, using such a humiliating method against someone who resisted...
"After that, they forced me to hide inside this Ether Crystal. If I didn't, they threatened to beat me up. I had no choice but to listen."
Zane glanced at their reactions. Honestly, he didn't have much experience in this kind of situation and wasn't sure how convincing his act was.
But judging by their faces, it seemed to be working.
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Later, out of nowhere, a bunch of Ethereals showed up. The gang fought them while I stayed hidden inside, too scared to move."
"When everything outside went quiet, I was about to come out—and that's when I ran into you two."
He spread his hands, looking completely innocent. His face darkened with a mix of anger and gloom—the anger directed at the gang, the gloom hinting at the humiliation he'd endured.
"So how did you end up getting kidnapped? Ordinary citizens usually wouldn't come here..."
Although Zane's explanation sounded reasonable, Qingyi remained cautious and pressed on.
"Ah... well, I saw the changes happening in the Cretan Hollow and got curious. If I'd known this would happen, I never would've come. Curiosity really does kill the cat..."
Zane ran a hand through his short black-and-gold hair, a sheepish smile appearing on his sharp, handsome face.
Qingyi studied him carefully. So far, there wasn't anything suspicious in what he said.
This guy had a strong mentality—likely telling the truth.
"Don't worry, you're safe now. The Public Security Bureau will protect you!"
Zhu Yuan holstered her pistol and said seriously.
"Those people were way out of line, doing something like that to you. Don't worry, we already caught two of them, and we won't let them off lightly!"
If the gang members could hear her, they'd probably die of rage all over again. After all, they only lost their lives, but Zane had lost his dignity!
Not that there was ever any real dignity lost in the first place.
Hearing Zhu Yuan's words, Zane showed a grateful expression, but inside, his mind was racing.
So... there were survivors after all?
"Citizen, due to certain procedures, you'll need to come back to the Public Security Bureau with us. Don't worry, it won't take long."
Zhu Yuan said, looking at him. Despite her sympathy, they still had to follow protocol.
Zane's testimony would be crucial to convicting the two thieves who had been handed over to the Defense Force.
If everything checked out, those criminals would eventually be transferred back to the Public Security Bureau.