"This is Zhu Yuan. Store manager, do you have any updates on Zane?"
As soon as the call connected, Zhu Yuan's voice came through.
Outside the abandoned amusement park, Zhu Yuan glanced at Qingyi, who was listening intently, then continued,
"Someone's really worried about him."
"Who?"
Hearing the voice on the other end, Zhu Yuan froze for a moment. Then, realizing who it was, she let out a sigh of relief and quickly handed the phone to Qingyi.
"Senior, it's Zane calling."
"Zane?"
Qingyi looked a little surprised. The incident here had just happened—how did he get back to Sixth Street so fast?
"Zane, how are you?"
"You didn't get hurt, did you?"
"Don't worry, Senior. I'm fine—what could possibly happen to me?"
Zane's voice came clearly through the phone, sounding calm and unaffected. Qingyi finally relaxed.
Inside the video store, Zane carefully chose his words, then spoke into the phone.
"Senior, there's something I don't want to hide from you anymore."
"Actually... I'm the Firepicker."
As the words left his mouth, Belle, who had just resumed eating her breakfast, froze and turned to look at him.
What? He just dropped the bomb like that?
Is that how you reveal your secret identity now?
On the other end of the call, silence fell.
"You said you're the Firepicker? 'Pick' as in pick up, and 'fire' as in fire?"
Zhu Yuan's voice came through again. She seemed to doubt her own ears and asked for confirmation.
Outside the amusement park, Qingyi glanced at Zhu Yuan, who had practically snatched the phone back, now holding it with both hands, her face a mix of shock and suspicion.
Qingyi felt a little helpless—but she had to admit, she was surprised too.
Zane? The Firepicker?
They didn't seem connected in any way...
Was he just joking to lighten the mood?
But then they heard Zane confirm it again.
Zhu Yuan held the phone away slightly, frowned, then leaned toward Qingyi and whispered,
"Senior... do you think Zane is telling the truth?"
"That guy..."
Images flashed through Qingyi's mind—the figure from the Cretan Hollow, then the Zane she knew.
One was overwhelmingly powerful, arrogant, detached, and looked down on everything with cold pity.
The other was easygoing, principled, sentimental, playful—and sometimes even oddly obedient and kind of cute.
How could those two be the same person?
And the idea of an Ethereal having human consciousness was already absurd. If it could also turn into a human...
That just didn't seem possible.
Seeing Zhu Yuan's confusion, Qingyi lowered her gaze thoughtfully, then looked up.
"Based on what we know, there's a chance. The Firepicker's attitude toward us and Zane's are totally different, but there've been a lot of suspicious coincidences."
She thought back: after the Cretan Hollow disappeared, it was the two of them who had brought Zane back. And that same night, the Firepicker attacked the Mars District Defense Force base.
Zane had also been present during the Dead End Hollow operation.
Recalling his presence there, Qingyi suddenly remembered how Hare's House reacted when asked about him...
If he really was the Firepicker...
Then everything made perfect sense.
"Zhu Yuan, think about it: Cretan Hollow, Dead End Hollow, last night's red notice, and now the underground black market."
Once you make that connection, it's not just coincidence anymore.
"And another thing, Zhu Yuan—think back."
Qingyi's expression turned serious.
"Those two raiders."
"Back then, we only had Zane's version of events. But the way he told it... it felt real."
"Later, when I saw him again in the Dead End Hollow and questioned him, he didn't deny it."
"There's definitely more to what happened at Cretan Hollow."
"Do you remember the official description of the Mars District Defense Force incident?"
She paused. Zhu Yuan's expression had grown tense.
"No warning, sudden, fast in and out."
"The casualties during the clash with the Firepicker at the Defense HQ were far lower than in the Cretan Hollow. It was like the Firepicker had no intent to fight."
"But two non-combatants were lost."
"Only those two."
Inside the abandoned amusement park, Public Security officers were investigating, while reporters and curious bystanders crowded the perimeter.
And amid it all, Zhu Yuan stood silently, her expression shifting.
Her thoughts were jumbled. It was hard to accept—but everything Qingyi said made too much sense.
She felt conflicted.
"This won't do. We can't jump to conclusions just based on inference and coincidence. I need to ask again."
Zhu Yuan shook her head and asked over the phone,
"Zane, you're really not joking?"
"I'm asking seriously. Please answer me seriously."
"If you're not joking... is there any way you can prove it?"
Back in the video store, Zane had expected his words wouldn't be accepted right away. Hearing Zhu Yuan's question, he thought for a moment, then chuckled.
"Heh. What, did you forget how that device on your waist got broken?"
The line went silent again.
Zane glanced at Belle, who was nearly finished with her breakfast, and said quietly,
"Alright, Senior, Zhu Yuan—I can hear the background. You're dealing with the underground black market, right?"
"I've got things to take care of on my end, so I won't keep you."
Although Qingyi hadn't spoken, Zane knew she was listening closely. After a moment, he added,
"Right—Master, I'm heading to the Public Security Bureau this afternoon. It's rare that I have free time, so don't ghost me."
Without waiting for a response, he ended the call and handed the phone back to Belle.
Whether to tell them was his choice. Whether they believed it was up to Qingyi and Zhu Yuan.
Either way, he'd said it. When the truth came out, he'd be just fine.
...
Back at the abandoned amusement park—
"Senior... I think it really is him."
Zhu Yuan held the phone to her chest with one hand, looking up at Qingyi, confused and uncertain.
The story about the damaged device on her waist—she had only mentioned it to Zane, and even then, vaguely. She'd never brought up the Firepicker.
"Hmm... and now he's calling me Master again. This guy..."
Qingyi didn't show much emotion, muttering to herself with a calm expression, already wondering if she should prepare something for this afternoon.
"Senior!"
"Huh? What is it?"
"You're not even the slightest bit shocked? Not even a little curious? No reaction at all?!"
Qingyi nodded and looked at her.
"Of course I'm surprised. I may not be human, but I've got emotional modules similar to humans."
"It's just that I control my facial expressions completely. That's why you can't see it. Don't worry, Zhu Yuan—I'm feeling the same way you are right now."