"Hello?"
Lin Qiye held the phone to his ear.
"Hello?! Qiye? Is that Qiye?" Baili Pangpang's voice came from the other end of the line.
"Pangpang?" Lin Qiye froze. "How did you get through to this phone?"
After all, Lin Qiye was not in Great Xia, nor was he in the mist. He was inside the Human Circle within the Yata no Kagami. By all rights, this phone should have had no way of connecting to Great Xia.
"Jiang Er connected to the electronic signals inside the Human Circle, and Cool Bro said he knew your phone number there, so we tried calling you. Didn't expect it to actually go through!"
"Jiang Er connected to the Human Circle's signal? Where are you now?"
"Oh, we just passed through the mirror breach in the deep sea. We're still making our way through the ruins."
Lin Qiye was stunned for a moment before asking in surprise, "You entered the Human Circle too? How did you know I was here?"
"Hehe, we found an outside helper you'd never expect." Baili Pangpang said mysteriously. "You'll find out when we get there."
"...All right. Things are chaotic in the Human Circle right now, so be careful. We'll meet in Osaka."
"Roger that, Captain Lin~"
"You just said you're still passing through the ruins?"
"Yep."
Lin Qiye pondered for a moment. A faint glimmer flashed in his eyes. "If it's on the way... help me retrieve something."
"..."
Osaka.
Air-raid shelter.
The woman hugged her child and, under the guidance of a Black Killer Group member, entered the air-raid shelter.
The ground overhead rumbled and shook repeatedly. As Corpse Beasts trampled the earth, fine gravel sifted down from above, filling the shelter. The roars of the nearby Corpse Beasts echoed overhead like thunder.
Countless residents