Chaotic Zenless Zone Chapter 25 (Patreon)

The days before the designated meet up time passed by all too quickly. Mostly, it passed by in seeming record time because I was throwing myself face-first into magical practice.

As well as practising flight with my new wings. So I was entirely spiritually, physically, and especially mentally exhausted after all my training.

But soon enough, the Cunning Hares rolled on up in their new armored van, which we upgraded to. As no matter how miserly Nicole was. She was even more afraid of the precious metals she was carrying around getting stolen.

And as the side door of the van opened. A loud cry rang out as Billy and Belle fell out off the van and hit the ground with an audible thud as Billy yelled out. "Never fear! The Cunning Hares are here!"

My face twitched as Belle got up with a huff with Nicole giving Billy a kick to the side as Anby with... Far more grace hopped out of the passenger side with her looking around my fabrication plant with a thoughtful gaze.

"Hmm, Jake how many burger's could you make if you converted all these factories into a meat processing plant?" Anby asked curiously as she sidestepped the still-playing-around figures of Nicole, Belle, and Billy.

I shook my head and said honestly. "Assuming I could source the materials? Several tens of thousands of frozen slider burgers a day probably?"

Anby looked like she was going to argue that slider burger's were an affront to god and the Creator himself but I cleared my throat and called out.

"And what in the world are you doing waaay out here in the Waifei Peninsula Belle? Did you literally drop your shop on your brother's back before running off?"

Belle paused at my words before she giggled and said with a gremlin-like grin as she threw me a thumbs up.

"Jake, how did you know... Wait! Why do you have giant prosthetic wings behind your back right now?" 

Anby's lazy gaze then went to my back, where I had folded my large wings largely behind myself and she asked more to herself.

"Jake has converted to the chicken wing life... No longer is he part of the Democratic Republic of Burgers.

Nicole and Billy were both laser-focused on me as I sighed and just let my four-meter-wide wings spread out fully with a helpless chuckle.

"Ahem... I unlocked more of my noble Thiren lineage. I am now officially an adult Gorgon now!"

I mean, Gorgon, Medusa in Fate had giant wings as well. Soooo it totally fit!

But then Nicole went pale as she whispered. "Wait! Does that mean... Does that mean, that snake Thiren creep was actually robbing the cradle when she molested Jake! Oh god! I have no choice, I am going to have to bury her out in the Outer Ring!"

I shook my head and said helplessly. "I am a magical Thiren, I am well above eighteen, Nicole... It just takes my kind a bit longer to absorb all of our heritage fully." 

Then Billy helpfully asked curiously. "Wait! So you are a Gorgon Thiren, you can turn things to stone that you look at with your spooky magic, and wings are cool and all... But can you turn into a giant kaiju!?" 

I went to say hell no. But then I paused as who fucking knows with the Chaos Gatcha. For all I know, I could get some 'Transform into Endbringer' or Tailed Beast form... 

So I just shrugged and said helplessly. "Am not sure. I am an orphan remember." 

I then looked to Belle and Nicole and asked curiously. "Nicole, I thought you and the managers were going to be busy?" 

Nicole shrugged, and with a toss of her pink hair she said primly. "Hmph! I decided that helping you clear out a hollow and expand your operations was a much better option than collecting a gold-plated Bangboo that fell off of Roscalifer."

My face twitched at the thought of having to... Hunt through a hollow to find a single broken-down Bangboo that was god knows where.

And wasn't Roscaelifer a secret kind to most people?

Belle then bounced over with pure gremlin energy as she said with a bit of pointed teasing. "Jaaake? Are you saying you don't want the legendary Pheathon's help in guiding you guy's in the hollow???"

"I- Not at all Belle, I just thought you two were finding more trouble for yourselves." I replied honestly, making Belle squeak in 'total' outrage at my comment.

Then Anby asked curiously. "You mentioned getting some disciples from Yunkui Summit to come over to help clear the hollow. How many did they agree to send?" 

I shook my head and replied more seriously. "They didn't say the actual number of disciples they would be sending. But they did promise one of the senior disciples at least would be coming. And any one of the senior disciples of Yunkui Summit is a top-grade Elite Agent." 

"After all, the Grandmaster of Yunkui Summit, Yixuan is very much a Void-Hunter-level combatant who can fight the highest level of Etherials. So her personal disciples are also some of the best fighters in New Eridu."

Then as though in answer to my words... I felt it. The feel of a foreign gaze over my shoulder came from Yixuan's spooky Qingming bird that was watching me.

But, it's gaze wasn't entirely upon me. Maybe she was also watching Belle as well?

Either way, I knew that with the Qingming bird here. That the Suiban Temple's disciples would be here soon. So I looked down at my tablet to check the alerts from the motion cameras to see that yup.

A bus filled with some disciples armed with spears, swords, and gun's were coming out of said bus... At the base of my mountain, then walking up the road leading to my factory on the backside of the mountain?

And standing at the forefront! Weighing in at eighty pounds soaking wet was the ferocious tiger Thiren Ju Fufu whose tail wagged with pride behind her as she led the procession of disciples, including Ye Shiyuan.

I actually facepalmed as I said tiredly. "Nicole... Please take your car back down and tell them to load back up into the van. It's more than a twenty-minute hike up the mountain road on foot." 

I didn't want to wait a half an hour for these disciples to arrive on foot and then need to take a break when they could just drive up here to begin with!

'I need to get a speaker system at the front gate's and not just a VI who either accepts people in. Or just shoots them.' I thought with a sigh.

Nicole, hearing my request, snorted and said with clear amusement. "Alright alright Jake. I will go tell those temple shut-ins that they are going to be late if they don't drive up the mountain properly."

I then pulled Belle aside and helped her park the HDD-capable van off inside of the factory so that she would be out of the way. So that the disciples woudn't be able to learn her identity as a Proxy, most importantly.

And for a good while I just relaxed beside Billy as he 'drank' from a strawberry-flavored battery. While I likewise drank a strawberry milkshake I made that gave me some enhanced mana/stamina regeneration.

Along with having a protein bowl of shredded steak mixed in with some BBQ chicken, rice, and mashed potatoes that filled my body with a powerful strengthening effect.

Then, out of nowhere, a loud voice rang out. "Oooh! Are our host's providing free meals as well!? Is this how the TOPS keeps their employees' loyalty!?"

Then my face twitched as Anby said in confusion. "I thought you said it was a tiger Thiren... Not a mainecoon Thiren?" 

Ju Fufu's whole body went stock still before abruptly twitching as Ye Shiyuan coughed loudly and called out helplessly.

"Ahem! Jake, let's step aside and speak about how we will distribute the disciples to make sure that they and your machines don't get in between one another." 

Still looking around I nodded and said thoughtfully as I looked at all the combat capable disciples of Yunkui Summit before I spoke out.

"When we head into the hollow. All of you come in together!" I called out as I was curious.

How many people could I actually buff with the Golden Vow spell at once?

A loud roar rang out as the carrier vehicle hummed to life and left the ground using typical anti-gravity tech that was so common in Star Wars. And then it followed our procession down the backside of the factory towards the micro hollow in the back.