Standing before the containment chamber of Nothing There, Hai's first action was a thorough inspection of its current condition.
He quickly confirmed one critical fact:
If he'd arrived even half a month later, Nothing There might have broken containment on its own.
Perhaps not even half a month…
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Hai exhaled deeply, murmuring softly to himself:
"Phew… seems like this was more dangerous than expected."
If Nothing There had broken free without any Reverse Qliphoth Suppressors in place… Hai honestly wasn't sure whether he could've defeated it alone.
But now, there was no need to worry.
With these thoughts, Hai swiftly equipped himself with the Jester of Nihil's E.G.O Gear. A deck of playing cards appeared in his hand, and his long white coat shifted colors, becoming stark black and white. A small doll resembling the Jester rested eerily on his shoulder.
Instinctively recalling the fighting style embedded in his mind, Hai smoothly shuffled the cards, then exhaled once more, stepping decisively into the containment chamber ahead.
Inside, the grotesque creature—resembling a dog stitched together from countless shifting organs—immediately locked eyes with him. Almost without hesitation, the monster lunged forward, prompting Hai's pupils to narrow sharply.
It's been contained too long. It must be desperate to imitate and evolve… it plans to learn directly from combat?
Exhaling slowly, Hai internally assessed the situation. With a swift wave of his hand, several cards flashed forward, striking the creature and forcing it back, before returning neatly to his palm.
After a few more token strikes, Nothing There suddenly underwent a rapid transformation, encasing itself entirely within a cocoon in mere moments. Hai halted his attacks immediately, fanning out the deck in preparation for something decisive.
As he spread the entire deck open, Nothing There burst from its cocoon in a flash. Its massive arm had now reshaped itself into a blade-like form, slashing viciously at Hai. His eyes shrank once more as the full deck flew from his grip, and the tiny doll leaped from his shoulder onto the monster's back.
"Goodbye."
The blade-arm sliced downward, but slowed dramatically under the weakening effect of the Jester's E.G.O. Gear, giving Hai just enough room to evade. The full force of the cards struck home, impacting solidly upon Nothing There's grotesque body.
Hai sighed in relief, the cards reappearing neatly in his hands. His lips curved into a confident smile.
"Alright… Now I'm sure. Defeating you isn't impossible for me."
He murmured quietly, then laughed lightly to himself:
"No, perhaps I should say…"
"—The fight's about to end already."
...
Roughly four hours later, Hai, visibly exhausted, rushed quickly toward Lobotomy Corporation Headquarters, clutching a large, crimson egg.
It had taken longer than expected, but the result was undeniably satisfying. Nothing There was successfully re-contained at the Lobotomy Corporation HQ, allowing Hai to finally relax.
With this accomplished, the entire trip to Kazimierz had proven worthwhile. After all, the very reason for retrieving an ALEPH-class Abnormality in Kazimierz had been to resolve Nothing There's containment crisis.
He'd deliberately avoided involving Don Quixote because Nothing There was immune to physical attacks. Hai had only managed to defeat it due to the fivefold suppression and the overwhelming power of the Jester of Nihil's E.G.O. Gear.
Now, with the threat of Nothing There fully resolved, the next looming danger for Lobotomy Corporation became increasingly clear:
The Great Lake.
An unresolved threat—and an endless headache for Obsidian.
Sending Hai wouldn't necessarily yield results either… Hai's strength currently placed him slightly below an average Color Fixer. Fighting a fivefold-suppressed ALEPH-class was manageable, but the Great Lake?
Lobotomy Corporation couldn't exactly slap a suppressor across the whole lake.
Furthermore, while Hai had been away in Kazimierz, Obsidian—still in the City—had conducted thorough investigations around the Great Lake, yielding unsettling results:
It was as though the lake was waking up.
Aside from the previously known threat of the Dreaming Current lurking near its shores, Obsidian's bigger concern was the whales recorded in older documents starting to reappear within the lake's depths. Three distinct whale species had already been spotted. While the so-called "Five Great Disasters" had yet to emerge, Obsidian felt their appearance was only a matter of time, given the current signs.
Especially unsettling was that many of these whales seemed unusually eager to leave the water, venturing onto land.
In Hai's absence, Obsidian had already dispatched Suo once to handle a whale and a mermaid that emerged onto shore. Thankfully, that whale hadn't been particularly strong, so Suo took care of it rather easily.
But if this happened again… Obsidian couldn't guarantee what might occur next time.
"Haa… One step at a time, I guess."
Inside his small cabin, Obsidian sighed deeply, quickly shifting his attention back to Hai, guiding him toward the Hana Association building.
For now, there was no point worrying excessively. It was better to focus first on handling Don Quixote's affairs—
Seeing things through to the very end.
...
"Phew… Hana Association, it's certainly been a while."
Don Quixote exhaled lightly, looking around at the familiar surroundings with a soft smile and murmuring to himself. Nearl followed closely behind, step by step.
Don Quixote went directly to the receptionist to inquire, learning that Hai hadn't returned yet. So, he simply waited in the lobby, calmly watching Fixers coming and going.
After being away these few days… it felt as if the City had undergone significant changes.
Don Quixote pondered silently, exhaling softly, his expression becoming somewhat nostalgic.
After waiting in the lobby for a short while, Hai hurried into the Hana Association, instantly spotting Don Quixote. He paused briefly, steadied his breathing, and then walked toward Don Quixote in firm, purposeful strides.
"So, what exactly did you need from me, old friend?"
Don Quixote smiled warmly as he asked. Hai returned the smile, calmly replying:
"I came to inform you of the outcome of your recent assignment."
"According to Hana Association's final assessment, the mission has been classified as a Star of the City-grade request. And since the mission was primarily completed by you both, we've reassessed your accomplishments accordingly."
"Miss Nearl, congratulations. From today onward, Hana Association officially recognizes you as a Grade 2 Fixer."
Hai nodded toward Nearl as he spoke, then turned to Don Quixote. After a brief pause, his smile returned, gentler this time:
"Don Quixote… come with me."
"As for your reassignment, let's discuss it privately inside."