The people from Victoria Housekeeping didn't find any treasure chests in the warehouse. After exchanging a few words with Sam Li and the others, Lycaon drove off with his team.
Just as they left, Sam Li suddenly remembered something—he'd forgotten to hand Arataki Itto over to Venti to send him back to the continent of Teyvat.
Itto had stumbled into this place by accident. By now, Kuki Shinobu and the rest of the Arataki Gang had probably noticed his disappearance, and the whole gang must be in chaos.
But it wasn't a big deal. He could wait until they left C41 Hollows to send Itto back.
At that moment, Nicole slammed the truck door shut and glanced quickly in the direction Victoria's group had left. She urged, "Billy, Nekomata, quit dawdling and get in the truck! If we don't move, Victoria's people will snatch all the supply boxes ahead of us…"
Just like before, Nicole was driving the Hare's House off-road vehicle, while Billy took the truck they'd picked up earlier.
Right after, Nicole checked the map. The closest warehouse was in the same direction Victoria's group had gone—it looked like they were headed there too.
Nicole let out a small chuckle. "Leaving first doesn't mean you'll get there first."
With that, she started the vehicle and drove in the direction Victoria's team had vanished, Billy close behind in the truck.
But at that very moment, no one noticed a Public Security Bureau patrol car suddenly entering the area, spotting the two Hare's House vehicles as they were starting up.
Inside the patrol car, Seth immediately spotted the truck and recognized the license plate—it matched the one they were searching for, belonging to the tunnel raiders.
"Captain Zhu Yuan, Senior Qingyi, that's the one! The license plate matches what the chief sent us."
"They're trying to escape. After them!"
"Got it, Senior Qingyi!"
Zhu Yuan had already seen the truck. Realizing it was about to drive off, she immediately floored the gas pedal and sped after it.
At the same time, Seth leaned out the window and shouted, "Don't run! This is the Public Security Bureau—surrender now!"
Zhu Yuan: "…"
Qingyi sighed. "Yelling like that is just going to scare them off."
They had hoped to catch them off guard and make an easy arrest, but Seth's outburst probably alerted them—now it would take more effort.
Just as Qingyi predicted, inside the lead truck, Billy had only just started the engine. Afraid of angering Nicole, he was carefully keeping pace with her SUV.
Then he heard the shouting from behind—and jumped in surprise. The Security Bureau had found them?
Were they going to confiscate the treasure chests?
Billy glanced in the rearview mirror. Sure enough, a patrol car was speeding toward them, nearly on top of them already.
He didn't have time to think—he stomped on the gas.
"Damn it, why does the Security Bureau want to take everything? Last time it was the Golden Bangboo, now it's the supply boxes... they're way too greedy…"
"Are they enemies? No worries, leave it to me!"
"They're from the Security Bureau—we really shouldn't pick a fight. Let's just shake them off first."
Billy floored the gas and tore ahead.
Meanwhile, in Nicole and Sam Li's SUV, Nicole was driving at a steady speed toward the next warehouse—until she suddenly spotted Billy's truck roaring up in the rearview mirror.
In just a few seconds, it had pulled up beside her, moving way too fast.
Nicole scowled. She had just warned Billy about speeding, and now here he was doing it again. If they crashed, it would ruin their chances of finding the supply crates.
She leaned out and shouted, "Billy! You trying to get yourself killed driving that fast?!"
A second later, Billy shouted back from the truck, "Nicole! The Security Bureau's patrol car is on our tail! They said they're going to arrest us—if we get caught, it's over!"
Nicole was startled. She quickly checked the mirror—and sure enough, a patrol car was right behind them, closing in fast.
If what Billy said was true, and they got caught, they'd lose all the supplies in the truck.
That couldn't be allowed to happen.
Nicole shouted, "Billy! Quit hesitating—step on it, all the way down!"
"Got it, Nicole! I'm going!"
With that, Billy slammed the gas pedal, overtook Nicole's SUV, and sped out ahead.
Nicole was shocked.
By all rights, a regular truck shouldn't be able to outrun her off-roader.
But the truck Billy was driving had clearly been modified by the tunnel raiders—just like the one Piper from the Sons of Calydon drove. Its speed was outrageous.
The patrol car was closing in behind them.
Nicole didn't want to face the Security Bureau inside the Hollows. To avoid being caught, she turned to Soldier 11 beside her. "Soldier 11, I'm counting on you. Don't let them catch up."
Soldier 11 gave a faint smile. "Leave it to me."
Back in the patrol car, Seth watched in disbelief as the target truck shot ahead. "How is it that fast?!"
He had shouted earlier because he was confident in the patrol car's performance—and in Zhu Yuan's driving skills. He was sure they'd catch up easily.
But now, all they could do was eat dust. Something was definitely off.
Zhu Yuan said firmly, "That truck must've been modified. But it doesn't matter—now that we've found them, they're not getting away."
Determined not to lose them, she floored the accelerator, pushing the patrol car to its limits as it chased the truck and SUV.
Meanwhile, up front, Billy gripped the steering wheel and kept racing ahead. Arataki Itto, experiencing such speed for the first time, was cheering with excitement.
But suddenly, Billy noticed the fuel gauge—running low.
If this kept up, the patrol car would catch them for sure.
He quickly slowed down and pulled back alongside Nicole's SUV, shouting, "Nicole! We're low on fuel—what now?"
Inside the SUV, Nicole heard his shout. She hesitated briefly, then made a quick decision.
"Retreat. Don't go any deeper into the Hollows. We're heading back to the city."