SWNOVELXO Chapter 219: The Tail of a Rat
Greta leapt high into the air and swung her demolition saw with full force.
"I told you not to touch him! Are you moldy slag piles deaf or what?!"
Seeing the tunneling machine launch itself, Koleda jumped in shock.
"Her... her whole personality's changed!"
"Amazing... is this the power of a girl in love?"
Grace's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"What kind of girl in love uses a 1,400-kilogram demolition saw powered by Ether-electric drive?!"
"Hrah—!"
Bang!
Before Koleda could finish, a loud crash rang out as the tunneling machine's massive saw smashed into the side of the unfinished building.
"Wait! Miss Tunneling Machine! That's the wrong direction—!"
Ben rushed to warn her. He didn't even want to imagine what would happen if Mr. White got destroyed... Would the tunneling machine go berserk?
But his warning came too late.
The saw struck straight into a load-bearing pillar of the building.
"Ah! I'm sorry, Mr. White... I got too carried away just now..."
The tunneling machine apologized in a panic—but it was already too late.
A looming shadow fell, and the entire building collapsed with a thunderous crash.
BOOM!!!
Mr. White was reduced to rubble.
Buried beneath the debris, the tunneling machine was devastated.
"Mr. White! Please wake up, Mr. White!"
Ben strolled over slowly and sighed.
"That last swing took out the main support wall…"
The tunneling machine was filled with despair.
"I killed Mr. White... It's all my fault..."
As the sun dipped low, Grace stepped forward.
She smiled gently, standing atop the rubble, and spoke to the tunneling machine.
"Don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault. In fact... I should be congratulating you."
"Huh?"
Still grieving, the tunneling machine looked at Grace in confusion.
"Wait, Grace! Do you even hear yourself right now?!"
Ben and Koleda were starting to panic.
They knew Grace was a mechanical expert—but when it came to love, she was completely clueless. This was heading straight for disaster.
"Another sunset..."
Zane glanced at the glowing sky, then instinctively sat up.
This was one of those iconic moments—you had to sit up to watch it properly.
Grace spread her arms wide and said with deep emotion,
"Look up. Look around you!"
"Your Mr. White is holding you right now!"
"Ah..."
The tunneling machine let out a surprised, girlish squeak.
Grace gently placed a hand on the machine's head and smiled softly.
"Every building only gets one chance to give a hug in its lifetime. And it gave that hug to you... while shielding you from the Ethereals' attack."
"What a gentle lover. You've got great taste."
"Sniffle... sniffle..."
Hearing that, the tunneling machine couldn't hold it in any longer. Her electronic voice trembled with sobs.
In the corner, Nicole felt deeply moved and couldn't help but clap.
She had to admit—it was genius.
"Don't give up. We're not going to let this be the end."
"Come with us—we'll rebuild Mr. White together on new ground!"
"Waaahhhhhh!!"
Grace's firm yet gentle words made the tunneling machine burst into loud, sobbing cries.
"Okay! I'll go back with you right now!"
The Belobog Heavy Industries team cleared the rubble and pulled the tunneling machine out. Watching this surreal conclusion unfold, Belle and the Hare's House trio were left dazed in the wind.
What the hell... It was both absurd and oddly touching...
...
Soon, the group began preparing to leave. The Ether bath spot where Zane and the others had lounged was back to normal.
Anton seemed fascinated by it and was asking Billy questions, but Billy couldn't give him much to go on.
Belle, controlling Eous, stepped forward to lead the way. But when she noticed Zane still standing there, she moved closer.
"Zane, what are you doing?"
Zane looked down, then replied quietly,
"Belle... what part of the Hollows is this?"
Belle thought for a moment, then answered,
"Here? Based on the distance, it should be somewhere in the mid-levels of the Deep Zone in the Dead End Hollows."
"I see... So we're getting pretty close to the core region."
Zane nodded and didn't say anything more.
Belle didn't think much of it, assuming he was just making small talk. She stretched lazily and said,
"Ahh, this job was such a breeze. If only all our commissions could be this chill..."
"Proxy, over here!"
A shout came from ahead, and Belle quickly moved Eous to catch up.
Zane rubbed his chin with one hand. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
He glanced off into the distance, then turned and followed the others.
"Chill, huh... I'd like that too."
"But..."
"A rat's tail just peeked out..."
"Heh... rebels, huh..."
...
"Did everything go smoothly this time?"
"Haha, thanks to Zane! I got to try something completely new today!"
"Huh?"
"Hehe, big bro, don't tell me you don't know what an Ether bath is? Tsk tsk tsk... You really are a country bumpkin."
Belle had just disconnected from the HDD system and was clearly overexcited. Her words made Wise's face darken.
He had every reason to question whether this was really his sister...
His sister was supposed to be sweet, obedient, and adorable—how could she turn out like this?
Belle was completely unaware of Wise's inner turmoil. She cheerfully stood up and headed for the door—just as Zane and the others were returning.
"Eous!"
She waved, and Eous trotted over. Smiling at Zane, she said,
"Zane, due to some unexpected issues, Belobog Heavy Industries said the next commission might take a while to come through. So we've got a few days off!"
"I'll let you know once the next one's ready!"
Zane nodded, and Nicole, who had been nearby, also started getting ready to leave.
"Man, that was easy money. All I did was run an errand, took a nap in the Hollows, and barely had to lift a finger..."
As she sighed with content, Zane spoke softly,
"Nicole, if you think the job was too easy, you could always reduce your commission fee..."
"Whaaat? Zane, what are you saying? My ears must be acting up—I can't hear you~"
Nicole quickly nudged Anby and Billy, whispering,
"C'mon, let's go, let's go!"
Moments later, Nicole vanished with the two of them into Sixth Street.