Zenless Zone Zero: Morax in a New World!

According to the information Nicole had just gathered, the Tour de Inferno was scheduled for the day after tomorrow.

However...

It was currently Golden Week, and Hare's House was temporarily closed.

With nothing else to do there, Nicole decided they might as well head to the Outer Ring early to gather more intel on the Tour de Inferno.

She also planned to stay a few days in Calydon Town and check in on the land she had purchased earlier.

With the decision made, Nicole smiled and said, "Alright everyone, get ready. We're heading to the Outer Ring. Destination: Calydon Town!"

Then she dashed back into her room, grabbed a change of clothes, her makeup kit, some daily necessities… and packed her suitcase to the brim.

But just after they set out...

Sam Li received a Knock-Knock chat message from Piper and Caesar, inviting him and the rest of Hare's House to come watch the Tour de Inferno.

Sam Li immediately replied, letting them know they were already on their way.

Piper and Caesar also asked for his help—could he find a reliable Proxy in the city to help upgrade Bangboo and fix some problems in the Hollows for the Sons of Calydon?

Sam Li agreed without hesitation.

At that moment...

Billy looked at him suspiciously. "Who are you chatting with? Don't tell me you're secretly dating someone online?"

Nicole raised an eyebrow. "???"

Anby: "..."

Sam Li chuckled. "It's Piper and Caesar from the Sons of Calydon. They invited us to watch the Tour de Inferno."

Billy looked surprised. "Wait, is Caesar actually competing this time?"

Sam Li shook his head. "No idea."

Then he asked Nicole to make a quick detour to Sixth Street. He wanted to ask Belle and Wise to head to Calydon Town to help Piper and Caesar.

...

Twenty minutes later, on the other side of New Eridu—inside a video store on Sixth Street.

As soon as Sam Li walked in, he saw the store's two managers and explained Piper and Caesar's request.

With Sam Li bridging the request, Belle didn't hesitate at all.

"We'll take care of it," she said. "My brother and I heard about the Tour de Inferno too. We were planning to head to the Outer Ring anyway, so we can handle the request on the way."

They packed quickly, brought along some essential supplies, and followed behind Hare's House in the store's vehicle toward the Outer Ring.

...

Hare's House and the video store weren't the only ones moving.

At the same time, a temporary meeting was underway at the Janus District Public Security Bureau.

The meeting's topic? The upcoming Tour de Inferno.

Inside the conference room—

After listening to the briefing, Seth looked confused. "Chief, according to what you just said, the Tour de Inferno is just a battle between motorcycle gangs for the title of 'strongest.' It doesn't concern us. The Outer Ring isn't even under our jurisdiction. Do we really need to send people to the scene?"

The Public Security Chief responded calmly, "You're right. If it were simply a contest for dominance, it would have nothing to do with us."

Then his tone shifted.

"But the winner of this race will become the new Overlord and gain control over the reallocation of the oil transport routes. That matters—a lot—for New Eridu."

Although New Eridu couldn't control the Outer Ring and rarely interacted with it, all the remaining oil fields were out there, under gang control.

Oil had long been one of New Eridu's most critical and scarce resources—and a key point of trade between the city and the Outer Ring.

This was why the Chief took the Tour de Inferno so seriously: he wanted to ensure stability in the oil fields and the transport routes and make sure the race wouldn't disrupt the city.

After hearing this, Seth finally understood. "So what exactly do we do?"

The Chief fell silent for a moment, then said, "Investigate the gangs participating in the race. Choose the one best suited to take the Overlord title—and make sure they win."

In other words, the Public Security Bureau intended to rig the outcome—to manipulate the race and balance the power structure in the Outer Ring, keeping the old oil routes stable.

Zhu Yuan, Seth, and Qingyi all fell silent.

Was this really justice?

As public security officers, it felt wrong to interfere like this.

The Chief saw their hesitation.

He took a deep breath and said firmly, "Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, Seth—this is for the stability of New Eridu. I'm counting on you."

That struck a chord.

All three of them had joined the Public Security Bureau to protect New Eridu.

Seeing the seriousness on the Chief's face, Zhu Yuan hesitated briefly, then nodded. "Leave it to us, Chief. We'll make sure the mission gets done."

The Chief finally exhaled in relief.

"Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, Seth—be careful. Don't let anyone find out you're with the Bureau."

Zhu Yuan: "Understood."

According to the intel, the Tour de Inferno would be held the day after tomorrow.

That gave them two days to prepare.

Zhu Yuan decided they'd spend today drafting a solid plan, then head to the Outer Ring tomorrow, stopping by Calydon Town on the way.

During their last mission, they had already formed ties with the Sons of Calydon.

With any luck, they could gain the gang's help again this time.

...

While all sides prepared for the Tour de Inferno...

At that moment...

In the Outer Ring, a lifeless wasteland stretched into the distance, cut through by a long and crumbling highway.

Suddenly—

The air around them twisted violently.

Two well-dressed figures appeared out of thin air, dropping from the sky and crashing onto the broken asphalt.

Thud—Thud—

One, a woman in a violet outfit with a side hat, landed smoothly on her feet.

The other, a girl in a sparkling blue outfit that screamed celebrity, landed hard—right on her rear.

"Ow, ow... Clorinde, what just happened?!"

"Lady Furina, don't panic. It seems there was a sudden shift in the ley lines—it forced us out."

Normally, they should have been teleported from one Statue of The Seven to another.

But due to the ley line disturbance, they had been violently ejected.

Clorinde helped Furina up, then scanned their surroundings, eyes narrowing with doubt as she took in the vast, silent expanse of wilderness.

"Is this really Liyue?"