Uchiha in Zenless Zone Zero

After Jane left, Zhong Yan casually tossed the disposable tea cup she had used into the trash and sat back down at his computer to resume work.

Meanwhile, outside, Jane didn't immediately return. Instead, after walking a dozen meters, she turned and slipped into a narrow alley.

Inside the alley, two figures had been waiting for some time. If Zhong Yan were there, he would have recognized them instantly—they were Qing Yi and Zhu Yuan from the Public Security Bureau.

Normally, security officers only moved in pairs while on duty. For three of them to be deployed at once meant this was far more than a simple visit.

"How did it go? Did he let anything slip?" Qing Yi asked as soon as Jane appeared.

They had recently received orders from their superiors to investigate Zhong Yan and the members of the Cunning Hares, suspecting a possible connection to Uchiha.

That suspicion stemmed from the recent crisis involving three thousand bombs.

During that event, Uchiha had openly collaborated with the Public Security Bureau—something the New Eridu authorities were well aware of.

The Cunning Hares, Zhong Yan, and Victoria Housekeeping were all involved in that operation. Thus, they were all under investigation.

And truthfully, the investigators hadn't been wrong—if they had pushed just a bit harder, Zhong Yan's identity might have been exposed.

However, the three officers had a relatively good rapport with Zhong Yan, and they knew Uchiha wasn't a villain. So, they hadn't pressured him too hard despite the suspicions.

Qing Yi asked merely out of concern that Zhong Yan might have inadvertently revealed something.

"I couldn't find anything. He's extremely cautious and didn't give me the slightest opening…" Jane said nonchalantly, brushing the tip of her tail.

Zhu Yuan frowned. "Same with the Cunning Hares and Victoria Housekeeping. We didn't get anything out of them either. It's just too abnormal. What if Director Bringer and the others start getting suspicious?"

When something seems too clean, there's usually something being hidden. If they ended up with zero leads, it was possible the blame might fall back on them.

"That's unlikely. This investigation is being overseen by Director Zhao Anmen from HQ. He's reasonable and likely thinks the same as we do. Besides, it's not like we've been faking reports—we genuinely couldn't find anything. What's there to be afraid of?" Jane smiled slightly. As a psychology expert, she knew exactly how to deflect pressure from above.

And they weren't covering anything up. If anyone tried to dig deeper, they wouldn't find anything suspicious on their end.

"Well, if Miss Jane says so, I guess that's the end of this investigation," Qing Yi said. "I heard the guys from the Nin-Village have been stirring things up in New Eridu again. The Bureau's already deployed quite a few squads to take them down."

"Nin-Village, huh… They were behind that explosion in the central district last time. Can't believe they've shown their faces again. Senior, let's go—we're going to bring them to justice!"

"Hey—wait, Zhu Yuan, we haven't even gotten authorization yet! I don't want to work overtime. Let go of me!"

As Zhu Yuan and Qing Yi walked off, Jane remained in place, watching them silently. Then she slowly stepped out of the alley and glanced back toward Zhong Yan's apartment.

A faint, meaningful curve appeared at the corner of her lips. Clearly, she'd figured something out.

She just didn't know where things would ultimately lead. The name "Uchiha"... was wrapped in far too much legend.

Perhaps, in the future, he really would become the hero who saves all of New Eridu.

And if, by then, the authorities still insisted on branding him a villain... the days of those bureaucrats might be numbered.

...

At the same time, elsewhere in New Eridu—

Inside a hidden building, several Nin-Village "Shadows" stared silently at the freshly intercepted cache of Ether energy, feelings mixed.

Years ago, they had been New Eridu's most powerful mercenary group. But after being blacklisted by the Public Security Bureau, they were forced into hiding like rats in the sewers.

Now, only a tenth of the original organization remained. Those who stayed either had no other place to go—or still clung to their ideals.

Fortunately, the recent spike in crime across New Eridu had given them a chance to return from the shadows.

But the truth was, the Bureau had never stopped hunting them. As soon as they reappeared, the manhunt resumed.

To avoid provoking a large-scale raid, they followed Zhao Anmen's orders and avoided direct conflict with security forces.

That way, the Bureau wouldn't view them as the highest priority—especially with so many other, more active criminal groups in the city.

"With this Ether stash, we can survive for another year. But I'm not sure we'll get another shot like this after that," Midori said, looking at the stockpile stacked in the corner.

"We're lucky to even have this. It's been ages since we last had a decent meal. A whole year is enough time for Aka to rise up and become a real decision-maker in the Bureau. When that day comes…" Oren began imagining their triumphant return to New Eridu.

Kuro interrupted him bluntly, "Even if he does become a decision-maker, he'll still be a dog on a leash under the high officials. We won't get our old lives back unless the Bureau lifts the warrant against us."

But they all knew that was impossible—unless Zhao Anmen somehow became mayor of New Eridu, which was even more unlikely.

"For now, we'd best lay low and live quietly," Chairo said. His arm, once severed by Zhong Yan, had since been replaced with a mechanical prosthetic. "If the day comes that even we can't survive here, then this organization is done for."

At that moment, Shiro, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

"Have you all forgotten? That Uchiha bastard... still owes us a favor."