Zenless Zone Zero: I Can Contain the Ethereals

Twenty years after transmigrating to the world of Zenless Zone Zero, Lin Mu wants nothing more than to be an ordinary Proxy, earn a living, and support his younger sister, Lin Yu, until she graduates.

He never takes high-risk commissions. When he enters Hollows, he sticks to the outskirts. He won't leave without his self-defense pistol, spare magazine, anti-corrosion medicine, and two copies of the Carrot map. Thanks to his caution, he's survived in New Eridu for eleven years.

Until a pitch-black orb of light crashes into his body inside the Crete Hollow.

[Hollows Core Imprint]: Shatter an Ethereal's core, contain its essence, turn it into a card, and summon it for battle. While others have to pick their way through Hollows with extreme caution, he now has several "fighters" who don't need a paycheck.

But he soon discovers that this ability is no free lunch. Cards can shatter, summons have cooldowns, fusions can destroy cards, and every activation of a high-tier card eats away at his mental strength. Worse still, anyone who can contain calamities is bound to become the most valuable research specimen in the eyes of certain factions.

The Cunning Hares, the Sons of Calydon, the Defense Force's Sixth Division...

Billy comes knocking.

Hoshimi Miyabi enters with her blade drawn.

The threads laid in secret by the Mockingbird Society are tightening, one by one.

Lin Mu finally catches on.

"Something's not quite right here!"