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“It’s raining! We’re saved now!”
Someone shouted. As if responding to hopeful anticipation, the flames gradually weakened. Intermittent raindrops turned into a downpour, and the Esper’s flames also subsided to a non-threatening level.
Lee Hae-kyung roughly pushed his wet hair back, assessing the faces of the injured agents. One, two, three. When he confirmed the fourth agent with injuries large and small from the fire, a realization struck him.
All the injured were Espers wearing the Special Activities Department’s mark. More than half of the deployed Special Activities Department Espers had sustained burns on their legs or had their weapon-holding palms cooked. Their lives might not be in immediate danger, but it was clear as day that their ability to perform missions would be hindered.
In contrast, Alpha Team’s agents were perfectly unblemished. Even though they had actively moved to protect supplies and non-combat agents. Was it a coincidence? Feeling a chilling sensation, Lee Hae-kyung looked back at Cheon Geon-yeong.
“You haven’t had any contact either?”
A composed voice emanated from the Esper, considering he had lost his reason just moments ago. Lee Hae-kyung, with a stiff expression, shook his head.
Cheon Geon-yeong silently turned and disappeared into the forest. A few minutes later, a helicopter took off from the forest and moved away from the camp.
________________________________________
From the next day, all operations and missions were halted or postponed.
The Director issued a search order for Yoon Tae-ha to all field personnel dispatched to Phlegethon. As a result, the camp eventually underwent a major expansion, quadrupling its area.
Vehicles carrying non-combat agents and supplies arrived endlessly at the camp’s backyard. As the resident personnel increased, so did the mouths to chatter about the incidents that had occurred in Phlegethon.
The White Lancer is a traitor!
Though their nationalities and specific affiliations differed, most agents were equally shocked by this. Those whispering about Yoon Tae-ha’s disappearance and the suspicions surrounding her naturally moved on to the second piece of news.
And the traitor’s guide was actually an Esper!
The rumors spread uncontrollably fast. The claim that an agent who was Orca’s spy had attacked him and his teammates and fled after being discovered by his guide gained the most traction.
Cheon Geon-yeong, one of the subjects of the rumors, was rarely seen in the camp. He mostly lived in the Special Forces’ helicopter, dedicating himself to the search.
Lee Hae-kyung, who arrived from Korea, also continued a forced march without even the luxury of resting from his journey. Lee Hae-kyung’s humorless face shocked the Korean agents considerably.
Every time two natural-type Espers with contrasting powers appeared alternately, the other Espers held their breath. In the meantime, Oh Ki-cheol claimed that since a Korean citizen had gone missing in a foreign land, they too had a right to intervene, and he occupied a corner of the camp and unpacked.
The search showed signs of becoming prolonged. No one could predict what would happen. Minor skirmishes occurred throughout the camp. Soldiers and psychics. Alpha Team and Mobile Command Team. It was difficult for groups with different temperaments to gather and cooperate. As time passed, a single question arose in people’s minds.
What if they don’t find that woman?
Around that time, Cheon Geon-yeong had closed his mouth and was solely focused on killing. Monster nests that devoured people and illegal bio-experiment labs secretly established by organizations on the surface. He seemed determined to locate every single place on the map where Yoon Tae-ha might have been forcibly detained.
The needle of the ether collector, gifted to him by Yoon Tae-ha, had already completed a full rotation long ago. Cheon Geon-yeong carried it with him, treasuring it more than his own heart.
He rarely slept peacefully. Cheon Geon-yeong only closed his eyes as if fainting when pushed to his physical limits. Even then, the quality of his sleep was terrible due to nightmares.
Oh Ki-cheol, who learned of his habit of only catching brief naps in the back seat of the moving helicopter, became very angry. Cheon Geon-yeong, who couldn’t even remember the last date he had eaten, was already not in his right mind.
Since a living person was on the verge of starving to death with open eyes, Oh Ki-cheol demanded he swallow food indiscriminately. However, Cheon Geon-yeong would vomit up the food within a few hours. As if his body itself wished for its owner’s death. In the end, there was no choice but to supplement his nutrition with injections.
It was now commonplace for guides who approached him clumsily to flee in terror at his murderous aura, so it was no longer even interesting gossip.
The summer of the Green Sea is harsh. As the days grew warmer and the duration of rain each day lengthened, agents universally hoped to at least retrieve Yoon Tae-ha’s body from the lake.
The rain negatively impacted the search. Monster eggs buried deep in the ground began to drift down the river. The breeding season of monsters inhabiting the water was also a variable.
Under Lee Hae-kyung’s command, construction to prepare for bad weather began early. However, before the waterproof tarpaulin was completely draped over the camp, a tremendous typhoon struck. Rain so heavy that one couldn’t open their eyes poured down for an entire week.
The unwelcome summer had arrived.
________________________________________
Cold water tickled her skin.
Yoon Tae-ha felt for her chest and opened her eyes. Raising her upper body, she realized she had drifted down to a riverbank.
The river, shrouded in thick mist, carried the fresh scent of grass she remembered from before entering Nox’s lair. She gathered her still-confused thoughts, put strength into her legs, and stood up. The peaceful lapping sound of water reached her ears.
“...Is this not water?”
Despite being in the river, her hair and clothes were not wet at all. Puzzled, she cupped her hands and scooped up some river water. It was definitely liquid. But her palms didn’t get wet. She looked at the transparent, slippery surface of the liquid and unconsciously tilted her head towards the river.
“Don’t drink it!”
A fierce cry suddenly came. Yoon Tae-ha, startled, spread her palm. The water flowed smoothly between her fingers. Suddenly, Nox’s crow landed on her arm with a prim expression.
“I wouldn’t stop you if you wanted to wander this place having forgotten who you are!”
Is this bird my grim reaper? Yoon Tae-ha awkwardly held up the arm with the bird on it and looked around. There was no information to be gained other than the fact that it was a wide river, so wide that the opposite bank couldn’t be seen.
“Where’s your owner, and why are you the only one dead here?”
“Dead! That won’t happen to me. I’ve never been alive to begin with!”
“Just tell me where this is. Am I dead?”
“You’ve merely arrived in the land of the dead!”
The crow spoke in vague terms. Yoon Tae-ha, already utterly exhausted, unexpectedly let her arm drop. The crow flapped its wings in surprise and then settled back on her shoulder.
“I don’t want to argue with a talking animal, even in death. You go your way.”
“Ridiculous! Are you still going to say that, even after my master extracted the memories of his brother for you?”
“Brother’s memories?”
“He extracted the First Prince’s memories before they vanished from his body! Do you even know how much power my master used for that?”
“Do you know what it feels like to die with a knife in your heart?”
“Ahem! There was a reason for everything. There’s a time limit to view the memories. Hurry! Dive into the water! Go to the deepest bottom!”
The bird pecked painfully at her earlobe with its beak. Yoon Tae-ha frowned and jumped into the depths of the river. A feeling of infinite coldness and emptiness enveloped her.
Her swimming limbs stiffened from the chilling, tingling sensation, but she continued to dive towards the bottom. Yoon Tae-ha finally reached the riverbed and placed her hand down.
Simultaneously, the scene she was viewing abruptly shifted. The glittering suspended particles between the dirt floor and the transparent liquid disappeared.
Yoon Tae-ha and the crow stood in a dimly lit laboratory with a giant cultivation chamber in the center. A white-leaved tree, approximately 4 meters tall, was receiving nutrient solution in the central cultivation chamber. It was a tree similar to the one they had seen in the Ghost Hoof Forest.
“These are the First Prince’s memories. For that reason, the people here cannot affect you in any way. The opposite is also true. You cannot save anyone here.”
“I don’t see anyone I know?”
Armed agents in helmets stood guard around the cultivation chamber, holding guns. Just then, Raphael, with long white hair, appeared, wearing a gown. Yoon Tae-ha walked, matching Raphael’s pace.
<“Yoon Jung-hoon!”>
Raphael spread his arms towards the elderly man approaching from the opposite side, expressing his welcome. Yoon Tae-ha stiffened as she faced the familiar-looking old man. Yoon Jung-hoon also smiled and greeted Raphael.
<“Long time no see. Have you finally decided to work with us?”>
<“I’ve given up on going back. As you said, I’ll try to enjoy the rest of my life here.”>
They conversed as they approached the gigantic cultivation chamber. Yoon Jung-hoon thanked Raphael, saying his advice had been a great help to his research. Soon, Yoon Jung-hoon called out to one of the young researchers gathered in front of the monitor.
<“Yi-jeong.”>
Upon hearing the name, Yoon Tae-ha’s head snapped around as if it would break. She saw Hyeon Yi-jeong asking her colleague for permission and approaching.
Meanwhile, Raphael couldn’t take his eyes off the beautiful woman with a clean impression. It was Hyeon Yi-jeong who offered her hand for a handshake first.
<“I heard you helped my father. Thank you.”>
<“Father? Is this man your father?”>
Yoon Jung-hoon smiled contentedly. Hyeon Yi-jeong linked her arm through Yoon Jung-hoon’s and said charmingly,
<“Don’t we look alike? Everyone I meet says father and daughter are spitting images of each other.”>
<“I learned in Korea that fathers and their children share the first letter of their names. Yoon and Hyeon are different letters. Although the direction of the stick that looks like a hat is different, I was taught that it causes a big difference in pronunciation...”>
<“I changed my name when I joined the identity protection program. I didn’t want to cause trouble for my father.”>
<“Ah! You are the being these people call a dimensional traveler.”>
<“It’s a grand word, but that’s the only word that can explain what I’ve been through. Among ourselves, we just call ourselves people who returned home.”>
Saying that, Hyeon Yi-jeong met Yoon Jung-hoon’s eyes. Yoon Jung-hoon gently patted his daughter’s shoulder with a loving hand.
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