# Chapter 113
“It’s here. You haven’t received your goggles yet, hyung?”
“No. The workshop is a mess… It’ll take a few more days.”
Considering there had been no contact from D.S, it seemed like he would have to wait a bit longer to receive the goggles he’d left with her. Without Sano, he couldn’t use the tablet communicator either… It might be a bit inconvenient, but thinking about Hyegang’s words that he hadn’t discovered anything unusual, it probably wouldn’t matter much since it appeared to be beyond the reach of his power.
“Can’t be helped. I’ll send the data to your phone.”
“Okay.”
Iyeon nodded and straightened up from his reclined position in the chair. Hyegang turned his head to look at him.
“Be careful. Without Sano hyung, don’t push yourself too hard.”
“I was fine without him before, you know.”
“You didn’t have jobs like this before.”
Perhaps because of the time Iyeon had been stabbed by Dr. Kim before, Hyegang seemed quite skeptical even while going along with Iyeon’s wishes. On top of that, Iyeon couldn’t say something suspicious like “just trust me”… After vaguely brushing it off and repeatedly promising to be careful since he had many pre-drawn pictures in his bag, Hyegang finally nodded.
The warehouse property was located just barely within the city limits, in an area so remote it was almost outside the boundary. It took quite a while to get there. If only the elevator boy was here… No, let’s stop thinking about him now. Iyeon swallowed his unconscious thoughts and shook his head vigorously. Hyegang’s voice came through the phone.
[Hey, there. Can you see it?]
Iyeon turned his gaze to look ahead. Beyond a fence that seemed two or three times his height, he could see large warehouses spread out at intervals.
The area was so vast and had so many warehouses that he couldn’t even see the opposite end from the outside. Iyeon pressed close to the fence, examining the quiet interior as he muttered.
“There doesn’t seem to be anyone around. Where is Kim Cheoljae-ssi?”
[It says he’s in there. There are CCTVs inside, but not many. When I checked before, I couldn’t see anything… No, wait, that doesn’t make sense. Could it be a smokescreen? I’ll try to get authorization again. Just a moment.]
“Then I’ll head toward where Kim Cheoljae-ssi is. Tell me the location.”
[It’s warehouse number 71, but it’s a bit far from where you are. Can you see the numbers marked on the warehouse exteriors?]
“Ah, I see. So I just follow the numbers?”
[Yes. Call me again if he’s not there.]
After ending the call with Hyegang, Iyeon looked around the fence area again. A direct approach would be too conspicuous, so he wasn’t keen on boldly walking through the main entrance. Maybe there was a gap or something? While he was looking around with a serious expression, a quiet voice fell from behind him.
“Jung Iyeon.”
A voice he’d heard somewhere before. Startled, Iyeon stopped in his tracks and turned around.
There was a familiar face.
“Young-ssi?”
Iyeon’s mouth fell open. It was Seo Young, a Mugunghwa Tier 1 who had collaborated with him during the Superpower Task Force. She had a long pole wrapped in cloth slung across her back, just like during the Task Force.
It was an unexpected encounter. The surrounding area was an empty field with only this warehouse property, not a place where one might run into someone by chance. Naturally, there was a very high probability that she was related to the warehouse property. Strong suspicion arose, but Iyeon didn’t show it.
“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”
Young didn’t respond to Iyeon’s cheerful greeting. That was expected. Young would also be feeling suspicious.
“Why are you here?”
“Ah, I was in the area for a mission, but I got lost…”
“Jeong-Yeon?”
“Yes.”
Whether she believed his casual lie about being there for a government-linked mission was unknown. All he could do was hope it had worked.
“Why are you here, Young-ssi? Did you take the tier advancement exam?”
“No.”
“Huh, why not?”
When Iyeon asked in confusion, Young didn’t answer. The image of her mumbling dejectedly about insufficient points just before the end of the Superpower Task Force flashed through his mind. Her scores at that time should have been more than enough to qualify for the advancement exam. The doubt he had felt then reignited along with his suspicion.
Young had wanted to become a hunter. So why was she still a Tier 1 and in a place like this? He had an intuition, almost a certainty, that the reason she hadn’t taken the exam was strongly related to this place. Just as he opened his mouth to probe her, a cold voice flowed out first.
“There are no Jeong-Yeon missions around here.”
Iyeon raised his guard at the ominous atmosphere. If Young attacked him with force, he wouldn’t last long while hiding his abilities. In that case… Iyeon quickly assessed the paper in his bag. Fortunately, he knew Young’s combat style to some extent. Dealing with her wouldn’t be a major problem…
That was Iyeon’s downfall. The unexpected attack came from behind.
A sharp pain shot through his back, causing his body to convulse. The image of Young standing in front of him swayed violently, but it was only his vision blurring—she herself hadn’t moved at all. It wasn’t her doing.
He had a partner—during the Task Force too, she always seemed to be alone, so he hadn’t considered it. Who could it be? Someone associated with the warehouse? Or a colleague she already knew? While there were various speculations about the attacker’s identity, the nature of the attack was clear.
It was an electric shock device.
This is killing me, what is this, a movie…? Unable to withstand the tingling sensation any longer, his strength instantly drained away. Iyeon couldn’t even make a sound from the intense pain as he staggered momentarily before collapsing. With a thud, his phone fell helplessly as his slender body sprawled on the ground. He blinked hard to try to restore his fading vision, but it was useless.
In the split second before losing consciousness, Iyeon considered his options. Judging by the use of an electric shock device rather than a blade-like weapon, they intended to simply knock him out. That meant they probably didn’t intend to kill him immediately.
Iyeon needed to get inside the fence anyway. He hadn’t planned on being in this much pain, but it was a stroke of luck, in a way.
Whether they dumped the unconscious Iyeon far away or took him inside for questioning or investigation, it would work out. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Iyeon relaxed his hand. Consciousness rapidly faded away. His gaze, fallen to the road, caught sight of Young’s sneakers.
“I’ve checked everything, you know.”
What did she mean by checking everything? Iyeon wondered, but stiffness spread throughout his body, preventing him from speaking.
He felt his bag falling to the ground, removed by the person who had shocked him. Ah, they shouldn’t throw away my bag… Of course, he couldn’t say that either. Soon after, a hand gripped his shoulder, and an oddly familiar floating sensation enveloped his body.
After that, it was all darkness.
Drip… drip… drip…
He wasn’t sure when he first became aware of the tiny sound repeating at intervals.
His hazy senses, as if wandering through a dream, gradually became clearer. Just as he realized the persistent sound was water droplets hitting the floor, Iyeon regained consciousness.
‘Hey… is this really a law-abiding country?’
Even for a remote location, knocking someone out with an electric shock device and kidnapping them was practically lawless. Iyeon twisted his still-stinging back around and discovered that his arms were tied behind his back. They had bound him so tightly that his limbs felt numb.
Is my phone still with me? Iyeon wriggled desperately to check his pockets but couldn’t feel the weight of his phone. My installment payments. I’m ruined… A shadow fell across his pale face.
His eyes, now accustomed to the dim light, gradually brightened his vision. The first thing he saw was a metal wall. It was likely one of the warehouses on the property. Fortunately, things were going according to plan. Young clearly seemed to be part of some organization that had access to the warehouse property.
‘Well, I can’t exactly call it fortunate.’
Why would Young-ssi be in a place like this? Iyeon frowned. If Dr. Kim was indeed here, it wasn’t likely a place where reputable activities were taking place. She had been taciturn but not a bad person. He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to Young during this time.
There were at least two people who had kidnapped him. He hadn’t seen the face of the other person, but the floating sensation he felt just before losing consciousness was unmistakable. It was the sensation of instantaneous teleportation.
‘Wait a minute… a teleporter and Young-ssi?’
He hoped it was just a coincidence that the ability combination of the assailants who had attacked D.S’s workshop matched the combination he had just encountered. Young’s ability was hardly enough to qualify as Tier 3 or above, so there was still room for hope, but… Iyeon tried to convince himself as he continued to survey his surroundings.
In the midst of stacked boxes of unknown contents, they had placed what looked like an examination bed in a fairly spacious clearing and tied Iyeon’s limbs to it. Several trolleys, monitors, and documents were scattered around.
‘Wait a minute…’
This was a familiar sight. He hoped Morpho wouldn’t be here, but his plan to observe the situation was completely erased.
There seemed to be no one in the warehouse besides Iyeon. They kidnapped someone and just left them? He was dumbfounded by such poor hospitality. Iyeon rolled his eyes and suddenly shouted.
“Help! Is anyone there?”
His shout echoed through the warehouse. Several seconds passed without any sign of life. It really seemed like no one was there.
Soon after, white particles gathered and a blade appeared embedded in the space next to his bound hands. The rope made of ordinary leather straps was quickly cut.
He had had this nightmare many times before. All those desperate struggles had paid off.
“The things I go through.”
Iyeon sat up and rubbed his wrists. After pulling out the blade and cutting the straps binding his feet, he examined the documents near the bed, but they were all blank forms. They had probably brought them to record Iyeon’s information.
They would be wasting their time. Iyeon turned around. His steps toward the warehouse entrance were light.
And then his eyes met with Yu Jeongheon, who was peeking out with just his face visible from between the boxes.
