When I opened my eyes, I was hooked up to quite a lot of serious equipment. From an oxygen respirator to unidentifiable devices attached to my fingers, neck, and various parts of my body.
I wondered what all this was. I had no memory of being attached to this many medical devices in my life. My body was still as heavy as waterlogged cotton. Still, I felt more like I would live than before. It seemed the poison was being detoxified.
I heard the sound of someone banging on a window. I turned my head. Beyond the large glass window on the wall stood Kim Haewon and Nam Ihyeon. It was Nam Ihyeon who had struck the window. He immediately apologized after being scolded by a nurse, then waved his hand vigorously at me. He seemed to be saying something, but I couldn’t hear anything from inside here.
The nurse who saw that I had woken up came over and performed a few procedures. After the doctor made their rounds, I was able to have the oxygen respirator removed. The nurse removed several devices and said.
“The two espers have been watching over you for over two hours. Talk to them with this.”
“Yes, thank you.”
I barely managed to pick up the phone connected to the hallway. The person who answered was Kim Haewon.
“Hello.”
Whatever had happened over the past few hours, my voice was completely hoarse. Even I was startled by the voice that sounded like scraping metal.
― Your voice is in such terrible shape I can’t even ask if you’re okay.
“The poison is quite potent. But I’m better than before. The doctor said if my condition continues to improve like this, I’ll be moved back to a regular room.”
― I heard.
Kim Haewon was utterly dry. His tone was so indifferent I wondered why he had bothered standing there for two hours. Perhaps someone had made him do it? Feeling awkward for some reason, I continued speaking.
“So you two can go now. I heard you’ve been here for two hours.”
― Yes, we were about to leave anyway.
I closed my mouth as there was nothing more to say. Kim Haewon was about to say something, but Nam Ihyeon suddenly snatched the phone away.
― Hello? Are you really okay?
“I’m fine.”
― But your voice is completely gone? They said your fever went up to 40 degrees, right? That means you were boiling hot, doesn’t it? Is there anything you want to eat?
Unlike Kim Haewon, his voice was chatty. I laughed, wanting to ask back if I was even in a condition to eat anything right now.
― Hey, don’t laugh. When you laugh, you sound like an old demon. I’m scared you’ll appear in my dreams.
“Nam Ihyeon-ssi is laughing while saying that though.”
― My voice is fine though. Fresh and clear.
Nam Ihyeon said leisurely. It was true, so I couldn’t really argue back. I let out a hollow laugh. They both came to visit me, but their reactions were worlds apart, which was quite amusing.
“Now that you’ve seen I’m fine, go home.”
― We should. But…… Ah!
― Rest well. I’ll come again tomorrow.
Kim Haewon snatched the phone back and gave his greeting. Since we were all tired anyway, I said okay and hung up first. Nam Ihyeon seemed to have more to say, but he was being noisy and got scolded by the nurse again. Kim Haewon stood still and looked at me for a long while. With eyes whose thoughts I couldn’t read.
‘His mind must be complicated.’
It wouldn’t be worry for me. He probably had a lot on his mind because of the things he’d have to resolve from now on. That was the same for me. It was daunting how many incidents would come crashing down going forward. I survived this time by luck, but I didn’t know if I could count on a next time.
I turned my head to look at the ceiling. No matter how much I slept, the fatigue wouldn’t dissipate. Was it because I kept dreaming? I recalled the girl catching moonlight in her palm. Then I quickly erased the image.
‘First, I need to survive.’
Anyway, it would be difficult for me to escape from this novel. If so, then I would survive tenaciously by any means. Even if I didn’t have the ability to save someone, I would definitely see what was at the end of this story. I resolved this firmly.
For some reason, after seeing the two bickering espers, my sense of helplessness felt a bit better. Even though they hadn’t really done anything by coming. Still, was it because I felt they were on my side, not someone else’s? I swallowed the laugh that was trying to slip out. For some reason, I felt like I wouldn’t have any dreams today.
* * *
Once the detoxification fever went down, my body recovered quickly. After that night passed, I was able to leave the intensive care unit right away. And after another day passed, my body was in a completely normal state, no different from usual.
I hadn’t met Kim Haewon and Nam Ihyeon since that day. It was because the nurses had requested a visitation ban. The reason was that the espers were causing a disturbance and it wouldn’t be good for the patient’s stability.
I could have specifically denied that wasn’t the case, but for some reason I felt vindicated, so I left it alone. During that time, the novel that had been silent also uploaded a chapter. It was Chapter 16. This chapter was from a new perspective.
「A square black sedan drove along a well-paved road. It was a place where beautiful mountains formed a spectacular view. Where the sedan stopped, there was a magnificent mansion. Will stuck his ID card and face out the window.
{This is Will Taylor.}
{Confirmed. You must use the mansion vehicle from here.}
{Yes, and the Chairman?}
{The Chairman is at the shooting range.}
Will nodded and entered the mansion grounds. The mansion, which was much larger than it appeared from outside, required a different car to get to the building. Will got out of his sedan. Will, dressed in a gray three-piece suit, adjusted his appearance through the glass window. He touched his abundant golden hair once more to make sure it didn’t spill out, then got into the mansion’s car.
The shooting range required traveling quite a distance from the mansion entrance. Will got out of the car and walked toward the Chairman. An elderly man was holding a rifle and shooting at flying birds. A bird that had been soaring through the sky fell to the ground.
The man smirked. His white hair fluttered refreshingly in the wind. He wore a comfortable argyle vest over his shirt and had gentle features. With a kind expression that made it hard to believe he had just killed a bird, he turned to look at Will.
{It’s been a while, Will.}
{Yes, Chairman.}
{The operation failed?}
{Yes, the operative committed suicide on site. Since they were a target for elimination anyway, it wasn’t a big problem. However, Park Garam was seriously injured during the operation.}
{I told you to pay special attention to him, so who violated that?}
{It seems to have been Pamundong.}
Four organizations were participating in this grand plan. Pamundong was one of them—a group of international criminals who had been stripped of their qualifications as espers. They were guys who always caused problems with their radical tendencies.
{And the Leader?}
{He ordered punishment to be handled by MK.}
{What about our side?}
{He said nothing in particular.}
The Chairman’s eyes narrowed. Another bird flew up into the sky. The man aimed his gun and fired once. The bullet missed and the bird flew far away. The Chairman’s expression darkened. He was displeased that the punishment was entrusted to MK rather than his own organization. He had been feeling strangely excluded since last time.
{Contact the Leader. Tell him I’m coming to see him.}
{Yes.}
{We need to secure our share properly.}
The Chairman loaded a bullet and fired the gun once more. An intense gunshot tore through the air like the sound of clouds being ripped apart.」
The format of four organizations forming an alliance was a new setting that didn’t exist in the original novel. It seemed the author had put a bit more thought into it. One organization’s name was Pamundong, one was MK, and the remaining two hadn’t been revealed yet. I continued scrolling down.
「Alexa, who had been in San Francisco, headed to Pamundong, which was based in Shanghai. Pamundong had swallowed up an entire neighborhood, seeking out the dark streets even within Shanghai. It was a place no one but Pamundong people could approach.
Alexa from MK entered the very center of Pamundong. It was where Pamundong’s Chairman Suo Weiqian was located. At the entrance hung six eyeballs. For psychic-type ability users, eyes were a very important organ. Having gouged them out was a sign that punishment had been carried out internally within Pamundong. Alexa Lu spat out words in fluent Chinese.
{Chairman Suo Weiqian, such deception will be difficult to quell the Leader’s anger. The Korean Esper Association is the most important place in this matter.}
{We need to kill that bastard to get Kim Haewon!}
Suo Weiqian answered in a voice full of anger. Alexa took something out of her bag. It was a small silver box that looked like a pencil case. Inside were a syringe and a small medicine bottle.
{Do we really have to go this far?}
Suo Weiqian’s eyes wavered. Alexa Lu quietly filled the syringe with the drug. Then she gestured with her chin to Suo Weiqian. Suo Weiqian told his subordinate to bring him with a pained expression. A man with a blank gaze walked over, supported by two people. It was Liu Xiqiang, China’s SS-class esper.
Alexa Lu stuck the syringe into Liu Xiqiang’s arm without hesitation. Liu Xiqiang collapsed, trembling like he had been struck by lightning.」
I immediately searched for information about Liu Xiqiang on my phone. The first news that caught my eye was about Liu Xiqiang’s personal information.
[Exclusive] China’s #1 Esper Liu Xiqiang Disappears During Operation.
[Breaking News] Liu Xiqiang Missing, Will SS-Class Esper Top 10 System Change…
I dropped my phone in horror. Liu Xiqiang had disappeared during an operation. It could happen, but the timing matched the novel far too perfectly.
What had happened to Liu Xiqiang? Did other SS-class espers also have such problems besides Liu Xiqiang? What was the content of the original novel? I frantically tried to review the contents of the previous novel. The story that led to that ending where a C-class guide had to sacrifice himself.
