# Chapter 73
Zenon entered the abandoned factory filled with the stench of blood and laid the corpse on the floor as if throwing it away.
“What are you planning to do now?”
“I’m going to disguise myself with a different identity and try to live.”
“You won’t be able to live normally.”
Kane, who had been looking for a place to burn the body, stopped abruptly at Zenon’s words. Complex emotions flashed across his slowly blinking eyes.
“…But I don’t have any other options.”
It was already fortunate just to be alive. If Peace had demanded more precise evidence or if there had been no one at the abandoned factory, he would already be dead.
Because of this, Kane could accept his future more calmly than Zenon thought. As long as he didn’t die, he could survive somehow.
He could wash away his identity and live in a provincial area, or it would be fine to stay in one of the hideouts he had picked out. Peace probably wouldn’t show much interest in his death, so he would only need to be careful for a few years.
It wasn’t that he had no worries, but even those gradually disappeared the more he thought about it. I didn’t have anything to begin with anyway. So there was nothing to be anxious about. All I had to do was escape well.
“I’ve saved up some money, so I should be fine for a while.”
“What if a large withdrawal at once gets you caught?”
“I’ve prepared for that possibility beforehand.”
“…I see.”
Zenon had plenty he wanted to say in response to Kane’s calm attitude, but he deliberately swallowed his words.
“Thank you for today.”
“…Me too.”
A faint voice leaked through the clenched gap. If it weren’t for Kane, his hands would have been stained with blood once again. But thanks to Kane’s persuasion, he was able to avoid killing someone for the first time despite having orders to do so.
Zenon walked out of the factory, leaving Kane behind as he moved the corpse and prepared to pour gasoline on it, apparently having found a suitable spot. The cool breeze tickled his entire body, replacing the stale air.
Thinking about it now, Kane had been truly strange today. Despite the urgent situation, the fact that a regular person killed someone without hesitation. That expression showing no emotional response to murder. And the clean way he slit the throat.
It didn’t seem like the behavior of an ordinary person at all. It was as if he was someone who had repeatedly committed murder countless times, just like himself.
While Zenon found this side of Kane strange, it also felt familiar.
There had been one person who had shown the same demeanor in the past. A figure who would slit the opponent’s throat in the same way, with no emotion appearing on his face.
“Kay…”
Murmuring his name, Zenon recalled Kay’s image.
Yes. The current Kane resembled Kay too much. Though not in appearance, every single action reminded him of Kay, making it impossible not to think of him.
Was Kane really just an ordinary researcher? Though he would never see him again, that question had lodged itself deep within him. The image of Kane, whose identity he had never once doubted, began to crumble.
* * *
As Zenon had said, the inside of the abandoned factory was not just horrific but revolting. Something wet and squishy was stepped on by his sneakers. He tried to move his foot elsewhere to avoid it, but it was the same there too. The sight automatically made him frown, and although he had the urge to leave, he had to grit his teeth and endure since there was still something to be done.
He poured gasoline, which had been prepared in advance in one place, all over the corpse that looked like Kane. Only after the gushing gasoline had soaked every part of the body did he stop pouring.
They wouldn’t come to extinguish the fire right away, so this would be more than enough to burn completely. A bit away from the factory exit, he lit a Zippo lighter and threw it toward the pile of bodies.
Fortunately, the lighter hit the corpse that had Kane’s form. The fire, meeting the oil, devoured everything and spread rapidly. The spaciousness of the factory interior made the speed of the fire’s spread tremendous.
After confirming that the corpse was losing its shape, he went outside. He pushed the massive door to hide the interior and hurriedly moved away.
Before long, the entire factory would catch fire. So he needed to escape during this time. Since Zenon had given him the car key, perhaps out of lingering guilt, escaping wasn’t difficult.
He found the car parked in a remote location and started the engine. But before he could depart, he had to stop again.
This was because he heard tumultuous sounds from far away. Those sounds were gradually approaching in this direction. Since there was a high possibility of being discovered if he moved recklessly now, he turned off the engine and left the car. Then, after sitting between a pile of steel frames that came into view, he surveyed the surroundings.
“That place…”
People who hadn’t been visible until now began to rush out of the third factory. Judging by their pale faces as they ran out, they seemed to be chased by something. They were in civilian clothes, but since only Peace employees or villain organizations would be here, they were probably from Peace.
“Help, save me!”
They continued to cry for help endlessly, even though they must have known that no one was around. It must have been that urgent of a situation.
But that was short-lived, as the feet of those running out began to halt in midair all at once. Their inability to move despite no obstacles in their way made them look like fish caught in a net.
“Please forgive us! We won’t do this again!”
Are they begging the villain? Their terrified faces made it clear that something had definitely happened in that factory. Since there had been no sound, I had assumed it hadn’t started yet.
Peace had shown such a confident attitude during the earlier phone call. The man who died also displayed such confidence because he knew Peace’s plan. But to be in such a state now? Who could have been their opponent that they were so thoroughly defeated?
“After going this far, you still couldn’t catch me. It really shows your level.”
Just as I was naturally becoming curious, a very familiar voice came through vividly, as if to answer my question. Despite being a calm voice that could be buried under other sounds, it pierced through clearly, as if that voice couldn’t be missed.
Unconsciously, my head moved on its own. Someone I would recognize wherever they were.
“A zone that nullifies superpowers…”
The one who had once been my everything was here right now. It hadn’t even been a year since I last saw him, but I couldn’t believe that Boss was here in front of me.
My body, unable to control the emotions, flinched and hit the pile of steel frames. The steel frames moved, creating a dull sound. Though it was a very faint sound, Boss seemed to sense it, as he briefly looked in my direction before turning his gaze away again.
I was puzzled by his quickly averted gaze, but then I noticed a cat near me and understood the reason. He thought it was a sound made by the cat.
I was able to avoid Boss’s suspicion, but my pounding heart showed no signs of calming. Seeing Boss had caused such a great disturbance in me. Since we lived in different worlds, I thought I would never encounter him again. I thought I could only see him in my memories.
And yet, he appeared before my eyes right now. How could I express this emotion?
It couldn’t be explained simply as happiness. The first moment was certainly good. It was Boss whom I had missed so much. But the more I looked at him, gradually different emotions began to flood in.
It was despair, contrasting with joy. I was happy to see Boss, but at the same time, it was miserable.
Because I couldn’t approach him looking like this. He was just a few steps away, yet I couldn’t walk even that short distance. All I could do was watch his figure without missing a single moment. That was all.
“…”
I forcibly suppressed the overwhelming sensation. Now was not the time to be swayed by such emotions. Getting out of here as quickly as possible—that was what I needed to do. While trying to erase him from my mind, I focused on the current situation. It was impossible to erase him completely, but gradually my mind began to empty.
“Indeed, if there’s a ‘superpower nullification zone,’ we superpowered individuals instantly become powerless.”
I was in the midst of focusing on the incoming information with an empty mind. There was something in Boss’s words that caught my attention. Superpower nullification zone. Though I hadn’t heard of it before, it seemed familiar.
That space where I was confined before I died. When I was trapped there, my ability seemed blocked, as if hindered by something. That must be the superpower nullification zone. Had they created that zone here too?
If so, how was Boss able to escape from that zone? His black suit didn’t have a single worn-out corner, and his shoes were as clean as new. For someone who escaped from a zone I couldn’t get out of no matter how hard I tried, he looked too unaffected.
Boss gave a relaxed smile towards those who were terrified. Simultaneously, his gaze turned toward the third abandoned factory. Since people had come out from there, that superpower nullification zone must also be inside that factory.
“But it was still shoddy for me.”
As soon as those words ended, Boss flicked his hand toward the third factory. His eyes glowed with a red color that rivaled even the sunlight shining down.
CRASH—
It happened in an instant. As soon as he made the gesture, the abandoned factory collapsed with a thunderous noise. Everyone watching this scene gaped blankly at the building that had crumbled miserably, leaving not even a frame.
Even for me, who knew Boss’s ability, it was astonishing, let alone for them. One of those who had been staring at the ruined place while trembling managed to gather their wits and turned their stiff neck to look at Boss.
“Your precious one was in there!”
Still not completely subjugated, he spoke threateningly with one corner of his mouth raised. Even that looked unseemly due to his trembling lips. It might have been a threat in his own way, but to me, it looked like nothing more than an act of suicide.
“Yes, I’m sure there was. That bastard hiding his appearance with a low-grade disguise.”
Because Fenil would have known about it.
