64

There was no way Ha-gyeom could fail to recognize the red hair that had become Yang Ga-eun’s trademark, something he had seen for years.

He froze, as if struck by lightning. Damn it! Suddenly, memories of the seniors and colleagues from the Center, which he had completely forgotten about, rushed back to him.

‘There’s no immediate rescue plan. This means that once you go in, there’s no telling when you’ll be able to return to the Center.’

He had made the mistake of not expecting much from Kim Hye-jeong’s vague promise. Naturally, he had assumed that they wouldn’t receive any help from the Center for the time being. Only now did it strike him that this was the perfect time to escape Zone 0 with Baek Seung-woo.

Ha-gyeom looked up at the rooftop of the building once again. The figure was already gone, leaving only the dark clouds overhead. However, Ha-gyeom didn’t doubt what he had seen—Yang Ga-eun had definitely been standing on that distant building’s ledge just moments ago.

The problem was…

He had no idea how to convince Baek Seung-woo, who had lost his memory, to return to the Center. Unlike with the girls, Baek Sa—no longer Baek Seung-woo—would see the Center’s colleagues as enemies rather than allies.

There was also a strong possibility that a conflict would arise between Baek Sa and Yang Ga-eun’s team before the mission could even succeed or fail. On top of that, the increasingly erratic movements of the monsters, likely agitated by the presence of so many espers, posed another problem.

For a split second, time seemed to evaporate. As Ha-gyeom managed to hold onto his composure, he heard the voices of Dr. Park and the sisters, still arguing in the background.

“Get over here before I turn you into Swiss cheese!”

“No way!”

Dr. Park, his face flushed with anger, started firing his rifle at the sisters, shouting at the top of his lungs. But none of the bullets even grazed them.

“Damn it! You’re driving me crazy! These kids today really know how to mess with people’s heads!”

“Stubborn old man.”

“Whatever.”

It didn’t seem like their argument would end anytime soon. Yeo Jin-joo, clapping her hands in amusement, seemed equally unhinged and unlikely to be of any help.

More than anything, Ha-gyeom was anxious because Baek Sa was still nowhere to be seen. He eventually hesitated before walking over to Dr. Park to ask about Baek Sa’s whereabouts.

“Where’s Baek Sa? …And Tae-seong?”

Tae-seong was just a name he tacked on. Dr. Park, looking fed up, jerked his chin toward the building.

“He’s inside. Damn it… the inside is a real mess. It’s like a bunch of rats rummaging through every hole looking for food.”

Following Dr. Park’s gaze, Ha-gyeom looked up at the building, but then he heard an unexpected exclamation.

“Wow…?”

“Wow…!”

The sisters had suddenly shifted their attention to him. As Ha-gyeom tilted his head in confusion, a shadow quickly passed overhead, followed by a deafening roar that nearly tore his eardrums apart. A thick, black monster loomed so close over his head that its rough skin nearly brushed his crown.

At that moment, someone grabbed him by the collar. His body was suddenly lifted into the air, and it wasn’t until he felt his feet touch the ground again that Ha-gyeom realized it hadn’t been Dr. Park who had grabbed him.

“If you scratch his face, what are you going to do?!”

It was the girl who had appeared first who shouted.

“…Scratch?”

Did she learn that from the person who raised her? Her speech sounded oddly dated for someone so young.

But that wasn’t the issue. Now standing between the sisters, Ha-gyeom could clearly sense the energy coursing through their bodies. While it was hard to tell how they managed their energy living without regulations in the outside world, the power he sensed indicated they were likely B-rank or higher.

The sisters’ eyes widened as they began to perceive the energy from Ha-gyeom, who was an S-rank guide.

Woo-woooo!

The monsters lowered their bodies again, as if to interfere with the scanning. Dr. Park, who had flown in, landed threateningly in front of the girls. They assumed a combat stance. In the midst of being tossed around by the espers’ power struggle, Ha-gyeom finally saw Baek Sa emerge.

“Don’t provoke them. Unless you want to end up covered in their blood like on the boat.”

Unlike Dr. Park, who had jumped out, Baek Sa calmly walked out through the building’s front door. Whatever had happened inside, he didn’t seem to have a scratch on him, and his expression was as composed as ever.

Ha-gyeom quickly moved away from the sisters and Dr. Park to stand beside Baek Sa. Even though he timidly grabbed Baek Sa’s elbow, Baek Sa didn’t reprimand him.

“Let’s head inside.”

Baek Sa looked down at the wild sisters with a surprisingly mature gaze as he spoke. Even if the number of monsters wasn’t overwhelming, staying out in the square would only create more problems.

“Yeah. Let’s go inside and talk.”

“Fine.”

The sisters, who had been fierce toward Dr. Park, surprisingly agreed with Baek Sa’s suggestion almost immediately. Dr. Park, who had been fuming, finally noticed Yeo Jin-joo stumbling toward them and helped her along, while the sisters led the way into the building. Ha-gyeom walked at the rear of the group, alongside Baek Sa.

Finally, their eyes met, and Baek Sa let out a soft sigh. Ha-gyeom had no idea what they would encounter next.

---

It was nearly impossible for Yang Ga-eun to approach Baek Sa and Dr. Park unnoticed. Therefore, finding an opportunity to slip away from the group with Baek Sa was of utmost importance, giving Yang Ga-eun the chance to act if needed.

‘How do I get away…?’

Ha-gyeom kept glancing at Baek Sa, who stood next to him like a massive wall. His head throbbed. After all, they were currently in the middle of a collection mission, in a precarious situation with not only external espers but also anomalous phenomena, making the situation unpredictable.

“If it’s too much…”

“It’s not too much. I’ve done this level of training every day.”

As they climbed the stairs to the 15th floor, Baek Sa offered to help several times, but Ha-gyeom refused each time. Yeo Jin-joo, who had been carried on Dr. Park’s back before even setting foot on the stairs, was long out of sight.

Ha-gyeom climbed the stairs at a fairly brisk pace, similar to his training, but he was still far behind Baek Sa. By the time he reached the 15th floor, he was gasping for breath. However, the physical strain was the least of his concerns—his mind was consumed with the desire to execute a rescue mission.

The interior of the building was dark. Although one side was lined with windows, the overcast weather provided little light. With no electricity available, there were signs of fires having been lit in various places, and a pile of processed foods and canned goods, likely long past their expiration date, was stacked in the coldest corner.

As they moved deeper into what seemed to have once been an office, Ha-gyeom spotted Tae-seong’s back. In front of him, a group of people huddled together on scattered blankets, their faces pale with fear.

“…….”

There were seven non-espers, and Tae-seong appeared to be keeping an eye on them. Baek Sa met Tae-seong’s gaze briefly before continuing forward. Dr. Park and Yeo Jin-joo were further inside. At that moment, Ha-gyeom noticed some girls crouched on the floor and instinctively started running.

His heart sank at the thought that they might have been harmed, but when he reached them, he saw that it was just an older woman, perhaps ten years older than the sisters, sitting there, breathing heavily. The girls clung to her, their thin bodies trembling.

‘…A guide?’

The woman’s condition was terrible. Blood had dried around her ears, eyes, nose, and mouth, and she appeared severely malnourished. Ha-gyeom couldn’t hide his trembling eyes. It was clear that she wasn’t just suffering from internal injuries but had been enduring prolonged and continuous pain.

“Only one guide?” Dr. Park muttered in frustration, while Ha-gyeom let go of Baek Sa’s elbow and approached the woman. Up close, her condition looked even worse. When Ha-gyeom checked her pulse, it was faint—so faint that it was a wonder she was still alive.

“How long has she been like this?”

“…At least five years.”

One of the girls spoke. Unlike their confident demeanor in the square, the girls by the woman’s side seemed despondent and filled with sorrow. Ha-gyeom didn’t feel the need to point out that holding her like that wouldn’t help if their compatibility was too low.

“So, five years ago, there was an esper she could guide?”

“Yes. But our sister died…”

Guides are also affected by the guiding process. Even if she had been fine five years ago, maintaining waves without a compatible esper would inevitably lead to her current state.

Ha-gyeom didn’t need to ask more to understand how the woman had managed to survive. She was likely doing everything in her power to protect the girls and the non-espers near Tae-seong from contamination. Without at least a minimal system like in Zone 0 or the Center, finding a new esper would have been almost impossible.

“You can stop maintaining the waves. We have a guide with us,” Baek Sa said in a flat tone. His words brought a flash of defiance to the woman’s eyes.

Ignoring her reaction, Baek Sa began to disarm. He laid down his heavy weapon and even removed his combat belt, which crossed his torso, before addressing the girls.

“Move aside.”