SOG Ch 164

Fortunately, it didn’t take long for Jae-chan to find the information he needed. As Jae-chan anxiously checked the dates for the start of the experiments, death records, and how long the test subjects were exposed to the device before energy overload, he finally sighed in relief.

“What is it?” Chae Seong-hwan asked.

“It seems my aunt was exposed to the experimental device.”

“What? Is she alright?”

“Yes, thankfully it wasn’t too late. On average, it takes over half a year of exposure to the device to lead to death.”

Jae-chan replied with deep relief. Due to the energy experimental devices installed under the guise of contamination detectors, the Espers in Research Building 2 had unwittingly become test subjects every time they passed by. Yu-rim wouldn’t be affected since she was a Guide, but his aunt was different.

Jae-chan recalled where he had seen similar scars to those engraved on the victims’ chests.

‘It’s an unheard-of Esper disease. I can only explain it as the patient’s energy consuming itself.’

This was the opinion expressed by the attending physician at Ross Clinic while showing enlarged photos of his aunt’s skin or blood vessels. The wounds, which looked like sparse small bruises to the naked eye, appeared to be bursting from the inside when magnified. The doctor explained that it was a small surge of energy.

In other words, he could guess that the windless zone experiment conducted in District 5 in the past had somehow affected his aunt.

Those bastards. Seon Jae-chan swallowed a curse. He had once dismissed the idea that the radiation in District 5 would have anything to do with his aunt’s Esper sickness condition, but that was a mistake. Who would have thought such a conspiracy was hidden beneath the radiation?

“Guide Seon Jae-chan, are you alright?” 

Chae Seong-hwan cautiously asked the pale Jae-chan.

“…I’m fine. Could you explain again what you were saying earlier?”

Seon Jae-chan replied calmly. There wasn’t enough time to revisit the past, so he needed to focus on the present and glean whatever information he could. Chae Seong-hwan’s explanation, who had majored in mechanical design in addition to explosive disposal, was quite helpful in understanding the situation. Jae-chan listened attentively to Chae Seong-hwan’s voice as he pointed to various parts of the design.

“These four energy devices disguised as contamination detectors form a sort of boundary. A windless zone is created inside the square connecting the devices.”

Seon Jae-chan could finally understand why the contamination detector at the entrance of Research Building 2 had suddenly disappeared. It seemed they had been moved throughout the center to create the windless zone.

“They conducted a very significant experiment recently. They even used A-class Espers in the experiment without hesitation and neutralized them. Wow, these guys, they didn’t just jump into this. They were confident.”

Chae Seong-hwan clicked his tongue, saying it was a research lab he really wanted to raid and thoroughly investigate.

“But how did you know the password to this place?”

Chae Seong-hwan suddenly asked. Jae-chan glanced at him. He had been wondering why he hadn’t asked earlier.

“I heard it from Investigator Kwon Joon-young. As it happens, Investigator Kwon had received many tips and wanted to investigate the research building directly.”

After giving the prepared answer, Chae Seong-hwan, who had also heard about the secret passage to the nuclear power plant, didn’t express any further doubts. Afterward, the two began discussing various pieces of information and started frantically recording everything on their phones. The shutter sound of cameras went off incessantly. There was a considerable amount of information worth collecting besides the windless zone experiment data.

– Esper Re-awakening Project

– Research on Esper Manifestation in Ordinary People

– Effects of Esper Manifestation on Physical Disabilities

– Request for Cooperation in Expanding Nuclear Heavy Water Facilities

– Namryu River Depth Improvement Project

The most impressive was an experiment to amplify Guide energy wavelenghts, similar to the Esper experiments.

– Guide Re-awakening Project: Chimera

This seemed to be what Yu-ram had mentioned. It appeared they had experimented on people, not animals.

At the same time, what crossed his mind was the missing college student that Investigator Kwon Joon-young had added to the victim list. He was a Guide, wasn’t he? Hopefully, he had nothing to do with the Chimera project.

While Seon Jae-chan was examining the related materials more closely, Chae Seong-hwan moved to the inner research lab. It was the place they had only checked for human presence when they first entered, and he intended to search every nook and cranny while he was at it.

‘Wide-area guiding… an eternal spring…’

As Jae-chan frowned while reading through the Chimera project, he suddenly checked his wristwatch.

It had been about 10 minutes since they entered the technician’s lab. Originally, they had fled to save Chae Seong-hwan, so it seemed time to return to Seon Eun-soo.

What made him pause was his gaze being caught by his own luxurious watch. The black, shiny watch strap reminded him of the person who had given it to him. Suddenly, it felt as if the heavy leather was tightly constricting his wrist.

‘…I’ll definitely come back.’

Seon Jae-chan briefly pressed his lips to his wrist, his brows deeply furrowed. He hoped Go Woo-jin wouldn’t worry. He hoped he was safe somewhere secure. As he raised his head with these wishes, he was about to look for Chae Seong-hwan to explain the situation, not wanting the Esper to follow him again.

Suddenly, he realized that the surroundings were unusually quiet. …Esper Chae Seong-hwan? He called out cautiously, but there was no answer.

“……”

His reaction was immediate. He raised his gun and took a defensive stance. Esper-nim? He called once more but was met with silence. Click, after loading the gun, he approached the inner space separated by the iron door.

He was sure they had checked that there were no people in there. Could there have been an unexpected booby trap? Jae-chan’s expression turned blank. However, as he lined up his sights through the slightly open door, Jae-chan relaxed his sharp gaze. It was because Esper Chae Seong-hwan visible through the gap seemed fine.

He could have answered.

Jae-chan, who had closed and opened his heavy eyes, pushed the iron door. Still not completely letting his guard down, he entered the room with the gun muzzle pointed upward. The sensor blinked briefly, and a belated guidance voice announced, “The air conditioning system is operating.” As ventilation started, the lights also came on.

And as Jae-chan stepped into the now brighter interior, he froze in his tracks.

Hundreds of photos. Amidst the black and white documents compulsively organized just like outside, now clearly revealed under the light. Among them, one thing stood out—the faces. The vivid images among the grayscale documents struck like a hammer.

Reflexively, he turned to look at Chae Seong-hwan. Chae Seong-hwan was also looking back at Jae-chan with a hardened face. An awkward silence flowed between the two. Various scraps of photos, articles, and other materials. What filled the wall was the face of Go Woo-jin.

*

At the same time, elsewhere, Seon Eun-soo was furiously shouting at his temporary allies after scouring the maze-like underground space without finding his target.

“Why isn’t the broadcast working? There should be standby power!”

Befitting a building constructed when the military dictatorship was stronger than now, the District 5 Center was equipped with a building-wide broadcast system. It wasn’t for nothing that the overall appearance of the building was reminiscent of a prison.

Seon Eun-soo was demanding that broadcast system. He was thrashing about so wildly that if his old fans saw him, they would all faint. It wasn’t just because of his shorter hair and crooked nose.

His eyes were bloodshot with anger, a gaze flickering as if ready to devour anyone. There was no trace of the gentle and affectionate demeanor that had once made him selected as the Esper best suited for coffee advertisements.

However, the terrorists were in no position to further indulge Seon Eun-soo’s stubbornness.

“That’s enough, you bastard!”

The terrorist at the front threw off the black goggles he was wearing.

He was a skinny man with distinctively droopy eye corners. Kwon Hwi-young, Inspector Kwon Joon-young’s twin, would be surprised to see him. It was Lee Yundo, the leader of the Black Shadow Group, who had been difficult to find even a trace of despite long pursuit after the Universal Park incident.

“There’s a limit to fulfilling personal greed! There were intruders. Three of our men are already dead!”

To be precise, they had been shot or had their necks broken. There wasn’t even time to check if they were dead or not. Fleeing from the bullets that came with terrible precision was the only way to survive.

“Do we have time to look at fvcking speakers when we need to respond right now?”

“After running away like hell, why are you b1tching at me?”

Seon Eun-soo spat on the ground as he retorted. Lee Yundowas so frustrated that he wanted to tear his hair out.

“Damn it! Even after being shot, they’re still coming after us! What do you expect me to do?!”

“Well, then! Do you think an S-class Esper has an iron body too? Even physical Espers are reduced to the level of athletes in the Windless zone, you bastard!”

Seon Eun-soo waved his hand as if annoyed.

“If they were really hit properly, they’ll pass out sooner or later. So stop worrying about nothing and just fix the speakers!”

“You… you son of a…!”

Lee Yundo was dumbfounded by his indifferent attitude. His thin face, made more pronounced by years of living on the run, twisted with anger.

Lee Yundo recalled the attack they had just experienced. The face he had briefly confirmed through the scope was unmistakable. It was the S-class Esper Go Woo-jin.

To protect the companions who were exposed first, Go Woo-jin took the bullets head-on. Even though his bulletproof vest had absorbed most of the impact, it would have been enough to crack a rib. Yet, without showing any signs of pain, he quickly pulled his comrade to safety.

And then he came back. Alone.

Without companions to protect, Go Woo-jin was unstoppable. Having lost his Esper abilities due to the Windless zone, he instead became like the wind itself, dodging bullets at a terrifying speed and charging in. One of the closest companions flew as if hit by a military jeep. At the sight of a person flying like a piece of paper, everyone was gripped by fear and fired their guns randomly, but Go Woo-jin leaped like a tiger and grabbed another comrade’s neck.

When they came to their senses, only that companion was dead. It was because Go Woo-jin had used that body as a shield and charged at full speed. It wasn’t clear whether that comrade’s neck was broken under Go Woo-jin’s grip or if he died from the indiscriminate gunfire. What was clear was that beyond that blood-soaked body, they were overwhelmed by the pitch-black eyes fixing on the next target. The sheer terror of it paralyzed everyone, leaving them with no option but to flee.

Anyone who had experienced that horror firsthand would never speak so casually about it.

“……”

Meanwhile, Seon Eun-soo was also internally anxious.

From the moment he heard Go Woo-jin’s name, his body had reacted instinctively, the memory of their last encounter sending shivers down his spine. The Windless Zone, their numerical advantage, and the possibility that Go Woo-jin had been shot—despite all of these favorable factors, dread still crept in.

The impact, like being hit by iron, deeply etched in his bones, suddenly came back to life. Suddenly, his nose bridge stung and it felt like his skull was being shaken. Could they defeat him? He needed to secure his younger brother before Go Woo-jin arrived. Just as Seon Eun-soo was about to lash out at the sluggish terrorists in his growing urgency, a voice pierced through the dim underground lighting powered by the emergency generators.

“So even the great President has fallen. Unable to control even a single hunting dog.”

Someone’s hoarse voice pierced through the dim underground auxiliary lighting that was running on standby power.