By Zephyria “Are you going to fight?”
“No. It’s a loss with nothing to gain.”
“Jaeger. You use it for research.”
“The ammo costs more. More than that, how do you know that?”
Joo-oh pursed his lips shut. Didn’t he say he didn’t remember anything? The more Mu-hae looked, the more openly suspicious he became.
“I know some things too.”
Joo-oh belatedly added something that was neither an excuse nor a protest, but Mu-hae’s once furrowed brow did not relax.
Beep- Beep- Beep-!
The radar once again signaled the detection of a lifeform. Realizing that he didn’t even have time to argue, Mu-hae turned Joo-oh’s body and opened his bag.
“What’s in here?”
“……”
“It’s Jin Mu-hae’s, why did you put it in my bag?”
“Shut up.”
Two black spheres were held in Mu-hae’s hand. When he pressed down on the round center, the spheres unfolded with a whoosh, revealing shoddy propellers.
They were disposable drones that made a loud noise when the timer ran out.
“Can you run?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t pant, and don’t make a lot of noise.”
“Okay. Then.”
Zhiiiing-.
Only after receiving confirmation did the two drones slowly rise into the air.
The crude machines, as if they would break if you just touched them, moved slowly in the direction Mu-hae pushed them.
“In 10 minutes, those things will make a fucking noise. Don’t be surprised, just follow where I go.”
Joo-oh nodded his head largely as if he was confident. His cheeks, flushed as if excited, looked quite good even in this situation.
Like in the bar, his tearful face was also strangely memorable…….
‘Damn it.’
Is it because my heart is beating because of this lousy Jaeger imitation? I’m having unnecessary thoughts.
Mu-hae shook his head sharply and ran swiftly in the direction the radar indicated.
It was only when he got somewhat close to the mining site that his running speed slowed down.
Now, his steps slowed as if he was barely walking, and he was thoroughly careful even about the position of stepping on the grass and the breaths that leaked out.
As the red dot on the radar got closer to the center, Joo-oh kept tilting his head.
When Mu-hae asked if there was anything strange, he just said nonchalantly, “I’m listening.”
As if he were some kind of dog or cat.
When they were about 200 meters away from their destination, a faint sound echoed from a completely different direction from where they had come.
Biyoong-! Biyoong-!
The ‘fucking noise’ that Mu-hae had warned about had begun.
At the same time, Joo-oh’s pupils narrowed sharply.
‘I think his ears just twitched.’
Do people’s ears normally perk up when they hear loud noises?
Mu-hae hardened his face as if he had seen something strange and checked the radar.
Beep- Beep- Beep-!
As expected, the red dot that had been hovering right in front of them moved quickly. It was the direction of the sound.
Joo-oh’s eyes, which he glanced at, were also slowly rolling from left to right.
From the direction of the mining site, towards the direction where the drone was ringing.
It looked as if he was sensing and moving towards something moving from afar.
“Let’s go.”
At Mu-hae’s whisper, his slightly dazed face turned sharply. Nod. Joo-oh nodded his head.
From then on, they ran again. The dense trees became noticeably sparse after a few sprints.
Only after getting close to the target point did a faint, blue light come into view.
In the clearing where the two figures arrived, Blue Crystals that had grown as if sprouting from the ground were mysteriously illuminating the darkening surroundings.
Shiiing.
A vibration that was hard to describe vibrated very finely at the fingertips.
Mu-hae manipulated his Watch and floated a Hologram Window in front of him.
Biririk. The program received from the Company was executed. A video of the spot was overlaid with the scenery right in front of them, and an arrow appeared at the edge of the window.
Mu-hae slowly moved to the right as instructed by the program. The noise of the drone was still continuing from very far away.
18%
33%
57%
78%
99%
[Complete]
Only after comparing all the widely scattered crystals did a large check mark finally appear and the video turned off with a flick.
The light emitted by the Link Watch also faded at Mu-hae’s manipulation.
And, Ttuk-!
The faintly heard noise suddenly stopped for a moment. Mu-hae turned his head sharply and made eye contact with Joo-oh.
Had he realized that the drone’s lifespan had expired? The person who had been fiddling with his sleeves and looking around asked.
“Should we run?”
“Get out of here.”
Joo-oh blinked his eyes and smiled. His hair fluttered as he lightly tapped his foot.
He ran very quickly and silently. He looked surprisingly stable, contrary to what he had worried about.
Mu-hae, as if excited, quickly left the spot, following him who was taking the lead.
While returning to the place where he had parked his bike, Joo-oh’s head kept turning to the left.
Although there was no explanation, Mu-hae realized that his nerves were directed towards the Aberrant.
It was such an unreal sensation that he couldn’t believe it even while seeing it with his own eyes.
“Heh. That was fun.”
“This isn’t something to find fun.”
“Then, hmm. It was exciting.”
“Everything excites you.”
What was so exciting? Joo-oh chattered from behind throughout the ride to the next point.
Unfortunately, the Company’s rental vehicle didn’t have a loud engine sound, and the wind wasn’t strong, so the sweet voice that permeated his ears was disgustingly clear.
Jin Mu-hae narrowed his brow several times at the breath that intermittently tickled the back of his neck.
It wasn’t unpleasant, but it was uncomfortable. Was it because he wasn’t used to contact with people? Every time Joo-oh stuck close, Mu-hae felt like something was catching on his nerves, tick, tick.
“How far is it?”
“Huh?”
“The smelling and hearing thing. How far can you sense?”
When he thought about it, when they went out to find the Thorn wolf, Joo-oh had also mentioned the terrain of a distant place all by himself.
Perhaps the senses that surpassed humans were not limited to smell and hearing.
The fingertips that grabbed Mu-hae’s waist moved rhythmically, tok-tok. As if Joo-oh was choosing and contemplating his answer in his own way.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know again?”
“It’s enough to help Jin Mu-hae.”
It was a tone as if that was enough. He was extremely presumptuous for someone who had clung on to work, but it was true.
Mu-hae closed his mouth without any particular reproach. It was thanks to the fact that his nerves had eased because he was more useful than expected.
He even gave him expensive ammo despite internally calling him a meat shield. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was worried about Joo-oh’s safety.
‘Damn it.’
Taking care of strangers didn’t suit his temperament, and there was no reason to do so.
But he also felt uneasy about abandoning him and letting him suffer.
He didn’t want to care, but he cared. Looking back, Mu-hae kept wavering unlike himself.
It started with him bothering to take care of the guy who followed him because he didn’t want to be left alone. Even though he was prepared to abandon him if necessary, he checked if he was safe whenever he thought it was dangerous.
It was a reaction that he himself couldn’t understand. He had become more generous after earning a large sum of 50,000 Deal with the Thorn wolf, but, well.
Even considering that, Mu-hae acted quite softly. Every time he noticed that, he reflexively added harsh thoughts…….
‘So he’s become incredibly perceptive.’
Despite always being dazed and languid, Joo-oh accurately caught the point where his treatment was precarious.
Because he was busy, because it was annoying, because he felt sorry for him, or because the way he spoke was plausible. Mu-hae had consistently given up on his sharp plans and was now roaming the rough terrain with Joo-oh trailing behind him like this.
“I’ll check for you next time too.”
A bright voice, unaware of his thoughts, informed him of his usefulness.
This time too, it was at a quite appropriate time. Mu-hae glanced briefly at the hand that was grabbing his waist and fidgeting.
After checking the second point, the sun that had been hanging on the edge of the sky had completely set.
The road without a single electric light was instantly buried in darkness.
If you turn on the lights and drive for a long time in a place like this, you’ll become a colorful bait in colorless water.
Jin Mu-hae lowered the bike’s headlights as much as possible and drove in a completely different direction from the third mining site.
“Should we rest?”
“Just until sunrise.”
Even in these areas where you don’t know what might pop out, there were points that were considered relatively safe.
The problem was that the criteria for safety were relative, but it was a place as far away as possible from the activity radius of the Aberrant and the Beast. There was no other choice.
Whooooong-.
The bike stopped and the engine turned off. When even the light from the headlights disappeared, only a suffocatingly black emptiness remained in front of him.
Mu-hae turned on a flashlight and got off the road and walked a little. Before long, a wide flatland that seemed to have been artificially created came into view.
Familiar silhouettes were vaguely visible. When Mu-hae approached it and reached out his hand, the machine lit up with a pababak, and the surroundings became dimly lit.
It was the Small aircraft he had ridden during the day. He had finally reached the coordinates he had set before getting off.
“Waaaa.”
Mu-hae pulled the admiring Joo-oh into the inside and quietly turned off the flashlight.
There were no suspicious movements around. Only after repeatedly checking the radar did Mu-hae also get into the Small aircraft.
Click.
When the door closed, the lights that had been illuminating the outside turned off at once.
Then, the inside lit up brightly, revealing Joo-oh’s face covered in dirt.
“I can’t see out the window.”
Of course. The cover had been lowered to cover the glass window since he had set it to standby mode.
Why would he advertise that there were humans here? Mu-hae gave up on answering the unintelligible muttering and threw him a wet wipe.