By Zephyria Whoosh-.
The bike, which had been running smoothly, turned around and started going back the way it had come.
It was because the location of the sensed Aberrant was heading this way.
Fortunately, the Aberrants hadn’t noticed Mu-hae and his party.
They were just wandering around aimlessly, as if it were their new playground.
“We’re going to go around. It’ll take a little longer, but it’ll be safer that way.”
“Okay.”
“If you feel anything strange, tell me.”
I’ll listen no matter what. Mu-hae swallowed those words and watched the receding red dot.
There were only two visible right now. But he couldn’t recklessly make a fuss because he didn’t know what else might be lurking beyond the radar’s detection range.
It would be better to approach as quietly as possible, assess the surroundings thoroughly, and then lure them out or set a trap.
“Jin Mu-hae.”
After making that decision, Mu-hae chose a different route and drove for about 20 more minutes.
Suddenly, the arm that had been holding his waist tightened.
Mu-hae immediately nodded, pretending to listen.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“There is something.”
“…An Aberrant?”
“No. Not that.”
Whoosh. Joo-oh raised one arm as if possessed and pointed far ahead.
Mu-hae’s gaze followed the tip of his white hand.
There wasn’t anything particularly visible. He could only see the broken road and the dense forest.
But if Joo-oh said there was something, there probably was.
After a month or so of experience, Mu-hae finally accepted that fact today.
“Is it dangerous?”
“Probably not.”
“Then that’s good.”
Even without a complimentary response, he heard a laugh from behind.
It was a cheerful laugh that didn’t fit the situation. What was so funny?
“If there’s more, I’ll let you know right away.”
As his breath brushed against the back of his neck, a pleasant vibration was transmitted through their closely attached bodies.
Mu-hae took a deep breath. His lips stiffened for no reason, and he only followed the direction Joo-oh pointed, increasing his speed.
Whoosh-.
Before long, he also spotted something out of place.
Something black was lying on the flat ground next to the road within his field of vision.
“It’s similar to what we rode in.”
Joo-oh chattered, sticking close. As he said, the black, large lump of metal was a wrecked Small aircraft.
If you could still call it an airplane when both wings were gone and the fuselage was broken in half.
“But it looks bigger.”
“Yeah.”
It was definitely a bigger and better-looking object than the one they had flown in.
Even though it was wrecked, you could still make some money by taking the parts.
As soon as he stopped the bike, he felt Joo-oh trying to jump out.
Mu-hae quickly reached his arm back to stop him.
“You. What did I tell you?”
“…To stay still.”
“If you know, stay put.”
Holding Joo-oh firmly, he checked the radar and found no life signs detected nearby.
That was fortunate, but the shape of the wrecked aircraft bothered Mu-hae.
The damaged part of one wing looked like it had been smashed by something rather than crashing into the ground due to a flight problem.
In this area, an existence that could smash such a lump of metal… At best, it was an Aberrant.
Also, he wondered if the Blue Energy, which was the fuel, was still stably contained in the halved aircraft.
If he was unlucky, an explosion might occur the moment he got close.
Perhaps Joo-oh had guessed his thoughts.
“Battery, cold.”
Joo-oh pointed to the side of the Small aircraft’s fuselage as if to show him.
Certainly, the part where the battery was supposed to be installed was clean and undamaged. How Joo-oh knew that was another matter, but it didn’t seem like it would suddenly explode unless it was subjected to additional strong impact.
“Stay here.”
“Aww.”
Leaving the grumbling Joo-oh behind, Mu-hae cautiously approached the Small aircraft.
As he had guessed, it was a model with external panels designed to blend in with the surroundings.
A much more expensive and safer aircraft than the ones the Company gave to mercenaries.
The inside, which was clearly visible through the cut-off section, was covered in dust.
There were no corpses or remaining luggage.
It seemed that the attack had occurred after the occupant had left the aircraft.
“Whose is it?”
Ignoring his order to stay put, Joo-oh had somehow come closer.
Mu-hae was about to scold him, but he half-gave up and took out a device from his waist.
CME Exploration Request Report
Buckta 3-21 >> 7-08
Blue Crystal Mining Volume Fluctuation Cases
Crystal Zone Confirmed [2/5]
High Probability of Combat: Support Request Planned if Direct Contact Exceeds 2 Times
Numerous Beast Traces Found in Areas Different from Records
Damaged Small aircraft Discovered in Area 5_
Rustle.
While Mu-hae was adding to the exploration record, Joo-oh was fluttering around the Small aircraft.
He tapped the surface of the aircraft and poked at the torn seat, then, crack!
“…What are you doing?”
He had torn off a seat that was firmly attached inside with his bare hands.
Startled by the sound, Mu-hae glared at Joo-oh.
“It wasn’t an accident. I thought there might be something inside.”
Joo-oh quickly made excuses. Then, glancing at the wreckage of the broken Small aircraft, he repeated himself, looking like a puppy that had broken a dish.
“Ours has something underneath, too. So, just in case.”
“Then you could have just folded the chair.”
“I was going to.”
Joo-oh clenched and unclenched his hands a few times, as if he couldn’t control his strength.
Still, to tear off the entire connection of the steel-framed seat… That didn’t make sense.
“Move.”
At least he listened well to the order to move. Mu-hae thoroughly searched the spot where Joo-oh had stepped away, then frowned and bent down.
Sure enough, on the opposite side of the seat that Joo-oh had torn off, a square, white box was neatly placed under the leftmost chair.
It was a first aid kit with a red cross on it.
Click.
Only after confirming that there were no special devices on the box did Mu-hae open the first aid kit.
The contents were very ordinary. A stapler for emergency treatment, hemostatic patches, disinfectant, bandages, etc.
It was just a medical kit with common components.
Except that the logo on the medicine was not from any company in Goryeo City.
‘Where did it come from?’
Mercenaries would take anything useful and sell it. Items that had not been repackaged in Goryeo City were common in their backroom deals.
Mu-hae had often come across products from other Comfort zone.
But the manufacturer of the disinfectant in his hand now… Well, he didn’t know where it came from.
Mu-hae raised one eyebrow suspiciously, but carefully put the first aid kit in his hand for now.
“It’s going in my bag again.”
He packed the square box into Joo-oh’s bag.
He neatly ignored Joo-oh’s grumbling, as always.
Beep- Beep- Beep-!
After navigating through a path swarming with Aberrants for about two hours, they arrived at their destination.
The presence of Aberrants was still detected in the distance, but it was better than the previous route to quietly finish what they had to do.
Mu-hae stood in front of the brightly shining Blue Crystal and skillfully brought up the Hologram Window.
Whirr.
16%
31%
52%
…
While silently waiting for the slowly rising gauge, Mu-hae glanced at Joo-oh.
He thought Joo-oh would be looking at him. Joo-oh had been looking delighted every time he saw this type of device, ever since they had met.
But no. Joo-oh’s gaze was directed towards the dark forest.
His straight nose twitched intermittently, as if he had smelled something unfamiliar.
“…That.”
Then Joo-oh took a big step. Mu-hae anxiously checked the numbers on the hologram.
Still 88 percent. He couldn’t move rashly.
“Speak and then move.”
Mu-hae said coldly, and the red eyes turned to him.
“That.”
Leaving that as an answer, Joo-oh melted into the forest like a ghost.
88%
91%
94%
[Completed]
In the meantime, the video that had reached 100 percent turned off with a click.
Mu-hae, who had gained freedom of movement, hurried to Joo-oh.
He hadn’t gone far, considering how anxiously he had disappeared. He was just standing near a large tree trunk, staring at something.
“Are you going to act on your own again?”
The moment Mu-hae approached and grabbed his shoulder as a warning.
An unpleasant smell faintly brushed Mu-hae’s nose.
It was a foul odor, like leaving the seasoning container of a dirty food stall at room temperature and boiling it thoroughly.
‘…….’
Mu-hae knew this strange smell.
As if by instinct, he grabbed the equipment behind his back, and Joo-oh pointed to a corner of the dark forest densely packed with trees.
“That.”
Among the bushes, dark red bones were scattered.
They were covered in bits of flesh, as if something with sparse teeth had gnawed on them.
“Damn it.”
Mu-hae sighed. He had a bad feeling about it, and now he had seen a corpse, unluckily.