By Zephyria 
“Didn’t you just see someone die? Why on earth are you trying to go in there?”
“Why are you trying to go in there yourself, then?”
“Because I’m the only one who can end this.”
“You?”
Where did this confidence come from? The reason Lee A-gon’s rank came out as S was because he had regenerated his melted body. While that was certainly an amazing ability, it was useless in a war against bees.
“Listen carefully, Lee A-gon. I’m going for my own sake. There’s a promise I made to myself back when you were hovering between life and death.”
Lee A-gon fell silent at the story he was hearing for the first time. Hae-jun looked Lee A-gon straight in the eye.
“If you die, I’ll die with you. I will never let you die alone in a place where I am not. When you die, I’ll be right there with you.”
“…….”
“The three months you spent lying there were hell for me too. I will never experience that kind of helplessness again. You say it’s dangerous? The more dangerous it is, the more I have to go with you. Because if you die, I die too. So from now on, I’m going to protect you.”
During those three months when he could only watch over the comatose Lee A-gon, Hae-jun had sworn. That he would never be this helpless again. That from now on, he would be the one to protect him.
Lee A-gon was stunned by the unexpected words. He hadn’t known his hyung was thinking such things.
“We live together, and we die together.”
“…….”
“So if you want me to live, start by thinking about how you’re going to survive.”
Having said his piece, Hae-jun strode up the path. Left behind, Lee A-gon watched his retreating figure with a slightly dazed expression.
∞ ∞ ∞
02:15 AM. The operation resumed.
Fortunately, the monster bees that had crossed over through the Gate, like Earth’s bees, fell asleep as dawn approached.
In front of Building 2 of Saemaeum Apartments, Jeong Han-sol, an A-rank Space Barrier Esper; Jin Gi-chang, an A-rank Pyrokinetic Esper; Lee A-gon, an S-rank Body Manipulation Esper; and the Guide, Park Hae-jun, gathered.
Jeong Han-sol was appointed as the leader of this hastily formed special task force. Following Jeong Han-sol’s hand signals, the team entered Building 2 of Saemaeum Apartments. Hae-jun followed behind Lee A-gon, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings through the bluish vision of his night vision scope.
No enemies were visible on the first floor. The second floor was the same.
The bees appeared on the third floor. A giant bee was asleep, its belly pressed flat against the railing of the third floor.
Naturally, as a Guide, this was the first time Hae-jun had seen a bee from such a close distance. It felt much larger than when he had seen it through binoculars. Two antennae were drooping down from a head the size of a young child’s face. It meant the bee was asleep.
Jeong Han-sol crept past the bee and headed up. Jin Gi-chang and Lee A-gon followed behind him.
As Hae-jun, the last in line, climbed the stairs while avoiding the bee, Lee A-gon, who had been looking back worriedly, let out a sigh of relief.
There was a bee on the fourth floor as well, but that one was also asleep. Hoping they could make it to the 15th floor like this, the special force members moved their feet cautiously.
The problem occurred on the fifth floor. The door to Unit 502 was slightly ajar, and a faint candlelight was leaking from inside.
The team came to a halt. Bustling noises could be heard from inside Unit 502. It wasn’t clear exactly what it was, but it seemed something urgent was happening.
Jeong Han-sol opened the door to Unit 502 slightly. It seemed there were people who hadn’t evacuated yet. Regardless, he had to make them understand the situation and tell them to wait quietly.
Upon entering, Jeong Han-sol was met with a distressing sight. The residents of Unit 502 were two elderly people with white hair; the grandmother was lying on the floor groaning in pain, and the grandfather was trying to get her into a wheelchair.
“……!”
The grandfather was startled to see Jeong Han-sol, but upon realizing he was a person, he rushed toward him. Jeong Han-sol gestured for him to be quiet, but the grandfather clung to him abruptly, pointing at the grandmother and making strange sounds.
Jin Gi-chang, the Pyrokinetic Esper who entered next, barked in a low voice for him to be quiet, but the grandfather continued trying to say something. However, the sounds coming from the grandfather’s mouth were merely sobbing moans.
When they realized they couldn’t communicate no matter what they tried, the grandfather beat his chest and moved his hands rapidly. It was sign language.
Only then did the team realize why the people in Unit 502 hadn’t evacuated. They were deaf.
Because they couldn’t hear, they hadn’t heard the evacuation broadcasts that must have sounded multiple times.
Military and police had gone around the village to check for evacuees, but no one had come up to Building 2 of Saemaeum Apartments, where the Gate had opened right in front of them. By that time, the bees had already begun building their nests.
In the end, the two elderly people, having missed their chance, had waited endlessly to be rescued, and in the meantime, the grandmother had suddenly collapsed.
The grandfather desperately moved his fingers to form numbers. One finger. Then another finger. Finally, nine fingers with one tucked away. 119. Then, after pointing to the grandmother, he thumped his own chest.
Even without knowing sign language, it was clear enough. It meant the grandmother had suffered a heart attack.
‘What do I do?’
Jeong Han-sol’s eyes wavered. They had a long way to go. If this attempt failed, a second or third operation would have to follow. There was no time to linger.
But if they just left, the old woman would die.
Torn, Jeong Han-sol eventually approached the grandmother. After placing his hands on her face and chest, he immediately began CPR. His hands compressed the grandmother’s chest. One, two, three, four… But even as a man nearly 190cm tall put his strength into the compressions, the grandmother’s breathing did not return.
At that moment, Lee A-gon pushed Jeong Han-sol aside. Jeong Han-sol signaled that there was no need to switch yet, but Lee A-gon pushed through stubbornly and placed his hand on the grandmother’s chest.
And then he did nothing.
‘What is he doing?’
Jin Gi-chang muttered in disbelief. Since he was just resting his hand on her chest instead of performing CPR, it looked strange.
Hae-jun was the only one who understood the situation. Lee A-gon could manipulate the bodies of others. That meant he could also save a person.
After a moment, a faint sound of breath escaped the grandmother’s mouth. As she let out a thin moan and opened her eyes, the grandfather rushed over and grabbed her hand. The grandmother, who looked confused, recognized the grandfather and wore an expression of great relief.
It worked. At the same moment, Hae-jun also felt relieved. Now they could leave.
As the grandfather tried to thank them, Jeong Han-sol waved his palm, gesturing for him to stay still. Using hand gestures and body language, he conveyed that they would return, so please wait quietly, and the two elderly people nodded.
Having breathed a sigh of relief, the team members put on their night vision scopes and turned around. The one standing at the very back was Hae-jun.
As he turned, Hae-jun locked eyes with a bee staring at him through the gap in the door.
“……!”
Hae-jun froze, as if he had encountered a legendary monster that turns you to stone if you look into its eyes. In the bluish vision of the night vision scope, the bee tilted its large head. The bee’s antennae reached out through the darkness. Seeing the antennae made of several segments, Hae-jun couldn’t move a muscle.
The door closed quickly. Lee A-gon had closed the door instead of the paralyzed Hae-jun. He pulled Hae-jun behind him. Soon after, the sound of the bee’s thin, clawed legs tapping on the door—tap, tap, tap—could be heard.
“We’ve been spotted,” Jin Gi-chang muttered.
“N-now what? The bees will swarm.”
Tap, tap, tap, tap… The sound of walking on the door increased. At least two bees were clinging to the door.
“Should we open the door?”
“I don’t think they have the intelligence for that.”
“We can’t stay here.”
“We have to go out, right?”
“We have to,” Lee A-gon said decisively. He had already prepared for the possibility of being discovered. Now they had to push upward by force.
“Jeong Han-sol, cast a barrier to protect us. Meanwhile, Jin Gi-chang, you open the path with fire. Form a perimeter with the Guide in the center.”
“Then what about you?”
Since Lee A-gon, not the leader Jeong Han-sol, was giving orders, Jin Gi-chang asked back with a hint of annoyance.
“Me?”
Lee A-gon asked back and placed a hand on Jin Gi-chang’s shoulder.
Jin Gi-chang, who tried to dodge while saying ‘What the—’, suddenly widened his eyes and froze. Seeing this, Jeong Han-sol approached curiously.
“What’s wrong?”
“Uh, well.”
Jin Gi-chang only rolled his eyes and looked up at Lee A-gon.
“I’m overflowing with power.”
“What?”
“I can… feel the power.”
“What does that mean—”
Lee A-gon placed his other hand on the shoulder of the bewildered Jeong Han-sol. Then, Jeong Han-sol made the exact same expression as Jin Gi-chang.
He truly felt the power. Fatigue vanished as if washed away, and every organ in his body brimmed with vitality.
“Get it?”
Lee A-gon said, nudging Jin Gi-chang and Jeong Han-sol forward.
“Now, get out there.”