Chapter 59: The Hero’s Gambit

“Wouldn’t you do the same thing if you were in that situation, Sa-yoon?”

“I doubt it. My own life is what matters most to me.”

Sa-yoon had truly hesitated to remove the ring, even when lives were on the line. The stark contrast between Han Do-hoon, who could act without restraint, and himself, who had wavered until the very end, made an old, forgotten wound ache.

The topic he had hastily brought up had resurrected an unpleasant memory.

“I hope this mission goes smoothly. Without anyone getting hurt.”

“We’re even deploying a strange prediction system to prepare for it, after all.”

Sa-yoon sighed, a bitter feeling escaping him as he muttered to himself. He wished there would be some reward for playing along.

Just as he thought this, an alarm blared from the device hidden at his waist. Beep, beep—the rapid, continuous mechanical sound prompted Sa-yoon to answer the call.

– Team Leader!

It was Chae-jun’s urgent voice.

The trace of the intrusion was discovered in Daedeok-gu. Sa-yoon clicked his tongue as he ran toward the location. It was a residential area, densely packed with apartment complexes.

In some ways, it was a more challenging place to respond to than a bustling downtown district.

“What’s the situation?”

As soon as he arrived where his team members had gathered, Sa-yoon quickly approached Chae-jun. Chae-jun handed Sa-yoon a prepared uniform jacket.

Other team members, who had been on patrol elsewhere, also changed into their uniforms upon arrival.

“We found a tunnel, but it wasn’t made by wild animals. Nor by humans. Another agent detected movements similar to Rain inside.”

“Numbers and location?”

“Not yet, that much….”

However, the situation wasn’t dire. The esper who had detected the tunnel was a B-rank, capable of sensing up to 20 meters underground.

If that agent wasn’t entirely certain, then the Rain must be at least 20 meters away.

Sa-yoon shouted to the team members waiting nearby.

“Quickly, set up the shelters and evacuate the residents first.”

The team members nodded with resolute eyes and moved in perfect unison. With thousands of households in the apartment complex, time was of the essence for evacuation.

Fortunately, Daedeok was flat terrain, and a terminal and shopping complex capable of accommodating a large number of people were located nearby. It seemed feasible to establish a temporary base there and lure the Rain in the opposite direction.

“Han Do-hoon, please request backup from headquarters.”

Sa-yoon sank to the ground. He took a deep breath, exhaled, and pressed his hands against the earth. He quickly scanned the space that branched out beneath the surface like an anthill.

As his team member had detected, the tunnel was not an animal’s dwelling. While narrow on the surface, it widened and grew taller as it descended, forming winding passages like tangled threads.

This unique structure was indicative of the Rain’s movement, distinct from human patterns.

He swiftly mapped the area more than 20 meters down, beyond where the other esper had detected. Amidst these depths, energy sources flared like scattered embers.

They were Rain. Sa-yoon focused, meticulously counting their numbers.

“Esper Han Do-hoon reporting. This is the vacant lot near Daedeok-gu. Coordinates are 251.87.5.”

Han Do-hoon’s voice, reporting to headquarters, echoed from behind him. Sa-yoon hastened his scan.

“Rain detected. The number of entities is… approximately twenty.”

Sweat beaded on Sa-yoon’s forehead. It was challenging to scan the Rain as they dispersed and moved in different directions. If they had clustered together, he could have assessed them all at once.

Instead, the Rain were slowly spreading across the entire Daejeon region.

Sa-yoon’s specialty was not analyzing life forms. If he were just to map pathways, he could instantly analyze hundreds of meters below, but his range for perceiving living beings was not that extensive.

With them moving independently like this, he would lose track of their positions the moment he let his guard down.

Sa-yoon’s team consisted of special-type espers, whose combat capabilities were not outstanding. He judged that it would be better for the support team to arrive and handle them separately rather than for his team to intervene clumsily.

Sa-yoon stood up, brushing the dirt from his pants.

“Chae-jun, how are the shelters coming along?”

“We’ve sounded the sirens and made emergency broadcasts, but people aren’t being very cooperative yet.”

“That’s understandable.”

To people unaware of the current situation, it must sound like an absurd command: abandon their perfectly fine homes and evacuate immediately with only themselves. Explaining, ‘A terrorist attack is imminent, and this place will become a sea of flames,’ was simply not an option.

Sa-yoon scratched his head and approached his team members. They were flustered, a mix of anxiety and bewilderment evident in their movements. All the while, the siren blared from massive speakers, accompanied by continuous broadcasts.

On every floor of the apartment buildings, people peeked out, anxiously surveying their surroundings. Their confusion was palpable, as if wondering what calamity had befallen them.

“Should we go door-to-door and force them out?”

“That’s too inefficient.”

Even if they were forcibly removed, they would likely escape again if surveillance slackened for a moment. The process of managing that would waste time and manpower. Sa-yoon scanned the surroundings.

There had to be a way to make people trust and follow the espers.

“Ah.”

He spotted Han Do-hoon on the opposite side, steadily reporting to the headquarters director. Han Do-hoon had already donned his uniform and was assisting with the mission.

Despite the hasty attire, he looked as exemplary as someone on a public service announcement poster.

“Han Do-hoon, come over here. Let’s see, it would be good if we also had a microphone and a device to output video.”

Sa-yoon grabbed the approaching Han Do-hoon and ran his hand through his hair. He swept back the fringe that fell over his forehead and neatly brushed the sides.

Around them, questioning glances flew from those wondering what the two men were suddenly doing.

“Chae-jun, the microphone?”

“Huh? Oh, here it is. And I’ll get the video transmission device ready right away.”

“Good.”

He turned on the speaker, setting the volume to maximum. A buzzing mechanical sound spread everywhere as he tapped the top. Sa-yoon grinned, pleased with the volume, and brought the microphone to his lips.

“Ah, ah. This message is for all citizens listening to this broadcast. We are part of the government’s Esper Unit. A danger alert has now been issued for the area around Daedeok-gu. Please gather your valuables and proceed to the designated shelters immediately upon hearing this broadcast.”

He repeated the exact words countless other agents had shouted. As expected, no one rushed out of their homes. Now, it was time for Sa-yoon’s clever plan.

“The person beside me is a proud esper representing our nation, a treasure of Korea. He is an S-rank pyrokinetic, hailed as our hero, Esper Han Do-hoon, who will take responsibility for your safety and guide you securely.”

Han Do-hoon’s expression twisted strangely. Despite his protesting gaze, a definite reaction came from the residential area where people had gathered. They buzzed with activity, hastily turning their heads.

“Now it’s your turn. Go to the most visible spot and introduce yourself.”

Sa-yoon handed the microphone he was holding to Han Do-hoon. He then pushed him to the center of the controlled road. Han Do-hoon, with a bewildered expression, looked around before speaking into the microphone.

“I am Esper Han Do-hoon. As of 10:28 AM today, an emergency evacuation alert has been issued for all of Daedeok-gu. We ask for your cooperation with the evacuation orders.”

A scream erupted from afar. Cheers of ‘Kyaaaah!’ and people who had been merely peering out finally started to move. Indeed, for event mobilization, celebrities were supreme.

With Han Do-hoon present, people poured out of the apartment complex, rushing down the stairs with an eagerness to see him up close.

Sa-yoon watched, impressed, as the black heads of people spilled out like ants, being directed by the agents. The gazes fixed on Han Do-hoon, as if trying to bore holes into him, were quite amusing.

“Wow. That was effective.”

“……”

Han Do-hoon, who had actually achieved this effect, wore a displeased expression. Sa-yoon couldn’t understand why he looked so glum after doing such a good deed.

“We didn’t have a choice, did we? This was the fastest way.”

“You could have done it, Sa-yoon.”

“You’re more famous, Han Do-hoon.”

In South Korea, where even five-year-olds recognized Han Do-hoon, there was no better bait.

“Team Leader, the video transmission device is ready too.”

Kim Chae-jun, who had been observing their conversation, interjected. A large vehicle was already equipped with video transmission capabilities. Kim Chae-jun was indeed a capable team member who understood Sa-yoon’s intentions precisely.

“Alright, Han Do-hoon. Let’s campaign a bit.”

The truck carrying a large screen moved, playing Han Do-hoon’s video. Countless citizens came out onto the streets, following the instructions.

“Chae-jun, how are the shelters?”

“They’re being prepared somehow, but….”

Chae-jun, who had been leading people, approached Sa-yoon from behind and whispered in a low voice.

“Most people are moving smoothly to the shelters, but some still haven’t budged.”

Sa-yoon looked around the apartment complex. Even though many people had come out, there were still those hiding tightly in their homes. Often, the better a local government managed its affairs, the greater the public’s resistance to the central government.

The people who emerged later certainly had a different atmosphere from those who had come out first. They glared at the espers with hostile actions, remaining wary.