Chapter 109: The Uncharacteristic Decision

“What’s with that expression? Was the meeting that bad?”

“Ugh, no. It wasn’t that terrible, but…”

Sighing, Kang Tae-han recounted the details of the meeting. As Sa-yoon had anticipated, finding a discreet escape route proved difficult.

It would be simple if only the people from the battlefield were returning, but this time, a large number of individuals needed to be moved.

They had intended to bring ships from nearby China, yet procuring vessels large enough to transport everyone would take at least a month.

Frowning, Kang Tae-han paced back and forth before speaking.

“So, Seol-won. I’ll secure a few plane tickets, and you should return to the battlefield first.”

“What?”

“The schedule has already been extended beyond our original plan. I’m uneasy leaving the battlefield unattended for too long, so please go ahead and take charge.”

Sa-yoon gazed at Kang Tae-han. Beneath his tired expression, a profound worry lingered. It seemed that sending Sa-yoon back wasn’t merely due to the prolonged escape plan.

“If you’re worried about the battlefield, you should go first, Hyung.”

“I’ll send Min Da-hyun with you. It would be best for you two to go ahead and report on the situation. The battlefield has been relatively quiet lately, so it should be fine without me.”

“Then, if we just wait a little longer, we can all…”

“You can’t. Go ahead first.”

Cutting Sa-yoon off, Kang Tae-han raised his voice. He was usually a kind older brother to Sa-yoon, despite occasionally making awkward jokes or acting like an old man.

He was someone who would listen to Sa-yoon’s wishes, even when worried. This sudden, forceful decision was entirely uncharacteristic of him.

“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? No, fine, I’ll go back, but at least tell me why. Why the sudden change?”

“……”

Sighing, Kang Tae-han raked both hands through his hair. A dark pallor settled over his scarred face.

“Perhaps because of that incident in Busan, support has arrived for the Esper unit. It seems they’re looking for you. They’ve started investigating you.”

Kang Tae-han clicked his tongue, explaining the reason in an irritated voice.

“Then shouldn’t I stay? If I suddenly disappear, they’ll investigate even more relentlessly. If I step forward and draw attention, this place could remain safe.”

“Don’t say such reckless things.”

“Hyung.”

Sa-yoon called out to Kang Tae-han.

“I’ve recovered a lot. I used enough power to collapse the incinerator and didn’t even fall unconscious, and now I don’t have headaches anymore. I’ll stay here and fight with you until the rescue ship arrives. I’m confident in my ability to escape too.”

He knew his own body better than anyone. Sa-yoon could feel his strength returning. It wasn’t just ordinary strength.

Sometimes, coordinates would unfurl before his eyes with such freedom that it even surprised him. For a while now, green dots had been moving across these coordinates, even revealing people’s locations.

This ability was especially helpful in situations where they needed to escape, like now.

“I was helpful before, wasn’t I? So, I’ll be helpful this time too.”

“No, Seol-won. That’s not it.”

Kang Tae-han’s face contorted.

“You can’t use your ability here. There are… too many people.”

“Why can’t I use it? What’s wrong with this ability?”

“That’s…”

Hesitating, Kang Tae-han wandered restlessly around the room, unsure how to explain. Pacing back and forth in deep thought, he finally placed a hand on Sa-yoon’s shoulder.

Just as he seemed about to speak, as if having made a great decision, Kang Tae-han’s hand trembled violently. No, it wasn’t just his hand.

“What is this?”

The floor beneath them shook. Immediately afterward, a massive tremor vibrated through their entire bodies, and screams erupted from outside.

– It’s an attack! Everyone, flee to the evacuation route! Hurry!

The door burst open, and Min Da-hyun shouted as he saw the two of them.

“Our village location has been compromised! We must fight back until the others have evacuated. Captain Kang Tae-han, please take command!”

“Alright.”

Kang Tae-han seemed about to dash out but paused, turning back to Sa-yoon. Sa-yoon knew what his trembling lips were about to say; he clearly wanted to send Sa-yoon away from this place immediately.

Sa-yoon preempted him.

“For now, I’ll fight. We can talk again once this chaos is settled.”

“…Ugh. Fine. But once this is sorted, you’re going back!”

“We’ll see then!”

With a look of distrust, Kang Tae-han urged Sa-yoon before disappearing towards the others. Min Da-hyun followed him, while Sa-yoon moved in the opposite direction.

Sa-yoon couldn’t discern why Kang Tae-han wanted to exclude him. He now realized there was more to it than just concern for his physical well-being, but that was all he knew.

Still, listening to Kang Tae-han had never led to anything bad so far. Even a thoughtless person like Sa-yoon understood that Kang Tae-han’s overprotectiveness was always for his own good.

Sa-yoon adjusted his mask more carefully and pulled his hat lower. He concealed his conspicuous hair color and rushed to assist the slower-moving civilians. As expected, confused people were wandering everywhere.

Sa-yoon ran to the center and instinctively began giving commands.

“First, attend to the elderly and children. Even if you’re slow, move while crouching. The surroundings might collapse, so protect your heads.”

Despite their panic in the urgent situation, everyone followed Sa-yoon’s instructions, bending low and moving. Even Sa-yoon found his own words unfamiliar.

This was surely his first time in such a situation, yet his response felt oddly accustomed to crisis, but now was not the time to ponder such things.

Sa-yoon moved along with the people.

“W-we’ll be alright, won’t we? Will it be okay if we go to the new village?”

A woman, supporting an elder beside her, asked tremulously. Her gaze at Sa-yoon was filled with terror. Others, too, were gripped by fear, murmuring the names of their respective deities.

“……”

He should have said that everything would be fine, that they shouldn’t worry, but the words wouldn’t leave his lips. Sa-yoon had few memories and experiences.

He had only heard that attacked villages were annihilated, but he didn’t know how urgent the situation truly was, or how much suffering the people endured.

“If we can just hold out today, we’ll be fine. We decided in the meeting that once this rescue mission is over, we’ll all withdraw from Korea and move to the battlefield.”

Min Da-hyun, who was following behind, spoke confidently. At his words, the people breathed sighs of relief. The joy of survival far outweighed the burden of leaving their homeland.

However, knowing that the escape period would last over a month, Sa-yoon could only manage an awkward smile. If the surroundings started collapsing now, could the elderly or the sick truly endure for a month?

“They’re coming from the opposite side too! It seems the escape route has been discovered.”

“Ah…”

Gasps erupted from the people as the message from the front reached them. Sa-yoon put down the luggage he was carrying.

“I’ll go to the front.”

“No, Hyung. You can’t use your ability.”

Min Da-hyun tried to stop him, but Sa-yoon shook him off.

“My body is fine now, and the aftereffects are minimal, so it’s okay.”

“Ah, it’s not because of that…”

Leaving the troubled Min Da-hyun muttering, Sa-yoon dashed forward. This was no time to worry about aftereffects when people needed saving.

By the time Sa-yoon reached the front team, Esper unit members in uniform were already blocking the building entrance, engaged in a standoff.

“Break through!”

“If you surrender now, we will apprehend you without harming civilians. Cooperate.”

“What a joke. How many people were dragged to the incinerator after believing those words?!”

The absurd attempts at persuasion escalated into a clash. Sparks flew in the narrow corridor, and winds raged.

Sa-yoon secured a flying metal plate to protect the people, then looked at the adjacent wall. If one entrance was blocked, he would simply open another.

Sa-yoon shifted the wall below a window, creating a new doorway in one section of the corridor.

“I’ll hold this off. Hurry and escape!”

“Th-thank you!”

Eyes wide at the suddenly created escape route, people scrambled to move. Several of them stared intently at Sa-yoon.

“Hyung, it looks like it’s going to collapse soon. We need to escape too.”

Compared to the trained regular Espers, those from Air Rain were little more than a disorganized mob. Their individual abilities were inferior, and they lacked coordination.

While Min Da-hyun and a few others from the military unit were fighting well, they were reaching their limit.

“Alright. Retreat when I give the signal. I’ll block off everything around us.”

The building environment was advantageous for Sa-yoon. There was ample concrete and rebar he could manipulate. While defeating the enemies might be difficult, neutralizing them was simple.

Sa-yoon confirmed Min Da-hyun’s nod as he signaled the other Air Rain members, then simultaneously lifted the floor.

“What is this?”

“The floor, no, the walls are moving!”

He narrowed the space between the second and first floors. Gathering the walls, he solidified the area where the Esper unit was, compacting it like a concrete box.

The enemies, startled by the rapidly shrinking space, stumbled backward before being completely buried within the concrete.

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