Chapter 114: Unexpected Reunion and a Bold Escape Plan

“Sa-yoon, do you know them?”

“I do know them, but I’d really rather pretend I don’t.”

Without a moment to indulge in sentimentality after his memories returned, the stray pup he had raised came bounding over. He had always teased Kang Ah-jun about being like a dog; perhaps he had truly transformed into one.

Finding himself in a situation that felt less like a serious drama and more like a sudden sitcom, Sa-yoon took a deep breath and shouted, “Quiet, Kang Ah-jun!”

“Team Leader!”

Kang Ah-jun came sprinting over, his large frame thudding against the ground as he rushed to embrace Sa-yoon tightly.

“I knew it! Our Team Leader couldn’t possibly be dead. I was right. Damn it…”

Kang Ah-jun’s murmuring voice grew increasingly watery. It seemed the tension that had made him act brave and brazen had finally released, for he clung to Sa-yoon’s shoulder for a long time, wetting it with tears like a large dog reunited with its owner after a long separation.

Finally composing himself, Kang Ah-jun wiped away the tear streaks with his forearm and grinned.

“Ah, that feels good.”

“Had a good cry, have we?”

“You haven’t changed, Team Leader. To be so cold after such a touching reunion!”

‘Touching,’ indeed. Sa-yoon bit back the urge to declare that his reunion with Kang Ah-jun was the most absurd and bewildering of all his reunions thus far. He patted Kang Ah-jun’s shoulder.

“How did you know I was here?”

“I saw your back on the CCTV footage and immediately thought, ‘That’s definitely Team Leader Sa-yoon.'”

“‘Your intuition is truly animalistic.'”

Receiving what was perhaps not quite a compliment, Kang Ah-jun’s lips curled into a wide grin that reached his cheekbones. His expression was one of pure happiness.

“Right? Chae-jun said it couldn’t be you, but no matter how many times I looked, it was clearly the Team Leader. He made such a fuss all by himself. In the end, his eyes are just knot holes.”

“Kim Chae-jun?”

Sa-yoon uttered the name, filled with a sense of longing. Kim Chae-jun had been particularly devoted to Sa-yoon, so he must have suffered greatly after Sa-yoon’s disappearance. He had been one of the people Sa-yoon felt most conflicted about when he chose to flee reality.

Kang Ah-jun gripped Sa-yoon’s arm, pulling him from his melancholic thoughts, and declared resolutely, “Anyway, I’m staying here. If the Team Leader is here, then I’m here too. Whether it’s the government or the Alliance, we just have to smash them all, right?”

His attitude showed not a single shred of lingering attachment to the organizations he had once served. Sa-yoon, feeling a complex mix of emotions, unsure whether to be pleased or concerned, asked, “Are you sure about that? What about your family and the people around you?”

“Wow…”

Kang Ah-jun’s jaw dropped. His eyes widened as he blinked at Sa-yoon.

“Team Leader. I don’t have a family. Or friends.”

This wasn’t likely the first time Sa-yoon had heard this, and he must have known it before, yet it was absent from his current memories. Sa-yoon was reminded anew of his past indifference to those around him, and he offered an awkward laugh.

“Ah, I see. Well, you might have been separated from your family early. You must have had a tough childhood.”

“You really don’t know anything. It’s so typical of our Team Leader that it almost makes me happy to see you again.”

Grinning, Kang Ah-jun crossed his arms and nodded. “Team Leader, you know the conditions for my ability to manifest, right?”

“It’s touching the blood of the person you want to copy.”

“That’s right.”

Kang Ah-jun’s ability was replication. If he came into contact with another ability user’s blood, he could adopt their power. He had even once attempted to collect blood samples from famous ability users.

Sa-yoon recalled Kang Ah-jun disappearing full of enthusiasm, only to return disappointed a few days later. He had discovered that he couldn’t replicate abilities from blood that had been shed for a certain period.

His power allowed him to copy an opponent’s ability only when touching freshly spilled blood. This very fact made many people wary of Kang Ah-jun.

“The first ability I ever replicated was wind. And my father was a wind mage.”

“Ah…”

“I replicated it with the blood my father shed while dying to protect me.”

The old story quieted the surrounding atmosphere. The people who had been observing Kang Ah-jun with curious eyes now lowered their heads in solemn respect.

“It’s nothing. My father was an Esper active in the provinces, so he faced a lot of opposition. He simply lost in a power struggle. I was so disillusioned by it that I immediately enlisted with the government.”

Speaking of his difficult past as if it were inconsequential, Kang Ah-jun continued, “Anyway, because of that ability, I had no choice but to be alone in the unit. They called me the guy who ‘devoured’ his father and survived with his power. Plus, with my replication ability, everyone found me awkward to be around. Well, Chae-jun and the Team Leader never seemed to care, though.”

Kang Ah-jun smiled even more brightly at Sa-yoon.

“If you hadn’t been there, I would have run away long ago. So, it’s only natural that I’m with you now. I shouted for them to expel me, so you have to take responsibility.”

“Ah-jun…”

Sa-yoon looked at Kang Ah-jun, who was smiling without a single crease of worry, and carefully chose his words. Between words of comfort and words of gratitude, he opted for words directed at the future.

“It’s going to be very difficult. For the next month, we’ll be trapped here, fighting Esper units, and supplies will be scarce. Will you be alright?”

“Oh, I’ll be fine. There are only a few guys in the unit stronger than me anyway. Hmm, Han Do-hoon might be a bit troublesome. He’s ridiculously strong. But Team Leader Sa-yoon will handle that, right? Hahaha.”

It had been mere hours since he shed his uniform, yet Kang Ah-jun was already treating Han Do-hoon as an immediate enemy to be defeated. Sa-yoon, forgetting the grave atmosphere, laughed along with Kang Ah-jun at his swift change of allegiance.

“But Team Leader, why are we staying here for a month? It would be better to escape immediately. My current ability is a replication of yours, so I found you rather quickly, but the others will surely catch up soon.”

“There’s no way out.”

Korea was a peninsula. The North Korean side was already a desolate wasteland. The only way out was by sea, but that path was far from easy.

Kang Ah-jun, who had been cocking his head at Sa-yoon’s mention of transportation arriving in a month, stretched out his hand to the east.

“If that’s the problem, let’s go now. There’s a ship docked in the East Sea.”

“Huh?”

“I am, after all, a team leader, so I keep track of the locations of docked warships. Let’s take that and leave.”

Sa-yoon and the people around him stared at Kang Ah-jun with dumbfounded expressions at his utterly unconventional suggestion. Kang Ah-jun, who had just proposed hijacking a ship owned by the Esper Alliance, curved his lips into a villainous smirk.

“Why the surprise? You claim to be a terrorist organization, so what’s the big deal about hijacking a single ship? Are you so timid you can’t even properly detonate a bomb?”

Kang Tae-han, who had been observing their conversation, countered in a weary voice, “Well, we’re not actually a terrorist organization… Ugh. Where do I even begin to explain this?”

Kang Tae-han sighed softly, lamenting that while people had joined Air Lane knowing its true nature, this was the first time someone had voluntarily sought to join a *real* terrorist group.

Unaware of Kang Tae-han’s inner turmoil, Kang Ah-jun urged them once more, “What are you waiting for? If we leave now, we’ll reach the harbor before sunset. I’ll create a diversion, so let’s get the elderly and infirm on board first.”

“…Alright.”

Sa-yoon nodded, watching the vibrant Kang Ah-jun. He truly hadn’t changed. The man he saw after so long was still mischievous and lively. Feeling his own spirits lift, Sa-yoon nodded to Kang Tae-han.

“Brother. Get ready.”

“I don’t know if this is the right move. But since there’s no other way, I’ll tell everyone to leave immediately. It’s better than suffering here for a month.”

With his mind made up, Kang Tae-han turned around and began organizing the people. Though surprised, the villagers showed signs of joy at the command to pack their belongings and move. Hopeful that they wouldn’t have to endure a month as fugitives, they busily began to move.

“Reporting, sir.”

A team member saluted crisply and unfurled a report before Kim Chae-jun.

“The Daejeon Detention Center, from the pillars embedded in the ground, has been completely dismantled and cannot be restored. A report recommends scouting for a new location.”

“I already know that. Next.”

Kim Chae-jun spoke irritably, urging the next report.

“The location of the warship A-35 K, which was hijacked recently, has not yet been determined. One of the hijackers has been identified as former Esper Team Leader Kang Ah-jun.”

“Haa…”

Kim Chae-jun clutched his head and slumped onto his desk, letting out a small curse. When things went wrong, they went wrong endlessly. The team member, observing him repeatedly tapping his small forehead against the desk, quietly backed out of the room, sensing the mood.

“This is driving me crazy.”

In less than a week, multiple incidents had erupted simultaneously, giving Kim Chae-jun a splitting headache.

It had all started with the shocking news that the Busan Incineration Plant was partially destroyed. At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it.

He had anticipated an attack, knowing that Air Lane remnants were imprisoned there, and he had even sent Kang Ah-jun to prepare for it. When he heard the incinerator had collapsed, he merely assumed Air Lane’s capabilities were better than expected, without thinking much of it.

Thanks to Korea’s small landmass, finding a new sanctuary for Air Lane wouldn’t be difficult. He believed the problem could be resolved by moving to Korea with Vice Commander Han Do-hoon and taking immediate action. But the real issues began after that.

Team Leader Han Do-hoon, who had gone to deal with Air Lane, returned in a seemingly broken state. Before they could even properly ascertain the reason for his sudden change, the Daejeon Detention Center was attacked.

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