Chapter 126: When the Storm Breaks Above and Below

Only belatedly did Jeong Juhun clutch at his own throat, dry-heaving violently. Blood rushed to his head until his face flushed a deep red as he gagged again and again—but unfortunately, he couldn’t throw up the drug. Only bitter stomach acid surged up.

“Don’t worry. They said it was developed here, so the effect kicks in fast.”

Jeong Juhun, who had been rolling around on the ground for quite some time, suddenly sprang upright. Half stumbling, half running, he staggered toward Son Seongcheol as if possessed.

Son Seongcheol trembled violently, shock written all over his face. This situation had gone far beyond anything he’d prepared himself for. He felt like biting his tongue and passing out would be preferable.

Half out of his mind, Son Seongcheol didn’t even react as Jeong Juhun rummaged through his clothes. At last, Jeong Juhun pulled out an object wrapped in cloth from his pocket.

It was the syringe Park Jichan had handed over. Keeping it just in case it became evidence had turned out to be a fatal mistake.

“That won’t do.”

Whoosh. A rough gust of wind slapped his hand aside. The syringe rolled across the dirt. Jeong Juhun, gasping for breath, struggled desperately to reach it.

The drug that supposedly activated the sympathetic nervous system was already taking effect. A crushing pain squeezed his heart. Thump, thump—each violent beat sent vibrations rattling through his skull. Clutching his head, which burned like a ticking time bomb, Jeong Juhun finally collapsed helplessly to the ground.

Crawling on his knees, he reached the syringe and, with a violently trembling hand, aimed the needle at his arm.

“I said no.”

This time, Park Jichan kicked his hand away. Ting—the syringe skidded even farther off.

“Why be such a killjoy? You’re not even scared.”

Having finally snapped out of it, Son Seongcheol grabbed Park Jichan’s threatening arm. Though he staggered backward, Park Jichan quickly regained his balance, cursing viciously as he raised his hand.

“You son of a—!”

But Son Seongcheol didn’t back down. Gritting his teeth, he lunged forward and clung to Park Jichan’s waist. He couldn’t just stand by and watch Jeong Juhun suffer.

Annoyed, Park Jichan twisted his body, but Son Seongcheol clung on like a leech, getting flung around without letting go.

Just as Park Jichan was about to use his ability, a blast of searing heat swept through.

The syringe slipped uselessly from Jeong Juhun’s hand, and his body went limp, collapsing like a corpse. Flames began to spread viciously around him.

“…Hey! Wake up! Hey, hey!”

Son Seongcheol, who hadn’t even properly introduced himself to Jeong Juhun yet, called out to him desperately. But the fallen body didn’t stir.

Taking advantage of the moment, Park Jichan retreated. The sound of a helicopter echoed overhead once more. Pulling back before stabilizing itself, the helicopter charged in Park Jichan’s direction.

But this time, the gun barrels weren’t aimed at Park Jichan.

They were aimed at Jeong Juhun.

Seeing that, Park Jichan brushed off his hands as if his work was done and stepped farther away.

Only Son Seongcheol, helpless before the flickering flames, ran around frantically nearby.

Fire caught on the grass and trees, and that spark became the starting point as the blaze spread wider and wider.

“Stop it!”

Someone shouted desperately. Splaash—water poured down belatedly, but it was nowhere near enough to extinguish the fire.

Lee Wonjae clenched his teeth and poured out every drop of water he had stored. Soaking the trees just before the flames could reach them, he barely managed to protect them from the inferno.

But soon, Park Jichan began pouring wind into the fire. Riding the currents, the flames spread with terrifying ease.

Flap—flutter.

From a distant part of the forest, birds sensing danger took off in flocks.

The muzzles of the special forces in the helicopter swung back toward Park Jichan. They shouted at the top of their lungs.

“If you don’t stop immediately, we will open fire!”

Park Jichan answered by raising his middle finger. At the same moment, bullets grazed past him—clearly deliberate warning shots.

Licking the corner of his mouth with his tongue, Park Jichan tilted his head back. A whirlwind surged up, lifting the helicopter higher and higher, pushing it away from the sea of fire below.

“……”

At that moment, Park Jichan’s eyebrow twitched upward. Someone was blocking his wind. From the opposite direction of where he was pushing, a force just as strong began to blow back.

Park Jichan looked around and locked eyes with Shin Yoonjae, who was glaring at him fiercely. Recognizing him as the man who had been shielding that reckless rookie hunter earlier, Park Jichan let out a scoff.

“Birds of a feather, huh.”

Determined to teach them their place, Park Jichan increased the intensity of the wind even further.

Shin Yoonjae’s body lurched violently. Feeling the counterwind falter, Park Jichan curled his lips into a smile.

That should’ve gotten the message across.

But it was nothing more than his own misjudgment. Shin Yoonjae’s wind surged again, growing even stronger. While Park Jichan focused on forcing aside the nuisance, Lee Wonjae—who had just returned from a nearby reservoir with a teleportation ability user—poured down a massive torrent of water.

An overwhelming volume of water, nothing like before, crashed down like a tidal wave and swallowed the flames whole. Leaving only small embers behind, the fire was swiftly extinguished.

Soaked from head to toe, Park Jichan sucked in a sharp breath.

“Ha…!”

Seeing the water dripping steadily from his body, he let out a hollow laugh.

Up until now, Park Jichan had only been using abilities within the limits he could control. He knew exactly where the threshold lay before spiraling into a rampage—that was why it had been possible.

He glared murderously at the crowd gathered before him. Drawing power up from his core, his blood began to surge hot and fast.

Veins bulged grotesquely beneath his skin, as if they might burst out at any moment.

“Uaaaah!”

Standing at the eye of the storm, he pushed the tempest outward in rippling waves.

It was a disaster—a calamity.

Those caught in the wind felt as if their bodies were being torn to shreds. Lifted helplessly into the air, they were flung about like rag dolls.

The abilities they used in desperation to survive became tangled in the wind, turning against one another.

Throwing his head back, Park Jichan burst into loud laughter. Bullets rained down on him like a storm. Spotting the helicopter circling above the tempest, he reached out his hand. The wind that surged upward soon swallowed the helicopter whole.

It was absolute pandemonium.

Seong Jiwoo and Yoo Heero looked up at the same time. Strange, ominous sounds were echoing from above the building. Amid the ear-splitting blare of the fire alarm, massive vibrations shook the air, as if something were collapsing.

“Don’t tell me the building’s collapsing?”

Seong Jiwoo asked with a stiff expression, but no answer came. The door that had opened easily when they entered wouldn’t budge now.

“It must lock automatically when the fire alarm goes off.”

Designed for fire prevention, the door didn’t move no matter how much force they applied. The handle itself had fallen off and lay rolling on the floor, as if it had been designed that way.

“It’s useless. They probably made it so abilities don’t work either.”

The fire alarm was just a name—functionally, it was a lockdown system. When the lab judged that it could no longer contain what was happening in the basement, the shutters would automatically drop.

All passages leading underground would be sealed off, then buried. Erasing every trace as if the basement had never existed in the first place—that was the lab’s classified policy.

That was why all the researchers had fled the basement. Once the alarm sounded, total lockdown was the rule, regardless of who was inside.

Only the three of them, unaware of that fact, had been left trapped below.

“It doesn’t look like we can open it from inside… Someone has to open it from outside.”

“Is there anyone outside?”

“…No.”

Seong Jiwoo recalled that he hadn’t encountered a single person when they entered. He cursed himself for being so careless—he should’ve anticipated something was wrong.

“You remember what you said before, hyung.”

“…What did I say this time?”

Now, every time Yoo Heero brought something like that up, it scared him. Wondering if another past remark was about to come back to bite him, Seong Jiwoo asked tensely. Yoo Heero chuckled softly.

“That I could probably lift a school with my ability.”

“…I guess I might’ve said something like that.”

As usual, he couldn’t really remember.

“…When did I say that?”

“Hmm, around when we were seriously meditating and training?”

“…You really have a good memory.”

At Seong Jiwoo’s half-lamenting words, Yoo Heero joked that how could he forget anything related to his hyung. Seong Jiwoo muttered something about maybe forgetting just a little being nice—but it clearly didn’t land.

“Anyway… I’m thinking of lifting this building. What do you think?”

“I think you’re insane.”

Seong Jiwoo scolded him, saying that with his current physical and ability condition, it was utter nonsense. Normally, Yoo Heero would obediently say he’d listen to his hyung—but this time, he only smiled awkwardly without answering. Alarmed, Seong Jiwoo snapped again.

“Don’t do it. If you do, you’ll go into a rampage immediately.”

Yoo Heero couldn’t deny it. He could feel his shadow wavering, proof that he couldn’t fully contain the power leaking out.

Using his ability recklessly right now would mean an uncontrollable rampage—on a completely different level from the last blackout. He knew it instinctively.

“For now…”

Yoo Heero took a step back.

“No ‘for now’ or anything else. I’ll find a way, no matter what.”

“Then if you can’t find a way, can I do what I want?”

“No.”

“…Why not?”

“Because you’ll choose the option that puts you in danger.”

By now, Seong Jiwoo knew Yoo Heero well enough. He didn’t fully understand him yet, but he could predict his actions and words.

Hit right on the mark, Yoo Heero pouted. Even in this situation, his composure was worryingly characteristic of him—like leaving a child unattended near deep water.

“Stay right next to me.”

It meant: don’t do anything stupid, stay where I can see you. The moment he heard it, Yoo Heero moved right up against him.

He was still holding Jeong Suhan in his arms.

Bang!

Something slammed into the heavy steel door. Seong Jiwoo threw out an arm in front of Yoo Heero and stepped back.

“Dangerous.”

Crash!

The steel door shook violently again, but it still didn’t budge.

Craaaash!

Realizing it wouldn’t work, the impacts shifted to the wall beside the door. Bang, bang—cracks began to spread.

Boom!

Concrete crumbled, and the wall finally gave way. Through a hole about the size of two human heads, something leapt inside.

Seeing what it was, Seong Jiwoo’s face twisted in disbelief.

“…Why is he here…?”

“Woong!”

Pilgrim barked loudly as his eyes met Seong Jiwoo’s. Shaking his body, he sent cement dust flying in all directions.

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