Chapter 134: Unexpected Attack

When he had finally calmed himself and opened his eyes with a deep breath—

“We’ll be arriving at the scene shortly.”

A voice came from the front seat.

It was time to prove that all the support pouring toward him, the consideration of those around him, and Jin Su-ha’s trust, had not been meaningless.

****

By the time Chaewon arrived, rescue operations were already in full swing.

On one side, interrogations and investigations were underway to understand the situation, while a rescue team of espers and ordinary firefighters moved busily around the scene.

The moment he stepped out of the car, a wave of heat rushed straight into his face.

He had seen the situation through reports and screens, but the real scene felt completely different in its overwhelming intensity.

Even though the responders had set up barricades and were trying to control the area, the surroundings were even more chaotic because curious citizens refused to move back and kept watching the burning building.

Even though Chaewon had experienced an esper terrorism incident in the city before, it had only been once. This was his first time facing a disaster on this scale.

For a moment his ears rang, and he stood there blankly.

Then someone approached him quickly from a distance.

“I’m Seo Jin-wook, leader of the rescue team. Esper Lee Chaewon, we’ve been waiting for you.”

Even without introductions, he recognized Chaewon immediately. It seemed he had already been informed of Chaewon’s arrival.

Only after hearing his name did Chaewon snap back to his senses.

He bowed his head slightly in greeting.

“I’m Lee Chaewon. I’m still inexperienced, but I’ll do my best.”

“For now, please prioritize rescuing the people requesting help from the rooftop and windows.”

“Yes. Understood.”

Chaewon hadn’t come here today to execute some grand strategy.

He had never properly trained as part of a field team, nor could he claim real experience at a disaster site.

Unlike the other responders here, he couldn’t move in perfect coordination and accomplish many things at once.

He had simply come to use his ability to save even one more person from the building as quickly as possible.

That alone was enough.

Telling himself not to interfere or make mistakes by trying to do too much, Chaewon followed one of the team members who had received Jin-wook’s signal and began walking toward the designated spot.

“If you feel even the slightest strain on your body, tell me immediately. In situations like this, things can become dangerous much faster than usual.”

“Okay. I will.”

Tae-jun, who had come in Su-ha’s place, stayed close beside Chaewon.

For a moment, Chaewon couldn’t help thinking how helpful it would be if he were receiving Su-ha’s guidance right now, but he quickly pushed the thought away.

This wasn’t the time to be spoiled.

Just having Tae-jun come with him like this was already something to be grateful for.

With a determined expression, Chaewon steadied himself.

In the distance, people had opened windows high up in the building and were desperately waving clothing to signal for rescue.

Espers with flight abilities were moving busily, and helicopters were also involved in the operation. But strong winds were feeding the flames, and the sheer number of people made the situation far from easy.

“Whew…”

Chaewon closed his eyes for a moment and let out a deep breath.

It was his way of calming the urgency rising in his chest, the desperate desire to save people as quickly as possible.

He couldn’t rush in recklessly.

He couldn’t let his concentration slip.

More than anything, he needed to judge his own condition with absolute clarity.

If he misjudged how much longer he could endure and collapsed in the middle of transporting people, the result would be catastrophic.

Finally, after calming his mind, Chaewon opened his eyes again.

“Th-there…!”

Someone in the gathered crowd suddenly shouted.

In an instant, countless gazes that had been scattered around the raging fire turned toward one place.

There stood a man surrounded by a dazzling blue light.

“A telekinesis-type esper!”

“It’s Lee Chaewon!”

Soon, voices began spreading the name of the esper who had only recently revealed himself to the world.

Ever since the press conference that had caused such a stir, he had rarely appeared in public, leaving many people curious.

Now, the countless phones that had been filming the burning building naturally shifted toward the single glowing figure.

“I’ll begin the rescue.”

But as if all the commotion had nothing to do with him, Chaewon calmly announced the start and stretched both hands forward.

The light surrounding his body shot toward the direction of his outstretched hands.

First, his power protected the people inside the window and then shattered the large pane of glass.

The small opening that had existed before was far too narrow to pull even one person through.

Carefully preventing anyone from being injured by the shards, or falling through the broken window, Chaewon slowly began rescuing people.

Simply lifting and moving people wrapped in his power wasn’t particularly difficult.

As the number of people he moved at once increased, he could feel pressure from the weight, but it wasn’t overwhelming.

Without nosebleeds or any visible side effects, Chaewon continued the rescue calmly.

Every time someone’s feet touched the ground after escaping the shadow of death right in front of them…

Every time he heard the tearful thanks they poured out without even knowing who they were speaking to…

Chaewon’s heart pounded.

He was still lacking in so many ways.

Compared to the reputation of an S-class, it was almost pitiful, too insignificant to even call a true achievement.

And yet.

Chaewon was saving people.

For now, that alone was enough.

“There are no more people requesting rescue on this side of the outer wall. I’ll move to another side.”

After safely lowering the last group who had been waiting at the windows, Chaewon spoke to the rescue team member assisting him with communications.

Then he started to move.

“Esper…! Thank you- thank you so much!”

At that moment, someone quickly approached Chaewon as he passed by the people he had just rescued.

It was one of the survivors he had saved.

His injuries weren’t severe, so while the more urgent patients were being treated first, he had been waiting nearby.

“Do not leave your position!”

Someone shouted from behind, but the survivor ignored it.

He rushed toward Chaewon, who had paused briefly at the sound of his voice, and suddenly grabbed Chaewon’s hand.

“You saved my life… thank you… sob… thank you so much…”

Overwhelmed at having survived death, the man crouched down and sobbed repeatedly while thanking him.

Instinctively, Chaewon raised a hand and gently patted his back.

“It’s nothing. Please calm down first and get treated-”

That was when it happened.

A strange sense of unease.

Chaewon abruptly stopped speaking.

It felt like a sharp, tearing sound slicing through the air near his ears.

And he instantly recognized what that sensation meant.

An esper.

It was the exact same feeling he had sensed when detecting the esper responsible for the previous terrorist attack.

It was completely different from the many espers surrounding them now.

A different nature entirely.

An alarm rang instinctively inside his mind.

Danger.

Where?

Where was it?

Chaewon’s eyes darted rapidly around.

“I think it’s here-”

As he began to warn Tae-jun and the rescue team member beside him, Chaewon suddenly realized something.

The man crouching in front of him had gone completely silent.

“Get away!”

There was no time to think.

Chaewon shoved Tae-jun and the rescue team member beside him away and shouted.

It was pure instinct.

A reflexive action.

At the same time, he immediately gathered power into his body.

He had no clear thought, no plan for how to respond.

But he felt he had to.

Yet the man who had raised his head and met Chaewon’s eyes was smiling.

At the same moment…

Thud.

With that unfamiliar sound, a cold pain shot through Chaewon’s side.

“Chaewon!”

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