Chapter 72: The Night the Sirens Rang

After thoroughly turning my insides upside down, Kwon Yiyul finally regained his usual composure.

Using the same hand that had been touching my face, he pressed lightly against my bleeding lower lip before signaling Kim Seokhwan with a tilt of his chin.

Kim Seokhwan stared at me briefly with complicated emotions swirling in his eyes before silently turning away and heading toward the helipad on the center’s top floor.

Before leaving, he added that if they got delayed any longer, there really would be no saving the situation.

“…Bastard.”

As Kwon Yiyul brushed past me, the hem of his coat still carried the cool scent of shower cologne.

That evening, maybe because Kwon Yiyul’s words lingered too heavily in my mind, I had another nightmare.

I’d fallen asleep almost like fainting under the effects of medication, so no matter how desperately I wanted to wake up, my eyes refused to open.

Once again, I found myself standing alone in the corner of a ruined plaza, staring blankly at an ominous full moon dyed crimson red.

The color was so dark and vivid it felt as though the entire world had been soaked in blood.

Tap—

Trying to shake off the ominous feeling and escape somehow, I began wandering aimlessly.

But no matter how far I walked, the scenery never changed.

Or perhaps the same scenery was simply repeating endlessly.

This was a dream — a fabricated world.

What impossible thing could even exist here?

Thunk—

‘Ah, I’m sorry.’

Lost in thought while staring at the ground, I accidentally slammed shoulders with someone standing directly in front of me.

Snapping back to my senses, I quickly apologized and looked up.

‘…What…?’

Something about the person’s appearance felt horribly out of place.

This was clearly the middle of a conflict zone.

That meant the person in front of me should’ve been either a refugee or one of the shelter residents.

But instead of ragged clothes hanging apart at the seams, the woman wore extravagant garments fit for a resident of the Upper District — more specifically, someone from District 1’s Relief Special Zone.

Expensive-looking accessories dangled from her neck and arms, and the silk draped over her body was so luxurious that even a glance made it obvious ordinary people could never afford it.

‘Ah… ah….’

But her long hair completely covered her face, making it impossible to see her clearly.

Judging from the weak groans escaping her lips, she appeared badly injured.

Even if this was just a dream and she wasn’t real, I couldn’t simply ignore her and walk away.

I carefully supported the staggering woman before brushing the tangled hair behind her shoulder to check her condition.

‘…What….’

The moment I saw her face, my entire body erupted in goosebumps.

It genuinely felt like every hair from head to toe stood on end.

She had no eyes.

More precisely, the places where her eyes should’ve been were hollowed out deeply, as though they’d been pecked away by the sharp beak of a bird of prey.

And from those empty holes, blood streamed endlessly downward.

The dark stains splattered across her blouse weren’t patterns at all.

They were blood.

‘Ah, ahhh… aaah…!’

Horrified, I instinctively shoved the woman away.

But she refused to release me so easily.

Her neatly manicured fingers tightly grabbed my collar as her teeth clattered together, as though she desperately wanted to say something.

Even inside the dream, it felt like a rotten stench seeped from her body.

Panicking, I twisted violently in an attempt to escape.

Then the woman’s hands multiplied.

Three.
Four.
More and more.

They wrapped around my body like restraints, threatening to crush me completely.

Flash—

“…Hah, hah…!”

That was when I finally woke up.

Just as the woman’s hands wrapped around my neck and her voice echoed beside my ear like air filling ruined lungs, I snapped awake from the nightmare.

I must’ve sweated excessively in my sleep because cold sweat clung even to my eyelids, blurring my vision badly.

Still unable to tell whether I was awake or dreaming, I grabbed my phone from the bedside table to check the time.

1:30 AM.

I’d only meant to rest briefly after eating porridge for dinner, but apparently I’d fallen fully asleep.

Boom—

Rumble—

“…What now?”

As I checked my notifications to see if anyone had contacted me, a massive warning alarm suddenly exploded through the building.

The pager inside my pants pocket also began shrieking loudly like a siren.

This alarm was only used when emergencies occurred inside the center or when large numbers of field staff were required to respond immediately.

The moment it sounded, every field operative had to rush to the first-floor plaza and await instructions.

“All field personnel are to proceed immediately to the first-floor plaza and identify your team affiliation.”

“All field personnel are to proceed immediately to the first-floor plaza and identify your team affiliation.”

The sharp voice echoing through the speakers aggressively urged everyone into motion.

Throwing a thick cardigan over my shoulders, I hurried into the hallway and squeezed into the elevator while avoiding the frantic crowd running through the corridors.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one caught off guard.

The expressions of the other field staff inside the elevator were equally stiff with tension.

The heavy atmosphere made breathing feel difficult.

Ding—

“…Haa.”

The instant the elevator reached the first floor, everyone rushed out.

In front of the plaza’s giant control tower display, dozens of field team members had already gathered.

“The footage you are about to see was recorded approximately thirty minutes ago at the site of the terrorist attack that occurred in District 2’s Relief Special Zone. As you can see, the remaining members of the terrorist group responsible for last December’s department store attack have relocated their operations and launched another assault — this time targeting the International Bank located inside District 2’s Relief Special Zone. Furthermore, the terrorists have reportedly installed homemade explosives across several high-rise buildings while continuing negotiations with military forces. Their actions have shocked the nation, further escalating public fear and anxiety.”

The reporter’s voice echoed loudly through the plaza as footage from the International Bank — one of District 2’s symbolic landmarks — played across the screen.

Every news network was already running headlines announcing that the remnants of the department store terrorists had resurfaced in District 2 for another attack.

Violent whirlwinds of dust howled through the streets while torrential rain obscured the camera lens.

“f*ck, let go of me!”

Inside the shaking footage was Park Suchang, wildly scaling the side of a building.

Spotting terrorists carrying explosives toward civilians, he ripped steel beams straight out of the building and hurled them with monstrous force.

A deafening crash followed as the enormous beams slammed directly into the terrorists.

The impact caused chunks of debris to collapse across evacuation routes, blocking civilians attempting to flee.

One wrong move and innocent people could easily be dragged into the disaster.

“…I thought he went to visit his family home. Why the hell is he there…?”

“As you can see, Attack Team 3 Esper Park Suchang — dispatched by the center to rescue civilians — appears to have lost control, causing harm not only to terrorists but potentially to civilians as well. Public debate is rapidly escalating over whether this constitutes an Esper rampage. Online portals are already flooding with related articles, and public attention is currently focused on statements from the center director’s representatives. Experts predict the situation will not settle anytime soon. We now turn to reporter Kim Sojung for further details.”

As more people gathered in the plaza after hearing the news, panic spread every time Park Suchang rampaged across the screen.

Control tower staff and administrative personnel looked utterly overwhelmed while juggling nonstop media calls and official statements.

Feeling my phone vibrating inside my jacket pocket, I hurriedly answered it.

As expected, Kim Seokhwan’s tense voice immediately rang through the speaker.

“…H-Hello.”

— Han Jaeyoon. Is that you? Can you hear me?

“Yes. I can hear you. Go ahead.”

— According to the tracker, you’re still inside the center, right?

“Yes.”

— Good. Then get to the Guiding Room immediately. I’m bringing Park Suchang there myself.

The eyes of everyone watching the control tower screen widened in horror.

Just when things seemed to calm slightly, Park Suchang suddenly charged directly into the terrorists again and erupted violently once more.

Being a physical enhancement Esper, he possessed a body practically invulnerable to ordinary explosions.

Ignoring the blasts entirely, he sprinted across building walls at terrifying speed while dismantling explosives installed throughout the structures.

His movements were so fast they were nearly impossible to follow with the naked eye.

— Hey. Han Jaeyoon.

“Where are Kwon Yiyul and Choi Siram right now?”

— Choi Siram’s at the scene trying to guide Park Suchan. Honestly, Park Suchan’s condition is way worse than Park Suchang’s right now. Looks like he exhausted himself trying to stop his brother. And Kwon Yiyul… haah. That bastard disappeared after the council meeting. Right now we have no idea where he is.

“…I see. Then are you heading back to the center immediately?”

— No. I was patrolling the lower districts and only just started returning, so I can’t make it immediately. Wait another ten minutes, and I’ll contact you again once we’re close.

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