OF COURSE, Moon Noa was aware that no Awakened Person was sane.
It’s inevitable for us to lose a few screws after all the shits that we’ve gone through.
However, seeing a fellow Guide gun down children without even flinching was still another level of crazy.
It was one of the most horrible things Moon Noa had seen in his entire life.
For the first time in his life, he felt the strong urge to kill a person with his own hands.
"Yosef Lee— I’ll kill you."
While Moon Noa was uttering that threat in a low and inhumane cold tone, Ryu Sungbin had already moved to save the remaining children.
The Esper blocked the bullets with a huge wall of fire, melting the bullets in the process.
Only then did Yosef Lee finally stopped shooting, and then the scumbag looked down at Moon Noa and Ryu Sungbin.
"I knew we should have killed you the moment you refused to join the Lab, Noa-ssi."
That statement almost made Ryu Sungbin attack the man, but Moon Noa stopped his lover.
He wasn’t protecting Yosef Lee, of course.
It’s just that corpses can’t talk.
"Did you show this cruelty to those kids?"
Moon Noa was asking about the two Rogue kids that he met earlier— the Rampaging Esper and the female Esper who accused him of being late.
Yosef Lee seemed to know whom he was talking about.
"Ah, so you’ve met Lee Hansol and Nam Sori," Yosef Lee said casually. "Did those kids ask for help, too?"
No, they didn’t.
But Moon Noa kept his mouth shut and just let Yosef Lee talk.
"Lee Hansol used to be a part of the Lab before he escaped after leading a rebellion in one of the Death Camps— the rebellion that Noh Yihun started."
’Noh Yihun.’
That was the name that Moon Noa had been looking for.
Noh Yihun is our house helper’s adoptive son, and he’s the one who sent me that S.O.S letter.
"You’re here because Noh Yihun asked for your help, right?"
Yosef Lee was correct this time, but Moon Noa remained silent.
"No wonder the Rogue Clan is here. I heard Noh Yihun also became good friends with Nam Sori while they were at the Death Camp. Did you join hands with the Rogue Clan to save Noh Yihun, Noa-ssi?"
He didn’t, but Moon Noa had no reason to answer Yosef Lee’s question.
And I want him to think that the Rogue Clan is with us. That rebel group must be small, but their roster of unregistered Espers is good.
The kids that he met earlier had interesting skills, too.
Especially the Rampaging Esper who had the ability to control shadow beasts.
It’s ’Lee Hansol,’ isn’t it?
"If you’re here to save Noh Yihun, then you’re already too late," Yosef Lee said, and then the crazy bastard pointed his gun at his own head. "Noa-ssi, you can’t stop the post-apocalyptic evolution of the human race."
Moon Noa couldn’t care less about what Yosef Lee was saying.
Only one thing mattered at the moment.
"Ryu Sungbin!"
Moon Noa didn’t have to say anything else.
Ryu Sungbin moved fast and tried to stop Yosef Lee from killing himself, but it was already too late.
That bastard pointing the gun at himself seemed to be a distraction, though.
Moon Noa got the chills when he noticed the rapid increase in Yosef Lee’s Mana.
"Ryu Sungbin, get back here!"
Fortunately, it seemed like Ryu Sungbin had already noticed the abnormal spike in Yosef Lee’s Mana. Hence, Ryu Sungbin was already on his way back to Moon Noa’s side even before he shouted for him to get back.
And his lover didn’t only return to his side.
Ryu Sungbin also hugged Moon Noa tightly while creating layers and layers of thick barriers as if he were bracing himself from something.
That something turned out to be Yosef Lee’s self-combustion.
Yes, that scumbag’s body combusted after his Mana exploded.
It seemed like Yosef Lee planted a bomb in his Core, causing a huge explosion.
Hence, the ground shook hard and debris flew everywhere.
That was why Ryu Sungbin created layers of thick barriers to protect Moon Noa from the strong impact of the explosion.
And that impact lasted for a few minutes.
Dammit.
"He’s gone," Ryu Sungbin said after breaking their embrace. Then he looked over his shoulder. "That bastard has already turned to ashes, but I’ll still check if he’s really dead."
Moon Noa nodded. "Be careful, Sungbin-ah."
***
"HYUNG, open the door."
All of a sudden, Yihun felt like he was in a horror movie while listening to Bambi who was on the other side of the door— asking to be let in.
If you were me, would you open the door?
When Yihun remained dead silent...
BANG!
That crazy pink-haired child slammed the door hard again.
And it seems like the door is about to collapse at any moment.
"Noh Yihun, go."
Yihun looked at Ho Jungwon with furrowed brows. "Go where?"
"Just follow your siblings."
There must be a secret room in that basement that Yihun didn’t know about.
To be honest, he didn’t mind going.
However...
"How about you, Juwon-ssi?"
"I’ll try to hold back Bambi as long as I can."
"But you’re a Guide."
"I am, but I’m still an Awakened Person. And I’ve always been a bit physically stronger than other Guides," Ho Jungwon said, a faint smile spreading across his face. "I had to be fit and strong because it wasn’t easy guiding someone like Ki Gayoon-ssi."
I remember seeing a few news clips of Ki Gayoon and Ho Jungwon before.
You’re still ’going down,’ after all.
***
Just how many secret lower floors does the Lab have?
Jars?
Guides’ Cores, to be precise.
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