* * *

“When we realized the voice of the dead was actually Heewon’s voice, we were utterly shocked.”

It turned out to be quite a straightforward piece of advice.

Delaying any longer would have only left room for further scrutiny.

Using the alleged “threat call” as justification, the civilians were swiftly evacuated.

This decision proved to be the right one.

The gate appeared precisely in the area designated by the “voice of the dead.”

By then, however, over 80% of those in the area had either relocated outside the danger zone or taken shelter in designated safe zones.

Even those caught in the gate’s emergence were rescued faster than expected.

Strangely, many civilians were found gathered near the gate’s entrance.

Some had followed letters or signs left behind by an unknown person, while others had been persuaded by someone’s earnest pleas.

There were casualties from monsters encountered during the evacuation, but they were relatively few.

Many of the evacuees even carried detailed notes on how to respond to the monsters they might encounter, allowing them to escape unscathed in some cases.

Considering how people usually perish simply because they lack such knowledge, these outcomes were nothing short of miraculous.

In the end, even taking into account those in the mandatory underground gate shelters, the damage was minimized to an unprecedented degree.

“The description of the person guiding people to the gate’s entrance resembles Heewon. Could it really just be a coincidence?”

Both the voice and the appearance matched Yang Heewon.

Could he have somehow come back to life?

It was true that Heewon’s body had never been found.

But his health report, submitted before his disappearance, left no room for doubt.

The doctor who prepared the report was highly credible and closely tied to the Bureau, making it unlikely to be falsified.

It seemed impossible to conclude that Heewon was alive.

Even Cha Junseong, holding onto faint hope because Heewon’s body hadn’t been found, had come up empty-handed after searching for positive answers.

So then, what was this situation?

---

“Kim Miri.”

“Yes, Eunsoo. What is it?”

Had there been an issue with the installation of the detection artifact?

He had said he’d handle it himself.

It wasn’t urgent, given that most of the civilians had already been evacuated.

Should I consider sending someone else to complete the setup?

I quickly scanned the list of Espers currently on standby.

“Tell the Espers of Special Team A: ‘Don’t you dare spout nonsense.’”

“……Excuse me?”

“Just relay it as is. And… remember it yourself.”

“I don’t understand. What exactly shouldn’t they say, and to whom?”

But Eunsoo’s words were strange and cryptic.

This was so unlike him—Eunsoo, who was always direct and unyielding in achieving his goals.

“Just deliver the message as is.”

Kim Miri sighed and pressed her hand to her forehead.

Why was he acting like this?

Whenever Eunsoo lost his composure, it was usually because of one thing.

Even so, it was hard to outright ignore his words.

Checking the current locations of the three Espers, they were still inside the gate.

“All three of them appear to be in combat situations. If it’s not related to their mission, I’ll relay it after this crisis is over.”

“No. Right now. As soon as possible.”

“Is it mission-related?”

“…No. But it’s urgent.”

“If it’s truly that urgent, explain why. If lives depend on it, I’ll pass it along immediately.”

“For God’s sake. Just do it! It’s urgent, damn it! If those bastards say something to my brother—if they make him hate me because of it—what do I do? Do you know how long it took me to meet him? Six months! If he thinks I acted recklessly in the field, if he believes I was careless with myself and starts to resent me…”

“Eunsoo, calm down.”

Kim Miri frowned.

The words had tumbled out too quickly, his voice cracking with emotion.

But the gist of it seemed to be about Heewon.

“Then again, Eunsoo always acts out when it involves Heewon.”

Was this related to the “threat call” in Heewon’s voice or the person resembling Heewon who guided people at the gate?

Inside a gate, bizarre occurrences were not unusual.

Perhaps Eunsoo was simply hallucinating.

For now, no such phenomena had been officially reported, but Eunsoo’s case might be an exception.

After all, despite his injuries, he had been deployed and was under immense stress.

---

Beep.

In the meantime, the detection artifact began operating, its activation light blinking on.

“The artifact installation has been confirmed. Why don’t you return for now?”

“When he comes back… when my brother comes back…”

“……”

Who could it be, this ‘hyung’ he’s talking about?

Yang Heewoon is already dead.

Kim Miri grew increasingly concerned as Ye Eunsoo continued to spout incomprehensible words.

Having no other choice, she sent an urgent message to the Espers of Special Team A.

From the looks of it, it wouldn’t take much longer to suppress the gate, but it would be a problem if Ye Eunsoo kept muttering nonsense and stayed inside.

She carefully chose her words, deciding to persuade him to return without provoking him, but just then, the screen monitoring the detection artifact zone installed by Ye Eunsoo lit up red.

Before Kim Miri could confirm it, Ye Eunsoo was already muttering something under his breath.

• What is this? The direction is…

“Eunsoo, there’s a monster in your direction. There’s also a life signal. It could be a survivor—can you confirm?”

• A person? No way. So that’s why…?

“Eunsoo? What’s going on?”

No response came back.

• Damn it!

After cursing in frustration, the only sound was the clamor of hurried footsteps.

Ye Eunsoo seemed to be running somewhere without even thinking to turn off his communicator.

Was he trying to save the survivor?

No, that couldn’t be it.

Ye Eunsoo was the type to carry out his tasks precisely, nothing more.

He would never voluntarily take on something bothersome without being asked.

And above all, his behavior was strange.

• No… No. No, no, no… Ah, ah, ahhhh!

Ye Eunsoo’s voice sounded unlike anything Kim Miri had ever heard before.

In her five years with the Field Control Team, Kim Miri had witnessed countless losses on the battlefield.

Each one came with its own painful story, cutting deep into the hearts of those who heard it.

But she could say with certainty—this was unlike anything she’d encountered.

The sound coming through the communicator froze Kim Miri in place.

It was like the sound of a soul being torn apart.

“Eunsoo, what’s wrong? Eunsoo!”

She shouted, but there was no answer.

It wasn’t just silence; the communicator crackled with static, as if it had been damaged.

In a hurry, she connected to the Espers of Special Team A.

• I see. We should get him out of there quickly.

• Even if not for that, this gate feels unstable. I’m not sure when it might collapse. I’ve already cleared this side. I still have some cleanup to do, so I can’t move right now.

• I’ve pinpointed his location. I’m closest. I’ll grab him and bring him out.

• Thanks. I’ll join you as soon as I can.

• Call if you need backup.

The dot representing Rex Hamilton moved rapidly across the screen.

But it didn’t last long; the screen suddenly went black.

The sudden turn of events caused an uproar in the control room.

“What?”

“What’s going on?”

“What happened?”

“The detection artifact… it’s been destroyed.”

“We don’t know the cause. Everything was fine until just now. There were no signs of danger.”

“Five detection artifacts have been destroyed. Should we retrieve them?”

“Is there anyone suitable for the task?”

“Well… Ye Eunsoo is the closest, but…”

The team leader’s gaze briefly flicked to Kim Miri before shifting away.

“…Forget it. It’s not worth it. Focus on issuing return orders to the remaining Espers inside.”

It was the right call. Ye Eunsoo was in no condition to retrieve the artifacts.

After all, he was at the center of this strange phenomenon.

Judging by the destroyed artifacts’ locations, they had been wiped out in rapid succession, starting from the ones closest to Ye Eunsoo.

“What’s going on? What’s happening out there…?”

As the central control room buzzed with activity, issuing return orders to the Espers, Kim Miri could only stare blankly at the darkened screen.

• What the hell is this? What’s happening?

“Have you arrived? What’s the situation?”

Hearing Rex Hamilton’s voice from the scene snapped her back to attention.

• Uh… Did a boss-level monster show up here or something?

“No, we haven’t detected anything like that.”

• Then what? I’m the only Esper in the area, right?

“That’s correct. Why do you ask?”

• Ah… Well…

Rex’s voice, sounding bewildered, let out a sigh.

• This place… It’s completely devastated.

* * *