Chapter 66
Chemical Bond (1)
Consciousness rises to the surface like a bubble. At the same time, the surrounding scenery unfolds like a panorama.
However, where my consciousness surfaced was neither the Northeastern Base nor the Cradle. Surprisingly, I found myself in the middle of a luxurious café.
T h i s wa s c o p ie d f rom k ing mt l. o r g
I couldn’t move my body, as if I were bound by chains. I could only roll my eyes around to take in my surroundings.
Several plush sofas were arranged around me. Soft, warm lighting highlighted each seating area. From a corner amplifier, elegant classical music played quietly.
Suddenly, a calendar in the corner caught my eye. The year and date read 21XX year, X month, X day.
T h is was c o p i ed fro m k i n g m t l. o r g
It was exactly three years ago from now.
I must be in the middle of a dream.
Why am I drifting in such a twisted time and space?
No matter how much I pondered, I couldn’t find a proper answer. I was still bound by chains, wasting time.
-Jingle~
After an indeterminate amount of time, the cheerful sound of a doorbell and the creak of a door opening reached my ears.
T h i s w a s c o p i e d fr om k i n g mt l .or g
Footsteps began to approach me.
“Ugh~cha!”
With a plop, someone flopped onto a sofa, exhaling a small, cute breath.
It was a young woman’s voice.
She settled in and suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
“What! I wasn’t the first? When did you get here?”
“…A week ago.”
Another woman had taken the seat in front of her, though no one had been there before.
Her voice was naturally elegant.
She crossed her legs gracefully and took a silent sip from a cup.
“Wow… That long? You must have been bored…”
“Not really. Getting used to this body made time fly. It’s not bad…”
The woman in front raised her left arm, twisting it and giving a peculiar assessment.
“Me! What about me? Am I not really cute? How do I look?”
“You are.”
“Ugh. You’re so unenthusiastic!”
The woman next to her burst out in frustration at the indifferent response.
Though I couldn’t see her expression, I could easily imagine her pouting and puffing out her cheeks.
“…”
The woman in front didn’t bother to respond.
Time continued to flow.
Humming came from the woman next to her. Occasionally, she tapped the table as if bored.
-Jingle~
“Oh! You’re already here. You came early?”
“Hello~”
-Jingle~
“What? You came together?”
“Hehe, we met on the way!”
-Jingle~
“Ugh… I’m late… I’m tardy…”
-Jingle~
“Last! The last one is here!”
“You’re tardy~”
Days passed with the sun and moon rising and setting repeatedly. New voices joined with each cheerful ring of the doorbell until the previously empty sofas were filled.
From children to mature adults, voices of various ages echoed noisily around. There were easily more than seven people. All the voices were female.
“…Is this group all there is?”
After some time, the elegant woman who had been silent finally spoke. Her mature, dignified voice resonated amidst the gentle music.
“Some people seem to be missing. Where’s Spica? And Polaris?”
She looked around the still-vacant sofas, her gaze lingering especially long in my direction.
“Spica doesn’t want to come. She said she’s going to live as a human, as a normal girl. She told us not to look for her or call her.”
A lively voice shook her head lightly in response to the elegant woman’s question.
“She said we should respect her wish when she was alive… She’s a bit strange. Maybe it’s because she’s inhabiting a corpse instead of being alive…”
“Poor Spica. Even so, she won’t be able to resist the will. What is she going to do later…”
A voice, sounding genuinely sorry, remarked.
“What if she spills everything…?”
“It’s okay. You know she can’t do anything, even if she wants to.”
The dignified voice reassured a worried tone.
“It could work out better. She might become an unexpected variable. Anyway, I hold the control as the alpha entity. What about Polaris?”
“That…”
A shy voice from the corner, who had been silent, timidly raised her hand and began to speak.
“I was close to Polaris when I was in the egg… I think the egg broke…”
“What? What do you mean!”
“Ugh, ugh…”
“Hey, yelling won’t help her talk. Breathe deeply and calm down…”
“Huff, huff, huff…”
The shy woman barely calmed down under the soothing voice and spoke again.
T h is wa s copi e d fr o m k i n g mtl . o r g
“I sensed her biological signal while I was asleep… but a few years ago, it suddenly stopped… The egg must have broken then…”
“How could this happen…”
A voice muttered in despair.
“Shouldn’t we look for her now?”
“What’s the use? If the egg broke years ago, she’d be long dead by now. She couldn’t have adapted and woken up…”
“What should we do…? Polaris was the strongest star in this group… Without her…”
“That’s irrelevant. It doesn’t matter who’s here or not. We just do our job.”
The dignified voice cut off someone’s worry.
“Alright. Let’s get to business. What’s everyone’s role?”
“Lieutenant in the National Army’s Wall Defense Unit’s Reconnaissance Squad.”
“Night stage singer.”
“Eastern circuit healer.”
“Nun.”
“Low-level member of the Southern Army of the People’s Liberation Front.”
“I’m a florist.”
“Pfft… Florist…”
“Hey! Why are you laughing! Being a florist is great!”
“I’m…”
It felt like introducing oneself at school. When the introductions ended, the dignified woman nodded slightly, satisfied.
“Not bad. Did everyone inherit their memories? Then…”
“…Wait.”
T hi s w a s c op i e d fro m k i n g mt l . o rg
“What?”
T h i s w a s c o p i e d fr o m k i n gm t l.o r g
The soldier woman interrupted her. The serious tone made everyone pay attention.
“…Tsk.”
“What? What’s going on?”
“The adversary… is still alive.”
At her words, the previously lively atmosphere froze instantly.
Cold silence filled the surroundings.
-Crunch…
The woman with the dignified voice ground her teeth fiercely.
“Impossible… How… I saw the fatal blow hit the core…?”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. His name is still on the active list in the military database.”
The soldier woman nodded as she replied.
“Still, it seems he’s definitely weakened. He’s not as strong as before. Not exactly sure, but he’s definitely less than half as strong as his prime.”
“That’s not reassuring. Considering he sabotaged the grand mission… He must be completely eliminated. What’s his current state? Analyze it.”
“Mostly anger and hatred. Some resignation and frustration. Underlying it all are regrets and laments of the past. And remorse.”
“A slight bait would hook him immediately.”
“I’ll start some groundwork. If he still holds a grudge against us, he’ll surely come after us once he finds a trace.”
The voice belonged to the woman who introduced herself as the Eastern circuit healer.
“I’ll cross the border. Demons? They seem more particle-responsive than monkeys. We might be able to control them like beasts.”
“I have to head south again. I might be able to use the inferior species’ remnants well.”
“I’ll stick to my current job. Surprisingly, stage performances connect with many influential people. I might dig deeper into them.”
“…Good. I’ll prepare to face the adversary. I need to dig a grave. Can’t repeat the same mistakes as my sisters.”
The dignified woman, having barely contained her emotions, nodded.
“Will it be alright…? Even if he’s weakened…”
“Don’t worry.”
The dignified woman’s confident voice reassured them.
Shattering sounds like cracking glass echoed loudly around. The illusion covering the surroundings soon shattered with a clinking noise.
The amplifier, already rusty and old, emitted no sound. The table in the middle of the sofas was decayed and about to collapse.
The wind and waves roared through the open holes around. The walls, once decorated with elegant paintings and warm-toned wallpaper, had disappeared without a trace.
I looked to the right. There was a white sandy beach with waves foaming as they crashed. In the distance stood old buildings, reduced to their skeletons, ready to collapse.
The sea view was to the east, not the west. This indicated we were in the territory of the old civilization, yet to be reclaimed.
I looked forward again. In a swift motion, the face of the dignified voice shifted to someone else’s.
There sat a woman with clear blue eyes. However, despite her kind appearance, her face was filled with an evil smile.
“He won’t be able to move a muscle. I guarantee it.”
***
I felt the fresh breeze tickling my ears. The rough texture of something licking my lips repeatedly pulled me back to reality.
T h i s was co pied fr om k in gm t l . o r g
I opened my eyes slightly, seeing a small cream-and-amber creature licking me diligently.
“Ddangkong… Ah…?”
-Meow~
Ddangkong bit my lip lightly. It looked like he was scolding me for waking up so late, or maybe he was just mad.
I looked around. It seemed like a hospital room.
I felt like I had just woken from a dream. The only thing I remembered was a woman with a kind face smiling evilly. I didn’t even know her. Was it just a random dream…
“…Ugh.”
As my senses returned, pain began to pulsate from various parts of my body.
Thi s w a s c o p i e d fro m kin gm t l . or g
Having just regained consciousness, my memory felt incomplete. I racked my brain to figure out the source of the pain.
-Meow~
Ddangkong cried, as if demanding to be petted. I tried to lift my right hand, but it wouldn’t move.
It felt as if something heavy was pinning it down. I turned my head, seeing someone I hadn’t expected at all.
“Ku… Ku…”
Yeon Minha was resting her upper body on my bed, dozing lightly. Her face looked far from noble, filled with exhaustion. She looked like someone who hadn’t slept properly for days.
The sweet floral scent filling the room was familiar, like the fragrance that always lingered around her.
Next to her was a water bottle and a white towel that looked like it had been used several times.
T his w as c o p ie d f ro m k i n gmt l. o r g
My heart sank as I quickly checked if my mask was securely in place. Feeling its familiar texture covering my face, I sighed in relief.
My right hand still wouldn’t move. It felt as if it were tightly bound.
Giving up, I tried to lift my left hand to pet Ddangkong.
“…?”
I suddenly realized why I felt a peculiar sense of comfort. I tilted my head.
There was no discomfort from the part of my body in contact with Yeon Minha.
T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i n g mt l .o r g
End of Chapter