The transmission, which had seemed like it might cut out, continued.Yes, I’m fine, Chief. Ha, these bastards just keep coming.“— The barrier…”Ji Hayeon scrubbed at the tears running down his face with his sleeve. He was so far gone he couldn’t even register the sting.“— The barriers aren’t working?”Yeah. The sealing team’s busting their asses up front, and it’s doing jack. So, you said you think you know. Why these bastards are acting like this?The leaf he’d brought back from Hinari, and the Metena of his that had made contact with the spot where it had floated. Ji told him what he suspected — that this might be why he was being targeted.After a moment that sounded like he was thinking, Sawon spoke again.You don’t happen to have that leaf you brought back on you right now, do you?Knowing full well Sawon couldn’t see it, Ji still shook his head hard.“— No. I stored it in the temporary lab.”Then they’re probably not coming to retrieve that. We should focus on sealing this thing so it can’t spit out any more of them.“— The barrier device…”In that instant, one fact flashed across Ji’s mind. If the standard barrier devices wouldn’t work, there was only one option left to try.Ji grabbed his own chest. There, dormant, was a new barrier device still in the experimental stage, one he’d only used once in the field. The same one he’d used when the Heukgu had burst on the 43rd floor of the lab.Ji switched off the communicator for a moment.“— Nine.”Nine turned and looked at him. Ji knew very well what Nine usually looked like. No matter how he tried to overlap the tiny baby monkey in his mind, though, there was nothing in those blazing eyes that resembled the small Nine he knew. Ji slowly approached him.“— Take me down to the Heukgu. The one below us.”Nine stood hunched, body tall enough to brush the ceiling. He stared at Ji in silence. The gaze made Ji’s spine prickle with chills, but he took another step closer.“— If it stays like this, it’s not going to end. Gu Sawon could get hurt.”Nine still didn’t react. Ji clenched his fist tight.“— Your owner could get hurt. I think I figured out a way to fix this.”Nine turned back toward the window again, as if telling him not to talk nonsense. Ji took one more step forward.“— If Gu Sawon… if Sawon tells you it’s okay, is it fine then? Then can you help me?”At that, Nine only turned his head back, meeting Ji’s eyes. The look in them, as if he was agreeing, was almost calm.Ji hurriedly turned the communicator back on. A firm resolve was etched into his eyes.“— Gu Sawon.”Static.Yeah. Why’d you turn the comm off.“— I’m about to do something, and I need Nine’s help.”Nine? Nine’s right next to you.“— He won’t listen to me. Tell Nine to listen to what I say.”What are you talking about. What are you trying to do.“— Nothing weird. I just… found something I can do.”Something you can do?Silence fell for a moment.No.“— …If you won’t, I’m going to jump from here.”You think Nine’s just going to stand there and watch that?“— And you think I’m just going to sit here quietly? Tell Nine. Now.”What ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) is it. I’ll come up. Just wait a little.“— It’s not dangerous. It’s not dangerous, so…”Don’t be ridiculous. If it wasn’t dangerous, why would you need Nine. No. Absolutely not.“— I’m telling you, I think I can seal that thing.”The other end of the line went quiet. The only sounds now were Sawon’s breathing, the screams of Deaters, and the rip of tearing flesh. After a while, a low voice came through.What are you going to do. Tell me honestly.“— The new test barrier I made last time, you saw it too, right? In the lab.”When the Heukgu blew on the 43rd floor?“— Yeah. I’ve got that barrier on me right now.”Kkikikikikikik!What? Hold on. I’ll come get it.“— I’ll…”Ji hesitated for a moment, then spoke again.“— I have to use it myself. If it doesn’t work right, I’m the only one who can adjust it.”You’re killing me here. Just wait.Ji’s wet eyes wavered even more anxiously. Fingering his pocket, he muttered:“— Thank god…”What he pulled out of his pocket was a thin, tiny case about the length of two finger joints. Inside sat a miniature syringe.The liquid in the softly glowing blue syringe was a drug.A drug that would make Ji Hayeon like Gu Sawon.“— Good thing I’ve been carrying it.”Static.Chief. I’ll be up there in one minute.“— Okay.”Ji took out the syringe. Then he pushed the needle into the skin below his collarbone.Don’t turn the comm off.“— Okay.”His white hand pressed down on the top of the syringe without hesitation. With a click like a metal button being pushed, the contents flowed into his body.From his collarbone, the drug started spreading along his bloodstream. His slender hand clutched his chest in pain as he panted harshly.The muscles in his arms thickened and his entire body swelled in size. Clothes that had fit loose began to cling to him.Ji clamped his teeth together so no sound would leak out, until his lips went white. The drug spreading down his upper arms, forearms, and all the way to his fingertips mixed with Ji’s Metena. Veins bulged along his limbs and neck.An alarm from Sawon began counting down in Ji’s vision.Clawing at his chest, Ji muttered:“— I can’t… do it twice…”Huh? Can’t do what?Sawon heard the small mutter like a ghost and reacted immediately.Kkikikikikigik!Ji’s voice overlapped with the Deater’s shriek.Ji looked down at his palm. Metena of a stamina-type was surging there. He moved up close to Nine.Nine turned his back toward him as if telling him to climb on. Ji swung onto his back and rubbed his cheek into the soft fur.“— I can’t do it twice…”Whoosh! With the sound of air tearing, Sawon appeared.“— What is it you keep saying you can’t do. Wow. Climbing the railing up here is harder than I thought.”Dusting off his hands, Sawon walked toward Ji. Then he froze when he got a good look at his condition.“— …Chief. Don’t tell me. You… again…”“— Let’s go. Hurry.”“— You carry that drug around all the time?”“— I said we don’t have time.”“— Unbelievable. You used that again because you don’t trust me. I got here twenty seconds early, too.”Sawon leaned down a little and studied his face.“— What’s with your face. Did it hurt so bad you cried?”“— No. That’s not it.”“— Then what is it. You know the side effects on that drug are no joke, so why the hell did you use it.”“— It’s already in me, so don’t start complaining now.”“— Guess I’m going to have to start checking your belongings. No other choice.”“— Go ahead and try.”“— You go ahead and try using that drug again.”At his threat, a small laugh slipped out of Ji’s mouth.“— Oh? If you laugh after crying…”“— Don’t say weird crap!”Sawon burst out laughing.“— How do you know what I was going to say for you to call it weird.”As he spoke, he hooked his arm through one of Nine’s thick arms like he was linking elbows.“— Let’s go down first. As soon as we’re down, we’re charging straight for the Heukgu.”“— Yeah.”Sawon hesitated for a moment, then asked:“— But can’t I just do it myself? Can’t we just throw it like any other barrier device?”“— No. It’s different. It’s complicated.”“— Man… it sucks being a stamina-type sometimes.”Sawon straightened his posture.“— Still, I’m going to protect you, Chief, so don’t worry.”Then he shouted at the top of his lungs.“— Let’s go, Nine!”The massive monkey planted his feet on the railing and jumped.Thud!Deater bodies crushed under Nine’s feet sprayed blood in all directions. Sawon, who’d been hanging on with bent knees, finally straightened his legs. Then he drew his sword as he landed.“— Nine. Take the Chief and charge straight for the Heukgu.”Thud, thud, thud! Nine broke into a full sprint.The giant monkey bounded across the tops of parked cars, and Sawon followed behind. He swung his sword, cutting down Deaters as they came.When they were nearly at the Heukgu, one Deater suddenly leaped high like a grasshopper, vaulted over Sawon, and reached Ji.As Ji looked back, the Deater’s face filled his vision.That bastard!“— Ji Hayeon!”At the exact same moment Sawon flooded his sword with Metena and threw it—Thuk!

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