First Steps
What the hell just happened? What was that thing I saw a moment ago? What the hell was that spear Soo threw? Is Soo okay, flopping around on the floor like a dead fish...? Enoch shoved all those thoughts aside. Moving like he was having a seizure, he jammed a dummy data shard into the server computer.
30 seconds flew by in an instant. It took that long just to process the scene he'd witnessed. No time to check if the job was done right. Without hesitation, Enoch yanked out the shard, tucked the prone Soo under his arm, and bolted.
"Soo! You okay?"
"Not okay."
Soo, dangling like luggage, pouted. Her body wasn't listening. Her mind was sharp, consciousness clear. But her body? Total mess. Even her tail hung limp and lifeless. She wasn't hungry, but felt starved. Throat wasn't dry, but parched.
Mana exhaustion...?
Like something out of a novel. That soul-sucking pull when she hurled the spear at the end—it had to be mana exhaustion causing this limpness.
Should recover soon.
Soo's sulky expression softened. She could already feel mana refilling her body. From her pounding heart, mana surged through her veins alongside blood. Her circulation sped up, raising her temperature a bit, but nothing unbearable.
"You're burning up."
"Yeah... better now."
Soo gave her signature drowsy smile, but to Enoch, she looked worse. Skin fever-hot, face flushed crimson. Even tucked under his arm, the heat radiated through.
That image overlapped with his little sister—dead without a corpse left behind. She'd always been frail, spiking fevers from the slightest chill.
"Clinic first, before the connector."
"Can't do shots."
"You're not a kid—"
Wait, was she? Soo looked so young... but sometimes acted mature. Hard to gauge. For now, treat her like a kid. Most shot-haters were.
"Scared of a little prick?"
"No. Needles don't go in."
"Don't be a baby."
"...Not being a baby."
Hospital might mean dissected as a lab rat. Then no collecting this world's magic. Tricky. Once strength returned, subdue Enoch. Clean conclusion in Soo's mind.
Oblivious, Enoch kept nagging. But his movements were swift. 29 seconds left. Needed at least 10 to escape the guards' sight.
Regret gnawed. Priority: reinforced tendons...
With them, 5 seconds to vanish. Grab anything climbable, scale the building. Standard merc implant—but broke Enoch skipped it. Now? Essential. For better Hod use, to match Soo's speed.
21 seconds. Bold along pre-scouted escape route. No hiding footsteps now. No spare energy. Just evade eyes. Focus: escape.
Enoch pulled a flashbang pin. 17 seconds. Entrance ahead. Guards inside stumbled at his footsteps—eyes still shutdown. Can't kill them all. Consciousness loss triggers Lü Chen's main security.
Enoch cradled Soo protectively. 15 seconds. Thud—big step, Hod activated. Blood streamed from nose and eyes. Overloaded nerves bursting. Ignored. Leg extended. Toward dripping blood.
No drops allowed. Lü Chen IDs from one speck. Next step. No time worries now. This speed? Escape guaranteed. Leg out. Toward blood. Again. Protect Soo's neck, wipe blood, step.
Finally—rrrip—something tore in his skull. 15 seconds.
"Hrrgh—!"
Hod shut down. Enoch flung Soo away. Angela pulled up, door open. Thump—Soo inside. Enoch smashed prepped flashbang. CRASH! Blinding light, thunderous boom rocked the area.
Eyes shut, still blinded. Didn't lose bearings. Route lit Enoch's retinas—Angela's hack, instant guide. Trusted her, but this fast? If she were enemy...
Chills. Enoch followed the path, hopped in. Lurch—body thrown back. Blind, deaf, but car accelerated.
Moments later, hearing returned with Angela's voice.
"Good work."
"Thanks... hurk... blegh... ptui... Your perfect sub saved my ass."
"'Perfect sub'? You knew I'd help."
Angela chuckled, stroking Soo in her lap. Her smooth driving? Better than owner Enoch. Soo noted.
"Wouldn't have flashed without it."
"...Can't deny."
Enoch's bitter smile turned to Soo. "Body okay?"
"Yeah."
Face buried in Angela's chest, Soo flashed a V-sign. Mana back. Tail proof—swaying free. Swish swish. It poked Angela's cheek.
"Thanks."
No hiding—drones saw all. Even without, she'd show Angela. Soo met her eyes. Angela wanted to say much, but smiled, fixed Soo's hair.
"Soo was amazing?"
"Yeah."
"Didn't know you were that strong."
"I'm super strong."
"Yeah... really impressive."
Questions burned, but not now. "To Irina's office?"
"Yeah."
"...Figured that out already?"
"Rude, but I checked."
Angela's kind smile unnerved Enoch. Carefree Soo munched caramel from her pocket. Mana drop meant sugar crash.
"Want some, Angela?"
"Sis likes candy."
"Here."
No offer to Enoch—knew he hated sweets. Unaware he sulked.
At destination, Angela hacked nearby cams, exited.
"Be careful, Soo."
"Yeah, you too."
"Good work, Enoch."
"Thanks. Appreciate today."
"Today... we never met. Right?"
"If you want."
Final hug with Soo, Angela smiled softly, turned. "Take care."
"Yeah. Huh...?"
Soo tilted head. Sounded like "see you soon"? Glanced at Enoch—same puzzled look. But his held fear, unlike Soo's hope.
"...Let's go."
"Yeah."
"Good job. Owe you my life."
"You too."
Enoch fist-bumped; Soo matched. Tap—light clash. They headed to Irina's.
Angela confirmed their departure, hacked wider cams, called secure line. Her build—undetectable by Big Three or Aegis netwatchers. Sole user on the other end: a woman's blade-sharp voice.