Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Halo's Return
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A pair of slender legs dangled from the open air vent, flailing for a moment before Haon dropped to the floor.
“Ugh…!”
Barely managing to stifle a scream, Haon quickly used her mana to soften the floor.
As she got up, steadying her pounding heart, she was met with a dark and chilling atmosphere.
‘This is… scary.’
She had always thought of ghosts as just another form of energy, but standing alone in the unlit morgue sent a shiver down her spine.
Swallowing dryly, Haon began to search for Bae Anjae's name.
Although she had seen many people grievously injured or killed during her two years at war, this was her first time in a morgue.
Deaths from terrorism usually had a clear cause, so she had never even imagined a place like this.
A space for the cold dead, waiting for their cause of death to be determined.
‘Excuse me for a moment.’
She found Bae Anjae’s body quickly. A familiar energy was detectable, despite him having been dead for some time.
‘No wonder the detectives found it strange.’
The tips of the corpse's fingers and hair were stained a vivid blue. It was the same color as the mana that appeared through the phone.
‘I can feel mana… but he’s definitely not a Mana Engineer.’
He hadn't shown any signs of mana when they first met at the rehabilitation center, and just before the mana explosion, he seemed completely unaware of what was about to happen.
‘In that case, it must be…’
Haon carefully scanned the traces of mana left on Bae Anjae’s body and became certain.
‘He died of a Potion overdose.’
His muscles hadn't swollen, but his blood vessels were completely blocked by hardened mana.
The painful side effects remained, but this wasn't the same Potion as before.
The Potion Bae Anjae had consumed was of a quality that could be considered a finished product—a short-term Awakening drug.
* * *
It took some time, but Hero Headquarters eventually reached the same conclusion about Bae Anjae's cause of death.
A large number of empty Potion bottles had been discovered in the trunk of his car.
The Heroes gathered in the conference room read through the report with troubled expressions.
“Hasn't it been a while since we've seen any Potions, what with Halo going into hiding?”
“It has. I don't know how he managed to get his hands on enough to overdose.”
There were more than a few strange things about Bae Anjae’s death.
Bae Anjae was said to have abstained from alcohol and tobacco, yet both were detected in his body.
The body was found near an elementary school in the central district, where there were no bars, but his car had been parked in District 2 of the old city for two days.
Furthermore, there had been no reports of Bae Anjae causing any trouble with the power he would have gained from the Potion.
It was impossible to tell what would drive a man who had lived an honest life to suddenly start chugging Potions.
‘What happened?’
Juyeol stared at the photo of Bae Anjae in the report with a grave expression.
He looked a bit sensitive but also intelligent and competent. A normal person.
At Haon’s request, he had looked up Bae Anjae’s records at Headquarters, but as expected, there was no criminal history.
That was why Headquarters was so puzzled by this case.
But Juyeol saw it differently.
While Bae Anjae had no criminal record in the Headquarters’ database, there was something that bothered him.
‘Bae Anjae was the one who tried to buy Halla’s building, where old Solmae used to live. He ended up buying a different building, but he still bought a non-residential property in District 2.’
Since incidents were frequent there, Headquarters kept track of everyone who owned a building in the old city.
‘And the building Bae Anjae bought just happens to be right next to the underground passage leading to the port?’
An underground passage from District 2 to the port, and a death by mana poisoning.
He was beginning to think that, just as Haon suspected, Bae Anjae might have been involved with Halo.
‘I should contact her after the meeting. Something about this feels wrong.’
Just then, River burst through the conference room door with a stunned look on her face.
“Hunter! News from the old city!”
Hunter mentally listed the recent reports from the old city and spoke.
“Did those kids finally get into trouble?”
“No! It’s not that… Potions are suddenly being distributed all over the old city!”
The words had barely left her mouth when the bands on the Heroes' wrists began to beep in unison.
The Heroes shot up from their seats, their faces etched with shock.
Potions were being distributed in the old city again. That meant one thing.
“It seems Halo has returned.”
Hunter, who had spoken in a low voice, also rose from her seat.
A dark flame ignited in Juyeol’s eyes.
* * *
An hour later, in a small meeting room at Hero Headquarters.
“Ghost. You can leave.”
Juyeol’s expression hardened at Hunter’s firm command.
“You’re going to be alone with her?”
“I can't tell which one of you you're worried about.”
Hunter replied with a hint of displeasure. Across from her, Haon sat fidgeting.
“I-I’m fine. Besides, you called me here to hear what I have to say.”
“You heard her. She says she’s fine. Now get out.”
“…”
Juyeol reluctantly tore his gaze away from Haon, who was putting on a brave face despite her worried expression.
Realizing that nothing he said would improve the situation, he had no choice but to leave the meeting room.
Only Haon and Hunter remained.
Upon hearing that Potions were being distributed in the old city, Hunter had hastily ended the meeting, deployed the Heroes to their respective zones, and called Juyeol aside.
She had been worried he would lose his head and go searching for Halo on his own, but Juyeol had brought up something completely unexpected.
After some thought, Hunter had finally summoned Eun Haon to Headquarters. Now, she stared at the suspicious scientist, maintaining her characteristic intimidating presence.
“I’ve also checked the contents of the USB you gave to Ghost. It was a standard procedure, as the file was analyzed within Headquarters.”
“!”
“I don’t know how you changed his mind, but Ghost seems to truly believe you’re a different person.”
“It’s not because I used any special tricks—”
“But I still can’t trust you. Even if you really are a different person, I can’t trust you. You understand that, right?”
“…Yes.”
Haon mumbled dejectedly, hiding her hands under the table. Then, forcing strength into her voice, she said.
“Then please, at least trust my abilities and my information. I want to find Halo just as much as you do.”
“Let’s hear it, then.”
Hunter turned on the recorder on the table and added.
“Ghost thinks you might have found something regarding Bae Anjae’s death.”
“Well, Nova and I have been tracking Halo for a while, and—”
Haon calmly began to explain about District 2, the port, and the terrorist who had come from the same dimension as her.
She didn't know how much Hunter would believe, but Haon needed the Heroes’ help.
She and Nova couldn’t possibly control every part of Gwonyoung City by themselves.
If they had built an underground passage from District 2 to the port, who was to say there weren’t other paths leading elsewhere?
“—so I’d like the Heroes to check if any new passages have been created in other districts.”
Hunter listened to Haon’s story in silence. Her expression was one of disbelief, but she didn’t seem to be taking the matter lightly.
“So, according to you, Bae Anjae got entangled with Halo and this terrorist for some unknown reason and was killed?”
“I think he might have been a test subject for the improved Potion.”
Lost in thought, Hunter operated her wristband and relayed an order to the Heroes.
“Check for any new underground passages that haven’t been voluntarily reported to Headquarters.”
“!”
Haon was incredibly surprised that Hunter had accepted her words so easily.
“I’ll say it again, this isn’t because I trust you. It’s because I’ve judged it to be a necessary….”
Hunter flinched and fell silent.
Haon also looked around, a strange expression on her face.
It felt as if the building had trembled slightly. So faintly that she might have mistaken it.
Then, the moment her eyes met Hunter’s.
*Rumble—.*
The entire Headquarters building shook violently.
“Aaaah!”
Haon covered her head and scrambled under the table. It felt like an earthquake.
“Kyaaaaah!”
“Get out now! Evacuate the building!”
From outside the meeting room, screams and the frantic sound of footsteps filled the air.
“What coincidental timing. Let’s get out of here first and talk later.”
Hunter shot Haon a suspicious glance but still grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and pulled her out.
Dragged into the hallway by the rough grip, Haon was suddenly seized by a sense of unease.
“…Huh?”
The instinct for danger, honed over two years on the front lines of a war, pricked at her back.
“What is it?”
As Haon stopped, Hunter turned back with a suspicious look.
“Something’s wrong.”
An earthquake strong enough to shake the building had occurred, and the hallway was chaotic with people rushing down to the first floor.
“Why are everyone's phones so quiet? Don't you have disaster alerts in this dimension?”
“!”
Judging by Hunter’s reaction, they did have disaster alerts here.
“This isn’t an earthquake—”
Haon couldn’t finish her sentence. She froze, then whipped her head around.
In the middle of the chaotic hallway stood someone wearing a hat.
Thump. Thump.
Feeling her heart pound with anxiety, Haon stepped in front of Hunter.
“You. Who are you?”
At Haon’s question, the man lifted his head. It was Bae Anjae.