I FEEL like my head is about to explode from information overload.
A few years ago, Ryu Sungbin had raided the Lab with Moon Noa and his fellow Top 5 Espers (except Ki Gayoon) because the Lab was performing human experints.
The victims were Noh Yihun (now Noh Yuno) and his fellow E-Class Guides.
And Noh Yuno refers to those E-Class Guides as his ’siblings.’
Now, one of those siblings was working closely with him.
"Are you surprised?" Erwan, the oldest among Noh Yuno’s ’siblings,’ said while collecting blood sample from Ryu Sungbin using a syringe. "You didn’t expect Mother and Father to still be alive, did you? Moreover, the two of them are working together for the Virus."
Ryu Sungbin just gave Erwan a look of disbelief.
Is it okay for this bastard to talk like this?
After Song Heejin showed Charles Kang’s current state, the witch sent Ryu Sungbin to a dungeon with an interior similar to the Lab that he had raided years ago.
There, Song Heejin asked Erwan to collect his blood.
Since Ryu Sungbin was used to being under strict surveillance, he followed Erwan to a room that looked like a clinic without question.
If I resist here, the kids will suffer as my punishnt.
"Don’t worry, Ryu Sungbin. No one is watching us here, and no one is eavesdropping on our conversation either," Erwan said after putting the blood he collected in two vials. "I assure you that this room is safe."
"And do you expect to trust you?"
What if Erwan was sent by Song Heejin to test whether he was still sober or not?
I’m supposed to be deeply controlled by the Virus by now.
"Ryu Sungbin, I understand why you’re being doubtful. But we both know that we can’t stay sober for too long. Once we leave this place, Mother will make sure that both of us are still very much brainwashed," Erwan said in a serious tone, and then he shook his head. "No, we’re worse than being brainwashed. Half of our Cores were removed and replaced by half the Core of a monster."
"What?" Ryu Sungbin asked in disbelief. "The Cores that they put in our hearts belonged to monsters?"
"You didn’t know?"
"Spill it already."
"That’s all I can tell you because that’s all I know," Erwan said. "I don’t know what kind of monsters they stole the Cores from, but I’m sure they didn’t belong to humans. The half a Core embedded in your heart forces you to obey the Virus. It’s a preventive asure they used to make sure that you won’t resist and kill the people the Virus put in charge of this world."
Tsk.
So, our situation is worse than I expected.
"Ryu Sungbin, both Moon Noa and Noh Yihun had their mories sealed, right?"
"Are you really sure we can talk about them freely?"
"Song Heejin already trusts enough not to keep under strict surveillance. But we can’t talk for too long, or else she’ll be suspicious," Erwan said in a serious tone. "Ryu Sungbin, I want to save Noh Yihun. That’s why I’m going to help you."
To be honest, Ryu Sungbin still couldn’t trust Erwan completely.
Hence, he didn’t say anything— only listening to the Guide.
"We need Moon Noa and Noh Yihun to recover their mories later. But, for bow, we have to make sure that the Virus won’t succeed in controlling all the strongest Espers in the country," Erwan said sternly. "As you already know, Bambi has the power to change the composition of a Guide’s Mana. The Guides under Bambi’s control gain the ability to control their Espers by making an illusion of love."
Ah.
Ryu Sungbin didn’t make it obvious, but Erwan slightly earned his trust.
That’s the theory that I ca up with Jin Sooin and Matthew— that Bambi and the Guides he chose are controlling us by forcing us to love them.
"It’s too late for you, Jin Sooin, and Matthew to fight it. You don’t have the ability to fight the Virus because half of your Cores have already been corrupted. But Lee Sarang’s Core remains pure because the System is doing its best to protect her," Erwan said, the Guide looking more serious than ever now. "Ryu Sungbin, you have to find a way to send Lee Sarang to Noh Yihun— my younger brother can purify her and help her beco ntally stable again."
Oh.
That sounds plausible.
After all, Noh Yuno was a special Guide.
"I’ll trust you this once," Ryu Sungbin said, still being cautious. "It won’t be easy, but I’ll do everything I can to send Lee Sarang to Noh Yuno."
And, maybe once Lee Sarang’s head clears up, she’ll go to Ki Gayoon and ask for help.
***
RYU SUNGBIN’s plan to send Lee Sarang seed easy, but it was hard to execute because the monsters around him wouldn’t allow him to be alone with Lee Sarang for more than five minutes.
That wasn’t enough ti for his plan, of course.
And he didn’t know that his desperation to talk to Lee Sarang in private had raised suspicions.
And the most frustrating part?
It wasn’t who got punished for it.
"Oppa, what should we do?"
One night, Jin Sooin ca to Ryu Sungbin’s room— crying and desperate.
"What happened, Sooin-ah?"
Ryu Sungbin had been stuck in the dungeon for a week and had already returned, so he didn’t know yet what had happened over the past week.
But it seed serious because Jin Sooin was crying.
And Sooin rarely cries, no matter how tough things are.
"They took Matthew away while you were in the dungeon, Oppa. They locked him up in the basent for five days. I heard him scream again and again, like he was being tortured. When I tried to help, they just put him sowhere I couldn’t reach," Jin Sooin explained between sobs. "And when Matthew finally got out, he seed like a different person already. He has beco an and aggressive, especially towards Kim Jaeha."
Kim Jaeha would be Matthew’s Guide.
Matthew’s Guide is still young, so he’s careful around him.
If Matthew suddenly beca an and aggressive towards Kim Jaeha, then sothing bad had really happened.
Tsk.
Those monster bastards...
"Stop crying, Sooin-ah," Ryu Sungbin said, patting Jin Sooin’s shoulder. "I’ll check on Matthew.
***
RYU SUNGBIN imdiately went to Matthew’s room to check on him.
Much to his chagrin, he found Kim Jaeha running out of the room— crying.
Matthew tried to chase the kid, but Ryu Sungbin blocked his way.
"What do you think you’re doing, Matthew?" Ryu Sungbin asked in a scolding tone, pushing Matthew back inside the bedroom. "Why are you harassing Kim Jaeha?"
"Get your hands off , child."
Ryu Sungbin jumped away from ’Matthew’ instinctively, his body suddenly shaking from fear.
This person isn’t the Matthew I know.
"Who the hell are you?" Ryu Sungbin asked, then he shook his head and asked sothing more important. "Where is the real Matthew?"
"The real Matthew?" the fake ’Matthew’ laughed like the bastard that he was. "Oh, that kid is dead."
***
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