Chapter 61
“I need to do a briefing… where on earth did he run off to?”
Anschel sighed as he handed the printed materials to Harriet and asked, “The machine enthusiast?”
“There was a deserter, and he was particularly good with machines.”
Harriet maintained a slight smile as he answered. Come to think of it, there was one deserter. Anschel quickly refreshed his memory. He only remembered laughing in disbelief that there was a madman who deserted the military because he was bored.
Whenever Harriet occasionally talked about that deserter, he would simply dismiss him as “an interesting kid.” Anschel cleared his throat while erasing the unnecessary data about him from his mind.
“…Where has the Colonel gone?”
“He listened to the radio today and left urgently.”
Harriet told him about Ender’s whereabouts, which even his aide didn’t know, as he narrowed his eyes. His smile remained the same, but Anschel noticed his poker face had subtly cracked and rubbed his lips. But he wasn’t foolish enough to speak up about it. Anschel cleared his throat again with a “hem-hem.”
“Then we’ll proceed with the briefing together. Ryan called in sick today, so I need your approval for his leave.”
“Sick?”
“Yes. It seems the food he ate with the village chief yesterday didn’t agree with him. He said his stomach hurts.”
‘Oh dear.’
Thinking he should visit Ryan’s house today if time permitted, Harriet stroked his lips again. The empty office felt particularly desolate today. There wasn’t much for a soldier demoted to the countryside to do.
The land was gradually regaining peace, but war still raged in the sea. The merpeople were continuously dying, gradually turning the sea red with blood. Despite the merpeople’s fierce resistance, victory was ultimately leaning toward the humans.
Come to think of it, Region 02 had published research findings about how the ecosystem in the eastern sea was changing strangely after the merpeople disappeared, but it seemed to have faded away faster than expected.
* * *
By the time the scorchingly hot sun started to set, Angela finished her fieldwork and entered the office. Judging by the mud covering the tip of her nose, it was clear that Angela had worked the hardest today.
Additionally, there was mud stuck to the ends of her pigtails. Her pants were rolled up high, and she was barefoot, having left her shoes somewhere.
Angela chattered to Harriet about everything that had happened today. Harriet sat comfortably on the sofa, stroking her head while attentively listening to her words. After watching Angela talk for a while, Harriet checked the time and raised his hand.
“Time to go home.”
Harriet could tell what she wanted to do. Angela beamed at the early dismissal, nodding vigorously before hurriedly gathering her clothes and heading out.
The burning pain in his lower abdomen and internal organs from earlier had somehow disappeared. Though it was good, Harriet felt strangely wistful as he moved his fingers, thinking of Ender.
Tap tap.
He tapped the glass table with his finger. As the sun slowly set, the orange sky tinted Harriet’s white pupils red. Perhaps because his presence was so faint, Harriet, lying on the sofa, momentarily gave the illusion of disappearing.
Anschel wanted to speak to him, his lips parting slightly. He felt that if he didn’t, Harriet might suddenly vanish somewhere. But at that moment, the office door swung open. Harriet’s fading presence subtly reemerged.
“Ender?”
“Sunbae.”
In Ender’s hands was a sweet cocoa. As if apologizing for abandoning his sick senior, he quickly approached the sofa where Harriet was sitting.
Harriet’s eyes widened momentarily. He had felt strangely empty all day, but seeing Ender made it all disappear. Though his black hair and red eyes were the same as always, somehow today he looked even more beautiful.
His junior had always been handsome, but now the effect was overwhelming. Just looking at him made something spread and tickle inside Harriet’s chest.
What is this feeling?
Harriet drank the cocoa Ender handed him. The ice in the cocoa made it pleasant to drink.
“How were you today?”
Having examined Harriet’s condition neither too quickly nor too slowly, Ender very carefully placed his hand on his shoulder. His red eyes captured Harriet’s gaze. Harriet pressed his heart with an emotion he couldn’t identify as sad or happy.
“Hmm… Ender.”
“Yes.”
“I felt a bit lonely.”
Harriet reached out and caressed Ender’s cheek. Tracing his jawline with his index finger, he honestly confessed the emotion he’d felt all day.
Yes, ever since Ender, who had embraced him so passionately, suddenly left at the crack of dawn claiming urgent business, all Harriet had felt was loneliness.
It was something Harriet had never experienced before. While it was nice to discover new emotions thanks to Ender, it wasn’t particularly pleasant.
“…Sunbae. I’m sorry.”
Ender McGuire whispered, exhaling a hot breath.
“Today, I really had urgent business… I’m sorry, Sunbae.”
Harriet merely gave a small, troubled smile. To Ender’s eyes, it was the most beautiful smile of any person.
Momentarily captivated by his senior, Ender explained why he had dared to leave his senior behind that morning. At his words, Anschel jumped up in shock, while Harriet stared blankly at Ender’s face. The former was startled, while the latter was simply captivated by his handsome junior’s face.
* * *
“The military research lab?!!”
“I know.”
Ender looked at the frantic Anschel with annoyance, or perhaps as if he were stupid.
‘How can even Ender’s indifferent face be so pretty and fine?’
Harriet stared vacantly at his junior, who seemed even more handsome than yesterday. The carefree Harriet began hopelessly falling for Ender’s face. Conversely, Anschel shouted with an exasperated expression.
“You’re saying you want to infiltrate the military research lab and kill all the researchers? Are you insane, Colonel? Absolutely not!”
The military research lab, which had been discussed all day on radio, TV, and all media outlets this morning, was open to the public today due to a civic organization. But Ender McGuire, who was talking about infiltrating that place and killing all the researchers, was more than just a madman to Anschel.
“What are you going to do by killing them?! Sell their organs?”
“Killing them is my personal vendetta.”
While Anschel was showing a normal reaction by frantically protesting, Ender stroked Harriet’s shoulder. Anschel looked back and forth between his bulldozer-like superior and Harriet, his expression pleading for intervention. But Harriet gave a troubled smile and slightly shook his head at Anschel.
“Ender is a good junior, so wouldn’t those who wronged him be the bad ones?”
Good heavens, that one was even crazier.
Anschel groaned several times, holding his throbbing forehead. The military research lab wasn’t easy to infiltrate, and the researchers were managed by the military.
All the researchers were ability users, and it was a fortress that had never opened its doors to outsiders in 20 years. Though there might not be many researchers today due to the first-ever public opening, security would be even tighter.
“…Why, this place…”
“Because if not today, there won’t be another chance.”
Ender’s red eyes sank deeply. If they couldn’t enter today, getting into the research lab later would be even more difficult.
“What is all this…”
Ender spread the map he had prepared on the table. It was a meticulously drawn map of the research lab’s interior and exterior, obtained from who knows where. It was so large it filled the entire table, and incredibly detailed.
Harriet, still smiling gently while softly stroking Ender’s waist, looked at the map and let out a small groan, “Ah.”
“Here, this is where I was.”
Harriet whispered softly. Anschel barely swallowed his groan and broke out in a cold sweat.
“…Human experimentation.”
He could now understand Ender McGuire’s personal grudge. And also the reason for infiltrating that place tonight.
* * *
I’ve gone mad, completely mad.
Anschel swallowed his tears and slapped his own cheeks repeatedly. No matter how much he had resolved to abandon the ordinary path since his parents’ death, this felt like a swamp of insanity. The research lab was bigger than expected, with more soldiers deployed.
Fewer people, yet able to move quickly. Anschel naturally excluded Angela and Ryan from this plan. He briefly considered whether to include Harriet.
But Harriet was a soldier, a talented individual who graduated at the top of his academy class, and possessed the physical strength to take down Antonio in one move. Perhaps due to Ender’s influence, Harriet always appeared weak to Anschel’s eyes, someone who needed protection.
As Anschel hesitated, Ender advised that besides Harriet, no one else was suitable for this mission. In the end, there were three of them, but the research lab they needed to infiltrate would be full of irritatingly skilled ability users.
Suppressing his involuntary groans, Anschel parked the car deep in the mountains, far from the research lab.
“We must only use guns with silencers.”
Harriet smiled softly as he wiped the red gemstone attached to his cane with a handkerchief. His expression showed not a trace of tension.
“Avoid exposing your faces as much as possible, and move without being detected.”
The group made thorough preparations, wearing bulletproof vests and placing knives in sheaths attached to both thighs. At that moment, Harriet asked as he put on a gas mask.
“The researchers?”
“…Kill them on sight.”
As he said this, Anschel repeatedly checked Harriet’s reaction. From Anschel’s perspective, no matter how nimbly Harriet could move, his ability was only efficient in water. Moreover, as someone with a limp, there would inevitably be limitations to his movement.
He had no intention of underestimating Harriet for being lame, but he simply couldn’t gauge how effective he would be in combat. Though Anschel knew intellectually that Harriet wasn’t weak, not knowing his exact capabilities left him worried.
Despite the research lab that had used his body for experiments being right in front of him, Harriet showed no emotion whatsoever. Looking at him, Anschel wondered how he should protect him.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
