“.…… Ms . Strobe . You don’t have the right to join in on this conversation . Please get on the spaceship . ”


  The Mayor’s voice turned rough as if he had reached the end of his patience . However, Chelsea didn’t back down .

  “I’m not throwing a tantrum . I’ve thought it through, so I’m telling you how it is . ”


  Chelsea pointed at the Mayor and continued .

  “We can’t sacrifice either you or the Deputy mayor . Armstrong city is on the brink of extinction, but it hasn’t fallen yet . Both of you have a duty to see this through . You have to be here until the city falls . ”


  The Mayor became conflicted . Duty and responsibility! It was something he himself had been preaching until now, so he couldn’t refute Chelsea’s words .

  Chelsea then pointed at the Deputy mayor .

  “It’s the same for you, Deputy mayor . You have to survive until the end and be ready to take over if something bad happens to the Mayor . You bear the same responsibility as him, right?”


  “.…… My responsibility is lighter than him . ”


  The Deputy mayor pushed back against her assertion, but since Chelsea’s words were logical, he didn’t push back that hard .

  “That’s why I should be going to the ancient city . I’m the least important person here . ”


  The Mayor and the Deputy mayor didn’t have anything to say .

  “It seems you have no objections . ”


  Chelsea turned around and flipped her disheveled hair . With light steps, she walked past Sungyoon, then turned around to look at him .

  “I’ll be back . ”


  A faint smile graced her lips, but Sungyoon could see her eyes past her thick glasses .

  “.…… Are you sure? You might die . ”


  “I’m fine . I’m prepared . ”


  Of course, she wasn’t fine . She was desperately trying to put up a front, and Sungyoon could see her trembling hands and eyes . If the hypothesis was proven wrong, she would die as soon as she entered the Ancient city . She would suffer the same fate as a regular person who had entered a labyrinth .

  However, Sungyoon didn’t have the right to stop her .

  “.…… I wish you luck . ”


  “Thank you . However, there is another way you can wish me luck . I would prefer it to spoken words . ”


  She gestured to him to take off his helmet . Sungyoon didn’t object and did so . It had been hot inside the armor, so his hair was soaked in sweat .

  Chelsea moved . In the most natural way, she wrapped her arms around Sungyoon’s neck . She then locked lips with him, and Sungyoon didn’t try to dodge it . It was a short kiss, but both felt as if time had stopped for them . It was as if they were in a bubble that blocked out the confusion and violence outside .

  “Hoo-ah~!”


  Chelsea disengaged her lips . Her face was as red as a tomato . However, her expression was very bright, her hands no longer shook, and calmness had returned to her eyes . Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she glanced at Sungyoon .

  “I’ll be back . ”


  “Yes . Go and come back . ”


  Chelsea detached the magical energy suppressor from her body . She took a deep breath and jumped through the portal . Her movements didn’t contain any hesitation .

  A pin-drop silence descended in the Mayor’s office .

  “.…… Jeez! Young people these days are quite aggressive . ”


  The Deputy mayor had held his breath when he had watched Sungyoon and Chelsea say goodbye to each other . It might be their last goodbye, and the Deputy mayor unconsciously shook his head from side to side .

  “Is that so? I was like that when I was young . Are you sure it isn’t just you? You might’ve lived a boring life . ”


  “You’re known for being so conservative in your actions that people call you a coward . I don’t want to hear such words from you . ”


  Was it the effect of her courageous action? The heavy atmosphere between the two men had lifted; her actions had allowed them to overcome the pall over their hearts and joke with each other .

  Sungyoon continued to look at the portal .

  “I may be overstepping my bounds, but…… . ”


  The Mayor spoke to Sungyoon .

  “Ms . Strobe is a good woman . She may be frustrating to deal with at times, but her heart is always in the right place . She will bring no dishonor if she does become the noble Knight’s woman . ”


  “I already have a wife . ”


  “Is that so? I was only aware of your daughter . Well, it doesn’t matter . It isn’t surprising to see a Connector with multiple wives . Moreover, unlike before, it’s now looked on more favorably in society . I’m sure you will regret losing a woman like her . ”


  An uncertain expression made its way to Sungyoon’s face . He didn’t give an answer, and the Mayor left the matter at that .

  After a few more seconds passed, a pale arm suddenly appeared from the portal . Then, other parts of her body exited the portal too .

  “I’m fine! It’s safe over there!”


  Chelsea had come out of the portal unscathed . She shouted in joy .

  The Mayor and the Deputy mayor made fists as they joyfully yelled . Sungyoon was a bit more reserved, but he also cheered .

  Hope had returned to them .

  ***

  The remaining shelters opened once again, and the people waiting for spaceships that had left without any promise of return came out . They were supposed to slowly suffocate as oxygen ran out in the city . However, they had hope of living once again .

  “Hurry! Hurry!”


  People rushed into the portal, and on the other side of the portal, Connectors guided them into the ancient city . Since people only had to cross the portal, the evacuation was very quick .

  “How many do we have left?”


  “The evacuation is almost complete . We opened the last remaining shelters about five minutes ago . Once we evacuate them, our job is done!”


  “Good!”


  Sungyoon heard the conversation between the Mayor and the Deputy mayor as he kept guiding the people into the portal . He wanted to go into the city to block the monsters, but he had the important responsibility of keeping the portal open . He couldn’t be reckless and leave this place .

  “This is the last batch!”


  Finally, the last group of civilians disappeared into the portal, and the Connectors helping them cheered .

  “Good! Gather everyone defending the city! Our work is done once we let them pass through the portal!”


  The Connectors who were still fighting could now retreat . Since the situation was heading toward the endgame, relief had finally appeared in the Mayor’s voice .

  “Understood!”


  His subordinate answered in an upbeat manner .

  The Deputy mayor, who was desperately searching for the Mayor, yelled .

  “Mayor!”


  “What’s it now!”


  Did another emergency pop up? The Mayor became annoyed .

  “Now that I think about it, we forgot about that woman!”


  “That woman?”


  “I’m talking about the suspected terrorist who Mr . Sungyoon apprehended!”


  The Mayor’s face relaxed a little; it wasn’t much of an emergency . In this situation, his duty was to prioritize the wellbeing of innocent civilians . Even if the suspected terrorist died, he didn’t care .

  ‘Still, it’s a bit regrettable . ’


  It was a certainty that the woman had some information that could fill the gap . She might know about the terrorist attacks that started the downfall of Armstrong city .

  ‘We do have some time too . ’


  When Sungyoon had brought the woman to the city hall, she had been locked in a room inside the building . If she were locked away in a faraway location, the Mayor would have given up on her .

  “Where was she locked away?”


  “The storage room in the basement!”


  It wasn’t that far away . The Mayor started to look around for Connectors who would retrieve the woman .

  “I’ll go . ”


  Sungyoon volunteered before the Mayor could pick anyone, but the Mayor replied in the negative .

  “No . Mr . Sungyoon, you have to maintain the portal . ”


  “The distance is manageable . I can maintain the portal even if I go to the basement . ”


  The Mayor thought for a brief moment . He had received information about the experiments conducted with Sungyoon’s portal so he knew Sungyoon was telling the truth . Moreover, Sungyoon would only be going to the basement of the city hall . There were no monsters nearby thanks to the hard work of Connectors . Above all else, Sungyoon was well acquainted with the suspect .

  “Then, I’ll leave it to you . ”


  As soon as he was given permission, Sungyoon dashed to the basement . The lobby of the city hall was a mess because of the evacuation, yet he quickly passed through it to reach the basement . He then headed straight toward the storage room .

  Bul-kuhk!

  As soon as he opened the door, he saw all kinds of junk spread across the floor . His eyes then fell on Plu-El, who struggled to free herself from her chains amongst the junk .

  Plu-El realized Sungyoon had arrived, so she glared up at him .

  ‘Thankfully, she hadn’t run away . ’


  Sungyoon draped her over his shoulder . She resisted a little, but Sungyoon didn’t even blink .

  ‘I can’t lose this woman . ’


  She possessed information that he wanted to know, but above all else, he wanted to know why she had ambushed him .

  ‘There is a high probability that she knows what happened to Mr . Hyunwoo and Mr . Hahn Jungbum . ’


  He remembered her speaking their names .

  Sungyoon exited the storage room and ran toward the portal .

  “Eeek! Eee-eek!”


  Plu-El struggled and tirelessly moved her legs to kick Sungyoon, but her antics couldn’t stop his steadfast progress .

  “What do you know?”


  As always, she kept her mouth shut . She kept up her useless efforts to escape .

  “What do you know about Mr . Hyunwoo?”


  Sungyoon asked about Hyunwoo, who he felt had become very suspicious recently . Hyunwoo might have disguised himself to kill this woman .

  That wasn’t the only question he had .

  “Do you know the person named Hahn Jungbum?”


  Plu-El stopped her struggles .

  “From what I know, you have Mr . Hahn Jungbum’s armor and weapon . When I had seen it for the first time, I thought you were wearing similar-looking gear . However, I now believe that it’s his gear . ”


  Sungyoon turned his head to look down at Plu-El, who looked like a curled up shrimp draped across his shoulder . Their eyes met, and Sungyoon could see that she hadn’t stopped struggling as a gesture of goodwill .

  Her eyes oozed rage . However, Sungyoon’s eyes were as cold as ice . She was a suspected terrorist, and she possessed Hahn Jungbum’s gear .

  “Did you kill Mr . Hahn Jungbum?”


  Hahn Jungbum was his father in law . In some ways, he was the link that had allowed him to throw away the darkest moments of his past . Sungyoon could start a new life because of him, so of course, Sungyoon wouldn’t show any kindness to a woman who might have killed Hahn Jungbum .

  However, the reaction he got was out of his expectations .

  “What”


  It had been a while since Sungyoon had heard her voice, and unlike their previous conversations, this voice was full of hostility .

  “Did I kill Mr . Jungbum?”


  She was so enraged that she clipped each word . However, Sungyoon calmly answered .

  “Yes . ”


  It was as if he had detonated a bomb within Plu-El . He had never heard her speak so loudly; she yelled as if she were vomiting blood .

  “Don’t make me laugh! You guys are the ones who killed himmmmmmmm!”