Chapter 98
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It was a conclusion Samuel didn’t want to believe, but there was no other way to explain what had happened.
‘First things first—get everyone moving.’
The first priority was to wake the others. Samuel calmly grabbed Peter by the collar and slapped him across the face.
“Ugh!”
“Peter, it’s me.”
“S-Samuel?”
It was a standard survival technique he’d learned in the mountain corps, enough force to rouse someone without knocking out a tooth.
Peter shot upright, clutching his stinging cheek and quickly surveying their surroundings. It didn’t take long for Samuel to explain the situation, and Peter’s expression gradually hardened.
“I… I was ambushed by squadmates too. I must’ve blacked out.”
“I counted about six Security Guard espers involved. Ensign Ricola was among them.”
“…Ricola Alvard?”
“That’s right.”
Peter’s face twisted with a strange mix of emotions. Leaving Peter to process, Samuel moved on to the others.
“We need to wake everyone up. The more people alert, the better our chances of escaping.”
With Peter’s help, they managed four more slaps, and eventually, everyone came around. One person woke up just from being shaken a few times, likely startled by the commotion.
“You’re Ensign Samuel, right? I have to say, for a rookie you keep your head and handle things well. Nicely done.”
“Thank you.”
Everyone trapped in that room was a Security Guard guide. Other than Peter and First Lieutenant Jocelyn Page, Samuel didn’t know any of the others.
“I’m Captain Charlize Anderson. Gold level, and probably the most senior here.”
“The Captain Charlize Anderson?”
Jocelyn nearly jumped in surprise, only for Charlize to hush her with a quick “Shh!”
“Save the small talk for later. I think someone’s coming.”
No one else seemed to hear a thing, but Charlize’s voice was deadly serious—her ears seemed as sharp as an esper’s. Instantly, every guide in the room fell into formation, lying down in the same spots as before, as if on cue.
A moment later, the door creaked open.
Samuel cracked his eyes just enough to see who entered. Backlit by the hallway light, he immediately recognized the silhouette. It was Ricola.
Moving silently, Ricola stepped into the room, nimbly hopping over the bodies and stopping beside Peter, crouching as if to check on his condition.
That was when Peter sprang up and seized Ricola in a tight embrace.
“What are you—?!”
“Everyone out, now! Move!”
Pouring every bit of guiding energy he had into Ricola, Peter overloaded her senses. The intense, high-compatibility guiding sent a wave of euphoria crashing over Ricola, leaving her trembling.
Taking advantage of the distraction, the six guides dashed out of the cell.
“Peter!”
Samuel, the last out, paused at the door and called back for him.
With Ricola briefly out of it, Peter managed to break away and join the others.
“Peter Rudd, wait! One of you—!”
Bang!
Ricola snapped out of her daze and shouted something after them, but the door slammed shut before she could finish. The door couldn’t be opened from the inside. Peter collapsed against it, sliding to the floor with a gasp.
“God… I thought my heart was going to explode.”
“Good thing Ensign Ricola was the one who came in.”
“Seriously.”
Their escape plan had been simple: if an esper entered, overwhelm them with guiding until they were too blissed out to react. If it was anyone but Ricola, the highest-level guide, Charlize, would handle it. But if it was Ricola, Peter would take the lead, thanks to their high compatibility.
“Shall we move?”
Charlize asked again and they headed out. The corridor split in two directions; Charlize chose the route.
“…There’s nobody here.”
“That doesn’t mean we can let our guard down. Anything can happen in the field.”
They walked ahead, nerves taut, but encountered no one. Not even a sound disturbed the silence.
Before long, Samuel spotted a familiar room—it was the storage area he’d entered before.
“They’ve already moved everything out.”
Where once there had been piles of d***s and files, only empty boxes remained. Samuel did a quick sweep, then stopped by the door leading outside.
“Before we go, everyone should get their guiding energy under control. When I came in earlier, the hallway was full of espers low on guiding.”
“What do you mean, ‘full of espers’? Were they dead?”
“No, just drugged out of their minds.”
A chill swept through the group. There’s nothing more terrifying than an out-of-control esper.
The guides all steeled themselves, collecting their energy tightly. Once they were ready, Charlize pushed open the door.
“Hm, still nobody.”
The espers who’d been sprawled in the throes of hallucination were gone. The room was empty. Something was off, but this was not the time to hesitate—they needed to escape.
The good news was that once they climbed the stairs, they’d be right back in the bar. They’d finally found the exit.
“Just because it’s been quiet so far doesn’t mean it’ll be the same upstairs. Stay alert, everyone.”
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