85 – Lockdown Protocol (1)
“…Ugh?!”
Pain transmitted the moment she opened her eyes.
At least the bed was soft—soft…?
“Uh, ugh…”
She turned her eyes left and then right.
My room… no, my room exploded, right.
Where am I?
Too luxurious to be called a motel.
Not quite like a hospital either… so, what is it?
“Ugh, ugh?”
As sensation slowly returned, something immediately stuck to her mouth.
A breathing apparatus.
Was I alive?
– A groan.
I can feel my hands.
Certainly, it was me who was throwing punches hard enough to expose bones.
How? Why intact…
…no fur.
No blue veins.
No wounds.
This is a prosthetic. Not my hand.
From the arm, clear fur and veins are visible, but there’s a distinct border on the hand, like it’s been drawn with gold, or rather.
“Ugh…!”
A blazing furnace.
Flames that burnt my hands.
Measures taken to stop bleeding.
Injections piercing into the body and Ilia’s face.
She wasn’t smiling.
“This… situation…”
My throat felt parched.
Words wouldn’t come out properly.
Nowhere in the room could Ilia be found.
However, as if prepared for such a moment, there was a bottle of water placed.
“…Phew, gulp?! Cough, cough!”
As the dry mucous membrane hastily swallowed moisture, a cough burst out, as if inhaling the chilly air from the refrigerator.
A rather loud sound echoed through the room for quite a while.
…Discomfort.
For some reason, it felt like there was nothing but emptiness.
“Ilia?”
The one who should be there is absent.
Certainly, there was a sound, and by now, without a doubt, someone should have rushed in.
Slowly stood up from the spot.
And, with an involuntary scream, had to lie down again.
…It wasn’t just an arm injury.
Being here, does it at least mean that the situation is completely over?
…I wish I could take out my phone and check, but there’s no way I suddenly found what I lost…?
“This is…”
In the place where the bottle was, there is a black rectangular object.
The sparkling surface is undoubtedly something new.
And next to it again…
“My gun.”
The gold was gone, and there lay a revolver, so battered that one wouldn’t even think it could be used.
It had been Ilia’s… taken away and returned in disrepair.
But for some reason, an attempt at fixing it had been made, with clumsy soldering marks still visible.
…Yet, doing it like this, it was beyond usability.
“Ugh…!”
Pressing against his ribcage with his hand, he rose, intending to check the drawer while waiting for the phone to power up.
And right in the first drawer, another revolver lay neatly polished, boasting an unaltered, pristine appearance with a black handle that was dazzling.
Was it prepared as a backup?
He struggled to take the gun holster next to it, managed to slip it inside…
As the phone came alive, he looked at it.
“…As expected.”
Instead, when he tried to connect to the internet and access the messaging app – the situation was the same here.
Perhaps it was meant to make communication impossible from the beginning.
…Team leader, Dayeon, Matthew.
Are they all okay?
Above all, just where the heck is Ilia?
– Pusshing.
All the doors in the house are sliding, indicating a high-end design.
Outside the window… a commercial district?
What floor is this place, exactly?
To think that I own such a house…
“Ha, ha…”
The living room is spacious.
Even speakers of a size befitting the large screen on the wall.
In front of them, there’s a sofa and a table.
On the table, there are chips for connections… huh, gamepads?
It makes sense if it’s for two people… even if I can’t see it now.
“What a splendid house…”
The kitchen is neat, and the openness is pleasing to the eye.
The light filtering through the horizontal gap in the wall, not from outdated lamps, is soft…
And the clean, clear water smoothly glides over the surface without a single ripple.
The sensation in my hands is pleasant.
After going through that ordeal, it feels like I’ve received some sort of reward.
Even though I’m left alone in this cozy interior… still.
“As expected, I should explore.”
There are several rooms in sight.
From Noble mtl dot com
I wonder if Ilia is in one of them.
Or perhaps the house is truly empty, and she’s off doing something else.
He opened a door and peered inside.
…It was filled with fierce weapons, all of them.
In the center was a female mannequin adorned with Illya’s protective gear.
Medium machine guns using large-caliber ammunition, semi-automatic shotguns with drum magazines…
Combat attire for women, bulletproof vests, and even the bulletproof plates that go inside.
None of it was something I could use.
“This doesn’t fit either.”
Knee pads, elbow pads, gloves – everything.
Not even ammunition for the revolver.
Just to be sure, I opened the cylinder, and fortunately, there were about six rounds left.
Moving my foot, I entered the next room, which seemed to be a dressing room.
The fact that there was a separate room for clothes was a bit surprising, but… I turned my eyes toward the rows of open wardrobes on either side.
Among them, my clothes were not there.
From Illya’s casual wear to something that would be extremely embarrassing to wear.
No, can we even call these clothes? Numerous… pieces of cloth. No, scraps?
Why on earth…
With a slightly reddened face and a hand on the grumbling ribs,
I moved on to the familiar clothes proudly hanging in the center.
Some looked worn, as if my hands had touched them,
From jeans to coats, all of them.
However, one place was empty… Perhaps, that was…
“Hoodie and leggings, approximately?
You went out wearing that? Like that…”
Seeing the hoodie neatly folded on one side, it’s not even something worn.
No, more than that.
I don’t have any clothes? Among all these wardrobes?
“Tops, bottoms, or even, dare I say, underwear…”
The more drawers I opened, the more I confronted a cruel reality.
In this room filled with things that couldn’t possibly serve the purpose of covering one’s body, strangely, I ended up with nothing and could only leave the room.
With a heart that started to beat strangely.
“Having all this prepared implies it’s in a decent condition, but there’s no answer even if I call…”
It was certain that there was something in the room I woke up in after having slept.
Having bought a bunch of clothes, it didn’t make sense that I had nothing…
“This, the room?”
A red light shimmering beyond the opaque door.
I pressed the button immediately and headed towards it.
The broken arm was replaced with a new one.
The face, once covered in blood, was neatly arranged.
Neatly, wearing the clothes I first put on…
Had it been sitting there, recharging itself?
“…Hmm.”
A bed arranged in one corner.
A room with a neatly organized desk and books.
And in between, Ilia lying with her eyes closed.
Slowly guiding her aching body, she leaned against it, sitting up.
“…Ha, ha.”
What on earth had she done for this?
As the medication seeped into her body, she threw a punch, half lost in her thoughts –
Moments of inflicting wounds upon herself flashed before her eyes.
Leaning against Ilia’s body, she tried to scatter it all away.
“Still, at least you, at least…”
In the end, it didn’t fall apart.
In the end, she couldn’t help but lift a corner.
Even though she knew it would be raw,
Even though she perhaps believed it would really be the end.
In the end, I was here.
The scene I desired was finally before my eyes.
“Yeah, you too… should get some sleep.
I’ll go too, so I’ll – “
The hand that was about to rise was grabbed.
And in an instant, the body was pulled close.
“Have you… awakened?”
The strength, too overpowering.
With the force as if ready to burst someone’s body!
“Ah, it hurts.”
“I won’t let go.”
“It hurts?! Seriously, it hurts! My rib isn’t healed yet!”
“I apologize, but if you could stay like this just a little longer…”
Why is the mechanical body trembling?
If it’s caught, it should have been caught.
Why is it constantly brushing my head and back, trembling?
“Thank goodness you’re alive. I… I…”
“Is he… Ugh, did something malfunction… Why is he stuttering?”
Even though I couldn’t unfold my face,
Still, I could wrap my hands around.
Even if it increases the pain a bit more…!
“It’s, really dangerous…!”
“No, longer, a threat to Taehyuk-nim. Within this house, now… only friendly things to Taehyuk-nim… We did it, Taehyuk-nim.”
“You’ve achieved what you desired.”
“Well, indeed, but…”
A house far more luxurious than the one I dreamt of.
I opened my eyes in a place that seemed attainable only when one reaches the level of a company executive,
and in the same room, Ilia was present.
Now, certainly, there seemed to be no reason to raise a gun anymore.
However, that arsenal…
“Did you come looking for me as soon as you woke up?”
I nodded.
“…Understood. However, for now, you should rest. Please entrust yourself to me, as you need stability.
I will move to a larger bed.”
A body that rose swiftly.
And again, that bed I had just awakened on, drawing closer.
The lower drawer seemed to be filled with bottles of pills.
“Painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, and a new medicine with ingredients to aid recovery.
It’s not for experimental or combat awakening, so please take it with confidence.”
One by one, they entered my mouth, and a bottle with half its contents left was pushed into my mouth.
After swallowing that, another white pill was presented.
“This is a sleeping pill.”
“…Are you trying to make me sleep again?”
“The damage to the rib bones is severe.
For recovery, it is best not to move.”
“Who was it that embraced me like that?”
The hand that had recommended sleeping pills twitched.
Then, it hesitated.
“I’m sorry, I, with that intention – “
“Ilyah?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry – “
Something was wrong.