<Episode 240 Rescue (1)>
As I opened the window, a white tiger trudged into the room.
It climbs up onto a table that's about as high as my waist and wags its tail.
“Meow.”
He had an unusually lively expression on his face. He jumped at me like that.
"woah."
I accepted the white cat and hugged it.
“You. Why······.”
I was about to ask why.
I held back my words because I remembered mistakes I'd made in the past.
But it seems it was already too late.
From the word 'why', it seems like you already know what I'm going to say.
The white tiger was glaring at me.
“Ahem.”
I quickly changed my words.
“Oh, it’s been a while, Baekho. It’s so nice to see you.”
When I thought about it, it was natural for Baekho to react this way.
It's been five days since I've seen Baekho, but from Baekho's perspective, it's been a year since he's seen me.
Even if he is a white tiger who is always on the lookout, I can't help but be happy.
“Do you know how much I missed you?”
I gently stroked Baekho. If we were meeting for the first time in a year and the first thing he said to me was, 'What's wrong with you?', I would be upset too.
I tried my best to make sure you didn't feel upset.
Baekho let out a small sigh.
And then he glares at me as if he finds me pitiful.
His eyes seemed to be thinking, 'This owner hasn't changed at all even after a long time.'
And then sigh again.
This time, it's a look in his eyes that seems to be saying, 'I should be more tolerant.'
“······.”
I kept my mouth shut because I had nothing to say.
“What about Ai and Geumho?”
I took advantage of this moment to change the subject.
I was curious anyway.
“Meow.”
Baekho suddenly handed me a note.
It suddenly popped out, as if it had been hidden somewhere.
“You’ll know if you read it?”
Baekho nodded.
I unfolded the note one by one.
[Seoyul. It's been a while. I can't tell you how happy I was to see you at the press conference.]
A familiar handwriting.
[I'm sorry I couldn't come to you in person. The circumstances weren't favorable so I only sent Baekho.]
That's for sure.
This is a letter from a child.
[I can tell you more about what I did for the past year or something like that later. I'll just write the main point in this note.]
[Oil painting is dangerous.]
"······what?"
* * *
After that, I went straight to Jia and Siyeon while holding Baekho in my arms. I woke them up and told them that something urgent had happened and asked them to gather in a separate room.
“Ancestor, what······.”
“Seoyul! It’s urgent······.”
The two people approaching me became speechless at the same time.
“Meow.”
It must be because I checked the white cat in my arms.
“Ship, White Tiger!”
Two men jumped up from their seats and ran towards me.
To be exact, it wasn't me but Baekho who attacked him.
“Where have you been and what have you been doing?”
“How worried we were······.”
And then he started nagging me.
Among them, Siyeon's nagging was particularly severe.
Of course. Now that Lena has disappeared, Siyeon is in charge of Baekho and Geumho. Considering how much she must have suffered because of the two suddenly disappearing, it is understandable why she would do that.
“Meow······.”
Baekho cried as if he was annoyed.
These two look at me as if asking me to do something about them.
“Both of you calm down for now.”
It's not that I don't understand the excitement of these two.
Now is not the time for that.
“I’ll explain about Baekho later. That’s not important right now.”
The two men's expressions instantly became serious. This must be because they sensed the seriousness in my words.
“Yu-hwa is in danger.”
"yes?"
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know the exact details. But I’m sure it’s true. It’s information that Baekho brought.”
There was no detailed reason written in the note, but there was no way he would send Baekho to lie.
“I’m also worried that I haven’t heard from Yuhwa or Maiden.”
If Yuhwa is currently in danger as the child says, it makes sense that there has been no contact.
That too is a huge crisis.
“I thought that was strange too······. I see. I can understand in that situation.”
Jia seemed to understand immediately.
“But if there’s no detailed information, there’s no way to help, right?”
“It’s not like there’s no information at all.”
The note didn't say why, but it did give directions on where to go.
“Here. Go to these coordinates.”
I gave Gia the coordinates I had written down in advance.
“Is this also information brought by Baekho?”
"that's right."
"······okay."
Jia was lost in thought.
It seems like Baekho is wondering how he could have come up with this information.
“I’ve been wondering for a while now, did Baekho and Geumho join Yuhwa’s side?”
If we exclude the existence of the child, it would be natural to think that way.
“No. The one who sent this information through the White Tiger is Shirakawa Ai. If you know the name, it’s Rust.”
“Huh? I thought I couldn’t get in touch with him. How did you manage to contact him?”
“I think he contacted me after seeing my press conference.”
"aha."
Siyeon was convinced.
“But how did Mr. Shirakawa know that Ms. Yuhwa was in danger?”
“Well, like I said before, there weren’t any details written down. It just said to come to the location with the coordinates written down as quickly as possible.”
Jia seemed to think for a moment.
“I don’t know why I’m telling you this… That woman named Shirakawa Ai. Can you trust her?”
To these two, the woman named Shirakawa Ai is nothing more than Rust, a former executive of the Truth Seekers.
It's natural to ask such a question.
“You can trust me. You don’t have to worry about that.”
"······okay."
What did she see in my eyes? Jia nodded as if she understood.
“There’s no way Baekho and Geumho would stick with a bad person. Yeah. I think you can trust them too.”
Siyeon seemed convinced for a slightly different reason.
“Then I guess I should prepare to leave for China right now.”
“Can I ask you a favor?”
“Yes. I’ll prepare transportation right away. It won’t be difficult. The Chinese side is a very lawless area.”
Jia made a phone call somewhere.
Who am I calling at this late hour? Or would they even answer the phone in the first place?
Despite my worries, the other person quickly answered the phone.
“Sorry for calling so late. Something came up that required me to sneak into China. Okay.”
A dark voice is heard over the phone.
“Yes. I think it would be good if it were the same route as last time.”
From what I've heard, it seems like he's a broker who helps people smuggle to China. He said it was the same route as last time, so he must be the broker who helped Yuhwa infiltrate.
“Can you do it within an hour? Yes, I understand. I’ll see you there.”
The call ended in just one minute.
“I'm ready.”
Gia told me.
That's really fast.
“That broker. Is he trustworthy?”
“Yes. He’s the broker that Mr. Maiden said we could trust. He’s actually the one we use the most.”
"okay?"
If it's Mr. Maiden's assurance, then it's trustworthy.
“Let’s go to the dock in my car.”
Siyeon pulled my arm.
Hey, you pulled out a car too.
“Siyeon, before that, get your equipment.”
“Ah. Right.”
Siyeon is wearing her pajamas now.
At the very least, you need time to pack your gear.
“Seoyul, do you have anything to pack?”
“I'm done.”
She shrugged, lifting the necklace around her neck.
“I carry them all with me.”
“Oh, I see. Okay. Then I’ll go and get my gear as fast as I can! Just wait a minute!”
Like that, Siyeon ran out of the room in a flash. It really looked like she would be back within a minute.
“While we’re away, please take care of things in Korea.”
“Yes. Leave it to me. It’ll all be resolved by the time you get back.”
Jia pounded her chest as if telling me to believe her. Her appearance seemed strangely out of place, and I couldn't help but laugh.
“Okay. I’ll believe you.”
Zia stuck her tongue out and laughed. She seemed to know that it was an awkward gesture.
Then suddenly his expression changed to a gloomy one.
“So, your ancestors must also return safely.”
It was a complicated expression.
I guess you could say it's a sense of disconnect that comes from wanting to follow me but knowing that you can't.
“Don’t worry. You’ve seen my strength. Those who are average are no match for me.”
As I said, no one can stop me until at least the Seven Evils or the Demon God appear.
As soon as the Celestial Stigmata (Transcendence) is reactivated, even the Seven Evils will be no match for me.
“I’ll get all three of them and come back soon, so don’t worry and just wait comfortably.”
I patted Gia on the head.
"······yes."
Jia bowed her head deeply.
“I'm here!”
At that moment, Siyeon returned again.
······It really only took a minute.
* * *
We arrived at our destination in no time. Siyeon's impressive driving skills were on display.
“You can come this way.”
As we arrived at a dock in Incheon, a man greeted us.
Because the hood is pulled down deep, the face is not visible.
“Ji-hoo oppa. Come on~”
Siyeon greeted me in a friendly manner. It seems like the two of them are familiar with each other.
“It’s been a while.”
In stark contrast to the friendly demonstration, the man gave a stiff greeting.
Then, as if he had nothing more to say, he turned around and walked away.
It seems like they're telling us to get on a boat and move.
'It's good because things get done quickly.'
It's much more trustworthy than just talking about this and that.
“Please take a ride.”
The man pointed to a chubby boat. A shabby wooden boat. It looked like it would break at any moment.
Would it be possible to get to China on a ship like this?
“Don’t worry. This is just what it looks like on the outside. The inside is state-of-the-art.”
As if she had caught my anxious gaze, Siyeon reassured me.
"let's go."
I followed the man and demonstration into the boat.
"oh."
The interior was, as Siyeon had said, state-of-the-art. It was so luxurious that it would make you want to drive a top-of-the-line limousine, and one wall was filled with machines of unknown purpose.
“Brother. How long will it take to get there?”
“It will take about 30 minutes.”
The man answered appropriately and manipulated the machines here and there.
Devices that blink and make a beeping sound.
The engine started up, and the inside of the car shook slightly.
“Please sit down.”
“Sit down.”
Have you been on this boat many times?
Siyeon, who was already sitting in her seat and wearing her seatbelt, tapped the area next to her.
I sat down in that seat.
“Meow.”
A white tiger sat above me like that.
“And fasten your seat belt.”
I wondered if it was really necessary to wear a seat belt, but I decided to do it since there was no reason not to.
“Then let’s leave right away.”
The man who said that lifted the lever. At that moment, I felt dizzy and had tinnitus. It felt like someone was grabbing my head and shaking it back and forth. It wasn't unbearable, but it made me feel sick.
“You might feel a little nauseous because you’re going into stealth mode.”
I wish you had told me that before we left.
I kept muttering such complaints to myself.
“Haam.”
The white tiger in my arms yawned and curled up as if nothing had happened.
* * *
About 30 minutes passed like that.
We arrived at our destination.
“Well then, that’s it. Please come again next time.”
As soon as the man let us off, he got back on the boat and disappeared.
It seems that the stealth mode wasn't an exaggeration, as the disappearing ship disappeared in an instant.
“······Wow, this is amazing. What is that boat?”
“He’s a famous broker. He has a 100% carrying rate and is very vocal, so I use him often.”
"okay?"
He was really famous.
The transport rate is 100%.
“Stealth technology has advanced to that extent?”
“Hmm. That guy’s ship is special. I heard it’s a ship that’s been strengthened with special characteristics.”
"oh······."
When I hear it like that, it sounds more professional.
“Meow.”
The white tiger in my arms cried.
It seemed like he was telling us to stop talking and get going.
“Okay, Emma.”
I gently patted Baekho's head and took out the terminal from my pocket.
It was a navigation system that guided us to the coordinates we had designated in advance.
This terminal is equipped only with a route guidance function, to guard against possible radio jacking.
157.374 km northwest
We have to run and cover this distance.
“Will it take about an hour?”
“I have to dodge enemies along the way. Wouldn’t it take a little longer?”
“But at least we can get there before the sun rises.”
“Yeah. That’s enough.”
Siyeon handed me a robe.
“What is this?”
“Stealth Robe. An item that blocks all sounds and magical powers.”
I covered my head with the robe that was identical to the one Siyeon had given me.
"oh······."
I can't feel any real magic or presence or anything.
“Is it effective? It’s an item we don’t have many of.”
“Yeah. Even if I concentrate, I can’t feel anything.”
In this respect, it seems that modern technology is better than that of the past.
With that thought in mind, I also turned my robe inside out.
“Meow.”
The white cat in my arms cried in annoyance.
It was annoying that I couldn't see anything because I was covered in a robe.
“Hold on. This is the best way to avoid getting caught.”
I lifted the white cat's head up to my chin and pulled it out of the robe.
I cried softly, thinking that I would finally be able to live a little.
“What do you think? If I do this, I won’t be able to feel Baeknyang’s presence or magic?”
“Yeah. I don’t feel anything.”
Siyeon gave a thumbs up. It seemed like there was no problem.
“Then let’s go.”
I checked the terminal once again and walked in the direction the terminal was pointing.
<Episode 240 Rescue (1)> End
