Vermilion gasped in disbelief. "Oh gosh! Captain Raynolds! Is that really him!?"
Geun's brows furrowed in confusion. "Sorry? Captain who?"
"Captain Raynolds!"
"Ah, I see... I thought he was somehow connected to the military, but turns out he's a cruise captain."
"No... Not that kind of captain. He's a military Captain."
Geun chuckled nervously. "Ah, I misunderstood. What a surprise... You actually recognize him!"
"Everyone thought he was dead... Where did you find him?!"
"From a river in Nisaeria. He was severely wounded and drifting down the stream. He's been in a coma ever since."
"Did he hit his head or something? That's the only way he'd fall into a coma..."
"I'm not sure... I'm no doctor."
"I wish Carmella were here. She'd know how to wake him up from his coma... Is there no doctor nearby?"
"Vermilion! Don't forget, he's military. If anyone found him, he'd be dead in seconds. When I found him, he was wearing Kothern's military uniform. Kothern and Jervalae aren't exactly on good terms."
"You're right... I forgot about that... So, what do we do? How do we get him back to Kothern?"
"Impossible! We'd be taken down by Jervalae or Kothern's border guards before we could explain anything."
"Then... what's the plan? Wait, I have an idea! Maybe we can try to help him regain consciousness!"
"How?"
"My sister, Carmella! She's a professional medic! She has tons of medical books at home. Maybe we can find something to help Captain Raynolds."
"You want to go back to that dangerous house again?!"
"Hmm... If the whole building is still standing, doesn't that mean it's actually quite safe? Otherwise, it would have fallen into the valley already..."
"Are you trying to convince yourself...? Also, you can't even walk properly, can you?"
"Well... I..."
"I can help you! If you agree and promise me one thing!"
"What is it?"
"Be my friend! I have been living alone for a really long time!"
"Huh?! Hmm... That sounds good to me too! I promise! Let's be friends!"
"Glad to hear that!"
They both shook hands as a promise to be friends. After resting for a few more minutes, Vermilion finally felt able to walk on her own. They returned to the house, and upon entering the lobby, they were immediately drawn to a mysterious phenomenon - the ringing sound of the elevator.
"Is the elevator still working?" Geun asked.
"How is that even possible?! I remember there was no more electricity since the battle began back in the slum..."
"Let me check it..."
Geun pressed the button, and the elevator door opened. The entire building was still in darkness, but the elevator had light inside and appeared to be still working. They exchanged glances and decided to give it a try. Vermilion pressed the button for the 21st floor, and the elevator smoothly carried them upward.
"I can't believe what my eyes have seen today... There are so many unexplainable phenomena since I met you. Very interesting!" Geun exclaimed.
"I can't believe it as well..."
As they entered the house, Vermilion tried to turn on the light but it was still not working.
"I hope we can find some answers... It's a little messy in here. I'll need your axe to shed some light on this room."
"Here you go."
"Alright! I can see the bookshelf clearly now! Let me see... Which book is it..."
"Hold on, did you feel something?"
"Hmm... No... But I thought I heard something..."
"Me too..."
"Is it the wind?"
"No..."
"It sounds like it's coming from the building itself..."
"Yeah, like the building is crumbling. Erhahaha."
"Stop it, it's not funny!"
Their banter was interrupted as the entire building suddenly tilted. They lost their balance, and Geun fell out through the window, but he managed to cling to the edge to prevent himself from plummeting into the valley below.
"OH GOSH! HANG ON!" Vermilion shouted.
"Vermilion! Don't worry about me! I know how to land safely. You need to run for yourself first!"
"But...!"
"Trust me, my friend! I'll try to climb my way back to the ground! Just get yourself out of this building now!"
"Okay!"
"Run to the elevator now!" Geun urged.
"Alright! I have to find my balance first…" Vermilion struggled to steady herself.
The building began to shake, the noise signaling its imminent collapse. Vermilion's panic intensified, and she struggled to maintain her balance.
Meanwhile, Geun moved down the building at a rapid pace, eventually reaching the ground while Vermilion struggled to find her footing in her unit. By the time she regained her balance and attempted to escape, the entire building began to collapse.
"Oh no... I think I'm too late to escape now..."
"VERMILION! Hang on!!" Geun's voice echoed.
The building fell rapidly. Vermilion clung tightly to the wall, peering out through the window as the structure plummeted from the cliff. However, the scene outside kept changing, shifting to unfamiliar places she had never seen before.
She didn't blink, watching closely as the scenery shifted until finally, the building came to a stop. Miraculously, it had survived the fall, though now engulfed in dust. Vermilion winced in pain as she realized she had bumped her butt heavily during the chaos.
"Oh dear! It hurts!! What the hell is going on!!!??" She yelled.
Slowly, Vermilion pushed herself up, enduring the pain. She approached the window and peered outside, finding herself back in her familiar slum. The building was securely attached to the ground, returned to its original position. Questions raced through her mind as she struggled to comprehend the inexplicable events.
Meanwhile, Ayukawa, who had been searching for Vermilion, witnessed the building reemerge before her eyes. Startled and puzzled for a while, she rushed into the building, calling out for Vermilion.
"Vermilion! Are you in there?!"
"Ayukawa?"
"Vermilion?!"
Ayukawa's expression shifted from serious to one of relief, and she immediately rushed to Vermilion. Without a word, she hugged Vermilion tightly, holding her for a moment. Vermilion was surprised but returned the embrace. She noticed a tear glistening in Ayukawa's eye.
"You little brat! I really thought you were gone!!" Ayukawa exclaimed.
"I thought I would be too... But somehow, I managed to escape death once again! Hehe!" Vermilion teased.
Ayukawa softly pinched Vermilion's cheek. "Don't joke about your life!"
"Ouch! Okay, okay!"
"Rosseaulyn said you disappeared with this house! I almost believed it!"
"Yeah, I think I was teleported to different places. I remember the shell almost hitting me, and the next moment, I was on top of a mountain..."
"Just like when we escaped to the rural village last time?"
"Exactly…"
"At least we know your power will trigger automatically when you're in danger. Not bad!"
"Sorry for being stubborn and making you all worry about me…"
"It's fine. But we should move. This place isn't safe!"
"Wait! What about Carmella's books? They're full of her handwritten medical notes. We need to take them with us! The important things she mentioned are probably those books!"
"That's about twenty of them... Fine, I'll find something to carry them in."
"Ayukawa! Where's the kitty?!"
"Sleeping soundly in my jacket pocket."
"Thank goodness you're both safe!"
"Since when did you become so devout? Never mind."
"I'm just learning from... Oh! I saw someone when I teleported to the mountain!"
"Focus on moving, not talking! We'll talk later! Luck won't always be on our side!"
"You're right!"
After packing their books, they left their unit and headed to the elevator. Vermilion was a bit panicked and clumsy, pressing the wrong floor button. She quickly corrected her mistake and pressed the ground floor button.
The elevator started moving, but it stopped at the floor where Vermilion had mistakenly pressed the button. The door opened to reveal a scene unfamiliar to them - an abandoned factory filled with large gear-like objects.
"Where the hell is this?!"
"I thought it was over. Seems like the elevator is still functioning weirdly…"
"I see... Now I understand how eager you are to share your adventures with me."
"Ayukawa, should we take a look?"
Ayukawa pressed the close button and replied, "Nope, stop wasting time! You can have your adventure later!"
"Alright..."
"You mentioned seeing someone earlier. Who did you see?"
"Captain Raynolds!"
"Really?! Where is he now?!"
"On top of a mountain in Jervalae!"
"Jervalae?! Your power allows you to teleport to another country now?!"
"I don't know... By the way, he's been in a coma since he was presumed dead."
"Heh... What a resilient man... Like a cockroach, never dies easily."
"I also met a guy who saved him and is currently taking care of him. His name is Geun Young-Ho."
"His name... He's from Nisaeria. Escaped to Jervalae?"
"I think so…"
"We need to stay alive and inform Rosseaulyn about this! Our priority is to escape. In the meantime, I might try to find the troublemaker - Dialla - and deal with him!"
"He's definitely a real troublemaker... He almost killed me too…"
"We can't use the main street right now. Do you know how to get to the east entrance of the slum?"
"Yeah! I remember it's this way!"
"Don't get lost! I'm counting on you!"
"I'll do my best!"
As Vermilion and Ayukawa sprinted through the alleys, the battle had already engulfed the entire slum. Soldiers clashed with resistance fighters, and tanks continued their relentless assault on the residents, demolishing buildings along the way.
Suddenly, another building crumbled, creating a massive barrier that separated Vermilion and Ayukawa. With no way to reach each other, they had no choice but to detour and find another route.
"Vermilion! Can you hear me?!" Ayukawa called out.
"Yeah! I'm fine!" Vermilion shouted back.
"Let's find our own way then! Remember that we are heading to the east!"
"Got it!"
"Let's meet again at the rendezvous point!" Ayukawa added before they both set off on their separate paths, determined to navigate through the chaos and reunite once more.
Vermilion started to run randomly into each alley, relying on her memory of the original path. But as Vermilion ran blindly, panic clouding her senses, she began to lose her way. The chaos around her made it difficult to focus, and the fear of being trapped in the collapsing building only fueled her desperation.
With each turn, the corridors seemed to blur together, and the once familiar paths became unrecognizable. Suddenly, she burst out onto the main street. At the same time, Ayukawa also found her way out and onto the main street. She spotted Vermilion standing amidst the tumult of battle.
"Hey! Vermilion! Get back!" Ayukawa shouted.
"Damn! Soldiers!" Vermilion exclaimed.
Rosseaulyn, who was secretly aiding the resistance fighters against Dialla, spotted Vermilion. "Oh gosh! Ms. Yeleona! She's really alive! Ms. Ayukawa found her! Truly... Thank goodness for that!"
The assassin also noticed Vermilion from afar. "Ah, that gorgeous girl! She's alive! Now I can prove to those monsters that I'm innocent! Hahahaha!"
However, Vermilion's sudden appearance in the middle of the main street not only caught the attention of Rosseaulyn and the assassin, but also Dialla. He shifted his gaze from the battlefield to the innocent-looking girl who seemed lost and stuck on the road.
"Well, well, well. Who do we have here? A sweet-looking, well-dressed girl standing in the middle of the road out of nowhere!" Dialla remarked.
"She must be one of them, Sir! Let me handle her!" Victor replied eagerly.
"Go ahead! None of them is going to survive! Hahahaha!"
"Yes, Sir!"
With determination, Victor descended from the tank and advanced toward Vermilion, brandishing an army knife. Vermilion stared at Victor, fear evident in her eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"No need to worry, girl... This will be quick and... PAINFUL!!!" Victor exclaimed, lunging forward and stabbing Vermilion in the left waist.
"VERMILION!!!" Ayukawa and Rosseaulyn cried out in unison.
Reacting swiftly, Ayukawa extended her dagger without hesitation. She moved with lightning speed, slashing directly at Victor's head. Despite Victor's attempt to evade, Ayukawa's strike still managed to slice off his left ear.
"My ear!! Aaahhh!!" Victor screamed in agony.
Ayukawa followed up with a powerful kick, sending Victor hurtling towards Dialla, where he collided with the tyrant and was sent sprawling.
"Vermilion! Vermilion!" Ayukawa called out repeatedly.
But Vermilion remained unresponsive.