I sat inside the transport vehicle.
My wrists were cuffed behind my back. A rough blindfold covered my eyes, cutting off what little sense of direction I still had. The air inside smelled of metal and oil, stale and oppressive.
Two soldiers sat beside me—one on my left, one on my right.
They were relaxed.
Too relaxed.
"So this is the tower guy?" one of them snorted.
"Didn't look so tough to me."
The other laughed.
"Yeah. All that drama just to end up cuffed like this. What an idiot."
They kept talking. Mocking. Laughing about my "stupid decisions," about how easy it was to deal with someone who thought he had principles.
I said nothing.
Outwardly, I was calm.
Inside, something coiled tightly.
I won't be a puppet, I thought.
Not for the tower. Not for the government.
The vehicle rolled steadily forward.
Far away, on the side of the road, nine figures stood watching.
They didn't hide.
They didn't need to.
The transport passed through their field of vision like any other vehicle—unremarkable, forgettable.
One of them spoke, his voice low.
"Did he drink the potion?"
A woman beside him shook her head.
"No. He refused."
The man nodded once.
"Good," he said simply.
"Then let's proceed."
He turned his head.
"Go," he said to a young-looking woman standing a short distance away. She appeared to be around thirty—only a few years older than me.
"Rescue that kid."
She sighed lightly.
"Alright. Whatever."
And then she vanished.
No flash.
No sound.
Just… gone.
The remaining figures didn't react.
The woman who had answered earlier looked at the rest of them.
"Let's move," she said.
"We still have two more this year who refused to drink the potion."
As they started walking, one of them let out a tired sigh.
"…Only three people," he muttered.
"Man-made, by the way."
No one laughed.
"What's happening to humanity…" another said quietly.
They didn't wait for an answer.
The road swallowed them up.
Inside the transport vehicle, I sat blindfolded and cuffed.
Unaware.
Still listening to the soldiers laugh.
Still refusing to bend.
And somewhere between the road ahead and the choices behind me—
Something was already moving.
Toward me.
She stepped into the road and stood there calmly.
The transport didn't slow down.
If anything, it sped up.
She wasn't surprised.
"…Of course," she muttered.
From the space ring on her finger, she pulled out a gas mask and slipped it on with practiced ease. Then she took out several glass vials. The liquid inside them sloshed unnaturally, more like mist than fluid.
Gas-type potions.
She stared at them for a second, then sighed.
"Man… I put a lot of effort into getting these," she complained under her breath.
"I really hate this government."
Grinding her teeth, she hurled the vials forward in an angry arc.
They shattered against the vehicle.
Inside the transport, I felt it immediately.
Something sharp and bitter flooded the air.
Gas.
I inhaled before I could stop myself. My lungs burned, vision blurring as my strength drained away unnaturally fast.
"…Tch."
My body slumped.
Darkness crept in.
Master.
Nola's voice cut through the haze.
Wake up.
A warmth spread through my chest, gentle but firm. Something invisible pushed outward, forcing the gas from my system, purging it completely.
Breathe.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
My eyes snapped open.
The world was sideways.
The transport vehicle was smashed against a tree, metal twisted and smoking. The road was torn up, debris scattered everywhere. Nearby vehicles lay overturned or rammed into one another.
Everyone inside was unconscious.
Not dead.
Sleeping.
I let out a slow breath.
"…Non-lethal," I murmured. "Figures."
I forced the door open and stepped out carefully, joints aching but functional.
Then I felt it.
Someone watching me.
I turned.
She stood a short distance away, arms crossed, studying me with open curiosity.
"You're awake?" she said, surprised.
Then she shrugged.
"Eh. Whatever."
I stayed tense.
Every instinct I had was screaming at me.
Danger.
This woman was strong.
Strong enough that running might not even matter.
She sighed and walked over, stopping a few steps away. From her pocket, she took out a small card and flicked it toward me.
"Encrypted number," she said.
"Private. Don't lose it."
I caught it instinctively.
"…Why?" I asked cautiously.
She didn't answer.
She turned to leave.
Then paused.
"Oh," she added flatly, glancing back over her shoulder.
"By the way—you owe me."
I frowned.
"Owe you… what?"
She raised two fingers.
"Two sleeping potions."
"…What?"
She stepped forward once.
And vanished.
No sound.
No light.
Just gone.
I stared at the empty space for a few seconds.
Then sighed.
"…Great," I muttered.
Looks like I owe someone now.
And somehow—
That worried me more than the government ever did.