It took no less than a few minutes for the entirety of the team, as well as the civilians, to be aware of Kai’s sudden disappearance. Panic spread across the region, especially with the fact that the slimes from the previous night were nowhere to be seen.

Unfortunately, the members of the team that kept watch throughout the night, failed to see when and where the monsters drifted off to. It was just one mystery piling on top of others.

“W-Wait, what? I thought he was with you!”, Beomgyu rose to his feet at once. He placed a firm hand on Taehyun’s shoulder, looking at him with a strong gaze.

The younger scoffed, “I thought so too! Damn it, Gyu, we promised each other to keep Kai safe! I told you to stick by my side and keep an eye on Kai! I told you to make sure he doesn’t run off on his own!”

“Are you blaming me?!?”

“I’m blaming you for not staying by my side!”

Taehyun noticed the shock that passed over the other’s eyes due to his response; he felt a pang of guilt for uttering out the words he wished he’d never have to say. Before he could retract his unnecessary comment, he spotted from the corner of his eye, Mrs. Huening rushing forward with a dismayed expression.

“Well, maybe if you remembered significant dates of our lives and gave me a reason to be by your side, I would! But guess what, Kang Taehyun?!? I had to talk about our forgotten anniversary with Soobin-hyung, Yeonjun-hyung and Soyeon-noona!”

Beomgyu’s alarmingly loud voice forced Taehyun to return his gaze to the front.

The red-head let the words settle into his heart, his shoulders relaxing slightly, his body drooping over as he processed the heart-breaking words of the older. If guilt raced through his veins earlier, it was pure shame and regret flooding across now – he swallowed a lump of remorse down his throat, his eyes softening apologetically. He didn’t care that the others were gawking at them like lost children.

“G-Gyu, I’m sorry… I forgot… I didn’t check the date… Let me make it up to you…”

The older felt his heart skip a beat; he never heard Taehyun speak with such regret before. Hesitantly, he shook his head, holding back the urge to let out a scream. “Find Kai. If we didn’t know Kai, we wouldn’t be together. Find Kai, and I will try to calm Mrs. Huening.”

Beomgyu immediately stepped back, removing his hand from the younger’s shoulder. He cleared his throat and his heels, rushing towards a woman who was overcome with grief and agitation.

“Taehyun.”

The aforementioned looked over his shoulder, his eyes laced with sorrow. Blinking his eyes to rid the tears, he turned around to see half of the squad all set and prepared for a long journey of endurance and struggles.

Minho and Changbin were still assuring Seungmin, Jisung and Felix that the team would return safe and sound. On the other hand, Jungeun and Jisu were collecting a few water bottles, putting them into Yuqi’s bag. Leading the squad was Yeosang, standing just before Taehyun with a gun swinging around his fingers.

“Wait!”, Yeonjun appeared out of the blue, a heavy tool in his hand. He stepped aside and urged the person by his side to move ahead.

“Uh, Gyu has the tattoo, so he should go with you all. I’ll talk to Mrs. Huening. And keep this hammer. I don’t know what for, but just in case.”

Beomgyu united with the team, walking past Taehyun, his eyes lingering on the other’s for a few seconds, before he looked away to nod towards Soobin.

“Good luck. Be safe, all of you.” Yeonjun looked at the team with a strong gaze, sheer hope and strength lingering within.

Taehyun nodded towards the older, before fixing his attention on the assembled members. He crouched down to tie his shoelaces, jumping back to his feet and adjusting the baseball cap on his head.

“Let’s get Kai back.”

The squad took off, the morning light guiding them on their route. They crossed the empty road and the parking lot, hastily picking up bottles and boxes that they forgot to pack the previous day.

At one corner, against a lonely tree, lay the mutilated body of the infected woman, dried blood stains all over the remains of her skin and clothes.

They decided to check the hotel and the cluster of restaurants and cafes, hoping that Kai was inside. Yelling out his name, a spark of hope died at the lack of response, but they had no time to stop and reassure themselves. With their chins up and their eyes wide open, they hurried away from that block and scanned their surroundings, standing within the empty plot of land.

The roads were vulnerable and soft, worn away by the machine’s caustic liquid. No trees were in sight, no birds chirped like they typically would; the only sounds were that of the massive machine’s grumbling at the circumference of the barrier, the liquid oozing out the metallic pipes like water out of a hose – however, the water from a hose would shower upon grassy fields and flowers, while the viscous liquid was dissolving away groups of buildings and stores.

Yuqi halted while the others kept moving around. She stared at the machine in disbelief, before directing her eyes over the river to the other side, where the gym once stood tall and visible.

“Wait, is the machine going to stop by the river and then go across to the right? I mean, that would mean that the machine would soon reach the petrol station.”

“Uh… Yuqi, I don’t think that’s important right now. Umm, is anyone else seeing little flames at the back of the machine?” Jungeun pointed a finger towards the enormous structure, her hand slightly shaking from terror along with the additional puffs of cold air radiating from Jisu.

“! Kai!”

The squad rushed towards the machine, jumping over remnants and debris, trying not to trip or stumble at such a crucial time. The scorching sun continued to wear them out, sweat dripping down to their necks as they dashed towards the source of smoke and fire. It was only a matter of luck that there were no slimes towering over them with their limbs out to hunt for prey.

Taehyun was at the front of the team, leading the others as he raced forward. He in a deep breath and yelled out, moving his head from side to side to catch a glimpse of a certain head of brown hair. “Kai! Kai, is that you?!?”

“Taehyun?!?”, a familiar yet distant voice responded back in an echo.

The squad slowed to a halt as the missing figure crept out from behind the machine, almost tripping over in the process, though there was no visible obstruction – it was Kai, and they were more than relieved to see the younger in one piece, safe and alive, though with visible burns on his fingertips.

“Kai, what the were you thinking?!? Running off like that?!? Do you want to get yourself killed?!?”

There was n