This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 222

At first, I called out several times, but there was no response, which made me wonder if this guy had somehow slipped away to another spot.

“…Is there nothing?”

“Uh… It seems like that might be the case?”

As I was about to turn my body to figure out where to search next, at that very moment, I heard rustling sounds coming from behind me.

Startled by that, I couldn’t help but react, and Chae-rim immediately stepped forward.

Seeing the blue current flowing through her hand, it looked like she was prepared to use her powers at any moment.

It wasn’t just Chae-rim who went into alert mode.

Yoonseo, who had been tightly gripping my left arm until just now, also tensed up, vigilantly scanning the front.

However, the image of her just moments ago being all spaced out was still vividly etched in my mind, making her seem a bit… like a chihuahua.

She had looked incredibly reliable and reassuring when she showed up to save me just a while ago.

‘Well…’

This was Yoonseo after all.

Yeah, no doubt about it.

Anyway, everyone around me, including Yoonseo, must have been on high alert at that moment.

Just then, another rustling noise echoed, followed by a swoosh as the curtain, acting as a makeshift door, was pushed aside revealing Bora.

Not only had I almost been at death’s door, but I wondered if Bora had also gone through some mental turmoil after I bolted out like that.

Her face emerged from the changing room, looking as pale as a sheet.

The expression she wore was strikingly different from her usual demeanor, looking completely deflated.

And what happened next?

Well, naturally, we ended up getting a massive scolding along with Bora.

The image she had shown earlier on the rooftop was clearly just a warm-up for this moment, as Chae-rim’s expression hardened the instant we got home, and a cold voice flowed from her lips.

To describe how cold it was, after Bora revealed herself, Yoonseo, who had been brimming with vigilance like a chihuahua glaring at another dog, instinctively started to inch back upon seeing Chae-rim scolding me and Bora.

Did she think she would get scolded as well if she stayed with us?

‘Well…’

She probably wasn’t entirely blameless herself.

Although she came to save me, the mere fact that Yoonseo, who should have been at school at this hour, was here served as proof.

Thanks to that, I survived.

Still, while I was pretty mad about this whole situation, I figured I wouldn’t keep complaining about it.

“Now do you get it? Do you understand why I told you to inform either me or Baeksulhwa if you ever needed to go outside?”

“Yes.”

“…Yes.”

“It’s not to control or trap you, but because I care about your safety…”

After squeezing out a confirmation from me and Bora, Chae-rim added a few more words as if she was tired and leaned back on the couch, finally relaxing.

“Anyway, this is a big deal…”

That was the exact phrase that escaped Chae-rim’s lips like a venting of frustration.

As I was the only one left at that spot, I paused wrapping a bandage around my arm and directed my attention to Chae-rim.

“What is it?”

“This incident.”

By this incident, was she referring to the rift that opened up without a sound in such a crowded place?

Once that thought crossed my mind, I suddenly realized.

I had something I wanted to ask Chae-rim too.

“Speaking of which, what about the rift alert system?”

“Yeah?”

“What happened? Did it break down collectively or something?”

To that, Chae-rim replied, almost as if it was an aside—

“I wish it was something like that…”

That comment sounded extremely significant from where I was standing.

Wishing it were so? What could that possibly mean?

Since I couldn’t comprehend that significance right away, I tilted my head in confusion, and it seemed my puzzlement showed on my face.

With a short sigh, Chae-rim’s mobile phone slid smoothly across the table, stopping precisely in front of me.

However, there was no time to admire how perfectly she adjusted the force.

What was displayed on the mobile phone’s screen was far from ordinary.

Chae-rim had gone through the trouble of showing me a news section from a portal site.

And that page, which would usually be full of various headlines, was instead covered with similar titles that seemed to be colluded among reporters.

Despite minor differences, words like ‘breaking news’ and ‘attack’ were present without fail.

And so was the term ‘rift alert system.’

Given how openly visible it was, as soon as I laid eyes on the screen, I couldn’t help but realize that something was seriously wrong.

Things had gone terribly wrong.

Could it be that the rift alert systems deployed nationwide had all malfunctioned together?

Sure, that possibility was on the table, but to be realistic, how likely was it that so many would break down at the same time?

Thus, it could only be one of two scenarios.

Either the Another Ones had discovered the rift alert system and found a way to shut it down—

“They might have evolved to the point where the alert system completely fails to detect them.”

“What about that…”

I couldn’t question that logic because what I had seen couldn’t be dismissed.

After all, recalling the appearance of those chasing me in the shopping complex, they didn’t look any different from the ones I knew.

If their appearance was an evolved form that enabled them to infiltrate the human world without being detected, it also made sense that they no longer had their pudgy shape; they had transformed drastically.

‘Anyway…’

One thing was certain: whether either scenario was true, we were in bad shape.

Of course, if we considered comparative advantage, the worst-case scenario would be if they had evolved on their own.

But if they had found a way to render the alert system useless?

From a defensive standpoint, it meant simply figuring out what it was and establishing countermeasures.

But if they had completely shed their original forms and evolved to being nearly a new species?

Such a simple resolution was hardly feasible.

No matter how you looked at it, it would take considerable time before a new alert system tailored to the transformed Ones could appear.

Sure, having a base would mean it wouldn’t be a complete shot in the dark, but…

The real problem was how many lives would be lost before that happened.

Once people started getting sacrificed in that manner, law and order would begin to unravel at an alarming rate.

And if law and order began to falter?

There would undoubtedly be things, like villains, that emerged to wreak havoc as if they had long awaited this moment.

I briefly frowned at that concern, but it seemed Chae-rim’s worries were slightly different.

So, out of curiosity, I had no choice but to ask what was bothering her.

“No… I just feel like pointless arguments are going to emerge.”

“Pointless arguments?”

“Yeah, like… you know how they say the best defense is a good offense?”

What did that have to do with this situation?

I found out almost immediately.

After all, Chae-rim explained it to me directly.

“Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t even be worried about this. In the world of Another Ones, once you step into their realm, you don’t come back—that’s common knowledge in this industry.”

But that assumption was shattered when both Chae-rim and I returned relatively unscathed.

“Yet, it’s only been us so far.”

“That’s true. But… do you think others will feel the same?”

Chae-rim added that the important aspect was that a possibility for return now existed.

At that point, I couldn’t help but realize, good or bad.

Chae-rim was worried about the implications of that possibility.

The possibility that Chae-rim was concerned about was the emergence of radical theorists who inevitably spring up everywhere.

For example… the ones claiming that before the Another Ones invade, we should first send heroes over there for a preemptive strike.

Before, such arguments would have never garnered attention, as there was no return possibility to even consider dedicating resources into that direction was akin to wasting precious strength.

However, by revealing the fact that Chae-rim and I had returned, the door to that ‘perhaps…?’ scenario was opened, and this incident came upon us.

Could there be any guarantee that people wouldn’t be swayed by such nonsense in such a situation?

And if that opinion started drawing attention?

I would inevitably be brought into the spotlight as well.

It was clear as day that I would be the one standing out as the comparatively easier target.

Once I caught their attention?

All sorts of flies would start buzzing around.

Chae-rim’s worry was undoubtedly centered around that issue.

And once I realized that—

‘Huh…’

I felt overwhelmed all of a sudden.

Wait a minute… didn’t the Senior mention something about needing to visit the Association this morning?