Regardless of the upheavals in their hearts, the two espers continued and observed the esper. There was not a trace of any amusement in their faces, and they were fully concentrated on the task at hand.

They did not even ask any questions of each other, intending to have a discussion later on.

A few minutes later, the enclosure was put down again, and so the espers left the room.

One of their priorities in coming here was to interrogate her, but since she was still unconscious, this would need to be put on hold.

Her other members would do. For now, Khal decided to leave this place. Both Devion and Ayen were showing concerning reactions towards the unconscious esper.

The three did not immediately go back to the surface, although their place there was already prepared. It would be a hassle if they did.

Fortunately, Khal did not need to order his subordinates, and their room here had long been prepared for them.

Devion went directly to the bed and slumped on it, as though he had missed so much after a long and exhausting day. Khal sat beside him, while Khal remained where he stood, watching the two.

"Do you want to take a rest first?" Khal asked after some time.

Ayen, now leaning on the headboard as he stroked Devion’s hair, looked at him. Devion did not lift his face but gave a faint hum.

Khal stared back at Ayen, waiting for his answer.

Ayen was not that exhausted, but seeing Devion, he suddenly wanted to sleep too. So, before he answered Khal, he patted his side and gave a small but assuring smile.

The faint flicker in his eyes overshadowed the usual indifference in them.

"Let’s sleep first," he said, patting the area at his side again, inviting Khal to also lie down beside them.

Without any hesitation, Khal approached them and sat beside them. His gaze went to Devion, whose face was still buried in the mattress, clearly already asleep.

Khal felt sorry for him; Devion truly persevered until the end even if it was obvious that something was distracting him the whole time.

He got up again and took Devion’s shoes and also his coat.

"Should we shift his position?" Ayen got up slightly and looked at Devion’s position, worried that the esper might become uncomfortable later.

Khal looked at him and also thought so. He nodded to Ayen, and together, they carefully shifted Devion’s position, at least to facing his left side.

Fortunately, Devion was in a deep sleep and was not disturbed.

The two spent a few seconds admiring Devion’s angelic face. At least he seemed to not be having a hard time in his dreams, and his calm face was truly deceiving.

Khal and Ayen then stared at each other. It had been a while since it was only the two of them. However, it was a lot different than the first few times.

This time, Ayen could truly see his intentions beyond the cold surface.

"Let’s sleep?" Ayen did not start any conversation. For now, he wanted to rest. Every complicated matter would be settled after they woke up again.

So did Khal. His nerves finally settled and relaxed. He went back to Ayen’s side, and the two became comfortable in their position. Since they were already somewhat accustomed to their bigger bed, the huge king-sized bed seemed a bit cramped for them.

Still, it was hardly an issue.

Khal stretched his arms until he also touched Devion’s, Ayen between them, his hand also on the sleeping esper as he pillowed in Khal’s other arm.

Just like that, the two stopped thinking of anything and set aside any issues as they also drifted into sleep.

At the same time, trouble was brewing once more at one of the yellow zones. This time, it was something worse than what already transpired.

A yellow zone with a population of twenty million people fell in just one night. There was no monster, no dungeon breaks, and the war had not spread yet here.

Only a strange disease.

Screams and cries dominated the whole city as the people escaped and hid for their lives. Death hung in the air, suffocating every citizen.

After a few hours, one could barely hear any noise anymore.

Yet, one could not say there were no people on the streets. In fact, there were thousands still wandering on the road. Their faces were pale, but strangely, their expressions were calm.

Some even had a smile on their faces, and others were laughing to themselves. They were only walking around without any direction, seemingly looking for something, but also not.

If one looked closely, their eyes were blank, and they were not blinking either. A black spot was also embedded in their ear, stretching towards their neck, forming an incomprehensible symbol.

This bizarre scene was something anyone would find scary at a glance.

Suddenly, something fell, and this created a significant noise in such a serene atmosphere. As if on cue, everyone’s attention was captured, their heads snapping in the direction from which the noise came.

"No..." the man who accidentally showed himself from his hiding spot almost sobbed. "Please... No!" All the blank gazes, but from different faces with different expressions, were poured onto him.

He wanted to get up and escape, but his leg injury would not let him. Slowly, the crowd approached him.

"No! I don’t want to!" The man shouted in despair, shaking his head.

The crowd paused and stared at him. Slowly, their faces twitched in unison.

"Why?"

This did not come from one person alone but from everyone.

The man almost pissed himself as he cried.

"Please... I don’t want to become a monster." For him, these terrifying creatures were not human anymore. They were like... mere puppets.

Slowly, everyone’s lips grinned widely; some faces that could not do it had the corners of their faces torn just to accommodate the horrifying smile.

The man’s eyes widened, and in horror, he fainted.

The people approached again until most of them had already covered the unconscious man. A minute later, they began to disperse, once more in their own world.

And the man, once unconscious, now had a smile on his face and soon began wandering once more, searching for something or not really.