Chapter 172: Ch 172: Fire and Smoke - Part 3

It was a lot harder to navigate a burning building than Noah expected. Even if he knew these corridors well, it was hard to tell where he was going. Not to mention all the debris that kept falling down.

He had been almost crushed more times than he could count, and it was only because of Alan’s powers that he had been saved.

But Alan also had his limits.

The SSS-class esper had donated blood as well as had his powers tested with drugs before the fire broke out. He was not in a good condition to be able to continue for long.

’I am not pushing him too hard, right? Maybe I should be the one to carry Daniel.’

"Alan, hand Daniel over. You should focus on our surroundings-"

Noah reached to take Daniel, and Alan immediately glared at him.

"No. You’ll get hurt. I can handle it."

Alan’s grip tightened around Daniel, and he even stepped past Noah to walk faster. He seemed to have no intention of handing Daniel over, and Noah did not know if it was because he was possessive over his future guide or genuinely worried about Noah.

His stubbornness made Noah sigh, and he decided to let Alan have his way for now. But he at least needed to make sure Alan was fine.

"I understand. But at least get some guiding-"

Noah reached for Alan when he had a sudden feeling that he was being watched by someone. He looked around, and his eyes fell on the camera. For some reason, it felt like he could feel the gaze behind the lens.

It freaked him out, and his composure faltered.

Of course, it did not go unnoticed by Alan, who just scoffed and decided to ignore half of what Noah had told him.

Instead, he grabbed Noah and tugged at him.

"Let’s go-"

But tragedy struck them at that exact moment.

Noah sensed something collapsing towards them, and he looked at the collapsing pillar. He tugged Alan back, but he was not able to get him out of the way in time, and the pillar landed on the esper’s leg.

It was a bloody mess that left Alan panting. But he did not show signs of being hurt. If anything, he kept pushing himself to stand back up.

"This is fine. I can still make it while carrying Daniel. You don’t have to worry-"

But Noah was worried, and a lot at that. He did not want Alan to get hurt further. So he made a decision.

He stood up as well and reached to grab Alan after putting Daniel on his back.

The esper would have been able to stop him normally, but he was not able to react at the moment due to his injuries. That was how Noah knew that these injuries were heavy.

"Noah-"

"We don’t have time to be discussing all this right now. Our first priority is to get out of here. Do you understand?"

He asked and started walking out slowly. Alan, who was not able to speak after this, just nodded and decided to try and keep his weight off Noah’s body as best as he could.

But there was only so much a kid could do before exhaustion hit. And by now, the adrenaline that was keeping Alan going was starting to wear off.

Noah kept doing his best, but his body was only human and a weak guide. He often dropped the pair, causing them to get hurt. But he did not give up.

Through the severe burns and other injuries, he dragged the pair out and somehow made it all the way to the front door. He pushed it open and took one step after another until the air of freedom hit him.

But then he made the mistake of looking back at the Labs, and his heart felt like it was sinking. He had a feeling that he might have stepped out of the facility, but he had not escaped it.

His hand went to his throat, more specifically, where that tattoo he had was embedded. It was a mark of ownership that only he had among these kids, and he felt lucky and unlucky at the same time.

[Please proceed to head back for the sake of the future happenings. Your presence at the Labs is necessary.]

The system chipped in, reminding Noah that it was not for him to dream of freedom. At least, not right now.

"I...but I..."

Noah looked at the freedom he had just acquired with a bitter taste in his mouth. He wanted to forget about the Labs...but...

"Hey, we found more kids here. Hurry up and come here."

The people from Child Services were finally here to take the kids to safety, and Noah needed to make a decision.

Every cell in his body was telling him to stay, but he knew better than to make that decision.

[For the safety of the future, memories of the kids who are rescued will be cleared out soon and they will be given a new start. User, please proceed to head back for the sake of the future happenings.]

The system reminded Noah a second time, and this time, it felt like a threat.

The system was making sure Noah knew that staying here was not an option for him. The only thing waiting for him was the burning Lab that he had called home.

"I-"

But why did he have to go back? Daniel and Alan would forget about him from this point on, and they wouldn’t need him. His role in the future could be taken up by any random person.

As for Noah’s desires... all he wanted was freedom. But even if that was not guaranteed...

"Then I would rather not live."

He whispered before he took out a knife from Alan’s secret bag and brought it near his neck. With a single slash, he wanted to end it all. But the second his hand moved... it was useless.

His body refused to move the way he wanted it to.