Chapter 74: ESCAPE FROM MISTAKES

The forest breathed in the dark. Wuusss... Cold wind slipped between the pine trees, carrying the scent of wet earth and tree sap. Somewhere far below, an owl called once, then went silent. Kai stood at the edge of the slope, his body still aching after the fight, his breathing uneven. Haaah... He wiped the blood at the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, then stared at the narrow path descending to where he had left the vehicle.

His mind was a mess.

He should go back. He should look for Lydia and the girls. He should make sure they were safe. But something pulled him forward—something heavy in his chest that refused to rest. He kept thinking about the man he had let go. The one who had handed over the gas bomb. The one who had spoken about his daughter. Kai had believed him. He had seen the fear in the man’s eyes. But now, doubt crept in like splinters under his skin.

What if it was a mistake?

What if the man had lied?

He shook his head and started down the slope. Tap... tap... tap... His steps were slow, careful. The ground was wet from the earlier rain, and his shoes sank slightly into the mud. Every muscle in his body protested, but he ignored it. He had endured worse. He had survived worse.

Crunch... crunch... Leaves cracked under his feet. The slope sharpened, and he had to grab onto a tree trunk to keep his balance. His left arm throbbed—the wound from the earlier fight still fresh. He gritted his teeth and kept moving.

Then he saw him.

A figure, half running, half stumbling down the path ahead. A familiar silhouette. Jero.

Kai’s eyes narrowed. Hff... His body tensed. Without thinking, he ran. Tap! Tap! Tap! His shoes hit the wet ground, splashing mud. The sound echoed among the trees, and the figure ahead froze for a split second before turning.

Jero’s eyes widened. HAAH! He saw Kai. And he ran.

"Stop!" Kai shouted. His voice cut through the night air. "You won’t get far!"

Jero didn’t answer. He just ran faster. Tap! Tap! Tap! His breath was heavy, his movements desperate. He reached into his jacket, pulled out a gun, and without looking back, he fired.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Kai threw himself to the side. THUD! He hit the ground hard, rolling behind a tree. Bark exploded above his head. CRACK! Splinters rained down on him. He pressed his back against the trunk and held his breath.

BANG! BANG!

Two more shots. Then silence. Then footsteps—fast, moving away.

Kai waited one heartbeat, then moved. He pushed himself up, ignoring the pain in his arm, and stepped out from behind the tree. His eyes swept the darkness. Jero was still running, a dark figure among the trees.

Kai chased him. Tap! Tap! Tap! He was faster. He was always faster. But his body wouldn’t cooperate. His left arm felt heavy. His vision blurred at the edges. He had lost too much blood. He had pushed himself too hard.

Then Jero stopped. Turned. Aimed.

Kai saw the muzzle flash before he heard the shot.

BANG!

SHLICK! A searing pain tore through Kai’s left arm. He staggered. Haaah! But he didn’t fall. He kept running.

BANG!

SHLICK! Another bullet—this time piercing his lower left abdomen. Kai’s breath caught. Hff... His knees weakened, but he forced himself forward.

BANG!

SHLICK! The third bullet hit his left thigh. Kai’s leg gave out. THUD! He fell to the ground, face first into the mud. His vision spun. His body screamed. He tried to push himself up, but his arms wouldn’t listen.

Jero stood there for a moment, his breath heavy. Haaah... haaah... Then he laughed. "Ha... ha ha..." He shook his head. "You’re a monster. But even monsters fall."

Then he turned and ran.

Kai lay in the mud, his blood mixing with the wet earth. Drip... drip... The sound of his own blood dripping was the only thing he could hear. He tried to move. His fingers dug into the soil. His arm trembled. But his body refused to obey.

Haaah... haaah... He closed his eyes. The pain was excruciating. It was everywhere—his arm, his stomach, his thigh. It felt like his body was on fire.

And then—he remembered.

Flashback

The sky was orange. The air smelled of smoke and iron. Kai was sixteen, standing in the middle of a battlefield. Bodies lay everywhere. Some still moved. Some didn’t. He held a rifle in his hands, but his fingers were numb. He couldn’t feel anything.

He had just killed nine people. The rebel leaders. He had completed his mission. But he didn’t feel like a hero. He didn’t feel anything.

Then—a whistle. KREEEEE!

His instincts screamed. He threw himself to the ground.

BOOM!

The world turned white. The explosion lifted him off his feet and threw him like a ragdoll. He flew through the air, weightless, deaf, blind. When he landed, he couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t hear anything except a high-pitched ringing in his ears.

Haaah... haaah... He gasped for air, but his lungs wouldn’t fill. He looked down at his body. His uniform was shredded. Blood poured from dozens of wounds. His left leg was bent at the wrong angle. His ribs ached with every breath.

He tried to scream, but only a weak groan came out.

Then—hands. Someone grabbed him. Pulled him. Dragged him across the ground. He felt every rock, every root, every piece of debris scrape against his wounds. He wanted to scream. He wanted to tell them to stop. But he couldn’t.

"Stay with me, Kai!" A voice. Familiar. Leonhard’s voice. "Don’t you dare die here!"

Kai tried to focus. He saw Leonhard’s face above him. The man was covered in soot and blood—not his own. His eyes were wide, desperate.

"Leonhard..." Kai’s voice was barely audible.

"Shut up," Leonhard snapped. "Save your strength."

They reached a jeep. Leonhard threw Kai into the back seat, then jumped into the driver’s seat. The engine roared to life. Vroom... They sped away from the battlefield, leaving fire and death behind.

Kai lay in the back seat, his body broken. Every bump in the road sent a new wave of pain through him. He gritted his teeth. Hff... hff... He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. But he was too weak.

Then Leonhard did something unexpected.

He reached back and hit Kai—hard—right on one of his wounds.

"AAAH!" Kai screamed. His voice cracked. Tears streamed down his face. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Leonhard didn’t answer. He hit him again. And again. Each blow landed on a different wound—his leg, his ribs, his shoulder. Kai screamed until his throat was raw. He thrashed. He cursed. He called Leonhard every name he could think of.

And then—slowly—the pain began to fade.

Haaah... haaah... Kai’s breathing steadied. The sharp, searing pain dulled into something distant. Something bearable. He blinked, confused. His body still hurt, but it was no longer overwhelming. It felt like someone had turned down the volume.

"Wh... what did you do?" he whispered.

Leonhard glanced at him through the rearview mirror. His expression was grim. "I triggered your body’s natural pain response. When you’re badly injured, your nervous system can go into shock. It suppresses pain to keep you alive. But sometimes it’s not fast enough. So I gave it a push."

Kai stared at him. "You... you hit me to make me feel less pain?"

"It sounds insane," Leonhard admitted. "But it works. The sudden, sharp pain triggers a release of endorphins and adrenaline. It’s a temporary effect. It’ll wear off in a few hours. But by then, we’ll be back at base. You’ll get proper treatment."

Kai didn’t know what to say. He just lay there, staring at the ceiling of the jeep, as the world rushed by outside.

"Rest," Leonhard said. "You did well today. You survived."

Kai closed his eyes. The last thing he heard was the hum of the engine.

Present

Kai opened his eyes. Haaah... The memory faded, replaced by the cold reality of the forest. He was still lying in the mud. His blood was still mixing with the earth. His body was still screaming.

But something was different.

He remembered.

He remembered what Leonhard taught him. He remembered how the body could be tricked. He remembered how to survive.

He moved his right hand—slowly, painfully—and reached into his jacket. His fingers closed around something small and hard. A small metal box. He pulled it out. His fingers trembled as he opened it. Inside were three pills. Painkillers.

He stared at them for a moment. He knew the risk. He knew that taking three at once could damage his heart. He knew that it could cause internal bleeding. He knew that it was dangerous.

But he also knew that he had no choice.

He put all three pills into his mouth and swallowed. Gulp... He forced them down without water, his throat dry and narrow.

For a few seconds, nothing happened.

Then—slowly—the pain began to fade. Not completely, but enough to be manageable. Enough to be bearable. He could think again. He could move again.

Haaah... He pushed himself up. His arm trembled. His leg trembled. But he stood. Tap... tap... He took a step. Then another. Then another.

He started walking. Tap... tap... tap...

He wasn’t going to let Jero get away.

Jero burst out of the trees, his lungs burning. Haaah... haaah... His legs were shaking. His heart was pounding. He had been running for what felt like hours. He had to get away. He had to—

Then he saw it.

A car. Parked in a small clearing. It was an old sedan—dusty, dented, but functional. Jero almost cried with relief. Hiks... He stumbled toward it, yanked open the door, and threw himself into the driver’s seat.

He jammed the key into the ignition and turned it. The engine coughed. KREK... KREK... It wouldn’t start.

"Come on!" he hissed. He tried again. KREK... KREK...

Nothing.

He tried again. KREK... KREK...

"COME ON!" he screamed. His hands were shaking. His vision was blurry. He could hear footsteps behind him—Kai’s footsteps. Tap... tap... tap... Getting closer.

He tried again.

KREK... KREK... VROOM!

The engine roared to life. Vroom...

Jero laughed. Ha ha ha... He slammed his foot on the gas. The car shot forward.

But Kai was already there. He emerged from the trees, running—limping—but running. His eyes locked onto the car. He was still twenty meters away. Fifteen. Ten.

Jero didn’t look back. He just drove.

Vroom... The car sped down the dirt road, disappearing into the darkness.

Kai stopped. Haaah... haaah... He stood in the middle of the road, his chest heaving. His body screamed. His vision spun. But he didn’t fall.

Then—a sound. Tap... tap... tap... From the side.

Kai turned. His eyes widened. HAAH!

Ella emerged from the trees, followed by Rin, Mira, Luna, Nora, Iris, Eve, Aria, and Fay. And behind them—Lydia.

"Mr. Kai!" Mira ran toward him. Her eyes were red from crying. "MR. KAI! YOU’RE ALIVE!"

Kai stared at them. Hff... He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know how to feel. They were here. They were alive. They were safe.

"You..." His voice was hoarse. "What are you doing here?"

Ella stepped forward. Her expression was calm, but her eyes were sharp. "We came to find you."

"You shouldn’t have," Kai said. "It’s dangerous."

"We know," Rin said. She crossed her arms. "But we weren’t going to leave you."

Kai looked at her. Looked at all of them. They were tired. They were dirty. They were scared. But they were here.

"You..." He shook his head. "You’re all crazy."

"Maybe," Mira said with a small smile. "But we’re your crazy students."

Kai let out a breath. Haaah... He didn’t have the energy to argue.

"That man," he said. "He got away. He took a car."

"A car?" Nora’s eyes narrowed. "Where to?"

Kai pointed down the road. "That way. I have to follow him."

"You’re injured," Ella said. "You can barely stand."

"I can stand," Kai said. "And I can drive."

He walked toward the car Jero had left behind—the second vehicle, parked near the edge of the clearing. It was older, more dented, but it would work.

"Wait," Lydia said. She stepped forward. "I’m coming with you."

"No," Kai said. "You stay here with them."

"Kai—"

"That’s an order," Kai said. His voice was sharp. "Stay here. Watch them."

Lydia looked at him. Her jaw tightened. But she nodded.

"Fine," she said. "But if you don’t come back, I’ll come find you. And I’ll kill you myself."

Kai almost smiled. "Noted."

He got into the car. The engine started on the first try. Vroom...

He drove.

The road was dark. The headlights cut through the night, illuminating the narrow dirt path. Kai’s hands gripped the steering wheel. His body still ached, but the painkillers were working. He could focus. He could drive.

He glanced in the rearview mirror. Behind him—a pair of headlights. The other car. Lydia and the girls were following him.

He should have told them to stay. He should have told them to go back. But he knew they wouldn’t listen. They were stubborn. They were loyal. They were—

He shook his head. Focus.

Ahead—another pair of taillights. Jero’s car. Kai pressed the gas. His car surged forward. Vroom...

Jero saw him. The car ahead swerved, then accelerated. The chase was on.

Vroom... Vroom... Both cars sped down the dirt road, their engines roaring. Trees blurred past. The road twisted and turned.

"He’s trying to lose us," Kai muttered.

Jero’s car veered left, then right. The movements were erratic. Desperate. Kai followed, matching every turn.

Then—Jero’s car left the road. It crashed through the underbrush and slammed into a tree.

CRASH! The sound of twisting metal filled the night.

Kai slammed on the brakes. His car skidded to a stop. He jumped out and ran toward the wreck.

But Jero was already out. He was limping, bleeding, but he was moving. He disappeared into the trees.

Kai stood at the edge of the wreck, his breath heavy. Haaah... haaah...

The other car pulled up behind him. Lydia and the girls got out.

"He’s gone," Kai said.

"For now," Nora said. She pointed at the ground. "Look. Footprints."

Kai looked down. Blood and footprints led into the forest.

"He’s heading that way," Kai said. "Let’s go."

They followed the trail. Tap... tap... tap... The forest grew darker. The trees grew thicker. The path grew steeper.

Then—they reached the end.

A cliff. A steep ravine. And standing at the edge—Jero.

His breath was heavy. Haaah... haaah... His clothes were torn. His face was bloody. But he was smiling.

"Kai," he said. "You’re persistent."

"Surrender," Kai said. "You have nowhere to go."

Jero laughed. Ha ha ha... "Nowhere to go? I have everywhere to go." He spread his arms. "But you... you don’t know what you’re dealing with."

"I know enough," Kai said.

"No, you don’t." Jero’s smile faded. "There’s someone behind all this. Someone very powerful. Someone who controls everything in this country. You think you’re fighting a small organization? You’re fighting a shadow that stretches across the entire nation."

Kai’s eyes narrowed. "Who?"

Jero shook his head. "I don’t know. I’ve never met them. But I know they exist. And they know about you, Kai Arden." He took a step back. The edge of the cliff crumbled beneath his foot. "They know about your students. And they won’t stop until they get what they want."

"What do they want?" Kai asked.

Jero smiled. "You."

Then he stepped back. And fell.

Kai ran to the edge. He looked down. Just darkness. No sound. No scream.

He was gone.

Haaah... Kai stepped back. He closed his eyes. His shoulders slumped.

"It’s over," he said.

"For now," Nora said quietly.

Kai opened his eyes. He looked at his students. Looked at Lydia. They were all watching him.

"We need to talk," Ella said. "About what he said."

"Later," Kai said. "First, we need to get out of here."

They walked back to the car. The night was quiet. The forest was still. Wuusss... The wind blew softly.

Then—a sound. A hiss. HSSSSS...

Kai stopped. He turned. His eyes widened.

Smoke. White smoke. Rising from the ground. Spreading through the trees.

"What is that?" Mira asked.

Kai didn’t answer. He just stared at the smoke as it thickened.

Then—Aria coughed. Uhuk... She rubbed her eyes. "I-I... I feel dizzy..."

"Me too," Iris said. Her voice was slurred. "I’m... sleepy..."

Kai’s heart stopped. The gas. The bomb. It was working.

"Everyone," he said. "Cover your mouths. Don’t breathe."

But it was too late. One by one, the girls began to falter. Haaah... Mira fell first. Then Rin. Then Luna. Then Nora. Then Iris. Then Eve. Then Aria. Then Fay.

Ella was the last. She looked at Kai, her eyes wide. "Mr... Kai..."

Then she fell.

Lydia was still standing. She looked at Kai. "Kai... what’s happening?"

Kai looked at her. His face was calm. "They’re sleeping. The gas makes them sleep."

"What about us?" Lydia asked. Her voice trembled. "Why aren’t we affected?"

Kai didn’t answer. He just looked at her.

"Kai..." Lydia stepped toward him. "What’s going on? What are you hiding?"

Kai closed his eyes. Haaah... "They’re not ready."

"Not ready for what?"

"For what’s coming." He opened his eyes. His eyes were hard. Cold. "There’s a storm coming. And they’re not ready."

"I don’t understand," Lydia said. "What storm? What are you talking about?"

Kai didn’t answer. He just moved. Fast. He was behind Lydia before she could react. He raised his hand.

"Kai—" Lydia started.

He struck the back of her neck. THWACK!

Lydia crumpled. Kai caught her and lowered her gently. He looked at her face—peaceful. Asleep.

He looked at the girls. They were all asleep. All safe.

He looked at the smoke. It was spreading. In a few minutes, it would be gone. And when they woke up—they wouldn’t remember anything.

He hoped so.

He sat down. His body ached. His wounds throbbed. But he didn’t care.

He just sat there, surrounded by his sleeping students, and watched the smoke fade into the night.

Haaah...

He had a lot of work to do.