Waiting For Your Reincarnation Chapter 131

In the hazy dawn, Yeon-young slowly opened her heavy eyes. She gradually calmed down to the sound of even breathing coming from her right. She didn’t have to turn her head to know who it was.

 

Yeon-young lifted her head slightly and stared at the firm hand on her stomach. His ring glowed brightly, even with the pale darkness that settled inside. 

 

Mornings like this had been happening to them ever since they’d spent the night together. At first, she hadn’t gotten used to having someone beside her, but now it was awkward not to have a solid body next to her.

 

Fully awake, Yeon-young sat up, giving up on going back to sleep.

 

“Ugh!” 

 

“Why did you wake me up so early?” 

 

But before she could get her upper half up, Ryu Won grabbed her body, trapping her in his wide arms and burying her face in the nape of his neck. Ryu Won savored her soft, sweet body odor to his heart’s content. His eyes were tightly closed, but a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

 

“My eyes just opened, and I didn’t wake up that early. We should get ready and go out soon.”

 

“Hmm…, since I didn’t sleep in, do you think I should take the day off today?” 

 

“Today? If Ms. Zhaolin finds out, we’ll both be roasted.”

 

“I win.” 

 

“Sometimes I’m glad Ryu Won’s work doesn’t fall on me.” 

 

The Sly, who had been perched on Yeon-young’s toes, interjected between them. She stroked its soft surface a couple times, then slipped out of Ryu Won’s arms.

 

She got out of bed and looked at the calendar on the wall:

 

“September 11th…”

 

It was already nearing mid-September. The date of the discovery in Jaeho’s lab was the 18th, so she still had a week to spare.

 

It had already been a week since they’d smashed the clock tower and discovered the mutated Snarl. 

 

“Where did you say the executive meeting was today?” 

 

Yeon-young asked, running her fingers over the calendar.

 

“The same place as last time, the conference room.” 

 

“I’d better get ready and get out of here.”

 

Ryu Won rose to his feet at Yeon-young’s repeated urging. His bloodshot eyes told her that he had been awake for a long time, but he didn’t let go of the languid afterglow of sleep, not even bothering to push himself out of bed. 

 

She walked to the bathroom to freshen up. He looked in the direction of her silent steps and smiled sheepishly.

 

“Shall we wash together?”

 

Yein-young paused and turned around. Ryu Won was sitting on the bed, tilting his head slightly, like a flower luring bees. Perhaps he was being sincere.

 

Ryu Won couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her slender, graceful backside as she shook her head and walked into the bathroom.

 

It was like the calm before the storm.

 

* * *

 

When they arrived at the conference room, most of the phantoms had already taken their seats. Zhaolin frowned at their late arrival, but didn’t add any scolding.

 

Yeon-young looked around. The spirits’ eyes turned to her. The sight of her carrying a white sly into the conference room seemed strange and unfamiliar. The white sly kept nuzzling into her arms, apparently uncomfortable with the unfamiliar surroundings and stares.

 

Yeon-young finally found a corner and sat down, and Ryu Won naturally took the seat next to her.

 

It wasn’t long before the room dimmed slightly and a large second meeting began.

 

“We received a tip from the special team and checked the ground, focusing on Branch 1, and the indicators are definitely significant.”

 

Standing at the front of the room, Zhaolin was the first to speak, pointing to a giant screen. On the screen was a map of Branch 1. The map was dotted with black dots.

 

“These black dots are the entrances to Negro’s burrows. That’s where the snarls hide and come out.”

 

“So there are that many dens in the first branch alone, not all of Tanato?” 

 

“Yes.”

 

At Zhaolin’s answer, the room filled with a murmur of spirits. Yeon-young covered her mouth with her hands, unable to hide her disbelief.

 

She’d expected a deliberate trap, but she hadn’t realized that so many of them had taken control of Branch 1. She felt bad for the time she’d spent searching for Negro’s headquarters, mostly on the ground.

 

Before she knew it, a map of the Tanato world appeared on the screen. The other branches were not without their dens, but most of them were concentrated in the first branch.

 

“We haven’t finished investigating the other branches yet, but we know for sure that the dens are already spread across the world.”

 

“It’s under the ground, so the connections are already made.” 

 

“Yes, they are. The burrows are believed to be closely connected to the five branches, like a maze.”

 

Zhaolin tapped the screen with her hand, and an X rose above some of the burrows.

 

Yeon-young knew at once what that meant. She’d been out and about for a week, finding and plugging burrows. Ryu Won looked bored with the sight.

 

“The X’s mean we’ve found and blocked them,” he said.

 

“You’ve blocked quite a few in a short period of time.” 

 

“Branch 1 has blocked about 70 percent of them, not including the ones we left for investigation. The other branches are also in the process of blocking them with dispatched help.”

 

Not bad for a late discovery of Negro’s trick.

 

“We’ve reduced the number of snarl infestations for the time being and bought us time to reorganize,” he says. “I’m pretty sure Negro’s headquarters is somewhere around Branch 1 based on the distribution of the burrows, so we can focus on finding it in the meantime.”

 

“I’d say sealing off the burrows is more of an interim step than a solution.” 

 

“You’re right. If we seal the burrow and they continue to parasitize from within, this will happen again at some point.”

 

“What’s your next goal?” 

 

“Once we’ve located Negro’s headquarters, we’re going to destroy the ringleader, Daeheon Lee… and stop the experiment by destroying Jung Jaeho.”

 

“At least we’re finally seeing the end of this, not too far away.”

 

Turning her head in the direction of the sound, she saw Edelous sitting there, and he waved his hand lightly as if noticing her gaze. Yeon-young bowed her head slightly in greeting.

 

His words that it wouldn’t be long now made the heavy air in the great hall a little more hopeful. Mulling over Edelous’s words, they soon chimed in with a yes.

 

“Hmm?” 

 

“Let’s do it.”

 

The white sly plumped up, just shallow enough to be imperceptible.

 

The meeting was once again intense. Now that the big goal had been set, there was a lot of back-and-forth about how to proceed from there.

 

The executives shared information based on what they had learned from their branches. At this pace, it seemed like we could close the burrows faster and buy a little more time.

 

“Okay, let’s call it a day and wrap up the second meeting.”

 

The lights on the screen, which was the only brightly lit screen in the conference room, dimmed. At the same time, the lights in the room turned on. It signaled the end of the meeting.

 

Yeon-young stood up from her seat, stretching lightly. As she organized the information in her head, she realized that in the future, she would have to be more proactive in finding the location of the den.

 

Thump-

 

Just then, an ear-piercing thud sounded from beneath the center’s floor. Yeon-young stopped moving and turned to look at Ryu Won.

 

The bustling conference room was instantly silent. Everyone had heard this unknown sound.

 

“What is that sound?”

 

The screen that had been powered off suddenly turned back on. The spirits’ gazes were all focused on the screen. The screen showed Jaeho standing in the center of the plaza in the first district.

 

Standing where the clock tower used to be, Jaeho created a huge splash of water. The turbid droplets, like petroleum mixed with water, lingered in the plaza and instantly engulfed the wandering phantoms.

 

“Jaeho Jung…”

 

The gazes of the spirits in the meeting room naturally turned to the village outside the window. The huge splash connected to the sky was breathtaking to look at.

 

The water droplets ate away at the spirits’ bodies like bugs eating away at the wood. 

 

Even without the speakers on the screen, the screams of the spirits were loud and clear.

 

Yeon-young tried to steady herself. Bracing herself against the desk, she tried to get out of the room.

 

But once again, an earthquake rumbled beneath the center’s floor. The building crumbled downward inexorably and quickly.

 

“Ms. Yeon-young!”

 

Ryu Won grabbed Yeon-young’s falling hand and pulled her into his arms. Yeon-young squeezed her eyes shut as her footing disappeared and she saw several souls falling to their deaths below.

 

At that moment, she remembered the calendar she’d seen in Ryu Won’s house today. A week before the 18th.

 

Jaeho had attacked the First Branch sooner than expected, and war had broken out.