My breath is blocked. The long hallway seems to have no end. My legs and arms are starting to go numb due to the knockout gas that was thrown from behind. I have to get out of here, just a little more, if I can reach the end of the hallway, then they will stop chasing me.

But it seems like I'm repeating my failure from this test.

Crash!

One of the main guards suddenly appeared from nowhere and kicked my stomach, causing me to crash into the steel barrier behind that stopped moving.

"Haah, Haah, Hehehe." I looked at the guard with a mixture of hatred and surrender.

The guard, whose entire body was dressed in black with a gas mask, then dragged me towards the end of the hallway. Ignoring my numb body, the guard continued to carry me like he was throwing away trash.

Weird. This is different from the previous test when the same guard would suddenly appear and attack me, then I would be taken back to the ward. But I can't do anything right now, so whatever the guard does to me, I have no choice.

The light at the end of the hallway was very dazzling when the guard who was dragging me arrived outside the research center. The guard stopped and looked around as if he was checking the surveillance.

What's happening?! He's not a guard!

That awareness surfaced in my mind when the fake guard took something out of his pocket and adjusted my position. He showed me an injection containing a strange liquid before injecting it into my left arm.

I looked at him instead of watching the needle that pierced my skin and the liquid inside flowed into my bloodstream. He realized my gaze, but there was no other reaction from him. Until the numbness effect on my body disappeared, he finally said something, "I'll get you out of here." I didn't recognize his voice, he was not one of the guards who have been watching over me.

That statement was like a light arrow that pierced my dark and rotten heart. I glared at him, I think he could see that I don't trust him. For me who has lived in this disgusting place since I was a child, the possibility of getting out is impossible.

I have tried many times with the hope that it is still possible with some preparation, but I know the reality that they let me try to escape before capturing me again and again.

"Yoo Han," he called my name, which I almost forgot.

Thud!

How could he know my name? Besides 'that person', no one should know.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Don't have to believe me, I'll show you," he whispered as he lifted me.

Regardless of what he did, all the surveillance cameras were dead and there was not a single guard in sight. With ease, he fulfilled his promise and released me from that place. Unobstructed, we arrived at the exit gate and there was already a parked car there as if it had been planned from the start. There was a driver waiting inside, unfortunately, I couldn't see his face because his attire was the same as the fake guard. The fake guard put me in the passenger seat next to the driver, while he sat in the back.

"Let's go," the fake guard commanded and was immediately answered with a grumble by the driver who seemed annoyed.

As I watched the large iron gates getting further away from the car's rearview mirror, I felt like this was a dream. Could it be that I was actually given too many hallucinogenic drugs that I'm dreaming like this?

However, that thought was quickly dispelled when the fake guard suddenly asked, "How old are you?"

Ah, it was a slightly piercing question considering that my growth process had stopped due to the experiment.

"Fifteen years," I replied with a voice as soft as a mosquito.

"Oh, you're already big," replied the fake guard who seemed to have super hearing.

Doesn't he feel something's off?

I gazed at my small hands and looked at the driver next to me intently. The guard spoke, "Are you interested in him? You'll be staying with him."

As his words ended, the driver slammed on the brakes causing the guard who wasn't wearing a seatbelt to collide with the front seat. Fortunately, the guard put the seatbelt on me so I didn't collide with the car dashboard.

"Rui, don't joke around," the driver warned the guard.

Finally, I learned his name, it made me happy because I was truly sure this was not a dream.

"I'm not joking. They're after me, I can't take care of it. I entrust it to you, Jaehwan," Rui replied and I saw from the car mirror, he removed his gas mask and showed his face.

He was very handsome and cool, plus his unique eye color like a sapphire gemstone. I had seen that gemstone used by "that person," so the color of the fake guard's eyes made me captivated.

"Yoo Han the cute one seems to like my appearance~," Rui teased with a strange tone, I felt embarrassed.

"Oh, by the way, what are you going to do with the rest of the chip?" Jaehwan diverted the conversation and returned the serious atmosphere.

Chip? Wait, do they mean the chip implanted in my body?

Thump!

I forgot...

Isn't there supposed to be a self-destruct chip if I got out of there?

I touched my stomach which was still sore from the fake guard's kick with concern. Is there a timekeeper?

"I have taken care of it. Don't worry, Yoo Han. Do you remember the liquid I injected? That killed all the chips in your body except for the one in your stomach. I need to destroy the chip in your stomach directly, so I had to hurt you. Is your stomach still sore?" Rui asked, I could feel his guilt from his words. He also seemed scared because he hurt me.

That's why he kicked my stomach before, it was quite painful. However, hearing him so worried about it made me feel better. Strangely, after I thought about it again, it wasn't as painful as when the chip was planted in my stomach. I even didn't bleed from the kick as if he really didn't want to hurt me.

"Yoo Han?" Rui asked again because I forgot to answer.

"It's okay, it wasn't too painful," I answered honestly just to ease the atmosphere, but an unusual silence arose as a result of my words.

"It must have been very painful. Hey, Rui, you made a big mistake," Jaehwan teased after a long silence.

Later, both Jaehwan and Rui didn't say anything for the rest of the journey, so I finally fell asleep after releasing the tension.

***