I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 294: Unseen Threads

"You!" Alicia snaps, unable to argue, because Hawk is right. Unfortunately, that is reality. More often than not, people judge based on appearance. Even Alicia herself had not been confident in Theo when she first saw him.

"See?" Hawk is satisfied when Alicia cannot argue back. He knows he is right. The world is cruel. Reality is never fair.

Alicia and Hawk glare at each other, and if they were five years old, they would be sticking their tongues out at one another.

Theo chuckles as he watches them.

"Alright, you two. That’s enough," Theo says, calming them both. "We still have a lot of work to do."

And I can feel the haelions are coming.

He frowns slightly.

Although I can feel them approaching slowly... why?

The three of them continue searching for survivors. This time, they move deeper into the dungeon. But before they can go far, they hear people calling out from the survivors’ area.

They rush back and see that one of the critically injured is coughing up blood.

Theo frowns. He knows he can save him using magic, but... with witnesses and Hawk nearby, he can’t really do anything.

Then an idea comes to him.

Alicia and Hawk are at a loss. This scene, they have seen many times before. The cruelty of war, where they cannot help more, since neither of them is a doctor.

Alicia turns to Theo to comfort him, but instead sees him taking out... a large device from his space bracelet.

Everyone is stunned.

Theo looks at them and says, "There’s no time to be amazed. Hawk, help me carry him into the pod. Hurry!"

As a well-trained soldier, Hawk moves automatically at Theo’s command. He carefully lifts the man and places him inside the pod.

"Ms. Montrose, this is..." Hawk begins.

"No time. I haven’t fully mastered this device yet. Alicia, help me," Theo says. His eyes keep flicking toward a specific area deeper in the dungeon.

Theo and Alicia work together, trying to figure out how to operate the Montrose Horizon Pod.

Hawk scans the surroundings. He feels like they are being watched.

Hawk shares the same concern as Alicia and Theo. He knows the haelions are coming, and he has no weapon to defend himself. Behind him are people who cannot even stand, let alone fight.

And he can’t use his fire magic freely. He is under oath which every Hunter took when they first joined.

They are sitting ducks.

"It works!" Alicia exclaims behind him, relieved.

Hawk turns and sees the pod hovering about thirty centimeters above the ground, humming softly.

"What is that?" Hawk asks.

"That’s another brilliant invention from my brother, Julian. It’s a personal vehicle. In emergencies, it can also function as a highly advanced first aid unit," Theo says with a grin.

He and Alicia exchange a glance, relieved.

Alicia nods slightly. She knows the man will be fine, but not because of the Pod.

The pod is impressive, but not that impressive. While Hawk’s attention was elsewhere, and the man was nearly unconscious, Theo had already used his healing magic. No one saw it except Alicia.

"We can use the same method for the others," she says.

"Yes." Theo nods. "We’ll bring the other man in next."

The pod is a perfect cover for Theo, so of course he agrees.

"Good. And you two should be careful. We’re still inside the dungeon. There are haelions. I’m sure they’re either on their way or already here," Hawk says, not paying attention to Theo, Alicia, or the pod.

He is focused on scanning the surroundings. That feeling of being watched is growing stronger.

Alicia clenches her fists. "I’m sure they’re already here, Hawk." She steps beside him.

Hawk scoffs lightly. "Yeah? How do you know that?" He knows she is right, but he is not about to agree without pushing back first.

"I am the chief of Solarys DEU," Alicia says simply.

Hawk glances at her with newfound respect. "You’re a Sentinel and the chief? Nice, Lutherford." He grins. "No wonder you were offended."

"Shut up," Alicia says.

Suddenly, something shoots out from behind a cluster of large rocks.

Since Hawk is taller, he reacts first. He raises his arm to block it, and it sticks to his left wrist.

"What is this? Whoa!" He tries to inspect the sticky substance, but then feels himself being yanked upward.

More of the sticky strands shoot out, hitting his right wrist, right leg, and left leg, pulling tight.

Before he knows it, Hawk is lifted about four meters off the ground, his limbs bound and suspended.

"What are those?" Alicia looks up, trying to understand what is happening.

The survivors huddle together in fear. None of them are fighters. They are all civilians with no combat training.

Hawk struggles to break free, but whatever is binding him is strong. His strength does nothing.

Theo frowns and uses magic to detect the sticky strands.

Then something wet drops onto Alicia’s head.

She touches her hair and feels the jelly-like substance. Her face scrunches in disgust.

"What the hell is this?"

Theo answers, grimly, "I believe that jelly-like thing is saliva and those strings are tongues."

"What?"!

Both Hawk and Alicia exclaim in shock.

------------------------------

"Make sure everyone is safe!" Arthur gives the order.

"Yes, Chief!" The field officers salute in unison before moving quickly to carry out their tasks.

Arthur turns to Lt. Cole. "Well?"

Lt. Cole does not look at him. Her eyes remain locked on the monitors in front of her as data streams across the screens.

"I’ve found them, Chief. Both Chief Lutherford and Ms. Montrose entered the dungeon approximately five minutes and forty-five seconds after the gate opened."

"They weren’t sucked in, but entered voluntarily?" Arthur confirms, his tone tightening.

"Yes, Chief." Lt. Cole resists the urge to scratch her head. She does not understand why Chief Lutherford would enter voluntarily without any equipment. It goes against standard protocol.

Arthur watches the monitor showing Alicia and Theo running toward the gate, their figures disappearing into the ancient stone arch.

A few seconds later...

"Stop. Rewind this monitor," Arthur orders.

"Back a little more. That’s it. Play."

On another screen, a bald man tied securely to an electric pole comes into view. He calmly unties himself... and lets himself be pulled into the dungeon.

"Rewind it again," Arthur says.

Lt. Cole rewinds and plays it once more. This time, she leans in closer, frowning.

"Chief... I’m not seeing things, right? That man untied himself and walked into it?" she asks, confused.

Arthur does not answer.

His mind is already moving.

A bald man...

Didn’t Thea mention a bald man staring at her? One who, along with his group, possessed mana?

Could it be the same person?

Arthur’s eyes sharpen.

"Lt. Cole, pull security footage from cameras around the Rhaenas building. Timestamp: yesterday afternoon, around 4 p.m., during the false fire alarm."

"Yes, Chief."

Even though she does not understand the reason, Lt. Cole complies immediately. Her fingers fly across the keyboard, pulling up archives and filtering timestamps.

"Chief, I found the footage. Four cameras captured the entrance. Do you want them all?"

"Yes, but not the ones facing the entrance directly. I want the cameras angled toward the road, from the entrance side. Especially the one covering the left."

Lt. Cole searches again.

"Chief, I found two cameras with that angle. Putting them up now."

She presses enter, and both recordings appear on the monitors.

Arthur leans forward slightly, his gaze sharp and focused.

"Fast forward. Slowly. Don’t skip too far. Keep going... keep going... keep—there. Stop."

On both screens, the bald man appears again. This time, his posture, his movement... unmistakable.

But his face is still unclear.

"Do we have any footage that captures his face?" Arthur asks.

"The bald man’s face?" Lt. Cole echoes, then her eyes widen as realization hits.

"Chief... you think he’s the same man who entered the dungeon?"

"Yes," Arthur says flatly. "Now confirm it."

"Yes, Chief!"

Lt. Cole works quickly, cross-referencing angles and syncing timestamps.

Arthur straightens and glances at his Resya.

Julian and the others aren’t back yet.

How much longer do I have to wait? Thea is already inside...

He exhales slowly.

What am I thinking? We’re talking about Thea.

She’s stronger than all of us combined. She should be fine.

And yet...

The unease does not go away.

It lingers.

"Chief," Lt. Cole calls.

She turns one of the monitors toward him. "It’s him. Look."

On the screen, two images are placed side by side. One from yesterday. One from today.

Both clearly show the same face.

Hawk.

Arthur’s jaw tightens.

This does not help his anxiety.

Not at all.

"Chief, should I try to find what his friends look like?" Lt. Cole asks.

"Hm?" Arthur responds, only half paying attention.

"If he’s the same man from yesterday, and from the footage it looks like he was staring in Ms. Montrose’s direction, should we identify his friends too? What if they show up today as well? Out here or inside the dungeon?" Lt. Cole explains.

She is clearly excited to have found something, even if she does not fully understand what the information means.