Chapter 419: Phantom |
The security level in Nigeria is precarious.
Robberies, kidnappings, and thefts happen in broad daylight, and the country is classified as a Level 3 travel alert, meaning it’s not recommended to travel there.
However, this mainly applies to the northern region, where the armed group IS is active.
For Victor and Sophia, who are from the south, from Lagos, this wasn’t relevant.
Although that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be cautious.
“Do you really have to go?”
“I have to. They need a doctor’s help, I can’t refuse.”
“But it’s near the north, it’s dangerous.”
“The armed groups haven’t reached that far. It’s safe.”
“It’s late. I have to leave now!”
Victor smiled, trying to reassure Sophia, patted her head, and turned around.
It never crossed his mind that he might not return.
————–
Rat-tat-tat! Rat-tat-tat!
The rifle spat fire.
Every time it fired, the people trying to flee fell like reeds.
Victor, like the others who had taken refuge in the village, was paralyzed with fear.
“See what happens if you try to run away?”
“Please, save me... I beg you...”
Bang!
The elderly man who was begging with his hands clasped was shot in the forehead.
“Talking too much will get you killed too. Stay still, got it?”
Fear kept the people from responding.
Saying the wrong thing could cost them their lives.
Victor deeply regretted his decision.
“Why did I come here...?”
In Nigeria, there aren’t as many doctors as in other countries.
They were a scarce resource.
This also meant that receiving medical help in a small village in the far south was nearly impossible.
But when Victor heard they needed a doctor, he decided to come.
He didn’t care that it was near the border with the dangerous northern region.
He couldn’t ignore the people who needed help.
However, that didn’t mean he was willing to risk his life.
“I’m going to die. Those heartless men won’t let us live...”
Victor sighed, but unfortunately, that gesture caught someone’s attention.
“You, get up.”
“......”
“The one who sighed, get up!”
Victor was petrified.
“Get up, damn it!”
Finally, a terrorist roughly grabbed him and threw him to the ground.
“Sighing, huh? Let’s see if you can keep sighing after you’re dead.”
A rifle was pointed at him, and Victor felt his life was about to end.
“Doctor!”
“Please, he’s a doctor!”
The villagers watched the scene in despair, and Victor had also lost hope of surviving.
But luckily.
“A doctor?”
His profession saved his life.
Apparently, the terrorists valued doctors, and the rifle was lowered.
“Are you really a doctor?”
“Y-yes.”
“Where are you from?”
“From Lagos.”
“Show me your license.”
To save his life, Victor showed his license.
Once it was confirmed that he was a city doctor, the terrorists’ attitude changed.
“Hey, Hank! He says he’s a doctor!”
“A doctor? Should we keep him alive?”
Hank nodded.
Victor felt relieved for a moment, but soon realized that didn’t mean they would set him free.
“Take him.”
“Alright. Come with us, doctor.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“You don’t need to know. From now on, you’re coming with us.”
He didn’t need to ask more to understand what that meant.
“They’ll use me as a slave...”
An armed group committing terrorist acts against the state wouldn’t settle for exchanging him as a hostage.
They would use him to treat their wounds.
“Damn it... they’ll use my medical skills not to help those who really need it, but these terrorists...”
He could foresee his future.
———–
Victor’s predictions came true.
“You’re now our primary doctor. We’ll provide all the medical equipment you need. When one of us gets injured, you’ll take care of it. Got it?”
“......”
“Not answering? Are you daring to show that face?”
“...Yes, I understand.”
They took him to an unknown base.
There were more terrorists than the ones who attacked the village.
About a hundred.
Victor was the only doctor there.
The only slave.
“Don’t even think about escaping, doctor. If you’re caught, there’ll be no mercy. We can find another doctor easily.”
“......”
“Better give up on the idea of escaping and get used to this life. We’ll give you food, work, and a place to sleep. Think about it. Isn’t this better than dying like the villagers? Isn’t it? Compared to that, this is paradise, right? Ha ha!”
Their words were absurd, but reality made it hard to refute them.
“I’ll never be able to go home...”
He missed his sister Sophia.
He didn’t want to die, treated like an animal in that place.
“But I also don’t have the courage to escape.”
Though he didn’t want to admit it, the terrorist’s words were true.
He had to adapt.
Being depressed would only make his body sick.
‘For now, I shouldn’t even dream of escaping.’
Harboring unfounded hopes would only make his heart anxious.
It could give him false hope and cause him to act impulsively.
For now, he had to blend in with this armed group of over 100 people who didn’t value human life.
There was no way to escape from there.
‘I have no choice but to live quietly, like a dead mouse.’
It was a situation where no hope could be seen.
‘I wish, when I wake up, all this had been just a dream.’
With that thought, Victor fell asleep.
“Ahhh!”
“Ugh!”
“Ugh!”
Short and simultaneous screams were heard.
Victor woke up startled and, following the sounds, moved as if hypnotized.
Then he saw it.
“What is this...?”
The terrorists were lying on the ground in the middle of the night.
‘They’re dead.’
He could tell just by their faces.
They had turned into dried-up mummies.
The strange phenomenon happened in other places too.
“Ahhhh!”
“Ahhh!”
Running towards the places from where the screams came, he found the same situation.
‘They’re dead here too.’
Here, there, even those standing guard outside, all of them.
More than 100 members of the armed group were annihilated in less than a minute.
An eerie silence.
No terrorists were left alive around.
Not anymore.
“Ha... haha...”
Involuntarily, he started laughing.
He didn’t know if it was nervous laughter or relief.
Whatever it was, it was the perfect moment to escape.
Victor quickly descended the mountain, with lighter steps than ever before.
-What did you do in Nigeria?
-I destroyed an IS armed group. Though, of course, it wasn’t me, it was the Host.
-How many did you eliminate?
-More precisely, 1,249 people in a single night.
-Those bastards deserved it.
Ryu Min, listening to the report from the leader, Judas, thought of a person.
Upon mentioning Nigeria, he wondered about their fate.
‘Is Victor alright?’
Since he created the 102nd timeline, he hadn’t thought about how Victor was doing.
‘Should I take a look?’
Ryu Min used one of the dimensional management powers, [God’s Eye].
Like with the temporal clairvoyance he had before, he could see any place or person he desired, with the difference that he could also hear sounds and see through things.
‘There he is.’
Ryu Min found Victor in his vision.
He seemed to be reunited with Sophia in front of their house.
-Brother! Where have you been? Do you know how much I’ve been looking for you? You didn’t even answer your phone!
-Sorry, Sophia. Some things happened.
-What happened? You haven’t given any signs of life for days. I tried to contact the village you went to and no one answered.
-An armed group attacked the village. Many people died.
-What?
Sophia turned pale.
In contrast, Victor spoke as if talking about someone else.
-Luckily, I survived because I’m a doctor. They took me to their base.
-I’m sorry. I didn’t know something like that happened to you... Are you alright? Did they hurt you?
-As you can see, I’m fine. I thought I wouldn’t see you again... but I’m glad to see my sister.
Finally, Victor smiled.
His affection for his sister made him similar to Ryu Min in a way.
-But how did you survive? How did you escape from the armed group’s base?
-When I woke up, the terrorists started screaming and turned into mummies. Everyone there.
-Everyone?
-Yes. So I was able to escape without any problems.
-It’s just like what [Phantom] does, isn’t it?
-Phantom? What’s that?
-Haven’t you seen the news? Lately, there’s been a phenomenon where evildoers are dying all over the world. They all turn into mummies, and it’s said that it’s the work of a dark shadow that judges them. That’s why they call it Phantom. A ghost that punishes the wicked.
-Oh...
-So did Phantom help you too?
-Listening to that, it seems so.
-Anyway, I’m glad you came back alive.
They shared a light hug, and Ryu Min deactivated God’s Eye.
-Judas.
-Yes, my lord... I mean, Black Scythe.
-The media is calling the Host Phantom?
-Yes. Although we’ve tried to be cautious, it’s hard to act unnoticed, and the evidence is too clear...
-You don’t have to explain. I’m not reprimanding you, I was just asking. I knew it couldn’t stay hidden forever.
-Oh... I expected that. Your insight is unparalleled...
-Ah, enough. We should end this conversation here. It’s gotten late.
-Do you have something urgent?
Ryu Min smiled softly.
-It’s time to pick up my son.