The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]
Chapter 324: Postponed

Chapter 324: Postponed

Their ’trip’ to the Eldenveil was postponed.

Why?

Because there was another dungeon break!

They had already gotten in the minibuses, and were on the way to the site of the Gate. Lane had claimed the front passenger seat. After that first time, he had gotten more careful, and never let Ethan win the fight for the front seat ever again. He was sucking on a strawberry lollipop, and watching the road ahead of them without much interest, while throwing occasional glances at Damien’s profile and his large, strong hands holding the steering wheel...

When Damien’s phone suddenly rang.

Damien was driving, so naturally, he couldn’t pick it up himself. Without even asking, Lane reached out into Damien’s pocket, taking it out...

"It’s Section Leader White."

Damien’s brows furrowed. Why was the Section Leader calling him now? "Pick it up," he said to Lane.

And so Lane did, holding the phone to Damien’s ear.

Damien’s frown deepened, his body tensing up. He had asked Lane to pick up the call, not to cling to his arm! There was no need for the man to lean like that...

But he didn’t have time to reproach Lane, because Section Leader White’s voice already sounded out on the other end of the line. "Team Leader Lennox. You haven’t entered the dungeon yet?"

Well, it was a stupid question. Of course they hadn’t, or else how would Damien pick up the phone?

And Section Leader White knew it as well, which was why he didn’t even wait for the answer, and just continued, "You need to turn back. There’s been another dungeon break!"

Another dungeon break?

A few team members sitting at the back overheard Section Leader White’s words, and stirred around nervously.

Just what was going on? The Capital had been peaceful for years, and now, all of a sudden, they were having a few dungeon breaks within just a few months...

Damien naturally was surprised by this as well, but the reason behind the sudden outbreak of dungeon break wasn’t the most important right now. So, he just asked, "Where?"

"Maple Street in Branwick."

"What’s the rank of the dungeon?"

"We don’t know yet. It’s an unknown dungeon."

Another unknown dungeon? Section Leader White’s words caused Damien’s frown to deepen even more... But, for now, he just said, "I understand. We will head there immediately."

Then, he glanced at the people in the back of the minibus through the rear view mirror. "Please notify the other bus. We are going to the dungeon break site."

Not that it was necessary. Hallie was following closely after Damien’s minibus, and as for the change of their direction... They could easily deduce it themselves, as a moment later, everyone’s phones rang with the government-issued dungeon break alert. But, since Damien asked them to do so, once they recovered from the initial shock, they rushed to type on their phones, relying the message to the other half of the team.

Just like that, in just a few minutes, the mood in the minibus - which wasn’t all that great to begin with. For many of the members of the team, the Eldenveil was a place filled with bad memories, as they had been present during the dungeon reactivation - had grown tense and solemn. All the chatter had died, as everyone prepared themselves mentally for the upcoming battle. As for Damien...

"You can take the phone away now," he said, throwing a quick glance at Lane, before focusing on the road again. "I have finished the call."

"...Huh?" Lane blinked. Only then did he realize that he was still leaning over, clinging to Damien’s shoulder, and holding the phone up to the man’s ear, even though the call had long disconnected.

"Ah, right. Right." He quickly withdrew, mindlessly stuffing Damien’s phone in his pocket, as he leaned back in his seat. But the phone didn’t go in smoothly. The pocket was already occupied by Lane’s own phone, and while it could fit in two phones, it was a tight fit... Lane blinked, confused at first, before he realized that it wasn’t his own phone that he was trying to put away, but Damien. He was so distracted that he didn’t think what he was doing... Even now, he just sat dumbly with the phone half in his pocket, before eventually switching it to his other hand, and putting the phone in his left pocket instead. It wasn’t really a conscious decision...

But he had more important things on his mind than where he was putting Damien’s phone. Just as everyone else on the minibus, his thoughts were all revolving around the dungeon break...

However, while the rest of the team members were just surprised, Lane was... suspicious. A third unknown dungeon? And in such a short span of time? What were the odds?

Gates could appear anywhere. That was a well-known fact. In the early days of the Awakened, there had been a few Gates that remained undetected because they were located in places that people didn’t visit frequently. However, since then, the Awakened Association established new laws, which required every place to be inspected, especially in the urban areas. From abandoned houses to sewers, every nook and cranny had to be monitored, to ensure that there wasn’t a gate that remained undiscovered. As for private properties, that was naturally a duty of the owner... Which might have seemed tedious for some, but it was in their best interest. If the Gate truly appeared and remained undiscovered until there was a dungeon break, the owners would be the ones who would suffer the most damage. Not only would they not be compensated for their loss, but they would be incarcerated, with the minimum penalty of twenty years...

And as a result, no Gates remained undiscovered for too long since then.

Until now, that is. First, there was that Gate in the Lapis Lake... Which could still be explained, since it was deep underwater. But that Gate in the basement unit near Lane’s old place? And now one in Branwick? Was it just casual negligence after years of peace...

Or was it a deliberate scheme?

Lane pressed his lips tightly. There was nothing about it in the plans he had discussed with his subordinates... But that didn’t mean anything. It could be another organization he didn’t pay attention to...

Or it could be that some members of his organization were working in the dark, keeping it a secret from him.

Of course, it could very well be neither. But regardless of whether the dungeon break was intentional or not, he had a very bad feeling about it.