The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]-Chapter 234: Into the Zone

The moment the gate opened, the pickup truck instantly entered the tunnel again, its tires screeching as it charged ahead.

"Uh, S-sir? Do you mind if we go in with you?" the driver peeked his head out of the window, asking tentatively.

After all, to get into the Zone, it wasn’t enough to just pass through one gate. One needed to enter through the outer gate, then stop within the walls, and wait until the outer gate closed before the inner one would open. Such a setup was necessary in order to prevent any monsters from escaping. Thus, if the pickup pair wanted to get in with Lane’s code, they had to enter the inner space together.

And they wouldn’t dare to just follow without asking, not when they were mere civilians.

"Hmm?" Lane smiled - although no one could actually see it - and tilted his head, as he looked back at the nervous driver. "You want to get in?"

"It’s illegal," Damien pointed out.

To which the driver moved his gaze to him, giving him a blank stare. ’Um, Sir? Aren’t you entering as well?’ was written all over his face, but he didn’t dare to say it out loud.

Then his expression suddenly changed, transforming into ’Wait, they’re not the authorities doing an inspection, are they?’ Although he had never heard about anything like that, neither he nor his partner in crime knew much about the Awakened affairs besides what was publicly available.

"Well. That’s really bad, then." Lane nodded his head contemplatively, trying hard to stifle the laughter buzzing in his chest. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"Ugh, well, I mean..." the driver stumbled over his words, not knowing what to do...

But Lane was no longer listening. He was only interested in teasing Damien, not some random man, so he was already back in his car, driving through the gate. "Well? Are you coming?" he just called at the pickup driver, as he got out again inside. "If not, then I’m closing it..."

The pickup driver didn’t have to be told twice. Although still uneasy, he stepped on the gas, and joined Lane. They’d been waiting for so long, after all. He didn’t want to miss this chance.

Damien gave Lane a disapproving glance, but Lane ignored it for now. He wasn’t breaking their deal, so it was alright. Just because they were dating, that didn’t mean Lane was going to change all of his beliefs. And in this case, he firmly believed he wasn’t doing anything wrong. Anyone should have the right to enter Forbidden Zones, if that was what they wanted and they were aware of the risks. He would most likely have done it as well if he hadn’t awakened yet.

He tapped a few things on the panel, and the outer gate closed. Then, with a few more clicks, the inner gate parted, opening onto plain, green fields stretching far and wide. There wasn’t much movement in the vicinity, aside from the wind rustling the grass, but a distant cry and calls gave clear signs of vibrant ’wildlife’. Monsters, that is! Lane drove through the gate, got out once again, waited until the pickup pair got in - he wasn’t that much of an asshole to trap them inside for no reason - and ensured the gate was properly closed before he got back in.

Then, he drove away without a word.

"If you’re wondering why I did that," he said to the silent Damien. "It’s just that I think the rule forbidding people from entering Forbidden Zones is stupid."

Even though Forbidden Zones literally had ’forbidden’ in their name.

"I know that. But they are just civilians, aren’t they?"

"You can tell?" Lane glanced over at Damien. "Right, I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while, but what is your supporting ability?"

"I don’t have one. I’m just extremely sensitive to wavelengths," Damien explained.

"That’s how you were able to recognize me so easily, huh?" Lane muttered with a hint of bitterness. But a moment later, he shrugged his shoulders. "Well, whatever. I guess it’s a good thing that you did. But, that kind of sensitivity, doesn’t that count as an ability?"

Damien shook his head in response. "According to the scientists, no, since it’s not something I can activate or deactivate at will. It’s something I naturally feel, at all times. Although the accuracy can vary depending on proximity."

"Was that why you dipped your hands in my Toxic Ooze?"

"...You remember that?" Damien paused, a bit taken aback, before admitting, "Yes, I wanted to confirm my suspicions."

"Hmm." Lane just lightly hummed in response.

Well, that was good. He was glad Damien wasn’t a masochist, since he didn’t have a BDSM kink. Well, some bondage could be hot, but that was about it.

"As for those two a moment ago," he added after a while. "Don’t worry too much about it. One of them is on the verge of awakening, so as long as they’re careful, they should probably be alright..."

"Is that so? How do you know?"

"That blue glow earlier, that was one of my abilities, Mana Scan. It allows me to see Mana, including the intensity and various types. I can assess someone’s approximate rank and type of ability, although not precisely. That man lying under the tarp had quite a lot of Mana accumulated in him, now that they are inside the Zone, he should be able to awaken in a few hours."

"...Still, they’re powerless now. And until he fully awakens, he won’t be able to defend them..." Damien couldn’t help but worry.

Lane, on the other hand, just shrugged his shoulders, completely unmoved. "Well, they are adults. If that’s what they want to do... Besides, even if I didn’t let them in, the next person might. Or they would go to another Forbidden Zone. If they’re determined to throw themselves into danger, who could possibly stop them?"

"...Right. You would know that."

"Hahah, yeah, I guess!" Lane laughed out loud, causing Damien to sigh, and helplessly shake his head...