The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]-Chapter 239: Still Salvageable

They did find them, in the end. After more than an hour, when they were on their way back to the bunker already. Lane didn’t really want to stop, as he was eager to return home to roll around in bed with his boyfriend, but it was hard to ignore the pickup standing in the middle of the field, as it stuck out like a sore thumb...

So, he let out a heavy sigh, and slowly descended, landing right next to the truck.

Both men were still alive, but in a much worse shape than when they entered. Covered in blood, one unconscious - although not from his injuries, but rather the awakening - while the other sitting on the cargo bed while holding his bloodied side. He lifted his pale face in alarm when he noticed the movement nearby, but his vision was too blurry to recognize Lane and Damien as the people who let him into the Zone earlier that day.

"Are you okay?" Damien asked, stepping forward, but the man just stared at him blankly, too tired and hurt to bother to respond.

Lane could almost feel all the guilt and regret that were undoubtedly swelling within Damien’s chest. And, although he didn’t quite share the sentiment - he still firmly believed that he had nothing to feel bad for, as the pickup men came into the Zone willingly, knowing full well what sort of place that was - he didn’t want to end their trip on such an unpleasant note, and leave Damien with all kind of uncomfortable thoughts festering in his head. Especially since the situation could still be easily salvaged.

"There’s one more thing I haven’t had a chance to show you yet," he said, jumping onto the cargo bed. Then, he crouched next to the wounded man, and pressed his hand to the wound on his side. "It’s just a C-rank ability, but can be useful at times..."

With Lane’s touch, the bleeding slowly ceased, and the wound started closing down. While it didn’t heal completely, at least some of the tissue connected, creating a scab.

Both Damien and the man stared at the wound in disbelief. "Healing?"

"Mn." Lane just casually nodded his head, as if he hadn’t just showcased an ability of one of the rarest types, and moved his gaze to the unconscious man. He was also wounded, but didn’t require any healing, because he had just awakened, and not just as any average Esper...

"An A-ranker," Lane muttered, lifting his brows with surprise. "With water-related body modification ability."

"Huh?" The healed-up man recovered enough strength to react. "What does that mean?"

"It means your friend here is an Esper now. But don’t ask me for details, I can only assess the general type."

Well, perhaps he could decipher a bit more if he tried, but Lane was too lazy for that.

"Congratulations," Damien said to the man sincerely. "What are you going to do now? Would you like to leave the Forbidden Zone with us?"

"Leave?" the man only scoffed, his face turning sour at Damien’s congratulations. "Why would we leave? I haven’t awakened yet!"

"But... You’ve almost died?"

"We’re still alive."

Only because Lane had healed him, or else he would likely bleed out to death soon, but Damien didn’t point that out. He just glanced at Lane, as if asking for support - after all, Lane understood such a mindset better, so if either of them could come up with convincing arguments, that would be him...

Which led Lane to let out yet another heavy sigh, and admit defeat.

"Listen, I get how you feel, but trust me, there’s nothing here worth staying. How about you go to Forbidden Zone No. 74 instead?" he suggested. "There’s a whole city there, with apartments to live in, shops and restaurants... With an A-ranker friend, you can live a decent life there as you wait for your awakening!"

It wasn’t quite what Damien had in mind, but it was still better than leaving the pair in No. 183, so he didn’t intervene.

Meanwhile, the wounded man glanced at Lane suspiciously. "If it’s so amazing, then why aren’t you there?"

"Because I don’t have a reason to live in a Forbidden Zone, while you clearly have."

"I..." the man opened his mouth, but then closed it again, thinking for a while. "But would they let us in?"

"Of course! They have guards on the gate, so they would let you in without much delay. You’d wait a few hours at most, depending on the circumstances. But if you say you have an A-ranker with you, they will surely welcome you well!"

Especially if Lane wrote them a little recommendation later.

The man hesitated for a while longer. He glanced at his wounded side, then at the empty fields, and back at his wound...

"Okay. Will you let us out, then?" he asked.

After all, to open the gates, you needed the code, no matter whether you tried to enter or leave. They couldn’t be just be opened by just anyone, or else someone would surely set the monsters free!

"Sure thing! Just drive to the gates, and we’ll meet there."

"Ugh..." The man threw another uneasy glance at the fields. Drive to the gates? Alone? Through the monster territory? Would he even make it out alive?

Understanding his plight, Damien stepped forward. "I will go with him, in case they encounter any monsters," he offered.

"Well... Alright." Although he wasn’t the happiest about it, Lane just agreed, as not to waste any more time. Damien was strong, so he had no doubt they would be okay.

And sure enough, they’ve met at the gate all in one piece less than twenty minutes later - although the pickup was covered in a thin layer of frost, which showed that Damien indeed had to defend them. They all passed through the gates again, leaving the Forbidden Zone behind, and went their separate ways, the pickup men heading toward Forbidden Zone No. 74 (at least that was what the conscious half of the party said), while Lane and Damien sped back to the Capital.