21

Beyond the Veil: Kiran's Supernatural Hunt

Chapter 21: You Just Have to Trust

Kiran rode his motorcycle near the school where Lisa studied, and as he reached a not-so-distant corner, he stopped. After Lisa got off, Kiran pointed, "I'm leaving now; take care, and if you need anything, you can call me. Remember, if you know anything about the student, don't get involved, as it can be dangerous."

As Lisa got off the motorcycle, she mentioned, "I don't have the time or patience to get involved in someone else's life, so don't worry. Thanks for the meal, Mr. Kiran; see you later."

"Mr.? Well, I am indeed a bit old. Either way, it hurt a lot." Kiran thought with a bitter smile.

Kiran looked at Lisa and sighed helplessly. He deeply regretted the deaths of all his teammates and would work hard from now on to compensate for their pain. As a group, they had once sworn to continue this hidden fight and face anomalies until their bones and joints stopped functioning.

Now that Kiran was stronger than ever, they had no intention of giving up in this battle. He knew that guilt would never be erased from his conscience, but future actions were what counted, and he was good at that.

Without thinking more about painful memories, he drove directly to the gym of his friend named Noah.

...

In a quite old boxing gym, Noah, Kiran's friend, was sitting watching videos on his phone when suddenly a message notification arrived.

Ding!

Noah Smith is scheduled to join the Army on May 16, 2019. Send a text response to the same number by writing (Name/Enrollment Confirmation). [If you plan to postpone enlistment due to illness, inform the Regional Military Manpower Administration.]

"Damn, they ruined my mood, and I wanted to forget about going to the army," complained Noah as he leaned back in the old chair. Since he was young, he consoled himself by saying that military service was like a task, and he would only worry about it when the time came to fulfill military service.

When he was about to try to fall asleep and calm his bitter mood, he heard an annoying voice calling him. "Speedy turtle, Noah, my friend, my great and best male friend, Noah, the speedy turtle."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, stop shouting!" Noah shouted as he quickly got up from the chair and walked towards the entrance of the gym.

"Hey, Kiran, do you think it's a good time to come and train? Aren't there crimes to solve?" Noah asked with irritation, seeing his friend.

"You've had a bad day; is it about the enlistment?" Kiran asked as he entered the gym, unaffected by his friend's immature insults and protests.

"Yes, sometimes I envy you. You joined the army right after high school; I would give anything to have gone to the army when I was younger... My knees creak, and my back suffers from intense pains; what am I going to do in the army?"

Kiran smiled without responding to Noah's complaints. These outbursts and complaints arose every time enlistment and the army were discussed.

"I can help you with the enlistment, but it will be harder and scarier if you don't take it in a good way; you might even dream about going to the army." After hesitating and contemplating it for a while, long before his entire team died, Kiran mentioned it decisively.

Noah's skills were magical in computers; he could search for information, infiltrate private servers, and access illegal information in a matter of minutes or even hours. With Noah's skills in his new squad, he could have someone trustworthy monitoring cameras and servers for abnormal cases not only in the country but also abroad.

As a squad leader, he only had access to information granted by the NIS, which caused the tragedy a few weeks ago. He definitely couldn't make the same mistake in information and logistics, even if the organization was rebuilt.

"Are you serious?" Noah asked with doubt in his voice and, at the same time, was interested in Kiran's words.

"Yes, and you won't have to go through physical training or anything related to the physical. What I need are your computer skills," Kiran replied as he took off his jacket and wrapped his knuckles.

"Are you messing with me? How can a violent crimes detective help me with something related to the army? I know you left the army a year ago."

Not sure about Kiran's words, he asked once again with doubt. Although he knew his friend's personality better than anyone, he was sure that Kiran wouldn't lie about serious matters, but it was impossible for him to connect Kiran's current words with something logical.

"I'm telling you the truth, but as a friend, I don't recommend accepting if your fear and reasoning aren't up to the necessary level." Kiran responded with a serious face.

He understood better than anyone how terrifying dark entities could become, and if someone succumbs to their fear, their reasoning will be indefinitely blocked.

In that case, he didn't need Noah, even if his skills would be helpful.

"Come on, Kiran, fear is the last thing that would block my thoughts. Don't underestimate me so easily," Noah said confidently.

"So, do you want me to give you a little test?" Kiran asked after adjusting the wraps on his hands.

"Test? Now?" Noah asked with doubt.

"Yes."

"Fine, give me the test."

After he agreed, there was a long silence that slowly made the place uncomfortable. Just as Noah was about to ask what the test was, Kiran pulled out his gun and pointed it at his friend without hesitation.

"You should know that this is a real weapon. If you fail, you die, and if you pass the test, I'll accept you into my team," Kiran said, looking directly into his best friend's eyes.

Not sure of what was happening, Noah asked with difficulty, "Kiran, you're not thinking of shooting me, are you?"

"I will shoot if you fail. Do you think I'm lying?" Kiran showed no signs of expression on his face as he looked at Noah without blinking. He wanted to convey an aura of decisiveness and said, "You should have received the army enlistment message. What is the date you're supposed to enlist?"

Noah looked into Kiran's eyes and furrowed his brow, trying to remember the message. He responded with a trembling voice, "The date? Wait, I'm remembering."

Kiran approached step by step without lowering the gun. The gun barrel pointed at Noah's head, and he said, "Noah, I'm doing this because you're my friend, and you'll definitely thank me later. Just answer, What is your response?"

Noah's expression turned pale. He knew it was impossible for Kiran to shoot him, but still, he felt as if a great predator was looking at him with murderous eyes. His mind worked quickly, and he answered, "On May 16, 2019, I am scheduled to enlist in the army that day."

Kiran holstered the gun while still looking at Noah with a serious expression and asked, "What are you waiting for? Check your phone to see if the answer is "

"Oh? Yes, I'll check right away." Noah replied and took out his phone, looking at the message without understanding.

"It can't be..." Noah murmured.

"What? Was it incorrect?" Kiran asked, looking at his friend closely.

"See for yourself," Noah replied, handing him the phone with an uncertain expression.

Kiran accepted the phone and read the message seriously. If Noah had made a mistake, he definitely wouldn't accept him on his new team.

"Noah is expected to join the army on May 16, 2019. Send a text response to the same number, writing [Name/Enrollment Confirmation)]."

After reading the message, he smiled and said, "Hey Noah, you passed the test."

Just as he was about to look at his friend to hug him, a punch flew to his face with speed and force. Kiran's eyes showed question marks as the blow hit his face.

Bang!

"Ouch! Hey Noah, why did you hit me? Aren't we friends?" Kiran asked in confusion while holding his cheek, not because of the pain but because of the sudden shock.

"Friends? Do friends point a gun at each other? Today, I'm going to kill you, Kiran!!!" Noah shouted as he lunged towards Kiran with an unbreakable fighting spirit.

...

After a long time, Kiran and Noah were lying on the floor, resting. Noah's face was red, and his breathing was disordered, while Kiran only had wrinkled clothes.

"Hey, Kiran..."

"Eh? What?" Kiran asked while enjoying this moment of tranquility.

"In these months that you didn't come, did you get adamantium in your body? Why the hell are your muscles as hard as a rock?"

Kiran smiled upon hearing Noah's question. He knew that his body had changed after undergoing that operation. However, it was not something he should answer to avoid unnecessary questions.

"Something like that. Hey, Noah, can I train here? I'll pay for the damages," Kiran asked, changing the subject as he stood up.

"Pay? What are you going to do to this old gym, Kiran?" Noah asked with doubt.

Kiran smiled and said, "I'll just train with the punching bags. You can go eat in the meantime."

"Sure, if you break something, you'll pay for it," Noah replied as he stood up from the floor.

"Go and eat something. You can think in the meantime about joining the army in my squad," Kiran said as he handed over his credit card.

"Oh, are you going back to the army?" Noah asked as he took the card.

"Yes, I'll treat you to the meal. Don't forget to close the door when you leave, and you can take my motorcycle," Kiran replied as he took off his shirt and began to stretch.

"Fine, thanks, Kiran, and about the army thing, I need to know what you'll get me into before agreeing to join," Noah said. Although he believed Kiran's words, he still found it hard to believe that his friend had the necessary authority to give him a position on his team. Therefore, he decided not to get too hopeful.

"Maybe you're afraid of something I'm not afraid of?" Kiran smiled at Noah and said, "If that's the case, forget about it."

"Fearful? Me?" Noah scoffed. "I'm someone who can mock lions without even breaking a sweat. Don't forget, I overcame my arachnophobia."

"Alright then, let me train, and when you come back, I'll tell you." Kiran waved his hand, dismissing Noah from the gym. In fact, before trying to recruit his friend, he intended to train and test his new strength in this gym.

"Hmph!" Noah snorted as he left, jumping with excitement for his meal. "Oh, Kiran, I'm going to max out your credit card for pointing a gun at me," he thought as he left and closed the gym.

He was regretting giving him the card after pointing a gun at him. Before deciding whether to tell Noah about the anomalies, he knew it wouldn't end well.

His first intention was to prepare Noah for a future rampant with anomalies. It was only a matter of time before they were announced to the public. Until then, he should do his best to prevent and prepare.

"Well, it's time to know my new strength," Kiran muttered as he prepared to hit the punching bag.