Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1714: Are they talking about… Zero?

Ssssshhhh~

The humongous red portal shimmered in the air as countless golden particles drifted across its surface like sparks trapped within a crimson storm.

Fffffssshh~

The massive whirlpool of red energy slowly began to contract inward, its swirling layers folding into themselves as the unstable gateway neared collapse.

The members of Rescue Team-2 stood several meters away behind a defensive perimeter, their combat suits projecting faint holographic displays before their visors.

Their leader, the black-suited man named Laman, watched the shrinking portal with a deep frown.

“The Hell’s Gate is closing,” he muttered, his voice tense. “Why haven’t they come out yet?”

The surrounding members shared the same uneasy expressions.

“S-Sir… what if they all died?” one of the subordinates asked quietly, unable to hide the fear in his voice.

The question caused several nearby ones to lower their gazes. The Second Squadron was one of the strongest military squadrons under the Delta Governor’s authority.

If even they had failed… the implications were terrifying!!

“Then pray to the Arcane Goddess that whatever killed them stays inside,” Laman replied grimly.

“Because if the entire Second Squadron was wiped out in there, none of us has the firepower to stop whatever comes out next.”

As the portal continued shrinking until it was barely larger than a vehicle, pale expressions spread across the rescue team’s faces.

Some tightened their grip on their weapons while others silently prepared themselves for the worst. Just as many began to accept that nobody was coming back—

SHUSHHH!!!

Thud!

The surface of the portal suddenly rippled outward like water struck by a falling stone. Crimson energy waves spread across its surface before two figures were violently ejected from the gateway, tumbling across the ground.

Everyone immediately tensed.

Laman’s eyes widened.

“Weapons up! Now!”

The command echoed through the area.

Without hesitation, dozens of them raised their energy weapon toward the portal. Red indicator lights ignited along the weapons’ frames while systems hummed to life. Several autonomous combat drones hovering overhead instantly shifted into combat formation, their targeting systems locking onto the unstable gateway.

The man and young boy who had emerged from the portal ignored the rescue team entirely. Instead, they stared at the shrinking gateway with grim expressions.

For a brief moment, both of them expected the horror that had hunted them through that hellish realm to emerge behind them.

Yet nothing happened.

The crimson whirlpool continued folding inward as the surrounding space distorted. Tiny cracks of scarlet energy danced across the air before the portal finally collapsed into a single point.

Spark!

The portal vanished completely with the final spark!

Only a handful of crimson particles and a lone golden spark remained floating in the air before they too faded into nothingness, leaving behind an eerie silence.

Only then did the man and young boy finally relax.

Their bodies gave out almost immediately as they collapsed onto the ground, exhaustion overwhelming them after everything they had endured.

“Ha… ha…”

“Ha… ha…”

Both of them stared at the sky while trying to steady their breathing. After several seconds, they turned toward each other.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Young Aether suddenly burst into laughter.

“Hahaha… seriously… we actually made it. Fuck yeah!”

Jonathan stared at him for a second before laughing as well.

“Hahah… I am not doing this shit again. I thought I was dead at least twenty different times in there. Hahahah”

He leaned back against the ground and wiped the sweat from his face.

“Hell, I was already planning my funeral halfway through that nightmare.”

The two continued laughing despite their exhaustion, the sound carrying across the area as the rescue team watched in stunned disbelief.

Laman quietly frowned and waved his hand. His subordinates slowly lowered their weapons as he walked toward the two figures and cleared his throat.

“Ahem… excuse me. Are you survi—”

“Mr. Laman? Thank goodness you’re still here. Give me a hand,” Jonathan said as he raised his hand to be helped up.

Although confused by the familiar tone, Laman still grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet.

“You are?”

“Commander of Delta 2 Squadron,” Jonathan replied with a tired smile as he extended his hand toward Young Aether and helped him stand.

Laman blinked.

Sensing his doubt, Jonathan simply summoned his Origin Card and showed it to him.

[Occupation: Commander of Delta 2 Squadron.]

Only then did Laman and everyone else accept his identity without further doubt. After all, Origin Cards could not be forged or tampered with.

Seeing that, everyone’s eyes widened in shock.

“Squadron 2’s commander?”

“For real?”

“This is my first time seeing him… he’s freaking handsome!”

“Hey… but why is he the only one here? Where’s the rest of the squadron?”

The moment that question emerged from the crowd, the surrounding area fell silent.

A cold realisation slowly spread through the rescue team.

It did not take a genius to understand what had likely happened.

“Where is your squadron, sir?” Laman asked quietly, his gaze drifting toward the place where the portal had once shimmered with terrifying beauty.

Jonathan remained silent for a moment before answering.

“Dead.”

That single word sent a chill through everyone’s spine.

The entire squadron was dead?

Every single one of them?

The thought alone was enough to make several of them pale.

Laman fell silent as he stared at Jonathan for several seconds before lowering his head respectfully.

“Thank you for your service, Commander.”

Although surprised by the news, Laman did not show much of a reaction. His expression remained steady, almost frighteningly calm. It was as if he had witnessed tragedies like this countless times before.

In a world where portals opened regularly, and entire military units vanished overnight, grief had become an unwelcome but… familiar companion~

After a moment, Laman lifted his head and looked toward the young man standing beside Jonathan, who was observing everyone with a curious expression.

“Was he the only survivor?”

Jonathan glanced at Young Aether before nodding.

“Yes.”

Laman quietly released a breath of relief.

‘At least they managed to save one person…’

He immediately waved his hand. In response, one of the hovering medical stretchers detached itself from the rescue convoy and glided toward them through the air, its anti-gravity systems emitting a soft mechanical hum while blue medical indicators illuminated across its surface.

However,

“There is no need for that. He will be coming with me,” Jonathan said in a cold tone, making it clear that he had no intention of allowing anyone to separate him from his friend after everything they had just survived together.

Laman tilted his head slightly before responding, “But Commander, we still need to perform a complete examination. We have to determine whether he has suffered any physical injuries and whether his mental condition remains stable after exposure to the portal.”

“I can handle that myself,” Jonathan replied immediately, his voice growing noticeably colder than before.

For several seconds, Laman simply stared at him.

Although he did not understand why the commander was being so protective of the young man, he could clearly see that further arguments would only make the situation worse.

“As you wish, Commander,” Laman finally said with a nod.

Jonathan took Young Aether’s hand and began walking away from the former portal site. At the moment, he had only one priority in mind, and that was getting his friend somewhere safe before anything else could happen.

“Mr. Laman, could you arrange a taxi for us? Unfortunately, I lost everything inside that place,” Jonathan asked while maintaining a calm expression.

Laman immediately smiled and shook his head.

“Oh please, Commander. It would be an honour to help you. There is no need for a taxi when I can drive both of you myself.”

After speaking, Laman turned toward his subordinates and began issuing a rapid series of instructions regarding casualty reports, portal recordings, equipment recovery, and perimeter security. The rescue team quickly acknowledged the orders and dispersed to their assigned duties.

Meanwhile, Young Aether gave Jonathan a rather strange look.

The expression on his face seemed to say:

‘Look at you. Professional Commander~’

Jonathan’s lips twitched slightly when he noticed the teasing look. A faint blush appeared on his cheeks, but he quickly suppressed it before leaning closer and whispering into Young Aether’s ear.

“Just stay quiet for now. I’ll take you to my home first and explain everything later.”

Young Aether nodded obediently before shifting his attention toward the surrounding landscape.

The sky above had already become a deep shade of black, while countless crystal-powered streetlights illuminated the area with soft blue-white radiance.

Floating navigation beacons hovered above the roads, and streams of distant aerial traffic painted lines of light across the night horizon.

Several minutes later, Laman finished assigning responsibilities to his team and escorted Jonathan and Young Aether toward his vehicle.

Sssnnnnnnn!

The vehicle emitted a low mechanical hum as its anti-gravity systems activated. Blue energy patterns briefly appeared beneath the chassis before the car gently rose above the ground and smoothly accelerated onto the highway.

Young Aether quietly rested his head against the window and observed the scenery outside.

As the vehicle continued forward, the massive city of Delta gradually emerged from the darkness. Towering skyscrapers covered in luminous crystal panels stretched toward the clouds while enormous holographic advertisements about machines and mech-suits floated between buildings.

Although the city appeared beautiful from a distance, Laman’s attention remained focused elsewhere.

Every few moments, he found himself glancing at the front mirror.

More specifically, his gaze repeatedly landed on Young Aether.

Jonathan naturally noticed those glances, but he chose not to comment. Instead, he remained silent while the vehicle continued travelling through the nearly empty Delta Highway toward the city centre.

Eventually, Laman could no longer suppress his curiosity.

“Commander, if you do not mind answering, could you tell me what exactly happened inside the portal?”

Jonathan remained silent for several seconds while staring at the illuminated city beyond the window.

His expression gradually darkened as unpleasant memories resurfaced within his mind.

“We encountered the Forbidden Forest,” he finally answered.

SSSNNGGG!!!

“What?!” Laman exclaimed so loudly that the vehicle briefly drifted sideways before the automatic stabilisation systems corrected its trajectory.

“Please keep your eyes on the road, Mr. Laman,” Jonathan said with a serious expression.

“S-Sorry, Commander,” Laman replied while tightening his grip on the steering controls.

Even after steadying the vehicle, the shock on his face refused to disappear.

“I honestly cannot believe what I just heard. The Forbidden Forest is considered one of the deadliest regions connected to the portal network. Entire exploration teams disappear after entering that place, and most divisions classify information about it because of how dangerous it is.”

His eyes remained fixed on Jonathan through the front mirror.

“The fact that you entered that place and somehow returned alive is practically a miracle. Most people never even get the chance to leave behind a body, let alone walk out alive.”

Jonathan did not answer.

The memories remained far too vivid.

Every step through that cursed forest had been accompanied by the fear of death. The horrifying creatures lurking within the darkness, the constant feeling of being hunted, and the overwhelming pressure of knowing a single mistake could end everything still lingered in his mind.

Beside him, Young Aether continued looking out the window as if the conversation held no interest whatsoever.

However, despite maintaining an indifferent expression, he was quietly listening to every word being exchanged inside the vehicle.

Laman’s forehead was covered in sweat as he tightened his grip on the vehicle’s steering controls.

The dashboard before him displayed dozens of holographic indicators showing route calculations, traffic projections, atmospheric conditions, and nearby aerial vehicles, yet his attention remained entirely focused on Jonathan’s words.

“I… I can’t believe it. After all this time, the Forbidden Forest has appeared again,” Laman said while staring ahead at the illuminated highway. “How long has it been since the previous manifestation occurred?”

“Three years,” Jonathan answered immediately. “We also encountered an enemy that even our Mech-Suits couldn’t properly identify.”

For several seconds, the only sound inside the vehicle was the faint hum of its anti-gravity engine.

Laman’s eyes widened as realisation suddenly struck him.

“Y-You mean that small creature wearing a hoodie?” he asked, nearly choking on his own words.

“The one that appeared during the previous Forbidden Forest incident? Even the President barely survived after encountering that thing, and it slaughtered almost his entire squadron before disappearing.”

Jonathan slowly shook his head while looking out the window.

“No. What we encountered was completely different,” he said with a grim expression. “And if I had to compare them, the thing we encountered was significantly stronger.”

!!!

The colour immediately drained from Laman’s face.

His gaze returned to the road, but countless thoughts were racing through his mind.

The hooded creature alone had already become the subject of countless classified reports and military investigations.

If Jonathan was claiming that something even worse existed inside the Forbidden Forest, then the danger posed by that region was far beyond what anyone had previously estimated.

Meanwhile, Young Aether quietly listened to the conversation while pretending to admire the scenery outside.

‘A small creature wearing a hoodie?’ he thought inwardly. ‘Are they talking about… Zero?’

Although curiosity surfaced within him, he decided not to interrupt the conversation and instead continued observing the city gradually appearing in the distance.

The vehicle soon descended from the elevated transit lanes and entered Delta City’s outer districts.

“Stop here,” Jonathan suddenly said.

Laman guided the vehicle toward the side of the road before bringing it to a smooth halt in front of a towering residential skyscraper.

The structure easily exceeded several hundred meters in height.

Its exterior consisted almost entirely of smart-glass panels capable of changing opacity according to weather conditions, while streams of red energy flowed through decorative channels embedded throughout the building’s frame. Security drones hovered around the upper levels, continuously scanning the surrounding airspace.

Jonathan and Young Aether stepped out of the vehicle.

“Thank you for the ride, Mr. Laman,” Jonathan said sincerely.

Laman smiled before giving a respectful nod.

“The honour was mine, Commander. Please get some rest. Considering what you’ve survived, you’ve more than earned it.”

The vehicle’s anti-gravity systems activated moments later, causing the car to silently rise above the road before accelerating into the flow of nighttime traffic.

The moment it disappeared into the distance, Young Aether looked toward Jonathan and immediately burst into laughter.

“‘The honour was mine, Commander.’ PFFTT!!” Young Aether repeated dramatically while struggling to contain himself.

“You sounded like some important military celebrity giving interviews after winning a war.”

Jonathan simply ignored him and continued walking.

Knowing Aether, it was best not to acknowledge his teasing, and he would stop himself when gets bored.

The pair approached the building’s entrance.

A transparent security barrier blocked access to the lobby. Jonathan pressed several authentication sequences onto a floating holographic interface before allowing a small scanner to analyse his retina.

[Identity confirmed.]

The artificial voice sounded pleasantly human.

[Welcome home, Commander Jonathan Vale.]