The first thing Zane did after pressing send was transfer the vital information from his laptop to an external drive, then wipe the computer clean. He then removed the laptop's RAM and a few other parts, then destroyed them with a gatling of Lightning Magic Bullets. But that wasn't enough. Now that the FBI might be involved, Zane needed to be extra cautious — even if he knew it wouldn't be traced back to him.
So he left his apartment again: first, he dropped the laptop at a nearby scrap yard and watched it be annihilated. He still needed a computer for his thesis program, but he couldn't buy one now since he didn't have cash on him, and using a credit card would be stupid because it would leave a trail. So Zane called his mother, then drove to her apartment and borrowed her unused laptop. Until he could convert the money into cash, the commercial laptop would have to do for now.
Back home, Zane wanted to open the laptop to remove the camera, but remembered it was his mother's. Instead, he covered it with black tape. Next, he installed his operating system along with other privacy and security measures. By the time he finished, it was already noon, and he headed out again; he had promised Ali lunch, so he headed to a wingspot near her work.
"New haircut? You look good," Alisha said.
"Thanks."
"Are you going to grow your locks back?"
"I am."
"I always said you look better with them. You never should have cut them off because of Cindy's parents."
"Even if I didn't, they would have been cut off eventually."
"True," Alisha said, sighing. "Do you know Lee Woo Soo?"
"No. He's a shaman, and I'm a mage: different department."
"That's right." Alisha hadn't yet adapted to the different power systems.
"What are the people in the WhatsApp group saying?"
Ali retrieved her phone to check. "They're mostly positive. According to them, they now have a powerful ally against the Beast."
"That's a good way of looking at it."
"I'm curious, though. How powerful is he?"
"I don't know myself, but if what I read about official transcendent is true, you'd need at least 2-3 tanks to break through the most common defensive shield. The potency of his attacks should also be on that scale, maybe even more potent."
"So, a walking army?" Ali said.
"Not an entire army, but you'd probably need an armed company or a smaller battalion to take down an official transcendent — well, to be precise, an armed one. If you catch them off guard with no enchanted items, they are easier to eliminate."
"Even so, it's quite terrifying for one individual to have such power. Imagine the damage they can do to regular people or even infrastructure. The worst part is they don't need ammunition or a large industrial supply chain; they only need to spend a few minutes recuperating their mana, and they can continue causing damage."
Zane shrugged. "That's the world we now live in."
"A sad truth." The tower might be restraining these people now, but what about the future?
"Oh, before I forget, here is your potion."
"Thanks," Ali said, gazing at the vial of light blue liquid. "Do I just drink it?"
"Yes. You'll have intermittent migraines over the course of eight hours, but by the end, you'll know how to speak, read, and write Gremorian at a basic level."
"Alright." Ali held the vial cover, ready to open it.
"Don't use it now."
"Why?"
"Do it before you sleep; you can skip all the headache."
"Oh, that's smart," she said, nodding. "By the way, where's Ma's potion?"
"She's not here, so I left it stored."
"Do potions have an expiration date?"
"As long as you don't open the lid and let the mana flow out, you can store them for a decent amount of time."
"That's good to hear." The two continued their conversation for a few minutes before Alisha noticed something. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes, why?"
"You haven't touched your food."
"Oh. I'm not in the mood, so I'll take it to leave and eat it later."
"Alright." Alish was about to ask more questions when a notification came in. "No way!"
"What happened?"
Alisha didn't answer for a few seconds, which made Zane think of the worst. "Did something happen to Ma?"
"No. Look."
Zane reached for the phone and immediately saw a New York Times headline: [Earth's First Joins Earth's Best]. Zane squinted as he read the first few paragraphs: Lee Woo Soo joined B.E.A.S.T. for a $20 million signing bonus. The news broke less than thirty minutes ago, but it was already spreading everywhere. Zane returned the phone to Alisha and checked on his own. It was true. BEAST's website even announced it themselves. Lee Woo Soo even twitted about it.
Zane sighed. "In the end, most people have a price."
"True that."
South Korean netizens were outraged by the news, calling Lee Woo Soo a traitor and all kinds of nasty things. The South Korean government hasn't commented, but Zane didn't think they would denounce the US. Their country has relied too heavily on US military support, so their government wouldn't risk that relationship over one individual.
"What are they saying now?"
"A lot of nasty things. Grandmama just called him, well, see for yourself."
Zane took the phone and read Grandmama's message. The entire thing was in Akan, and the language was colorful to say the least.
Zane smiled. "She always had a way with words." It's been six years since he had last seen her. Although they'd talked over the phone, it wasn't as often as he'd wanted. And it wasn't for lack of trying on her part. Zane was just embarrassed to see her.
"I wonder how he's going to get to the US?" Alisha asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you guys only have 12 hours on Earth? A flight from Korea to the US is at least 14 hours. So, how will he get here?"
"He'll probably relay to other countries and have to travel over the course of a few days. Or, BEAST might provide him with military aircraft."
"Another option is probably by boat."
"That too," Zane said, nodding. "However, the fastest method is to use a teleportation scroll; he'll be on US soil in a few seconds."
"They can teleport that far?"
"He would need at least a 3-ring scroll, but yes."
Alisha couldn't help but click her tongue. "Those are expensive. And if you add the 20 million dollar signing bonus, the US is really going all out."
"And it might not even be worth it in the end."
"Oh?"
"Being the fastest doesn't mean anything — especially since it means missing key training that might be instrumental in becoming a Great Shaman. Lee Woo Soo is a hot topic now, but in a few months, he might become irrelevant because he was in such a hurry."
"I see your point. But from the US government's point of view, $20 million is a worthy investment in a possible First Great Shaman—even if the odds are low. Not to mention they can market his arrival to recruit more talent."
"Hm, if you look at it like that, he's worth the 20 million, maybe even more."
"Let's not talk about this anymore. Have you changed your mind about the reunion?"
"Why would I change my mind?"
"I really think it would be good for you to go back."
Zane shook his head. "Speaking of school, I need to tell you: Myk is also in the program."
"What?"
"Yeah, I met him, and he's a Rune Warrior."
Alisha was silent for a good ten seconds. "That means I could lose both of you, doesn't it?"
"…Don't worry, that won't happen."
"I'm usually quite confident in your words, but not this time."
"When have I ever been wrong? You must trust me on this. We will all be fine."
Alisha looked him in the eyes and finally nodded. However, the rest of the meal was quiet, and they left the food relatively untouched. Eventually, Alisha returned to work, and Zane drove to the shop. Juan told him the part he ordered would arrive on Saturday, which Zane found acceptable since the dark web money should arrive by then.
After returning home, he called his Grandmama, and they talked for more than an hour. Then, for the rest of the day, Zane watched cooking videos to relax. Around 6 PM, he teleported to the plaza and returned to school early.