"You...don't need any weapons of sorts? I am not your escort, hyung." Jongho arrived within minutes and started judging Yeosang as soon as he arrived. Yeosang snorted.
"Do you think I am allowed to bring a gun into a city? The capital, as they say, nonetheless. I got a pocket knife and probably more capable than you thought. The problem is we are bringing fugitives."
Jongho stared at the three for a few seconds.
"And you aren't going to put on a mask or?"
"And look more suspicious? No thanks." Minho deadpanned.
"How about this. Two of you do whatever you need at the tent, and we only one of you to lead the way, then we'll meet up at the pier again to return." Yeosang quickly decided, "which means that we need the one who's quick, stealthy and strong enough to protect yourself."
Both Seungmin and Chan looked at Minho. "You're stealthy as hell, hyung." Seungmin said before Minho could say anything.
"I - fine." He sighed, "Yeosang, do you perhaps have anymore pocket knives that I can borrow?"
~
"Okay, where's the store?" Yeosang whispered.
"It's actually just a 5 minute walk straight ahead, but since I can't be under broad daylight, we need to travel through back alleys which might take us 10 minutes if we are slow." Minho replied, putting on his hood and slipped Yeosang's extra pocket knife into his sleeve.
"I thought you'd be more suspicious if you do that?" Jongho asked.
"A lot of people wear hoods. That's relatively more normal." Minho said. "We can't go through the main gate. Surveillance cameras."
"We can just go in, can't we?" Yeosang questioned, "We aren't fugitives."
"True, but intruders are also not welcomed. All civilians are forced to put on this watch-like thing which has a chip inserted inside as an identity. The cameras have both the scanner for the chips and infrared scanner. If they detect human activity but not the presence of the chip, we'll be doomed." Minho explained.
"You sure know a lot."
"One of us broke a camera and another decided to find out what's in it." He shrugged, "Anyways we're going to this side. We broke a wall when we ran here."
"And it hasn't been fixed?"
"Like we said, no one bothers coming. So they don't find a need to fix it."
Minho led the two to the opposite side of the tent, passing through the rotten main gate. Yeosang and Jongho didn't saw the surveillance cameras Minho was talking about.
"Minho, there's no camera." Jongho called.
Minho hesitated a little bit.
"...Do I really need to dig it up for you?" He sighed, hopped next to the gate and started counting the bricks, then abruptly pulled one of them out. "I can't actually pull out the one with the camera inside, but you can look up from this hole."
Yeosang glanced up, and indeed saw a silvery grey device hidden half-inside the brick on top of the one Minho just pulled out.
"Fine, we'll proceed from that broken wall."
"Great. It's just a few steps ahead, really." Minho returned to the original route and showed them the large hole.
"It's larger than I thought." Jongho commented.
"Yes, because Seungmin refused to crawl and we had to make it large enough to make it possible to go through without crawling. Once we get through, we need to keep quiet. Any more things to discuss now?"
"Yes, in fact, there is..." Yeosang said, "You said intruders are not allowed. Then how are we supposed to get supplies?"
"Oh, that. Under normal circumstances, no one will ask you to show them that device when you are buying things or whatever, because no one bothers wearing it when the authorities can check your identity using other methods anyway, so you'd probably be fine..." Minho thought for a while, "Or if you're really unwilling to risk it, we can go to the food suppliers. The station is closed from midnight to dawn and they don't even bother locking it. But it's a little farther than the store. Which option do you choose?"
"I am willing to risk it." Jongho replied almost instantly, "Hyung, you?"
"......I am also willing to risk it, but we need a plan in case they do demand for the device." Yeosang said. "Jongho, can you rush back to get me my laptop?"
"Fine."
"I need you to tell me some precise details, if you're able to do so," Yeosang explained to Minho as soon as Jongho jogged back into the ship, "Which includes the exactly route we're taking, but that needs to wait for my laptop."
"I'll try. The expert in this field is Jisung but he's still sleeping."
"Great. What will happen if we aren't able to show the device?"
"The best that could happen is that the staff would be nice enough to let you go while believing that you indeed left it at home. The worst..." Minho bit his lips, and drew his hand across his neck, "Execution."
"So we just need to make sure we don't get caught by the authorities, right?" Yeosang concluded, "That's easy."
"You can say so, I guess?"
"Your laptop," Jongho came back and handed Yeosang his laptop, "Any ideas?"
"Fight or flight." Yeosang responded, turning on the laptop, "Minho, do you know how to draw a map?"
"Depends on the software. I can try."
~
The sky was already starting to light up. Minho cursed under his breath. Do they really have to do this right now?
"The sketch's really rough, sorry."
"It's fine as long as the roads are accurate," Yeosang replied without moving his eyes away from the monitor, "So, we need to avoid this main road and all the red areas?"
"Technically, yeah," Minho nodded.
"What do you mean technically?" Jongho asked.
"Because we don't know if the authorities have modified the systems or not after we left..." Minho sighed, "If they didn't, simply following the route would do, but if they do-"
"We fight." Yeosang snapped his knife back into his sleeve.
"But you said you use your brain."
"He uses his brain, even in fights," Jongho already stood up, "His opponents won't even feel a thing when they got knocked out."
"How about the time?" Minho asked again, "The sun's almost rising. I can't risk getting caught. It's a life or death situation for me, and - and maybe for you too."
Jongho and Yeosang exchanged a few glances. "We do have enough supplies for one more day..." The verdict came from Yeosang, "So I guess we can wait until tonight. I admit that it's a bit of a rush for all of us."
"Yeah, we can even consult Jisung for the plan during the day." Minho sighed in relief, "Thanks. I don't really wanna die, especially when we just agreed to Hongjoong that we'll go on quest with you guys."
Yeosang smiled softly for the first time that night. "Good to know you're determined enough."
