For the first time in what felt like years, Zeno started praying to the Ascendants.
“If you have an ounce of respect left for your best employee, you will protect these humans,” he muttered under his breath.
Rex, who was curious about him, tapped his shoulder. However, Zeno was too preoccupied with his prayer that he didn’t pay him any attention.
Rex’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Did he just ignore me?”
Meanwhile, Luli looked at Zeno with wide eyes. He had gotten more handsome since she saw him at the acting workshop! “He’s so nonchalant,” she muttered.
Selina, who began smelling the scent of smoke, turned to the staff inside the room. “How are we going to get down if they’re burning our floor?”
The cameraman and sound guy turned to each other with wide eyes.
“We don’t know,” they said at the same time.
“Alright,” Chaewon PD said through the megaphone, making sure the actors in the mansion could hear her.
“We need to film this very fast because the fire needs to be extinguished as soon as possible.”
Minseok and Selina began feeling nervous. Zeno narrowed his eyes. He could even feel their nervousness from where he was.
“Everyone, get to your positions!” Chaewon PD exclaimed, and the other actors followed.
Hyunbin Lee, who was going to be acting in despair while waiting for his daughter to be saved, stood on the sidelines, his gaze focused on Zeno.
The next part was going to be the most dangerous part of the entire movie. They were going to be using real fire. And because Dr. Song had refused to help, influencing the others, they were short of people to save those inside the building.
The other doctors and rescuers had already started treating the victims on the lower floors, but the highest floor, where the fire began, would be occupied by none other than the Governor’s daughter and her sleazy boyfriend.
In the end, Dr. Black would risk his life to save the two of them. The daughter and her boyfriend would then survive, but Dr. Black would suffer a burn and an inhalation injury. With that, the townspeople will begin to mourn. Dr. Black had saved countless lives, but they couldn’t save him.
However, the doctors join forces to treat him and bring him back to life.
At this point, Zeno didn’t have any more lines, and he would just be in the background along with the other doctors.
The filming finally started, but Zeno couldn’t shake the feeling of dread inside his stomach.
Dr. Yan and the others began evacuating those inside the building.
“You’re alright. You’re alright,” Dr. Yan said with an assuring smile.
“We have two more victims here!” another doctor shouted.
“That’s ten in total. We still have three more.”
“I got the last one here!”
Dr. Black frowned as soon as he heard those words. He lifted his head after instructing another doctor on what to do.
“She can’t be the last one,” he muttered. Then, he stormed to the entrance, where a doctor with a burnt white coat came out.
“Where is the Governor’s daughter?” he demanded.
The doctor coughed while Dr. Black patted his back. “It’s impossible,” he said. “I am able to go to the second floor, but the stairs to the third floor are burnt to ashes.”
Dr. Black’s eyes widened in fright, and he quickly saw the Governor’s daughter and her boyfriend on the top floor.
“Hey, don’t you think the fire is spreading too rapidly?” the sound guy muttered.
“I’m not sure. It is getting too hot, though,” the camera man answered.
Minseok and Selina, too, began coughing out loud. Still, it looked natural in Chaewon PD’s eyes.
“Good, good,” she muttered as she watched the monitor. “Now, it’s time to save them.”
Dr. Black looked around until he found a rope with an anchor. Without any hesitation, he whipped it around like a cowboy before hooking it to the ledge of the window on the third floor.
“Is that even humanly possible?” Zeno muttered. He continued watching the scene while glancing at his watch from time to time.
They were filming at an exceptional speed, and there had been no cuts since then.
“Five minutes,” Zeno whispered.
However, if there was one thing he learned from one of his missions, it was that fire was very similar to humans.
They were unpredictable.
They were erratic.
And they become wild when you least expect it.
As Ian began climbing up the burning mansion, his eyes began hurting, and he found it hard to breathe. Still, he pushed through, knowing this was their one and only chance.
He could already see Selina and Minseok inside, and he wanted to applaud them for their acting.
They truly looked terrified. Selina was coughing furiously while Minseok appeared to be panicking.
“Shit, shit, shit,” Minseok exclaimed. “The sound guy has passed out!”
Ian frowned as he arrived at their floor. At that moment, Selina fell into Minseok’s arms.
“What the fuck! It’s already hot as it is. Don’t lean on me.”
“Is this part of the script?” Ian muttered, not recalling such a scene. Just then, he lifted his head, and it was only then he saw the condition of the room.
One wall was engulfed in flames. On the floor was the sound guy, and trying to arouse him was the cameraman.
Chaewon PD frowned when she couldn’t get a clear vision of what was happening inside the mansion. “What is this?” she muttered.
Jiho clicked his tongue. “Ah, those guys. I told them to do a good job.”
He pressed his intercom and began scolding them. “We only have one chance for this. Do your job right! Focus the camera on the actors now.”
One of the takes included Dr. Song walking away amidst the madness. However, at that moment, he stayed in the frame, his gaze focused on the building.
“Hey,” Jiho exclaimed. “Cooperate! We need to do this fast.”
However, Zeno merely cursed under his breath.
Jiho’s eyes widened. “Are you cursing at me?”
“Seriously,” Zeno whispered through gritted teeth, shaking his head.
Then, he looked straight into the camera, capturing Chaewon PD’s attention.
“Stop the filming,” he said.
“Unless you want five people to die today.”