I’m Not That Villain - Chapter 61



60 – Small War (1)

There was intel.

Spa Land. That entertainment establishment built in Gangnam…

The massive organization that swallowed up the current Jung-gu.

The information said the head of the Hundred Eyes would appear there.

The enforcement agencies and large resolver offices located in the Jung-gu district of Seoul also moved with single-minded purpose.

Not simply to capture her…

But to assess the extent of her power.

To judge how hostile she was toward the enforcement agencies.

But this is the result.

The enforcer, ‘Baeksan’, raised his body from the dust pit.

“Cough cough!”

“W-what the hell is…”

Those around him were the same. Gasping for breath, unable to get their bearings.

Baeksan looked up. How far had he fallen? He’d somehow infiltrated all the way to the top floor, supposedly only accessible to VIPs…

Then this happened.

A hole was torn through several floors, and countless individuals plummeted below.

“…….”

A monster.

They’re nothing like the criminals I’ve collared before. Not as bad as the nightmare of taking down the Bad Sector, but…

Even so, this experience is sticking in my head, among all the others.

“You little rats.”

Baeksan briefly regretted not refusing the help from the enforcement agency.

But there wasn’t time for any more regrets than that.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, crawling in here?”

He’s coming.

The boss of the Hundred Eyes.

Black Mamba.

Whirr!

A black shape suddenly explodes from the still-settling dust cloud. One of the private contractors screams, gets dragged out, then a clean *snap*and silence.

Thump.

Something round rolled out of the dust. It didn’t take long to realize it was the head of the contractor who’d just been pulled in.

“Keep your distance and get the guys together.”

“Y-yes?”

The branch chief of the enforcement agency, looking lost in this situation.

Baeksan swallowed a curse. He didn’t want to be in the front, with his face exposed, but…

He couldn’t just stand by while things got worse.

“Get into combat formation, you fuckers! Wake up! Wing formation! Anyone who isn’t enforcement, get your asses to the rear and secure the perimeter!”

His roar cut through the place. The wounded belatedly snapped to, scrambling for their weapons.

Baeksan grabbed the back of the neck of the Branch Chief, who was still out of it.

“If you can’t get your head straight, get the hell out of the way.”

Thump!

He didn’t care if the guy fell and rolled around. What he needed to focus on was ahead.

He cracked his wrist. Made sure his body was right, then raised his hand.

Whoosh!!

The force of his swing kicked up a dust cloud. Only then was the full situation inside revealed.

A few corpses. And in the midst of them, a beauty with blood-soaked fingers, wiping them on her clothes, looked up.

A fiery red head of hair. Her eyes, when they met his, were seductive. It felt like he’d be sucked into those alluring crimson pools.

But that was a red light. Like the red on a traffic signal.

A dangerous b*tch.

A very dangerous b*tch, at that.

“Is there no such thing as manners here? All I did was say hello, and you immediately slap me?”

“Are there any cats that greet rats?”

Black Mamba.

She dusted off her clothes. Kicked a corpse from under her feet.

“You b*stards crawl into my territory and think… cooperation? And now even stalking? You little bugs. There’s a limit to how clueless you can be.”

“You’re doing all kinds of illegal shit, but you’re disgusted by mere stalking?”

“The word ‘illegal’ doesn’t exist in Seoul, grandpa. What divides the rulers and the ruled is just power.”

She tossed her hair. The clothes she was wearing were clearly a spa uniform, but…

Every single one of her movements oozes class. Like she was born a beast.

“Cooperation this, reduced sentence that… it’s all just noise.”

“……”

Black Mamba flicks her hand.

Like it’s the only reasonable thing to do.

“Get your things. Now. Or I’ll kill you all?”

*Kill you all.*

Anyone can say those words.

But it changes depending on who’s saying them. The weight of “I’ll kill you all” from a newborn is different than from an adult.

And when an esper criminal, the one who caused this mess, says it…

It feels like an unbelievable weight is crushing the surroundings.

Like they really might do it.

“……”

Baeksan assessed the situation. It’s not good. Not good at all.

This place is even within someone else’s territory. Not the Hundred Eyes, but another huge organization’s. And right in their heart, no less…

Support will be here soon. But that’s like facing two factions head-on at once. And at the same time, they’re still descending from the ceiling.

*Thud!*

Figures in black suits land around her. Personal bodyguards? Or maybe… the Hundred Eyes’ executives.

Either way, one thing’s for sure. Every last one of them has powers. What the hell is wrong with Seoul, there are way too many espers here.

Things are bad. We weren’t supposed to bring this many people, it was just supposed to be a meet. I warned him but the branch chief back there, spread out like garbage, he went ahead and made his own decisions.

A fucked up situation, followed by a string of moronic choices, led to this moment.

So the answer is…

Just one, after all.

“…Let’s reschedule, yeah? Continuing this conversation here isn’t good for either of us, is it? I’ve heard the relationship between our organizations isn’t exactly stellar. You being here like this is just giving them an excuse, I think.”

“Oh. You’re not pulling your things? Good. I was wondering when I was gonna have to sort it all out…”

Crack.

Black Mamba bared his teeth.

“I guess we’ll just do it here.”

“……..”

If I had to pick my biggest mistake coming all this way…

Wouldn’t it be that?

Not realizing that Black Mamba’s personality was even shittier than I thought.

Enforcer Baek-san sighed. He pushed his hair back and muttered quietly.

The escape route was as good as blocked. There was only one option left.

Subdue them all and escape. Before reinforcements arrive.

“…Everyone.”

His eyes glinted coldly from beneath his hair.

“Move like you’re going to die if you don’t kill them.”

“Thinking like that doesn’t change anything, you idiot.”

The black snake began to move.

“You’re all gonna die here.”

. . .

KWAHaaaNG!!!

The building starts to shake in the sudden burst of explosion. A chaotic brawl unfolds in the distance, the situation indecipherable.

“What the fuck?!”

The screams of the people grow louder. A few are caught up in the sudden influx of building debris.

I ducked immediately to avoid it. The person in front of me, someone who appeared to be a ‘security guard,’ also started moving with a start…

But there are few who appear to be like her.

There’s no way they can protect everyone.

“KYaaaH!!!”

“J-Just…just a second…”

“Get out of the way! FUCK! Move it!”

“E-Elevator…the, the doors…the doors…”

“Down the emergency stairs! Hurry!”

“Go, go first…Go first! FUCK! How do we know what’s down there?!”

“Just, jus…It hurts! It huuurts!!”

“A doctor! Where’s a doctor!! Get a doctor!!”

“Don’t press me don’t press me don’t press me it hurts it hurts it hurts”

People’s voices blend together.

The emergency exit is blocked. The place that was already clogged with people is now a mass, crushing and pushing, trying to step over each other.

The elevator doesn’t open. Despite pressing the button, it doesn’t even react, and only a loud crash of something falling echoes from behind the closed doors.

People trying to descend the escalator collide, tumbling down. A strange sound came from beneath the central plaza. A sound of flesh breaking down that was impossible to put into words.

And I…

was inside it.

“Th-this… how… E-everyone! P-please follow instructions! J-just calm down a little more…!”

The security guard next to me was struggling to control the crowd. Others who looked like her were doing the same.

But the continuous crashes and the heat getting closer every second had already knocked the sense out of people.

Maybe if I was in the same state I was before coming to Seoul, I would have acted like them.

But luckily, I’ve tasted both the sweet and the bitter these days. I lowered my body and dodged the flying debris.

KWaaaH!!!

That one hit caved in a solid wall. The screams of the people grew louder, and some even threw themselves toward the central plaza to survive.

But the height was considerable. The safety net in the middle was already full of people, and they all fell at once.

“Wh-wha…?”

A strange noise started coming from the safety net as it started exceeding its weight capacity.

Thud.

The sound of a rope snapping.

“…Haa.”

I look around. The people swept up in the situation are not even reacting properly.

Even after hearing the sound of ropes snapping, no one moves. They just stare blankly, muttering useless things while looking down.

“R-run away! Run! The rope is breaking!”

“Get out, get to the outskirts! Don’t clump up in the center!”

“First, first floor! Evacuate everyone in the first-floor plaza! They’re gonna fall like a bunch of dominoes! Is there, like, anything they can catch…!”

Like there’d be anything.

Even if there was, would it be easy to set up?

“Master.”

Scarlett speaks to me amidst the chaos. I fidget with my wristwatch.

I tried my best. To not get involved. It’s obvious, right?

Using my strength in a place like this wouldn’t help, it would just reveal my identity.

But my ears were hurting too much to ignore it. And besides, among the people falling into that safety net right now…

“MOMMYYYYY!!”

There’s a kid too.

“Tch.”

I can’t look after every single person. I’ve got my own problems, how could I possibly?

Well, if I can help, I want to. I’m fine doing small acts of kindness within my reach. Everyone would feel the same, wouldn’t they?

But still.

Especially not kids.

Seeing them cry reminds me of myself. That pathetic, wanting-to-survive-alone version of me in the smoke-filled room…

Stuck to a tiny hole, just breathing until the door opened, just to stay alive.

*crackle*.

From noble mtl dot com

Black sparks begin to flicker at my fingertips. I might not do anything else, but this, I feel like I have to do.

Let’s handle this discreetly, under the radar. Nice and clean.

Wouldn’t it just be a matter of moving all those people hanging there down to the first floor?

I’m worried about Seol Yewon, but she’s also an ability user. She wouldn’t be in immediate danger. I’ll help here, then go find her again.

I checked the distance to the railing. Slowly, I stepped back…

“Y-you?! What are you doing?! Stop!”

I ran.

Towards the safety net that looked like it could collapse any second.

What’s the point of having security if all they do is shout?

Move. Use that time. To do *something*.

Change starts from the smallest of things. You dumbasses.