I’m Not That Villain - Chapter 65



64 – Turning Point (1)

Returned to daily life.

A day flowing as usual. Renata and Lily would have a fit just hearing the word “vacation.”

“Va-vacation? I think I prefer work… I don’t want to be apart from our bluebird anymore… Ahaha…”

“Mr. Lee Seo-jun, you can take one if you want. But this time, don’t leave my side.”

I, too, lost all affection for the word “vacation.”

No. I went to rest, but it was as if the day was cursed, with accidents happening everywhere. There will be no rest for a while.

Besides, there were things I wanted to make, so it was even more so. Making another portable version of the specialized equipment was harder than I thought.

I was pouring almost all my remaining leisure time into developing weapons while focusing on my main job.

Still, there were some changes in daily life.

“…Ah, sir… I came to visit as you mentioned before…”

Seol Ye-won.

She started visiting our house.

“Ah. Come in as much as you like. Since you’re here, should I check the equipment for you?”

“No, it’s okay…! Excuse me…!”

How should I put it?

She was no longer just a regular customer but had become more like an acquaintance.

Having saved her life, it was perhaps a natural result. What I owed her couldn’t be settled with just money.

Every time Seol Ye-won came to our house, she brought gifts. Sometimes it was food from the store, and other times she brought flowers or decorations.

“Isn’t it hard to bring gifts every day?”

“It’s okay. I’m steadily earning money. It’s something I want to do… Thank you for your concern…!”

Such a polite child, they say.

Anyway, that small change settled into daily life. And at the same time, other changes also began to occur.

Custom equipment production.

Not some other shady business, but proper requests started coming in one by one.

“…Hmm.”

“Why? Isn’t this what you wanted?”

“It is, but…”

The timing is bad.

Custom equipment production? Of course, it was what I wanted. But look over there. Isn’t the enforcement agency standing firm?

Ironically, this time it seemed like they were really determined, using the ‘Spa Land Raid Incident’ as an excuse to recruit more personnel.

Is the government really serious this time? Anyway, because of that, central Seoul was in a state of high tension.

In this tiny neighborhood, where the population was already bursting at the seams, it had become impossible to walk around at night.

The gunshots that were already frequently heard increased even more, and the streets were becoming desolate due to the fights between the Hundred Eyes’ subordinate organizations, the enforcement agency, and the combat police.

“…What do you think will happen if weapons with my name on them start circulating in this situation?”

“They’ll become a prime target for crackdowns. Weapons with your name on them will show unimaginable firepower and hunt down enforcers.”

“Oh my.”

Ah.

Why does the enforcement agency always get involved in such a bad way?

In the end, I tearfully asked all the production requesters for their understanding. And you know, by now, I thought the black market would start to notice that I hadn’t been doing my job properly for a long time and would cut me some slack, but…

Ironically, the black market also seemed to be extremely busy.

“The black market is currently the government’s main target for crackdowns.”

“What?”

“The place where the most illegal weapons are distributed is the black market. Because of that, it seems like the government is trying to impose strong sanctions this time. If the distribution of illegal weapons is smooth, the supply to the enemies will also continue. And because of that, the black market can’t afford to worry about external matters.”

From noble mtl dot com

“Shouldn’t you go too, Lily?”

“I’m a temporary worker. The black market isn’t my headquarters. I’m just staying for a while. My original place is a mercenary company in the UK.”

“You have no loyalty…”

“It’s not my company in the first place. And I’ve never had, nor wanted, such a thing.”

Lily turned her head away primly. I wiped the ketchup off her mouth.

I knew it from the moment she started gobbling down the fries Seol Ye-won brought. Why does she like ketchup so much? It’s funny. It’s hilarious.

But you know what?

The situation turned in an unfunny direction.

“…What?”

A sudden site shutdown.

The black market site itself went down.

“What the heck all of a sudden?!”

Lily grabbed her constantly ringing phone and went outside. Renata came in, panicking.

“Mr. Lee Seo-jun?! The black market site is down?! What about my job?! What about my work?! What about my salary?! Waaah!”

“I’m still figuring out the situation, so stay calm! Scarlett! Gather some data!”

“Excited master is so cool…haah haah…”

“Scarlett!”

“Yes!”

Scarlett, the AI, quickly analyzed the current situation.

“It’s a large-scale cyber attack. The sender is… people from the government.”

“What?!”

“The scale itself is enormous. Inferior AIs are rapidly creating hacking codes, breaking through the firewall, and destroying the interior. To be more precise…”

Scarlett calmly reported the reality.

“It’s a hacking attempt aimed at data erasure, not just hacking, so the destruction is happening indiscriminately. The number of hired personnel and programs in use is absurdly high.”

“Are you kidding me?!”

Are they really serious about this operation?

I waited in vain for the Black Market site to come back. But even after three days, it was still impossible to access.

“…What does the Black Market say?”

“They say the other side has hired hackers beyond imagination, and it will take a long time to recover the site. Or…”

Lily added one more unbelievable statement.

“If things get worse, they might completely withdraw overseas…”

“…What did you say?”

“Of course, we don’t know what will happen right now. The problem is that whether recovery is confirmed or not, it will take time.”

Lily glanced at me.

“What will you do in the meantime?”

What do you mean, what will I do?

It’s a complete disaster!

I collapsed into the seat, powerless. Seol Yewon, who had been quietly holding her breath while visiting, whispered cautiously.

“Ah, sir… don’t worry… I, I’ll somehow earn the money…”

“I’ll just take your sentiment…”

The enforcement agency is really…

They interfere with everything I do, and now they want to cut off my livelihood too?

Ah! This is just…!

I wiped my face roughly. Yeah. What good would it do to just sit here with my hands tied?

“Can you contact the black market? Preferably Mr. Cha Seyoon.”

“…The team leader?”

“Yes. Can you reach him?”

“Just… a moment… He’s always been a very busy person.”

Yeah. So busy that he doesn’t even take the special equipment I painstakingly made for him.

But please, this time, pick up. Our contract depends on it.

[Hello.]

Fortunately, the other party answered the phone.

After several attempts.

Lily briefly explained the situation to the blunt voice she hadn’t heard in a long time, then handed me the phone.

“Cha Raemong. It’s been a while. I told you to take the special equipment, why didn’t you?”

[I want to take it, but I can’t. I’m in Italy right now. I shouldn’t even be taking this call.]

Italy?

It seems like you really have a lot of things to do.

“Did Lily tell you about the situation?”

[Yes. I heard. I am also fully aware of the situation at the headquarters. What do you want?]

“I just want to check the contract terms a bit. While the black market site is down, I need to make a living too… I want to create a personal site. But that wouldn’t violate the contract terms, right?”

I glanced at Lily.

“I don’t want to lose my precious personal bodyguard.”

Lily flinched for a moment. She stared at me intently, then casually dipped the remaining fries into ketchup.

Cha Seo-yoon spoke calmly over the phone.

[I will talk to the higher-ups.]

“Ah. By the way.”

[Do you have anything more to say?]

“No. I was just wondering if you are healthy. That’s all I’m curious about.”

[…….]

The voice on the other end of the phone chuckled.

The previously stiff voice softened slightly.

[I am healthy. Thank you for your concern.]

“Between us, it’s only natural.”

[Were we that close?]

“Have you forgotten the days we spent together? That sticky, sweet…”

[I’m hanging up.]

As expected, he’s someone who doesn’t get jokes.

Well, still, it’s nice to hear his voice after a long time.

Cha Seo-yoon’s reply came back not long after.

Judging by the reply…

It seemed that setting up a personal site itself wouldn’t be a big problem. After all, the black market itself seemed too busy to care about me.

With Scarlett’s help, I set up a personal site.

The site name, of course, was ‘Black Anvil Workshop’.

I slightly changed the name considering my hair color dyed from the White Anvil. Anyway, I finally got to use the workshop name that only I knew!

Just in case, I also posted on the community. I wanted to use the reputation I had built up.

This should be enough to get my livelihood back on track. I was sure of it.

But you know what?

My personal site was forcibly shut down in less than a day.

“…What the hell?”

“It’s the work of the enforcement agency.”

Wow.

This is really… wow…

I felt the veins on my forehead bulging at the absurdity of the situation.

No.

Isn’t a person allowed to struggle to live a little?

Don’t do this. Don’t do that.

So, what am I supposed to do for a living?

“…Ah. Right. Let’s give it a try, shall we?”

As long as the enforcement agency exists, my livelihood as an artisan is practically blocked.

Moreover, it’s not like I can leave this place now. I’ve developed these facilities and worked hard, I can’t just abandon them.

Besides, I don’t have the money saved up to go abroad.

That’s what I’m saying.

In the end, the only way for me to survive was to drive those guys out of here.

For that, I need to come up with a plan…

“Hmm?”

Just in time, Hundred Eye posted a notice on numerous sites.

They were looking for a partner workshop.

“Are you going to participate?”

“I don’t intend to become a partner workshop for a criminal…”

I gathered my equipment.

“I’m planning to make at least one piece of equipment to stand against the enforcement agency.”

Fight poison with poison.

Originally, poison is best driven out with another poison.

Let’s give it a try. You b*stards. You started this.