I’m Not That Villain - Chapter 71



70 – Omen (1)

War.

A war between two organizations.

If the two had been of lesser power, they would have simply ignored it, saying, “Oh. Where is that dog barking from?”

But who were the two who had promised to fight?

The massive organization Hundred Eye, which had a firm grip on the Junggu region…

And the enforcement agency rumored to be the strongest armed group of the current government.

It was no different from a bear and a lion setting a date to fight.

Naturally, the herbivores caught up in the fight were trembling with fear.

Therefore, the announcement of the war date was incredibly significant news for the people living in Junggu.

Truly. Literally.

People began to leave Junggu as if water was leaking out.

“Shouldn’t we leave too?”

“It would be right to leave after locking down the facilities…”

Normally.

Normally, that would be the right thing to say. Who would dare to stay boldly in a war zone?

Anyone with a proper mind would naturally refuse. But still, there were those who did not leave Junggu.

Whether it was complacency.

Or because they had belongings at home that couldn’t be moved.

Or because they didn’t have enough money to find another place to stay…

In situations where leaving was actually a worse option than staying.

I belonged to the second category.

The facility. Ah, the facility.

I couldn’t just leave this underground facility, which I had built and modified entirely, locked up like this.

“Even if we call it a safety device, it’s ultimately just a line of machinery… If the various facilities and databases here are destroyed, it will take a long time to recover.”

“Life is more important, isn’t it?”

“That’s true, but…”

I glanced up at the now gigantic body of Scarlett.

Now, it was an artificial brain storage of organic artificial intelligence, containing hundreds of various storage units and an enormous amount of data.

This was Scarlett.

And Scarlett was this.

From noble mtl dot com

“Because Scarlett’s main body is that. If some damage occurs, it will cause confusion in her memory or the identity she has built up. In the worst case, she might suffer from what people commonly call ‘amnesia.’”

“Wasn’t it possible to contain Scarlett in a portable device?”

“It was connected through radio waves. The main body is here. If this place collapses, Scarlett will collapse as well.”

A hologram appeared before my eyes.

Scarlett whispered to me.

“Master. It’s okay. You can leave me behind. I’m a machine. Even if I’m broken, I can be fixed again, right?”

“There’s no way I can leave you behind. I never treated you as just a machine in the first place, so even more so. Stay quiet. I’ll make the decision.”

“…Maaasteeer…”

Leaving the sobbing Scarlett behind, I inspected the entire facility once more.

The house I currently live in was divided into two places.

The upper building that looks like a regular home and…

The massive underground facility expanded like an ant nest beneath it.

“The building above? Honestly, it’s not really necessary anymore. It was just a simple living space. The expanded underground facility can replace all of its functions.”

“…Indeed. Who would think that there is an underground facility dozens of times larger than the building above, extending down to the fourth basement level? This place is already like an underground bunker.”

She was right. Thanks to the continuous renovations and expansions, this underground workshop had grown beyond the simple title of ‘workshop’ to become a massive facility.

Of course, I didn’t do all of this myself. It was thanks to Scarlett’s various mechanical parts, working tirelessly as I demanded.

And naturally, the expanded facility also included living quarters for emergencies.

A living space created solely for ‘me’ by Scarlett’s independent judgment.

「It’s a space just for you, Master. I tried to make it comfortable enough that you wouldn’t need to go outside…」

Although her words felt somewhat sinister, I let it slide at the time. I didn’t think it was a bad thing to have.

But who knew it would be this helpful. Including the overall security facilities, this place was literally a natural fortress.

Unless a group of ability users decided to break in…

An impenetrable fortress.

And what about its secrecy? The entrance to the underground facility could be completely camouflaged during normal times, making the risk of being discovered extremely low.

Perhaps, just maybe.

This place might be safer than the outside world.

“So, you really intend to stay here?”

“Of course. I can’t leave Scarlett here alone.”

Scarlett’s hologram panted.

“…Who knew a bio-body would be this necessary… Huff huff… I need to make one quickly so that Master can just… completely…”

It seemed like she was planning something strange…

I ignored it for now. There were more pressing matters to attend to.

“Lily, you can leave. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to take shelter for a while. This is my choice, so you can make a different one if you want.”

“…? My duty is to protect you.”

“That doesn’t mean I want to drag you into my stubbornness. Anyway, I plan to stay here until the war ends. I’ll live like a recluse, so there shouldn’t be any danger. So…”

I was kicked in the shin.

The pain that swept over me would have broken my leg if I were still an ordinary person.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Stay with me.”

At Lily’s crisp words, I nodded.

I didn’t want to get hit twice.

We immediately got to work. Fortunately, there was nothing to worry about. It was just us.

Seol Yewon’s house was located far from Jung-gu, Seoul. Renata’s company was the same.

Even Joo Hwa-rin, who had been hanging out with us a lot lately, didn’t operate mainly in Jung-gu, Seoul. So it was basically just us we had to worry about.

“Let’s start stockpiling food.”

The money we had saved from bounties came in handy. We ordered countless food deliveries and placed bulk orders with nearby stores.

“If a war breaks out, how long do you think it will last?”

“…It won’t last long. At most, half a year. That’s what I’m expecting.”

“Why?”

“If it gets worse than that, the authorities’ capabilities will be questioned. It takes more than half a year to wipe out one large organization, so what if all the remaining forces band together and resist? What do you think will happen then?”

“…Hmm.”

“Considering the Hundred Eyes’ actions, whether they win or lose… it will definitely end within a few months. They’re too impatient to cause such a commotion in someone else’s territory. It won’t turn into a long-term war.”

I agree.

But that doesn’t mean we can completely avoid preparing.

I diligently wandered around the city. I carefully gathered the necessary supplies and prepared to endure in the underground facility.

Lily also disappeared for a while, saying she had something to get. She did ask me to refrain from going out, saying she would be back in a few days at the earliest…

Still, I went out to the street for a final check.

There shouldn’t be any danger.

I was fully equipped with special gear just in case.

Wearing a mask instead of a helmet, I meticulously checked if the items I had prepared had arrived at each store.

Then I realized that some essential items were missing and headed to the mart to have them delivered.

“…Huh?”

“Hmm?”

A hand reaching for a bundle of toothpaste.

It collided with someone else’s.

“Oh. I’m sorry…”

I reflexively started to apologize, but then I noticed that the person’s face looked strangely familiar.

A man. A man who would have been unforgettable.

The man I encountered at the spa land…

The man I had shown kindness to.

He also seemed to recognize me. His eyes widened, and he lowered his voice, glancing around.

“Do you live here?”

“Yes? Well, that’s right… It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“This is not the time for such talk.”

“Yes?”

“…So…”

The man glanced around, looking uneasy.

“…Are you aware that a war is about to break out here?”

“Oh. Yes. I heard that the Hundred Eyes and the enforcement agency are going to clash…”

“Don’t trust the date. It seems like it will happen sooner than that.”

“Yes?”

“Baek Joon-ah. What are you doing there when you’re busy?”

Thud.

Someone stepped in between us. I involuntarily took a step back at the sight of a woman I had never seen before.

A woman. A beauty. But what caught the eye was not just her simple beauty, but something that no human should have.

Horns.

Horns protruding like a cow’s from both sides of her head.

She lazily swept her eyes over me.

“An acquaintance?”

“Yes, sister. We met a while ago. She helped me at the spa land.”

“…Oh. Really? Hmm…”

She nodded her head slightly.

“Nice to meet you. So, um…?”

“Sister. This is not the time. We need to evacuate this person quickly…”

“Huh? Do you live here?”

At that question, I nodded reluctantly.

“Well, yes… but… can you tell me what this is about?”

“Um. Ah. Um. I can’t explain in detail, but if you live here, you need to get out by today. At the latest, by tomorrow. Ah. Maybe even tomorrow might be too late. No, it might be cutting it close…”

“What?”

“It’s better that way. Anyway, it’s better. Just know that… You said you helped my junior, right?”

The woman winked.

“If we meet again, let’s have a meal together. Don’t forget to leave. I like good people. So, get out safely. Let’s go, Yejun.”

“It’s Handojun, sister.”

The one who said his name was Handojun bowed politely to me. I unconsciously bowed in response.

They seemed very busy and hurriedly left. I stared blankly at their retreating figures and then turned my head.

Who are these people to know such information?

I should contact Lily separately. I turned on my phone and walked quickly.

I couldn’t tell if what I heard was true or false, but it seemed better to hurry. I paid extra to receive the items I had originally ordered by tomorrow.

And in the meantime, I encountered another person.

“Huh? That…”

A person dressed in suspicious combat gear came running towards me.

And that face. It was exactly the same as the security guard who had blocked me inside the spa, saying it was dangerous.

“Hey, it’s you, right?! The person who saved someone at the spa land!”

“You must have mistaken me for someone else.”

“No, it’s definitely you! Why, why are you pretending not to know?! You should be receiving a bravery award!”

I hurriedly moved my feet, feeling like I was about to get involved in something troublesome.

But as I moved, the woman followed me closely.

“Being here at this time… Do you live here? No, right?”

“I do live here, but…”

“Really?! Then I recommend you leave quickly! This place is dangerous! Really! Today… tomorrow… no, preferably tonight, get out of here!”

“What?”

The set date is clearly a week away.

The official start date of the war is then.

But why does everyone I meet say things like that? While I paused for a moment, a huge shadow loomed behind me.

I turned my head involuntarily, and there stood a giant. Looking down at me, he moved his prosthetic hand to hold a cigarette.

“Who is this?”

“Sir, it’s him! The person I mentioned before! The one who saved people in that chaotic situation, the one with abilities!”

“…Hmm.”

His gaze seemed to pierce through me. His face, which I saw for the first time, was filled with coldness, making me want to avoid his eyes without realizing it.

Why are his eyes so cold?

He reached out his hand. Contrary to my flinch…

He lightly patted my shoulder.

“You’ve done a great job.”

“Yes?”

“I don’t know what kind of power you have, but seeing that you saved someone in that chaos, you can’t be a bad person. Regardless of your circumstances, being here is not a wise choice.”

Smoke escaped from his mouth.

He spoke calmly.

“Take the fastest means of transportation and leave here by tonight. Completely get out of the area near Jung-gu… heading towards Incheon might be the right choice.”

“What do you mean…”

“I can’t go into more detail. We have our own circumstances. Let’s go, Yui.”

“Yes, yes! Senpai! Then, please…! Take care!”

He and she started walking. I stared at them blankly.

…Something. It’s a strange day.

It feels like I’m meeting all the people I encountered before…

If that’s the case, then maybe.

Am I going to meet that woman I thought I’d never see again?

Erasing the premonition, I hurriedly moved.

I changed the plan to receive all the items I was supposed to get by tomorrow, even if it was a bit of a stretch, to receive them all today. I wanted to finish the work before the sun set, so I hurried my steps.

Tonight. What on earth is going to happen tonight that everyone I meet is warning me about it?

…Still.

Just in case, let’s finish the work faster. I’ll also contact Lily separately…

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

Is it the day that’s strange?

Or is it that fate has twisted?

I turned my head towards the person I happened to meet in the middle of the street. She seemed to hesitate for a moment, then…

She lightly waved her hand at me.

“Long time no see. Shopping again today?”

A white beauty.

The woman I had once met while buying clothes approached me.