I’m Not That Villain - Chapter 72



71 – Omen (2)

“At this point, isn’t it fate rather than coincidence?”

I didn’t listen and kept walking.

The woman followed closely behind.

“Do you live here?”

“Are you a stalker?”

“If I were a stalker, wouldn’t we have met sooner?”

A flawless logic with no room for argument.

I sighed. In the end, I matched her walking pace.

The woman smiled with her eyes.

“You’re quite the gentleman.”

“I thought it wouldn’t be easy to shake you off halfway.”

“That’s correct. I’m quite curious by nature. Once I take an interest, it’s hard to…”

The woman licked her lips.

“Not want to have it.”

“Isn’t that a bit too confident?”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ve never wanted to have a man in my life.”

“So, you prefer women?”

“Women… It’s a bit ambiguous to say that. That person is too great to be simply categorized by gender.”

Isn’t it a bit grandiose to refer to someone like that?

I didn’t bother to voice my thoughts. Instead, I asked her a question.

“Do you live here?”

“Hmm… Are you finally curious about me?”

“I want to cancel my question.”

“If you tell me the intention behind your question, I’ll answer.”

I briefly surveyed the surroundings.

Lowered my voice.

“If you live here, I want to tell you to leave by tonight.”

“…?”

The woman stopped walking.

Her eyes narrowed.

“Why is that?”

“I heard this from an acquaintance. Tonight… or at least by tomorrow, something is going to happen.”

“…Hmm. You seem to have a lot of friends?”

“It’s a bit awkward to call them an acquaintance… To be honest, we’ve only exchanged words twice.”

“Someone you’ve only spoken to twice gave you that kind of information?”

“They said it was a debt or something. I didn’t expect buying them something would come back like this.”

The woman hesitated.

She muttered.

“You… bought them something?”

“Yes? Ah. Yes. They didn’t seem to carry cash.”

From noble mtl dot com

“…You must be a kind person.”

“Well, if I can afford it? I’m not that kind. I’m actually more on the bad side. It was more of a whim back then.”

“…….”

The woman started walking again.

“So, what about you?”

“Wasn’t I the one asking the questions?”

“What are you going to do? Are you going to get out of here?”

“…Hmm… To be honest, it’s a bit ambiguous…”

It feels like something is going to happen, but…

Even so, I can’t just leave Scarlett’s main body behind and escape alone.

“There’s someone I can’t leave behind, so I’m planning to hide in a suitable place.”

“You’re so devoted.”

“Isn’t everyone when they have someone precious?”

“Precious… Yes. The desire to do everything for someone you love. I completely understand.”

She smiled softly.

“We have a lot in common. The more we talk, the more I like you. You don’t look at me with lecherous eyes.”

“I am looking.”

“It doesn’t feel that way at all.”

“Because I’m hiding it well. Staring openly would be rude.”

“…Ahaha!”

The woman giggled. After laughing for a while, she wiped her tears and continued.

“Tonight, you know. No matter where you hide, it’s best to stay well hidden.”

“Do you know something too?”

“Rather, I want to ask you. How much do you know?”

“No one told me anything specific. I mean, if they were going to tell me, they should have told me everything, but they just said ‘the rest is a secret’ and left.”

“Still, it’s something that they told you the time. There must be countless people in this city who don’t even know that.”

She extended her hand.

“…….?”

“Give me your phone.”

“Your number is a bit…”

“I’m not trying to take yours. I’m giving you mine.”

“Huh?”

“I liked you. You see, it’s the first time I’ve met someone so easy to talk to. You’re pretty fun too. So, I’ll give you my number. If you can’t find a decent place to hide, and something happens, call this number. I’ll come get you once.”

“…You think you’re some kind of big deal?”

“Could be, could not be. But I am someone who can save your life once, at least.”

I pulled out my phone, reluctantly.

She punched her number into my phone, then spun around.

She glanced back at me, waving her hand.

“Even if nothing happens, call that number when this war is over? I want to pay you back for those street snacks we ate before.”

“And if I don’t?”

“If you don’t…”

She slightly stretched the chest area of her clothes.

She fluttered her hand, deliberately showing it off. The cleavage on full display.

“You’d be the one losing out.”

Hmm.

Even if her personality is questionable, she uses her body loosely…does she do this with just anyone…?

Not my style!

Seems like I can manage taking a little loss!

. . .

[Ah, mister. Are you okay? If you don’t have another place to stay, you could come into my room separately…]

I received a text from Seol Ye-won.

I replied lightly. I said it was fine.

[Partner! There’s a war breaking out there! Get to my hideout before it’s too late!]

I received a text from Juhwarin.

I replied lightly. I said no.

[Mr. Lee Seo-jun. You need to be careful. If you want, you can stay at my company for a while…]

I received a text from Renata.

I replied lightly. I told her to hide in a suitable place.

Time kept passing. The texts piled up, but there was no reply from Lily.

It seemed she was busy with that ‘preparation’. I first moved all the equipment on the ground to the underground. After checking the disguised entrance several times, I completely closed the door to the hideout.

The food supply was ample. As a result of paying extra, mine was delivered first, ahead of all other priorities.

The power supply was also excellent. Thanks to the self-generation system, there was no risk of losing energy. Even if all the power systems were to fail…

I could analyze the energy I could produce with my ability and convert it into electricity.

The preparation was perfect. The ventilation system was working properly, and everything operated discreetly, without noise.

I sent a final reply to Seol Yewon. I told her I was fine and to take care of herself.

I sent a final reply to Juhwarin. I told her to be careful and not to go near Jung-gu.

I sent a final reply to Renata. I told her I still couldn’t work part-time for a while, so she should focus on the intermediary trade work.

“Master.”

Scarlett called me. Since it was just the two of us in the facility, I quietly followed her guidance and finished dinner.

Even though I was used to spending time with Lily, it was much more comfortable to be alone. There was no need to worry about others.

Scarlett had seen my lowest point since she was a simple AI. So she knew my true self.

Not much of a smile.

Doesn’t particularly enjoy conversations either.

Prefers quiet, so I silently fiddle with things.

“…Scarlett.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

As I was fiddling with my specialized equipment as a hobby, I suddenly said to her what came to mind.

“For accepting me as I am, without saying I’m strange.”

“…Master…”

Scarlett raised her hand as if to hug my arm, but since she was a hologram, it passed right through me.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. Scarlett trembled.

“Confirms once again… the urgency of bio-prosthetic research…”

“Take your time. We have plenty of it…”

Suddenly, I felt a vibration.

A vibration that seemed to shake the entire underground facility.

I immediately sat down. To find out what the people I encountered were talking about, I turned on the external cameras right away.

External cameras installed all over the upper facility.

And through them, I could soon see heavy vehicles moving.

Not just simple vehicles, but numerous armed vehicles.

They were currently pushing into Jung-gu, Seoul.

And among them were numerous armed people.

A large-scale invasion operation.

As if to directly crush Jung-gu, Seoul, the enforcement agency suddenly invaded Jung-gu, Seoul.

“…….”

Even breaking the date they had set themselves.

. . .

“…How could such an armed vehicle get into Jung-gu, Seoul? There are several areas it must pass through to get here…”

“It seems the higher-ups made a deal with a large organization.”

“What?”

“Gangnam. Due to the raid on the spa land there, Hundred Eye and the White Hand that ruled the place completely fell out. And the government used that as an excuse to propose a deal to Gangnam-gu.”

In the empty office, the chair spun around.

Enforcer Baek San put a cigarette in his mouth. This time, he even lit it.

There was no one to say anything.

“We’ll eliminate Hundred Eye for you, so just close your eyes and open the way.”

“They… agreed to that?”

“No large organization wants to go to war with another. Why? Because if their power is diminished by war, the hyenas will rise up immediately. While they were pondering how to handle things, the enforcement agency made a proposal that was perfect for them. From the White Hand’s perspective, it’s a business with no loss.”

“…But even so… wouldn’t the White Hand know that once this is over, it will be their turn?”

“They also want to confirm the enforcement agency’s strength. It’s also why other large organizations are implicitly not participating in this war.”

“…….”

The junior remained silent.

Baeksan looked out the window. A sudden raid by the enforcement agency. Armed vehicles pushing in completely…

Countless enforcers assisting them.

This time, it seems the enforcement agency is really determined. And their movement is also to cover up the currently noisy topic.

“…Hoo…”

The exhaled smoke dissipates in the air. Baeksan saw within it.

The past when he fought the Bad Sector that escaped from the 17th branch.

Barely managed to capture it after all that chaos, but that dreadful thing crawled back to the surface.

Should have eliminated it immediately upon capture, but didn’t. This damned government didn’t neutralize her abilities…

They must have tried to extract information about those abilities.

Like that night in Seoul, decades ago.

Why are those in power so greedy? How many times do they repeat the same mistakes? I’ve seen countless incompetents while working as an enforcer…

But none as incompetent as them.

Stupid b*stards.

“This war… do you think we can win?”

“Who knows.”

Baeksan stood up. He stubbed out the burnt-out cigarette in the ashtray.

The sound of footsteps echoed as if walking down a long corridor. Baeksan adjusted his tie to greet the visitor.

“Before that, we should worry about ourselves first.”

“What?”

“They’re coming.”

BOOM!!!

Suddenly, the door flew off. Falling dust and concrete fragments.

A mysterious figure stepped through and quietly stared at them.

Baeksan slowly moved his prosthetic hand.

“It was worth using an easily traceable IP on purpose. I didn’t expect you to find us so quickly.”

“…….”

“Just by looking at you, I can tell you’re not the real one…”

Baeksan brushed his hair back.

He cracked his neck towards the mysterious figure in front of him.

“I’ll catch you and make you confess. The current location of Viper.”