Chapter 70

“Are you an idiot?”

“Huh?”

Caught off guard by Sang-ah’s sudden accusation, Si-woo widened his eyes and stared at her.

“Do you even know where you are, barging in alone like this? You could get lost and never find your way out!”

“Even if I get lost, I have a job to do.”

No matter how complicated the path, no matter if no one helps, there are things that must be done. He couldn’t stop walking.

Because that’s what being a hero is all about.

“Ugh, seriously! Do you think you can find anything by charging in recklessly like this?”

“Isn’t it inside anyway?”

“If it were that easy to find, they would’ve been caught already!”

Hearing that, Si-woo realized she had a point and stopped to look at Sang-ah.

Sang-ah, finally catching her breath, placed her hands on her knees and panted.

Though she worked as a guide, her stamina wasn’t lacking. Still, keeping up with a trained hero charging forward at full speed was no easy task.

“You don’t have to follow me. I have a duty to fulfill.”

Right.

He had to catch them.

That’s what being a hero is.

“Even if you catch them, what then? You don’t know what they’ll do!”

“They’ll be tried and sent to a villain-specific prison.”

“How can you trust that? They kill people just because they don’t like them!”

Sang-ah’s shout was filled with distrust toward the government. A sentiment shared by anyone living in the Maze Shopping Mall.

No, by anyone living in Seoul, really.

The original sin they committed was still etched in people’s minds.

“I’ll stop them from doing that. And… if things go further, it’ll be truly irreversible.”

“Do you really think you can stop them?”

“That’s why I’m a hero.”

Many call heroes the government’s hunting dogs, but heroes aren’t just leashed to the government.

They became heroes to realize justice, not to be the government’s pawns. If necessary…

“Even a rookie hero like me knows. The government hides a lot.”

“But…”

“Do you know why terrorism is terrorism? Because innocent civilians get hurt in the end. Park Jung-woo’s actions almost led to countless deaths.”

No matter how targeted, terrorism always results in unexpected casualties.

In fact, it’s questionable whether the target was even clear.

Park Jung-woo’s first attempt was on a building owned by the Oseong Group, not a major national facility.

It was lucky it was stopped, but if that building had collapsed, there would’ve been countless casualties.

“…Still, no one will help you.”

“Even so, I’ll go.”

“…Fine. I’ll take you there. Whether you settle it or not is up to you.”

“…Are you sure?”

Si-woo looked at Sang-ah with surprise.

Sang-ah avoided his gaze and muttered softly.

“If something big happens, the Maze Shopping Mall could be in danger too. I’ll just take you nearby.”

Her mind hadn’t completely changed.

But after hearing Si-woo’s words, she felt uneasy and decided to guide him while keeping an eye on him.

Si-woo smiled and thanked her when she agreed to guide him.

“Thank you for changing your mind.”

“I’m just taking you there. Only nearby, so handle the rest yourself.”

Sang-ah turned her head away like a sulking child.

—

“Is this it?”

I stared at the hideout I’d found with Mina’s help from a distance.

A seemingly ordinary ruined building.

A hideout hidden in a place that was once a city on the way from Seoul to Incheon.

Who could be inside that hideout?

Could it be a villain from the original story?

Hmm.

I slowly recalled the original story as I moved between rooftops.

Before the possession, it would’ve been dangerous, but with my abilities, it wasn’t a big deal.

After jumping across for a while, I reached a building near the hideout, took the spear from my back, and opened the pouch to attach nails to my hand.

My hand now looked like a sea urchin.

One punch in this state, and an ordinary person’s face would be full of holes.

A bit cruel, but the guys inside that hideout have done far worse.

It’s no wonder Quaker has such a notorious reputation.

If it’s related to the government, they’ll destroy anyone, civilians or not.

By the way, are there no guards?

Or are they hiding the hideout so thoroughly that they don’t even post guards?

Quietly descending from the building, I walked toward the hideout’s entrance.

A tightly shut door. Upon closer inspection, it looked old but was in good condition, unlike other rusted and broken doors.

A disguised old door, perhaps.

I lightly touched the door. Thankfully, no electricity surged.

It seemed like an ordinary door.

But it was locked.

Should I wait for someone to open it?

Or—break it.

Or find another way in.

I circled the building and found a suitable window.

A window large enough for a person to pass through.

It was locked, so opening it normally would be difficult…

I wedged the tip of my spear into the gap between the window and the frame and used my ability to widen the gap.

Bit by bit, very slowly.

Within minutes, I carefully pried open the window and stepped inside.

The interior was cleaner than other ruined buildings. Maybe this was just the entrance.

As I cautiously looked around, I faintly heard footsteps.

From the overlapping sounds, it seemed like two people.

Using repulsion to lightly push off the ground and reduce my footsteps, I hid in a shadowy spot and waited for the owners of the footsteps to appear.

“How long do we have to hide in this dump?”

“Park Jung-woo will start his operation soon. Just wait a little longer. Our world is coming.”

“World or whatever, I just want to live well.”

“Everyone does.”

What a pointless conversation.

“Our world” this, “our world” that—it’s all just empty talk.

I approached them slowly, silencing my footsteps.

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

Four steps.

The silhouettes of the two terrorists became clearer in the darkness.

Stopping about ten steps away, I extended my spiked hand forward. My targets were the two of them.

I didn’t have the precision for accurate aiming, so I relied on quantity.

Pull with gravity, push with repulsion.

After simultaneously raising both forces, I erased gravity…

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

The sound of dozens of nails piercing human flesh echoed in my ears.

Followed by the sound of bodies collapsing.

I walked over to the two villains, now in a horrifying state.

Searching their bodies, I found a pack of cigarettes, a pistol, and some money.

Guess they didn’t bring much since they were just out for some air.

So, I’d have to go inside the hideout after all.

I stashed the bodies in a corner and took out more nails from my pouch, attaching them to my hand.

Where could the hideout be?

Unfortunately, there were no footprints, so I’d have to find it myself.

But I had a rough idea of their path, so I followed it and soon found a suspicious trace.

A long mark across the floor that anyone would find suspicious.

A mark that could only be made by dragging something, so maybe pulling the bed in the corner would do it.

I immediately pulled the bed to the center of the room and examined the floor beneath it.

“…They really went all out with the secret base.”

Luckily, there was no security like a password, so I opened the door and peered inside.

It’s dark.

There’s a faint light, but it’s not enough to see everything.

How big is it inside? How many people are there?

Can I handle it all alone?

This might be my only chance to go in.

…No time to think. I have to go in.

To kill Quaker and dismantle his organization, I need the information I can get down there.

Without hesitation, I jumped into the hole.