Chapter 8

“…Uncle.”

My head is spinning.

My body feels heavy.

In my faint consciousness, I followed the voice calling me and moved my eyes.

There, white threads swayed gently, tempting me.

Wouldn’t it be soft if I buried my face there?

“…Uncle, are you awake?”

“…Where am I?”

“The garage.”

The back of my head feels fluffy, and my vision is dark.

I can’t grasp what’s going on.

I tried to sit up, wincing at the pain I felt with every breath.

But my movement stopped as a shadow loomed over my face.

“I get that…but what’s the situation?”

Is the situation…sorted out?

“We gathered the research materials from the lab and moved to the garage. But you and the Security Chief were lying unconscious…so I’ve been taking care of you.”

“Thanks.”

“…I just did what I had to.”

I can’t see her face, but she must be feeling shy.

With nothing else to do, I turned my head and watched people taking cars out of the garage.

“…Escaping is good, but what should we do now?”

I have no hometown.

To be precise, this world is a complete unknown to me, a place filled with uncertain information.

Is the outside world the same as the Hero Project world I know?

Or is it a world that’s eerily similar to the Hero Project?

And…if it’s the former, what will the future of this world be like?

I can’t tell if I’m on the same path as Quaker.

Quaker’s past wasn’t revealed until the later parts of the story, and just as the plot was about to unravel, I got possessed.

So, I have to survive by distinguishing between the few certain pieces of information and the knowledge whose truth I can’t verify.

Of course, I had no intention of walking the same path as Quaker.

Walking the same path as him would mean becoming a villain who wouldn’t bat an eye at dragging thousands into terror.

But the fact that I might have to walk a path close to that of a villain is unsettling.

I mean, right after being possessed, I ended up in a government-run secret research institute, and now I’ve escaped. It’s obvious what the higher-ups will say.

There’s been a massive prison break, and the ringleader is this guy, etc., etc. They’ll try to paint us as criminals no matter what.

So, it’ll be tough to step into the light anytime soon.

Of course, the story changes depending on what point in time this is.

I look young now.

Early 20s, roughly.

It wouldn’t be strange to think of me as Quaker’s younger self, who’s supposed to be in his 40s or older. But then, what about Mina in front of me?

From the looks of it, she seems only a year or two younger than her original self.

If she loses her youthful look and her face becomes colder, she’ll probably look like the Seeker I know.

That’s why…I have doubts about whether the timeline matches.

Of course, one might think Quaker looks young without a beard, but…that can’t be it.

Quaker’s been a villain for over a decade, a notorious big shot.

“…I don’t know. I’ll just have to live and see.”

I can probably figure out the answers by checking the news once I get out.

If Quaker is still active, then I’m not him.

“You’re awake.”

“Ah…is everything going well?”

“We’re finding keys and getting everything ready. Once we’re set, we can leave.”

“Where are we going?”

“Well…some are going back to their families, and some are leaving to start new lives.

As you know, there are quite a few people here with no ties.”

People with no ties.

Well, it’s easier to kidnap those kinds of people.

I looked at the man next to me, who now had a spark of life in his eyes, and asked.

“Are you going to find your family?”

“I have to. As you said…whether it ends well or not, I have to go and see. I have to finish my own business…”

His voice trembled uncontrollably.

Alive or dead.

Like Schrödinger’s cat, I have to find an unknown answer, so it’s only natural.

“You should keep resting. I’ll let you know when the car is ready.”

“Ah, okay.”

I can’t move anyway, so I might as well…rest.

I decided to indulge in this luxury.

“…Stupid Uncle. Where are you planning to go?”

“I don’t know.”

“…Don’t you have a family?”

“No.”

Quaker’s family…I don’t know if he has one, but it’s not my family.

For all I know, they might be villains too.

For someone like me who wants to live quietly in this world, I should avoid anything related to the original Quaker.

Of course, the world might not let me, but I have to try, right?

“…So you started a rebellion without even thinking about that?”

“Accidents happen when you act first.”

Rather than hesitating and procrastinating, it’s better to act first and see what happens. If we had waited longer…the chances of failure would have increased.

The longer we waited, the more likely betrayal or a slip-up could have exposed our plans.

“Uncle, you’re really stupid.”

“Stupid people have it easier in this world.”

“…I guess so.”

Mina giggled at something funny.

It was the first laugh I’d heard since coming here.

But from my position, her prominent chest blocked my view, so I couldn’t see her face.

I wish I could see her face.

Unlike the original, who never smiled, maybe she’s smiling softly now.

“What are you planning to do?”

“I’m an orphan too.”

“Really?”

“…Let’s just say I don’t have one.”

I don’t know Mina’s past, but judging by the fact that she was locked up here, she probably didn’t have a privileged childhood.

She’ll make the right choice.

“It’ll be tough alone.”

She’s not even an adult yet, and the world is too harsh for a girl to live alone.

There’s an outright underworld, and the higher-ups openly back them. It’s a mess.

“…I can just stick with you, Uncle.”

“With me?”

“Yeah.”

“It’ll be hard…”

“Could it be worse than here?”

“…I guess not.”

It’s better than being stuck here like a cow in a slaughterhouse.

“Hey, you! Where are you planning to go?”

A sudden question.

But it’s one I need to answer right now.

After a moment of thought, I pulled out a name that came to mind.

“I’m thinking of going to Hanam.”

“That place…no, it’s not my place to say. You’ll do well there. There’s someone heading that way, so I’ll let them know.”

“…Uncle, isn’t that place a lawless zone?”

“We can’t go into the light anyway.”

Mina might manage, but if I get caught, who knows what’ll happen.

“What are you planning to do there?”

“Maybe start a business or something.”

I don’t have a concrete plan, but I think I can find something to make a living.

I smiled as I recalled the original knowledge in my head.

Other things aside, this information should be useful.

“Hey! The car’s ready, come over here!”

“Mina, can you help me up?”

“…Okay.”

With Mina’s help, I struggled into the jeep. As I got in, four or five people turned their eyes to me.

“Security Chief, are you heading there too?”

“There’s no better place to start a new life.”

“Well, you’ll do well wherever you go.”

I hope so.

I leaned back, feeling the vibrations I hadn’t felt in a long time, and watched the garage door slowly open.

The air feels nice.

Better than the stuffy research institute.

“We’re about to leave, so buckle up tight.”

“I’ll do it for you.”

Is this really the beginning?

With the mindset of a protagonist who’s just finished the tutorial, I watched the cars ahead start to move.

——————-

“…Are you really letting them go?”

“Mist. Isn’t it interesting?”

The top-tier villain Mist looked up at the boss she served.

The middle-aged man with brown skin continued as if answering her gaze.

“When the heroes raided the secret lab and the test subjects escaped, I thought they’d die soon. When they were captured by the cleanup squad, even more so.

But…things didn’t go as I expected.

The one made from my genes managed to steal the training and escape.”

“Do you regret not destroying them yourself?”

“It would be a lie to say no. But…I’m more interested in that guy.”

He watched the departing jeep and then turned away. His business was done, and it was time to return to the hideout.

“I hope he’ll be of use in my revenge…”

The two disappeared into the darkness where even the moon didn’t show its face.