That’s How They Became Villains

#43. Ruler of the Underworld -2-

On the way to the Royal Line, a giant robot and three people were walking on the crosswalk.

It was Athena and the three from the detective agency.

Kilos was temporarily absent, scouting the outskirts with a drone.

-Click, click!

Continuous shutter sounds came from people passing by on the street. It was because of Athena’s giant walking suit that caught everyone’s eye.

(Photo showing Athena’s giant walking suit and the three from the detective agency)

I thought it was a lie when they said Athena came to Cheongang yesterday, but it’s true lol

-> I think Last is also there next to her?

-> Wow really

-> Why are those two together? Is something happening at Royal Line?

-> I heard there was a fight at Golden Continue yesterday? Maybe they’re going to investigate that?

-> These days Cheongang’s public safety is legendary bad

-> Come to Unhwa, we have pretty women

-> Pretty women (Vitaloids)

-> I feel like I’ve seen this comment before, is this some kind of template?

“Even when I was with Yu-ha unnie, it wasn’t this bad, the fame of an S-class is really something else.”

There was clearly joy in Yu-jin’s voice as she said that.

Meanwhile, the expressions of Chul-ho and Jin Hyun, the two men, weren’t particularly good.

“Ugh, I’m going to be sick.”

Especially Chul-ho, who kept dry heaving as if he was nauseous, seemed quite uncomfortable.

In contrast, Athena, riding in the suit, looked extremely calm. Finding it strange, Chul-ho swallowed the rising bile and asked.

“Aren’t you bothered by all this attention, Miss Athena?”

“…Bothered?”

Athena tilted her head as if she didn’t understand the question itself.

Chul-ho gave up on getting an answer early on. From experience, he knew that when Athena showed this kind of reaction, conversations rarely proceeded normally.

After walking diligently for a while, the group finally arrived at the casino.

The casino was so busy it was hard to believe there had been a fight just a day before.

Probably some of the people who had come after hearing the news had stayed on as customers.

“Ah, you’re here. I’ve been waiting.”

Marchina, who was standing at the entrance, brightened up.

Yu-jin, in charge of reception for the detective agency, took the lead.

“Oh my, you should have waited inside. Why did you bother waiting outside?”

“Haha, it’s nothing. I just came out when I saw people gathering in this area. But…”

Marchina’s gaze turned toward Athena. That gaze seemed to be asking why an S-class hero would be in a place like this.

“Athena has agreed to help us with our work this time.”

“What?”

“Let’s go inside first. When you understand, it’s not really that surprising.”

At Jin Hyun’s words, Marchina guided the group to the reception room she had prepared.

The conversation proceeded smoothly.

Since the key details were already written in the email, the additional information was mostly just the appearance and characteristics of the thugs.

“Huh? What about the CCTV footage?”

“Well…for some reason, all the CCTVs seemed to have malfunctioned that day…”

It was a strange incident, but not uncommon since planned crimes usually involve information control.

“But, apart from the request, I’d like to ask one thing.”

As the atmosphere was starting to warm up, Yu-jin cautiously brought up a topic.

“What is it?”

“The business card you used to request us. Who did you get it from?”

“Hmm?”

At Yu-jin’s question with unclear intentions, Marchina hummed.

There wasn’t anything for Marchina to feel guilty about so she truthfully told who had given her the business card.

“The walking suit trio? Are you talking about the trio mentioned in the request form?”

“Yes, I received it from the woman who seemed to be the leader among them.”

“What did she look like?”

“Umm…Black hair with red eyes, a prominent nose and impulsive mouth, generally a dull impression.”

“Ah…”

This was very different from Yu-jin’s impression of Chae Yu-ha, who had sky-blue hair and golden eyes.

Yu-jin nervously bit her lips.

After successfully receiving the request, the group left the reception room. Athena was waiting outside. Due to the size of her walking suit, she couldn’t enter the room.

“Does anyone here know what Yu-ha usually does for a living?”

Cheol-ho, who had been listening to the conversation, asked suspiciously.

“Looking at her Instagram posts, she seems to live a normal life. Though nothing has been posted for a week now…”

“Then, does she know people other than us?”

“I think she does, but I’m not sure. But, what’s this about? Why are you interrogating me about unnie like this?”

Yu-jin spoke with a sharp tone.

“Just…I have a bad feeling about this. Don’t take it too sensitively.”

“…”

An unsettling atmosphere flowed between Yu-jin and Cheol-ho.

Athena, who had been quietly observing, carefully spoke up.

“Contact… came… to Kilos…”

Jin Hyun immediately reacted to those words.

“What kind of contact?”

“Found… hideout… said they plan to… make contact at 10 PM tonight…”

“Tonight…!?”

Yu-jin exclaimed in surprise.

It was already 7 PM. Only three hours remained.

The group decided to cover the deepening questions with the words ‘for now’.

Things would naturally be resolved as they dealt with the immediate issues. They had to believe that.

9:58 PM.

In an abandoned factory somewhere in the southeastern district of Cheongang, Laman, the second-in-command of Red Witch and the leader of the remnants, was waiting for a messenger from Yeongwol.

The message clearly threatened him to come alone. Even though they were the kind of people who took others’ words lightly, he thought he could at least have some hope, so he went along with it.

Laman’s subordinates were hidden in blind spots inside the abandoned factory. It was to ambush and bury them if they tried anything foolish.

“…So you’ve appeared.”

Eventually, a woman in a suit revealed herself.

There was no one around her. She seemed to have really come alone.

“Is that the woman?”

“Looks like she really came alone?”

“What should we do? Should we take her down now?”

To his subordinates’ questions, Laman shook his head.

It wasn’t time yet. Violence was the last resort. Burying her here would only lead to another messenger coming.

And then, they truly wouldn’t be able to avoid annihilation.

At that moment, the mouth of the woman, who had entered the factory with a strangely overflowing confidence, opened.

“Excuse me? I believe I asked to be welcomed warmly. Why is the atmosphere so bleak?”

“…”

“Those of you hiding over there, please come out. I’m a busy person.”

Laman frowned.

He didn’t know how they were discovered, but there was no point in irritating her unnecessarily.

“Everyone come out.”

At Laman’s command, his subordinates who were hiding in the darkness revealed themselves.

The woman, finally with a satisfied expression, smiled.

“Are you the leader of this gang?”

“Yes, I’m Laman, the second-in-command of Red Witch. Though we’re just remnants now.”

“Hmm…you?”

The woman’s eyes looked at Laman as if examining him.

It was quite unpleasant, as if she was sizing him up.

“Why did you want to meet? What do you have to say?”

To Laman’s somewhat sharp question, the woman replied.

“To get straight to the point, all of you should come under us.”

“Ha!”

At the answer that didn’t deviate from his expectations at all, Laman snorted.

“I told you last time, didn’t I? We are Red Witch, and the only one above us is the boss.”

“Last time?”

“Don’t play dumb! Since words didn’t work, now you’re trying to absorb us by force, right?!”

Laman’s angry voice echoed throughout the abandoned factory.

The woman tilted her head.

“This is my first time here though?”

“Detestable woman! We’ve known all along that you’re a messenger from Yeongwol!”

“What? Ah…”

A small laugh escaped from the corner of the woman’s mouth.

She had realized what part they were misunderstanding.

“Is it because of this suit?”

“This woman still pretends not to know…!!”

-Click.

Before Laman could finish, the woman pressed something behind her ear.

Then the backlight that formed her appearance flickered.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t introduced myself yet.”

The appearance of a villain who had recently caused a stir in the city began to emerge.

“I’m First, a member of the Villain Union Maker.”

At that, the thugs who didn’t care much about how the world worked tilted their heads in confusion.

First? Who’s that? Do you know? I don’t know.

But Laman had heard her name on the news until just yesterday.

“…So you’re that crazy woman who carried out the kidnapping terror against the Royals.”

At Laman’s words, a murmur began to be heard among the thugs.

Terror against the Royals? And she’s still alive?

“You recognize me? That will make our conversation faster.”

First said with her characteristic smile.

“Then let’s get back to the main point, shall we? Red Witch remnants, join under our Maker.”

Laman remained silent but his silence was by no means a sign of agreement.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“You seem to have lost your senses after having some fun with the Royals, but don’t misunderstand.”

Laman was clearly angry.

“Did you think we would quietly join under you just because a misunderstanding was cleared up?”

“I was slightly hoping.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! We refused to go under Yeongwol! Why would we go under newcomers like you! This is a clear insult!”

“So you won’t join us?”

“Of course not!”

“You’ll regret it.”

“What regret are you talking about?”

“Because we have everything you want in our hands.”

Laman disliked the woman in front of him more and more. Actually, it had been since last night when he heard the way she spoke on the news.

Pretending to leave something behind, pretending to know everything.

Making people expect, and making them fear.

It was the way of speaking of a sinister schemer.

“What is it that you have that I want? Money? Power? Technology? All insignificant! Do I look like a man who is attached to such worldly things?!”

There was only one reason Laman was collecting money, to purchase a new body for the boss from the black market.

Would it end with purchasing a body? He also needed to find a technician to perform the surgery.

Without even a head shelter to store the head, they had put it in a suitable ice box.

What was the golden time, how to manage it, truly, he didn’t know anything.

Nevertheless, Laman was struggling because the boss was everything in Laman’s life.

“Hmm…”

However, First hummed as if all of that was just ridiculous.

“What you want. You want to revive Red Witch’s boss, right? Why do you think I wouldn’t know that?”

-Click!

Immediately, all the thugs in the abandoned factory pointed their guns at First.

Finally, Laman, reaching the limit of his patience, asked in a much lowered voice.

“Where did you hear that?”

“What?”

“That our goal is to resurrect the boss.”

“Is that important right now? When we have the means to revive your boss?”

“Just answer the question.”

“No, sigh…”

At this point, First was also reaching the limit of her patience.

“Listen. Because I’ve been quiet, you keep thinking you’re in charge, but…”

“Fire.”

-Ratatatatata!!!

Before she could finish her words, a shower of bullets came from all directions.

A cloud of dust rose thickly and everyone present was imagining the sight of First dead and riddled with bullets but when the cloud cleared, what they saw was something completely different.

The bullets were all blocked by the dome-shaped nanomachine barrier deployed by Nazha and the number of people had somehow increased to five.

“Yes. As I said from the beginning, I came to make a proposal.”

Among them, First, without a single injury, spoke in a serious tone that hadn’t been there before.

“I’m saying this for the last time, so listen carefully. We’ll revive your boss, so crawl under us.”