novelraw Chapter 211 : Chapter 211
Chapter 211 : Chapter 211
Chapter 211: Kidnapping (3)
A brief silence flowed.
“……Villains?”
Se-ah muttered, bewildered.
“And villains who have infiltrated the inside are driving that many trailers? Wearing dedicated combat suits?”
“Yes.”
She too had once been active as a hero, so she had some knowledge of the Association's system.
And that situation completely denied it.
Hero Association exclusive transport trailers.
Combat units or heroes belonging to the Association, either could ride them.
But in any case, it was rare for that many to be on the move.
This wasn't just a matter of having an insider; it was a picture that could only be created by someone holding considerable power.
It would be impossible even for a mid-level manager.
“It’s nothing to be surprised about.”
Ho-cheol, on the other hand, was calm.
He said as he gathered the luggage he had placed on the passenger seat.
The car was now completely crumpled and destined for the junkyard, and given the distance, walking back was out of the question.
That’s why he intended to snatch one of those trucks and drive it.
“I can’t believe it.”
As Se-ah muttered again, Ho-cheol smirked.
She had only seen a tiny fraction of the darkness hidden within the Association.
And yet, she reacted like that.
When she later saw their truly ugly side, could she really maintain her innocence as she was now?
It would be nice if she could stay like this.
“Money, power, honor. Even if you’re an upright and perfect human who isn’t swayed by such things, if they gently tempt you by saying they’ll bring back the dead, well…… of course you’d be hooked.”
Ho-cheol had no intention of blaming those who fell for those words.
If the one who got hooked was a hero, he might be a little disappointed, but the people of the Hero Association weren't heroes in the end.
For mere civil servants, the required moral threshold was too high.
“You can’t trust anyone now. Trusting someone is for fools.”
Now, he couldn't trust anyone.
To be honest, even if the Dean or So-hee suddenly betrayed him, while it would be a bit bewildering, he would find it understandable.
Ho-cheol had finished preparing his heart for it.
He himself had been swayed, so how much more would others be?
In truth, the reason Ho-cheol had first distanced himself from the Association and the Academy was partly out of concern that those around him would get caught up in his affairs.
On the other hand, there was also the slightly selfish thought of preventing himself from being betrayed by those around him.
No, actually, it wasn’t particularly selfish.
What’s wrong with trying to get hurt a little less.
“You wait for a moment. I’ll take care of this quickly.”
Leaving a word for Se-ah, Ho-cheol, having packed all his luggage, opened the door and got out.
Once outside, the figures of the enemies standing on the mountainside became clearer.
All in uniform attire.
Jet-black tactical uniforms that special forces might wear.
Moreover, they all wore heavily tinted helmets, making it impossible to see their faces properly.
Of course, even though they were heavily armed like that, Ho-cheol didn't think much of it.
No matter what a non-awakened person wore, there was a clear limit in the end.
“But I really don’t get it. Why send dregs who are no match for me anyway? And what’s with you guys who just do as you’re told when sent? Is it because you don’t know what’ll happen to you?”
Don’t you have a self?
If you act this stupidly, you won’t have a future, will you?
They didn't answer and aimed their guns at Ho-cheol.
“Ah. Right. I guess I’ve never seen a guy who answers things like this.”
Ho-cheol clenched and unclenched his fists and rushed at the guys aiming their muzzles at him.
* * *
“Hmhmm.”
The fake Smiley, Jeong Yu-hwa, hummed a tune as she filed her nails.
Just filing the rough ends of her nails was enough to show she was clearly enjoying herself.
I like everything about this body, but its maintenance was a mess.
Even if you don't go as far as to primp this pretty face, shouldn't you at least do some basic upkeep?
I wanted to complain to the previous personality.
This is just rude to this body.
“Hoo.”
She lightly blew on her nails to send the filings flying.
“Such pretty things, why didn’t she do this.”
However, the Smiley of the past didn't neglect her body.
She couldn't.
The Smiley of the past, from the moment she opened her eyes to the moment she closed them, sacrificed every moment and all her time for others and dedicated herself to society.
A typical hero basically had their designated area and responded to incidents and accidents occurring there.
But Smiley traveled all over the country saving people.
For her, 24 hours was not enough, and one body was not enough.
To Yu-hwa, whose memories of those days remained vivid, that personality was just pathetic.
If she had been happy by sacrificing so much, it might have been different, but there was nothing to show for it.
Recognition, respect, and honor in words only.
It was nothing more than a superficially glamorous title.
On the contrary, starting with other heroes who were envious and jealous, claiming their territory was invaded.
Selfish people who valued their own wounds over the lives of others, people who blamed her for property damage.
Just out of a rebellious spirit, disliking her success, they criticized and resented her without reason, and she was even cursed.
Even after seeing the bare, ugly faces of such humans, Smiley just smiled.
She kept smiling and saving people.
It was a terrible past that made me want to vomit just by recalling it.
If there was a silver lining, it was that there would be no more such suffocating things from now on.
Because the current me, Jeong Yu-hwa, now intended to live for myself.
And the first step in preparing to live for my own desires and happiness was, of course, Ho-cheol’s existence.
Meanwhile, the head of the Society, who was watching a small monitor from across the table, let out a small exclamation of admiration.
“They’re starting to engage.”
Yu-hwa also put down her nail file and turned her head.
“Finally?”
The video displayed on the monitor was showing Ho-cheol in real time.
In reality, the Association agents who attacked Ho-cheol this time were nothing more than simple puppets that had already been brainwashed by the Society.
Information had come in that Ho-cheol had backstabbed the Academy and the Association and turned back to being a villain.
But there was no way to know if it was a simple deception tactic or if he was serious.
Therefore, they were reconnaissance drones to confirm Ho-cheol's true intentions.
They were nothing more, and nothing less.
Is she a real hostage, or is it simply protection disguised as kidnapping.
That was the key.
To confirm that, throwing a few puppet civil servants like this was a very cheap price to pay.
And in a brief glimpse in the video, they confirmed that Se-ah, the hostage, was in the back of the car with her arms and legs bound and even gagged, just like a real hostage.
“Looks like he’s doing well.”
Upon seeing Ho-cheol on the screen, Yu-hwa’s face flushed red.
My, my, just seeing his face makes my heart pound like this.
This is a severe case.
But it was by no means an unpleasant or bad feeling.
The scene that followed on the screen was one of indiscriminate violence.
In less than a few minutes, all the agents were down.
Even though they were non-awakened ordinary people, despite being armed, they fell too easily at Ho-cheol's hands.
“Now that I’m a villain, I won’t go easy on you.”
Ho-cheol on the monitor said so as he tapped—thump thump—on the helmet of a fallen agent.
Watching this, the leader leaned forward as if in thought.
He could guess Ho-cheol’s aim to some extent.
However, it was ultimately just a guess, not reaching conviction.
That was the very core of it.
“It’s hard to tell if he really has fallen out with the Association with just a fragmented scene like this. Seeing as there are no fatalities, it looks like a simple show…… but I can’t be certain it’s not.”
He let out a faint sigh.
Right now, the Society was expanding its influence by making contact with the Association's high-ranking officials behind the scenes.
Mobilizing several trailers today was also thanks to the power of those high-ranking officials.
But what if Ho-cheol and the Association have really had a complete falling out?
If, at that point, they were to needlessly mess with an Association member to threaten the people around him, things would get quite complicated.
It might not just be Ho-cheol; they could end up making an enemy of the Association as well.
It would be better to focus entirely on Ho-cheol instead.
Perhaps Ho-cheol’s goal was to maintain this lull through their deliberation.
In fact, the moment they had this thought, they had already been drawn into Ho-cheol’s pace.
“Truly……. He’s someone who really doesn’t move as intended.”
Starting with taking down the two remaining factions, recruiting through the resurrected Smiley, and now the current situation.
Not a single thing had moved according to their intentions.
It was the same this time.
Numerous plans were prepared to corner Ho-cheol from both the Association and the Academy simultaneously, but before they could even properly show them, Ho-cheol first backstabbed them both and completely disappeared.
They thought that no matter who Ho-cheol was, if they tightened his range of action through the people around him, they could unconditionally draw him into a situation advantageous to them.
It was a truly regrettable result.
“That’s what’s charming about him.”
Yu-hwa sneered and nodded.
“I’d like to attach a surveillance Trait, but……”
The Society's surveillance Trait that even Ho-cheol of the past couldn't properly perceive.
However, that surveillance couldn't stick to Ho-cheol.
For them now, there existed a 'threat' comparable to Ho-cheol.
No, even greater.
A disaster that must be faced for the sake of transcendence.
Monitoring that existence was the priority.
That’s why they had no choice but to monitor him, even in such a crude way.
“Actually, the best move would have been to completely back off for a while when the first plan went awry.”
Monitoring Ho-cheol currently was not the leader's plan.
“I’m doing as you say, too. We have to help each other out, right?”
It was Yu-hwa's personal greed.
Normally, the corpses brought back to life through this resurrection would absolutely obey commands.
However, Yu-hwa, whose original power was immensely strong and whose ego was thick, was capable of resisting their commands to some extent.
No, that was only when she was first resurrected.
Now that several days had passed, she could not just resist but even refuse.
A leash that was virtually useless.
Of course, since there was no need to part ways, she was obediently following for now, but she too had proposed a deal to them for her own goals.
“My memories. I have to get them back, don't I.”
Yu-hwa currently had gaps here and there in her memory.
In a normal resurrection, there were no such side effects, but she was such a special case in the first place that no one could know the reason.
The scientists belonging to the Society could only speculate that it was a blocked memory caused by the past ego taking even a part of the initiative.
However, Yu-hwa could instinctively feel it.
These blank memories had nothing to do with her original ego.
The few hours before death, the hole in her childhood, the blank space from her hero days.
All of these were related to Ho-cheol.
And that she could regain those blank spaces if Ho-cheol was next to her.
It was a vague prediction, but her instincts were telling her that was the answer.
In exchange for Yu-hwa following the Society's orders, the Society would also cooperate as much as possible in helping her regain those memories.
That was the content of their deal.
As the two were formulating future plans, Yu-hwa grinned and muttered.
“What do you think?”
Only two people could be seen here, but in fact, three were gathered.
The real owner of this body.
The real personality.
Smiley.
It was originally her body, but she had completely lost control and was now barely maintaining a faint ego.
She could clearly feel that she was awake, but no answer came back.
“If you don’t want to talk, then don’t.”
Yu-hwa shrugged her shoulders.
In a situation where she was completely suppressed by the new personality, Smiley, who wanted to regain even a little bit of control, wanted to say something, but she held it in.
Body, memories, emotions.
They shared everything, but not individual thoughts.
Just by presenting her opinion now, she could leak crucial information to them.
She had to prevent that at all costs.
Unlike those two, Smiley already foresaw Ho-cheol’s true intentions.
His plan.
Everything that would happen from now on.
No, she was certain of it.
A memory that Jeong Yu-hwa didn't yet know.
That core memory told her everything about Ho-cheol's principles of action, his emotions, and even his goals.
That’s why she was relieved and also expectant.
Ho-cheol, to keep his promise to her.
Was gathering the strength to kill her.
And was also protecting the people around him.
Although among the people he had to protect, there was no place for her, who was already dead.
That slightly sad fact made one side of her chest ache.
“Ah, forget it!”
Yu-hwa, who was in the middle of a conversation, suddenly shot up from her seat.
“Yes?”
Looking at the leader's bewildered expression, she declared curtly.
“I’ve started to miss Hocheol.”
Faced with her resolute expression that would accept no rebuttal, the leader was momentarily speechless.