I'll Be Villain to Everyone! Except for my Cat...

Chapter 115: Before Midnight

The 126th floor was basically an operations supply depot for staff and mercenaries. The floors above were probably the same.

After showing their pass and contract code, they were let into one of the rooms. The room was already stocked with gear and weapons prepped for their mission.

And although this was only a small part of it, Mr. Nobody had never before seen such a concentration of advanced weapons and high-tech equipment packed into one place.

But now he wasn’t even fazed by the sight.

His thoughts drifted to what Noir had casually mentioned.

’Half-Step...’ That stuck with him.

He couldn’t find a better explanation for his enhanced physical abilities. Moreover, he had never paid them any mind before, and now the numbers shocked him. Most likely, in his past world, he would have even broken the world record for the high jump!

’But... where did this strength actually come from? Was it possible that the Half-Step level had always existed but remained hidden? Or was it simply a consequence of the abilities he’d acquired? Or maybe...’

His thoughts turned to what Sofien had mentioned. Even against the backdrop of his outstanding physical abilities, the power of his heart stood out. He could attribute this to the influence of the abilities he’d acquired, but it seemed there was something more to it.

’The Champion’s Symbol. Most likely, it’s connected to that... But hasn’t it always been dull and useless? Or is there something I don’t know, and it holds some secret... or even some kind of potential?’

"Bro, look! This is just fucking awesome!"

"Don’t swear in front of the kids." He sighed and, putting those thoughts aside for now, looked at Noir.

"Ta-da!"

"..."

He was holding a massive black minigun with red stripes and five sharpened barrels arranged in a ring. It looked truly impressive.

"How do you plan to handle this? It’s huge, and that’s not even counting the ammo... Wait, does it fire something like lasers?"

"Yeah. Don’t worry about the ammo; the suit will supply the power for it. Still, better bring a spare battery."

"Are you sure you can handle it? Keep in mind you’ll also have to carry the bomb and my weapon."

"I can handle it. So, what do you think?" Noir spun the minigun around, showing it off from every angle.

"...Fine. Keep it."

"You haven’t forgotten that you’re on a covert reconnaissance mission, have you?" Kuronuma asked, puzzled.

"Relax, kid, it’s just for emergencies," Noir replied casually, securing the minigun to his back.

"Yeah. Extra protection never hurts." He nodded.

Kuronuma merely furrowed her brow skeptically and exchanged a glance with the cat. The fluffy pet’s reaction was similar.

Mr. Nobody walked over to one of the racks holding rifles and began examining them closely, bringing his bracelet closer.

He still remembered Paymax’s assignment to study Neocorp’s laboratories, so with no better option, examining their arsenal seemed like a decent idea. Who knows, maybe it would come in handy for the people of Southville.

There were also various types of pistols and SMGs, but those were unlikely to be useful for his mission.

Checking the memo sent by Sofien, he noted the extreme survivability of the Fool Baals even after losing limbs or taking single bullet hits.

There was also a tip from Sofien suggesting that he should choose something for close combat.

And, moving on to other shelves, he noticed various melee weapons with special effects. Throwing knives that exploded on impact, axes crackling with electricity, and, upon cutting through, could mess with armor or fry the nervous system. There were plenty of weapons like that.

He even found an energy sword capable of cutting through flesh and bone like butter. At that moment, he almost regretted not knowing how to use something like that. In his experience as a mercenary, he’d always relied on firearms, with only occasionally using a knife.

Eventually, he came upon the heavy weapons section.

"..."

Sniper rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, plasma cannons, railguns, and much more.

His gaze fell on the shotguns, specifically one of them.

"Of course, I won’t be able to carry it, but if necessary, I’ll be able to use it with one hand..."

It was a small three-barreled shotgun, vaguely reminiscent of Noir’s minigun. It was also black with red stripes, but more importantly, it fit comfortably in one hand.

Of course, holding it for long periods and firing with one hand would be quite difficult, but he would have the suit.

"It has a 15-round magazine and also fires explosive rounds..."

"Oh my god, man, that’s awesome! Take it."

"You think so?" He grinned. "Alright, then."

He handed the shotgun to Noir, who now looked like a full-fledged squire.

After grabbing ammunition for the shotgun, as well as three throwing knives, he had to finish selecting his arsenal. Nothing else would fit in the suit, and Noir couldn’t carry any more.

...

Upon reaching the 149th floor, they didn’t find Sofien, so they went straight up to the 150th.

Upon hearing that they would have to leave the confines of Concord via air transport—an AVI—he had assumed the departure would be organized from some rooftop, perhaps even from the top of the Neocorp tower...

But he never expected the 150th floor to look like a launch platform or an airport terminal.

There was a large, oblong opening in the tower’s glass wall, through which various models of AVIs were constantly taking off and landing.

Some platforms were better equipped than others and were apparently intended for important people, while others were used by ordinary employees in suits.

It looked truly massive. Looked like most of the tower’s personnel were moving through here at any given moment.

"You’re a minute late."

Sofien greeted them with those words, and then she noticed the weapons slung over Noir’s back.

"How do you like it? This one’s mine, and this one is his. Pretty good, right?"

"..." Sofien seemed, for once, genuinely at a loss for words. "...The capsules with the suits have been moved there. Your AVI is already waiting for you, so hurry up. No more than five minutes."

Sofien pointed to a locked room surrounded by metal.

’It looks like this is really starting...’

Feeling the slight gusts of wind coming from the AVIs taking off nearby, strange feelings came over him. It was a mixture of anxiety, anticipation, and excitement.

In terms of organization, level of preparation, rewards, and what he was about to face, this mission was truly on a larger scale than anything he had ever encountered.

But he thought he was ready... Until he saw their suits with his own eyes.

He felt a long-buried fear resurface... but alongside it, something like nostalgia.

And beneath it all, a heat began to rise in his chest.

"Nanosuit v4. Red-Eyed Stalker."