I’m Not That Villain

76 – Black Mamba (4)

Enforcers.

A group that maintains order, apprehends criminals.

A formal state institution, as such, entering its ranks was incredibly difficult.

The official examinations alone numbered more than ten…

A single omission, and you’d receive immediate notification of failure.

The difficulty was brutal; knowledge, physical tests, even personality evaluations had to be aced.

Despite that, the number of applicants grew each year.

It was the most legal, and lucrative, occupation for Awakened individuals…

And the prestige and power that came with it meant no one dared look down on them.

The highest path to success for Awakened individuals in the Republic of Korea: that was being an Enforcer.

And so, he too, had dreamed. Five years of toil, barely scraping by to pass into the Executor Corps.

A year of probation.

A year acting as a proper Executor.

And now…

He stands here, armed.

Trampling civilians.

“P-Please… stop… please…”

At the scream, the Executor flinched, almost against his will.

The seniors had said, just follow orders.

But this is wrong, isn’t it? This is, by all rights, just a civilian.

He looks down at the man. He writhes on the ground. One side of his head, cracked open by the baton, bleeds in a steady stream.

The Executor spoke, his voice hoarse.

“I… I told you not to come… I told you to just stay locked up at home…”

“H-Home… nothing… to eat…”

“We announced so many times that supplies were coming… why did you insist on crawling out…!”

He knows the truth, of course.

That no supplies will come.

He’d overheard the seniors talking. Air traffic over Seoul was as good as dead, no government transports could get through. They’d be shot down on sight.

And neither had he heard any news of the government sending in food trucks. The rations distributed were solely for the armed police and the Executors.

They patrol in armored vehicles, broadcasting the same message again and again…

The rumor of rations actually arriving for civilians was something no one had ever heard.

Because the government now considered everyone in Jung-gu a criminal.

“Stay home… I told you to… stay home…!”

Jung-gu, Seoul.

Here was now, for all intents and purposes, a deserted island in Seoul itself. And the civilians trapped within were ordered, no matter what, never to leave their homes.

And those who disobeyed were to be considered members of ‘Hundred Eyes’.

The enforcer raised his baton with a trembling hand.

The man was looking at him. He could see him sobbing, pleading with his hands. A grown man, an adult, acting like this, it was enough to make one’s head spin.

But it couldn’t be helped. Everyone here was a criminal. An enforcer had to follow orders. Or he could be demoted.

Ah, how did I get here? How did I earn this position?

I don’t want to do this. I really don’t want to. But there are things you have to do, even if you don’t want to.

If the government tells you to bite, you bite.

An enforcer is the government’s dog, after all.

“Immediate punishment, without warning…”

The enforcer raised his baton higher.

The grown man pissed himself. He gritted his teeth at the darkening stain spreading across his black trousers.

“You shouldn’t have come out!!”

He screamed, bringing the baton down.

But at that moment…

A flash of light pierced his chest.

“Gack?!”

KRA-THoooM!!!

Before there was even a moment to register what had happened, it had all erupted in a flash.

The Executor, slammed into the wall, coughed out blood. It felt as if his chest had been pierced clean through, but when his trembling gaze fell downwards, there was no hole to be seen.

Only raw, reddened flesh. But the force of the impact sent tremors wracking through his entire being.

He couldn’t move. It felt like he’d been hit by dozens of rounds from a heavy machine gun. The Executor trembled violently, staring ahead.

Into the darkness.

There, two figures stood silhouetted against the gloom.

One of them advanced. A gun-like object, wreathed in shimmering, violet-black shadows, held in their grip, until they stood before him.

He couldn’t see their face. They wore some kind of mask. Beneath it, wisps of something like cigarette smoke coiled and diffused into the air.

A coat. A black coat. A tall, seemingly solid frame.

Faced with the unfamiliar mask, the Executor trembled and opened his mouth.

“Wh-who…”

Ah.

No.

What did it matter who they were?

Pain surged upwards through his chest. The Executor laughed, without even realizing it.

He hadn’t wanted to. He really hadn’t wanted to.

Yes.

This was better. This was better than having his life hanging by someone else’s thread.

“Oppa. Truly the best.”

When I boasted to my one and only little sister that I’d become an Enforcer, this was the last thing I imagined doing.

I wished someone, anyone, would stop this. But I was a coward, and all I could do was follow orders, accomplish nothing.

…I didn’t want to die, but still…

I didn’t become an Enforcer to torment others.

“……..”

The Enforcer squeezed his eyes shut.

He clenched his teeth tight, bracing for the coming pain.

But the sharp sting didn’t pierce him a second time. Opening his eyes, he saw the assailant was only staring at him.

“Mister.”

A distorted voice. Unconsciously, the Enforcer gasped a reply.

“Y-yes…?”

“Listen, if it’s something you don’t want to do, don’t force yourself.”

“……..”

“Watching from afar, you looked like you were about to cry. It’s orders from above, right? The enforcement agencies are so utterly rotten. Politicians, tsk tsk.”

“……..”

“When you open your eyes, don’t go around tormenting people, okay? Earning money is fine, but raise your voice against unjust orders.”

The assailant said.

“That’s what’s cool. Isn’t it?”

“……..”

“Im… pressive…”

The Enforcer stared, blank. The two assailants melted from view.

Belatedly, he staggered to his feet. He looked at the dropped baton, then limped towards the civilian, trembling like a leaf.

And before him…

He bowed his head, slowly.

“I… apologize…”

“……..”

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

He apologized, again and again.

Knowing full well that an apology wouldn’t suffice…

But he had to do *something*.

. . .

Jung-gu, Seoul.

The very heart of it all.

It was far more dire than he’d imagined.

The external cameras only showed the immediate vicinity of his apartment. His place was in a relatively secluded area.

He couldn’t fully grasp the situation until he reached a proper, bustling district.

And then…

Stepping out, it was a goddamn catastrophe.

“S-stop it! Please, stop!”

“N-Nothing to eat at home…Pl-Please… just let me go…”

“D-Don’t do this… M-My daughter is starving… Please… Officer… Please…”

“Anyone who leaves their home is considered a criminal!”

“Subdue them all! Now!”

“Don’t give them an inch, just subdue them first!”

“Some are hiding weapons! Be prepared to kill any b*stard who gets too close, or at least knock them senseless!”

Enforcers and armed police.

Civilians and criminals.

The power dynamic, of course, favored the former. But rather than the strong showing mercy to the weak, the situation was devolving into a brutal beating until near death.

The armed police and enforcers, too, seemed to have endured much, unwilling to yield easily. Any individual who had dared step outside their home was beaten to the brink of death, left in a state that surely guaranteed permanent disability.

Without exception, they all started by smashing heads – men, women, children, the elderly.

Jung-gu, Seoul, was a sea of blood. Moreover, a vast number of people were scouring the alleyways, creating a cordon so tight not even a rat could escape.

“Capture the boss of Hundred Eyes!”

“He’s a heinous criminal! Report immediately if spotted!”

From behind the building’s shadow, I watched countless figures rush past. Only after the noise had faded did I strike the back of the head of the guy I was carrying under my arm.

“Ouch.”

“What do you think you’re doing, running off on your own? Huh?”

“B-But… those fucking b*tches… they’re even hurting the children…?!”

Ah.

I saw it too.

But, alas. Thankfully, they didn’t lay a hand on her. As if there were types among the enforcers one could reason with, they only threatened, then backed away.

“At least they didn’t actually touch you.”

“That they *tried* to touch me, those sons of b*tches!”

Was it the echo of past tales?

Especially sensitive to stories of young children, I see.

I tickled the ribs of the beast nestled in my arms, Black Mamba Baek So-yeon. She flinched, then exploded in anger.

“What do you think you’re doing?! Are you crazy?!”

“Get your head on straight. Don’t you see this mess? If all the b*stards here come swarming, you and I are finished.”

“……”

“Don’t you know any shortcuts? Leading to Hundred Eyes’ headquarters?”

“…I don’t know. Never even thought about something like that.”

If I were the boss of Hundred Eyes, mind you…

I would have prepared an escape route, just in case. This bare-ass fool.

“…W-What?! Why are you looking at me like that?!”

“Scarlett. Display a map of Jung-gu, Seoul.”

“Yes, Master.”

The orb projected a small holographic map before my eyes. I rotated it once, then issued a simple command.

“The fastest path that connects to Hundred Eyes’ headquarters?”

“There are three possible routes, Master.”

Scarlett, understanding the true meaning behind my words, quickly marked the paths.

“But, judging by the current situation, this route is highly likely to be exposed. The opposite side too. Any place that leads through the roads is likely to be discovered… The only place with a lower chance of being caught is… a route that traverses between the high-rise buildings.”

“Between the high-rise buildings?”

“Yes. There’s a route possible for you, Master, and that utterly repulsive, inferior ape of a human who couldn’t even prepare for a simple future. Under the premise that you both possess abilities, if you, Master, were to mold your ability into a rope and insert it between the buildings, we could outrun the other ability users at maximum speed.”

“Hey. Get out of the way. I’m going to blow that b*tch’s machine head off first.”

I grabbed Baek So-yeon as she leaned in.

Building to building.

Connecting the two with a rope and crossing over as if operating a cable car…

“…Not bad?”

A normal person would curse this as an insane plan. But she and I are both ability users.

Even if we are discovered, if we attach rings to the rope connecting above and below and move quickly…

It would be a much faster way of moving than walking or running. At least it’s far better than fleeing by car. Because all the roads are blocked right now.

“Alright… let’s give it a tr…”

“There! Who goes there!”

I moved the shotgun-shaped dedicated equipment I was gripping, towards the armed guards and executors who belatedly discovered us and rushed in.

First, let’s clear a path. As quickly as possible.

Since we’re doing it anyway…

Might as well do it cleanly!