110 – Internal Strife (2)

Bad Sector.

The starting point of my twisted life narrowed her eyes. She stepped out from the shadows and stood tall before me.

Her peering eyes lacked focus. The strange aura that emanated from her seemed almost frozen.

An unidentifiable mass of otherwordly energy.

That thing stared at me, then *thump* – placed her hand on my chest.

For a moment, my blood seemed to freeze, but nothing else happened.

As if all she did was purely touch me.

“…You know, right?”

“Know what?”

“What happened to the people who antagonized me. You must have investigated that much, right? Who I am. What I’ve been doing.”

I know that much without even investigating.

The worst criminal in the world, committing crimes all over the globe, only to return to Korea. A villain among villains, who’s left no place untouched.

I knocked her hand away.

“What answer do you want to hear?”

“Aren’t you scared?”

“Of course, I am.”

It’s only natural.

It’s only natural to be scared.

Noise, bad sectors. It’s all terrifying. How could a normal person like me not be scared of the world’s worst criminal and their organization? I’m not exactly built for fighting in the first place.

It’s natural to be afraid. But I also know there are moments when you have to move regardless.

“My life turning into that of a criminal, in a flash. I’ll admit, I accept some of that. I’m not blaming it all on you. Why? Because the fact that I committed a crime is true.”

“…….”

“But you can’t mess with the life I built after that. I was doing alright, you know? I had a foundation laid before you showed up. Now you’re trying to ruin it… Isn’t it natural to fight back, even when you’re scared?”

“Can you?”

“I’m planning on making it so.”

I reached out, instead. Placed my hand on her shoulder.

Leaned in close. So she could hear me clearly.

“You attacked someone connected to me. For the sole reason of chasing after me.”

“…….”

“Remember this, Bad Sector. You’re not the one who wants this fight.”

I tightened my grip on her shoulder.

Even if it doesn’t faze her…

To show her I will fight, if only to protect what’s mine.

“It’s me. I’m not someone who just takes it.”

“…….”

Bad Sector’s eyes narrowed. Her head tilted slightly as she looked at me, seeming to contemplate something.

The smile vanished. Her face washed over with an expression of blankness, as if shedding a mask she’d been wearing.

The garden.

A garden, for sure, filled with people.

Yet, somehow, in this moment, it felt like only the two of us existed. Bad Sector’s madness and my hostility intertwined, and we were locked on each other alone.

“…Tell me,”

Bad Sector began.

She looked up at me from a distance that closed a little further.

Close.

Close enough for a life to be snuffed out at any moment.

“If sacrificing you, just you, could save tens of thousands of people, would you willingly do it?”

“…….?”

“Answer.”

It was a nonsensical question.

A statement utterly divorced from the context.

Yet, the answer was already set.

“No?”

“……. “

“I’m not the type to sacrifice myself for a stranger whose face and name I don’t even know. My people and I come first. My heart is as far from heroic as it gets.”

“…Hmm.”

Bad Sector toyed with my chest.

The next moment, she broke into a wide smile again.

“The Enforcement Agency will be arriving here in thirty minutes. Personnel from a major Resolver Office as well. Or, to be more precise, they’re already waiting outside. Well-hidden, weren’t they? Blending in among the civilians, almost undetectable. Though they had help… they’re hardly an inept bunch.”

“…What?”

“They’re after one thing. Internal strife. Hyenas wanting to take Quantum’s place, intending to tear apart the entire gala. A… coordinated terror attack, you might say? Their aim isn’t a negotiation. It’s war.”

“……. “

“Twenty-nine minutes left. About seventeen out of the twenty-five organizations have been contacted in advance. They’ve all been paid and are ready to move. Chaos will erupt within, and you won’t be able to trust anyone but yourself. And…”

Bad Sector whispered.

“The Queen of Quantum might die today. That’s the shared goal of the Enforcement Agency and the other organizations.”

My blood froze.

It felt like a cold wind was blowing down my spine. I stared intently into Bad Sector’s eyes.

But her pupils were unfocused, and she didn’t seem to be lying.

Thirty minutes.

The time I had left.

The right thing to do was to move immediately. But even so, I had to ask one more thing.

“Why… why are you telling me all this?”

“I hate the government. But do I like Ability users? I hate them too. Resolvers as well. Everything in this world disgusts me. Because they all forced me to be a hero. Just because I have powers, the whole world got to play with my body. Not for a few years, but for decades.”

Bad Sector lightly tapped my sleeve and let go.

“So, I killed plenty? And because I killed plenty, everyone is afraid of me. They’re careful about every word they utter. That’s why you’re even more special. You’re the first person to stare at me like that since the academy. But… I wonder if it’s just bravado, or not?”

“……. “

“Twenty-five minutes left. Now. Move. Seo Jun. Show me. Show me if you have the skills worthy of bravely declaring war against me. Frankly… there’s nothing more disgusting than someone all talk and no action, right? I’m just curious. How far can you go? What can you do in this mess?”

“…You.”

“Overcome everything. Overcome the government’s declaration of war. Then… I’ll consider it.”

Bad Sector took a step back.

He waved a casual farewell.

“I’ll grant you the respect of an equal, not just some bauble. Revenge, grudges…they’re a dance, aren’t they? Don’t you think?”

. . .

Bad Sector vanished.

As if he’d never been there. Completely.

I spun around immediately, searching for Baek So-yeon who was enjoying the opening ceremony.

I spilled the whole story.

Her expression hardened.

“…Is that true?”

“It’s true.”

“…The mansion is already surrounded? Without even Quantum noticing?”

Baek So-yeon picked up a wine glass, seemingly without thinking. She swirled the liquid inside.

“How much time do we have?”

“Seventeen minutes.”

“Tight. Seventeen out of twenty-five…it’s the same as being surrounded. Hiding somewhere is one option, seeing as their target is Quantum’s Queen, but…that’s impossible. If that happens, it would be the same as handing them the result they want. “

“What are you going to do?”

“Why did the other organizations even agree to this in the first place? Blinded by immediate gains? Quantum might be a dictatorship, a regime more restrictive than freedom allows, but…don’t they realize that after Mapo falls, they’re next? Do they really think the government will always be on their side? Why are those sons of b*tches willingly putting on the leash? So strong, yet so empty-headed…is that why they’re like this?”

Baek So-yeon downed the wine in one gulp.

She turned.

“I don’t like her, but I have no choice but to help that b*tch. If I leave it as it is, the executives will have even more power. I can’t let that happen.”

I agreed with that.

If you stray too far from the current, you’ll inevitably be left behind.

To escape the government’s grand design, forging your own path is the only option.

I found Quantum’s Queen.

She was exchanging polite greetings with various bosses, but when she saw me, she smiled brightly.

“Seo-joon, dear. What is it?”

“Hey. Queen. You’re in trouble.”

“Mind your manners, child.”

“Trouble. Ten minutes left. Before your mansion is raided.”

“…….?”

The Queen of Quantum was sharp, alright.

No dismissive chuckle or playful jab, but a tilt of her head, immediate.

“Summarize it neatly. What is it?”

“The government’s got you in their sights. This place is crawling with betrayers. They’re after your head after, what, decades of de facto dictatorship. Coup’s going down in…nine minutes.”

“…Who can I trust?”

“Nobody. Don’t know the exact players. Assume everyone but me’s an enemy.”

“And I’m supposed to trust you?”

“Then die alone. I’m just looking out for mine, same as you are for yours. Let this keep going, and the only ones laughing at the end will be the government’s dogs.”

“…….”

The Queen of Quantum closed her eyes for a moment.

When she opened them, all trace of amusement had vanished.

“How many?”

“Waiting outside, I hear? The mansion’s already surrounded. Full inside too. Easier to just think of everyone as an enemy.”

“Source of this information?”

“Bad Sector.”

“…That man’s here? Kid. Contact the guards on the mansion’s perimeter.”

“…This is Quantum. A-1974. A-1978. Respond.”

The whispers into the radio were met with nothing.

Only silence answered.

“They came prepared, huh?”

The Queen of Quantum gave a slight nod.

“The government amassing outside, my own ranks riddled with some of Seoul’s most formidable gifted individuals all hungry for my throat… They’re planning to use my fall as the starting gun for their real assault on Seoul?”

“What’s the call?”

“If you’d come a little later, if I’d already had Seo-Jun restore my youth, I wouldn’t have to fret so much… Sadly, I’m stuck with this aging body…makes it tricky. Fight, or flee…those are the choices…”

The Queen of Quantum turned.

Her gaze met Lee Chae-Young’s, who stood silently behind her in a tailored suit.

“Chae-Young.”

“Yes, Boss.”

“What’s the status of ‘Paradise’’s preparations, as you reported?”

“…The most crucial core technology isn’t complete, it still won’t budge.”

“Oh? What about a temporary shelter, then?”

“A temporary…shelter…it’s a space completely isolated from the outside…and there’s no one who knows me there, so…it’s possible. It also has ample supplies inside.”

“Good. That’s enough. A leader of an organization shouldn’t force a war that has no chance of winning. Wouldn’t that be terrible situational awareness as the head of an organization?”

A blast erupted.

From the far side of the building, a colossal noise of unknown origin.

And instantly.

The atmosphere of the banquet hall flipped.

“So Black Mamba. Take good care of our precious Seo-jun. Be careful and even more careful…”

Amidst the gazes that converged in an instant, the Queen of Quantum moved her hand.

“You must escape safely, understood?”

Abilities detonated.

As if the blast was a signal, dozens of abilities surged forth in that spot.

The Queen of Seoul.

To tear at the monarch who had reigned for so long.