Chapter 8 - Unprecedented
Three hundred people.
Three hundred people—that's about the size of an entire high school student body.
Having that many people gathered in one place means a lot of things. Either the space they're in is massive, or they're packed in tight. In this case, it's probably both. Three hundred people crammed into a large space.
But despite having so many people in one place, not a single person is speaking. So does that mean it's quiet? No, not at all.
Because of the one woman in front of me, crying her heart out.
"Huuuuuuuuuung. Hwaaaaaaaaaang. Hu, huuuuuuuuung."
Please stop crying.
*
[She's seriously crying like her world's ending, shivering]
[Well, 7 of her teammates just got brutally killed LOL]
[Is she next? Shame, she's pretty]
[You crazy, bastards. Can't you, see the, trembling hostages,,,,, This isn't, a movie.]
[Yup, as long as it's not me~~~~]
[Looking at this, I don't think he'll kill all the hostages?]
[I'm worried about how heartbroken that woman is crying T_T]
[No, that woman's a terrorist too, you crazy bastards hahaha]
[This is way more entertaining than terrestrial broadcasting. Live viewing is seriously fun LOL]
*
I glanced at the chat window again to gauge the mood.
I realized I didn't need to look at it anymore. It's making me dizzy...
"Huuuuuuuuuung. Hu, huk..."
She's the more pressing problem right now.
Sigh... I need to persuade her and take her with me. I'm the one in control here, after all.
I crouched down and picked up the gun she'd dropped. Staying low in that position, our eyes met.
As our gazes locked and she hiccupped, I gave her a kind smile and said gently:
"If you keep crying, I'll shoot?"
As I said that, I playfully mimicked firing the gun—bang! She startled and desperately tried to stop her tears.
...I'm starting to feel more and more like the bad guy here.
Still, it was quieter than before.
With her hiccupping behind me, I stood before the hostages.
The sight of three hundred people crouched down, looking up at me, was quite spectacular. Their eyes were generally filled with terror.
Why are they like this... Then I remembered—I just killed seven people right in front of them, didn't I?
How many times in a person's life do they witness someone getting shot, bleeding, and collapsing in real time?
Ah, but maybe people in this world have seen it more often?
This is Seoul, after all.
Asia's third-largest economic city, and also ranked third for frequent terrorist attacks. It's fitting for the capital of South Korea, a place with an unusually high number of superpower users, resulting in many heroes and villains alike.
Anyway, these thoroughly tense people.
I addressed them in a loud voice.
"Now, now. Hello, everyone. I'm the A-Rank Villain Egostic. Pleased to meet you."
Using telekinesis to amplify my voice, I spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.
As I finished speaking, the atmosphere grew even more rigid. I could see everyone growing anxious. Why are they like this? I'm not going to hurt you.
*
[Is he about to go 'now kill each other'? Shivering]
*
Looking at the chat window, I understand why they're reacting this way.
What do they take me for? I'm not that kind of psychopath, you know?
...Come to think of it, I did tell those three boats before that only the first to kill could survive. Sigh, yeah, it's all my fault.
So I kindly told the trembling people:
"First of all, I'd like to apologize to everyone here. I'm sorry."
As I said this, I bowed at the waist.
As I suddenly apologized and bowed my head, I could feel people holding their breath.
After straightening up again, I naturally continued:
"Although this wasn't my doing, I feel a great sense of responsibility for this copycat crime that occurred due to my precedent."
The hostages' jaws dropped.
The atmosphere suddenly began to stir.
*
[?????????]
[Wait, what's he saying?]
[This is...a villain? What have all the villains I've seen so far been?]
*
The chat window was equally bewildered.
It was like parents watching their son who'd only caused trouble suddenly study hard for 50 days for the college entrance exam and then come home with an acceptance letter to Seoul National University.
Regardless, I continued speaking.
"The hostages here aren't really my concern, so you can all just go home. For those who suffered damages because of me, I'll be sending modest compensation to your accounts, so please check for it."
*
[???What kind of bullshit is this???]
[Damage compensation what the hell hahahaha]
[Mom, I want to be a hostage when I grow up! Mom, I want to be a hostage when I grow up! Mom, I want to be a hostage when I grow up! Mom, I want to be a hostage when I grow up! Mom, I want to be a hostage when I grow up! Mom, I want to be a hostage when I grow up!]
[This is...terrorism? What have all the terrorist attacks I've experienced so far been?]
*
"To the three who unfortunately lost their lives... I offer my condolences. I'll provide the maximum compensation amount. Ah, and I already know all your account numbers, so don't worry about that."
I mentioned before that I'm rich.
I wasn't back then, but now the thing I can do best is throw money around.
[Trying to buy people off with compensation... feels scummy. That's it?]
[??? Actually, Egostic didn't kill anyone, so why's he paying compensation in the first place?]
[Kinda weird? Passing it off as death benefits is...]
[Seriously, he didn't kill them lolololol]
The chat window rippled with murmurs—exactly what I'd aimed for. The wilder the stunt, the more tongues wag, and the higher my Recognition climbs. Since things have already blown up, I might as well milk them.
How do I know their account numbers? Leave that to Seo-eun, the genius hacker. Just trust her.
[....Haa...]
I thought I heard a sigh through the earpiece, but it was probably my imagination. Had to be.
Done speaking, I turned around.
Behind me, the female follower was still trembling like a leaf.
I'd spared her because she might be useful... but what now?
[Bro, just bring her with you.]
Seo-eun's voice suddenly crackled in my ear.
Bring her? Kidnap her? Right here?
I couldn't ask out loud—hundreds of eyes were on me. Muttering to myself would look pathetic.
[She's basically broken right now. Grab her while she's rattled, talk her around, pull her to our side. Probably our best shot.]
"Hm..."
Not a bad idea.
A middle-schooler pitching abduction sounded wicked, but I decided to trust her. The Stockholm effect is real.
"Miss? Come with me."
"H-hyiiiek?"
I hoisted the squeaking girl into my arms.
Clutching her squirming, panicked form, I waved to the crowd gawking from the deck.
"Well then, good-bye."
With a sweep of my cloak, I vanished.
*
[What, that's it?]
[Weak ending... 6/10]
[FREE KIM SEONWOO FREE KIM SEONWOO FREE KIM SEONWOO FREE KIM SEONWOO FREE KIM SEONWOO]
[After that spam I vote we execute Kim Seonwoo.]
===[Stream ended]===
*
And that dizzying broadcast was finally over.
***
[Villain Pays Victims? Real Hostages Post Bank Screens. Who IS Egostic? In-depth Report.]
[[Op-Ed] When a Villain Kills His Own Terrorist Followers, Can We Call It Justice?]
[Day Two: Egostic Still Top Story at Nine O'Clock.... NEWSTREE]
*
[Author] Anonymous
[Title] So we're pretending this is real?
Some A-Rank villain beheads a guy, hijacks three boats, tells everyone "kill each other," gets bored when they won't, logs on the next day, murders his own fanatics, frees the hostages, wires them hush money—and streams the whole thing live?
=[Comments]=
[Anon1] Yeah, sure haha
└[Anon2] fr lol
└[Anon3] Nobody's that nuts (he really exists)
└[Anon4] Hijacked nationwide airwaves? Must be fake (it's not)
[Anon5] Never seen a villain like Mangostick. Burned into my brain in two days
└[Anon6] Who's Mangostick? lol
└[Anon7] Mangostick wtf lol
└[Anon8] How is a villain named Mangostick lol
[Anon9] Hold up—he offed the villains, stopped the terror, freed the hostages... isn't that straight-up Hero work?
└[Anon10] Hero (after hijacking boats and planning bomb terror)
└[Anon9] So did anyone actually die? lol
└[Anon11] I stan the dark hero Mangostick
*
***
For two straight days the villain—Mangostick—had engraved his name on the nation's memory.
...Not Mangostick; Egostic. She shook her head to clear it. Too much time doom-scrolling had pickled her brain.
"Haru, you okay?"
"Oh, Unnie."
Inside the café, university student Shin Haru was working on an assignment with her senior. While active as a Hero she kept her name hidden and wore a Recognition Reduction Filter at all times, so no one here knew her secret identity.
Thanks to that, she could enjoy an ordinary campus life.
By day, Shin Haru the student; by night, Stardus the Hero.
"Haru, you're spacing out. Something wrong?"
"N-no, just thinking for a second."
She waved her hands, insisting she was fine and ready to focus, then picked up her pen again.
Yet her mind wandered.
What on earth is Egostic playing at—