Chapter 53 - On Air

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Against the backdrop of an upbeat drumbeat resounding from somewhere, a man stood in midair.

He wore a black cape, a black robe, and a black magician's hat—attire entirely unsuited for broad daylight.

Smiling behind the mask that obscured half his face, he soon shouted loudly toward the camera.

"Hello, everyone! It is I, Egostic, ranked number one 'Most Influential Villain' by the Korean Association and chosen as the 'Best Villain' by Forbes, here to greet you. Good to see you all!"

Floating above the void with the massive bridge as his backdrop, the man took off his hat and bowed to the camera in a medieval European style.

As his image was transmitted nationwide via the Three Major Broadcasting Networks and YouTube, the public's reaction was feverish.

The chat window of Egostic's official YouTube broadcast scrolled up so fast it was invisible to the naked eye.

[Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick!]

[Egostic, is he a god? Egostic, is he a god? Egostic, is he a god? Egostic, is he a god?]

[Mom, I want to be a terrorist when I grow up! Mom, I want to be a terrorist when I grow up! Mom, I want to be a terrorist when I grow up!]

[Free Kim Seonwoo Free Kim Seonwoo Free Kim Seonwoo Free Kim Seonwoo Free Kim Seonwoo Free Kim Seonwoo]

[Let's go~ Let's go~ Let's go~ Let's go~ Let's go~ Let's go~ Let's go~ Let's go~]

[LOL is this that famous EGOSTIC? Wonder if there is eng sub]

[Shit, the chat is wrecked LOL]

[It's been 4 months, so I'm actually kinda glad to see him? LOL]

[What kind of bullshit is he gonna pull this time Shiver]

[Mango Punch! Mango Punch! Mango Punch! Mango Punch! Mango Punch! Mango Punch! Mango Punch! Mango Punch!]

[What's with that bastard wearing a hat LOL]

[Korean villain level www Inferior to our Great Japanese Empire wwww]

[Hero Association crying buckets while preparing for a cheerful company dinner today LOL]

[Shit, now even foreigners are watching LOL Look at the state of the chat]

[So where is that?????]

"Welcome, everyone. Yes, I am currently out here at Mapo Bridge. Wow, it feels good to be back at the Han River after so long. My debut was right here at the Han River, you know. That terror attack feels like yesterday, but has it already been nearly a year? Time really flies."

[Was that already a year ago?]

[It was in spring and now it's almost winter, so roughly?]

[1 year with Mangostick LOL]

[There's a bitch who went ghost for 4 months out of the year?]

[3 large-scale terror attacks in one year Shit LOL]

[Looks like he's doing something again today, so including this, it's 4 Shiver]

[You... villainous scoundrel... with what face... do you show yourself...! You~ wicked fellow]

[The elder knows how to type in YouTube chat LOL]

"Anyway, ta-da! To reveal it suddenly: there are bombs attached to Mapo Bridge right below me! Heroes and Association folks, if you try anything funny... you know what happens, right?"

Egostic shook the detonator held in his hand toward the camera.

[Detonator Season 516731461 Entry LOL]

[The guy who consistently carries bombs LOL]

[Civil servants are screwed. I heard after he bombed the boat, train, and plane last time, they inspected for explosives every morning, lunch, and dinner LOL Now they'll have to patrol bridges for bombs every day LOL]

[Why would civil servants do that? They'll hire part-timers.]

[Mangostick creating jobs Shiver]

[But am I the only one looking at Oppa Mango's leg lines in the midst of this? Isn't he too sexy? Phew T_T]

[Mango Oppa, I'm dying T_T]

[Oppa, I'm really dying Shit, I'm on Mapo Bridge right now]

[Shit, doesn't the guy above actually look like he's gonna die? LOL]

"Ahem. Heroes, if you don't want to see the bridge blown to smithereens, you'd best stay put. Actually, Stardus is the only hero who can stop me right now, isn't she?"

After speaking up to that point, he cleared his throat slightly and continued.

"Yes. I recommend you do not approach. I lack a bit of patience, so I don't know what I might do if I see you."

As he said that, he fiddled with the detonator to emphasize the warning once more.

[Declaring cutting ties to Stardus, Shiver]

His body paused slightly as if he saw something.

But as if nothing had happened, his mouth opened naturally again.

"Everyone... Ah, before that, just a moment. Hmm... One second. Boom!"

Simultaneous with his words, a massive roar erupted from both sides of the bridge.

At the same time, something collapsed, blocking off both ends of the bridge.

He then pulled out a large megaphone from somewhere and shouted loudly toward the cars passing on the bridge below.

"Everyone currently on Mapo Bridge!!! Please stop right where you are!!! If you try anything strange, I will fire immediately!!!"

At Egostic's threatening declaration, the cars that had been stepping on the pedal full speed slowly came to a halt.

Since he hadn't blown up the sides the moment he appeared but had given them some time, there were hardly any cars on the bridge.

Only two cars, which either hadn't heard the radio or had incredibly bad timing, stood there in isolation.

Having said his piece, Egostic threw the megaphone away somewhere and grinned at the camera.

"Sorry about that. Isn't terror more fun with an audience? I was cut off for a moment while recruiting guests on the spot."

[Holding onto people who were driving fine and calling it guest recruiting, what kind of bullshit LOL]

[Crazy bitch... Crazy bitch... Crazy bitch... Crazy bitch...]

[What crime did the people in those two cars commit LOL]

[Who cares, no one has died in his terror attacks so far anyway LOL]

[Fr, isn't it actually a reward? It's a dizzying, heart-pounding, thrilling, exciting terror experience LOL]

[Ah, what a waste. I should have gone.]

[Every time I look at the chat window, I don't know if the world is weird or if I'm weird.]

[You're the weird one.]

"Yes, yes. Now that all preparations are complete. I would like to talk for a moment."

With that, the upbeat music that had been playing continuously turned off.

Instead, suspenseful BGM, something that might appear in White Tower, began to play.

At the same time, Egostic opened his mouth in a tone slightly resembling an anchor from I Want to Know That.

"Everyone, do you know my name? Yes. It's Egostic. However. Everyone, do you happen to know where my name originated?"

"Egostic. It is derived from 'Egoistic,' meaning selfish in English. If you ask why I named myself this... it is because I became a villain to prove just how selfish humans are."

[Too inspired by The Selfish Gene wwww]

[Who appointed The Selfish Gene as required reading for teens?]

[Richard Dawkins is at fault.]

"Ahem. Anyway, this time, I have come to live up to my name. Let us perform an experiment on just how selfish humans are! If humans are selfish, it is my victory. If humans are not as selfish as I think, it is my defeat."

Hearing Egostic speak up to that point, all the viewers were puzzled.

Test if they are selfish? How?

Whether people were puzzled or not, Egostic started saying something completely absurd.

"This bridge. Ah, Mapo Bridge. Truly big and beautiful. How much money do you think it cost to build this? Wouldn't it easily cost hundreds of billions, maybe trillions?"

Asking the price of Mapo Bridge out of nowhere.

"However, as much money as it cost, aren't the citizens using it conveniently? Without this bridge, the roads would be that much more congested."

Then, his gaze turned to the camera with a wicked smile once again.

He opened his mouth.

"Now, I will explain this terror attack."

"The method is simple. If you send your account number to the address, link, or text message I call out, I will give you 100,000 won."

"I have already hacked the entire computer network, so there is no worry of getting caught. Just anyone who is a citizen of the Republic of Korea over the age of 19, if you send your account, I will send you 100,000 won without asking or questioning anything. It is free money."

"However."

"By 7 PM this evening, if the number of people who have taken 100,000 won from me exceeds 5 million."

"I will blow this bridge up exactly as it is. Along with the people riding on this bridge."

"Everyone, make your choice."

"Is it the free 100,000 won? Or is it this bridge that might explode?"

"Are humans truly altruistic enough to lightly give up a free 100,000 won for the sake of others? Or are they selfish people who take the money saying, 'Just me alone won't matter'?"

"Well, that will be revealed today."

"Now! I introduce to you. A new concept, a nationwide participatory terror event: one bridge or 100,000 won, an amount roughly equal to a disaster relief fund. 'Citizens' Choice 1vs10', starts now!!!"

Simultaneously, the sound of thunderous applause began to play in the background of the video.

With Egostic smiling and throwing a greeting toward the screen with the bridge as his background, the video ended.

Following that, the blank screen simply displayed a list of contact methods—websites, phone numbers, KakaoTalk, blogs, and Twitter—through which people could send their account numbers to Egostic.

And at the very top of the screen, a countdown to 7 PM was ticking away.

[8h 56m 45s]

[8h 56m 44s]

[8h 56m 43s]

...

Beside the silent video feed, a single comment popped up in the chat window, speaking for everyone.

[He's lost his mind.]

Just like that, on an otherwise ordinary day in South Korea, the untimely [Great Era of Collection] began with the force of an explosion.

***

"......"

By the riverside, where Mapo Bridge was visible at a glance.

Stardus gritted her teeth as she looked out at the bridge, which was now cordoned off by police, blocking all access in a tense standoff.

Egostic.

She knew he would commit another act of terror eventually.

But to think he would pull a stunt like this.

Her mood was foul as she glared toward the bridge.

Naturally, it was because that bastard was committing such a heinous act, dragging innocent citizens into his malicious terror plot.

...It was absolutely not because this was the first time he had excluded Stardus from one of his terror attacks.

Of course not. What did it matter whether that jerk called for her or not?

She didn't care.

She definitely wasn't bothered by something like that.

Or so she told herself.

"......"

Hah. But seriously.

After calling for her so persistently all this time...

Why was he suddenly telling her not to come now?

"It's just ridiculous..."

She muttered to herself.

Words that no one else would hear, all alone.

Still.

Last time, he contacted her to save the airplane.

Maybe he was planning something similar this time?

It didn't seem likely that he would completely cut her out of the picture.

She just kept thinking about it.

Useless thoughts that she couldn't understand why she was having.

***

"Oppa, by the way, are you going to mention Stardus in this terror attack, too?"

"Hmm? Uh, no, I'm not. If I blow up the bridge, she'll just fly over and save the cars anyway... This isn't a trial meant for Stardus, so there's no need to call her out specifically."

"Stardus will probably be happy that I'm not bothering her."