Chapter 4

EP.4 The Aesthetics of Fleeing

"Hahaha... This can't be happening."

On the rooftop, where the cold wind was blowing,

I stood there, laughing in a way that seemed to express my sense of futility.

"Humans, humans are not such altruistic beings! I was sure he would press the button, so why? Why didn't he press it?"

I began to mutter to myself in a loud voice, like a madman.

My eyes and hands were flailing in the air.

Then, at the same time, I stopped my hands and fixed my eyes on Stardus, who was standing in front of me.

"Ah."

My short exclamation.

Looking at Stardus, I opened my mouth.

"It was because of you."

Of course, it wasn't because of Stardus.

I had ordered the captains to throw the heroes into the sea immediately after their speeches were broadcast.

But that was a secret known only to me and the two captains.

So, in front of the cameras broadcasting to the entire nation,

I pretended to know nothing.

As if all this terrorism had been thwarted because of Stardus's speech,

I started talking.

"After hearing your speech, everyone suddenly united."

And I laughed like a madman.

"Haha, hahaha. Hahahahahaha! Hahahahahahaha!!"

Really, it was so embarrassing.

I held back my embarrassment and continued to laugh like a madman.

When I glanced over, Stardus's expression, watching my appearance, seemed to be that of someone looking at a madman.

Ugh, do you know the feeling of a fan seeing their favorite idol's contemptuous expression?

I laughed for a long time like that.

While I was laughing, the reason she didn't grab me and just stood there was, of course, because of the detonator in my hand.

Until the ship was fully docked at the port and people started to disembark, she wouldn't be able to relax.

After I finished laughing, I cleared my throat again.

"Yes, that's right. It seems I underestimated you. I thought no one else could do what you did. But for you, enlightening the masses with just a few words was no big deal."

Hmm.

This is bad.

I'm starting to not know what I'm saying.

Who was I in my past life?

I was just an ordinary Korean man.

So, in front of a monster who could kill me with a gesture in five seconds, while the whole nation was watching, I wasn't used to speaking so fluently.

Until now, I had somehow managed to say what I had prepared.

But I'm starting to lose my mind.

The wind is cold. I'm cold.

Should I have worn a hot pack under my robe?

No, why am I even thinking about this...

Damn, my mental state is starting to deteriorate.

I need to prepare now.

What preparation? To make a run for it.

"Cough, cough. It was my mistake. Stardus, I underestimated you."

"...."

"Next time, I won't be so easily defeated. See you all next time!"

I smiled and gave a small laugh to the camera.

And then I disappeared.

The sound of me wrapping my cloak around my body and teleporting.

There must be police all around here, so I need to teleport all the way to my house far away.

Ah, if I teleport that far, I'll be bedridden for the next three days from the strain.

Sigh, life isn't easy.

"You!"

She ran to my side as soon as she noticed my escape.

No way, take care.

"Goodbye, then."

With those words, I disappeared.

****

[[Exclusive] Midday Terror, No Casualties]

[Who is A-Rank Villain 'Egostic'? In-Depth Investigation.]

[[Breaking] Hero Association Issues Statement: 'Villain's Abilities Appear to be Telekinesis and Teleportation.']

[Hostage Situation During Broadcast... Is Korean Broadcasting Security Adequate?]

[Who is the Hero 'Stardus' Targeted by the Broadcast Hostage Villain? A Look at Her Achievements.]

[Passengers and Crew Report Anxiety and Panic Disorders, Refuse Interviews.]

That day, articles flooded the nation.

An extraordinary event in the midst of the ordinary.

Unlike other terrorist attacks that targeted specific areas and individuals, this one was different because it was broadcast to the entire nation, making it stand out from other terrorist attacks.

In other words, it drew an enormous amount of attention.

Within a day, the entire nation knew about the incident, and the villain 'Egostic' and the hero 'Stardus' who faced him suddenly became the focus of attention.

It was a large-scale incident that even attracted the attention of foreign media.

The Korean Hero Association praised and commended the fact that the terrorist attack was resolved with zero casualties thanks to the efforts of A-Rank Hero Stardus, and all the press releases followed suit.

The full video of the terrorist attack topped YouTube's real-time view count, making it a sensational event.

Already, countless posts analyzing and summarizing the villain Egostic were being posted.

And, of course, among those who analyzed it was the Korean Association of Superhuman Abilities.

***

"Alright, let's start the briefing."

At the Korean Hero Association.

A meeting was being held on the top floor.

"The new villain who appeared this time has revealed his name as Egostic."

"His gender is presumed to be male and Korean, and he appears to be in his early to mid-20s."

"His identity and residence are unknown, but given that all the incidents he caused were concentrated in Seoul, it is highly likely that he resides in Seoul."

"Please refer to the materials for the suspect's appearance."

The materials distributed to the attendees of the meeting contained his front and side shots.

His appearance, from head to toe, was entirely black.

He was wearing a black robe that resembled a long coat and a black cloak.

And a mask that covered half of his face. The note below the photo read that it was presumed to have an identification hindrance function, making it difficult to clearly identify his face even though only half of it was covered.

"He has directly killed two people, both A-Rank and S-Rank villains. It appears that he killed them by compressing or exploding their heads with telekinesis, and since there were no other injuries, it is presumed that he attacked them when they were unprepared."

"How strong is the villain's telekinesis?"

"That... is still uncertain. Crushing a skull is something a C-Rank could do if the target was an unprepared, defenseless enemy. Of course, if the target was resisting, even an A-Rank would find it difficult, but from the state of the crime, it is presumed that he attacked when they were unprepared."

"Hmm. So, he's around C-Rank?"

"That's still uncertain. We can't rule out the possibility that the perpetrator deliberately held back his strength."

"Understood. Continue."

"Yes. Egostic has directly killed only two villains, but... it appears that he intended to massacre ordinary citizens in this large-scale terrorist attack."

When the person giving the briefing said this much, a heavy silence fell over the room. They were gathered here because of yesterday's incident.

"Yes. Let me explain the incident known as the 'Han River Cruise Bombing Attempt' in detail. The bomb appears to have been pre-attached, and the disassembly results confirmed that it was a high-performance bomb capable of destroying the ship. The source of these bombs is still unknown."

After saying this much, the speaker took a sip of water, apologized, and continued.

"And the broadcast hijacking. How he penetrated the latest security technology and hijacked the broadcast is still unknown. There are no logs, and the camera was moved by the villain, making verification impossible."

"Some speculate that he might have abilities related to broadcasting, but no superhuman ability holder with information and communication technology abilities has been confirmed, and no one has been confirmed to have three abilities simultaneously, so it's just speculation."

"However, it is clear that Egostic has the ability to freely hijack the broadcasts of the three major networks. And since the broadcast was not blocked by us but stopped by Egostic after the incident, it seems that..."

"Yes, I understand. I get the gist of it from what you've said so far."

The association president cut off the speaker.

The speaker bowed once and returned to his seat.

The president's words echoed through the long table.

"This villain is very planned and has a lot of information. He knows the whereabouts and identities of A and S-Rank villains and can hack into broadcast stations at will. And there's more."

"Yes."

The man who had given the briefing earlier spoke again.

"Also... it seems that he keeps his word. He actually let everyone on the ship go when no one pressed the button. And the most important point is his obsession with Stardus."

When he finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to someone sitting at the end of the table.

Stardus, Shin Haru, who was attending the meeting.

Stardus, who was receiving everyone's attention, continued.

"Yes, that's correct. For some reason, the perpetrator left a message for me even at the scene where he killed the villains, and he specifically called me out in this incident."

"Do you know why, Stardus?"

In response to the president's question, Haru simply answered calmly.

"I don't really know."

"Hmm... That's strange."

After hearing her answer, the president nodded and moved on to another topic. Shouldn't we rank him as S-Rank, the highest wanted target? But then, no, he has only attempted to kill civilians and hasn't actually killed anyone, and we don't know the strength of his telekinesis, so it's premature to give him an S-Rank...

Thus, a heated discussion continued throughout the night.

***

At that time.

In a small studio apartment a few kilometers away from the terrorist site.

"Ah... Damn, I'm going to die."

I was just lying on the bed, groaning.

Being a villain isn't easy...