The Villain Is Good at Being Behind -5-
A dynamic-angle shot of Kim Seokho getting beaten to a pulp appeared in the chat, followed by a flood of new comments.
“Kruaak!!”
A scream that sounded more like a death cry rang out as the man who appeared to be the terrorists’ leader collapsed in a heap. After confirming he was completely dead, I walked over to Nadja and asked.
“Is it all over?”
“Yeah, it looks pretty much wrapped up?”
Nadja flashed a V-sign over her blood-soaked suit.
“How was I, sis? Pretty cool, right?”
“Huh? Uh, y-yeah! Of course you were cool!”
I hurriedly hid my phone behind my back as I answered. Sorry. I really hadn’t meant to draw attention, but I couldn’t exactly send footage of people being turned into chunks of meat on a live broadcast. Besides, wow—this sister of mine had torn through that many terrorists without even blinking. It was on a completely different level from a certain someone who got all sulky after drowning just one villain.
“Cough, cough…!! Ugh… my waist.”
“Oh, you’re awake?”
Just as my mood was about to sink, Kim Seokho woke up at the perfect moment. I rocked him on my back like I was soothing a fussy baby.
“You were sleeping so soundly. I thought you were an actual toddler.”
“Damn it… there isn’t a single part of me that doesn’t hurt… I can’t even come up with a proper comeback…”
Kim Seokho went completely limp against me. Only his eyes moved, rolling around as he belatedly took in the carnage Nadja had unleashed.
“Dear God…”
Kim Seokho’s expression grew heavy. Heh. A sudden mischievous impulse hit me, so I called out loudly.
“Sis!”
The man who had just claimed he was in too much pain to move frantically shook his head, begging me not to.
“Did you call me?”
Nadja answered. I grinned and shook my head.
“Mm, no. I just felt like saying it.”
“Huh?”
After that, every time Kim Seokho’s eyes met Nadja’s, he deliberately turned his head away. This was fun. Maybe I wouldn’t release him just yet. I could keep playing with him a little longer.
At that moment, voices rose from among the passengers who had been freed from their restraints.
“Doesn’t the train feel strangely faster?”
“Yeah, we should be arriving at the terminal soon. Why is it still speeding up?”
My eyes met Nadja’s. We had the same bad feeling. We rushed to the front car of the train.
The automatic door opened with a mechanical whine. Inside were the engineer and several passengers, bound tightly with restraint straps. The door to the control room had been brutally destroyed by a bunker buster.
“Ah, shit… those bastards.”
Nadja cursed and dashed into the control room. I freed the engineer and asked him what had happened.
The engineer stayed silent, but one of the bound passengers answered instead.
“You… didn’t see the cockpit?”
“The cockpit?”
“The control room! These bastards wrecked every single instrument panel! We’re all dead!”
A chill ran down my spine. We would reach the station with the orbital elevator soon. But if the controls were destroyed… Could it be?
In the first chapter, the reason monsters had poured down through the elevator—was this why?
I couldn’t trust my own memories, so I reflexively opened the status window and asked. The answer was NO.
> Is the cause of the orbital elevator collapse the same as in the original?
> ANSWER: NO
Yes, my memory hadn’t been wrong. In the original work, the elevator had collapsed purely because of Cheongang’s shoddy construction. A company that had grown explosively through chromeware technology had neglected basic internal management, so it was bound to happen.
Yet for some reason, while the outcome of the elevator collapsing remained fixed, only the cause had changed. Or perhaps something had been added. Either way, if this train kept racing forward, it would definitely bring down the orbital elevator.
Damn it!
I shook the slumped engineer, trying to get him on his feet. He looked up at me with dead eyes for a moment, then dropped his head again.
“Engineer, please wake up!”
“…It’s over. I saw the accelerator get destroyed along with the instrument panel. Without the accelerator, this train is like a car with no brakes. It’ll just keep accelerating. By now it’s probably already at top speed.”
“Shut up and get over here!! I’m a mechanical engineering specialist, not a damn train driver!”
Nadja poked her head out of the control room and yelled. I set Kim Seokho down for a moment and helped the engineer inside instead.
When he saw the control room, he muttered in disbelief.
“What in the world…?”
The room that should have been completely destroyed by the terrorists had been restored just enough to be functional.
“There’s no time for explanations! I didn’t know the original layout so I just slapped it back together! Lower the speed or make an emergency stop, do something!”
Only then did hope return to the engineer’s face. He slapped his own cheeks and focused.
“I’ll stop it!”
“Hurry!!”
At Nadja’s shout, the engineer began frantically working the controls. I had no idea what he was doing, but I could clearly see his face twisting in dismay.
“What’s wrong?!”
“The electrical signals aren’t transmitting properly!”
“Damn it, this is exactly why you don’t mess with things you’ve never tried before!!”
Nadja injected more nanomachines into the panel. But whatever was wrong, her expression crumpled just like the engineer’s.
Watching them, I felt a wave of helpless frustration. Was there really nothing I could do here?
What could I do? Psychokinesis. Brainwave manipulation. And electronic device control.
Electronic device control!
I immediately used my power to detect the spots where the electrical signals were failing. There were three of them. I sent signals straight into those areas.
“Try it again!!”
The engineer yanked the lever hard. The brakes finally engaged, and the train began to slow.
We… we made it…!!
The moment I let my guard down, the train started accelerating again. I knew why instantly. My ability to control electronics only lasted a few seconds. I had to keep the signal going until the train came to a complete stop. There was no way my stamina could handle that.
“Sawol, you…”
Nadja stared at me with wide eyes. It was probably the residual glow that appeared when Enhanced Humans used their powers. I lowered my head, trying to hide the red energy rising in my vision.
“Are you seeing something?”
No. If she meant seeing the future, I couldn’t see anything at all. I didn’t have that kind of power. But I was certain. This train would stop before it hit the elevator. Even if no one here did it, it would stop. I could feel it.
> -Ding!
> You have a new message!
A strange current ran through my entire body. Someone was coming. I pulled out my phone and checked the preview.
“Ha.”
An involuntary laugh slipped out.
In the darkened city, a human figure suddenly leapt upward. It ran at the same speed as the train, drawing closer to the tracks before jumping onto the front of the speeding vehicle. It landed lightly, showing no sign of exhaustion. Brushing back hair that the wind kept whipping into its face, it leaned toward the rearview mirror.
The passengers inside jumped in surprise at the sudden appearance. It was an unripe hero, the first brilliant light that would eventually shine. The passengers recognized it immediately.
“Last!”
“It’s that First Generation from the internet!”
Last looked around, unable to see inside the train because of the privacy film. Then, as if remembering something, he pulled out his phone and sent a message.
Last checked the train’s condition. It was slowing down, but the deceleration was clearly not enough to prevent a collision at the upcoming terminal.
With that single message, Last jumped down onto the tracks. At the same time, the sound of his greaves scraping against the rails exploded through the air.
KAGAGAAG!!!
The front of the train crumpled under the force of his body. Passengers screamed. But the train did not stop. Last leapt back onto the roof, catching his breath for a moment. It was a reckless method. Still, if he wanted to slow down a speeding train, what other brilliant idea was there?
Steel determination in his eyes, Last jumped down onto the tracks once more.
KAGAGAGAG!!!
The train that had shown no sign of stopping finally began to slow. At that moment, the long darkness of the city lifted and bright neon signs illuminated the train. A colossal elevator towered into the deep, high sky. The train was only just beginning to stop. At this rate, a collision was inevitable.
I can do this.
Perhaps because he had pushed himself too far, Last began hearing the hallucination again—the one that had stopped reaching him long ago.
You are my hero.
The owner of the voice was a young girl. A girl with golden eyes who had always followed him around.
Last.
In that instant, a noble golden light bloomed within Last’s blue eyes.
A roar that seemed to pierce the heavens erupted. The train decelerated explosively.
THUD!
Dust flew into the air. When it cleared, all that remained was Last, standing unconscious, and a train that had come to a complete stop.