Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Villain Saves the Children
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"They said they'd kill our families."
"What?"
"The uncles who kidnapped us said they'd kill our families if we ran away. We can't run..."
"Then I'll give those uncles who kidnapped you a good beating. So they can't hurt your families. Will you come out then?"
"..."
The kids didn't budge despite my words. How could I get them to come out of the cage on their own?
That's when it happened.
"Huh? Hey, hey! What's this? Why's it open?!"
"Fuck! What the hell? Hurry up and grab all the kids!"
"Sob...!"
Noisy voices came from upstairs, and the kids froze in terror at the sound, trembling violently.
From their reaction, I could tell.
The guys upstairs were the ones who'd kidnapped these kids to film and sell porn. To reassure them, I flashed a gentle smile.
Ah, with the mask on, they probably couldn't tell I was smiling.
"Just wait here a bit. I'll handle it quick and come back."
"Um, mister..."
"Hm?"
As I turned to go, one kid hesitantly reached out to me. The only girl who'd spoken to me so far.
"Those uncles... they're dangerous. They have guns. Mister... you might get hurt..."
"..."
I looked at the girl worrying about me and chuckled softly. She probably couldn't see that either with the mask.
"How old are you?"
"Huh?"
"How old are you?"
"...Eleven."
"Eleven... damn, I really am an uncle."
"...?"
Maybe I should've made my character twenty instead of thirty? But even at twenty, I'd still be an uncle to an eleven-year-old, right?
Anyway, the point was, a thirty-year-old like me couldn't demand an eleven-year-old girl call me "oppa." Thirty is straight-up uncle territory.
"Don't worry. Uncle here's invincible."
"..."
After calming the girl and the kids, I headed upstairs. Time to deal with the vermin who'd dared make money off kids with porn.
"Quick, check nothing's missing. Panther and Kevin, come down with me... Huh?"
"..."
The man barking orders at his underlings shut his mouth and stared when he saw me emerge from the basement. The other goons all turned to gawk at me too.
"Who the hell are you?"
"You?"
"What?"
"You're the bastard who kidnapped those kids and filmed porn, right?"
"What? Fuck off with that bullshit! Porn? What the fuck are you talking about?"
"...?"
The man scowled and yelled back so convincingly I almost wondered if I'd gotten it wrong.
Twitch-!
The ones who flinched at "porn" were the others. Looked like the pornographers were someone else.
Maybe the kidnappers were different too?
"There are kids down in the basement. You know about that?"
"Who the fuck are you? How'd a fucker like you even know to come here?!"
The men pointed their guns at me. A normal person would've pissed themselves, but with my bulletproof body, I wasn't scared at all.
"Answer me. Why are kids down there?"
"Shoot him! Kill the bastard!"
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-!
A hail of bullets rained down.
'These fuckers... Hm?'
They answered my question by shooting.
Firing without warning... these guys were definitely villains. Villains meant they were the ones who'd kidnapped the kids downstairs and filmed the porn.
Doing evil has limits, but child porn? Beyond the pale.
Still, I wouldn't abandon Batman bro's creed, so I'd spare them.
"Damn! He's a superhuman! Hit him with the magic wand!"
These crazy bastards?
One guy in the back pulled out a weapon like Aladdin's magic lamp. As nearby goons scattered, the rocket fired.
'I can dodge this easy... Oh shit!'
Dodging the missile, I suddenly remembered the open basement door behind me. If I dodged wrong and it exploded, the flames could reach the kids.
"Tch."
I stopped my turn. Couldn't dodge? Then block it with my body.
Steel Skin
Skin hardens into impenetrable steel. Bullet/missile resistant.
As the skill activated, my already heavy body grew even heavier. Skin turning to steel, naturally.
I crossed my arms to shield my face.
BOOM-!
The missile hit my arms and exploded on impact.
"Got him?"
One of them muttered from behind the flames.
"Got him"... the resurrection spell for the dead.
I wasn't dead or hurt, but since he'd said it, reacting was only natural.
"Hup!"
I charged through the flames. Target: the resurrection caster.
"Huh?"
I swung at the dumbfounded bastard. Thwack-! His head snapped at an unnatural angle, and he passed out.
"Damn! That guy's a monster! Shoot! Keep shooting!"
More gunfire. No time to waste this round—I subdued them fast.
Yeah, I'd been thinking wrong from the start.
Resolved to be a villain, yet I'd tried peaceful talk. Villains lead with fists and guns, not words. Talk after you crush them.
'Ahh... so that's why the Shoot-On-Sight Law exists!'
Like chugging fizzy soda, the blockage in my head cleared right up.
Enlightened on the law's purpose, I'd leveled up mentally. From now on, punch first, ask later.
"Groan..."
"Spare me..."
Subduing them didn't take long.
No superpowered villains among them, and even if there were, they'd be kids against a level 10 Body Enhancer.
Guys with limbs bent wrong writhed in agony, groaning.
"Anyone makes a sound for the next ten minutes dies. Keep it up if you wanna die."
"..."
"..."
My threat shut them up instantly. Pain beat death, apparently.
With them quiet, I headed back to the basement. Standing guard like a gatekeeper at the entrance had kept the missile flames from reaching the kids.
Downstairs, the kids trembled. Gunfire and explosions would've scared any adult—kids especially.
"Let's go."
"..."
"I'll take you home. I beat the bad... uh, bad uncles. No one can touch you now."
"..."
The shaking kids started glancing at each other. The eleven-year-old girl stepped up.
"You really... gonna let us go home?"
"Yeah. But you'll need your addresses. If not, I'll drop you at the police station."
The girl stared into me, like checking if I meant it. I didn't look away.
Mask on—could she even see my eyes? How'd she tell?
"...Okay. Let's go, everyone."
"You trust me?"
"Yeah. And... we don't have a choice anyway."
"Fair enough. Everyone, come up carefully."
While she gathered the kids, I went up first and covered the bug-like crumpled goons with crates.
"Like I said, mouths shut for ten minutes. Sound off, and you're dead."
"..."
Cold sweat poured, but they stayed silent. I'd have screamed regardless—I guess that's the grit for villainy.
Soon, the girl cautiously led the kids up. She scanned nervously, spotted me, and approached.
"All out?"
"Yes..."
"Then let's go."
And so, I led the kids out of the warehouse.
'Whew...'
A sigh escaped. How long to drop all these off home?
Ding-dong-!
"...Who is it?"
Emily dragged herself from her seat at the doorbell, shuffling to the door.
A year ago, she'd lost her beloved daughter. Like a ghost snatched her, her girl vanished from the playground mid-play.
Reported to police and Hero Association, plastered flyers—nothing. A year later, still gone.
Longing, guilt, regret turned Emily into a shell of herself.
"Who... Gasp?!"
Without checking, she opened the door. A hulking man in a suit stood there—with a skull mask flipped on.
The masked face screamed burglar to her panicked mind.
She slammed the door—gun in the bedroom for barricade and calling cops.
But a voice from behind him stopped her.
"Mommy!"
"Rachel?"
Her daughter's head peeked from behind the giant. Beaming happily, then sniffling.
"Sob... I wanted to show Mommy... my smile! Waaah! Mommyyy!"
"Rachel? Is that really you? Oh God, thank you! Thank you so much!"
Emily and Rachel hugged tight in tearful reunion.
The small body, the voice in her ear—it was her Rachel. No dream.
"Rachel, what happened? Where've you been?"
"Sob... well..."
Rachel sniffled, unable to speak.
"It's okay. Tell me later. Sorry, so sorry, Rachel. Mommy should've been there... I'm so sorry."
"Sniff... It's okay, Mommy. The uncle saved us."
"Uncle? Oh?"
Emily remembered the skull-masked man. Looking for him, he was gone.
"Rachel, that guy just now... with you... he saved you?"
"Yeah! He beat the bad uncles and rescued us."
"Oh my God... Thank you. Thank you so much..."
Emily thanked not God, but the masked man. Right now, he and the heavens were equals.
I watched the mother-daughter reunion from the rooftop.
"Tears gushing. This is a tear shower."
Storm of tears from my eyes. Once started, they wouldn't stop—every kid back with parents meant more floods.
Twenty-three kids reunited today—twenty-three cries. Saying men cry thrice in life? I shattered that.
Enough tears for a real shower.
Anyway, kids home safe. Next up: erase the horrific evidence. And crush the filthy buyers of child porn.
"So much to do."
Time to build my underworld empire proper, but the to-do list's endless.