Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: No-Kill Rule OFF
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Finding the new hideout of the Skull Head Gang was a breeze. I'd seen the memories of my first clone, MARK-Two, while fondling Yuna's chest earlier as she slept.
Sure enough, as I approached the hideout, there was a bald skullhead at the entrance, puffing away on three cigarettes at once. Not your average chain-smoker. What a mayfly life for the bald bastard!
"Huh? Boss? When did you step out?"
The bald guy spotted me and asked with a baffled look. Step out? This fucker. I just got here today.
"I didn't."
"Pardon?"
I ignored the still-confused baldhead and headed inside.
"Oh ho? Looking sharp."
The building was brand new and spotless. The white floors were so clean you couldn't find a speck of dust. If a stranger walked in, they'd think it was just another ordinary office.
"Boss?"
"Wasn't he inside?"
Every baldhead I ran into asked the exact same question. So, for my dear subordinates, I bestowed some golden wisdom that would sink into their bones and flesh.
"Shut up and sell more drugs, you bald fuckers. Half the sales go straight to you, so why the hell are you slacking? My safe's bone dry. Get out there and hustle. Back in my day, I wouldn't leave a stone unturned to sell one bag. You lot these days... Tsk tsk. And what's with all the skull tattoos on your heads?"
"....."
"....."
My subordinates, moved by my advice, stared at me with dumbfounded faces. Of course. Who else would drop truth bombs like that? If someone had said that to me, I'd be bawling my eyes out in gratitude.
"Heh."
"....."
"....."
But I'm a gentleman with manners, so I stepped out before they could shed their tears. Now they'll cry their hearts out. Heh! Let it flow!
BAM-!
"The great one descends!"
"You're here."
"Boss is here!"
Entering the boss's room on the top floor, MARK-Two—who was currently leading the Skull Head Gang in my stead—and Mid-Boss greeted me.
Wait, wasn't I going for the silent villain vibe? Somewhere along the line, I forgot the concept. Damn! Sticking to character is important!
"...I'll take my leave then."
"Yeah."
Mid-Boss, eyeing MARK-Two and me alternately with wonder, bowed at a perfect 90 degrees and left. Curious, huh? I'm curious too. Here I am, and there's another me right in front of me. How could it not be weird?
Once we were alone, I sat across from MARK-Two.
"Heard you got jumped by those dickheads?"
"Damn! Was wondering why you weren't teasing."
Bringing up how he'd been jumped by villains, MARK-Two slammed the sofa armrest in frustration.
"How do you get owned by level 7s and below?"
"I'm level 7 too. If you were gonna dump the dirty work on me, you should've at least given me that suit. Why does the tankiest guy hog all the good stuff? Don't you know placement?"
"Hey now! Don't get greedy. This suit's like a symbol proving I'm the real deal. Jealous? Go beg Peter senior for one yourself."
"Too busy here to visit."
"Huh? That much work?"
"...Well, yeah. You dumped everything on Mid-Boss, so no wonder you don't know how the org runs."
"Dump it on him too. Problem solved."
"Even if he's mid-boss, he's still expendable. What if he drops dead one day after you hand him everything? How you gonna clean up the mess?"
"It'll work out."
"Tch. To think that's my original."
MARK-Two clicked his tongue at my nonchalant attitude. Smirking at him, I straightened up and whispered,
"How'd the investigation go?"
"Failure for now. Tried three bugs, no change."
"Tch. Wasted bugs."
"Tell me about it. We're the same—you me, me you—but I'm just a clone, so maybe it won't work. The original you doing it might yield different results."
"Kill more precious bugs for that? The farm'll go empty."
"This place is crawling with heroes and villains. If we want, restocking bugs from the farm is a snap. Plus, the ones we have are low-grade anyway. Just burn through 'em."
"....."
Being myself, he sure talks sense. Probably just pulling thoughts straight from my head.
As you might guess from the convo, I'd tasked MARK-Two with a special mission when I attached him to Mid-Boss: investigate the tattoo's creation conditions and what it means.
Issuing orders was easy. No need for contact—just think, and the clone reads it and acts.
Clone Jutsu is one hell of a convenient superpower.
But the investigation and tests were a total bust. MARK-Two killed three bugs from the farm, and nothing happened.
"Heading out now?"
"Gotta. Oh, before that—the intel you dug up?"
"What... Oh, that?"
"Yeah. Hand it over. Gonna smack one around then hit the farm."
"I'll handle my own revenge."
"Then level up your power or something. It's weak, that's why you get beat."
"Feels like calling big bro after losing a fight."
"Am I your bro? I'm you."
"You're me, and I'm you. There."
MARK-Two pulled a file from the desk and handed it over. It detailed the location of the villain commando team that ambushed him.
"I'm off."
"Go get 'em."
I waved to MARK-Two and headed out. Time to see the faces of the punks who hurt my clone.
"Gah, gaaahhh!"
"M-monster!"
"Steel Armor! Steel Armor's here!"
The criminals—ugly enough to stop a crying kid in their tracks—freaked out at my appearance and bolted.
I didn't bother chasing the runners.
Villains converse via the Non-Lethal Shooting Law. So those fleeing weren't villains.
Clutching bullets between my fingers, I entered the building. Dozens lined up, glaring murderously.
Leading them was a towering guy easily over 2 meters. Holy shit! Dude must work out like a beast—bigger than me.
Tsk, bet he benches 1000 easy?
"Kukuku! Steel Armor. You got wrecked by us and tucked tail, now you show up again? Came to die this time?"
The crocodile-lookalike sneered. That wasn't me—it was my clone. But I couldn't say that, so it felt unfair.
"Was it? My memory's a bit different. I remember a bunch of B-rank villains swarming to catch one guy, clowning around, then fleeing."
"Hmph! Must've hit your head. Talking crazy."
"Well... We'll see whose memory's right soon enough. More importantly, [Crocodile]."
"What?"
The croc-like guy, [Crocodile], jutted his chin. Note: he can't control sand.
His power was transformation—turning into a crocodile, scorpion-style. Powers like his all look similar but off from real animals. The transformed form stirred disgust and revulsion.
"Came to collect settlement money first."
"Settlement?"
Strictly speaking, it was the clone who got beat by Crocodile and the others, but a clone's me, so same thing.
Naturally, I could collect on his behalf. Gonna buy Yuna something tasty!
"Yeah. Settlement. Hurt someone for no reason? Pay up. Otherwise, red line on your family registry. No settlement means straight criminal. Oh, wait—you already are?"
"Kuhahaha! Now I see, Steel Armor—you're a raving lunatic! Settlement? Kuhahahaha!"
Puhahahahaha!
Crocodile laughed, and his goons joined in. Wanna see if you laugh later?
"FYI, pay up now and I'll 'let you live.' No pay? You die here today. Need to kill someone for an experiment anyway."
No Batman-bro's little bro/heir mode today. Gotta kill for the test.
But the sacred No-Kill Rule can't be broken!
So today, just this once, I'm Joker-bro's little bro/heir. Uh, ugh! Why so serious-!
"That so? But you got the wrong address. You're the one dying today, Steel Armor! Kill you, take your turf! Fire!"
His goons opened fire. Bullets can't pierce the suit anyway. I raised an arm to shield my mask and charged Crocodile.
"Kukuku! Kuhahaha!"
Crocodile activated his power and charged back.
His already huge body swelled bigger. Nearly 3 meters of monster now. Clothes shredded, revealing rough, tough dark croc hide.
His superpower hide was like a shield. Bullets bounced off harmlessly.
"!!!!!"
Seeing Crocodile's face, I was shocked.
He had a 2-meter tail, but that's normal for crocs.
But his face... Croc snout stretched out, yet the face was human! Everything else croc-like, face unchanged. And walking on two legs!
Human-faced scorpion, now human-faced croc!
I knew from MARK-Two's memories, but seeing it doubled the horror.
"Kyaaah! Monster!"
"Kuhahaha... Kuh?!"
KABOOM-!
I launched forward, slamming an uppercut into his protruding jaw. So grotesque, I put too much power in. Blood sprayed from nose and mouth as his head spun skyward.
Followed up with a punch to the forehead.
SMACK-! THUD-!
"""""....."""""
Nose, mouth, then head gone. Shattered into fragments flying back.
Two hits, and Crocodile was dead. His goons, firing at me, fell silent.
Yeah, shocked. I was too, seeing a bipedal croc.
Like humans evolving from monkeys through stages to now, crocs evolved to walk on two legs.
This croc heralded croc evolution. Proving they could thrive on land, bipedal. Soon, crocs would build civilizations, wield weapons.
And wage holy war on humans for past humiliations. Called in posterity:
Man VS Crocodile!
"Mm! Pure B-movie monster flick vibes."
Wonder if I can skin this croc for a bag? Take to Peter senior later.
"""""....."""""
Turning, Crocodile's goons still stared blankly. To loosen them up, I grinned.
"Why so serious?"
Why freeze up? It's not that big a deal, right?