Chapter 3

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 3

Chapter Title: The Mayor and the Special Task Force

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Three days.

Four days... no, three days.

72 hours.

4320 minutes.

259,200 seconds.

Exactly that much time had passed since my grand 'Zodiac Patrol Project' ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had been set in motion.

During that time, Neo Incheon had been astonishingly quiet.

No, not quiet.

As always, villains rampaged, heroes deployed, and somewhere, something was being smashed and repaired amid the everyday clamor.

The silence I was talking about was solely the public's silence toward me, Mayor Lee Garam.

Despite scrambling the Special Task Force's patrol routes into such a mess, why hadn't there been a single headline criticizing me, let alone news about surging crime rates or security gaps?

"This is weird..."

Weird.

Too weird.

This wasn't the picture I had painted.

A deranged mayor entrusting city security to zodiac horoscopes.

That headline should've graced front pages, TV stations should've rushed emergency debates, and online communities should've been plastered with my ridiculous photos.

"Hmm."

I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window in the mayor's office, arms crossed, gazing down at the city.

What was it? Was my incompetence so overwhelmingly transcendent that they couldn't even find words to criticize? Or had they not yet grasped the severity?

"It's gonna blow soon."

I desperately reassured myself.

"This is just the calm before the storm. The bigger the bomb, the longer the fuse. Yeah. My incompetence is a Little Boy-level disaster that could shake the whole city. It just takes time. Right. That's it."

Yes. That was it.

People would soon realize. Surging crime from security gaps. Citizens helpless against it. How idiotic and irresponsible my decision had been.

The longer it took, the more the anger would amplify. The pent-up fury would explode at once, dragging me down from the mayor's seat.

That was when it happened.

Bang—!

The door to the mayor's office flew open with a shriek from its hinges.

It's here! Finally, what was coming has arrived!

Clack-clack.

Military ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠boots marched with crisp precision across the marble floor.

Black Special Task Force uniform. Razor-sharp black bob. Straight brows that seemed to tolerate no injustice.

Special Task Force Commander, Kang Jiyeong.

Justice. Duty. Devotion.

A throwback figure who embodied those dusty old words.

She'd turned down offers from the Hero Association and major corporations, serving in the Special Task Force solely on her belief in protecting citizens.

In the original story, she was the fiercest counter to the corrupt Mayor Lee Garam. She hounded his every scandal, despised his incompetence, and saw his very existence as Neo Incheon's shame.

And now, she stormed into my office with murderous intent.

This was it. No doubt.

'Yes! That's it! Commander Kang! Get angrier! Despise me more! Prove how useless I am to Neo Incheon!'

What if she caused a scene here?

If the Special Task Force declared a strike, or worse, mutinied?

Or led her unit in a riot?

Impeachment was just a matter of time. No, it was certain.

I took a resolute deep breath.

Turn the other cheek if slapped on one, right?

Good. I was ready to offer both cheeks, beg on my hands and knees.

Any insults or blame, I'd take sweetly.

"What the..."

'Yes! Scream what an idiotic thing I did! Call me an incompetent tax thief!'

I put on the most arrogant, pathetic face possible and awaited her next words.

"What... how did you know?"

"...Huh?"

What?

What did she just say?

Know what? I don't know anything.

Ignorance, incompetence, irresponsibility—the three no's were my identity.

All I knew was lunch menus and quitting time.

Commander Kang Jiyeong slid a small USB drive across the desk with her fingertip.

"The new patrol routes you changed."

"Yes! The new patrol routes!"

"Thanks to them, we found the hideout of the notorious bomb terror group 'Zodiac' and arrested them all."

"Arrested the terror group... Huh?"

Arrested?

"The new routes included backroads we'd overlooked. An abandoned wastewater plant on the outskirts of the old industrial zone. That was Zodiac's hideout."

According to her, my random scribble had perfectly overlapped with the terrorists' secret passage.

"They were planning to blow up the entire Songdo International Business District. If we'd stuck to the old efficiency-focused routes, we wouldn't have noticed until the terror struck."

I stared at her blankly.

Beep—

The large TV on the wall switched to breaking news.

Screens showed villains in handcuffs being dragged out by gas-masked Special Task Force members. Next to them, piled explosives under mosaic blur.

The anchor's excited voice filled the office.

[Let's discuss with our ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠expert. Crime psychologist Professor Kim, your take on this?]

The screen split, showing a bespectacled intellectual man.

[Yes, in one word: a complete paradigm shift overturning traditional investigation methods. Zodiac, as you know, obsessively fixates on their zodiac symbols. Mayor Lee Garam exploited that exact weakness!]

No, I just drew the patrol route based on today's Capricorn horoscope...

[It's using villains' irrational psychology against them—something data-driven logic couldn't predict. A new form of psychological warfare via intuition and symbolism! A great victory for 'meta-investigation techniques'!]

Meta... what?

What the hell was I hearing?

The screen cut back to the scene with Task Force interviews.

[Thought he was just goofing off, sorry for judging by appearances!]

[Seemed weird at first. Who knew he had such profound insight!]

[Lee Garam! Lee Garam! Lee Garam!]

Praise. Adoration. Worship.

The feed was full of it.

"No..."

I clutched my head. Slammed it on the desk.

"No! I just wanted to screw up! The city! My rep! Everything!"

Why was it turning out like this!

"I just wanted to be the incompetent corrupt mayor!"

The next morning.

The sun rose as always, and Neo Incheon's morning began no different from yesterday.

But my world, Lee Garam's, had flipped 180 degrees.

Success.

How terrifying and cursed a word.

I hadn't slept a wink last night.

Close my eyes, and the anchor's excited voice, experts' gasps, citizens' cheers looped endlessly in my ears.

I'd given my all to fail. Mobilized every ounce of intellect, culture, common sense for perfect incompetence.

Yet the result was the opposite. A betrayal of logic, a mockery of cause and effect.

Slide.

The door opened silently.

No footsteps, no presence, no air shift. Suddenly, she was there.

My competent, beautiful, terrifying secretary, Seria.

She approached with her usual icy expression. In hand, a stack of fresh newspapers and a tablet PC.

Thud.

The papers dropped carelessly on my desk.

Reluctantly, I glanced at the front page.

Unbelievable. I just drew it because Capricorn's horoscope was good.

Seria activated the tablet and shoved it in my face.

A flashy graph filled the screen. A line chart crawled along the bottom then rocketed vertical.

"Your approval rating, Mayor. Spiked 15 points yesterday. Now at 35%."

"Up?!"

My involuntary shriek.

Why? Why?! It shouldn't rise! It needs to drop! Punch through the floor to the basement!

Seria's cool turquoise eyes narrowed.

"Most humans would rejoice at this news."

She spoke.

"But you look like you've heard a death sentence."

My heart plummeted.

"Did you bet your fortune on a drop? Didn't know you enjoyed such reckless gambles."

Sharp. Razor-edge critique.

I flailed my hands frantically.

"N-No! Of course not! It's... joy! Yeah! Too happy for words!"

"Human vocal cords must scream at extreme joy. First I've heard."

"No, not that! Responsibility! Yeah! The weight of citizens' expectations! True leaders don't get arrogant with support—they humble themselves! I'm... yeah, humbling intensely right now!"

I babbled whatever came to mind. Tongue moving solo, bypassing brain.

Seria said nothing.

Just stared piercingly.

"Hero Association briefing this afternoon. Please finish your intense humbling by then."

Fortunately, Seria turned. Vanished silently again.

Alone, I slumped into my chair.

Strength drained from my body.

Ruined.

Perfectly.

*

Late afternoon.

Alone in the office, I had my head on the desk.

Weird.

Everything was weird.

I'd clearly tried to wreck the city administration.

Every action aimed at one goal: 'impeachment.'

Yet why was my failure packaged as success?

Did this world have a grudge against me?

I recalled the original story.

There, Lee Garam was incompetence incarnate.

Every policy failed, every word sparked controversy. A walking disaster harming the city by existing.

Why couldn't I be that?

Then, a flash in my mind.

'Maybe... the scale of incompetence was the issue?'

Special Task Force route change.

In hindsight, too timid.

City wouldn't crumble overnight from route tweaks.

Neo Incheon's system was far sturdier than I thought.

A pebble wouldn't ripple this vast pond.

So.

Throw a bigger rock.

No. Rocks insufficient. House-sized boulder. No, a whole meteor!

An overwhelming catastrophe no one could fix or defend!

I bolted up.

Neo Incheon's skyline sprawled outside. Countless buildings stabbed the sky in competition.

And among them, one stood out.

A massive glassy steel spire. Arrogant tower gleaming in sunset.

KSH Tower.

Korea Super Hero Association headquarters. Heart where all city's justice converged.

I glared at it.

Yes. That's it.

Not enough messing with Task Force?

Fine. This time, the city's symbol, citizens' hope.

I'll mess with the Hero Association.