I'll Let You Two Live – Terror Strikes
In the evening, a raid by the Villain Alliance broke out at a department store, and soon after, villains began indiscriminately attacking civilians in other locations as well. Numerous people were killed or gravely injured and rushed to hospitals, with casualties even among the heroes.
The four Mid-level heroes who had responded to the initial terror attack at the department store all perished. Afterward, Senior heroes and many others gathered at the store to suppress the attack, but in the end, they let the villains slip away.
Given the deaths of countless civilians and heroes, the media had been buzzing with coverage since early morning. Turn on the TV, and you'd see experts lambasting the Hero Association left and right.
Why had they let the Villain Alliance run rampant until now? Heroes stationed nearby had all rushed to the department store, leaving no one to respond when terror struck elsewhere. Critics poured in, questioning whether they'd thrown in their forces too thoughtlessly.
Voices doubting the caliber of modern heroes kept erupting nonstop. In the initial suppression, four Mid-level heroes had fallen to just two villains. "Heroes who fight to protect citizens shouldn't lose to villains," they argued.
With nearly every major broadcaster covering the incident, it was easy enough to piece together what had happened. The villains first triggered terror at the department store to lure in heroes. They'd mercilessly kill any weak heroes who showed up, but drag things out with hostages against the strong ones, holing up in a standoff.
Once heroes concentrated their forces there to stop them, villains waiting elsewhere launched identical indiscriminate attacks. To be frank, it was a brilliant plan by the Villain Alliance—no, more like cunningly shrewd.
Heroes generally operate within fixed zones. The villains deliberately hit the areas with the weakest heroes using their strongest forces. From the Association's perspective, after four Mid-level heroes had already died, sending in just anyone risked them being overpowered in turn.
To prevent that, they'd have to deploy strong heroes or large numbers—but the villains exploited those gaps with surgical precision. Of course, the remaining heroes eventually rushed to suppress the other attacks, but by then, the villains had inflicted civilian casualties and vanished.
From the start, it was a fight tilted in the Alliance's favor. How could those who just needed to kill indiscriminately be on equal footing with those who had to fight while protecting people?
Their goal was probably to shatter the Association's credibility to rock bottom. And they'd succeeded. Voices condemning the Association's incompetence were spreading everywhere.
Amid growing doubts about modern heroes' quality, this mega-incident had ignited the controversy. With so many victims, people got riled up easily and raged just as quick. Agitators eager to blow it up only fueled the flames, turning arrows of blame toward the heroes.
The main targets were heroes active in broadcasting or YouTube. Online, they tore into those prioritizing entertainment over hero work like a witch hunt. The fury spread even to heroes unrelated to the scene. It was so absurd it was laughable.
This was a novel world, sure, but no different from my old reality. The villains were the ones who'd committed the terror—why were the heroes taking the heat?
Sure, I agreed that heroes focusing on SNS had lowered overall quality. But did they really deserve this level of abuse? If heroes lost motivation from the hatred of those they protected, who benefited?
Was even this part of the Alliance's calculations? Maybe they'd stirred the atmosphere themselves. One thing was clear: this trend was bad. The Alliance remained intact, while the Association was in tatters.
In raw power, the Alliance couldn't match the Association. But the Association's defense spanned too wide, making it hard to catch villains who struck surgically at weak points.
Even we Supporters were on high alert. With injured flooding hospitals from last night's chaos, an emergency muster order came down. We weren't medics—just crowd control—but with so many grieving families, tempers were high and it wouldn't be easy.
Still, no choice but to go. With heavy steps, I headed to the assembly point alongside Seo Chaerim and Hyunsu hyung.
The hospital we arrived at to manage the crowds was pure hell. Medical staff were stretched thin, and overnight injuries had overwhelmed them. They prioritized the critically ill, leaving the rest's pained groans and furious shouts to echo deafeningly.
If these weren't patients, it would've erupted into a riot right then—the air was that tense. And naturally, that blind rage flew at us Supporters too.
Slap!!
"How long are you gonna make us wait?! If my kid dies like this, you'll take responsibility!?"
A parent with a child crudely bandaged on the head slapped Seo Chaerim across the face and bellowed.
I got their anger. Keeping cool when your kid's dying isn't easy. But why take it out on us? We weren't villains, heroes, or even doctors.
Already stressed from absorbing everyone's fury, seeing them get physical made my own temper flare—I stepped forward instinctively. Seo Chaerim blocked me, murmuring calmly with a straight face.
"It's fine. Don't step in."
The one who'd been slapped brushed it off, soothing the crowd with poise. Even the raging parent gradually calmed, eventually falling silent.
Honestly, unexpected. I'd figured she'd snap back with a slap of her own.
During a brief break, I grabbed coffee from the convenience store and handed it to Seo Chaerim.
"Cheek okay?"
"No big deal."
"You held back well. Thought you'd slap right back."
"What do you take me for? I'm not violent like you."
This girl. I'd come to console her, and she snaps at me?
"Turn the other cheek, right? Here, offer this one too, you bitch."
"Stay away, you perv!"
"How am I the perv?!"
Surprising, but yeah, that temper wouldn't vanish. As I bickered with Seo Chaerim, Hyunsu hyung approached, breathing heavily with exhaustion.
"Hyung, coffee."
"Ah, thanks, Yuseong."
Hyunsu hyung popped the plastic lid and gulped it down, then slumped into a seat. Usually chatty, he looked drained now.
Staring blankly at the still-rowdy crowd, he spoke up.
"Isn't it ridiculous? The heroes aren't the ones at fault, yet people vent on the innocent."
"I get it, but it doesn't feel great."
Dusk had fallen, darkness settling, but the parking lot throngs showed no sign of thinning. We'd been at it for hours since afternoon—utterly wiped.
Bonus pay better come through.
"So stupid. Biting heroes without distinguishing friend from foe. Then when villains show, they'll beg them for life. Pathetic—makes me wanna laugh."
"...Yeah."
Something felt off. From a week together, Hyunsu hyung struck me as bright, loud, lively—never badmouthing others. But now, his words dripped with thick disgust toward people.
Made sense after today's mess, but the awkward vibe was stifling.
"Whew. Feeling good now. You two, head out."
"Huh? Out where?"
"Home, duh. For the week's memories, I'll let you live."
"Hyunsu hyung, what're you—"
His vibe flipped 180 degrees—goosebumps rose. What the hell was this guy saying? Sounded like he was...
"I don't really hold grudges against the Association. Just hate people. Humans are so selfish, ugly. We meant for some of this, but it went better than planned—actually pissing me off."
Nam Hyunsu stood casually and walked toward the crowd.
No. Stop him. Letting him go now meant disaster.
But I couldn't transform. Seo Chaerim was right there, and too many eyes.
"You got a communicator?"
"...No. That guy's got it."
Seo Chaerim seemed to catch on too. But with him holding the communicator, no reporting to heroes.
Marie's number flashed in my phone. I whipped it out and called frantically, but no answer—probably working.
Damn it. Left a text, decided to slip away and transform.
But the next instant—
BOOM―――!!!
A massive explosion rocked from inside the hospital.