Chapter 171: 31st Floor: The Choice
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 171: 31st Floor: The Choice
After finishing my hero duties for the day, I stopped by the supermarket in my black-haired civilian guise, bought a load of Pinkuza meat, and was now on my way home.
As I walked, my firm breasts and butt bouncing with each step, subtly enjoying being gaze-raped by the men around me, dozens of military trucks and police cars suddenly swerved to block the crosswalk I was about to use.
A helicopter roared past overhead, its massive propellers chopping the air. Emergency channels activated on the building's electronic billboards, displaying the words {Breaking News}.
Even then, I didn't think much of it.
I figured some military operation was underway in District 1 and watched as if it had nothing to do with me.
But it didn't even take ten seconds for me to realize I was the target.
Passing cars screeched to a halt. From all sides, guns were aimed at me, forming a tight circle.
Civilians screamed and fled. I tried to take cover as well, but…
They were looking right at me.
"S-rank hero Pink Spear, you are under arrest as a prime suspect for being an S-rank villain. Surrender peacefully!"
"Eh...?"
What? Me? They mean me? Why?
This wasn't just a few cops coming to arrest me.
Spreading my senses wide, I could feel them.
Hundreds of B to A-rank heroes.
It seemed they had even mobilized the police and heroes from District 5, as I recognized quite a few faces. I could see the bald-headed Power Fist and the other heroes from my district, all wearing confused expressions.
This was a completely unexpected situation.
"B-But I'm not a villain...?"
Though I was more than a little flustered, I denied the accusation while my mind raced.
Should I fight back, or should I let them take me quietly?
What was their goal? Was this really just a simple inquiry? The scale of their preparation suggested otherwise.
It felt like they had come prepared to deal with me as if I were a genuine S-rank villain.
Of course, I would still win if it came to a fight, but…
If I resisted, I would have no choice but to kill most of them with my own hands. Did this situation even make sense?
Dammit! This is so sudden!
As I was deliberating, the leader of this special inspection team, dressed in a suit, stepped forward and spoke.
"Pink Spear. Nothing is confirmed yet. It is merely a suspicion. We trust you will cooperate with the investigation. If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear from an investigation."
"......"
But I am innocent…
And yet, he was holding a psychic suppression device.
It was similar to the one I had worn in the 11th-floor prison.
A restraining collar designed to suppress a villain's powers.
Seeing that made my thoughts race even faster.
If the council had already decided I was an S-rank villain and this was just a ruse to execute me, it could be dangerous.
So, should I resist here?
That would also be disastrous.
My duty is to protect the citizens of District 5.
If I went on a rampage and fought against District 1, my reward grade would plummet.
And there was one thing this incident made certain, something I had felt for a while now.
There's no way an Ordeal would unfold in such a screwed-up way. I must have stumbled onto a hidden or true ending route.
The cause was probably the Ice Heaven Emperor, the S-rank celebrity who got his limbs cut off.
I don't know why, but ever since then, an S-rank villain had suddenly appeared in District 2, and District 1 had declared a state of emergency and started intervening.
In any case, what's certain right now is that the Ordeal's difficulty has skyrocketed!
Damn you, Ice Heaven Emperor! Is this your true power?!
"Pink Spear? Don't overthink it. If you are guilty, you will be punished. If you are innocent, you will be released. Naturally, you must be innocent. So please, come quietly. The citizens are watching."
I looked up at the electronic billboard.
{Breaking News}
[S-rank Hero Pink Spear, Under Emergency Arrest on Suspicion of Being an S-rank Villain.]
The caption ran alongside aerial footage of me being surrounded on all sides.
This time, the nearby citizens weren't cheering. Instead, they began shouting in disbelief.
Hmm... Maybe I'm being too paranoid. It could just be a simple investigation. Surely they wouldn't do anything to me with all these citizens watching, right?
The citizens, more than anyone, knew what I had done for them.
And on second thought, what would they gain by killing or purging me, an S-rank hero?
Unless the Ice Heaven Emperor was the Saintess's secret son, why would they harm me? Weren't we all heroes of justice?
Even if our methods differed slightly, our goal was the same: to ensure the safety of the citizens!
We are heroes.
"Alright, I surren—"
Just then,
The moment I was about to surrender peacefully, I heard the voice of my sidekick, Ellie.
[Pink Spear! Don't! You absolutely can't let them take you! You really can't! They're going to kill you!]
"......Hm?"
Kill me? Why? I'm a hero of justice.
[Those filthy hero bastards... If you go with them, you'll die!]
"Now, we will place the collar on you."
"Wait a moment."
Filthy heroes...? Ellie?
I grabbed the wrist of the hero who was trying to put the collar on me.
Grab.
Instantly, everyone froze.
The air crackled with tension, ready to explode at any moment.
The hero in front of me was trying to act calm, but the cold sweat dripping down his face betrayed his nervousness.
[Thought Acceleration]
I activated the skill on the item equipped in my head slot, Grahlin's Headband.
The world around me stopped as if time had been frozen. My body, too, was immobile, save for my thoughts.
What in the world is going on?
I needed to consider Ellie's words, but that wasn't what plunged me into deep thought.
On the surface, it seemed like Ellie was just worried about me, but something felt off.
Was it because the situation was so urgent that her true feelings slipped out?
Why does it sound like Ellie is hostile towards heroes?
It didn't seem like it was just because of the current situation.
And it wasn't just because she cursed them out a little.
How is Ellie so sure I'll be killed if I'm captured? Does she have information I don't?
And our association headquarters, not to mention the sidekicks, must be under lockdown. So where is Ellie communicating with me from?
Why do you hold such animosity towards heroes?
Once the seed of doubt was planted, suspicious memories began to surface.
The reports from the District 1 S-rank hero, which analyzed my weaknesses with an almost hostile precision.
The strange, cold tone in her voice when she heard the news that the Ice Heaven Emperor was suing me.
The way she sounded flustered when I was kidnapped, transformed into a hero, and destroyed the villain's hideout.
Actions I had dismissed as trivial, things I never paid attention to because I thought, 'there's no way.'
Come to think of it, where was Ellie when the S-rank villain appeared in District 5 in the past?
A sidekick who was F-rank on paper managed to break through an S-rank villain's hacking and call for backup?
Something... something is strange.
The questions piled up.
Even on that day.
That horrific day when the S-rank villain killed every last hero and sidekick in District 5.
Why did it spare me?
"......"
No, this could all just be my paranoid delusions.
My cute, kind Ellie, an S-rank villain? No one would believe such bullshit.
Right, there's no way.
How could Ellie, who had been with this body since childhood and graduated from the Hero Academy with me, possibly become a villain?
I shouldn't suspect a comrade based on mere circumstantial evidence.
At the very least, her desire to protect me is genuine, isn't it?
My head ached slightly.
A choice had suddenly appeared before me.
Whichever path I chose, I had no certainty that it was the 100% correct one.
I had to find the best option with no information.
...
..
.
...Right. This is the best choice.
Thought Acceleration ended, and I released the District 1 hero's wrist.
It's not that I completely disbelieved Ellie. The heroes might have some suspicious scheme up their sleeves, just as she said.
However, Ellie was also acting suspicious, and more importantly, I could escape even if I was captured.
If they try anything funny, I can react then.
"W-We will now place you under arrest."
The inspection team leader, his hands trembling as he wiped away cold sweat, placed the power-suppressing collar on me.
Click.
As the collar locked into place, I felt the strength and divine power drain from my body. I was now like a normal person.
I could still hear Ellie's voice screaming "No!" as if in despair, but that too was cut off when they confiscated my hero bracelet.
Right. It doesn't matter if I get captured anyway.
I collected my chaotic thoughts and considered the situation calmly.
My defense stat remains the same. Other than that one guy from District 1, no one can even scratch me, and if worst comes to worst, I can just break the collar.
With my durability, I probably wouldn't even die if this thing exploded on my neck...
What I thought was a crisis turned out to be nothing once I cooled my head. In fact, it might even be an opportunity.
If the S-rank villain appears while I'm gone, letting his guard down, I can just break the collar and take him out.
I could see the people around me letting out sighs of relief and lowering their guns.
The electronic billboard now displayed the caption: [Prime S-rank Villain Suspect Pink Spear Apprehended].
"Follow me."
Following the inspection team leader, I boarded the back of a large truck with what looked like a very thick door.
Even as I climbed into the truck, my worries didn't cease.
Who should I trust?
No, that's not it.
In times like these, I just need to be cold and focus only on the Ordeal's reward.
Right, I can't get immersed in the Ordeal. Useless sentimentality gets people killed. That's how my friends died in the past, and I, too, was betrayed because I was hung up on the idea of comradeship until the very end.
I, Lee Do-hee, am a cold woman who doesn't cling to things like affection.
I will act solely for the sake of the reward.
But...
No, it's the Ordeal's fault.
This damn Tower!
This shitty Tower that always picks these kinds of fucked-up Ordeals!
I didn't try to destroy the Tower in my past life for nothing!
Hoo... I wonder what's going to happen now.
S-rank villain.
What's your next move?
And if Ellie really is the S-rank villain...
I will have to make a choice once again.
*
I was transported in a villain-containment truck.
The outer walls were made of a thick alloy, and I was strapped to a chair in a full-body restraint.
Inside, the inspection team leader who had collared me and six large men who looked like heroes were watching over me.
I didn't sense any particular hostility from them.
"So why do you suspect me? I'm a good hero. I want to be out there fighting villains right now."
At my words, they all glanced at each other.
They remained tight-lipped, perhaps under orders not to converse with villains.
When I continued to pester them with questions, one finally spoke.
"Ahem, I don't know. So please stop asking. You'll find out when we get to the Council."
The Council.
The center of power in District 1 and the highest decision-making body in Raven City.
We rode the rest of the way in silence.
I had my own thoughts to sort out, and the guards seemed content just looking at my face and body. I was thoroughly gaze-raped for the entire ride.
And finally,
The rear door of the truck opened, and sunlight streamed in.
Someone pushed my arms, which were tied behind my back, forcing me forward.
Thud.
As I stepped outside, I saw a crowd of reporters waiting with their cameras ready.