Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Infiltration
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Two weeks had already passed since Investigator Lee Ha-yul's relentless investigation began.
Realizing this couldn't go on, I made up my mind.
"Writer-nim."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Yes?] "Just do it."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [...Are you okay with that? You said it was dangerous.] Yeah. Dangerous.
The investigation was still ongoing. So doggedly that you could believe it was already half-certain suspicion. Pretty dangerous, no doubt.
But there was no other way.
Killing her? Writer-nim was against it. Even after I sliced three more villains for an alibi, she didn't budge an inch.
Staying put? That made even less sense.
"We need to wipe them out while we've got some breathing room. Those villains."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [...Ugh.] Writer-nim let out a groan, unable to muster any real counterargument.
It was her fault, after all.
I'd tried to keep things plausible somehow, but 2,400 villains? Way too many, no matter how you sliced it.
Had no choice but to cut them down.
"And now that it's come to this, no helping it."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [No helping it...?] "I've used Laira way too much. Side effects are showing up."
I glanced at the posts popping up online.
Amid the flood of radical comments on the news articles, there were tons supporting Arachne.
Even after deploying Laira in this blatant, "still gonna suspect me?" kind of way, it had backfired.
Slicing villains in other districts to throw them off. Slicing them during class. Even taking out ones inside the prison.
After seeing her refuse to drop the suspicion despite all that, I gave up.
Why? Why suspect me? ...That's what I thought.
Then, absentmindedly scrolling through news comments, I found the clue.
"A secret organization or whatever... Never saw that coming."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [...Well, it's not that strange. They keep popping up all over the place.] "True..."
Was it because I'd sliced villains all over the place to dodge suspicion?
Before I knew it, rumors were spreading that Arachne wasn't some lone wolf, but part of an organization.
"No wonder she's not letting it go. She probably thinks it wasn't me personally, but my group pulling the strings."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [But isn't it cool? A secret organization.] "Haa..."
I could feel Writer-nim getting flustered by my sigh.
Did she think I'd love it, of course?
...Well, honestly? Totally love it. Secret organization—super cool.
So why the sigh?
Couldn't help it when I realized her tastes were starting to match mine...
"Anyway, you've got them placed properly, right?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Yes, yes! Twelve executives and 600 villains! Guaranteed!] "Good. Let's go, then."
Perfect timing—no annoying investigator around right now.
Better wipe them out quick.
Goal: whittle them down to around four.
But taking them out one by one? No telling when that'd end.
So grabbing three at once should be better.
As for the villains? Eh.
Roughly four execs and 800 underlings should do it. That's plenty, right?
I finally got why the Four Heavenly Kings pop up in so many novels.
Four execs feels just right...
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [B-but what if you get caught?] "Caught how?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [The investigator. Do we have to kill her? ...Hiiing. But she's too valuable to lose.] "So that's what you were thinking."
If Investigator Lee Ha-yul caught me? Piece of cake.
"Just lean on the Association."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Huh?] "A secret organization that's deeply infiltrated the Association. Cool, right?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [...! Yes, super cool!] If getting caught anyway, what's the problem?
Since they're already treating me like a secret org, might as well make it real.
I wash my hands of it.
Let them try to catch me or not. Up to them.
Pressure from above, and they'll back off on their own.
No point hunting evidence anymore.
A little uneasy thinking it might cause issues going this far, but no choice.
Leave it alone, it'll get way more annoying.
...Oh, but a secret org with just me and Laira? Kinda awkward, right?
Would be nice if some fun character popped up out of nowhere.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Yaaawn... Annoying. Why're they guarding so heavily?"
"You know. All the fuss lately with Arachne and whatnot."
"Ah, that? Think it was Mormo-nim who got killed?"
Dark night, inside an abandoned factory with no sign of people coming or going.
Armed villains were laughing and chatting away.
"Yeah. After something like that, can't be helped. It'll go back to normal soon enough, though. Honestly, he wasn't that strong."
"...True. Weak compared to the other execs."
"So let's just guard properly. Compared to that place, we've got three times the numbers here. No way they could come."
-Clunk!
"... ? Didn't you hear a weird noise?"
"Nah. Probably nothing."
"No, I definitely heard it. Sounded like it came from somewhere around... Guhk?!"
"Kuhk... ?! B-breath...!"
It happened in an instant.
One villain, hearing the odd noise, approached the vent to check it out. Another followed, looking suspicious.
The moment they got close. Whoosh.
In a flash, two threads wrapped around their necks.
"Gu... hk...! S-save..."
"..."
After a brief struggle, the two went limp. I lightly manipulated the threads around their necks, pulling the bodies into the vent to hide them.
...This is harder than I thought.
Moving around inside vents like in movies or games? Way easier to get spotted than expected.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Reader's favorite infiltration—how's it feel doing it for real?] "How's it feel? What's the point of saying it out loud?"
Obviously amazing.
Way too fun.
Hiding in the shadows, taking out enemies one by one.
Everyone's fantasized about it at least once, right?
Doing in reality what I'd only imagined felt incredible.
I figured I'd only get to try it in some hyper-realistic VR game right before dying or something.
Downside was how easy it was to get detected, but it had this experiential learning vibe.
"Looks like 600 was too many after all."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [But the reader said 600 was doable!] "No, I mean... Didn't expect security this tight... I'm sorry, okay?"
One thing I'd miscalculated.
...That there'd be time to change clothes.
After seeing how lax their security was last time.
Figured I'd slice about 100, change outfits, slice more, change again.
Repeat as needed.
But nope.
Maybe because an exec got killed and hundreds of villains dropped at once?
Or the news saying the culprit was still out there slicing villains?
Security was intense. Fighting like this would be tough.
Go in openly? I'd have to fight all 600 back-to-back.
Not worried about losing even a little, but the problem was running out of clothes.
Even against 200, I changed once. Against 600? Had to change midway.
Keep fighting nonstop, I'd end up getting nabbed stark naked like some slut.
So I came up with infiltration.
First, take out the top brass. Then slowly mop up the confused grunts.
No leaders left? Morale crashes, judgment goes out the window.
They won't realize I can't keep fighting forever.
That's when I change clothes and sweep the rest.
Easy, right?
"Hey, why no response... Hek?!"
"Cr-crazy! Enemy... Mmph! Mmph! Mmmph!"
...If there's one problem, it's that the plan's already gone to hell.
Vents are noisier than I thought.
Movies make it look fine, so I figured I could pull it off.
Crawling along, my chest got in the way so I adjusted, and that's when the clunk happened. Scared the hell out of me.
-Static. ...Respond. "Hm?"
-Respond, now. ...What's going on? No answer in 1 minute, sounding the assault alarm. Respond! ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ah, we're busted.] "Yeah. Haha, oh well."
Pity, but looks like this infiltration game's over.
Not even a hint of worry about dying.
Writer-nim can't go on without me. She'd keep me alive somehow, no matter what.
But could I escape unscathed after freely slaughtering Übermensch members?
Couldn't fully trust Writer-nim.
She might suddenly go, "Tragic heroines are trending these days!" and lop off a limb or two.
...Prosthetic arms are cool and all, but I don't wanna live with one.
Shooting energy beams from my hands sounds kinda tempting, but I prefer all limbs intact.
Only guarantee is I won't die. No promise about keeping all my parts.
So, infiltration's off the table.
If I get caught hiding, that's game over right there.
So what's next?
Not hard.
"Guess this is smack in the middle of the factory..."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [All three execs are in the command room!] "Good."
I clenched my fists in the barely used half-gloves.
...Always wanted to try this.
Feels like nothing, surprisingly.
"Alright. We've infiltrated plenty. Time for the next phase."
Enemies on all sides. No more sneaking.
Only one way: blast through.
"Speedrun... starting?"
That catchphrase from a famous stealth action game.
Leave no witnesses alive, and it's an assassination.
Time to see if that's true for real today.