The Debut of the New Red and the Truth Committee
"Accomplice. Right. I'm an accomplice, too." Kang Yerin muttered to herself. Seeing her like that, the Association President clicked his tongue. "You only just realized that? You crazy bitch. Did you think you were some kind of saint? What's with this victim cosplay bullshit?"
"...You're right. Everything you say is true."
"If it weren't for the Dragon King Squadron, tsk. So, you admit it all? You're not going to talk back to me?"
"...I understand."
Kang Yerin nodded. The Association President had already noticed that she held special feelings for Jung Uiseok. He had left her alone, thinking it was just a fleeting emotion of youth and that, being well-versed in politics, she would soon realize what was more important. 'Looks like she's finally figured it out. Besides, a dead man isn't coming back anyway.'
Thinking this, the Association President left his office. He needed to put some ointment on the cheek Kang Yerin had slapped. Thud. The door closed. And in that moment—
'I have to find it.'
Life returned to Kang Yerin's eyes. She immediately began to tear the Association President's office apart. 'When the Association President was asked if the Dark Kingdom had been resurrected, Ji Sehwa asked him if he had seen our helmet recording data. The Association President was silent. That means he saw it. In other words.'
The final battle against Dark Arthur. The video evidence of that must exist. 'Hurry, hurry...!' Kang Yerin scanned the drawers, under the desk, and every corner of the room with lightning speed. And finally—
'This has to be it!'
Inside a hidden compartment within the bonsai tree. Kang Yerin found a chip and quickly copied its contents. Click—
'Oh no!'
The door opened at the same time. "What is it? You were still here?"
"We need to come up with a countermeasure. If the overseas associations won't cooperate, why not use their opposition? They say the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
Kang Yerin spoke calmly, pretending to look at the data while hiding the sound of her racing heart. "That opposition? What do you mean... Ah! I see. Kang Yerin, are you a genius?"
There was no shadow of doubt on the Association President's face. He was focused entirely on the data. Kang Yerin secretly returned the displaced bonsai base to its original position.
"Are you heading out?"
"Yes."
As I was about to leave the office, Emma tried to see me off. The residential area was quite noisy. "My sister chose you for once, so why are you running away? You should be honored!"
"No, I don't want to. I don't waaaant to...!"
A sultry woman was hugging and tormenting a woman with messy, unkempt hair. Both of them had excellent styles. Illusion and Deep Dive.
"What are you two doing?"
"Oh, Leader. Going for a night stroll?"
"Le-Leader. Lea-Leader. Save me..."
The other subordinates were watching the two, who were clinging to each other like slugs. "Look at Deep. I told her we should have a round tonight, but she's acting all stiff and trying to back out!"
"Ugh. I, I'm a pure-love type... I don't like, that kind of, thing...!"
Good grief. Villain organizations have these kinds of problems, too. "Stop it, Illusion. Intercourse should be conducted with mutual consent."
"Tch."
"Kekekeke! Miss Illusion, how about me instead!"
The 'Count,' our organization's mechanic, chimed in. He was a man in his 50s with great hands. "Huh? I don't discriminate by gender, but I don't take weak old men!"
"Don't worry! This Count's skill with machines is the best among villains!"
As he said that, the Count unzipped his pants. A grotesque mechanical member popped out, performing a three-stage separation and combination, acting like a total maniac. A motor whirring sound started, and it began to rotate.
"I'm not interested in a pile of scrap metal. Here, I'll give you one of my clones, so go play with that."
"Ohhh! This is also a tremendous reward! I must bring out the Masturbation Helper Mk.4!"
What a bunch of merry fellows. Turning my head, I saw Irua in the corner, covering her face with both hands and peeking out.
"You all know this, but while I'm away, Emma is the one in command. Obey her orders absolutely."
I instructed my subordinates. While Irua was second in the organization's hierarchy, Emma was effectively my direct secretary.
"Zeo, where are you going?" Irua asked me.
"The Dragon King Squadron's fun event is starting soon. Can't miss that."
"Is that what this is about? Aren't you going to commit terrorism?"
"I'll proceed with terrorism once the information is gathered properly. I don't know much about that guy yet, either."
"I see. If it's an event."
"Yes." I nodded. "It's the debut of the Dragon King Squadron's new Red."
I rode my bike toward Gwanghwamun. The square was already packed with crowds. The prepared large stage was flooded with flashy lights.
"Kyaaaa! Arkshi!"
"I can't wait to see him!"
"The Red of the Dragon King Squadron is born!"
The audience was soaked in excitement. I climbed a nearby high-rise building and watched the scene slowly. A statue of the Dragon King Squadron was erected in Gwanghwamun Square. It was a scene of the six of them in a cool finishing pose.
After a while, all the lights went out at once. Darkness descended upon the square. The citizens murmured quietly. Then, something red flew in from the sky.
"Kyaaaaaa!!"
"It's here! It's Red! The new Red!!"
The Dragon King Squadron's new Red appeared with flashy fireworks. He performed several acrobatic flights in the sky. He was definitely good at fan service. He landed on the stage. His suit was different from any other squadron or hero suit. It was military-grade, made entirely of alloy. Clank, clank! As the helmet opened, his handsome face was revealed. It was no exaggeration to say he was the most handsome man on Earth.
"Kyaaaaa!! Arkshi!"
"That's a god-given face!!"
"I can die happy now!"
The guy seemed to be a famous idol singer originally. His hero rank was B-class. He belonged to an entertainment company, not the Association.
『Nice to meet you! I'm greeting you for the first time. I am Arkshi, the Red of the Dragon King Squadron!』
Fireworks exploded. The cheers and heat grew increasingly intense. 『So many of you have gathered to celebrate my new debut! It's only natural that I repay your support. Please, listen to this! "From Space to You"!』
New Red started to sing. Is this a hero or a clown? I couldn't help but laugh. The square had turned into a concert hall. In the middle of it, I witnessed a commotion in the center of the square. It was a chaotic scene, but if you focus your eyes and ears, you can grasp only what you want.
"Get lost! This guy isn't the Dragon King Squadron!"
"We can't do that! The leader of the Dragon King Squadron is Red Dragon-nim!"
"You're defending that traitor? You're like the lackeys of trash!"
It was in front of the Dragon King Squadron statue. There were people trying to knock down only my statue while everyone else was absorbed in the concert. And there were those trying to block them. Even if they were a very small minority.
"We are the Red Dragon Truth Committee! We are here to uncover the suspicions surrounding Red Dragon-nim's death...!"
"What suspicions are there for a drug-addicted bastard!"
When did a committee like that form? Were there people who believed in me? I looked at them closely. The person who appeared to be the leader of the committee. A familiar face. Cheolsango. He was the D-class hero I first met in the slums after returning to Earth. The situation didn't look good. The committee was a tiny minority. Cheolsango was being dragged around by his hair by the angry crowd.
Thud! Eventually, my statue was knocked down and ended up being stepped on and kicked by the crowd. Cheolsango just watched that sight, tears streaming down his face like large drops of bean paste.
『I love you to the ends of the universe~~』
It was truly a spectacular concert.
"Phew, that robot suit is exhausting as hell. Tell them to make it lighter. How was I? Did I look handsome?"
After the stage, Arkshi spoke to his manager while getting into a van in the back. I kept watching him while moving between buildings.
"Yes, you were cool."
Slap! Arkshi slapped the manager's cheek.
"You dog-like bastard. I asked if I was handsome, not if I was cool. You've been at this for a while, how do you still not have a feel for it?"
"I, I'm sorry."
Excellent. As expected, the Association President has a good eye for people.
"Excuse me! Arkshi-nim!!"
There were people from the crowd breaking through the stage. I thought it was a fan club, but it wasn't. It was the committee led by the disheveled Cheolsango.
"Haha. Everyone, please postpone the autograph session. I have a busy schedule today."
Arkshi changed his face instantly.
"Th-that's not it, I'm Cheolsango from the Red Dragon Truth Committee. I couldn't meet the Dragon King Squadron members at all, so... I know it's rude, but could you please review this data...!"
Cheolsango handed a document envelope to Arkshi. For a moment, Arkshi's expression turned sour. Then he immediately put on a smile.
"Hmm. Are you a fan of Red Dragon?"
"Fa-fan. Ye-yes, that's right... I admire him."
"Good. I was just on my way to the Association, so let's ride together. I want to see it myself. Ah, the seats are tight, so only the young lady can ride."
"Really?! Thank you!"
Cheolsango immediately boarded Arkshi's vehicle. The van departed. Hmm. This feels pretty dirty. I immediately ordered Deep Dive to hack the sound inside the vehicle. She was competent, so it didn't even take 3 minutes.
『Admire Red Dragon? Ha, there's still a crazy bitch like this out there. Hey, you fucking bitch. Red is me, me. I'm Red Arkshi now!』
『Why, why are you using profanity...』
『Spread 'em.』
『...What?』
『Spread 'em, you fucking bitch. Your looks are decent enough, so I'll use you. Be honored. Once you taste my dick, you won't even think about Red Dragon. Huh?』
At the same time, there was a dull thud. He must have hit her in the stomach. Tch. I was planning to do the terrorism later, but I can't. Prepare to say goodbye to your dick. If you like Red so much, I'll show you plenty of red.