Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Schemes and Suspicions
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As the new Hero Headquarters and its dormitories settled in, District 2 began to liven up.
With countless employees pouring out onto the streets for lunch, the restaurants in District 2 naturally started focusing more on their lunch service than dinner, even hiring more staff.
The shopping district, which had once been strangely dark and dreary even during the day, brightened up, and the people visibly regained their sense of stability.
Just as one might feel self-conscious passing by a police officer even without having done anything wrong, people became much more careful about their conduct where Heroes and Headquarters staff came and went.
The Villains living in the Old Town, who had initially been overly cautious and considered moving, seemed to have ultimately decided to live among the civilians.
Even Villains who didn't belong to a gang had to pay protection money as long as they lived in the Old Town, so it was only natural they'd prefer to avoid that suffocating arrangement.
Afterward, Villains were often seen in broad daylight, leaning against shabby railings and watching the people with glum expressions.
As Haon had predicted, District 2 didn't require many mechanical cranes, and managing three districts at once was proving to be manageable.
Then, an ominous sign emerged from District 3, which had been quiet for a while.
Two-Shot had suddenly blocked all entry to outsiders and even sealed off the roads leading to other districts.
It was a blatant declaration that he was up to something, making it highly suspicious, but Haon thought he might have just gotten spooked since District 3 was now practically surrounded by the territories she controlled.
That is, until she detected a sudden shift in the flow of mana from District 3.
Haon immediately reported it to the Headquarters, and Juyeol decided to quietly investigate District 3 on his own.
With no way of knowing what was happening, the plan was for him to use his shadows to sneak in and take a look.
While touring the construction site in District 1 with Nova, Haon couldn't focus, constantly glancing at the road.
“Darling.”
“…”
“Darling? You're not listening at all, are you?”
At that, Nova thrust his face right in front of Haon's, a discontented smile playing on his lips.
“My dear. Are you going to make me feel lonely even when we're together?”
“Whoa!”
Startled, Haon stumbled backward, but he caught her lightly by the waist, lifted her, spun her around once, and set her back down.
“Are you bored with me? Do I have to do things like this?”
“N-No! Of course not. I'm just worried about Juyeol going to check on District 3 alone.”
“…Sometimes I regret it. Surrendering so easily.”
“Did you want District 4?”
“Haha.”
Nova burst out laughing and suddenly pinched Haon's cheek.
“You really know how to be annoying just when I'm about to forget. Ghost must have his hands full.”
“Whash arh you doink! Leh go!”
Haon grabbed Nova's hand and struggled.
Despite his monstrous strength, his grip was surprisingly painless, but it was also difficult to escape.
Just then, the sound of a motorcycle approached rapidly before stopping nearby.
“I come back from working, and what are you two doing, living the good life?”
Juyeol, back from District 3, took off his helmet and glared at Nova.
“Well, well, you worked hard.”
Nova let go of Haon's face and added with a bright smile.
“‘We’ were working, too.”
“…You'd be better off disappearing again.”
“You worked hard, Juyeol. How was District 3? The mana flow was unusual.”
“It wasn't a false reading from your drones.”
Juyeol's expression softened at Haon's question, and he showed her photos he'd taken on his phone.
“There are machines roaming around District 3, too.”
“!”
Haon flipped through the photos with a grave expression.
Praying mantis-like machines with round heads and scythe-like arms were glowing with red eyes.
“AI?”
“Looks like it, but they don't seem to have been made to protect residents or maintain the district like your cranes.”
“That kind of AI is difficult to create… So what was their role?”
“I'm not sure, but they seem to be equipped with all sorts of detectors and alarms. They sensed me even when I was hiding in the shadows.”
“You were discovered? Were you attacked?”
Haon's eyes widened as she felt Juyeol's arms and shoulders.
“I-I'm fine…”
As he flinched every time Haon's hand touched him, Nova, who had been quiet, spoke up listlessly.
“Darling. He doesn't smell of blood, so leave him be.”
“Really?”
Ttiyong, who had been rolling around at her feet, crawled up onto Juyeol's shoulder and declared proudly.
[I protected my master well!]
“You did! You did a great job!”
When Haon took her hands off him and clapped for Ttiyong, Juyeol cleared his throat and showed her another photo.
“There was a small construction site covered with a tarp, so I went to check it out, and a whole swarm of those mantises was guarding it.”
Machine gang members equipped with AI were roaming District 3 and even guarding a specific area.
“Two-Shot has joined hands with Bae Anjae.”
Haon muttered in a troubled tone.
What on earth did Bae Anjae agree to get from Two-Shot? He wouldn't have made something like that for free.
“Did you see Two-Shot, by any chance?”
“No. But all of Two-Shot's subordinates were carrying several potions each.”
“It's not like District 3 is short on gang members. What are they planning to do, arming them with potions?”
As Haon wondered, Nova shrugged.
“He obviously thinks you're going to try and take over District 3.”
“But I have no intention of doing that…!”
“Two-Shot probably thinks differently. He must have readily accepted the mechanical mantises because he knows his gang members alone, even with potions, can't beat your cranes.”
Juyeol agreed with Nova's words, his expression displeased.
“No one has ever expanded their territory as quickly as you have, so it's understandable.”
“It would be best if I went to District 3 myself, but… if I did that now, Two-Shot would really misunderstand, wouldn't he?”
If she could just find out what the mechanical mantises were guarding, it might solve the mystery, but the situation made it impossible to act rashly.
Then, something suddenly occurred to Haon.
“Juyeol. Now that I think about it, you said the Old Town bosses have occasional meetings with the Hunter, right? When is that?”
“You want to meet Two-Shot?”
“And Weaver. We don't know if Bae Anjae made the same offer to her.”
The things Bae Anjae could create in this dimension were limitless. With an abundance of mana, he could make anything he wanted, just like her.
If he got money from Halo and stored his data underground near the sea, what could he be doing in District 3 or District 5?
She didn't know what it was, but she had a bad feeling.
“The Hunter should have some breathing room now, so I'll ask during the meeting today.”
With that, Juyeol checked the time and picked up his helmet.
“I still have plenty of time before I have to report back, but I'll head out first. I need to get some gas for my bike.”
As he raised his arm to put on the helmet, he paused. He suddenly winced and rubbed his side.
Seeing this, Haon's face fell, and she scurried over to Juyeol.
“What's wrong? Are you hurt? Nova said you didn't smell of blood.”
She looked up at him with a worried expression.
“There were more mechanical mantises than I expected, so I bumped into something while dodging them. It's not broken.”
“Let's go see Elder Solmae. You need to put some medicine on it. You said you have time before you have to report back, right? Let's hurry.”
“Why would I put medicine on something like this? I'm fine.”
Haon pushed Juyeol's back, urging him on.
“Juyeeool. Hurryyy.”
“I said I'm fine, what's with you?”
He didn't even pretend to resist, starting to walk while grinning slyly.
Nova glared at him as if he were absurd and mouthed the word, “Schemer.”
* * *
A few days later, in the basement of the Central Library after closing hours.
A meeting of the Old Town bosses, centered around the Hunter, was held.
The Headquarters had moved to District 2 of the Old Town, but the location of the meeting was still the Central District.
“The number of attendees has been cut in half since the last meeting.”
The Hunter spoke as she sat down in one of the chairs arranged in a circle at a reasonable distance from one another.
“I hope no one leaves here dead today, either.”
On the first-floor lobby, just above the stairs, the Old Town bosses' subordinates were waiting. Though not subordinates, Chacha and Nova were there too.
The rule of the meeting was that if a gang member drew a weapon or a potion first, their boss had to execute them on the spot.
Haon thought it was an overly cruel rule, but she'd been told it was established out of necessity after many trials and tribulations.
“Did you call this meeting in such a hurry because you were worried the numbers would dwindle even further?”
Two-Shot sneered, and the Hunter handed him a wanted poster.
“This may be an unusual occurrence, but isn't there something unusual happening in District 3 as well?”
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
“You're harboring a suspect who has an official warrant out from the Headquarters.”
“I have nothing to be ashamed of.”
He crumpled the wanted poster in his hand without even looking at it.
Unable to listen any longer, Haon confronted Two-Shot.
“Is hiding Bae Anjae and Halo, who fled from the Heroes, something to be proud of?”
“They aren't hiding. They are merely holding their breath and waiting in a place where they won't be seen.”
Two-Shot defended him, grinding his teeth, as if he had come to accept Bae Anjae as some important and magnificent figure.
Haon was simply baffled by his words.
“…? That's what people call hiding while waiting for an opportunity.”
“Aren't you just so clever!”