ALL NOVEL Chapter 15 - Aftermath of the Research Facility Raid?
[OP will share their villain encounter today]
===
It was my first mission today, and I encountered a villain.
The mission was simply a security detail from what I remember?
Something about a research facility being threatened by villains or whatever.
Of course, there were a couple of senior heroes to lead us newbies as well.
One was some B+ rank hotshot called Iron,
And the other was none other than Ice Queen herself;
Honestly, I was a bit stunned that an A-rank hero would supervise a newbie mission;
(She’s really pretty in person though. Could outshine most celebrities.)
Anyway, when we arrived at the mission site, I was a bit tense at first, but then the head researcher started showing us around the facility, and before I knew it, I had forgotten all about it and was just fooling around.
That’s when Ice Queen got really pissed and scolded us. The atmosphere was intense.
.
.
.
(Omitted)
.
.
.
…And then there was an explosion, and the villains appeared.
The newbies panicked, of course.
None of us expected to encounter villains on our very first mission.
Me included.
That’s when Ice Queen took command.
She ordered us to get our act together, protect any remaining researchers, and apprehend the villains.
After encouraging us a few times and assigning tasks, she left the B+ rank hero in charge and departed.
(Presumably because her area-of-effect abilities made it impractical for her to stick with us.)
In any case, just as we were about to carry out our respective tasks, a villain appeared.
A female villain with sharp, intense features… honestly, she was insanely beautiful and sexy…
But her identity turned out to be that damn Instructor.
The newbies panicked and fled en masse, and the B+ rank hero had vanished ages ago…
===
The excessively detailed, rambling post seemed to be recounting the author’s entire experience.
No matter how far I scrolled, there was no end in sight.
‘To summarize, the author is a new hero who went on their first mission with senior heroes, where they encountered us (the villains) and fled in terror.’
Sure enough, the comment section was flooded with dozens of replies criticizing the author.
-Does our OP not know how to summarize? Why so many tangents in the post?
-LOL did you just go on the mission to ogle the female villain? Those constant interjections about her beauty are cringe LMAO
-You piece of shit, you just fled when the villains showed up, didn’t you? And you call yourself a hero? LMAO
-The hero is really spelling out how they ditched the mission, huh? Wow.
-Is this what passes for a hero these days, posting nonsense like this?
While the countless ordinary community members ridiculed the author, many comments also questioned the credibility of the post.
===
+Addition)
Too many trolls, so adding proof.
(Blurry photo of the research facility.)
(Shaky photo of Ice Queen.)
(Photo of the ransacked research facility.)
(Photo showing the Instructor and Maker.)
===
To prove their claims, the author uploaded photos they had secretly taken during the mission, presenting themselves as a genuine new hero recruit.
“It seems a photo of the Instructor and me was captured as well.”
“That’s precisely why this discussion arose.”
Levitating her smartphone with telekinesis, Astra briefly twitched her fingers, causing the screen to switch from the community post to news articles.
[Maker’s Rampage? Midnight Research Facility Raid!]
[‘Eclipse’ Executive Maker! What Did He Obtain in This Raid?]
[Why Did They Attack the Research Facility? In-Depth Analysis of the Villain Group Eclipse!]
Just as when I committed acts of terrorism, the news was inundated with stories about me.
At first glance, they seemed like typical news reports, but…
‘Hm?’
As the articles refreshed, headlines attacking me directly began appearing.
[Maker’s Murders. The Shocking Incident Driven by Their Desires.]
[A Villain After All. Merely a Criminal Pursuing His Objectives?]
[A Villain Who Listens to Reason? No Such Thing.]
‘This seems rather deliberately skewed.’
Not only was there no apparent reason for such articles to suddenly emerge, but clicking on the content revealed an even more outrageous narrative.
The villains slaughtered by the Instructor and me had been recast as diligent security guards simply carrying out their duties. Meanwhile, the researchers who had kidnapped people for experimentation were portrayed as innocent victims.
‘It’s unlikely for any villains or political factions to be targeting me directly, so there’s really only one place capable of such underhanded tactics…’
“It seems the association has started a smear campaign.”
“Meaning Maker has become enough of a concern to warrant their attention.”
Astra nodded in agreement with my assessment.
Truthfully, the association’s repeated deployment of such tactics didn’t seem to faze her much.
After all, it is rather peculiar for a villain to concern themselves with public opinion in the first place.
‘But it is somewhat irritating.’
Not because I felt wronged or anything.
I had indeed killed people, so there was no denying that fact.
What irked me was that their actions undermined the persona and ruleset I had been crafting for Maker:
‘One who doesn’t harm others as long as his demands are met.’
Instead of respecting the character traits and nuances I had established, their narrative became:
‘This bastard actually doesn’t care about such things and solely pursues his objectives!’
‘Tch, what a nuisance. While not impossible, should I shift my approach entirely?’
Pursuing solely my objectives, as the news claimed.
Changing course would simply make me like any other generic villain.
A dime-a-dozen villain devoid of any distinctive personality. Unless they possess overwhelming power, such villains ultimately lack any appeal and are mere third-rate cannon fodder.
“It must be a frustrating situation for someone like Maker, who values individuality and uniqueness.”
“…Haha, I cannot refute that.”
Observing a community dedicated to heroes and villains, I saw a flurry of scathing comments.
-Turns out Maker was just another villain in the end.
-So much for the supposed gentleman with manners LMAO
-What, he’ll spare you as long as you do what he says? Sounds like a villain alright LMAO
-To all the Maker supporters, do you see now? There’s no such thing as a ‘thinking villain’ like you imagined LMAO
‘What a mess.’
While I didn’t particularly care about being insulted,
I was frustrated that my plan to create situations where the heroes would be compelled to respond to my acts of terrorism, all while avoiding provoking their ire too much, had been derailed.
Now I might have to truly endanger civilians to shift their aggro towards me.
‘I wonder what the best approach is…’
As I contemplated my future direction amidst this dilemma…
“…Oh? Maker, would you like to take a look at this video?”
“What seems to be the matter?”
[Did you guys see this?]
A video had been simultaneously posted across various communities.
-Please don’t come any closer, Ice Queen.
-Put that down.
‘This is… my conversation with Ice Queen in the research facility’s underground.’
Judging by the angle, it seemed to be CCTV footage.
-This person here may very well be a mass murderer who has slaughtered dozens, if not hundreds.
-What are you… Huh!
With the audio also recorded, the video provided enough context to understand the conversation between Ice Queen and me.
-And yet you don’t intend to kill him?
-…Even so, taking a life is a crime. If that person is a criminal who committed misdeeds, I’ll send them to prison. So…
-Prison, not execution. What a laughable notion.
The video felt like a scene from a movie.
An overly principled, naive hero versus a villain who despises such heroes and the world they represent.
-…This is why I despise heroes.
–Bang!
While the hero’s words were righteous, they rang hollow against the frustrating reality, whereas the villain’s words, though extreme, struck a resonant chord.
Additionally, it seemed some editing had taken place, further contrasting the stern Ice Queen with my more carefree demeanor.
-Feel free to shoot whenever you’d like.
-……
The scene concluded with me grasping her gun-holding hand and pressing the barrel against my chest.
Once the video ended, the community’s reaction was explosive.
-What the fuck, there was this whole backstory?
-Good kill.
-Were we just blindly attacking the wrong side all this time?
Seems the association orchestrated it.
-How ironic that it’s the villain, of all people, addressing the very situation that frustrates citizens the most.
The public sentiment had swiftly shifted to collectively criticizing the association, a veritable backlash.
-But Ice Queen was right, wasn’t she? Responding to murder with more murder, what’s the point?
While a few comments still rationally scrutinized Maker’s actions…
-So what, villains just get imprisoned for killing people? Is that really justified?
-This guy needs to personally experience a loved one falling victim to villains before he wakes up.
-So you’re saying we should just leave those bastards be? What a ridiculous notion…
…they were immediately drowned out by a flood of trolling replies, leading to the deletion of the dissenting comments.
“……”
Unintentionally, Astra and I had witnessed my public perception undergo a real-time reversal.
“Still, for public opinion to shift so favorably without any deliberate effort on your part, isn’t that a positive outcome?”
I suppose so.
Certainly, gaining such an advantage through sheer happenstance was undoubtedly beneficial.
“I guess it certainly is a positive development.”
I nodded in agreement with her assessment.
Tap tap tap
Meanwhile.
In a darkened room, a girl who had been typing away at her keyboard observed the post she had made.
[Did you guys see this?]
Her post contained the video of Maker’s confrontation with Ice Queen.
“……”
After silently watching the footage, the girl chuckled as she witnessed her post gradually spreading.