Chapter 110: Purpose (2)

A short silence hung.

The Intelligence Bureau head reacted first.

“Liar!”

Her heated outburst and sharp tone fiercely denied Ji-an’s words.

Ji-an’s imprisonment was her solo act, orchestrated to monopolize gains and outshine the president if it succeeded.

But in the worst case—

“You’re just pulling a cheap trick to dodge this!”

She’d take the fall.

The president had already distanced the Association from the incident.

Her intense reaction was natural.

“Trying to squirm out like a lab rat! Think we’ll buy that!”

“Seriously.”

I bowed my head, scratching it, troubled.

I’d kept a blank or smirking facade, but—

“You lot assume bad character as default, so your antics and insults don’t faze me.”

Head down, I whispered.

“Hey.”

The small sound echoed sharply in the wide room.

Lifting my head, my face twisted menacingly.

“Wanna die?”

None here were in real bodies, yet they felt a visceral threat to life.

My warning transcended mere intimidation.

“Watch your mouth around a kid. You call yourselves heroes.”

Glaring at the frozen Intelligence head, I turned to Ji-an.

Unlike them, untouched by my killing intent, she gazed at me dreamily.

“Explain why.”

“Uh, yeah!”

Snapping out of it, she repeated what she’d told me at Zero—Chain.

Simple story.

While growing the Organization, an external villain group approached, offering labs and personnel for Trait extraction and granting.

Though I’d heard it, I acted like it was new, asking again.

“So, backed by another villain group.”

“Not quite backing—a trade.”

“And part of it was tech for extracting and granting Traits.”

That was the core.

“Yeah.”

Her Trait wasn’t just extraction and granting—a mere application.

The Organization’s lab equipment was the main driver.

Her Trait was a lubricant, easing the process.

With focus, she could do it without tech, but—

“The time-to-effect ratio’s abysmal.”

“Why’d they support you with that tech?”

“Their equipment took weeks for even a weak Trait extraction or grant. Not viable for research or data.”

A problem for her backers too.

An executive cut in.

“So they gave the lab for reliable data.”

“Yeah.”

Ji-an frowned at the interruption but answered.

She used formal speech only with me, casual with others.

She was compliant since her staying by me depended on their decision.

“Then…”

The Legal Department head, silent till now, spoke.

Trait extraction and granting—they all thought of one group.

“New World Trait Liberation Society. Them? Thought they were wiped out.”

“…Maybe operating under a new name.”

A destroyed villain group reviving wasn’t shocking.

But for me—

“You must hold a grudge, yet hold back.”

“Priorities. I planned to use them till I found you.”

Hearing their experiments continued, she’d wanted to kill them, but held off till finding me.

Their help scaled the Organization fast and stable.

Besides, I’d killed the researchers who harmed her friend and nearly her.

That was yesterday’s story.

She placed her hand on her forehead.

“Was gonna wipe my hands and backstab them after finding you. Didn’t expect to get hit first.”

Feeling wronged, she clenched her fist.

“Next time, I’ll kill—”

Catching my glance, she paused.

“Not kill. Won’t let them off.”

“Okay.”

If the Society was behind her betrayal, it made sense.

Reviving, they’d have backing to betray her, likely spotting her intent.

“They gathered meaningful data. Enough to continue without your Trait.”

Better if it’s the former.

The latter complicates things.

For the Association, not me.

I sat on the table.

“Your dream of plucking villain Traits like snacks? Impossible. Even a decade of national investment might just reach the starting line.”

Practically impossible.

I raised my hands, smirking.

“Get it? Your dream’s a delusion.”

Forming V-shapes, I wagged my fingers, emphasizing “delusion.”

The president closed his eyes, pondering, then opened them.

Looking at me, he asked?

“Then what do you want?”

Their ultimate goal—controlling Ji-an’s Trait—failed.

Time to minimize losses by learning my true aim, leveraging my show of strength.

Finally, my topic.

“Not amnesty or crime erasure.”

I looked at Ji-an.

“System.”

Unexpectedly, startling the executives and Ji-an.

“Your hero system only makes good people better heroes. I want a system that turns trash into people.”

Am I trash?

Ji-an’s unspoken question was ignored, I continued.

“Making the weak strong? Anyone can. Turning trash into people? Different. Maybe only I can now.”

Teaching this semester, I felt purpose—new for me.

Not from students’ Trait output, strength, or tactics.

Hysterical, solitary, rivalrous students admitting weaknesses, embracing others’ strengths, moving forward—that moved me.

“Think of jailed villains. Locking them up reforms them? Makes them repent? No. You know it, so you slap long sentences.”

I drew a triangle in the air.

“Reform, repentance, resocialization—one category to run.”

I can.

An executive asked?

“Do you think people change that easily?”

“Crazy? Of course not. Rotten nature stays rotten.”

I denied my own claim, yet was certain.

“But even with rotten nature, no ethics or morals, intelligence allows right choices.”

The Public Safety head muttered.

“Like Smiley’s system.”

“Yeah. That’s the core. My recent villain team's extension.”

The president tapped his cane.

Clang—

“I get it. But your villain team and her—clear difference.”

Years in jail or laying low without major crimes meant some reform.

“Repentance, reform, change need trust. She lacks it.”

Until this morning, she led a massive villain group, her true intent unknown.

“If you fail? Worse than Eclipse. Releasing a starving beast in a city—or building one on a volcano. We won’t gamble with citizens’ safety.”

“Sounds like you want a matching stake. Fine. I’ll…”

My lips moved briefly.

“Bet my life.”

Everyone held their breath.

The silence was suffocating, a swallow audible.

“…Why?”

Someone muttered, echoing all.

My “system” goal made sense.

Smiley’s system targeted me first; I wanted to prove its success, not a fluke.

But Ji-an?

Even she didn’t expect such absolute trust.

I sighed, leaning against the wall.

“I’ve pushed away people who liked me.”

Horrible, precious memories.

“By the time I understood, it was too late. When I accepted, it was irreversible.”

If I’d been honest, and trusted others, things might’ve differed.

Just thinking that—what’s the point? Prevent it from moving forward.

“Even if I can’t give the answer you want, without effort and sincerity, only regret remains.”

Back then, I looked elsewhere, hands full, unable to grab or offer hands.

Not now.

I could take offered hands, extend mine.

I wanted to be that person.

“One person believing in you can bring you back. I came back.”

I placed my hand on Ji-an’s head—thump.

“I believe in her. That’s it.”

She wordlessly placed her trembling hands over mine.

Unable to speak, only sobs filled her mouth.

Silence enveloped the room.

Executives pondered complexly, but the president was unmoved, calculating gains.

He found the best path.

“Noble intent, wrong method.”

“Hah.”

I scoffed, unsurprised.

He meant pay first, like a vending machine.

“Fine. You want my cards.”

I removed my hand from Ji-an, leaning against the wall.

“Why Zero—Chain fell? Simple, but no one else can do it.”

I waved dismissively, explaining.

“New Zero—Chain’s impregnable head-on, even for me. Self-repairing metal blocks, absorbs, reflects Traits. What a mess.”

Central-locking doors, opened only for transfers, were tough to breach.

“But remodel properly. Guard routes unchanged from before? They’d riot if you overhauled them, ten-year veterans.”

No matter the fortress, people live there.

Fortresses may be invincible; people aren’t.

Plenty of gaps.

Guard routes had no traps or missile-proof walls, unlike prisoner routes.

No locks even.

Seeing their how-did-you-know looks, I shrugged.

“Locked in a cell long enough, vibrations map guard routes, like it or not. Told you—my cheat.”

Without years inside, I’d still be wandering, searching for Ji-an.

Dragging, I’d be caught by backup heroes, neighbors in cells.

“Fix? Centralize guard route locks or swap their walls. You skimped, left plain steel.”

“So that’s it. But… not enough?”

I frowned at the president.

More secrets?

“Greedy much?”

“Not at all. Releasing a top-danger villain without penalty? One top-secret’s not enough.”

Their goal—Ji-an’s control and Trait—failed.

To minimize loss, they needed high-value info.

Fair point.

I pondered.

No secrets of that level.

Then—

“How about this?”

Ji-an cut in.

“A list of Association spies taking villain money.”

Her casual tone dropped a bomb in the room.

* * *

My demands prevailed—Ji-an would be investigated in a proper facility, not prison.

With so much to learn from her, it’d take time.

I returned to my routine.

Days later, sorting exam results at my dorm, an unexpected call came.

“Wrap-up party?”

I asked, incredulous.

Ye-jin’s excited voice replied.

[Yeah! All extra exams done today!]

“Do it yourselves. Why me?”

[The whole class is coming—can’t skip, Professor!]

Her urging drew a sigh.

“…I’ll see.”

[Waiting! Everyone’s waiting for you!]

“Fine, fine.”

I ended the call.

“Cute kids.”

“Cute? Annoying.”

Soon, So-hee’s phone rang.

Chewing bread, she swallowed, answering.

“Yeah, hello?”

[Teacher! We’re having a semester-end party—whatcha doing?]

Holding back laughter, she glanced at me, switching to speaker.

“Not much~”

[Perfect! Come to our party!]

I froze, mid-dressing to go out despite my words.

[Everyone’s waiting for you!]

Scripted?

Same line as mine, just a name swap.

I leaned toward the phone.

“Said they’re waiting for me.”

The noisy background cut off.

[Uh, well…]

Waiting for an excuse—

[Arghk!]

Ye-jin made a weird noise.

Beep-beep-beep—

She hung up.

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