[Just avoid pressing the detonation button for twice the amount of time.]
He wasn’t just some kid drunk on power. He was a bona fide villain, planning a large-scale terrorist attack, along with being a kind of psychopath who toyed with human emotions.
Although she didn’t show it outwardly, she was internally horrified. How could a person simply harbor such inhumane thoughts?
If she told the story, Egostic—aptly named after his online moniker—might feel wronged, arguing that his idea wasn’t original but an homage to a movie from a past life, but she had no intention of informing him about it.
The man who revealed his name as Egostic seemed to have taken it from the English word ‘Egoistic,’ symbolizing selfishness, at least that’s what people in the community theorized, pondering about the relationship between his name and his belief that humans are inherently selfish.
Even from this, it was evident he was not a typical character.
Then came the climactic events of last week.
Initially, when the news broke that Egostic’s supporters had caused a bombing, she could only sigh. As if the madness of one spawned a ripple effect, other villains sprung up like mushrooms after rain.
Somehow, the very next day after Egostic’s bombing, another significant incident was orchestrated. It had to be a premeditated attack, so meticulously executed it mirrored Egostic’s own deeds, forcing her to acknowledge the harsh reality.
True zealots of Egostic had emerged overnight, their eagerness so great that they perpetrated another attack the very next day. The Association had yet to discuss preventative measures against imitation crimes when these subsequent attacks unfolded too quickly, leaving her utterly unprepared.
However, amid feeling helpless, and as she nervously monitored the situation with self-reproach, Egostic himself stepped into the fray.
To be honest, she was incredibly nervous.
Scared? Yes, she coolly admitted. A little scared. But definitely not terrified beyond measure.
What might the unpredictable lunatic do, showing up in person at a location with hundreds of hostages?
Not being worried would have been odd in such a situation.
So she, along with all the heroes and the Association, watched in bated silence.
Of course, they had no choice but to watch through his broadcast—even his concealed face seen up close on the camera provoked a brazen urge to rush in and punch him, an impulse they all had to suppress.
And as expected, he proved yet again that he was a lunatic.
He shot his followers dead, rebuking them for their madness, and then, he released the hostages while promising to give them money. Rumor has it that the victims’ accounts did receive deposits, although tracking was impossible due to the use of what they called a ‘cannon’ bank account.
And did he only give them money? No, he apologized as well. He expressed remorse for his followers’ madness, all while streaming live on his own broadcast.
At this point, she was truly bewildered.
What the hell was he doing? If you’re a villain, at least act like one.
And to be frank, if one were to solely consider his actions that day, they almost seemed heroic.
…Of course, allowing personal vengeance was absolutely not acceptable.
✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧ 𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓋𝒾𝓉𝓎𝓃𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁𝓈 ✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧
