Dear Heroes, I really am a Villain-Chapter 45: Luther’s Secret

— Meanwhile – ??? —

Inside an office filled with strange and alien equipment, a middle-aged man in a suit rummaged through drawers and shelves, clearly frustrated. He was Luther Rook, the current candidate running for city-state governor and the penthouse owner.

"God damn it! Where is it?" Luther cursed out loud.

He had been searching for his personal tablet since last night. When he couldn’t find it at home, he assumed he must have left it at his secret base. But even after tearing apart the office for hours, it was nowhere to be found.

While Luther continued turning the room upside down, a large silhouette entered the office.

The figure wore a long black leather trench coat and matching gloves, concealing most of his features except for his massive muscular frame and height, easily over two meters. But what truly set him apart was his face. His skin was rough, almost like rhino hides, and a pale gray, as if drained of all blood.

Yet his eyes told a different story. They were a deep red, with black, inky irises, and they fixed on Luther with a look of confusion.

"Sir, that group of third-rate hackers you told us to keep an eye on they seem to actually know something about us. We hacked into their server and found several key pieces of information that indicate they’re aware of the area around one of our secret laboratories. Moreover, they seem to be digging into our experiments in the Wildlands. Should we eliminate them now?" the muscular man asked politely.

"Then kill them, Mauler. Better safe than sorry," Luther replied without hesitation.

"Yes, sir." The man, called Mauler, nodded and turned to leave, only to be stopped by Luther again.

"Wait a sec. Do you know where Subject-16 is currently located?" Luther asked.

"Our latest intel suggests she may have already entered Arkadia City. After that, she vanished from all surveillance systems as if she was never there. We estimate she’s in the Fringe. That’s the only place chaotic enough for her to use her abilities to hide her tracks," Mauler answered.

"Any reason our think tank doesn’t believe she might’ve gone deeper into the city?" Luther inquired further.

"The city has low criminal activity, especially in terms of network invasions. If she were there, she’d eventually leave a trace the organizations in the city are far more efficient than those in the Fringe. In the Fringe, there’s so much hacking and illegal network activity that no one bothers checking the surveillance logs closely. It’s the perfect cover," Mauler explained.

Luther nodded in understanding.

"I see. You may go. I’ll return once I’ve found my tablet," he said.

Mauler walked out of Luther’s office and into the long corridor of the secret base. As he passed by several rooms, he glanced through the reinforced glass where numerous bio-tanks stood. Inside each tank floated a humanoid creature with skin similar to his own. Some of them had horns, tails, or bone blades protruding from their elbows.

Mauler stopped briefly, watching the researchers as they collected data and monitored the growth and reactions of the creatures within the tanks. After a moment, he continued walking toward the tunnel that led to the Fringe.

— Meanwhile – Maximilian’s House —

"...God... What the hell..." Maximilian muttered, stunned by the data he had uncovered from the tablet.

The images showed various humanoid creatures floating in tanks and others lying lifeless on dissection tables. Alongside the images were detailed notes from researchers—records of experiments involving the dissection and manipulation of subjects.

From what Maximilian could gather, these were notes and logs of experiments involving the use of mutant cells to enhance humans and even artificially generate or modify EF (Evolution Factors) abilities.

This was because mutants possessed a unique biology that allowed their EF to adapt to their needs or even shift into entirely new abilities. The advantage mutants held over humans was the incredible flexibility of their EF.

Though they didn’t possess the raw power of someone like Atlas—the current number one hero—mutants, as a group, were more adaptable and potentially more dangerous. They could even alter mutated beasts or plants under their control, directing their mutation like one might choose an outfit.

However, this transformation came at a cost—they required human flesh before undergoing a mutation change. Without it, they wouldn’t have the energy to evolve. In addition to needing human meat for sustenance, mutants viewed humans as a strategic resource.

This might be the only reason mutants hadn’t wiped out humanity entirely: they needed humans to survive. But to maintain control, they kept human populations limited... just enough to ensure humans couldn’t overthrow them. To sustain this balance, mutants waged war against humanity every five years.

According to the notes, a new "Khan"—the mutant leader—was chosen through the law of the jungle: survival of the fittest. This Khan would lead the charge in the war, harvesting human flesh and keeping the population in check.

The research indicated that a group of human elitists were cooperating with the mutants, sharing research to ensure mutual benefit.

Humans would gain access to the technology necessary to develop tailored super-soldiers with desired EF abilities. At the same time, mutants received the results of these experiments—and human meat in exchange for donating dead mutant bodies to science.

Even more disturbing, Maximilian found evidence of another experiment, the one that involved the enhancement and selection of individuals with desirable EF abilities. Subjects were chosen from around the globe.

And among the list of test subjects, one name stood out:

Rebecca Lane.

"Is this—!?" Maximilian gasped.

[I think we found her. C’mon, keep going—maybe you’ll find more,] Athena said.

Maximilian nodded and dug deeper. He discovered that the experiment Rebecca underwent had taken place in a specific location in the Wildlands.

Sector A7—Old Manhattan.

Without hesitation, he downloaded the coordinates of the secret laboratory. He needed to go there and see for himself if she was still there.

He also remembered the quest Shadow Thief had given him.

— Shadow Thief’s Last Wish —

Description:

Shadow Thief held an unreconcilable grudge against Luther Rook. However, he never intended for you to kill him, that would be too dangerous. His only wish is for you to ruin Luther’s plans.

Time Limit: None

Primary Objective: Steal the data from Luther Rook’s personal computer

Bonus Objective: Ensure Luther Rook’s career is ruined, or that he stays dead

Reward: Shadow Thief’s EF Potential Upgrade

Bonus Reward: Shadow Thief’s EF Potential Maximization

—

He then quickly downloaded the data from the tablet. As it turned out, the data within the tablet required half of his data storage unit—meaning half of the entire rack was used just to store the contents of that one device.

After an hour, the data transfer was complete.

[Ding! Congratulations, Max! The main objective of Shadow Thief’s Last Wish has been completed. Do you want to hold on to the quest for now, or submit it and receive only the normal reward? ╰(°▽°)╯] Athena asked.

Hearing this, Maximilian paused to think. The bonus objective required him to kill Luther—the current candidate for city governor. Killing someone in that position wouldn’t be a good idea; it would be like kicking a hornet’s nest. Besides, the condition stated that Luther must stay dead, which implied that he might have abilities or resources to survive death.

As for ruining the man’s career? That seemed more feasible. He’d need to hold on to the data for now. But he had a pretty good idea of who he should give it to...

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

A sharp alarm rang out, snapping Maximilian out of his thoughts. He quickly opened a monitor to check it. This was the alarm he had set up to trigger when any of the bugs or surveillance devices he placed near the Red Vulture hackers’ hideout in the Fringe detected someone outside their group tampering with security.

The screen showed a large man approaching the hideout. His full-body trench coat concealed all of his features, revealing only a massive, muscular frame.

"Shit!" Maximilian cursed, then rushed out of his room and onto the rooftop. He changed into his armor and jumped off the roof, using his jetpack and glider-converting cape to fly straight toward the Fringe.

— The Fringe —

In the alley where the Red Vulture group was staying, they were busy working on their usual shady jobs. However, aside from the job Maximilian had commissioned, there were no other assignments that paid nearly as well.

Bam! Bam! Bam! ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

At that moment, a loud knocking sound echoed from outside the metal shutter door. Still, the group didn’t pay much attention. They had already posted a sign on the door stating they weren’t accepting guests, so they figured whoever it was would eventually give up and go away.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

But... after more than ten minutes, the banging continued, now louder and more persistent, starting to irritate everyone inside the hideout.

"Who the f*ck is that guy?" one of the hackers muttered as he glanced at the CCTV monitor aimed at the door. On the screen, he saw a large man in a fully covered trench coat and a hat, relentlessly pounding on the door without pause.