Chapter 243: Ep 243 – Duty and Cooperation

Ep 243 – Duty and Cooperation

“Alright, let’s begin the meeting.”

With Celeste’s words, the meeting started as usual. And one after another, the usual flood of information poured into my ears.

Of course, it was interesting, as always, but there wasn’t much helpful information. It was somewhat amusing to hear that there was a new hero perched at the top of the Eiffel Tower in France, guarding the city from above. However, that hero was among the strongest of the new generation of heroes, so a serious warning was given not to engage in any acts of terrorism in Paris.

As for me, I stayed relatively quiet this time and passed on. After all, the real deal would come next time.

So, what I was more focused on was the Chinese villain among them.

“.....”

A man wearing distinctive red Chinese-style clothing, his hair pushed back – Li Xiaofeng.

He was a rather unique villain. While he shared the same desire to destroy the government with Katana, the difference was that while Katana had a clear goal to dismantle the corrupt government and make Japan powerful again... While Xiaofeng seemed to destroy the government since it was twisted.

‘Well... I can’t imagine how many Chinese superpower holders are fond of their government.’

China had a strict approach towards superpower holders. Namely, any superpower holder with a special power must enlist with the government, becoming a part of the Chinese metahuman corps. This was a major distinguishing feature from other countries that usually left superpower holders free to live as they pleased as heroes or engage in normal life.

If superpower holders chose to conceal their powers, they would inevitably face penalties, including military conscription.

‘Perhaps that’s why the authority of their Association is quite low.’

South Korea had been a place where the Association and the government mutually restrained each other.

In Japan, the Association and the government had been cooperating to commit corruption.

In contrast, China’s government had fully absorbed the Association.

‘And the fact that they’ve even had the president appointed by the Premier... is speechless, I mean.’

Naturally, the relationship between the International Hero Association and China was far from ideal. However, with the recent weakening of the Association due to several acts of terrorism, the situation had escalated.

Of course, as oppression grows, so does resistance, and that applies to villains as well. The large number of metahuman villains in the country reflects that. Fortunately, a neighboring nation to the north acted as a defensive barrier for South Korea.

Anyway, Li Xiaofeng, the leader of Huolong, a notably strong organization even among the numerous Chinese villain organizations, was unique. Their influence was so significant that even the formidable Chinese government had to take notice of the Villains’ Union.

However, this wasn’t the most important part.

I started to think about the original Li Xiaofeng.

‘In the original work...’

Li Xiaofeng was an incredibly optimized individual for becoming a villain. Notably, he was an orphan from the start. Typically, when someone becomes a villain, their family is targeted by the government. But Xiaofeng was an orphan from the beginning, and there was no family or an orphanage for that matter.

Of course, there was a part of the story where he befriended a superpower holder, his close friend and his friend was killed by the government. That pushed Xiaofeng to seek revenge on the government. A rather predictable story.

‘The conclusion is...’

In the end, Li Xiaofeng emerges as the ultimate victor. He basically overthrew the government and established their new regime. Admittedly, the later part of the original work is a mess, with the central government collapsing and everyone turning into bandits. But victory is victory.

So, what should I do? It’s simple. I should recruit this villain to our side.

‘...First, let’s think again about Li Xiaofeng’s personality.’

In the original work, he pursued a grand goal, a personality filled with righteousness and cooperation. He aspired to be a man who stands for justice. His villain organization, “Hualong,” operated based on these principles. The reason he could create such a large alliance of villains was due to his ability to summon the Red Eastern Dragon. It’s pretty awesome. Thanks to this, he is highly popular among villains.

Anyway, the conclusion is that he’s not the type to ignore his debts. You decide to pursue righteousness and cooperation, but you get help and turn a blind eye? It’s the path of justice you’ve chosen... Hang in there...!

While I was diligently running simulations in my brain, Celeste, with a tired expression, concluded the meeting.

...But why does Celeste look tired? I don’t understand. Maybe there’s some issue, but it’s not about worrying over top-ranked villains. It’s probably not a big deal. Right now, I’m the bigger problem.

With these thoughts in mind, I focused my gaze on Li Xiaofeng.

He was conversing with the men sitting on either side of him. They were probably his close aides.

“Then, I will conclude here.”

The meeting came to an end with those words from a visibly fatigued Celeste.

...However, I don’t know why Celeste looks tired. It’s probably not related to worrying about top-class villains. It’s not a significant problem. I am the bigger issue now.

I thought while fixing my gaze on Li Xiaofeng.

After conversing with the men on his side, he stood up and said to them.

“I’ll get going”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Li Xiaofeng. I’ve been wanting to greet you for a while, considering that we operate in neighboring countries. My name is Egostic.”

“Egostic, huh...”

Li Xiaofeng’s expression from earlier, with the trace of a smile, was now completely gone. Instead, he had a solemn and icy look.

Li Xiaofeng. How could he not know Egostic? A villain who had essentially infiltrated the neighboring country’s peninsula.

“Hmm...”

In Li Xiaofeng’s eyes, Egostic was the ideal villain who could gain the support of the masses and overthrow the country. In his estimation, South Korea was practically under Egostic’s control.

Furthermore, Egostic had access to top-secret information about the time traveler from the United States and provided information about dimensions. These signs indicated that Egostic was an extraordinary individual. Li Xiaofeng had thought about approaching him soon if Egostic didn’t reach out first.

But that was beside the point.

“...”

What was the CD-ROM that Egostic had given him?

“Is it done?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Then, go ahead.”

“Sure!”

After the technician had completed the computer installation, he promptly left the room. Li Xiaofeng was in an opulent room adorned with red and golden decorations. He inserted the disc that Egostic had given him into an old-fashioned computer.

Shortly after, there was the sound of the computer whirring to life, and the files appeared on the monitor. Li Xiaofeng clicked through the files.

Several minutes later, he found himself laughing loudly.

“Hahaha! Well, well! So that’s what it is.”

The contents of the files were confidential documents from the Chinese government, or more accurately, it seemed as though every document from within the government was included as if he had raided a Chinese government data center. The sheer volume of information contained on this small disc was incredible.

All of this information was precisely what Li Xiaofeng needed to achieve his goal of bringing down the Chinese government.

He couldn’t fathom how all of this had been squeezed into such a small disc, especially considering the formidable security of the Chinese Intelligence Service.

“This... Yes, I have truly received a favor.”

He found himself laughing before wiping away the tears that had unknowingly welled up in his eyes. It didn’t matter if the gift was meant to become friends or something else entirely.

He genuinely felt grateful to Egostic.

‘If I’ve received a favor, I should repay it.’

Despite the suspicions of the world, Li Xiaofeng was truly concerned about honor and integrity.

“What... can I do?”

He muttered to himself

Even if at times he was falsely accused of pretending to be a hero for government propaganda, he had never been insincere about his values and the pursuit of honor and integrity. He had never acted against his true beliefs ever since his childhood when he used to read the Records of the Three Kingdoms*. *T/N: A Chinese history book that covers the end of the Han dynasty and the following Three Kingdoms period.

***

After parting ways with Atlas and Katana, I’m back at home.

‘I wonder if Xiaofeng has seen it by now?’

I leaned back in my chair, pondering this.

If his character, which was calculated and pragmatic, held true, he would appreciate the gift. However, I wondered how he would think about repaying it. Who would ever threaten someone to act like a hero?

‘Well, I know it was all an act, through the original story.’

He had already appeared casually in media scenes. His outward personality was all an act, and he was calculated and cool in reality.

So, I prepared more precisely. I ensured he couldn’t escape, whether that meant openly giving information about the Chinese government to the attendants or otherwise.

It was a strategy where I had made myself the bait. It was flawless.

“...Anyway, that’s all done now.”

Saying that to myself, I naturally entered the Stardus fan cafe.

I started to miss Stardus...