The Villain’s Recipe - Chapter 12.2
The bunker ripped apart, and electric current coursed through the metal floor. It was a fatal hazard to ordinary people, but not to the people gathered here. Cain and Helena kicked off the ground and bolted out of the bunker. Less than five seconds elapsed before they melted the submarine wall away and stood atop it. There were still subordinates left inside, but for now, the two of them escaped safely.
“What a waste.”
Cain clicked his tongue as he counted the number of subordinates who hadn’t made it out yet.
“True, you should have brought a reasonable amount.”
Helena sneered and twirled her hair once more, and simultaneously, the bunker exploded. Smoke leaked out through the torn gaps as the flames originating from the lightning scorched the interior. Even so, she didn’t move. Though Ma Jin-cheol possessed abilities specialized for movement, he couldn’t beat the speed of lightning. Then what had happened to Baek Seok-gyol, who had taken the attack head-on?
The moment she thought that, the leaking smoke vanished abruptly amidst a vibration.
Amidst the sudden silence, a familiar sound echoed.
Crack.
Baek Seok-gyol cracked his fingers whenever he used his ability. There were occasionally such espers. Espers who had to perform a fixed action in order to use their powers.
Along with the sound of cracking fingers, the bunker visible through the torn walls began to twist bizarrely and shrink.
Screeech.
Baek Seok-gyol’s ability was telekinesis. That power was on a completely different dimension from ordinary espers. It wasn’t simply a matter of lifting a car. The times when his utilized ability was most terrifying were when he compressed something. Helena rubbed her arm with her hand due to a chilling sensation.
“Aigo.”
Before long, a circle formed in midair, a person fell out, and patted down the suit jacket they were wearing.
It was Ma Jin-cheol.
“Are the two of you safe?”
“I’m safe. But what about Baek Seok-gyol? Is it okay for him to use that much power?”
Helena raised her hand and pointed below the submarine. Seeing that, Ma Jin-cheol shrugged lightly.
“He’ll be fine. And it’s ending soon anyway.”
What had happened to the bunker that occupied the largest space in the submarine? The answer came quickly. The bunker shrank with the people trapped inside, eventually becoming a block small enough to sit on the palm of a hand. A pale white hand snatched it up.
The face revealed behind it was no different from usual. Having just compressed several people along with a bunker, he emitted no emotion whatsoever. Seeing that, Helena scratched down the arm she was wrapping with her fingernails. Cain, standing beside her, also appeared to have his nerves on edge, unlike usual.
Baek Seok-gyol curved his eyes into rounded crescents as he looked at the two of them. That appearance looked just like looking at a mask.
“Want it?”
The lightly flicked block flew toward Helena.
“Ack!”
Helena dropped her body in a panic. Thanks to that, the block grazed past her head and struck the pillar behind her. As the bunker was destroyed, the submarine seemed to have run out of its functions and was slowly sinking. Even so, they couldn’t move right away.
‘Did he notice?’
Did he notice and do that? Helena stood up, forcing herself to look nonchalant.
“Wow, an assailant. It’s been a really long time. There used to be guys who’d jump us every so often just to check how strong they were.”
Cain, who would normally have acted as a conversation partner, was quiet.
A split second felt like an eternity. If they helped this once, she was even willing to buy every single weapon in the catalog. Cain was a human who returned as much as he received, and he was quick-witted. This time, too, he didn’t break expectations.
“That’s true. But the guy who came this time. His ability usage looks familiar.”
“You too? Me too! Come to think of it, I heard the guy who got newly put on the wanted list this time manipulates lightning.”
He was a guy full of conceit and stupidity. That was why, even though he possessed that level of ability, Helena had been able to move him. How easy it had been to lure a stupid guy and make him move.
Dead men tell no tales. How fortunate that obvious fact was.
