Surviving as a Brainwashing Villain in a Hero World

Chapter 27

“Do you need a spare hero suit?”

“Yes, because mine got torn during an operation.”

Do-hwa visited the support office at the Hero Association Headquarters to get a spare hero suit.

“Would you like the new hero suit to be made in the same design as the one you’ve been using?”

“Yes, that would be great.”

The support department of the Hero Association handles tasks that support the heroes’ activities. From equipment used during operations to individual health management, and regular hero ethics education, they manage a variety of tasks.

Especially since suits and equipment often get damaged more frequently than one might think, the support department always keeps spare suits in various sizes ready. They also make custom suits for each hero and do not charge any cost to the heroes as part of their welfare.

“The suit will be ready in two days… Would it be okay to prepare two sets for you?”

“One set should be enough.”

“Alright. You can take it from over there.”

From a large entrance on the wall of the support office, Do-hwa picked up a large metal case containing the spare suit.

“Hello!”

The place she visited with the suitcase was another office within the support department.

“Oh! Isn’t that Hero Ignition?”

“It’s been a while!”

The middle-aged man sitting at his desk in the office greeted Do-hwa warmly.

“Chief, haven’t you aged at all?”

“Tsk! Despite how I look, there’s less than twenty years between us.”

He limped slightly due to an injury from a major incident during his active duty, guiding her to a table in front of his desk. Although now working as the head of the support department, he was once an A-grade hero known as ‘Spike’.

“How’s that roommate of yours doing these days? I heard she’s been resting for a few days due to illness.”

The chief asked about Ji-woo, Do-hwa’s roommate at the association dorm.

With a slightly gloomy face, Do-hwa replied, “She’s always been on the weaker side health-wise. Recently, she overdid it because of performance issues… That seems to be why.”

“Hmm… I hope she recovers quickly.”

The chief nodded slowly and handed Do-hwa a cup of tea.

“So, what brings you here to see me after such a long time?”

“Oh, right! I almost forgot. Haha.”

With an embarrassed laugh, scratching his head, the chief took out a tablet and showed Do-hwa the screen. The screen displayed photos of the collapsed Dark Knights’ hideout and some photos taken during the last operation.

“You were deployed in this operation, right?”

Do-hwa flinched at one of the dozens of photos. Beyond the chief’s hand flipping through photos, there was a very familiar figure. Although masked, the tall and robust figure was unmistakably Si-yoon during his combatant days.

“Yes, I was dispatched on the first day of the operation.”

Do-hwa looked at the photo without showing any emotion and nodded to the chief’s question.

“Most of the villain organization members and some of the leaders were either killed or arrested during that operation, but the key figures had already escaped.”

When Si-yoon ran to the command room for support, it was already deserted. In such situations, a mid-level leader usually steps in, but the Dark Knights were quite unique. The heroes encountered mostly low-level fighters and only a few lower-ranking leaders.

“The intelligence agents and some heroes have gathered additional information, but if we don’t act quickly, subduing them will become increasingly difficult.”

“I see.”

“That’s why I’d like you to take on this case.”

The chief opened a small box on his desk, took out a tiny chip, and placed it on the table.

“It’s a chip with the gathered information. You’ve used one before, right?”

Since regular storage devices like USBs risk information leaks, special storage devices are used to prevent anyone from accessing the information easily.

With a special device issued to heroes, you can insert this chip like an SD card or USIM card, and view the information inside on the device.

“Since the chip is small, it can easily break if dropped, so keep it safe.”

– Knock, knock, knock

Just as Do-hwa was inserting the chip into the side of her device case, there was a knock on the office door.

“Ah! Perfect timing, come in!”

– Squeak

“Hello, Support Department Chief Yusunghwan.”

“Nice to see you. Come, sit here.”

A woman with a cold demeanor, her silver hair flowing, walked in with a click of her heels. Wearing a neat semi-formal suit, she sat lightly on the sofa and greeted the chief.

“Let me introduce you. This is A-grade hero Ignition. She’s an energetic, passionate hero.”

“Hello!”

Do-hwa smiled brightly and greeted her.

“And this is A-grade hero Ice Queen. A very professional individual.”

“Nice to meet you. I look forward to working with you.”

A-grade hero ‘Ice Queen’ Seolumi stood up briefly from the sofa, gave a curt nod to Do-hwa with an expressionless face.

“It seems this case might be too much for one person to handle alone. So, I’ve decided to assign it to you along with a capable hero to assist.”

“I understand.”

Seolumi nodded without a change in expression, then inserted the chip the chief handed her into her device.

‘That person… there’s no emotion in her speech or actions at all.’

Do-hwa felt a chill at Seolumi’s emotionless words and actions, where not even a hint of expression could be seen.

“Is there anything else to convey?”

“Today was just for introductions. Let’s end it here.”

“Then, I’ll take my leave.”

Seolumi left a mechanical salute for the chief and stepped out of the office with an impeccable posture.

“Haha, even I get a bit scared when I see her.”

After Seolumi left, the chief laughed heartily and shared a brief story about her.

“Ice Queen… she wasn’t always this stiff and mechanical. She used to be as lively as you.”

“Is there some story behind it?”

“I can’t go into details. She really hates others talking about it. Actually, I’m only guessing based on what I’ve heard.”

Seolumi’s mechanical demeanor suggested there was a backstory, but even the chief didn’t seem to know the full details. She disliked her story being spread, so even those who might know kept quiet.

“Unless there’s an emergency dispatch, there shouldn’t be any calls until the mission completion date. So, take a good rest until then.”

“Yes!”

—

“I’m back!”

Late morning, when the sun hadn’t yet reached its zenith.

Do-hwa, having received her mission from the support department chief, returned home early.

“Sis! What’s up? Coming back so early?”

Ji-woo greeted Do-hwa, who returned half a day earlier than usual.

“There’s a reason. I’ve brought back some incredible information!”

“Incredible information? Did you bring back a female tribute for our master?”

Do-hwa placed the metal case containing the spare hero suit next to the sofa and pulled out the small chip she received from the chief from her device pouch.

“What’s this? Why are you back so early?”

Si-yoon, coming out from the bathroom, also greeted Do-hwa, surprised at her early return.

“Master! There’s something I want to show you.”

“What is it? Did you bring some good information?”

As Do-hwa inserted the chip into the side of her device, the screen displayed ‘File has been downloaded.’

“It’s information about the organization you were part of before.”

“You mean the Dark Knights from when I was active?”

When Do-hwa pressed the round button on the side of the device, a long stick-like antenna popped out from the top. She clicked the button again and turned on the TV on the wall of the hideout, displaying the downloaded information rapidly.

“You can press this button next to the device to scroll through slowly.”

Do-hwa handed the device to Si-yoon.

“All the information on the combat unit commanders and the high-ranking officials from when I was there?”

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