Dear Heroes, I really am a Villain-Chapter 41: Stealing the Data

— Meanwhile – The Fringe —

In the Fringe, rumors were starting to spread. People were talking about the Red Vulture team, claiming they had lucked out by landing an idiot client with deep pockets. A million bucks of easy money like that? It was unheard of. Naturally, this drew a lot of attention to the Red Vulture group and drove them into hiding.

Several mercenary groups had already set their sights on them, especially those in desperate need of cash.

Many contacted the group, hoping to get a share of the payout, reasoning that Red Vulture couldn’t possibly venture into the Wildland. Some of the information Maximilian had fed them suggested that Rebecca had been kidnapped and taken to a secret base in the Wildland by an independent military faction operating within the UEC.

However, all the mercenaries negotiated from a position of strength. They knew what Red Vulture truly was—a third-rate hacker group with no combat personnel under their contract.

That meant these hackers had no means to survive in the dangerous Wildland. Because of that, every merc team demanded at least 50% of the share.

But... while small-time and a few mid-tier mercenaries took the bait Maximilian had laid out, the top-tier mercs didn’t bite. Why? Because they already earned more than a million dollars per job. This kind of payout wasn’t enough to catch their interest.

— Maximilian’s House —

Maximilian watched the developments unfold from the confines of his room after finishing the morning training session with Ricardo’s group. He monitored everything through various CCTV feeds and the bugs he had planted all over the Fringe—especially in the bar he visited previously. It gave him a crystal-clear picture of the situation.

[Max, it seems your plan isn’t as effective as you thought. Those top-tier forces and mercenaries aren’t interested in the bait. Maybe the reward’s too low? Why not increase it so they’ll bite? (￣～￣;) ]

Atherna suggested.

"No... this is fine. Raising the monetary reward would be counterproductive," said Maximilian.

[Huh? Why’s that?]

"It’s because this reward fits the image of a rich, clueless outsider who wandered into the Fringe for the first time and just happened to need this information. If I offer more, it’ll become suspicious. The ones I want to lure might not show up, and even these clowns could start doubting me if my offer goes way beyond their expectations."

He paused, a smirk playing on his lips.

"After all... they’re not brainless." He chuckled.

[Then... how do we proceed, if the bait didn’t entice the top-tier forces? (´-ω-`) ] Atherna asked.

"Relax, Athel. I never said the monetary reward was meant to lure in the top-tier players."

[Spit it out already. Don’t act like some mysterious smartass protagonist from a manga—I’m starting to get annoyed. (눈_눈) ]

Maximilian revealed a teasing smile.

"Why so pushy? Is it that time of the month?"

[Maximilian Sterling Graham, if you keep that up, I’ll stop talking to you for a whole month. (눈_눈) ]

"You can’t resist, Athel. I know you too well." Maximilian smirked.

[ (￣ヘ￣;) ]

"Hahaha," he laughed, then finally answered her question.

"As I said, the money was just bait to grab attention. It was never the deciding factor. Since the money didn’t bring out the top-tier mercs, the real trigger has to be something else... the truth," Maximilian paused.

"I’m betting the people who kidnapped our girl have an expansive intel network. This situation has likely already reached their ears. And from our investigation, there’s a high chance that this group is an independent faction hidden within the UEC."

"The moment they feel their secrecy is at risk... they’ll make a move," he said with a confident smile.

[Hmph! (￣ヘ￣;) ]

Maximilian glanced at the emoji displayed on the system screen and couldn’t help but chuckle. He stood up, leaving his PC in standby mode.

While waiting for the situation to develop further, he figured it was time to cross another task off the list—stealing data from Luther Rook. Over the past few days, he had already pinpointed the man’s location.

Rook was in the city center, living in a penthouse. The mission was clear: copy all the data from Luther Rook’s personal computer and destroy the originals afterward.

This should be much easier than the job Blood Mongoose had once entrusted to him.

However, since Luther Rook was also a candidate for city governor, he might have bodyguards—or even some heroes—protecting him. So first, Maximilian needed to scout the penthouse and figure out how to proceed.

—

In the dead of night, amidst the towering skyscrapers of the city center, Maximilian arrived at Luther Rook’s penthouse.

He crouched in a dark corner at the far end of the rooftop, near the water tanks.

Before starting, he planted explosives on the water tank—just in case.

Through his visor, Maximilian scanned the penthouse. Armed guards were patrolling the premises in well-coordinated patterns. He quickly noted their patrol routes with the help of his suit’s system.

He dashed from cover to cover, skillfully avoiding detection. He didn’t incapacitate any guards unless absolutely necessary—each of them reported to command every thirty minutes. If even one failed to check in, it would raise red flags. That was a risk he couldn’t afford.

Maximilian reached the main structure of the luxurious penthouse. Using the suit’s port, he jacked into a nearby junction box and swiftly disabled most of the internal security systems.

Most—because some of the security elements didn’t match UEC standards. Their nature was unknown, even to Maximilian, despite his extensive knowledge as a Shadow Thief and the vast security databases stored in his suit, which were designed to override any standard UEC system with ease.

"What... is that?" Maximilian muttered as he spotted an unfamiliar security pattern through his visor.

He frowned, switching to electromagnetic vision to get a better look into Luther’s bedroom. There, a strange and unrecognized device had been set up. Its design was bizarre—alien, even.

Alien?

Was it possible the security devices in that room were alien tech?

Isn’t that illegal for personal use?

Ooooh... naughty, naughty boy, Luther. Looks like you’ve got some real skeletons in your closet after all...

With that thought lingering in his mind, Maximilian moved silently through the penthouse, searching for any traces of recent activity or used devices. He checked the living room, bar, and kitchen—but found no sign of a personal computer.

Upstairs on the second floor, however, he discovered a tablet in the bathroom just outside Luther’s bedroom.

Even though the mission was to copy data from Luther’s personal computer, Maximilian stored the tablet in his suit’s system as a precaution.

Now... there was only one place left to check: Luther Rook’s bedroom.

His visor’s heat vision couldn’t penetrate far enough to determine whether Luther was inside. It was a gamble.

Maximilian opened the door and stepped in.

"What!?"

He recoiled, losing his composure the moment he saw what lay inside.

On a small dining table sat a severed human arm, half-eaten, flesh still clinging to it.

Maximilian gritted his teeth. Thankfully, he had already assimilated Blood Mongoose’s skill set—and his resilience. Otherwise, he might’ve vomited right then and there.

[Max... I think I’m going to... (＞﹏＜) ]

{Don’t say it...} Maximilian immediately cut her off

Regaining his focus, Maximilian scanned the room and located Luther’s personal computer. Fortunately, the man wasn’t in the room.

He immediately began copying all the data into his suit’s storage. He checked the time—he had to be quick. The UEC security system would soon perform a routine integrity scan. If it detected anomalies, it could lock down the entire building.

Suddenly, the room’s lights flicked on. A forcefield snapped into place, generated by the alien-like devices embedded in the walls and ceiling.

{Shit!} Maximilian cursed internally.

Luckily, the data copy had just completed. He launched a data bomb into the local network and let it do its job before pulling the connection.

The screen flickered, then went static, finally showing the blue screen of a fatal system error.

Maximilian turned toward the entrance, trying to figure out how to get out only to be met with an all-too-familiar voice.

"Oooohhh, what have we here? Shadow Thief? Took you long enough for your petty revenge, huh? How many years has it been? A decade?"

The voice was unmistakable, annoying, smug, and all over the TV during the latest election season.

Luther Rook.

Maximilian turned toward the speaker mounted on the ceiling. That was the source of the irritating voice.

"What? Cat got your tongue, Shadow Thief? Don’t think that just because you’re wearing that prototype armor, I wouldn’t figure out your identity. I thought you’d already run off like the loser you are.

But seriously, why so persistent? After all..., I only just... ate your girlfriend... both figuratively and literally!

HA HA HA HAHAHAHAHA!"

Luther’s insidious laughter echoed from the speaker.

Hearing this, Maximilian’s mood darkened.

Even though he was just a third party, not the real Shadow Thief... just hearing that damned voice made him want to shove a point-blank buckshot right down that bastard’s throat.