Ch.129I’m Not

At the police officer’s gesture, everyone’s attention focused on me.

The superhumans from other cities looked at me wondering why this officer knew me, while citizens and other police officers wondered who I was to warrant such recognition.

“What’s going on? Why does that cop know him?”

“Could it be that W City has already identified him and been monitoring him?”

The superhumans kept their distance from both me and the police officer, eyeing us warily.

Tension resonated through the waves of special abilities, gulp, someone swallowed hard.

After finishing a slice of pizza in three bites, I waved the other slice I was holding and answered.

“I’m eating pizza.”

“Th-that, uh, no… huh?”

Confusion, fear, dread, anxiety—various emotions bubbled and popped like soap bubbles around the police officer.

“What are you afraid of?”

“Huh? Well, I, uh, you shouldn’t really be here… right?”

“Am I not allowed to be here?”

“Ehhhhh… this is now Black Cat Central Park, so it’s not that you can’t be here, but… oh! This is really, that’s!”

He seemed to have something he wanted to say but couldn’t get the words out.

As the officer looked around and opened and closed his mouth several times, the emotions hanging in the air grew increasingly tense.

Then, while I continued eating my pizza without much concern, the officer asked me a question.

“Um, sir? May I ask why you’re here? If there’s some complicated reason that’s difficult to explain, you don’t have to tell me.”

“They gave me food.”

“That’s it? No other special reason?”

“That’s right.”

“Haaa, seriously making me sweat here.”

When I nodded, the officer sighed in relief, and the tense superhumans stepped forward.

“Hey, officer, who is this person that you’re acting like this?”

“Wait… wasn’t Starlight in the same class as Cage? I heard Starlight still flies all the way to A City to help out.”

“Was A City working with W City from the beginning?”

“Was he trying to conduct an undercover investigation?!”

“What’s an undercover investigation?”

The superhumans frowned at my question, looking bewildered.

Similarly, the police officer made the same expression at the superhumans’ conversation.

“Undercover investigation? What are you talking about?”

“It’s too late to pretend you don’t know. This guy is a superhuman planted by W City, right?”

“Ha, I almost fell for it! They even got him registered as a superhuman in A City. W City folks are thorough.”

“What are you saying? This is really… this person isn’t anything like that. I was just surprised because I know him personally.”

“How does a cop know a superhuman?”

“Come on, are cops not allowed to know people?”

“Of course not, superhumans and police…”

“Argh! That B City guy is saying it again! I told you, in W City, the relationship between police and superhumans isn’t bad!”

As the officer raised his voice in frustration, the superhumans hesitated and looked at each other.

“So… you’re really just personally acquainted? Is that it?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know him? Who is this person?”

“He’s… a famous superhuman beggar from Black Cat Park in that apartment complex over there. ‘Superhuman beggar’ sounds weird, but anyway… I was in charge of that area, and I was just surprised to see someone I know here.”

“Superhuman beggar? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Seems like he’s a superhuman.”

“With that build, it would be strange if he wasn’t a superhuman.”

At the officer’s claim, the citizens and refugees around us began to murmur.

“But is he really a beggar? I thought he was a superhuman?”

“Must be. I saw him digging through trash cans earlier.”

“Sir? What’s that about? Were you digging through trash cans again?!”

“The hot dog sausages were delicious.”

“Why… why are you doing this?! You don’t have to do that anymore! Are you possibly doing this just for fun?”

“Wait, so this person isn’t sent from A City, but just a refugee who snuck in from A City? Just a superhuman?”

“Wasn’t it all an act?”

When they heard I had been digging through trash cans, the superhumans interjected.

“Why would an A-rank superhuman…?”

“He probably came after hearing rumors about Black Cat. Even A-ranks don’t want to die.”

“So he was really just a beggar?”

“So, this person is an A-rank superhuman with no job who digs through trash cans, and isn’t a W City hero?”

“Does that make any sense?”

“But if that’s true, doesn’t that mean this person is just… an A-rank superhuman who doesn’t belong anywhere?”

The superhumans finally realized I wasn’t an operative sent from A City.

A silence fell as everyone was taken aback, but it didn’t last long.

“Sir, please don’t do this here. Come this way.”

“W-wait!”

As the officer approached and tried to pull me away, a superhuman jumped out from among the refugees and grabbed my arm.

“This superhuman is one of us. Don’t touch him carelessly!”

“What? I’m telling you, he’s just a beggar!”

“Yes, just a beggar! But he’s an A-rank superhuman!”

“Huh?”

“That’s right! Don’t touch him! He’s one of us!”

“Why are these people acting like this?!”

Following that, other superhumans rushed out and clung to my arm.

On one side was a single police officer, on the other were several superhumans.

“Hey, you! Park Deun-deun, right? Don’t you hate this city? You must! It’s a city that turns even A-rank superhumans into beggars!”

“That’s right! This garbage city can’t do anything without Black Cat!”

“Black Cat should be shared with other cities too! Don’t you think so?!”

“Black Cat should be shared by everyone! Don’t you agree?!”

“Wow! These people! What crazy nonsense is this! Will you be quiet?!”

The superhumans pulled on my arm, hoping I would take their side, while the officer clung to me in horror.

As things got louder, I considered just throwing them all away.

As I contemplated swinging the arm that the refugees were hanging onto, one of the superhumans shouted.

“Everyone help! We can’t let the police take him!”

“He’s a poor A-rank superhuman that W City doesn’t even care about! He’s on our side!”

“If we have an A-rank superhuman on our side, we won’t be ignored anymore!”

“Free Black Cat!”

“W-woooaaah!”

The refugees in the park rushed over, grabbed the superhumans’ bodies, and pulled them toward the cardboard houses.

I can’t throw them now.

“Heave! Ho! Heave! Ho!”

“This guy… won’t budge an inch!”

“How much does he weigh?!”

The fragments of thoughts flowing from the unified refugees and citizens were digested by the monster core and pieced together.

The superhumans and refugees want to use me, whom they believe to be an A-rank superhuman, to achieve what they desire by bringing me to their side.

They need an A-rank superhuman to protect themselves from the heroes and police of W City, which is safe thanks to Black Cat.

“But why are we pulling?”

“I don’t know! Just pull!”

They don’t have any specific plan, just the strange idea that having strength is enough.

Other police officers were puzzled by the sight of refugees and superhumans pulling me with all their might.

Standing motionless, I lifted the arm the officer was hanging onto and continued eating my pizza while speaking.

“How noisy.”

“It’s because of you! Bl-! No, sir! Why are you doing this?!”

“I just want to eat my meal in peace.”

“Meal…?”

“Meal! Yes! You said he was a beggar, right?! We’ll give him all the food he wants! We’ll feed you until you’re full, so come to our side!”

“These people are insane?! Don’t make promises you can’t keep!”

“Hmm?”

Feed me until I’m full, huh?

At the superhuman’s words as he pulled my arm, I looked down at the police officer.

Then, as if worried, the anxious-looking officer hastily said:

“One hundred hot dogs! I’ll buy you one hundred! Don’t go! Just stay as W City’s beggar!”

“Hahaha! One hundred, he says!”

“He’s just saying anything because he’s desperate!”

“You wouldn’t believe such an outlandish promise, would you? We’ll let you eat as much as you want until you’re full, so join us!”

“You’re the one making outlandish promises!”

“Let’s free Black Cat together!”

To be honest, I don’t really think these guys will feed me until I’m full.

But having said that, they’ll clearly try to fill my stomach.

“This side is better than one hundred hot dogs.”

“No, don’t!”

“Wooooaaah!”

As I sided with the superhumans, they tumbled onto the grass, rolling around.

But soon, the superhumans and refugees jumped up and shouted:

“The A-rank superhuman has joined our side!”

“Get out now! This park will be protected by an A-rank superhuman!”

“Free Black Cat! Free Black Cat!”

On the other side, I gently lowered the officer by tilting my shoulder and gestured for him to let go, and he backed away with a pale face.

“Th-this is bad…!”

The desperate thoughts in the officer’s mind spread around.

At this rate, Black Cat will be taken away.

With trembling hands, the officer reached into his pocket and pressed an emergency call button.

“This is Central Park, Section 3! Backup! I need backup! Right now! It’s an emergency!”

“Wait.”

“Right now! Backup! Please send backup!”

“Hey.”

I tried to stop the officer who was emitting some ominous emotions, but completely confused, he didn’t seem to hear me and shouted into his radio.

“Black Cat is going to another city!”

Immediately after, an unfamiliar alarm sounded from beyond the radio.

#

How did it come to this?

I just wanted to fill my stomach for a while because they said they’d feed me.

“Free Black Cat!”

“Black Cat for everyone!”

“Share Black Cat!”

“Peace for all!”

Section 3’s Central Park, which was peaceful until just a little while ago.

At the place recently renamed Black Cat Park, refugees, superhumans, and W City heroes were facing off against each other.

[I’ll say it again. Refugees, please calm down and put down your weapons.]

In the refugees’ hands were frying pans, kitchen knives, long wooden sticks, and iron bars made from cutting the park fence.

In the heroes’ and police officers’ hands were riot guns loaded with rubber bullets and weapons called “shockers” that delivered electric shocks.

“The hero bastards are trying to kill us!”

“Aren’t refugees people too?!”

“Selfish W City bastards!”

“You think we’ll be fooled!”

“We won’t take it anymore! We’ll protect our own bodies!”

The refugees raised their weapons above their heads and raised their voices together, while amid the commotion, the heroes and police quietly shared information.

“What’s the situation? What do you mean Black Cat is being taken?”

“Well, a police officer triggered the Black Cat emergency alarm and…”

“What does an A-rank superhuman have to do with Black Cat?”

“I don’t know, he was saying strange things…”

“He said if we don’t come, Black Cat will be taken, and he’s betting his entire police career on it.”

“Why would it be taken? What are they trying to do?”

“He said he couldn’t explain why it would be taken.”

“What’s that supposed to mean…?”

“Well, looking at the situation now, it’s good we came.”

[Please put down your weapons! We cannot tolerate any more disturbance!]

When the warning broadcast did nothing to quell the commotion, a large man walked out from among the heroes and took the microphone.

A hero I’d seen a few times before, the guy who was with Electris in the quiet hallway.

[I am Kim Seong-ho, W City’s A-rank hero, Iron Might. Refugees, please exit the park. This is a W City park. Anyone who continues to disrupt the park will be punished according to the law.]

As Iron Might announced his rank and spread a chilling wave of special ability as a warning, the refugees threw empty cans and trash at the W City heroes from within the police and hero encirclement.

“Selfish heroes get out!”

“This is our area!”

“Now you’re openly violating the refugee protection law! Not even trying to hide it!”

“Iron Might! You think we’re scared because you’re an A-rank hero?!”

“We have Park Deun-deun!”

Woooaah! The refugees cheered, and the superhumans around me pointed at me with their palms.

The heroes took photos of my face from a distance to confirm my information.

“It’s true, A City’s A-rank superhuman Park Deun-deun.”

“Did he escape from A City during the recent situation?”

“Wait, if it’s Park Deun-deun… I’ve seen him in the Kowloon Walled City collapse case files. He was suspected to be one of Gu Seo-ryong’s associates.”

“Now that you mention it, I’ve seen him too. With such a unique name, it’s definitely him.”

Overhearing the heroes’ conversation and seeing the troublesome situation developing, I put a hand to my mouth and shouted:

“I am not Park Deun-deun!”

Then, the superhumans around me raised their voices in response:

“That’s right! This man is no longer the beggar wandering W City, Park Deun-deun!”

“He is the action commander of the Black Cat Liberation Front, tired of W City’s selfishness!”

“Don’t think you can ignore us anymore!”

“Listen to our voices!”

Woooaah! The refugees all cheered together.