episode_0022
by fnovelpiaIt was 30 minutes later that a familiar black van stopped in front of our house.
I left the common entrance with Ruina in my arms.
And before that, he had been caressing her roughly until Ruina felt better.
It’s a shame that we can’t kiss a little deeper, but…
I had to go out soon, but I gritted my teeth and endured it because I felt like my erotic switch would turn on if I did something lewd like that.
Anyway, back to now.
“Let’s ride.”
Even though he was showing off his fierce appearance with his girlfriend in his arms, the black suit man who came out to greet him didn’t show even a millimeter of change in expression.
As expected, Team Leader Lee Tae-seok’s carefully selected subordinates…
I was curious about what kind of training they received to make them look like stone.
“Go in first.”
“Yes~”
After burning Ruina first.
I also got into the van.
How many times has this been? I’ve stepped into this dark space.
“It’s been a few days since I’ve seen you in person. Handler. Ruina.”
Across from us was Team Leader Lee Tae-seok, a passenger wearing a light shirt instead of a suit.
His trademark sunglasses were no longer there.
Thanks to that, his sharp eyes were pecking at us all the time.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“So what are you bothering us for?”
“What are you talking about? It’s ridiculous.”
I don’t know if Team Leader Lee Tae-seok actually knew, but it was enough to say that it was a nuisance to Ruina.
Well, I was planning to do something, but the timing was just right and it got sabotaged.
“Seeing is believing. You will know the details when you arrive.”
“Oh, yeah… … .”
I think it would be better if you just told me when you have time to say that proverb… … .
When I look into those eyes that seem like they’re going to kill someone, the words that are about to come out of my mouth end up going back into my throat.
Ruina next to me seemed completely uninterested in what Team Leader Itaeseok was saying.
The man in black suit was looking outside, holding up the curtains that had been drawn.
“… … Please do not touch the curtains if possible.”
Perhaps the black suit’s mind toward Ruina seemed similar to mine.
The only difference between us is that I somehow managed to squeeze out what I wanted to say.
This is the courage befitting an elite agent.
“Huh.”
And of course, of course.
It was Ruina who cleanly ignored the black suit’s request.
* * *
The vehicle continued to run for quite some time.
Just by feeling it, it felt like they were going further than the forest where Ruina had previously been imprisoned.
“Hey… Where on earth are you going?”
I asked while stroking the side of Ruina’s hair, who was already sleeping soundly, leaning on my shoulder.
No matter how sharp the eyes are right in front of your nose.
Now I had no choice but to say it.
“You’re asking me now.”
“Yes?”
“I thought you would definitely ask.”
“ha… … .”
Besides Ruina, there was someone else who could see through my thoughts.
I guess I need to learn how to keep a poker face too.
“We are now heading to the hero’s secret base.”
“Hero? Secret Base?”
Who is the hero?
Where is the secret base?
Rather, asking came back as more poisonous.
My curiosity only grew further.
“Ahem. I apologize for the inconvenience, as keeping secrets is my job.”
Team Leader Lee Tae-seok seemed to have read my thoughts through my expression once again.
He showed a small apology by coughing and lowering his eyes for a moment.
“So who is going where?”
“Here’s a hero you probably know well. The Ex-Machina of the battery.”
“Ex Machina… … ? That Ex Machina!?”
“That’s the Ex Machina.”
Unlike Team Leader Lee Tae-seok, who was indifferent, my heart was pounding on its own.
Omniscience.
A super famous hero and the pinnacle of non-combat heroes who knows everything.
Like Ruina, no one knows whether it is him or her, and no one has seen her bare face.
It was to the extent that I could confidently say that there was absolutely no sign of him coming out and doing any activities.
But why are such mystical heroes so popular among people?
That’s because of his unique way of dealing with villains.
Modern people cannot live without electronic devices.
Starting with the cell phone, which causes withdrawal symptoms if you don’t have it,
It is only natural that electronic components will be included in automobiles.
Ex-Machina took advantage of this and put the electronic devices surrounding the villain under his control, killing the villain without lifting a finger.
Or overheat your phone and cause it to explode.
Or, to prevent escape by destroying car parts.
Even a way to disable electronic firearms, called smart guns.
He is truly the god of mechanical devices.
As the name suggests, he was the Ex-Machina of Omniscience, possessing omnipotent cyber powers.
Thanks to this, he has always been able to show off his prowess by being ranked in the top three in the unofficial hero popularity polls held every month in internet communities.
As a side note, my academy classmate Han Si-eun, Blaze of Seomhwa, is ranked at the bottom of the TOP10 at 10th place.
“The very Ex Machina that even the high ranking members of the Hero Committee couldn’t meet… … .”
As a former hero otaku and aspiring hero, this was a stroke of luck for me.
I was just saying it was a nuisance, but it’s canceled right away.
I feel a little sorry for Ruina, but today’s holiday was definitely going to be the best day ever for me.
“So, so, so you’re going to the secret base where the Ex-Machina is!?”
“Yes. Currently, Ex-Machina is in a safe room on the coast of Gangwon-do, so we have to go a little further.”
“Heh, heh. I guess I was right to go really far… … .”
But then you meet that Ex Machina.
It didn’t matter at all whether it was Ulleungdo or Gangwon-do.
When we meet, I have to get an autograph, shake hands, and take a commemorative photo.
Oh, I guess you’ll be refusing to take a certification shot because of the mystic concept?
“Hmm. Hmmmm… … .”
Without realizing it, an evil laughter kept leaking out.
Team Leader Lee Tae-seok and the National Intelligence Service agents are like that.
At that moment, I felt truly grateful that he had a poker face that everyone recognized.
* * *
The place we arrived at after driving for 4 hours without even stopping at a rest area.
As Team Leader Lee Tae-seok said, it was the easternmost tip of the Korean Peninsula, with the East Sea sparkling before our eyes.
“Wow… … .”
Ruina and I linked arms.
I was looking with interest at the vast ocean stretching out beyond the horizon.
“Is this your first time at the sea?”
“Yeah. This is my first time seeing it in real life. It really smells fishy up here. Hehe.”
Didn’t it just work out?
It wasn’t planned, but I’m glad I was able to show Ruina the sea.
Plus, I can meet Ex Machina.
“This way.”
Soon, Team Leader Lee Tae-seok followed us down and made a polite gesture.
The place he pointed to was in the opposite direction of the sea.
It was a small rural village beyond a wide white sand beach.
“I don’t see any buildings that would be worthy of the fancy name of Safe Room… … .”
“So it’s a safe room.”
Team leader Lee Tae-seok responded to the monologue that was briefly in his head.
“The basic requirement for a safe room is to have a plain appearance that doesn’t attract anyone’s attention.”
“Aha.”
I immediately agreed.
Of course, a building that advertises ‘I am a safe room’ cannot be safe.
Especially in this day and age when villains are lurking everywhere.
The coastal village we entered was very quiet despite it being a holiday.
The only people who appear are old people of decent age, who appear very occasionally.
When the innocent-looking elders greeted her, Ruina responded brightly by waving her hand.
By the way… … .
Suddenly an idea occurred to me.
The only people here are old people.
Then, isn’t the Ex-Machina hiding here also an old man?
Assuming he is old, it makes sense that he would not come to the forefront.
“But where do we meet? Hehe.”
“Huh? What~?”
“It’s nothing. The hero has prepared something special for you, so just look forward to it.”
“You’re doing it for me. There are heroes who are really good at it.”
From the hero’s perspective, you could think of it that way, since it would be like helping an evil villain.
“Here it is. Let’s go in first.”
The place that Team Leader Lee Tae-seok, who had been leading the way, guided us to was a really ordinary old house.
The exterior already looked old, and perhaps because it had been exposed to the salt air of the sea breeze, the iron parts were rusted red.
“Ugh. It smells weird in here.”
“That, that’s right… .”
As we entered the building, a musty smell permeated the air, as if no one had lived there for a dozen years.
Is it really true that there is a hero of the universe in a place like this?
“Then I will go down.”
A word from Team Leader Lee Tae-seok who followed us in.
The direction he was pointing to was right under our feet, just as he had just said.
And without any time to refute.
The floor began to sink and cave in.
“Elevator!?”
I just thought it was an old, run-down house.
In fact, the ground we were standing on was an elevator.
Now I was starting to see the stereotypes of safe rooms that I knew.
The walls on all four sides are made of a sturdy-looking silver-gray iron structure.
The musty smell that had been there until just now had been replaced by the refreshing breeze smell of cutting-edge air conditioning.
And then the electronic sliding door, which you only see in science fiction movies, opened smoothly.
The person who appeared to us while spinning around in a large executive chair was… … .
“Thank you for coming such a long way. Ex-Machina.”
“Girl… … ?”
She was a young girl who looked like she was only an elementary school student, with a young voice.
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