Dear Heroes, I really am a Villain-Chapter 40: Ominious Storm

Other than leaking the contract using the address of the Red Vulture group onto the net, Maximilian also deliberately leaked some false data—fabricated to appear as though the low-skill hackers from the Red Vulture group could realistically uncover it.

The data was fake, but it was carefully designed to be highly believable, based on what Maximilian had uncovered from Rebecca’s safe house.

For example, the information about the special dart suggested that whoever kidnapped her had connections to the UEC. The breach of the safe house further implied that someone with access to UEC contributor safe house locations had initiated the abduction.

It was highly likely that the ones who kidnapped her belonged to an independent faction within the UEC.

Maximilian deliberately set it up to appear as though the Red Vulture group had stumbled upon this information purely by luck. One of their old, jury-rigged servers—allegedly salvaged from a derelict military compound in the Wildlands—was made to appear as though it contained remnants of this sensitive data.

Of course, Maximilian had been tracking their every move, having already installed a backdoor into their systems when he first tapped into the building’s junction box.

He even kept direct contact with them about their progress. The moment they mentioned this fabricated intel, he rewarded them with an additional 100,000 as a bonus.

To Maximilian’s surprise, the clowns turned out to be quite efficient—in a chaotic, self-sabotaging way. No sooner had they received the bonus than they headed straight to a bar to celebrate.

Once the alcohol hit, they began bragging to everyone they knew about a clueless idiot but deep-pocketed client they had wrapped around their fingers.

One of them even bragged that they’d stumbled upon a goldmine of information for this client.

However, one must understand that the Fringe is a melting pot of many shady characters from various factions both inside and outside of The Fringe, each with different occupations and hidden agendas. Once word got out, these people started investigating.

Some dismissed it as nonsense, but the more cautious individuals stayed on the fence, watching how the situation would unfold.

However... those truly in the know recognized that the information the clowns had was very likely real. And eventually... it made its way to Strauss.

— A Few Days Later —

Inside the local branch of the IHB, Strauss presented a report on the screen to Old Cowboy, Dragonfist and Photon Fury.

He called Oldcowbot here because he’s the one who know Bloodmongoose teh best, Dragon Fist because he is teh first one who had a run in with Maximilian and lastly, Photon Fury, as teh strongest hero who are temporatilu station at this city-state.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what do you think of this information?" Strauss asked the people in the meeting room.

On the screen, the presentation laid out various facts Strauss had uncovered... most importantly, the possibility of an independent faction hiding within the UEC’s shadow, one with access to high-ranking authority and UEC’s vast resources.

"Where did this information come from, Mr. Strauss?" Old Cowboy asked.

"You might not believe this, but it came from a group of third-rate hackers who accidentally stumbled upon it," Strauss replied.

"I think it’s probably fake, but it should contain some truth. For example, the fact that someone with high-ranking connections within the UEC was involved in the kidnapping. We already checked her safe house and found clues supporting that," said Old Cowboy.

"Then that only means Maximilian is using these clowns to draw attention. What do you think he’ll do next?" Strauss asked.

"I don’t know what Maximilian will do in this situation, Mr. Strauss... but if it were Blood Mongoose, he’d most likely go after anyone who came for those clowns. Because it’s highly likely those people know something about the kidnapping. And if no one shows up, he probably has contingency plans in place," said Old Cowboy.

"Mr. Gu, you were the first hero to fight him. What do you think of him? Do you know what his EF ability is?" Strauss asked.

Dragon Fist, or Cassius Gu, was the hero who first fought with Maximilian when he arrived in the city. Truthfully, he hadn’t wanted to be here at all, but Strauss’s authority within the IHB had sway over his career, so he had no choice.

And now, the first question from Strauss forced him to recall a humiliating moment he’d rather forget.

"He’s moderately skilled in CQC, and he seems to have an EF that can drain plasma, judging from what he did to Mr. Blaster. And... he might be able to use that energy to heal himself," Dragon Fist answered—while not forgetting to downplay Maximilian’s close combat skills.

Strauss noticed the attempt to downplay Maximilian’s abilities but decided to let it slide. He did not want to further bruise the man’s ego since he already knew the truth.

Sensing the heavy atmosphere in the room, Photon Fury decided to chime in.

"Why are you so afraid of him? So what if he can drain plasma—or even other types of energy? His body alone can’t absorb that much. I don’t think his EF is that powerful. Otherwise, we would’ve heard of him long ago.

If it were me, I’d feed him my energy until he bursts! You all know what I’m capable of," Photon Fury said proudly.

"You should be cautious, Ms. Photon Fury. Blood Mongoose once killed a top-ten-ranked hero when his EF was only a triple strength enhancement and average regeneration. If our suspicion that Maximilian is Blood Mongoose’s protégé is true, then... I believe he already has contingencies prepared against you.

If he finds a way to strip you of your photon powers, then with your current close combat skills, you wouldn’t be a match for him. You should train more so you can prove yourself worthy of—"

"I don’t need to be ’worthy’ to prove anything—to anyone!" Photon Fury roared, cutting Strauss off mid-sentence.

"I am who I am! I don’t need to prove anything to any man! I’m naturally strong! And I know why you men won’t let me into the top ten rankings—it’s because you’re all butthurt by my power! You’re afraid of being outdone by a woman!" Photon Fury shouted in anger before storming off.

But this time, instead of smashing a wall, she opened a window, jumped out, and flew into the night sky.

Old Cowboy rolled his eyes, while Dragon Fist looked confused. As a local hero, he wasn’t familiar with big shots like Photon Fury who came from the Central.

Seeing all this, Strauss fought the urge to slap his forehead. Photon Fury’s bratty attitude was frustrating. He knew full well that her photon energy not only enhanced her strength but acted like a protective barrier. In terms of raw destructive power alone, Photon Fury could arguably be in the top 10 of the global hero rankings.

The only reason she was stuck in the top 20 was her attitude, lack of fine control, and poor awareness of collateral damage. If she could fix these glaring weaknesses, she could easily break into the top ten, and UEC would be all too eager to promote a hero strong enough to defend against threats from the Wildland.

All he wanted was for her to grow up, train harder, and finally reach her potential.

"Sigh~" Strauss let out a long, exhausted sigh.

"You should just let her be, Mr. Strauss," said Old Cowboy.

"I can’t. The UEC needs as many powerful and capable heroes as it can get. Unfortunately, she’s only powerful—not capable enough," Strauss said, his voice laced with disappointment.

"Why? Are some mutant tribes causing problems again? Or have they found a new Khan?" Old Cowboy asked.

At the mention of a mutant Khan, Dragon Fist visibly tensed. The mere idea of a new Khan was terrifying—something humans were never truly prepared for, even after multiple victories over the mutants.

"Not yet..." Strauss replied. "But the higher-ups seem agitated lately. So I thought we should be prepared, just in case."

— City Center – Luther Rook’s Penthouse —

At the top of one of the high-rise buildings in the Grand Square, within the opulent bedroom of a luxurious penthouse, Luther Rook resided—indulging in the finest comforts money could buy.

At that moment, his phone buzzed with an urgent message. He picked it up and read:

"A group of third-rate hackers in the Fringe seems to be sniffing around. They’ve started to uncover our existence while searching for the whereabouts of Rebecca Lane."

After reading the message, Luther snorted in amusement. He couldn’t believe that a group of low-tier hackers from the Fringe would be capable of uncovering their existence. His group had been hiding within the UEC for so long, and the organization remained completely unaware. There was no way their carefully concealed traces could be discovered so easily.

He typed out a response and sent it back:

"Watch their activities. If it looks like our name is about to be exposed... kill them."

With a final tap, Luther sent the message.