Evil Organization’s Extra Mr. A – Chapter 34

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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“Alright, go ahead.”

Seira logged into her account, opened the archive access window, and left her seat. I sat down and started reviewing the data, going back 20 years, to when we first arrived on Earth.

The accumulated data was extensive, and I had to scroll through countless pages to reach the older records. Seira sat next to me, watching as I clicked through the pages.

“Your team is in charge of Hunter Killer, right?”

“Yes.”

“But you’re looking for old data on superhumans, not Hunter Killer combat data? Why?”

While I could have ignored her question, she’d lent me her account, so I figured I should offer an explanation.

“I’ve been so focused on combat data that I don’t really know how superhumans are perceived, their social standing, and their overall influence.”

“Then you can just look at recent data. You have access to that.”

“I figured I might as well start from the beginning.”

Seira sat beside me, looking at the screen. We finally reached the earliest records, and I sighed, knowing it would take a while to go through everything.

The first record documented the emergence of superhumans. It detailed the Spacetroe unit’s defeat against the first superhuman, who appeared in the United States, and the positive public reaction at the time.

“Don’t you know anything about this?”

I figured Seira, as a team leader, would have access to more information than I did, so I asked.

“I know the recent stuff, but for older data like this, I’d have to look it up myself.”

It was a fair answer. She knew I was looking for old data, so she wouldn’t have any specific information about events from 20 years ago readily available. Moreover, Seira hadn’t been a team leader in Seoul back then, so she wouldn’t have known the details.

I continued scrolling through the data and found the record of the first superhuman appearing in Korea. Spacetroe had been defeated then as well, and the public reaction had been positive.

“This is different from what I expected.”

I’d assumed people had always been hostile towards superhumans, but surprisingly, the initial public reaction had been favorable. The next record revealed the reason.

“Earthlings saw superhumans as a beacon of hope.”

When they first appeared, superhumans, with their enhanced physical abilities, were met with high expectations. It was less than a year after Spacetroe’s invasion, and Earthlings believed they could quickly drive us away.

“Look at this.”

Seira pointed to a record, and I clicked on it.

It was a news article about the first instance of negative public opinion towards superhumans.

“‘The Earth Defense Alliance, a coalition of various nations, was formed primarily to counter Spacetroe. However, anticipating a prolonged conflict with Spacetroe and to ensure the stable operation of the Earth Defense Alliance, the funds for their operations will be sourced from each nation’s taxes.’ What is this?”

The article stated that while the Alliance had initially been funded through a shared budget, due to the prolonged conflict with Spacetroe, they would now be funded through individual nations’ taxes.

The decision raised questions. Each nation had its own culture and values; how could this decision possibly satisfy everyone?

The Alliance budget was also sourced from each nation’s contributions, so technically, it was still taxpayer money. However, explicitly stating that the funds would come directly from national taxes had ignited public discontent.

And this marked the beginning of the negative shift in public opinion towards superhumans. This change in funding, justified by the need for stability and the anticipation of a prolonged conflict, had occurred just two years after Spacetroe’s invasion.

“Wait a minute.”

While reviewing the budget-related data, I found a list of superhumans in each region and noticed something odd.

“This… keeps changing.”

Seira seemed to have noticed it, too.

For nearly 15 years after the emergence of superhumans, the team members had been replaced frequently, sometimes within a week, sometimes within a month.

“Check the articles from five years ago.”

Seira, who’d been passively observing, now seemed intrigued and started actively reviewing the data. I checked the records from five years ago, as she instructed, and found a record of the youngest superhuman.

Five years ago, a 14-year-old superhuman, by Korean age, had appeared in a duel for the first time. The records indicated he possessed significantly enhanced abilities compared to previous superhumans. And his name was still on the active roster.

“Do you know how superhumans are created?”

“No, there are no external records, so we still haven’t figured it out.”

In my 20 years on Earth, having experienced numerous events and encountered many superhumans since being stationed in Seoul, I still had no information on how they were initially created. Even Seira, a team leader, didn’t know.

“Let’s summarize what we know so far.”

I opened a text file and started organizing the information we’d gathered.

Superhumans first appeared in the same year Spacetroe invaded Earth 20 years ago, and the process of their creation remained unknown.

Superhuman team members were replaced frequently for nearly 15 years, and the turnover rate had slowed down only in the past five years.

Superhumans were initially funded through the Earth Defense Alliance budget, but two years into the invasion, the funding method was changed to draw directly from each nation’s taxes, citing concerns about a prolonged conflict.

And that’s when public opinion started to turn against superhumans.

“Tax thieves.”

As their funding shifted to national taxes, people started calling them tax thieves, accusing them of living off taxpayer money while failing to drive away the invaders.

“It’s not our place to say, as invaders, but that’s harsh, considering they’re risking their lives to protect them.”

Seira, as if reading my mind, voiced her opinion, and I nodded in agreement, continuing to review the data.

“Monsters. They’re drawing a line, calling them different.”

Public discontent had turned into anger and then into hatred. The occasional news articles about superhumans were filled with hateful comments.

“There are barely any records after a certain point.”

The negative articles and data gradually disappeared, and I’d initially thought public opinion was improving, becoming more indifferent. But reviewing the data, I realized it was something else entirely.

The public had simply lost interest. The duels between superhumans and Spacetroe had become predictable. The media, always seeking sensational stories, had moved on, and seeing us regularly appearing in the city, people had become complacent.

We always fought in open areas, minimizing damage, avoided civilian casualties, and didn’t cause any social issues. This perception of Spacetroe had solidified in recent years.

And in this context, superhumans, who appeared to be doing nothing but collecting taxpayer money while failing to repel Spacetroe, were still viewed negatively, even if the media had moved on.

“What a troublesome planet.”

“Just this one? They’re all troublesome. This is just unusual because it’s dragging on for so long.”

Seira was right. All the planets we’d invaded had presented their own challenges. But this was the first time an invasion had lasted 20 years, and we were struggling to adapt to the unprecedented shift in public opinion.

The resurgence of negative sentiment towards superhumans had been relatively recent. Five years ago, after the youngest superhuman appeared, the teams had undergone a major generational shift, and the new generation was the source of the current negativity.

“Assault, harassment, theft, rape… they’ve done it all.”

The new generation of superhumans seemed to be committing every crime imaginable. Of course, it wasn’t everyone; the individuals mentioned in the reports were likely a minority.

But the public didn’t care about the minority. Numerous articles about superhuman crimes had been published, and the public’s anger was directed at all superhumans.

“They weren’t hiding from us.”

I’d assumed superhumans concealed their identities to avoid being detected by Spacetroe. While that might have been partially true, they were hiding from their fellow Earthlings, the ordinary humans, not from us.

Did the hatred lead to the crimes, or did the crimes lead to the hatred?

I didn’t know which came first. While there might have been underlying prejudice against superhumans, this level of criminal activity had only emerged after the generational shift.

“No.”

I muttered to myself, and Seira, who’d been looking at the monitor, turned to me.

While the hatred towards superhumans had persisted, the previous generations, despite the frequent turnover, hadn’t resorted to such extreme measures. Or perhaps they’d been prevented from doing so. What was the reason?

“Wait a minute. Where did all these superhumans go?”

A fundamental question arose. Where had the previous generations of superhumans gone, the ones who’d been replaced so frequently?

“There are no articles, and we don’t have any data on their whereabouts.”

Even the existing data simply stated that their whereabouts were unknown.

“Maybe they’re dead?”

Seira’s words made my heart skip a beat. What if the superhumans who’d been replaced were all dead? How many superhumans had died in the past 20 years? And why had they been killed?

I was an invader, but I wasn’t a monster. While I was from another planet, the thought of humans killing each other filled me with anger and disgust.

“What if, instead of being dead, their active duty was limited?”

“Like tools?”

Seira, her gaze cold, voiced the unspoken thought. It was better to be explicit. It helped with the investigation.

“There’s no data on this, and speculating won’t get us anywhere, so let’s focus on what we can find.”

Three hours had passed since we started reviewing the data, and I stretched, feeling tired.

It was getting late, and I decided to go home. I stood up, and Seira looked at me.

“Let’s go home. Can I borrow your account again tomorrow?”

“Borrowing is fine, but what are you planning to do with this information?”

“Just research.”

“You’re better off doing nothing.”

I almost snapped at her. I was uncomfortable around Seira because she was my colleague, a longtime friend, yet also my superior. But there was another, bigger reason: her constant discouragement.

She’d been saying that ever since we were cadets at the academy.

I’d initially dismissed it as a joke, but it had gradually become a trigger for my irritation.

“Unfortunately, I can’t sit still. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

I gave a cursory goodbye, trying to hide my annoyance, and left her office. Standing in front of the elevator, I replayed the information I’d just reviewed.

‘Why are superhumans treated like this?’

I’d said it countless times, but to me, superhumans and ordinary humans were the same, just Earthlings. While racial discrimination existed on every planet, I had never seen such targeted hatred and prejudice. Why hadn’t I noticed the public’s reaction during our duels in the city? Had they been looking at the Hunter Killer members with disgust?

There was no point in dwelling on unanswered questions.

While sometimes, thinking led to answers, that wasn’t the case now. Concrete data was the only solution; my own thoughts were just speculation.

Stepping out of the building, I was greeted by the cool summer night air. It had been years since we’d had such pleasant weather in the middle of summer.

I decided to walk a bit instead of heading straight to the station, and the memory of my encounter with Green in the park resurfaced.

I was hoping, against all logic, that she might be there again.

After walking for about 10 minutes, I arrived at the park and saw Green, sitting on a bench under a streetlamp, in the same position as before, looking at the trees.

My first thought was, what kind of prejudice and mistreatment had she endured? What motivated her to continue working as a Hunter Killer?

I stood at the entrance of the park, watching her, and Green, sensing my gaze, turned her head, and our eyes met.

“Hello.”

I nodded in response to her soft greeting and approached her.

“You were here last time, too. Haven’t you gone home yet?”

“Of course not. I came back.”

She responded to my silly joke with a smile, and I noticed a bruise on her left cheek, a bruise that hadn’t been there when we met two days ago. It wasn’t from our duel. Where had she gotten it?

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