Chapter 118: Milestone - Villain
"Boss! Three more gangs just joined the movement. They're from the Clinton Street district."
Bobby was exhilarated. This was the first time in his life he had ever felt what it was like to command over a thousand people. In the outside world, this was the scale of a top-tier city gang. An organization this size would normally be targeted by everyone, and the daily expenses alone would be astronomical.
But now, not only was the government not ordering them to disperse, but all these new gangs were paying their own way, completely united by the "righteous cause" of the movement.
Bobby spoke with his head tilted slightly. Dressed in a sharp new suit, he looked the part of a true gang leader. Kaito Shirogane stood just behind him, like a subordinate.
Kaito didn't respond. He was just looking at the information feeds. The benefit of turning the B45s into a brand was that his information channels were growing. He knew that among the Reincarnator factions in this world, the one with the biggest advantage was undoubtedly the [9527] survivor, [Heartless], who was inside Vought. Second was the unknown Reincarnator in the [The Boys] faction, who theoretically had government support. Third was his own.
But the strength of [The Boys] was purely theoretical. The government rarely provided them with any real support. For the most part, [The Boys] were pitifully weak. Their only real power was the Supe [Kimiko], who had a powerful healing factor and superhuman physique, as well as feral combat skills. In this world, she was probably the strongest fighter outside of The Seven.
...assuming no other Reincarnators interfered.
Kaito thought for a moment and decided to eliminate the Reincarnator in [The Boys] faction first. He tapped George and Ance on the shoulder and handed them a tablet. On the screen was a photo of a thin young man, his face shell-shocked and streaked with blood.
[Hughie]. One of the protagonists of this world. He had been chosen by Butcher and had participated in the killing of [Translucent] after his girlfriend was turned into a red mist by a high-as-a-kite [A-Train].
Hughie was a good person. In The Boys, he was the one who was constantly trying to stop Butcher from going too far. But in this world, good people were useless.
"Notify all our members. Spread this to the other districts and online," Kaito ordered. "This man, Hughie, is likely colluding with [Starlight] of The Seven. He abandoned the memory of his girlfriend, who was blown to pieces by [A-Train], took a payout, and is now in bed with The Seven. We are declaring him an [Unwelcome Person]."
Kaito's smile was warm, as if this were just a simple public service announcement. But often, you only needed to release a signal. Your followers would then amplify your actions to an infinite degree. Once B45 had stated its "displeasure" with Hughie, it was inevitable that some of the more extreme, or ambitious, members of the 1.4-million-strong gang population would target him in a far more violent and vicious way.
And once Hughie was targeted, [The Boys] would be forced out of the shadows.
Half a day later, the B45 "protest march" had swelled to nearly two thousand people. It had finally triggered an official response. Droves of police in riot gear began to block the roads, and a city official was trying to negotiate with Bobby.
Kaito didn't show his face, letting Bobby handle the negotiations. He watched the police, all equipped with riot shields, as the atmosphere grew more and more tense. At a time like this, a single spark would ignite an inferno.
On a rooftop overlooking the street, [Kalpa] watched the growing B45 army. His eyes were sharp, and he quickly spotted the man in the pink robe. It's him. Mercenary Tao. This B45 is his handiwork.
He had fought [Bad Kid] in a previous mission world. He knew that kid was a vicious, evil little bastard, but he wasn't the type to use his brain. This confirmed his suspicions. But…
He materialized a sniper rifle.
"But you're still not smart enough, Tao…"
"What's the use of gathering this disorderly mob? Do you think these normal people can help you kill me? Or kill Homelander?"
He slowly centered the crosshairs on Bobby. He thought for a moment. Killing a normal plot character just for a few reputation points with the Triad... why not just aim for Tao himself? He could kill a nobody like Bobby any time.
He felt Tao was being too simplistic. If you were the first Reincarnator in a new world, this kind of "build-a-faction" strategy might work. But now, in this chaotic environment, he would never be allowed to unite the underworld. Kalpa just needed to fire one shot. The police would inevitably clash with the B45, and his little movement would be crushed.
Kalpa moved the crosshairs, locking them onto Kaito's forehead. He placed his finger on the trigger.
But at that moment, the "Mercenary Tao" in his scope suddenly grinned, his smile clear and sharp. The next second, he looked up, directly at him.
Kalpa froze. But his finger had already pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The massive sound of the sniper rifle shocked everyone.
Blood and flesh exploded. George didn't even have time to react. He just saw the bullet pass through the space where Kaito had been, and slam into Ance's shoulder, blowing a massive hole through him and the man standing behind him. Ance was thrown to the ground, his status unknown.
George stood there, frozen. Then he heard a familiar voice roar from the crowd.
"THE POLICE ARE SHOOTING!"
"THEY'VE KILLED SOMEONE!"
The 2,000-strong crowd was already a powder keg. The sound of the sniper rifle made them panic. The shout that the police had opened fire made them explode. A wave of anger and fear washed over them. The men at the front line surged, shoving the police. Some began to pull out their own weapons.
The police, already outnumbered, saw the gang members arming themselves and immediately raised their rifles.
"STOP! STOP!"
"LISTEN TO ME! THIS IS A MISUNDERSTANDING!"
The city official, a balding, middle-aged man, was sweating profusely, but he was trying to keep his cool. He was crouched behind a car, shouting for both sides to stand down. He knew that shot was likely a deliberate provocation to start a riot. He immediately thought of the Triad. But before he could say more…
He saw an Asian man in the middle of the gang's ranks stand up and point his index finger directly at him.
An incandescent white light began to gather at Kaito's fingertip. The [Spirit Gun] from his [Spirit-Gathering Finger], which should have had a massive Spirit cost, felt almost effortless. This, too, was being affected by his [Energy: ?] stat. His [Body of Ten Thousand Spirits from the Underworld] was amplifying all soul-related abilities. This Spirit Gun was condensing at a speed and size far beyond a normal Lv4 attack.
VMMMM!
Kaito felt the recoil as he fired. The one-meter-wide, incandescent beam of light shot across the street. The city official saw nothing but the man pointing at him.
POP!
A spray of red mist. The official's upper body was completely vaporized. His legs stood for a second before collapsing.
"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! THE OFFICIAL IS HIT!"
"RETURN FIRE! RETURN FIRE!"
In that instant, the situation descended into absolute, irreversible chaos.
The police with riot shields charged. Tear gas was launched. The gang members, who had already been penned in and agitated, completely snapped. Many of them were Supes. One of them leaped over the shields and punched a female officer, sending her flying.
BANG! He was immediately shot down.
But now the dam had broken. The mob surged forward, trampling the riot shields and the people who fell. The chaos even spilled out into the surrounding streets, swallowing the reporters and civilians who had been watching.
Kaito stood in the center of it all, watching the bloodshed, as his milestone progress began to refresh.
[You have caused an incident, resulting in the deaths of over 30 civilians. Milestone progress updated.]
[You have completed the Milestone: Villain.]
[Villain: When equipped, you will deal additional damage to all Lawful-alignment characters and receive an additional reputation bonus from all Evil-alignment factions.]
On the rooftop, Kalpa, who had been about to pack up his rifle and flee, froze. He realized that neither Kaito nor the police were paying any attention to him, the instigator.
He looked through his scope and saw Kaito, standing in the middle of the chaos, smiling.
He finally understood. That shot he had fired... he had just been a pawn. This "Mercenary Tao"... his goal from the very beginning wasn't to build a faction.
This guy… he just wants chaos.
Kalpa's expression turned grim. He had rarely met a Reincarnator like this. In a way, this man was far worse than [Bad Kid] or himself, who only indulged in slaughter and sexual desire.
Kalpa looked at his target, the gang leader Bobby, who was in a state of pure panic, screaming for Kaito to save him. He knew the true core of this "gang" was Kaito.
He turned to pack his rifle. That one shot had missed; he now knew a sniper rifle was useless. The man had some kind of [Killing Intent Sense]. As long as he couldn't hide his own intent, he would be spotted before he even pulled the trigger. There was no point in continuing. He didn't want to fight Kaito in this chaos.
He slung his rifle and was about to leave the roof. But in the next second...
BANG!
Another gunshot, this one from a different rifle.
Kalpa looked down, stunned, at the new, gaping hole in his chest. He wanted to speak, but only blood gushed from his mouth. He managed to raise a hand, and as his blood sprayed into the air, an invisible figure was revealed.
"You all must have thought I was the one being hunted," [Heartless] whispered, his form flickering as his invisibility failed. "That I'd be hiding in Vought Tower, too afraid to come out."
"Heh…"
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Guys We cross the 1000 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter
Next goal 1100 power stone,come on guys you'll can do it, good luck.
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