The Newbie Civil Servant Hunts Villains Before Going Home

Chapter 11: Let’s Write It Up (1)

"Are you curious about what I know?"

Hyeon-yul smiled faintly. Slowly, his expression stiffened.

"Shin Dae-ho was in the distribution business."

Hyeon-yul looked at the guy. Then, he released his grip. He pulled the gas mask out of his bag again. He put it on.

The guy swallowed dryly at those words and that action. It seemed like a scream could burst out of his mouth at any moment.

"Back then, someone brought a new weapon. That person served the witch. That person is you."

"......"

"They say this is an alcohol company. Shin Dae-ho really liked alcohol. He was crazy about it."

A guy like that wouldn't have stayed away from a liquor company.

"When I first heard the company name, I didn’t know. But when I saw this logo, something hit me right away."

When he looked at the uniform worn by the dead security team, and the screensaver on the computer screen, it clicked. It was a pattern that evoked the image of a wine glass. That symbol was almost synonymous with Shin Dae-ho.

"This is a company that had a contract with Shin Dae-ho, isn’t it...?"

Except for guarding Shin Dae-ho or assassinating other villains, he mostly handled desk work. Naturally, he had gone through countless related documents. Given his status as a villain, it wasn’t possible to own too many companies outright. So, they created a thing called an "affiliate."

They were places that pledged loyalty in exchange for the support they received—Shin Dae-ho’s technologies, connections, and other assets. They called it loyalty. But in the end, it all came down to money.

Hyeon-yul looked at the guy intently. As silence fell, the man seemed to panic even more.

"Shin Dae-ho had quite a few affiliates under his belt."

—It’s nothing much, but our master has taken an interest in you. Especially the way you killed Shin Dae-ho—he said it was absolutely fantastic.

The Poison King knew for certain that Shin Dae-ho was dead. Then, what about the other heavyweight villains?

"Now that Shin Dae-ho is dead, wouldn’t they be tempted? Your master must’ve heard that the Poison King is eyeing Shin Dae-ho’s distribution network. Wouldn’t it be a problem if the Poison King took everything?"

Except for a few special situations, villains didn’t cooperate with each other. On the contrary, they remained wary of one another. They were always trying to devour each other.

Still, there was one common goal they all shared. Destroying the Empire.

It was a laughable, absurd group. But that one "special situation" was precisely 'Destroying the Empire.'

"Did you stage all this to turn the Poison King into the enemy?"

The Poison King used poison. If poison spread, who would be the first to be suspected?

"In other words, your master tried to pin this on the Poison King to take over this place. Did I sum that up correctly? You may answer now."

Hyeon-yul looked at the guy. His lips didn’t part.

"Do I... have any obligation to say that?"

He tried to sound tough. But Hyeon-yul could see the fear revealed in the man’s actions and voice.

"That’s the answer."

Hyeon-yul inhaled and checked the time.

"I can wait about five minutes."

"You bastard! You think I’m going to answer you?!"

"What are you saying?"

Hyeon-yul responded as if genuinely baffled.

"I already heard the answer I wanted. Now, I’m giving you a choice. Go back and die at your master’s hands. Or come with me to the Black Eagle and at least try to survive."

His fingers were scraped up because of this guy. He wanted to twist the guy’s neck right there and then. But he held back.

He had never once forgotten his goal. To wipe every last villain off this land.

If the Black Eagle got its hands on this guy, it would be helpful in many ways. That was the only reason he was offering a chance.

"You failed your mission. And in your world, failure means death, doesn’t it? Loyalty? Honor? Do you really think villains have any of that?"

Hyeon-yul let out a scoffing laugh.

Expecting anything from villains was arrogance. And stubbornness. The only outcome was death.

"Are you even being paid properly? Are you getting any sleep? With all those endless night shifts, you must be exhausted. So why are you still keeping your mouth shut for that bastard?"

"Huh...?"

The guy doubted his own ears. What the hell did he just hear?

It felt so vivid, as if the man himself had worked in the company.

"Honestly, I think the answer is already obvious. Forget all the pretense about loyalty or whatever and just follow me quietly. Isn’t that better?"

The guy didn’t open his mouth easily. But his eyes were already wavering.

"...I’ve never seen a Black Eagle like this before. Have they been investigating us thoroughly without me knowing?"

He couldn’t help but be shocked. Was the Empire pulling the strings behind the scenes?

The guy exhaled deeply.

"For someone like you, you must be pretty deeply involved. So what kind of leash are you on? Is it your family?"

Hyeon-yul asked casually.

In companies run by villains, people always started working without knowing what the place really was. Who would knowingly walk into that?

They offered high salaries and unbelievable benefits to boost their image. But that was only the surface.

Gradually, they’d tighten a leash so you could never leave.

Sometimes, they used family as hostages. Or they involved you in crimes, making it impossible to live a normal life ever again. There were many ways.

"...Ah. The drug in your body—I've already erased it. No need to cling to the antidote. Even now, you’re not coming?"

It felt like a final question. The guy shook his head.

The leash had been broken. Just that alone had opened up countless options for him.

"...How did you know?"

The guy asked hesitantly. But Hyeon-yul didn’t answer. Instead, he pressed in even sharper.

"I’m the only one asking questions here. Get a grip on the situation."

***

"How can you stay so calm?"

It wasn’t until they arrived at the Nest on the Black Eagle that Na-yoon finally asked Hyeon-yul.

With the White Sparrows on the scene and survivors around, it hadn’t been something she could easily bring up.

But when he saw the curiosity in her eyes, he knew it wasn’t asked with any ill intent.

"I used to be a villain."

Hyeon-yul answered without hesitation. The rumors were already out. He’d told Shin-woo as well. It wasn’t exactly a secret anymore.

"Really?"

"You heard the rumors, didn’t you?"

"Hearing it from you is different. I don’t like rumors. They can attack anyone at any time."

"The rumor is true."

Hyeon-yul looked at Na-yoon, as if testing her reaction.

"No wonder. You were way too composed to be a rookie."

Only then did Na-yoon understand. Why he had been so calm. Why he could apprehend the perpetrator without breaking a sweat.

"Ah, I guess you are a rookie. A rookie with experience, I mean."

Villain or not, Hyeon-yul was the kind of rookie everyone wished for. It was more than fine.

"...Is that reaction typical of Team 3?"

Hyeon-yul asked, a bit surprised by her unexpected reaction. It was the kind of bland response that might’ve deflated someone.

"Does Shin-woo know too?"

"He does."

"Then there’s only one answer. Both Shin-woo and I trust the team leader."

Na-yoon smiled as if stating the obvious. It wasn’t just anyone—Hae-ryeon had chosen him. That fact alone was proof enough.

"I know it’s hard to believe. I’m sure there are many things I can’t even ask you about. But maybe someday, when you go through it yourself, you’ll understand why I said this now."

"Is that so?"

No matter how energetically Na-yoon spoke, it didn’t reach Hyeon-yul. It felt like the low murmurs you hear in passing.

"Anyway, that’s a relief, isn’t it? You’ll be seeing all kinds of things from now on. You must have a strong stomach?"

"I believe I do."

"That’s good to hear."

Na-yoon genuinely felt relieved at Hyeon-yul’s response. Seeing dead bodies was a given. But it wasn’t just about seeing them.

There were plenty of revolting, filthy, and deeply disillusioning situations. Quite a few people had quit because they couldn’t stand it.

Just knowing that he wouldn’t leave for such a reason already made her feel more at ease.

"Do you have any questions about this mission? Ask anything. I’ll answer."

"What’s the current difficulty level of this mission?"

By now, Hyeon-yul was curious. There would be countless missions ahead, so he wanted to get a sense of the scale.

"It’s average. Not too hard, not too easy. Pretty much right in the middle."

"So this is the usual level?"

"Well, that’s based on my standard. It felt average because all I had to do was snipe from a distance. The difficulty of a mission is relative, so it’s hard to pinpoint a baseline. But there are many jobs that are easier with two people, even though I often do them alone."

Hyeon-yul nodded at Na-yoon’s answer. If this was the general level, the workload seemed manageable.

"How did you take down the barrier?"

"You’re really curious about that, right? I was waiting to see when you’d ask."

Na-yoon’s eyes sparkled. Hyeon-yul had a bad feeling, like he’d poked the wrong spot.

‘…Shouldn’t have asked.’

Still, he was genuinely curious about how she had located the power core.

"Please, tell me."

Hyeon-yul asked with a bit of resolve.

"You’ve done a great job, Hyeon-yul."

Hae-ryeon greeted him with a smile.

"Chu Na-yoon got called away for a mission midway and had to move out immediately."

"I’m aware. Shin-woo also received a mission and left. I’m usually here alone, so you’ll be seeing a lot of me."

"What exactly is it that you do, Team Leader?"

Hae-ryeon hadn’t expected him to ask directly and burst into laughter. Once again, she was reminded of how meticulous Hyeon-yul was.

"You’re curious, huh?"

"Yes. I am."

As soon as she got his answer, Hae-ryeon turned her monitor toward him.

"I’m writing the mission reports for the tasks our team members completed."

"You write the reports yourself? How does that work? Do you just write down what we say?"

"No. Your uniform has a body cam attached, right?"

At her words, Hyeon-yul looked down. True to the Black Eagle name, the uniform was mostly black. There were accents of white on the shoulders and sleeves.

As Hyeon-yul looked puzzled, Hae-ryeon let out a deep sigh.

"…Did you not hear about it when you received the uniform?"

"I didn’t. Shin-woo hyung only told me the uniform offers protection in a variety of situations."

"I see. So you really didn’t hear."

Hae-ryeon gave a chilling smile. Her fist clenched. Explaining this was the job of the White Sparrows.

"You’re not mad, right?"

"I’m not."

"Good. Then let me handle this situation. You stay out of it. Same goes for any other matters. You’re starting to build a great image right now."

A monster rookie. Today’s mission had been perfect to shape that image. The fact that he was still in his probation period only added to the impact.

"Understood."

Hyeon-yul didn’t know what image she was referring to. Nor did he care. Whatever.

"Anyway, the team leader mainly writes reports, interrogates villains like the one you brought in today, and leads meetings to decide our course of action based on the gathered intel. Then I relay that information to the team. And of course, I also manage the members."

With limited personnel, every team member was a crucial asset. It wouldn’t be wrong to say the system had been designed to let the others focus solely on missions.

"Unless there’s absolutely no one else who can go out on a mission, I stay here to protect the Nest. There’s an internal rule that at least three team leaders must stay in the Nest at all times. Does that explain enough?"

She kept it short and simple. There were plenty more things a team leader had to do, but explaining them would only waste time.

"Thank you for explaining."

Only then did Hyeon-yul understand why the Nest remained safe even though it was so exposed. It was guarded by team leaders.

"Now, could you report in? Just tell me who you brought in and what happened inside."

"He wasn’t a subordinate of the Poison King. However, I did learn that the Poison King is trying to take control of Shin Dae-ho’s affiliates."

"So this was a preemptive move."

"Yes. That’s correct. I suspect the guy knows more details."

"Short and sweet. I’ve got something to tell you too. Is that okay?"

"Please go ahead."

"From the same case Shin-woo was on, we learned the location of the secondary site for the test subjects."

"Where is it?"

"It’s within ten kilometers of the company where the poison spread today. According to a report that came in about thirty minutes ago, there was an explosion there. Na-yoon went to check it out."

"That’s quite the coincidence. Almost too much."

"Exactly. I don’t know what it means yet, but I’ll let you know once something comes of it."

After that brief exchange, Hae-ryeon looked at him and asked,

"Hyeon-yul."

"Yes?"

"Do you plan to keep working here?"

Hyeon-yul’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected question. Why was she asking this all of a sudden? It didn’t feel like a good sign. Was she about to fire him?

"…Did I do something wrong?"

"No, it’s not that."

"It’s… not?"

"Right. Around this point, the ones who are going to quit usually do. If you’re going to leave, you’ll have to sign a contract with a confidentiality clause first."

Only then did Hyeon-yul regain his composure.

"As long as the benefits are upheld, I have no intention of quitting."

"Of course we’ll uphold them. No matter what happens, we’ll honor them. But this is your last chance to decide. There’s no backing out after this. There’s a reason we offer such great perks. Are you really okay with it?"

"I am. There’s no better place for me than this."

At Hyeon-yul’s firm response, Hae-ryeon could almost hear a fanfare in her ears. It felt like fireworks were going off. Her face flushed with excitement.

"Good. Then let’s get that employment contract signed, shall we?"

Hae-ryeon beamed as she pulled a document from the drawer. They were civil servants, yes—but because they handled special tasks, this form had to be completed.

‘…I wondered when I’d have to do this. I guess the time has come.’

The inevitable had arrived. Hyeon-yul’s expression changed.

From this moment on, he knew it was war.