Black Cell had a whistleblower.
Whoever it was, they were fairly capable — they slipped through the search we conducted, and on top of that.
They leaked Black Cell's internal information to the press, and the outside world erupted into a frenzy trying to tear us apart.
But a short while later.
The news I checked together with Amano, my successor, read as follows.
[ Black Cell Issues Firm Statement Against Fake News. ]
[ Cyber Smear Accounts That Led Intense Criticism Hit With Lawsuit. ]
[ What Is the Truth? ]
[ Black Group Announces Direct Involvement in Addressing Recent Rumors. ]
"Money really does solve everything, doesn't it."
"Y-yeah, it really does, senior."
The moment the Director responded by the book, the majority of the press immediately hit the brakes.
Those who had been hurling criticism quietly shut their mouths.
Of course, there were those who didn't stop.
But this being a villainous organization, they simply identified those individuals and slapped them with lawsuits on the spot.
"Those cyber smear accounts… I almost feel a little sorry for them."
"They made their living tearing other people down, so public opinion is mostly 'serves them right,' isn't it."
Black Cell's image took a minor hit from all this.
And surveillance over day-to-day operations tightened considerably.
But looking at the big picture, aside from a dip in stock price, there was no real damage to speak of.
Having confirmed just how ironclad this villainous organization truly was.
I was in the middle of heaping lavish praise on my past self for not doing anything reckless.
While briefing Amano on the situation, we took a short break and had tea together.
"Ugh… the coffee is helping a little."
"I'd estimate roughly fifty percent of our blood is made of caffeine at this point."
"I'm going to end up with insomnia at this rate… Anyway!! You were really amazing back then, senior Maxwell!"
She was praising me for speaking up even when the Director had been pointing a gun at me.
Though she really is an extraordinarily curious successor.
"Senior, about Director Eileen — do you think she has some other motive?"
"What do you mean?"
"Publicly, she's conducting all this research for the advancement of the age and whatnot. But watching her lose her temper this time, it feels like there's something else driving her."
A remarkably sharp analysis.
The Director does, in fact, have a personal motive.
But what I say here is already decided.
"I don't know."
"Heeh~ Senior Maxwell, isn't that a little mean?"
"I'm sorry, but I genuinely don't know. And I'm not particularly interested. If you want answers, look into it yourself."
The old saying that walls have ears isn't there for nothing.
There could be someone in this very room serving as the Director's ears.
And why on earth would I be foolish enough to say anything?
Amano sulked at not getting an answer.
But she quickly recovered and headed back to her workstation.
I, too, set off to meet Gloria.
As I walked, countless inhumane experiments flickered past on either side of me.
The reason Director Eileen — who was as good as the owner of Black Cell — did all of this was, remarkably enough…
'She just wants to become a superhuman herself.'
The most vicious act, born from the simplest of reasons.
***************
The Director of this place is the youngest daughter of the Blackrock Family, a conglomerate dynasty.
Every other member of that family is a superhuman — except for Director Eileen, who has no ability whatsoever.
Grinding up other superhumans to relieve her own inferiority complex was, in its own way, perfectly villainous.
In any case, the Director — consumed by her warped sense of inadequacy — suddenly summoned me.
I assumed it was because of the conversation we'd had in the convention hall.
But no.
"The Hero Association is sending a hero and a Sidekick?"
"Yeah. Go greet them for me."
A completely unexpected order.
Naturally, I voiced my displeasure immediately.
"Out of all the talented people in Black Cell, why does it have to be me?"
"Part of it is the appeal of having the world's greatest genius be the one to greet them, but… when I went looking for the best speaker in this place, you're who I ended up with."
She then laughed, adding that she now understood why the young test subjects followed me around.
"Oh, and of course — the fact that you have no enemies inside Black Cell is also a big reason."
"So ultimately, it comes down to internal politics."
Since I went in and out of the danger zone alone every day, I didn't belong to any faction.
And since I got along well with just about every researcher here, the Director's calculation was that — barring unusual cases like Marlon, who was now a genuine corpse — the odds of anyone being jealous were low.
It was a nuisance, to be sure.
But looked at from another angle, it was also a prime opportunity to observe real heroes up close.
And I'd be able to catch at least a small glimpse of the Hero Association's capabilities.
"Understood, for now. But what about the possibility that it's a ruse?"
"There's a decent chance of that, but I'll handle it on my end, so don't worry."
The Association could send heroes publicly while infiltrating through another route.
But seeing the Director this confident—
'What a shame…'
Black Cell was a far more powerful organization than I'd given it credit for.
****************
Not long after receiving the Director's orders.
Today was the day the heroes sent by the Association would arrive.
There was a risk of being late for dinner, so I let Gloria know in advance.
She made her displeasure abundantly clear, of course.
"The other—"
She started to say something, then stopped.
I already had a pretty good idea of what she'd been about to say.
"It seems I won't be able to see Liberty and Victory today — I'm far too busy."
"…I didn't say anything."
"I was simply talking to myself."
My answer put her in a slightly better mood.
But she immediately pouted and snapped her head to the side.
Gloria, as proud as ever.
With all preparations now complete.
I walked slowly toward the main building of Black Cell.
The moment I pushed open the front doors, a barrage of camera flashes exploded.
Click!! Click!! Click!!
Black Cell had taken the hero's official inspection visit and blown it up into something far larger.
As a result, it had turned into something resembling a public corporate event to welcome the heroes.
'There are a lot more journalists here than I expected.'
About thirty percent of them were journalists on Black Cell's payroll.
Which meant they were essentially allies rather than press.
As I fielded questions from the bought-off journalists, a helicopter appeared in the sky.
All eyes turned upward.
WHOOOOOOSH!!!
Two fireballs — one large, one small — dropped from the helicopter and landed squarely in the safety zone prepared in advance.
The flames scattered into beautiful petals of fire, and two women stepped forward.
"It's Solar Flare!!"
"And that's Sunray!!"
"The Association really came prepared this time."
Solar Flare, the hero, and Sunray, her Sidekick.
Among recent heroes, they were considered the most exceptional rising stars.
And these two would go on to have a very unusual history in the future.
'So this is what they looked like when they were young…'
They were the heroes who would one day serve as mentors to the original story's protagonist.
***************
The powerful heroes made a dazzling entrance.
The journalists were predictably beside themselves with their cameras.
But Solar, her brilliant orange hair streaming behind her, strode toward me with complete confidence.
"Hahaha! So wonderful to meet you! I'm Solar Flare!"
"The honor is mine, Solar. My name is Maxwell Gray."
"Hm? That name sounds familiar…"
As Solar tilted her head in puzzlement, her Sidekick — who was practically her secretary — stepped in.
"Solar! That's the genius of the century, right there!!"
"What?! Is that actually true?!"
"Hahaha, how embarrassing."
Both of them wielded fire, and being in their early-to-mid twenties, they were brimming with energy.
But with camera flashes going off relentlessly, we needed to move inside.
"I'd love to give you a proper welcome, but… shall we head in for now?"
"Please, lead the way!!"
"After you!!"
Solar and Sunray's voices were so loud they echoed through the entire building.
It was complete chaos, but right now, there was a very high probability that the two of them had received some kind of directive from the Association.
Part of me wanted to arrange for them to make contact with the whistleblower, but…
Glancing around, I could see figures who appeared to be the Director's agents watching our group from every corner.
'Right. I've got my own problems to deal with.'
As much as I regretted it, I proceeded as planned — ushering the journalists inside the building and giving Solar and Sunray a guided tour of Black Cell.
"As you both know, Black Cell is a pharmaceutical company backed by the Blackrock Family."
"Solar! You know Black Group, right? Think of this place as one of their subsidiaries!"
"Even being part of such a massive group — why did those strange rumors come out this time?"
"To be honest, it's not surprising that rumors would surface."
"Excuse me?"
Both of them were visibly taken aback by my answer.
The journalists, sensing a scoop, hoisted their cameras eagerly.
But everyone deflated at what came next.
"Because our technology is simply too advanced."
"Ah…"
Not a word of it was a lie.
And thanks to the journalists on the payroll, it was time for this whistleblower incident to be dismissed as nothing more than a conspiracy theory.
"Black Cell has developed drugs that completely cure terminal cancer and restore severed limbs to their original state. And we continue to advance our pharmaceutical technology to this day. Because of this, there were even conspiracy theories in the past claiming we were torturing aliens."
"I… think I've heard something like that."
"But Maxwell, this incident could have been brushed off as just a rumor… why didn't Black Cell simply let it go?"
A true Sidekick — filling in the gaps the hero left open.
But that was an anticipated question.
"Because the times have changed. As you both know, we live in an age of intense public hostility. If you don't respond quickly, it only ends up harming the company."
"Even so…"
"I apologize, but we are not a charity. We are a thoroughly profit-driven organization. Which is precisely why what the two of you do is so remarkable."
With that, I ended on a note that elevated the heroes, and continued the tour.
Of course, the two of them kept trying to slip away to other areas throughout.
But they couldn't escape the cameras of the paid journalists, or my gaze.
They found it nearly impossible to move freely within Black Cell.
In the end, the hero and Sidekick, blocked by the wall of public scrutiny and corporate confidentiality, were thoroughly frustrated.
But as the saying goes — give an extra rice cake to the one you dislike.
Black Cell had a gift for Solar and Sunray.
Specifically, a civilian version of the Rapid Recovery Drug that Victory had been injected with — one from which nearly all the side effects had been removed.
"You're giving us this much of something this expensive?!"
"Each one costs several billion won…"
"The entire world knows how much heroes suffer at the hands of countless villains. This is Black Cell's way of cheering you on — please don't refuse."
This was essentially the same as receiving several extra lives.
Solar and Sunray seemed to forget their original purpose entirely, they were so overjoyed.
"You really shouldn't believe everything floating around on the internet!"
"Conspiracy theories really are just conspiracy theories!!!"
"I'm so glad the two of you are pleased."
Having only recently become heroes, the two of them were remarkably easy to win over.
But a stain of suspicion isn't something that washes out easily.
Right now, the Hero Association had sent inexperienced rising stars as a way of probing us.
Which meant that later, they could send seasoned veteran heroes who had been through everything.
I looked forward to the future where those veteran heroes would strip away Black Cell's hypocritical mask, and I saw the corporate event through to its end.
But Black Cell had blown this whole affair up to an enormous scale.
And wasn't this an event drawing massive public attention — enough to bring heroes out in person?
BOOOOOOM!!
So naturally, a villain showed up.