Chapter 69 : Nice!

“A team…? Heroes are working in teams now?” 

Interested. 

“Quiet, you crockpot.” 

She’d remembered something this time. 

Iris recalled the latter part of the comic. 

In the later sections, there were a few heroes who did work in teams. 

But that was a far cry from what Laika was doing. 

Laika operated solo as a villain and had backing from Company J. 

Was he trying to use his power for evil? 

At her question, Laika rolled his eyes, his brain working at full capacity to secure successful research materials. 

“Yeah. Ah, it hasn’t been long since your awakening, has it? You don’t seem to know much. No need for explanations—let me make a proposal. If you join our X… team, I promise a huge reward. The Hero App? You can earn way more with us than anything you’d get from something like that.” 

Oh, look at him. 

Even a villain knows about the Hero App. 

Iris forced a smile and ground her teeth inwardly. 

Laika, clueless that she’d caught on to his identity, was running his mouth flamboyantly, and it made him look downright sleazy. 

Why offer so much money? 

Her thoughts flashed back to the comic—Kaiser’s ambition to create human weapons and the labs funded by Company J. 

Could that really be just a coincidence? 

What’s he trying to do by luring people pretending to be a hero…? 

Her warm feelings cooled in an instant. 

She was forced to once again face a truth she’d been trying to ignore: 

Actor Laika might be a charming man, but villain Laika was one of the main culprits behind Gyodam City’s destruction. 

She had briefly felt a flutter even knowing he was a villain, but now that she’d seen a part of his true self, she felt bitter. 

That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to sleep with him. 

Of course she would—she needed the skill. 

And she could gather information at his place. 

Just because he was a villain didn’t mean his handsome face and sculpted body vanished, so she might as well enjoy it. 

But what after that? 

What kind of stance should she take? 

One thing was certain—there was no way she’d fall for this man. 

She’d been unsure at first, but now that her identity as a hero had solidified, she felt a visceral repulsion toward Laika—a villain, and a major one at that. 

When Iris didn’t respond, Laika wiggled his fingers impatiently. 

Naturally, she had no intention of accepting his offer. 

But rejecting him too flatly might provoke him into revealing his fangs. 

“That is… a team system? I prefer working alone…” 

“Ha… Working with others is more efficient than going solo. Guess you’re still too new to know that…” 

Just as Laika continued shamelessly flapping his gums, the distant sound of sirens reached their ears. 

It seemed someone had called the police. 

Laika frowned and clicked his tongue. 

“Police cars are coming. If you’re interested in my offer, contact me here.” 

“…Alright.” 

Iris took the business card Laika handed her. 

A quick glance showed it had a different number from the one he usually used. 

It seemed Laika also used two phones, just like her. 

He smacked his lips in regret and waved goodbye. 

He clearly had no intention of showing himself to the police and had to leave quickly. 

“Hope we meet again. Later.” 

Without waiting for a response, Laika disappeared swiftly, using high points to leap away. 

Just watching how he moved gave Iris a rough idea of his strength. 

She also knew how to use that technique, but not to that degree. 

How the hell is his jump that high? 

He could probably land on a streetlamp easily. 

Guess what’s listed on the status screen isn’t everything. 

Watching his retreating back, Iris clicked her tongue. 

If he used that speed to attack, how many people would come out unscathed? 

What if she were the target of that attack? 

She didn’t even want to imagine it. 

Good thing the cops showed up in time. 

Otherwise, she would’ve had a hard time rejecting Laika’s offer without offending him. 

She couldn’t preemptively attack a villain who hadn’t revealed his identity yet, and even if she did, she wasn’t confident she could beat Laika in her current state. 

Iris crumpled the business card in her hand. 

She was about to toss it into a trash can but paused. 

I have no intention of falling for a villain’s tricks. 

But you never know… 

this number might come in handy. 

She unfolded the crumpled card and stuffed it in her pocket. 

As she turned to leave, Iris looked down at the unconscious villain in leopard print. 

Thankfully, he was still breathing. 

That’s what you get for picking the wrong fight. 

Serves you right. 

She threw a fist in the air at him and quickly slipped into the public restroom before the police arrived. 

Fortunately, there weren’t any nearby CCTV cameras, so her identity should be safe. 

Once she reverted to her civilian form, she checked her reflection in the mirror amid the outside commotion. 

Her phone had a message from Laika. 

“Iris, the villain was trying to set my car on fire, so I left for now. You’re not misunderstanding, right? I came back to look for you, but couldn’t find you. 

I figured you might be hiding in a convenience store, so I went somewhere safe…” 

Liar. 

A villain trying to set his car on fire? 

When Iris left the convenience store and transformed, that villain hadn’t even gone near where Laika had parked. 

She pouted at the shameless message but paused at the line saying he came back to look for her. 

Laika really had returned. 

Was it true? 

Did he really go looking for her? 

No—does that even matter? 

He’s a superhuman, he wouldn’t be in any real danger. 

Maybe he just didn’t want to leave things hanging. 

Or maybe it’s a total lie… 

She’d just seen him, and she’d still fall for it? 

That would make her a certified fool. 

What can’t a man say if he wants to seduce a woman? 

She had almost fallen for his sweet nothings. 

That disgusting look he had while pretending to be a hero and asking her to join his team—that was Laika’s real face. 

The part about fleeing to a safe place was a lie too, so it’s likely the part about searching for her was also a lie. 

Not that she expected much anyway. 

Iris sent a soulless reply. 

“Oh, I was hiding in the convenience store. Mr. Laika, there’s no need to go that far in Gyodam City where everyone fends for themselves… I’m touched.” 

Was that too deadpan? 

Whatever. 

It’s a game of deception anyway. 

While she fiddled with her hair, a notification sound rang. 

Iris bit her lip and looked away from her phone screen. 

Seeing Laika’s true nature as a villain had sobered her up. 

For now, there were more important things to check. 

Her reflection in the mirror shimmered, and a message from the black market appeared. 

Message from the secret market: 

Prevent the villain disturbing Rugang Park. 

Mission complete. 

Congratulations. 

You have earned 2,000 Fame. 

Nice. 

Sweet rewards. 

2,000 Fame all at once. 

She’d been scared when she saw the villain’s hulking frame, but the mission turned out to be easier than expected. 

Though she hadn’t killed him—just knocked him out—did that mean her level hadn’t gone up? 

Just in case, she checked her past messages. 

Surprisingly, there had been a result. 

Probably because she hadn’t really fought last time against the delinquent boat, but this time she’d gone all out, and it was reflected in her level. 

Her brown eyes widened at the first message she read. 

Oh? 

This one’s something new! 

She’d gone up three levels from this mission. 

The “Chastity Belt Girl” was now level 22. 

And with that level up, her condition had changed. 

Chastity Belt Girl has reached level 22. 

A new feature is added to the Chastity Belt. 

The transformation outfit now includes safety shorts. 

Oh, a random reflection effect on enemy attacks? 

That’s pretty useful. 

Guess it was this new function that blocked that bullet just now. 

Safety shorts though… 

ugh. 

What kind of grotesque gear are they going to add next? 

At least now she didn’t need to wear separate shorts underneath. 

That was nice, but also kind of disturbing. 

How shameless were they going to get, adding shorts directly into the transformation suit? 

The Chastity Belt’s long string of humiliations had made her naturally cynical, and that was a fair assumption to make. 

Shaking off her unease, she checked the remaining messages.