Evil Organization’s Extra Mr. A

< Chapter 1 >

– beep!

The sound of barcodes being scanned repeatedly at the convenience store counter could be heard as items were placed and their prices added one by one in front of my eyes.

“12,800 won.”

“Here you go.”

I handed the card to the convenience store part-timer. She wore a uniform, took the card, and began the transaction. As I watched her fill the bag with the bento boxes and drinks, I glanced at her from time to time.

She seemed to notice my gaze, and I felt her awareness as well. After taking the bag, she left the convenience store.

“It was too suspicious to come here at the same time every day for a month.”

I’ve been monitoring her for over a month. I am ‘A.’ I belong to the Spacystro pirate crew and have been on Earth for exactly 20 years.

Driven out of our home planet by an external invasion, we fled into space and have been extending our lives by invading other planets. Eventually, our ship lost all power, and the last place we landed for an invasion attempt was Earth.

Though we conduct invasion activities on planets, we are not merciless beings. Even when we invade, we follow the rules of the invaded planet and win by the methods presented by that planet to claim what we desire.

Earth had technology advanced enough to explore nearby planets but lacked the development needed for deep-space navigation.

Thus, I assumed victory would be certain regardless of the methods proposed. However, the method suggested by Earth’s inhabitants was surprisingly “duel.” They proposed that if we defeated selected humans through physical confrontation, we would acknowledge defeat and permit our invasion. Considering the technological gap, I thought it would be an easy win, but I was wrong.

Earth lacked the technology to explore space but had developed sufficient technology to counter invasions from outer space, and their technology proved effective against us.

After 20 years of failed invasions, members of Spacystro began to integrate into Earth’s society, dispersing across various regions to continue their activities.

Earth’s inhabitants also dispatched individuals capable of countering us to different regions. One reason I visited this convenience store at the same time every day for a month was due to this.

The part-timer who just scanned the barcode of the items I picked up was one of the Earthlings we needed to confront.

As a ‘Private Soldier 1’ in Spacystro, I was assigned to monitor her. Since I couldn’t follow her around daily, I came to check on her movements when she worked at the convenience store today.

Spacystro’s mothership had landed in the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans, and many members were scattered across different regions. Among them, I came to Seoul, South Korea, to monitor her.

“Still working hard as usual.”

I stepped outside the convenience store and ate the hotbar I just bought while looking at her through the glass. She was working inside.

One of the representatives we face in Spacystro’s Korean Seoul branch uses color-based code names to avoid revealing identities. The girl working at the convenience store is also part of HunterKiller, with the code name ‘Red.’ Internally, I call her ‘Convenience Store Red.’

-♪~

Just then, the melody from my smartphone in my pocket started playing. I took it out and answered the call after checking the name on the screen.

“Hello.”

“A. Where are you?”

“Monitoring the target.”

The person on the other end was a high-ranking member of Spacystro and my direct superior, who assigned me to monitor Convenience Store Red.

“It’s time for the operation. Come over here.”

“Yes…”

I sighed and hung up, putting the hotbar in my mouth before heading towards the workplace.

It wasn’t far from the Seoul Branch to where we were going. If we took a car, we’d get there quickly. Sometimes, I walked because I didn’t want to spend taxi money, but the distance wasn’t so great that walking was a problem. I often thought I could have used a bicycle more comfortably. But I gave up because buying one was too expensive.

Once we got to the branch building, my job was straightforward. I changed into a black suit and put on a helmet that covered my entire head. This completed my preparation, and I could move with others in the vehicle.

I got into the minivan and squeezed in, even though it was over capacity. Our superiors seemed determined to maintain this arrangement.

“Everyone’s here?”

A woman with a cloak over her revealing outfit and gray hair, wearing heavy makeup, turned her head to check the number of people in the passenger seat. Since everyone wore similar outfits, they only counted the number of people.

“Where are we going today?”

“Han River.”

We conduct our invasion activities according to the rules set by the planet we’re invading. Therefore, there are specific days when we can launch attacks, and the opposing side prepares accordingly.

While it wouldn’t take much force to destroy this level of planet, the lack of aggressive methods makes it frustrating.

The minivan started moving, and we headed toward the Han River without proper breathing space in the cramped vehicle. Convenience Store Red had been working until just before this.

After about 30 minutes, we arrived at the Han River. To escape the suffocating atmosphere inside, we spilled out. Even though we were outside, the helmet covering our faces made it difficult to breathe properly.

“This is harder than fighting. We need better welfare.”

“Yeah. I heard the branches in San Francisco or London have better welfare.”

While trying to relieve the frustration by complaining, our superior, Luche, shouted loudly.

“Then show some results! No support comes because we always lose in one hit!”

Being knocked down in one hit is inevitable. Honestly, HunterKiller’s attacks are too painful. I don’t know what techniques they use, but their attacks penetrate us easily, leaving us unable to recover.

When I arrived early to wait for HunterKiller, I heard people passing by on the Han River whispering about us. Despite not being welcomed, our presence has become an event for 20 years on Earth. Though it’s not appropriate, their lack of concern for safety is somewhat pitiful.

Luche even signed an autograph for a child who asked for one last time. It’s unbelievable to hear someone call Luche a fan.

Initially, reporters chased us, trying to take photos and find our base. Now, they barely care. We no longer seem like a big issue in human society. Sometimes, seeing a reporter feels almost welcoming.

“Spacystro!”

HunterKiller arrived as we were talking. The all-female team consisted of Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, and Pink, and getting beaten by just five of them was our everyday reality. As mentioned earlier, their attacks are excruciatingly painful.

Each member wore suits matching their code names, and seeing their elaborate costumes compared to our basic defensive gear was slightly envious.

“Here they come. HunterKiller.”

Luche completely erased her previous talkative demeanor and greeted them with a fierce look, brandishing a large scythe.

“Red is here too.”

The Red I saw at the convenience store was now standing in front of me in a suit. It was amusing to realize that the person I had just been serving as a customer was now an enemy.

Of course, she had no idea who I was, so this realization was purely my own.

“Let’s go!”

Following Luche’s command, armed soldiers, including me, charged at HunterKiller.

“Stop them!”

One of our men was knocked away by Red’s sword. While thinking it was just another battle, I didn’t slow down my charge towards Red.

The rest of HunterKiller also engaged us, and despite our fierce attacks, 16 of us were struggling against just five of them.

Luche swung her scythe at Green, but Green easily deflected it with a spear and kicked Luche.

Thanks to one of our men blocking, Luche wasn’t hurt, but the man who received the kick fell to the ground, unable to stand due to the pain in his chest.

“Damn these guys!”

I was knocked down by a bullet from Blue and exploded towards Red. Though our suits only provided defense, they were incredibly sturdy. It was fortunate that they were so strong.

16 privates and 1 officer. Luche clearly lost the battle. From afar, it looked like a crushing defeat, almost like a joke. But we fought desperately, and in front of HunterKiller’s strength, we had no choice but to kneel again.

One of the proposals I made for Spacystro’s invasion of Earth was the ‘no killing’ rule. The representative of Spacystro didn’t want meaningless killings, so this proposal was accepted. Thus, neither side was allowed to kill each other during the conflict.

“Now let’s go back!”

Following Red’s command, we slowly stood up and got into the minivan brought by the driver. Luche stayed outside until the last soldier got in, pointing at HunterKiller.

“HunterKiller! Let’s see next time!”

Even though it felt like a cliché villain line and might be a sign of future defeat, I couldn’t say anything. So, I watched silently as she threw the line and got into the car.

Luche got into the car, and we left the Han River, leaving HunterKiller behind. We fought for only 10 minutes. In total, it took us 30 minutes to get there, 10 minutes of fighting, and another 30 minutes to return.

“Gasp… sob!”

After the defeat, the silence in the car was always heavy. Everyone’s attention turned to the sound of sobbing coming from the front seat of the silent car.

“Kids… sob… sorry. Next time… I’ll definitely… win…”

Luche cried after every defeat, and we felt helpless, unsure how to comfort her.

“And… sorry for losing my temper earlier… snif! As a superior, I should perform well to achieve results…”

Even though this happened frequently, seeing a superior cry made us feel sorry and want to help.

“We’ll get stronger too.”

“Yeah. It’s not Luche’s fault for getting angry. What happened to us is true.”

“We’ll definitely win next time!”

Feeling bad for just listening, we added our own words to comfort Luche, and she cried until we arrived at the base.

After arriving, she continued crying for a while, so we tried to console her. Later, we toasted with a beer, vowing to win next time before disbanding.