Struggling as a Villain

The Crimson Claw gang was situated in an island country which was formerly known as Korea.

Every section of the island was well guarded and surveilled by the gang members and military units they possessed.

Every member on that island is devoted to the gang since they know betraying the leader means nothing less than a gruesome death.

Since the teleportation through dimensions was still in a testing period—or so they told the world—no one but Crimson Claw and the factions under their command were allowed to use the teleportation portals.

The place where Richard and his gang landed was one of such factions under direct control of Crimson Claw.

Richard looked closely at the man and asked, "What are they planning by sending troops here and there?" Based on the answer he would be able to decide how he should proceed and if there would be a need to take down the Asian Alliance.

Although Richard's primary motive is still to save Rena, he has to discern the intentions of the earthlings for the future of Clion and the changes they can bring during the Great War.

The soldier has already surrendered and accepted his fate, so he didn't hesitate to reveal whatever he knew,

"We were told to integrate ourselves with major cities and plant them there." He showed a small pen-sized gadget that had a red dot near the crown.

Richard used telekinesis to pull the gadget, making the soldier tremble before the redhead inspected it.

There were three lines on it, and the word 'PinP' was written in English.

He could sense faint Aembr from the tech, signifying it was powered by magic.

He looked back at the soldier and asked, "What do you know about this?"

While still kneeling on the ground, the man responded, "Five of us were given this to plant at different spots but within fifty meters of range from each other."

Richard's expression turned grim hearing that, making Lilia concerned as she asked, "Young Master?"

Richard explained, "I can not be sure but it's a tracker beam that would allow them to possibly summon a teleportation portal anywhere they desire."

Lilia's eyes widened and the shock was shared by others as well.

If Ambrobates can be released anywhere on will, then the destruction they could cause would be unimaginable.

During a war, if the opposing forces release their soldiers inside their enemy's fort, the damage would be significant and the enemy forces could never be ready to face hundreds of Ambrobates at once.

No Empire would be able to withstand such a strategy and would fall before their enemy.

Richard smirked, "Technology has changed many things throughout the years. Nations were conquered but this time, a whole planet is in their target."

The soldier was astounded upon witnessing how quickly the young man discerned their plan.

However, he didn't know that Richard once belonged to this world and knew the extent of humanity.

They were slowly sending their troops under the pretense of random Bates appearance and spreading these pinpointing beams throughout Clion so that when the war began, they could damage the major empires from within.

'A cunning plan…'

While Richard was appreciating the effort, Emily asked, "What are we going to do, Richard?"

Richard suddenly got up and heard the soldier saying, "Umm…can you do me a favor and end my life here?"

Richard was surprised, "Why do you say so?"

The soldier's shoulders slumped as he confessed, "My family is under their radar, and if they find out that I betrayed them, they will kill my family right before my eyes before torturing me to death."

Emily frowned, "Then just run away?"

The soldier smiled in defeat, "Nothing is hidden by that monster. Jin can watch everything."

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No one spoke anything after that before a small explosion in the building occurred, and the soldier exploded on the spot.

Richard turned towards Carl and told him, "Burn the whole place and erase the camera footage. I don't want any of them to find out about us."

Lilia seriously asked, "What do you have in mind, master?"

Heaving a sigh, Richard explained to them briefly, "Before taking any action we need to search for the person who created this whole mess."

Carl's eyes widened, "We are not going to rescue Rena?!"

Richard looked at him seriously and rested his hand on his shoulder, "Nothing can stop me from saving her; however, if we take a rash step, then they might prepone their plan and attack Clion in haste—taking several lives of innocent people. And do you think Rena will ever forgive me or you if we let others die even though we could have stopped them?"

Carl didn't say anything after that. He trusted Richard's words and knew that until he was here, his sister would be saved.

Glancing at his men, they went to the computer and started erasing the footage.

Richard brought Lilia and the other two ladies out of the building.

Standing outside the building Richard took a pause and inhaled a long, strong breath.

"Haaaaah~" Lilia smiled at him,

"Feeling home?"

Richard shrugged, "Kind of."

Bella hugged his arm, "I never thought we would be standing here again like this."

Richard confessed, "Well, when I got bitten by the zombie, I never thought I would see you again."

Bella still gets nightmares of that night and whenever she remembers it, her heart rate begins to elevate.

Richard caressed her head and told her, "Now I am here with you and no power in the world can separate us."

After a brief pause, she smiled at him.

Soon Carl and his group came out of the building, and reported, "Erased everything and burned the system."

Richard nodded before he told them, "Now please step back."

They did as they were instructed before Richard summoned a very small, candy-size orange-red orb on the top of his index finger before flicking it towards the building.

It was tiny, almost insignificant—a fragile wisp of fire that flickered softly as if a mere gust could extinguish it. Yet, the air around it shimmered unnaturally, bending and warping like heat radiating off molten metal.

The tiny orb imploded silently for a fraction of a second before releasing a deafening boom. A wave of searing heat erupted outward, ripping through stone, wood, and metal with merciless force.

Flames surged like hungry beasts, devouring the building in a heartbeat. Walls disintegrated into molten debris, and the roof was torn apart as if clawed by invisible hands. Windows shattered, their shards spiraling in fiery winds.

Lilia had to erect multiple barriers to protect the people while Bella witnessed the scene with a huge smile on her face.

Once Richard was done he turned towards the other and said, "We should first get ourselves a place to hide."

He knew that the explosion would alert the others and they would rush here any minute now. However, it was necessary to cause the explosion so the chance of them doubting someone destroying the system purposely wouldn't rise.

They all were superhumans, so hastily, in a blur, they disappeared from the site.

Not so long after, a large military truck appeared before the ruined building with several soldiers wearing similar uniforms as the ones who died , jumping off the vehicle.

They wordlessly began to inspect the site, some of them first extinguished the first and some of them went ahead and began to search the premise for any remaining soldier.

The commander of the battalion took a long breath before saying, "There were more than half a dozen people here just now."

Hearing his words, the second-in-command said, "An ambush?"

The search team began to look for any evidence that could lead them to the cause of the explosion.

The battalion leader closed his eyes, and instantly, the second in command told everyone to shut up.

The commander has the skill to inspect a certain area and track the mana presence left behind by the people.

However, the moment his eyes landed on the being who caused the explosion, the man's face became pale and his legs began to shake.

Such a profound presence that makes you feel you are gazing at the Abyss—the darkness in the energy left behind was condensed enough to make him suffocate as he hurriedly opened his eyes.

The soldier beside him instantly supported his senior and asked,

"What happened, commander?" He has never seen the man being so much shaken up before.

The commander took a brief moment to control his breathing before he told them,

"Contact the high command….this is possibly a Disaster-class danger."

The other soldiers' eyes parted wide in shock, but their training kicked in, and they began moving hurriedly towards the truck.

The Commander turned towards the place where the presence led him as he muttered under his breath,

'I have a feeling that a massive war is approaching…'

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A/N:- Thanks for reading. Drop a comment or review if you have been enjoying the story so far.