The condition was enough for Max and Ed to think it over. In the end, they came up with one solution: to create a masked superhero who would fight for justice, killing off all the corrupt officials. It was Max's idea, to be exact.
So the two of them didn't waste time anymore and rushed to the market. They didn't buy everything from one place for fear of leaving a trail behind. They purchased many similar things to make the shopkeepers confused as hell.
When they were done, they returned to their house just outside the institute and hid in Max's bedroom with the things they had collected. Hope had also arrived and was leaning against the door, watching the brothers do their thing.
Shane was also witnessing everything as he frowned. The kind of robes they bought seemed similar to someone…
He had seen them on Dark…
His heart thumped in his chest when he thought deeply about it.
No, it couldn't be.
Max and Ed weren't the ones who created a 'superhero' named Dark, were they?
Shane couldn't stay calm after learning about that thing. His breathing quickened as he stared at the scene with many questions in his eyes.
Hope, sensing her host's unstable mind, said, "Shane, don't worry about the future. You can still mend everything once you finish this mission and go back."
"Go back where?" Shane's voice echoed.
It sounded like he was emotional, but at the same time, he wasn't. He knew one thing for sure:
He was indirectly responsible for killing his sister, Tess.
If he hadn't participated in creating someone like Dark, nothing like this would have happened. His sister might still have been alive in the first place!
Shane swallowed as he took a few breaths and finally asked, "Can I still save the situation?"
"Yeah. Trust me on this. Let's focus on the mission for now."
Shane nodded and said nothing. He had no other choice than to trust Hope at this time. She seemed to have been aware of many things he didn't know. She even had many secrets in her heart that she was unwilling to tell, but Shane also knew those secrets were connected to his future.
They will surely be revealed in the future.
He just wanted to know whether Hope was on his side or not. Even though it seemed like she was on his side, he could be wrong.
What if Hope was the ultimate villain who came to destroy everything?
What if she was the one who created the mission to destroy the system world in the first place?
Shane shook his head again. He couldn't continue to think nonsense at this time. He had to think of a technique to test the waters with Hope. but for now, he could only be a witness to the destruction that was about to occur.
By the time Shane had finished talking to Hope, the brothers had already sorted out the clothes they had bought and selected a black dress from head to toe. There was also a hood that could be used to cover his head.
Max nodded in satisfaction as he glanced at his brother. "Should I try?"
"Go ahead." Ed was not interested in donning such a bizarre robe.
Max grinned as he put on the clothes and looked at himself in the mirror.
Shane's breathing nearly stopped. This was the Dark he was used to!
He stopped thinking as he stared at the scene outside the screen for a while.
Hope said, "So you'll wear this and kill those officials?"
"Yeah!" Max sounded excited as a glint flashed in his eyes. "How cool! I finally get to be a superhero!"
Shane shook his head. This guy would never be a hero
"That's great; go ahead and kick some a**!" Hope also exclaimed in happiness as she grinned from ear to ear.
Ed frowned after hearing that as he opened his mouth. "Can we not kill people?"
"My dear little Ed," said Hope as she scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "You're still a little cutie, aren't you? Look around you! These people caused so many deaths, and even the current System God doesn't seem competent enough to deal with them! Who would punish them if not for you guys?"
"Then why don't you do it?" Ed narrowed his eyes.
"Ah, he's really your master," Hope whispered to Shane, who refused to comment on anything else.
She didn't change her expression and said, "I already said I came from the future. There's a reason why I can't directly participate in the activities here. If I did, I might end up messing things up too much. I shouldn't be the one involved in the karma, ya know?"
"Excuses," spat Ed as he turned around and left the room without glancing back.
Hope wasn't worried as she waved her hand and turned to Max. "Let's go. We have so many things to do!"
"Like what?" Max thought they were only buying clothes today.
"I'm going to have to teach you how to be a proper vi- ahem, hero!" Damn it. She was about to say the word 'villain.'
Shane scoffed inside her head.
Hope ignored the system and continued to speak nonsense. "First and foremost, you must not listen to any explanations or evidence offered by the targets. They make fake evidence to turn the tables. Be aware of them."
Max nodded earnestly as he said, "Then what?"
"Then we should follow those people in the dark. I'll teach you everything, and you can easily deal with these people. For now, follow me, okay?"
Max nodded as the two of them vanished from that place. As they vanished, Ed walked inside the room again and frowned. He turned around and found Dirt hanging out with his other robot friend. He immediately called out the robot.
"Do you have the ability to time travel?"
Dirt tilted his head and replied, "Yeah, but only once I'm dead, and my data is taken out. Why?"
"No, nothing." Ed waved his hand as he went back to his room.
According to his analysis, that hooded woman must be from an era when Dirt might be dead, and his data might have transferred to her. For some reason, she returned to the past and even taught him and his brother, particularly Max.
Why did she return to the past with Dirt's data in hand?
Where did he and Max go if Dirt was dead?
Was he also dead?
What happened to Max?
No matter how much Ed thought about it, he still felt something was wrong with the entire picture.o him. These were the corrupt officials, according to her. So wouldn't it be better to start with these people if he wanted to find out the truth?
In any case, even if the girl approached him and Max with bad intentions, he would simply forgive her and let her go to repay the debt.
After thinking about this, he didn't wait any longer and called out to Dirt.
"Dirt, let's go. I need you for something."
The first name was William Thomson. The man was a judge in the judicial court, but it was said that he often made wrong decisions to make people suffer because of bribes.
Ed glanced at the pile of clothes they had bought as he pulled out the less conspicuous one and put it on himself, hiding his face. He also forced his robot to wear one piece as they walked out of his room.
Then he turned toward Dirt and said, "Let's go. We will see this guy first."
They went to the court after half an hour and sat in the back to witness the scene live. If this person were really as bad as the reports say, he would act immediately and kill him in front of everyone else.
If not…
A dark shadow flashed in Ed's eyes.
William was a middle-aged old man who walked slowly with his stomach sticking out. He walked, sat at his place, and waved his hand at the lawyers.
The current case was that of a poor guy who was refused permission to enter his own farm. Even though the farm belonged to him, he had to sell it at some point because of money issues.
In this world, not everyone wanted to become a system. Some people would also do other jobs such as being a farmer, like in the current case.
The new owner was generous and offered the farmer a job with a pleasant income. Things were going well for a month until the new owner refused to admit that the farmer worked for him. After making the poor farmer work his a** off, the owner refused to give him money, making the farmer knock at the court's door.
Ed watched coldly as the case proceeded. If the judge were really someone who took bribes, this case would go on with the farmer being reduced to nothing, with the case being directed toward the other part.
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