Dear Heroes, I really am a Villain

The APC arrived at the old railway transit just outside Manhattan, using the old Pennsylvania Railroad. This route was one of the few tunnels that led into Old Manhattan without being guarded, unlike the heavily secured bridges.

The APC was parked just outside the tunnel, covered with a camo net and hidden amidst a junkyard filled with old tankers and trailers. Honiahaka got off the APC along with Switch and Maximilian, leaving Dragon Fist, Doc, and Radio behind to guard the vehicle.

The three advanced toward the tunnel, but before entering, Honiahaka turned toward Maximilian and Switch and tossed them each a spray canister.

"It’s a spray containing a scent that mutated rats in the tunnel hate. Cover your body with it unless you want to get swarmed," said the Wildwalker.

Maximilian and Switch obediently accepted the spray and coated themselves thoroughly before handing the canisters back to Honiahaka.

With everything ready, Honiahaka led the two into the tunnel. The passage was long and dark, showing clear signs of disrepair and decay. Scattered along the ground were human bones, no one knew whether they had been there since before the war or if they belonged to scavengers unlucky enough to fall victim to the tunnel’s mutated rats.

At first, Honiahaka kept his pace slow enough for a normal person to follow, but upon noticing Maximilian keeping up effortlessly, he began to increase his speed.

As time passed, and Maximilian still showed no signs of fatigue, Honiahaka pushed the pace even further. In contrast, Switch began to struggle, showing visible signs of fatigue. However, they couldn’t slow down now, not when they were so close to the territory of the mutated rats.

Along the way, they encountered several packs of mutated rats roaming the tunnel, but the creatures immediately scurried away, repelled by the foul odor of the spray, as if the three carried the stench of a skunk.

Using this opening, Honiahaka led them swiftly toward the tunnel’s exit before the smell could wear off.

Sunlight poured in through the tunnel’s end, forcing them to squint as their eyes adjusted to the brightness. At last, they had arrived in Old Manhattan.