The Advancement of Technology Pollutes the Environment.
People mostly say that, but it was something only those ignorant of the facts would claim. Reality was different. Contrary to popular belief, scientific progress actually aided in environmental restoration.

Look at Earth, covered once again in greenery through the power of advanced science. What devastates and destroys nature isn't the development of science. Quite the opposite. It’s insufficient technology paired with excessive greed.

It has always been humanity—and their desires—that destroys the world. A few foolish environmentalists claim that technological advancements pollute the environment, but… such remarks only revealed the limitations of their intellect.

“─Restoring Z City?”
“Yes. You don’t plan on leaving it as a desolate city forever, do you?”

I proposed the restoration of Z City to the boss. Despite Evilus Corporation having taken control of Z City months ago, it was frustrating to see it left unused.

I also thought it might be good to restore it into something pleasing to the eyes. Z City was once, in ancient times, a vast grassland where beastkin roamed. It might be worthwhile to raze all the existing buildings and create an enormous plain instead.

The boss, listening to my suggestion, pondered briefly, letting out a low hum before nodding, as if finding the idea agreeable.

“Fine. I approve.”
“You’re surprisingly open to approving it?”
“Well─of course, I know that nothing you’ve suggested so far has gone entirely as planned… but even if this fails, it doesn’t seem like it would lead to any major issues.”
“Right, at worst, it’ll end up like ‘Jack and the Beanstalk.’”
“Beanstalk…?”

The boss tilted her head, unable to catch the joke. I brushed it off lightly, explaining that it was a reference. As the boss said, the chances of this going wrong were very low.

Even if something did go wrong, at most, an overgrown tree might pierce the clouds. The likelihood of a biohazard causing monstrous growth was quite low.

Back in the lab, I immediately started creating a chemical fertilizer to use in Z City. The advantage of being a villain was precisely this. On Earth, even if a new substance capable of restoring the environment was discovered, it would take an incredibly long time to get it into practical use due to all the bothersome reviews and approvals─but villains didn’t have to worry about such things.

Breaking the law was part of a villain’s ethos.
Of course, if side effects occurred, it could lead to trouble… but that wouldn’t happen. I was planning to use chemical fertilizers that had been in use on Earth for over decades.

Unless someone interfered maliciously, my research couldn’t go wrong.

“Huup─!”
“Bashaa!”

With fists and kicks aimed at Z City’s buildings, Gallum and Leviathan began to demolish the massive concrete and steel structures in an instant.

The buildings that had endured for centuries couldn’t withstand the raw power of S-Class villains, which defied human norms.

As the buildings crumbled, unable to support their own weight, Ayla, floating in the air, lightly waved her staff, settling the dust and gathering the debris in one place.

[Titan Kick!]
[Falcon Punch!]

Further away, Titan and Falcon joined in, slamming into buildings as if they couldn’t be outdone. With the assistance of the super-robots, whose raw strength exceeded even S-Class standards, the city began to crumble within moments.

Watching Z City fully demolished in less than half a day, I turned to my assistant and gave instructions.

“Slave, activate it.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Hey now. Call me Professor.”

Grumbling but complying, my assistant activated the machine he brought along, which began to exert tremendous force, sucking in the building debris.

The debris would be consumed by a sun-like heat reaching thousands of degrees Celsius beyond the gate, offering an eco-friendly waste disposal system, free from pollution or harmful substances.

Fueled by my assistant’s supernatural powers, the machine absorbed the debris at an explosive rate, and in mere moments, the ruins of the buildings disappeared completely. What was once a city filled with buildings transformed into an empty plain in the blink of an eye.

“It’s clean already… So, what’s the next step?”
“There’s still some cleanup left underground… but we’ll handle that later. First, let’s test if everything’s alright here, shall we?”
“Sure, but what exactly are you testing that you brought so many people along?”

Leviathan seemed genuinely curious about why I had gathered so much excess power here just to destroy a city.

Smiling as if to tell her to just watch, I scattered the pre-made seeds and sprinkled the chemical fertilizer over them.

Moments later, green vegetation began to spread rapidly across the desert sand, wriggling and bursting forth.

“…Huh?”
“Seems like there are no problems. Let’s only spread it in this area and monitor it for a week. Meanwhile, we’ll work on clearing out the underground facilities…”
“Wha─wh-what is this!?”
“Huh? What else─weeds, as you can see.”
“No─! I’m asking how grass could grow in this desert!”

Watching Leviathan, who pointed at the greenery in disbelief, I tilted my head, seemingly confused.

“When you plant seeds in the ground, plants grow. Didn’t you know that?”
“Of course I know! And I also know that this kind of grass doesn’t grow in the desert!”
“That’s because no fertilizer was used. With fertilizer, plants can grow even in barren soil.”

Leviathan glared at me as if I were spouting nonsense, but what could she do? The plants in front of her proved that I wasn’t lying.

After staring daggers at me, she snatched the seeds and fertilizer from my hands and scattered them carefully across the desert.

And moments later, the area she had scattered the seeds on began to sprout vibrant green plants.

“Wh-what is this…? This is like something out of a fantasy…”
“It’s science.”
“Unbelievable… Grass growing in this city…?”

Leviathan stomped on the grass, plucked a few blades, even jumped up and down on it as if it were her first time seeing such a thing.

Acting like a puppy seeing grass for the first time, Leviathan eventually stopped and gazed absentmindedly at the desert oasis that had appeared.

“…Eight. Do you think grass could grow over there as well?”
“Yes, once we confirm that there are no issues here.”

“Yes… over here too…”

Leviathan, standing barefoot on the grass, even began tearing up. After a moment’s thought, I remembered she was a resident of Z City.

Decades ago, before she was kidnapped by Omega Industries and before they destroyed Z City entirely with resource extraction, this city must have been full of greenery.

She was likely basking in nostalgia.

‘─I’m glad I did this.’

Seeing a comrade’s joy made me feel glad for restoring nature. And if this restoration project in Z City succeeded, perhaps the entire world could be draped in green.

Restoring even a small part of the planet, ruined by humanity’s reckless development, was a task set for a scientist from another world.

Footsteps, impossibly light, landed in the middle of the desert. Beside them stood a man wrapped in bandages from head to toe, who had been flying through the air and was now carefully setting down the girl he carried.

“─We’ve arrived.”
“Is this really Z City?”
“Yes. According to the map, it’s accurate.”

The man confirmed with a map and compass. His senses told him this was the center of Z City. The slum of beastkin, essentially a crime-ridden town. He had once seen this place in old footage.

Dirty, littered with waste and filth, the buildings looked like they’d crumble at any moment. But now? There was no sign of beastkin, nor even the city itself.

“It’s strange… This doesn’t look like the footage.”
“They were reportedly up to something, so this must be part of it.”
“Did they erase an entire city overnight?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t even imagine what sort of horrible weapon they made…”

It was understandable to misunderstand. Flower walked cautiously, guided by instinct, and soon found a patch of land on the outskirts of the city brimming with life.

In this desertified city, a small green field where grass thrived.

“Oh, poor things… you’re the only ones who survived in this ruined city?”

Approaching the grass, Flower spoke softly, and as she did, the plants began to wither and decay where her hands touched.

Absorbing their life force, Flower closed her eyes and offered a prayer over the dead plants.

“I’ll take you to a wider place.”

Taking their life force, Flower recorded the barren, devastated city and then flew back into the sky, cradled in the man’s arms.

They left without leaving a single trace of their visit.

The next day.
Returning to Z City, I looked over the grass, now rotted and crumbling, and let out a sigh.

“…What is this? Why is it all dead?”