Heroes Return

"God said, bind this sinner before you with endless iron chains!" The solemn voice of the Son of God resounded throughout J City and its surrounding areas at this moment.

Immediately afterwards, countless golden chains suddenly sprouted from the ground. These chains began to entangle Stein's body, and as soon as one chain was torn off, a whole bunch of huge chains would immediately grow back.

Just as Stein's dragon was bound by those annoying chains, Captain Justice appeared in Lin Jie's sight. Captain Justice unleashed a powerful punch directly towards Stein's direction. Similarly, Torus, wielding a greatsword and shield, appeared not far from the dragon. His sword had once again transformed into a massive blade hundreds of meters long.

The greatsword slashed through the air at incredible speed towards the dragon's neck. The tip of the greatsword burst into flames from the friction with the air.

But just as their attacks were about to strike the dragon, a terrifying roar erupted from its body. With the roar, the chains of the Son of God shattered completely. At the same time, Torus's greatsword was also forced back.

However, at this moment, Captain Justice withstood the dragon's roar with his strong body and unleashed a powerful punch at the dragon and Stain on its head.

At that moment, Stain directly faced Captain Justice's terrifying punch.

The two fists collided at that moment.

Captain Justice immediately felt a tremendous force and was sent flying a distance, but he quickly stopped in mid-air. Similarly, Stain's entire arm was destroyed in the impact.

However, within seconds, Stein's body returned to normal.

"Terrifying regenerative abilities!" Captain Justice said, looking at Stein.

"And he also possesses powerful defenses and excellent magical abilities." The mustachioed man in a tuxedo, carrying a cane, flew up to Captain Justice with a balloon in his hand. "I never imagined he would gain magical power through science and technology. What an amazing guy."

"Hmph! In my opinion, this guy is nothing more than a monster trying to break taboos." The Son of God said coldly at this moment, "We need to find a way to eliminate this tenacious monster in one blow."

"Hmph! Leave it to me!" Just then, a girl's voice rang out simultaneously from all three of their communicators: "I'll find a way to neutralize his magical defense. You'd better attack with all your might then!"

Immediately afterwards, a long-haired girl in a blue combat suit appeared beside the dragon, with blue energy flashing continuously beneath her feet. This energy allowed her to continuously blink and leap through the air.

Just as this fly-like man was getting on Stein's nerves, the orbital cannon in the sky also finished charging. A massive laser beam once again shot towards Stein.

Just as Stein activated his defensive magic, a massive amount of blue energy erupted from the girl's hand. This energy, almost like liquid, completely enveloped Stein's defensive field. The girl then withdrew the blue field from her hand.

The next moment, Stein's energy defense also disappeared.

At the same time, a laser beam from the sky shot down directly, hitting Stein's body squarely.

The laser beam shattered the dragon's outer layer, and the Sky Carrier's main cannon and the Son of God seized the opportunity to launch their own attack.

The enormous golden cross and the main cannon of the sky carrier simultaneously blasted towards the enemy in front of them.

After the attack ended, the dragon roared and collapsed. It wasn't that it was killed instantly, but rather that Captain Justice had forcibly pulled Stain from the dragon's body while he was being attacked.

Having been nearly decimated by Lin Jie's sword strike, Stein, without the power supplied by the dragon's body, was utterly incapable of confronting Captain Justice head-on.

Seeing that the battle was nearing its end, Lin Jie prepared to leave. However, a large number of armed forces and ability users suddenly surrounded him.

Each of them carried state-of-the-art weaponry and had undergone some of the most rigorous training in the world. Yet, when they were ordered to surround this person they had never even seen before, they all trembled involuntarily.

As for their superior's previous orders regarding what to do in case of strong resistance, they completely forgot them the moment they stood before Lin Jie. Seriously, just standing there, they felt like they were about to wet themselves in fear. What more did you want from them?

Just then, a man in his forties jumped out of a shuttle in the sky. Lin Jie had seen this man a few times before. At that time, he was the Minister of Earth's Supreme Defense Department.

"It's been a long time since we last met." The Minister of Defense dropped his cigar the moment he saw Lin Jie. Even he, a man who had seen it all, felt an urge to flee at the sight of Lin Jie, let alone the soldiers. After uttering those words, the Minister of Defense was completely at a loss for words.

The feeling now is not that the World Government's large forces have surrounded Zero, but rather that Zero alone has surrounded the World Government's army.

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After the Minister of Defense made a brief statement, nothing more was said. The entire situation can only be described as awkward.

In fact, almost no one present dared to breathe loudly. Surrounded by such a large army, an invisible fear, emanating from the depths of their souls, was spreading relentlessly. At this moment, the elite soldiers standing in the rear ranks were retreating in small, stealthy steps, completely swayed by terror.

Moreover, it wasn't just one person retreating little by little; it was hundreds of soldiers on the perimeter retreating bit by bit. In fact, everyone present wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

At that moment, each of them felt a terrifying sensation, as if their heart were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand. It was as if they weren't surrounding someone, but rather lining up to be interrogated by death.

Similarly, the Minister of World Defense, as the supreme commander, fell silent as if he had lost his voice when facing Lin Jie. This was not the long-awaited reunion he had been looking forward to at all; it was more like a test. The image of the person before him, draped in a black cloak and shrouded in black mist, was more aptly described as the Grim Reaper than a hero.

In fact, according to reliable sources, Zero is now being worshipped as a Grim Reaper in the other world.

He had prepared a lot of words and remarks to say to Lin Jie, but now all the words were stuck in his throat and he couldn't say them at all.

At this moment, Lin Jie was in the same awkward position.

"Damn it, you guys should at least say something! What kind of nonsense is this, just standing here and staring at me like this? If you're here to admire a hero, at least clap and shout to express your worship! If you're here to cause trouble, as the Minister of Earth's Defense Department, shouldn't you at least say something tough? What kind of nonsense is this, leading a group of hundreds of people to stare at me like this?! Do you even know how embarrassing this is for me?! Are you planning to treat me like a rare animal?!..." At this moment, Lin Jie's mind was racing with all sorts of thoughts. Meanwhile, he himself didn't make a single move, simply silently scanning the people around him.

Of course, it didn't take too long. Suddenly, a projection appeared on a shuttle, and the projection was of a handsome blond man.

"Finally, I've met you, you imposter Zero." The blond man looked at Lin Jie and said righteously, "Although you helped solve a lot of trouble when J City was in danger, that cannot absolve you of the problem of being an imposter Zero. So you must immediately lay down your weapon and come back with us for investigation."

"..." Hearing the man's words, Lin Jie was speechless. He never expected that he, the genuine article, would be called a fake in his lifetime. For a moment, Lin Jie's mind was a little blank.

'As expected, it doesn't matter whether I'm a hero or not. No one would believe me even if I came out again now.' Thinking this, Lin Jie started walking forward.

But no one reacted to Lin Jie's actions.

"Did you hear me? Put down that sword and cooperate with our investigation immediately!" The blond man saw Lin Jie not only ignore him but also walk towards him. He immediately shouted at Lin Jie, "If you don't put down your weapon and cooperate with our investigation within three seconds, don't blame us for using force!!!"

Normally, after the blond man finished speaking, the soldiers around him would immediately point their guns at the person in front of them, and the latest engineering field specifically designed to target superhumans would be deployed at that moment. But today, he clearly hadn't grasped the situation.

Today, not only did Lin Jie ignore this guy's orders, but all the high-ranking military elites present also ignored his words. In fact, no one reacted to his words at all. A joke! Forceful methods? The soldiers present were starting to think this guy was an idiot.

Just the thought of getting close to this person was enough to make them wet themselves. Who would dare to use any force at this point? The soldiers present weren't stupid either. Who would do something so suicidal just to gang up on someone who was a true hero just by getting close?! Didn't you see that the Minister of World Defense hasn't dared to utter a single word yet?

In fact, the blond man's true form was located in the central region of the M District World Government, half an Earth away from them. Therefore, he was completely unaware of the terrifying aura that was currently permeating the area.

However, he wasn't truly a fool. After repeating himself several times, he finally realized something was amiss. His first thought, however, was that the World Defense Minister, who had remained silent until now, had deliberately arranged for him to be embarrassed. After all, the World Defense Minister had previously expressed considerable dissatisfaction with their actions.

"Arrest the imposter immediately. Otherwise, this will become the basis for my complaint against you at the World Congress!" the blond man said angrily to the Minister of World Defense below.

However, his words were still ignored by everyone.

In fact, the Minister of Defense was completely speechless at this point. In his view, the fact that he was still standing was already a testament to his excellence.

Lin Jie just happened to brush past him at that moment.

As Lin Jie walked past him, the soldiers behind the Minister of World Defense unanimously made way for him. Their legs seemed to move automatically, as if they were acting on their own, to clear a path for him.

At that moment, even the most clueless blond man realized something was wrong.

Because he wasn't there, he couldn't understand what had happened. Why were so many elite soldiers equipped with special mental protection devices standing there as if possessed, just watching helplessly as Zero walked out of the army's encirclement?

This was the first time in his life he had seen the World Government's army so cowardly.

Not long after Lin Jie escaped the encirclement, he was surrounded again.

However, this time, the soldiers surrounding Lin Jie were no longer the same ones as before. In fact, the World Government's elite forces had all boarded the shuttle during the 'no casualties breakout'.

This time, only five people surrounded Lin Jie. To be precise, five SS-class heroes under the Hero Association.

"Have you dealt with that scientist yet?" The blond man asked again after seeing Captain Justice and all the SS-class heroes arrive. "Now, could you please help us arrest this imposter?"

"An imposter?" Torus couldn't help but ask, this being the second time he had seen this terrifying person, including the one in H City. Although he had mentally prepared himself for the first encounter, Torus was still unable to calm down.

The same applies to all the superheroes present, including Captain Justice.

This time, Lin Jie scanned the five people around him. Besides Captain Torus Justice and the Child of God, whom he had met in H City before, Lin Jie also saw two faces he had never seen before. One was a man with a mustache and wearing a tuxedo, and the other was a long-haired girl who looked very young.

Although I've never met these two people before, since they're with Captain Justice and his group, their abilities probably aren't too bad.

"What do you mean by asking that?" the blond man asked.

"This...this is the real Zero!" Captain Justice suddenly exclaimed. "I can guarantee in my name that this person is absolutely the real Zero!"

“God hates deception, and this man before us is the real Zero…” Unlike the excited expressions of Captain Justice and Torus, the Son of God’s face was now clouded with gloom. He had a premonition that he might be encountering the same guy who appeared in H City last time. But as someone who had been defeated with a single sword strike, the Son of God would rather admit that he was defeated by the real Zero than admit that the person who had instantly killed him was an imposter. At least being defeated by the real Zero sounded better than being defeated by an imposter.

"What did you say?" The blond man looked at the SS-class heroes with some surprise. They had simply stood there and hadn't made a single move.

“My divination has already given me the real answer,” the mustachioed man said, holding up a strangely shaped card. “The person before me is the one who defies fate, and there is only one person in the whole world who has accomplished this.”

"Even the Master of Miracles says so?" the blond man said in shock.

However, his words were ignored once again.

At that moment, Torus took out a small knife and stabbed himself in the thigh.

This completely baffled Lin Jie. Why did this guy suddenly start self-harming? But what Lin Jie didn't know was that Torus was actually using pain to alleviate his fear of Lin Jie.

With the help of the pain, Torus managed to gather his thoughts and then spoke with difficulty to Lin Jie: "Zero! We're finally face to face! To be honest, I have a lot of questions for you! And I want to know why you didn't express your opinion when the registration bill was being discussed, but instead chose to disappear?"

Thorus could only manage to utter this question with difficulty, as if he had a knife stuck in his own thigh.

Seeing Torus gritting his teeth and frowning, looking like a gay man who hadn't pooped in a week, Lin Jie really didn't know how to respond. If he directly told them that he had been addicted to anime at home back then, the heroic image he had built up would completely collapse in people's minds!

When asked to come up with a more meaningful reason, Lin Jie couldn't think of anything profound. After all, his mind was mostly blank.

Thinking of this, Lin Jie suddenly felt embarrassed. Then, after glancing at the still bleeding Torus on the other side, Lin Jie made a decisive decision.

That means retreat. Let's just stay silent and let them guess!

Chapter 28

Faced with this situation, Lin Jie made a decisive decision: retreat immediately!

This guy is asking me this question while splattering blood. If I actually answer that I was so engrossed in anime that I didn't care about what happened back then, this person would probably commit suicide and splatter blood all over me.

Therefore, Lin Jie could only remain silent at this moment. In the eyes of everyone, facing Torus's sincere question, Lin Jie did not respond at all, his red eyes, which seemed to see through everything, sweeping over everyone present.

Faced with Lin Jie's sweeping gaze, the five SS-level heroes present felt as if their souls were being interrogated. Zero's silent demeanor at that moment seemed to question what everyone present had done at that time!

Without any response, Zero once again lifted his foot and walked forward. Meanwhile, the Master of Miracles and the Child of God, who were blocking his path, broke out in a cold sweat. Zero's gaze swept over them as if he were interrogating them.

"Can I take your silence as a response to us?" Captain Justice suddenly shouted at Lin Jie, "Or are you unhappy about us issuing arrest warrants for those former superheroes?"

"???" Upon hearing Captain Justice's words, Lin Jie couldn't help but turn to look at him. In truth, Lin Jie knew nothing about what he was talking about.

It would have been better if Lin Jie hadn't turned his head, but when he did, he stared at the Captain of Justice. To everyone else, it looked like an interrogation.

"This..." Faced with Zero's blood-red eyes that seemed to be interrogating his soul, the words Captain Justice wanted to say were suddenly stuck in his throat. His eyes even seemed a little dazed.

Once upon a time, those eyes, seemingly capable of directly questioning the soul, were one of the things Captain Justice admired most. Back then, under Zero's leadership (as they always believed), the era of humanity's great heroes officially began. And it was only after witnessing Zero's actions that he solidified his decision to undergo that highly dangerous modification surgery.

At that time, there was only one thing they could do: protect humanity. Protect what they considered most important. At the same time, many others like him, single-mindedly committed to upholding justice, chose to follow in Zero's footsteps and embark on the path of exercising their own sense of justice.

And in the end, they did indeed triumph! They defeated wave after wave of damned invaders! They fought against monstrous, catastrophic monsters! As long as this person led the way, they even had the courage to challenge the supreme god!

Captain Justice had seen Zero's eyes before, but he felt no fear or wavering! Because at that time he firmly believed that everything they were doing was just.

But now! Upon facing those eyes once more, Captain Justice was shocked to find that he had even lost the courage to speak!

He clearly intended to have a serious talk with Zero about his ideals and their unwavering belief in justice. But for some reason, as Zero turned to look at him, he wavered!

The faces of his former comrades flashed before Captain Justice's eyes, most of them victims of the Law Wars. Many had perished in that war, but all of them were heroes! Their battle stemmed solely from a disagreement on their respective ideals of justice.