Heroes Return

Perhaps that war was a complete mistake! Thinking this, Captain Justice, once again facing Zero's gaze, involuntarily took a slight step back, like a child who had made a mistake facing the disapproving look of their parent.

By now, through certain special methods and the sense of the situation, everyone has confirmed the identity of the person before them! Without a doubt, this person is the real Zero.

Since the person before them is indeed Zero, everyone present understands at least one basic thing: Among those present, Zero is the most qualified to express opinions on both sides of the bill and to influence key public opinion! Similarly, Zero is also the most qualified to lead the heroes of the world.

Although the five people before them were all SS-class superheroes revered worldwide, each hailed as a guardian of humanity, upon seeing this living legend again, they all understood. Compared to this person, they were utterly insignificant.

Just as Captain Justice was struggling to speak, a pair of large hands patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't do this! Don't forget what we're fighting for!!!" Torus patted Captain Justice on the shoulder, then said with difficulty to Zero, "Maybe you don't even care to talk to us about the bill! But I hope you'll listen to me before you leave!!!"

"???" Lin Jie still looked at them with a bewildered expression. In fact, he still didn't understand what these guys with gay expressions were up to.

Seeing that Zero didn't respond, but also didn't seem to be leaving immediately, Torus spoke again: "Zero! I'm truly glad to see you again! Also, this is a personal request of mine! I hope you can join the Hero Association! Please, Zero! We need you to continue leading us as you have in the past!"

"I'm not interested." Faced with the invitation, Lin Jie finally had something to say. But he only uttered those four words.

Upon hearing Lin Jie's words, everyone's expression changed.

"Why? Do you also oppose the enactment of the bill?" Torus said with difficulty to Zero, "You should know what we have suffered, right? I am a hero, we have been risking our lives to protect this world! But there are still a lot of people who oppose us! Many people even blame us for the deaths and mistakes! There were even anti-superpower protests at that time! Do you know what those ridiculous people said?"

They say that if you don't have superpowers, you can't commit crimes!! That's so unfair to us! We're all heroes! But why do we have to endure malicious speculation from others? They even portray our heroic activities as having malicious motives!

Do you remember? Many outstanding heroes had to leave the ranks of heroes because they couldn't stand the malice of these people! Or because superhero activities seriously affected their lives! Do you really think it's fair to treat those heroes who wholeheartedly protect humanity without asking for anything in return?

That's why we approved the Heroes Act! We're professionalizing heroism, legitimizing heroism! We're silencing those damned media bastards while allowing heroes to bask in applause and flowers! We believe we should ensure that everyone with a sense of justice can carry it through to the end! Haven't we created a more suitable stage for every hero?

I admit we're still immature, and our Hero Association has many problems. That's why we need your help to accomplish this task together!

Faced with Torus's words, Lin Jie thought the following.

"You want me to be the boss? And then you want me to clean up this mess? Seriously! I've never even been the leader of a gaming guild before! Asking me to lead the Hero Association all of a sudden is a joke! Besides, besides killing people, my administrative abilities are absolutely terrible!! You want me to build a harmonious Hero Association with you? I have no idea what to do! Forget it, I'd better get out of here! Otherwise, it'll probably just get more and more complicated!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Jie turned around and prepared to leave!

"Are you really not planning to stay?" Torus asked with difficulty. "If you can stay, I'm sure those heroes who were wanted for opposing the bill back then will be willing to come back and fight alongside us again! So please! Please join us!"

At this moment, Lin Jie's thought was: 'This is getting more and more troublesome! I'd better retreat quickly!'

Then Lin Jie's figure soared into the sky, disappearing from everyone's sight at an incredible speed. Surprisingly, after Zero vanished, no one reacted in time to track him down. They simply watched helplessly as Zero disappeared from their view.

"..." After a moment of silence, the SS-class heroes present almost simultaneously let out a deep breath as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

“As expected, we couldn’t possibly persuade Zero.” The mustachioed man looked at the people in front of him and said, “I think this outcome was exactly what we expected. Since Zero disappeared for five years immediately after the bill was enacted, isn’t that tantamount to an invisible form of dissatisfaction with the bill?”

"We did think of that a long time ago, but I still have another reason for thinking about it!" Captain Justice said, "If we can win over Zero's support, I think those opponents from back then will come back!"

“But it seems Zero has no intention of paying any attention to us.” The Son of God said coldly, “Judging from his attitude, I think it’s time for us to list him as an SS-class wanted criminal! Perhaps he will become the first X-class wanted criminal in human history.”

"Hey! What are you talking about?!" The girl in the blue combat suit next to him suddenly said to the Child of God, "What are you talking about?! That person is the great hero Zero! If you're going to put a warrant for the strongest hero who was the first to stand up and save the world, then I don't plan to become a new SS-class hero."

"I'm doing this for the sake of our association," the Child of God said, looking at her with disdain. "For the Hero Association, which is currently in a period of stable development, shouldn't all dangerous factors be eliminated immediately?"

“Zero is not a dangerous element at all!” the girl said to the Child of God.

"Stop arguing!" Torus's voice suddenly rang out. "Zero must never be on the wanted list! He is the only one in the world who cannot be on the wanted list! I hope you remember this! If he were on the wanted list, I think our Hero Association would immediately face a storm of criticism!"

As he spoke, Torus boarded the shuttle that was not far away, and the others followed suit.

As for the blond man's projection, no one paid any attention to it from beginning to end.

Chapter Twenty-Nine Epilogue

The Black Mountain Demon slowly opened his eyes. His body was being scorched by the intense sunlight, but it didn't matter to him anymore. He was about to die.

"Now you can finally see the sunlight." Old Wu's voice came to the Black Mountain Demon's ears.

"So it really was you, Elder Wu?" the Black Mountain Demon said in a weak voice. "You were right! I can finally touch the true light in my lifetime!!"

“Yes! Dreamer.” Old Wu smiled and said to the Black Mountain Demon, “Don’t worry! I have countless dreams, believe me. In the next dream, you will definitely become a monster who can bask in the sunlight.”

"Elder Wu, your words are indeed profound!" the Black Mountain Demon said slowly. "However, to have the honor of conversing with such a great being as you in my lifetime, I, Black Mountain, can die without regrets!"

After the Black Mountain Demon finished speaking, he peacefully turned into a pile of dirt.

Xiao Zhan and the bespectacled man, who had been watching the whole thing unfold, were completely dumbfounded! It was the first time they had ever seen someone like Elder Wu who commanded such respect from so many powerful figures.

"Senior, please accept our bow!" Xiao Zhan and the bespectacled man stepped forward at the same time and said to Elder Wu, "Elder Wu! Would you be interested in taking me as your apprentice?"

Seeing how Wu Laobing had effortlessly earned the respect of so many powerful figures, Xiao Zhan couldn't help but consider befriending him, even if such a highly skilled person as Wu Lao didn't intend to take on disciples. Xiao Zhan was determined to cultivate a relationship with such a great being as Wu Lao.

"Want to learn from me? It's simple, just make sure you dream every day." As he spoke, Old Wu stuffed two clods of soil into their mouths: "When you can feel that it's not a dream, and the soil in your mouth is no longer soil, but delicious food, then I think you two will have reached that level."

"That's too profound!" Xiao Zhan said, clasping his hands in a gesture of respect, his mouth full of dirt.

Meanwhile, the bespectacled guy who had also been stuffed with dirt nodded in agreement.

But just then, Master Wu Neng suddenly appeared beside them and grabbed Old Wu: "Finally found you! Hurry up and come back with me to take your medicine! Your mental illness hasn't improved at all!!!"

"..." Upon hearing Master Wu Neng's words, Xiao Zhan and Glasses were completely stunned.

"You two are here too!" Wu Neng suddenly said to Xiao Zhan and the other person, "By the way, I have something to tell you two. You must not believe what this old Wu says! He is the uncle of a friend of mine. A few years ago, he was scared into a madness by a monster. He never believed that he was living in the real world and kept saying that we were just living in his dream. I found him really annoying, so I just threw him into the courtyard in the back mountain where those old devils are imprisoned."

"..." The two of them didn't say anything at this point.

"Alright! Come back to my room with me to take your medicine!" Master Wu said, grabbing Old Wu and leaving.

Meanwhile, Old Wu kept shouting, "I don't want to take medicine! You're just a figment of my imagination!"

"..." After the two disappeared from sight, Xiao Zhan and the bespectacled man looked at each other before spitting out the dirt in their mouths and then gagging repeatedly.

At that moment, Lin Jie and Thirteen appeared beside the two. As for Tian Xiaoshu, Lin Jie had already taken her to a bus station in the suburbs.

The day-long siege of the Bachelor Temple by the dragons finally came to an end with the help of the World Government's forces. Although the incident caused considerable casualties to the Bachelor Temple, it ultimately did not lead to its destruction.

Meanwhile, the World Government's army took control of the entire Bachelor Temple immediately.

The World Government initially intended to downplay the incident, but the problem was that it had escalated far too much. Furthermore, the entire city of J was practically destroyed after the battle. Therefore, the World Government felt compelled to provide the public with an explanation.

Of course, these are not the key issues. The key issue is that the video recording of Zero was somehow uploaded to the internet.

In an instant, the video's views and downloads broke the world record for the most views. A wave of fervent cheers erupted. Although the previous incident involving the fake Zero had just occurred, this time, an SS-class hero from the Hero Association personally confirmed the video's authenticity.

If the World Government were to announce at this point that the zero was fake, it would only make it seem like they were trying to cover something up. So this time, the World Government simply intensified its publicity efforts for this battle.

It was stated that, thanks to the concerted efforts of the Hero Association, the government forces, and Zero, the crisis was successfully averted. At the same time, the Supreme Chairman of the World Government announced to the world that he intended to formally award Zero a World Peace Medal! Zero was also invited to accept the World Government's gift in front of the entire world.

Lin Jie, of course, did not go.

However, it must be said that this incident has brought Zero's anti-heat worship back to a fever pitch.

Within a single day, headlines like "Hero Returns" dominated virtually every website and news homepage worldwide. Meanwhile, groups of fervent Zero worshippers spontaneously organized various celebrations and parties around the globe.

Although at this point, many people still doubted that the zero that appeared this time was still fake.

However, this voice seemed very small among the majority of the revelers.

Meanwhile, Lin Jie had just returned home to enjoy a sumptuous feast, all prepared by Lin Wan herself. The reason Lin Wan had suddenly prepared such a large meal was simply because Zero had returned, as reported in the news. At the dinner table, Lin Wan kept telling him stories about Zero's past achievements and legends.

Seeing Lin Wan so happy today, almost like a different person, and not listening to a word, Lin Jie made a decision in his heart. He would never let Lin Wan know that he was Zero.

Lin Jie simply couldn't imagine how disappointed a girl like Lin Wan would be if she knew that the almost omnipotent hero in her heart was actually him.

Furthermore, Lin Wan had uttered many words of admiration and affection! If Lin Wan knew his true identity and recalled all those infatuated remarks she had made to him in the past, he might very well be drugged and silenced by his younger sister out of pride or shame!

Similarly, J City also entered the preparation stage for reconstruction. After the Incompetent Assembly led a large group of monks to the World Government's gates for a sit-in protest and demanded a large sum of compensation on the grounds that the World Government had not provided support on time, the construction progress in J City was incredibly rapid.

"Are you satisfied now?" the blond man said to Torus through the communicator. "The World Government has already acknowledged that person as the real Zero."

"Do you really think Zero needs your approval to be the true Zero?" Torus said coldly to the person in front of him. "I'm investigating the criminals within the World Government! And you better watch out, Charlie!"

……

Ignoring their conversation for now, let's jump to the ocean floor somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. A World Government exploration submarine is moving forward.

"Captain, we've reached the location of the detection signal," a sailor reported to the captain inside the submarine. At that moment, the outline of a building appeared in their video feed!

"I didn't expect there to be a hidden underwater base here." The submarine captain said thoughtfully, "Are the detection machines we released earlier still responding?"

“There’s still a response!” the man said. “According to the detection sphere’s reaction, there is no life activity here. At the same time, no machines are operating.”

"Looks like some abandoned secret laboratory from the past!" the captain said, then ordered the sailors in the cabin, "Everyone, prepare your protective suits. We're going to explore this base!"

"As ordered!"

Not long after, the submarine opened a passageway within the base for submarines to enter. Shortly after entering the passageway, the group arrived inside the base.

After exploring the base for some time, the group finally arrived at the base's core experimental hall.

Then everyone was stunned by the horrific sight before them!

At that moment, they saw hundreds of life support pods, and the faces of the people inside shocked them all. The pods were filled with Ivan. This man was responsible for countless shocking crimes, and just recently, the World Government had confirmed his death.

But what they didn't expect was that they would see hundreds of Ivan's clones here today.

"Damn it! What on earth is going on?!" The captain exclaimed in shock at the scene before him. "The technical team, get yourselves to decipher the base's system right now! I need to figure out what's going on with this base! We might be about to discover something big."

"Yes, sir!" Then all the technicians got to work. Of course, everyone noticed the sign in front of the main computer: "Whatever you want to do! First, press that red button with the skull symbol!"

Although that's what it says on the sign, at this point no technician cared about a sign that was clearly meant to make them explode.

Then, after a series of tense actions, all the lights on the health pods suddenly went out. Immediately afterwards, something that instilled extreme panic in everyone present also happened.

For reasons unknown, all the Ivans in the life support pods opened their eyes at that moment. All the sailors also reacted, pointing their weapons at the life support pods before them.

At this tense moment.

"Hahahaha!!!" "Hahahaha!!" "Hahahaha!!"……………………

Laughter echoed throughout the control center.

Volume 8, War Game in Area O! 300 Ivan Attacks!

Chapter One

"Hahaha, this is really interesting! I never thought we'd have an Ivan army this time. I don't know why, but I suddenly feel like shouting 'Sparta!' Hahaha! I feel pretty imposing, actually." One of the Ivans, holding a pistol he'd pulled from a corpse, looked at the hundreds of Ivans around him who were laughing maniacally.

"Hahahaha, shouldn't we shout Ibad? This is obviously going to be a big news story, isn't it? Hahahaha, I love big news!" Another Ivan came up to him and said with a hysterical laugh.

Now, only a large number of Ivans remain in the entire experimental hall. All the original submarine crew members have died here.

“Dave, I think it’s time for some coffee and music. Hahahaha!” another Ivan said to the only different man in the room.