Heroes Return

"Hahaha, this is really fun! We have 301 versions of ourselves, but only one Dave, hahaha!!"

Just as Ivan finished speaking, he suddenly realized something. But the next second, his body was shattered into pieces by energy blasts fired simultaneously from different angles, and he died instantly.

"Hahaha, now our numbers are a whole number! I like whole numbers, it gives us the feeling of the 300 warriors of Ibada."

One of the gunners, Ivan, laughed and said, "Now it's time for us to figure out how to make a big splash with our news, after all, we have three hundred of them now, hahahaha!"

"I think we could create 300 big news stories in 300 different places at the same time. Just thinking about it is hilarious, hahaha! It's really fun!"

"That's really fun, provided Dave comes with me, hahaha!!"

"Hahaha, there are three hundred people here! Do you really think Dave, the only one, will be given to you?"

“That’s right, hahaha!” Ivan, who had been sitting in front of the computer, suddenly stood up and said, “Everyone, I have a suggestion for you. Are you interested in hearing it? Hahahaha!”

Then, Ivan stepped to the very center of all the Ivans and said, "How about we make a bet? Hahaha! Let's play a brand new game! I just wonder if anyone has ever heard of the Holy Grail?"

"Is that the legendary artifact from Zone O—the Holy Grail? I understand what you mean now, ahahahaha! I never thought we'd end up making a bet over a fat guy, ahahahaha!"

"So what are we waiting for? Come to think of it, we seem to have a gender-modified version of ourselves over there! Hahaha, maybe it's time for us to spend some time with that legendary little sister!"

"So what are we waiting for? It's time to set off, ahahaha! I can't wait to have some fun in Area O!"

One Ivan simply made a suggestion, and all the Ivans immediately understood it. Shortly after, a World Government military submarine departed the base. At that moment, the experimental hall, which had been in chaos due to the numerous Ivans, fell silent.

However, the hall wasn't completely empty at this point; at least one person was quietly cleaning up the severed limbs. That person was Dave, the capable assistant who had been used as a wager in this game.

……

Three days later, Lin Jie was looking at a text message on his phone. The sender's number displayed on the screen was Tian Xiaoshu's. In the message, Tian Xiaoshu invited Lin Jie to a high school reunion to be held in two weeks.

"Isn't this Sister Tian's text message?" Lin Wan appeared behind Lin Jie.

"Yes, it's a text message from Tian Xiaoshu."

"I didn't expect you to get in touch with Sister Tian again, brother. It's been so long since we last met!" Lin Wan said to Lin Jie as if she were reminiscing about something.

"Hmm, to be honest, apart from Tian Xiaoshu, I don't really remember any of my high school classmates." Lin Jie scratched his head as he looked at the text message and said, "Why did they suddenly invite me? Oh well, I guess I won't go. I don't know anyone there anyway."

"Brother, really! It's rare for Sister Tian to invite you, and you don't have anything to do anyway, why don't you go and take a look?" Lin Wan suddenly said angrily for some reason.

"But it really doesn't feel interesting," Lin Jie said.

"Serves you right, bro, you'll be a single dog your whole life!" Lin Wan said, disgruntled. "Anyway, you absolutely have to go see him this time, understand?"

Hearing Lin Wan's words, Lin Jie wanted to say something more. However, he ultimately gave in to Lin Wan's angry expression: "Fine, I'll go, okay? I'll go. But why are you taking this party that invited me so seriously?"

"Hmph! Just be on time then." Lin Wan snorted coldly, then turned and walked out of the room.

“Since this woman is forcing you to do things you don’t like, why don’t you just kill her?” Zhu Xian’er suddenly appeared beside Lin Jie and said. “A swordsman should follow his heart and destroy everything that dares to restrain him.”

"Cut my ass! That's my own sister, not someone you can just cut down as you please!" Lin Jie said, looking at Zhu Xian'er. "Speaking of which, aren't there many interesting things to do these days? Why do you always have to think about killing people? Now that you have your own spirituality, why not find something else to do besides killing people?"

“It seems like someone else said the same thing to you in the past,” Zhu Xian’er said, as if she had suddenly remembered something.

"Oh? I wonder which senior shares the same view as me?" Lin Jie couldn't help but ask.

"That person died two days after saying those words, and his death was quite tragic," Zhu Xian'er said with a hint of excitement.

"Damn it! Are you trying to kill me? You have such a beautiful face, but I'm completely unmoved by you! Now I finally understand why! Do you think about me dying every single day?"

“It’s not every day, just occasionally I wish you were dead. After all, having a master like you who has no ambition and restricts other people’s freedom is really annoying,” Zhu Xian’er said after thinking for a moment.

"Damn it! So you really want me dead?!"

However, before Lin Jie could finish speaking, his hero badge suddenly lit up for some unknown reason.

"What's going on?"

Looking at Dong Xiaoye's somewhat uneasy expression on the badge, Lin Jie seemed to sense a hint of trouble.

"There's no time to explain! You're here at the Hero Association right now! There's an emergency summons, we have to leave immediately!" Dong Xiaoye said anxiously to Lin Jie.

"Oh." Lin Jie said and walked out. After hearing Dong Xiaoye's words, Zhu Xian'er transformed back into her longsword form without saying a word and disappeared from Lin Jie's side.

……

"What's going on?!" Lin Jie arrived at the Hero Association's entrance, only to find Dong Xiaoye already waiting for him. "By the way, why are there only the two of us? Shouldn't we call Xiao Zhan and the others?"

"Let's talk in the car!" Dong Xiaoye said as she got into a hovercar, and Lin Jie had no choice but to follow her.

"What exactly happened?" Lin Jie asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Didn't you watch TV or check the news online?" Dong Xiaoye asked. "Heroes from all over the world have been mobilized this time."

After Dong Xiaoye finished speaking, she showed Lin Jie a video. The video showed some of the architectural styles characteristic of District O, and Lin Jie also saw quite a few churches there. But these weren't the key points. The key point was that Lin Jie actually saw a man in the video who made him feel nauseous just looking at him.

"Holy crap! Isn't that Ivan? Is this guy still alive?" Lin Jie stared in shock at Ivan, who was laughing arrogantly at the video, and couldn't help but feel a sense of trouble.

"I can't be sure," Dong Xiaoye said. "You'll find out as you keep watching."

No sooner had Dong Xiaoye finished speaking than Lin Jie saw Ivan switch the video screen. Then Lin Jie saw a situation that made him feel incredibly annoyed.

"Hahahaha, now I solemnly announce to the world that from this moment on, the Kingdom of Evan is officially established! Hahahaha, I never thought I would have a moment to become a historical figure, hahahaha! My mother will definitely be proud of me!" Evan's arrogant and crazy voice came from the screen.

Immediately afterwards, the scene appeared in front of a huge, solemn, and sacred church, where hundreds of Ivans were standing.

"Next, let's unveil our national flag, which will be the most creative flag in the world, ahahahaha!"

The camera then panned upwards, revealing a massive white sheet on the screen! Simultaneously, the words "Ahahahahaha" were sewn onto the sheet using living human bodies. Each person was alive; you could even see the blood flowing from their bodies and their slightest struggles. These bodies were all sewn together with steel wire, bound to the enormous sheet. The scene was not only gruesome, but each person's eyes, ears, and mouth were also sewn shut with wire.

"Hahaha, what do you think? Isn't it creative? This is the flag of our Ivan Alliance!"

"Where are these guys?" Lin Jie asked Dong Xiaoye.

"They're in Sector O, specifically in a city within the Papal States of Sector O," Dong Xiaoye said. "They've completely taken over the city, and the figures stitched together on their flag are the Pope and cardinals of Sector O!"

"Damn it! This lunatic!" Lin Jie said unhappily, "Is this the reason you're gathering heroes?"

"That's right. A large number of heroes have gathered in Area O, and they're all A-rank or higher," Dong Xiaoye said. "By the way, it seems Captain Justice really liked you last time on Academy Island! He actually recommended you, which led to your promotion to A-rank. You're quite lucky. Anyway, your name is on the recruitment list this time."

Chapter two

"Damn! Why are there so many Ivans?" Lin Jie scratched his head, looking at the video in his hand, and couldn't help but feel that this was going to be very troublesome.

"I don't know, it's probably something like cloning or biological experiments."

Dong Xiaoye clenched her hands involuntarily. Last time in H City, she understood that Ivan was not someone who could be easily dealt with. Moreover, this time, three hundred Ivans had come at once, which made Dong Xiaoye feel uneasy.

"Speaking of which, did the association only gather people of rank A or above this time?"

“Yes.” Dong Xiaoye nodded. “You should know that even if more people of other levels came, it would be difficult to do much to deal with that Ivan. Moreover, this time, Ivan directly occupied the Holy Capital of the Papal States.”

"Oh," Lin Jie replied, then couldn't help but sigh. Afterwards, Lin Jie called Lin Wan to inform her that he probably wouldn't be staying at home for the next couple of days.

The hovercar continued its journey towards the Hero Association headquarters in District M in silence. When the two arrived at the headquarters, a large number of superheroes had already gathered there.

The two were now in the base's plaza, with various vehicles parked around it. In Lin Jie's view, this could easily accommodate several thousand people at the same time.

"Wow, a lot of amazing people have come this time." Dong Xiaoye kept scanning the surrounding scenery before looking at the people on the high platform at the top. "Ah, the lineup this time is absolutely incredible!"

"Huh? You mean those people on stage?" Lin Jie couldn't help but look towards the stage. Apart from two people, Lin Jie had seen all the others before.

"Are you even a superhero? Do you know how much power these people in front of you represent?!" Dong Xiaoye said to Lin Jie, "Don't be so complacent just because you have a little power. Remember, there are always people more powerful than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding!"

"To be honest, I have met some of the people from there, but I don't know anything about their specific information." Lin Jie shook his head and said in response to Dong Xiaoye's attitude.

"I'm speechless! You don't care about superheroes at all. You should subscribe to a superhero weekly magazine instead." Dong Xiaoye said, pointing to the people on the stage. "Starting from the left, the first one is Captain Justice, the No. 3 superhero. You should know him, right?"

“Ah, I do know him, but I don’t know his ranking,” Lin Jie said.

"You really are something!" Dong Xiaoye said, rubbing her forehead. "I can't believe you don't even know the ranking of the heroes who promoted you!"

"I don't usually pay attention to this at all," Lin Jie said, shrugging.

"Alright, since that's the case, let me introduce him." With that, Dong Xiaoye pointed to the second person, whom Lin Jie also recognized—the Son of God. "The Son of God, ranked No. 3 among heroes, is a superhero possessing the strongest mystical power. He is also currently a Holy Advisor to the Papal States."

"Oh! So this time Ivan raided his hometown."

"Berserker Torus is ranked No. 6 among heroes, and like Captain Justice, he's a veteran hero!" Dong Xiaoye said, pointing once again to a man in a tuxedo with a mustache. "This man is the Miracle Master, ranked No. 4 among heroes."

As she spoke, Dong Xiaoye looked at the man standing in the center with a hint of admiration. "You must have seen this person before, right? Leng Yan, ranked No. 2 among heroes. He is the strongest cold-type warrior in the world."

"Where's that girl in the blue combat suit?" Lin Jie wasn't interested in the handsome guy in front of him at this moment; his gaze was now focused on the only girl on the stage.

“That person is the Flash Girl, I heard she’s a newly promoted SS-class superhero today,” Dong Xiaoye said. “I heard she’s very strong. As for the guy next to her, his name is Blast, he’s also a newly promoted superhero, just like the Flash Girl,” Dong Xiaoye replied, “Their rankings are No. 11 and No. 12 respectively.”

"Oh, so that means those seven people on stage are all SS-level heroes, right?" Lin Jie asked curiously.

"Nonsense! Who do you think is qualified to stand in front of all the superheroes?" Dong Xiaoye couldn't help but say.

"By the way, does Zero have a ranking in the Hero Association?" Lin Jie suddenly became very curious about whether he had a ranking.

"So what have you been doing all this time? At least look at anything related to heroes!" Dong Xiaoye said. "Zero's ranking was already set when the association was first established! His ranking is NO.0."

"Oh, I see!" Lin Jie said, looking at the seven SS-level superheroes on the stage once again.

"Are those people really strong? Why don't we try and fight them?" Zhu Xian'er's voice entered Lin Jie's mind at some point.

"Shut up and stay put." Lin Jie said with a pained expression after hearing Zhu Xian'er's words.

"I was trying to explain it to you, and you just told me to shut up?" Dong Xiaoye looked at Lin Jie with displeasure. "If I could beat you, I would definitely teach you a lesson! No wonder you got dumped by Sister Xue'er!"

"I wasn't actually talking about you, really!" Lin Jie quickly explained after hearing her words.

"So that's why I felt a sense of unease as soon as I arrived here. So you've come here too?" A melodious voice suddenly reached Lin Jie and Dong Xiaoye's ears.

Lin Jie instinctively looked to the side, then involuntarily took a step back. "Damn it! Why am I running into you here, woman?"

The person opposite Lin Jie was Anya, the former saintess of the evil cult, who was also a current S-class hero. God's Hand was following right behind him at that moment.

"What, don't you want to see me?" Anya's face flushed when she saw Lin Jie. "I've been wanting to see you for so long! But something has been holding me back."

As Anya spoke, her hand touched Lin Jie's chest, while Dong Xiaoye, standing to the side, was stunned. She really hadn't expected Lin Jie to be involved with this former cult saintess, and what surprised her most was how intimate their actions seemed.

"What are you trying to do? Let me make this clear first, I'm a respectable man!" Lin Jie covered his chest and took a step back.

"Hehe, you're still the same." Anya chuckled, pulling Lin Jie's arm and whispering in his ear, "You know what? Ever since we broke up, I've been thinking about seeing you again. I don't know why, but I just can't forget your voice, your face~"

As Anya spoke, she licked her lips seductively at Lin Jie.

"Are you planning to confess to me? Although I am very charming, haven't we known each other for a little too short time?" Lin Jie said, pulling his arm away from Anya's.

Although it was certainly something to be happy about having such a beautiful woman say this to him, for some reason, Lin Jie felt a chill run down his spine when Anya said it.

“You’re really annoying,” Anya said, her face flushed. “Although I really want to rip your intestines out and tie them into a bow around your neck, I did fall in love with you at first sight. You know, I spotted you in the crowd of thousands the moment I arrived here!”