Heroes Return

"How should I put it? I have a natural aversion to people who are arrogant and condescending. I've met quite a few like that before, and none of them were good people. They were all guys with a strong desire to dominate and have a strong desire for power." Lin Jie scratched his head and said, "So whenever I see someone with that kind of arrogant demeanor, I can't help but say a few words to them... If I had to say it, it's just a habit."

"..."

"Speaking of which, what exactly did he just do?" Xiao Zhan said, "I, a seven-foot-tall man, actually knelt down to him like that."

"It's nothing. His ability is called 'the aura of being a jerk.' I've seen it before. It's something that makes the people around you act like jerks and acknowledge you as their big brother," Lin Jie replied.

"This ability is worth studying!" Xiao Zhan exclaimed. "If we mastered this ability, we could make our enemies kneel before us without even lifting a finger. How convenient!"

What they didn't notice was that Thirteen seemed to be thinking about something at that moment.

……

Meanwhile, at the Hero Association...

"It's better than I expected." Dongyang looked at Dongxue'er and said, "You need to be prepared, the Ouyang family will be coming to pick you up soon."

“I know, the clan has already notified me,” Dong Xue’er said.

"That's good. It's best not to rely on Lin Jie, or he'll die just the same," Dongyang said. "And don't even think about escaping; you can't escape from Area C."

“I won’t tell them. I will obey the family’s orders,” Dong Xue’er said.

“That’s for the best,” Dongyang said. “If you do anything again that harms the family’s interests, I won’t hesitate to deal with you personally.”

"No, I won't," Dong Xue'er said. "I planned everything before, so don't target anyone else."

“As long as you behave, those people will be fine,” Dongyang said. “After all, they are quite useful, but only if they don’t cause trouble.”

"Don't worry, I won't tell them about this," Dong Xue'er said.

“That would be best,” Dongyang said. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind sending a different batch of heroes from H City.”

"What exactly do you consider a hero to be?" Dong Xue'er looked at Dong Yang in confusion.

"Useful pieces and useless trash," Dongyang said calmly.

"You'd better not touch those people, or you'll regret it," Dong Xue'er said.

After saying that, Dong Xue'er walked out of the Hero Association.

Unbeknownst to Dong Xue'er, Dong Yang's hands were trembling slightly: "What's wrong? Can't you stop this feeling?"

Lin Jie's oppressive aura only lingered on him for a moment, but the image of his own death still kept flashing through his mind.

"That guy is dangerous!" Dongyang said helplessly at the end. "No matter what, he will be the first to die after this is over. No one should live after offending my authority."

……

"By the way, Thirteen, come with me in a bit," Lin Jie said to Thirteen.

"What is it?" Thirteen asked.

"My sister took away my allowance, so I decided to earn some extra money," Lin Jie said.

"Are you sure you want to come with me?" Thirteen looked at Lin Jie in surprise.

"I've come up with a foolproof plan," Lin Jie said. "With your help, we can make a fortune."

"I'm not going!" the bespectacled man said, his instincts telling him it wasn't going to be good. He immediately got up to say goodbye.

Xiao Zhan, on the other side, also wanted to leave, but Lin Jie stopped him.

"Don't go, we can't do anything if we're short one person," Lin Jie said to Xiao Zhan.

Chapter 12

At the horse farm, Thirteen looked at Lin Jie helplessly: "Is this the sure-fire way you were talking about? Are you sure you want me to bet on horses next to you?"

"Of course, do you see horse number 12? That's the horse I've got my eye on," Lin Jie said, pointing to a horse on the field.

"Are you sure you want to buy that horse? It's a horse that's always at the bottom of the rankings," Thirteen said.

“That horse looks like a mule, there’s no reason it shouldn’t run fast,” Lin Jie said. “Besides, that horse has the highest odds.”

"In that case, I'd better keep my distance from you," Thirteen said.

"It's alright. I bet on all the horses except that one," Lin Jie said confidently. "So as long as you stand next to me, the other horses can't win. I had Xiao Zhan put all my remaining money on that mule-like horse from the sidelines."

"Oh, I see. You deliberately bet on other horses, so as long as you're with me, those horses definitely can't win. Then you get Xiao Zhan to bet on the sure-win horse." Thirteen said, "What a clever scheme, but you're still too naive..."

"You think I'm naive?" Lin Jie asked, puzzled.

Just as the competition began, a giant monster crashed onto the racetrack, instantly leveling the entire track. A massive fire giant rose from the center of the racetrack.

"Accept your judgment, humans!" the enormous monster roared.

Immediately, the people at the horse farm began to scatter in all directions.

Lin Jie stared at this scene in shock, his jaw dropping.

Then the fire giant began to release huge fireballs and meteors in all directions, and the entire racetrack was destroyed in an instant.

"Thirteen, I don't expect to win anymore. Is there any way I can get my money back?" Lin Jie looked at Thirteen.

"What do you think?" Thirteen glanced at the burnt-to-the-ground area of ​​the podium, where the competition organizers used to be. Now, they probably can't even find their belongings.

"..." Lin Jie looked sadly at the podium.

"That's why I said you're too naive. My ability can make those around me miserable. You can't make money off it." Thirteen said to Lin Jie, "But speaking of which, you're really lucky. You're the first person who's been with me for so long without getting into trouble."

"Don't let anything happen!" Lin Jie said through tears, "I've invested all my savings here!"

As he spoke, Lin Jie took out his spiked club and ran towards the fire giant that was going berserk.

"Human, you think you can challenge me, the Flame Demon..." Before the giant fire creature could finish speaking, Lin Jie had already arrived in front of him. He swung his spiked club, and a strong gust of wind extinguished the flames on the lower half of the fire giant's body.

"What!" The giant stared in astonishment as the person before him extinguished the flames on his lower body with incredible speed. "Did you think this would harm me? I am immortal."

As he spoke, flames reignited on the lower half of the Flame Demon's body.

"You'll never die! Today I'm going to beat you to a pulp and avenge my money!" Lin Jie shouted as he jumped up, knocking the Flame Demon to the ground with a single blow. Then, he began to furiously smash the monster in front of him with his spiked club at least 20 times per second.

He smashed the demon like that for five minutes, creating a huge crater in the ground. The fire demon's body was reduced to a small, burning rock, the tiny flames extinguished by Lin Jie's foot. Only then did he stop his inhumane attack on the fire demon.

"Damn it! My money!" Lin Jie roared in grief.

"Um... I just remembered something, so I'll be going now..." Thirteen said to Lin Jie below the pit.

"Hmm!" Lin Jie nodded silently, then stomped on the stone a few more times before leaving the now-ruined racetrack.

……

But what Lin Jie didn't know was that right after he left, the only remaining piece of fire on the Flame Demon's body reignited...

In a dark castle, a young girl is looking at everything through a mirror.

"I never imagined that humanity would have changed so much when I woke up again. How interesting." The girl smiled and took a sip of red wine. "Argus, come back first. The human world is not as fragile as you think."

"Yes, Miss." The burning pebble appeared out of nowhere beside the girl.

"You've been beaten down to this tiny bit now," the girl said, looking at the fire stone that had grown limbs again. "But you're much cuter now than before."

“That wretched human, I’ll teach him a lesson once our army wakes up,” said Argus, the Balrog.

"Although I didn't discover the true power of humanity, I did find something very interesting through the surveillance eyes on you," the girl said with a smile. "But that's what makes it interesting."

“Oh? Miss, are you referring to things about humans?” Argus asked.

"You've probably seen it too, human civilization is still developing, and Che seems to be even more powerful than before," the girl said. "Do you know what that means?"

“I don’t understand,” Argus said.

“I really shouldn’t have relied on your brain,” the girl said. “If only Baphomet had been the first to awaken.”

“I hate that goat-headed fellow,” Argus said. “What exactly are you referring to, miss?”

“It is the prophecy of the gods.” The girl gave Argus a shocking answer: “Someone has broken all the prophecies of the gods.”

"What! This can't be!" Argus exclaimed in shock.

"The prophecies in Revelation haven't come true, have they?" the girl said, looking at Argus. "Not only that, but the great calamity for humanity after the end of the Dharma, as predicted by Taoism, hasn't happened either. Pandora's box has already been opened, but humanity now seems to be thriving even more."

“This…” Argus said, “It doesn’t necessarily mean that someone has broken the prophecy.”

"Are you saying that the prophecies of the masses did not come true?" the girl said, looking at the demon in front of her. "Several of the disasters began before I fell into a deep sleep, so there is only one possibility: someone broke all the prophecies of disasters and forcibly pushed the wheel of fate in another direction."

"It's simply impossible for anyone to do that."

"What if it was God who could do it?" the girl asked.

“Even the gods couldn’t,” Argus said. “No god can escape fate.”

“Yes, Argus,” the girl replied.

"You mean!" Argus couldn't help but think of a group of terrifying people.

"Defying fate!" the girl said calmly. "The Eastern immortal path has done this at least three times thousands of years ago. Who knows if they will do it a fourth time? You should know that most of them relied on defying fate to become gods from mortal bodies. Now that the catastrophe of the end of the Dharma has passed, the immortal path will gradually recover."

"You mean they made a move?" Argus said in shock.

“Impossible, because they are also prophets,” the girl said. “They wouldn’t contradict themselves, but they certainly wouldn’t be content to remain in this world. Do you remember their great battle in the primordial era? Back then, our gods hadn’t even been born yet.”

“You mean they might interfere in human affairs?” Argus asked.

"Not for now, but that doesn't mean it will never happen, which is why we need to get to the human world as quickly as possible," the girl said.

“Once your servants have all awoke, we will march upon the human world,” Argus said.

“No, the plan might have to wait,” the girl said. “We have too little information. Do you remember the man who defeated you just now?”

“He is very strong, Miss,” Argus said. “I am powerless against him, and his weapon can even harm me, who is made of magic.”

“Yes, judging from his strength, he doesn’t seem like someone with a high status among humans at all,” the girl said. “Either he’s hiding his strength, or it means that his level of strength is quite common among humans. I think the latter is more likely.”

"You mean there are still many powerful beings among humans?" Argus asked in surprise.

“Otherwise, how could they have withstood so many disasters?” the girl said. “Until we have thoroughly investigated the power of humanity, we can only endure it for now, otherwise we may very well be defeated by humans.”

“But what about our manpower?” Argus asked.

"Let's select suitable intelligence agents after everyone wakes up," the girl said. "Also, I will personally make a trip to the human realm."

"But here..."

"They'll tell you what to do once the other demons wake up."