Heroes Return

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Epilogue

Amidst the ruins, everyone looked around in bewilderment. When they came to their senses, they realized they were kneeling on the ground.

Long Shao stood up with a livid face. He was deep in thought, and he didn't even care about Lin Wan, whom he had been pursuing. He said directly to Bai Hao, "Contact the people in the family immediately. I want to invite all the families to a meeting."

"Okay." Bai Hao, who had just stood up from the ground, replied helplessly, "Big families are really troublesome."

Although reluctant, he didn't linger and immediately disappeared from the spot.

……

"Brother?" Lin Wan, who had just regained consciousness, saw a familiar face standing in front of her.

Lin Jie looked at Lin Wan and asked, "Do you still have the police pendant I gave you on you?"

"You mean this?" Lin Wan said, taking out a pendant. Then, as if realizing something, she turned her face away. "You already know?"

“When I went to pick up DouDou that day, I caught a few suspicious people outside the research institute,” Lin Jie said with a grim face. “That’s why I gave you this alarm pendant, so you could notify me if you were in danger. But why haven’t you pressed it yet, even in this state?”

"I'm sorry," Lin Wan said, her head bowed. "I was afraid you'd be in danger, brother."

"Your brother is at least a hero now," Lin Jie said with dissatisfaction.

"I'm sorry," Lin Wan said softly.

"Never mind." Lin Jie said, patting Lin Wan's head, a gesture he hadn't made in over five years. "I'll forgive you this time. Let me tell you, your brother is quite strong. If you're ever in danger, be sure to call me first, okay?"

"Okay," Lin Wan said, like a little girl who had made a mistake.

"Ahem." Dong Xue'er coughed. "Excuse me, Lin Jie, have you ever met Dong Yang?"

“This…” Lin Jie thought for a moment about the Dongyang that had dissipated into the air, and felt that it would be troublesome to explain, so he said, “I didn’t see it… When I came, I only saw a group of you kneeling here, and I didn’t see President Dongyang at all.”

"Disappeared?" Dong Xue'er said thoughtfully, "It seems that the other families will make a big move this time."

"I have to say," Lin Jie said, patting Dong Xue'er on the shoulder, "you families are really troublesome."

"It is indeed troublesome." Dong Xue'er smiled and looked at Lin Jie, saying, "Speaking of which, I, as a member of your family, have caused you quite a bit of trouble."

"It's nothing, it's all resolved anyway," Lin Jie said. "Don't worry."

"What did you say?" Dong Xue'er asked in surprise.

"The Ouyang family will not pursue the matter any further," Lin Jie said. "We have reached an agreement."

"What? That's impossible! How could they possibly accept your negotiations?" Dong Xue'er said in surprise. "You're not just saying this to put my mind at ease, are you?"

"Of course not, it seems the person in charge of the Ouyang family has misunderstood my identity..." Lin Jie said, "So they probably won't pursue the matter any further for the time being..."

……

Amidst the ruins, while most people were relieved to have escaped with their lives, one person appeared deeply sorrowful. This person was Dr. Qin, who sat alone on the ruins, staring blankly at everything around him.

At this moment, Xiao Zhan walked over and excitedly asked, looking at the chair in the middle of the ruins, "Is this the machine that was developed? Can I have one too?"

Before he could finish speaking, Dr. Qin burst into tears: "My research!! It's all ruined!! My Nobel Prize!! My achievement as the father of human evolution...!"

"Wait, what do you mean by 'destroyed'?" Xiao Zhan asked in surprise.

"Is there even a question?" Dr. Qin said, "Look at these ruins. All my research data and designs are here, but they've all been destroyed in an instant... To resume the research, we have to start all over again..."

“Okay…” Xiao Zhan said, picking up a helmet from the ground: “Doctor, what’s this for?”

"This?" Dr. Qin looked up at the helmet and said, "This is a device used to connect the human brain's consciousness into a computer."

Upon hearing Dr. Qin's words, Xiao Zhan's eyes lit up: "Can you restore this thing?"

“This is easy to repair,” Dr. Qin said.

“Work with me,” Xiao Zhan said to Dr. Qin. “Sell me this patented technology, and I’ll help you with any experiments you want to do in the future. I suddenly feel like we’re set for life.”

"Are you telling the truth?" Dr. Qin asked in surprise.

“Of course, this is an invention that could change the world,” Xiao Zhan said.

……

"What are you thinking about?" Dong Xiaoye asked.

"I don't know why, but I always feel like I've forgotten something," the bespectacled man said.

"Why worry about so much?" Dong Xiaoye said, "Let's call the others and go eat. The roasted mandarin duck here is quite delicious."

"Are you sure you want to eat this?" The bespectacled man raised an eyebrow.

……

Inside the B City Urban Management Detention Center, Shishen was surrounded by a large group of beautiful policewomen.

Seeing the increasingly hostile expressions of the male city management officers around him, Shishen couldn't help but swallow hard, thinking, "Master, please come and save me... These city management officers are so fierce."

As everyone knows, the strongest military force in the world is the urban management officers of Zone C.

……

A week later, the basic reconstruction of the H city district was successfully completed at the work site of the massive C district construction machine. Now, the entire C district is promoting Xiao Zhan and his company's latest online game, "Super Hero".

"A gaming helmet that gives you the feeling of time travel is no longer just a fantasy product in novels. We have brought it to reality. In the game, you will experience what it's like to be a real superhero or a supervillain. What are you waiting for? If you want to grab a gaming helmet now, you have a chance to get beta testing access. For only 998, you can experience the feeling of time travel."

Xiao Zhan's game shocked the entire online gaming industry and the entire internet world as soon as it was released.

In the week since the game's closed beta test began, H City has miraculously achieved a zero-crime rate.

Although Dr. Qin did not achieve the title of father of human evolution, he successfully earned the title of father of the Internet age.

The most crucial point is that Xiao Zhan has truly struck it rich this time, and his group has successfully transformed from a consumer goods company into an internet gaming company.

In addition, a player with the ID "DouDou" also began his legend in this game world.

……

The Togami family, who are currently enjoying great popularity, performed at the game's opening ceremony.

After finishing a song, facing the enthusiastic audience, Togami once again said something that made his manager and team's hearts stop.

"Thank you all for your continued support." Togami bowed deeply to the audience. "I'm so sorry! I must apologize to all my fans who have supported me all this time!!"

As the Togami bowed on the stage, the crowd below fell silent.

"I have to confess something to everyone," Togami said to the audience. "Actually, all the supervillains we've defeated during our performances have been pre-arranged. In other words, all our heroic deeds have been fake."

After hearing his words, the fans below the stage looked at each other in disbelief, because the truth that Shigami suddenly revealed was too explosive.

"I always thought that so-called superheroes were just a show," Togami said, looking at the fans below the stage. "They were just accumulating popularity and fame to bring themselves greater benefits, but I was wrong! It wasn't until I met another superhero that I realized how wrong I was."

He once asked me this question: do you want to be an idol or a superhero? This question stumped me; I pondered it all night before finally arriving at a conclusion. As someone who was saved by a hero nine years ago, my true dream is to become a superhero who stands tall and protects humanity, not an actor who only relies on showmanship to gain popularity.

I, Togami, want to be a true hero, which is why I'm speaking out today, even if it means my acting career is permanently banned! Even if I'm forever cursed by my countless fans! I still want to say this!!

I am prepared to face all kinds of blame. I have applied to the Hero Association to have my hero rank reset to E.

I want to apologize to everyone who has supported me. I may not be someone you should admire!

But I must also say, I, Togami, will absolutely not give up my heroic career!! I want to be a hero!

By the end, Togami was practically shouting it out.

After he finished speaking, a brief silence fell... Many people left the scene, but most people remained.

"Keep going!! We're still here to support you!" The enthusiastic cheers rang out once again.

Having braced himself for the curses, Togami, listening to the fans' words below, couldn't help but burst into tears: "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"This is possible! Holy crap!" the bespectacled guy exclaimed from behind.

"Who told him to be so handsome? Didn't you see that most of the people who stayed were women?" Xiao Zhan said jealously.

At that moment, a pretty girl wearing glasses was typing something in front of a computer.

"Xiaoling! Big news! Did you see it just now?" her colleague said as she ran over.

“I saw it,” Xiaoling said.

"You've always been in charge of the Togami report," the colleague said. "This time you've really hit the jackpot! A popular idol actually colluded with criminals to deceive fans. This report is going to boost your value!"

“No, I don’t intend to write it that way,” Xiaoling said.

In front of the computer, there was a banner that read, "Prodigal son returns! The ten most popular characters evolve into true heroes!"

……

At the same time, at H City Airport.

"You're leaving already?" Lin Jie looked at Dong Xue'er carrying her suitcase and said, "This script isn't right! Usually, after the male lead saves the female lead, shouldn't the female lead throw herself into his arms or follow him or something? You've actually gone to that World Hero Academy to be a lecturer. You know, that's the M District. The place where supervillains are most active."

“I applied a long time ago,” Dong Xue’er said. “There, drinking is free from the Dong family’s control. Also, watch less anime in the future. You’re all grown up now. The kind of plot you’re talking about is impossible in reality.”

"Damn it," Lin Jie said, "This plot is completely wrong."

Before Lin Jie could finish speaking, Dong Xue'er hugged him: "Finally, I want to thank you for your help. Also, we will have opportunities to meet again in the future. This is an opportunity I fought for to leave the Dong family. I hope you won't try to stop me."

"..." Lin Jie sighed helplessly, "Alright."

As he watched Dong Xue'er board the plane, a voice suddenly reached his ears.

"Just tell him who you are."

Lin Jie turned his head and saw that it was just a passerby. At that moment, he realized that everyone in the entire airport was looking at him.

"Dongyang?" Lin Jie asked, hearing the voice.

“Yes,” Dongyang said, “I didn’t expect you to let me go.”

“You saved yourself,” Lin Jie said. “Only those who recognize their mistakes can be redeemed.”

"So that's how it is. I didn't expect that your powerful techniques weren't used to kill people."

“That’s right, but you’re the only one who survived the ordeal,” Lin Jie said.

"That's a real honor. I'm curious why you're willing to give me this opportunity."

“Because you have never actually killed anyone,” Lin Jie said. “Even those Ouyang family members who came to kill you, you didn’t kill them, did you? So I gave you a chance because you are not guilty of a capital offense, but you still have to bear the consequences. You have caused many ordinary people to suffer disaster.”

“Those people were not my intention,” Dongyang said. “I originally thought I could make the world free of human death... but I unintentionally caused the deaths of many people. It’s really ironic.”

“However, you have already been punished,” Lin Jie said.

"Yes, I lost my original body, and my strength has decreased significantly. I am also being hunted down by the eight major families."