Heroes Return

Right before everyone's eyes, a young girl rose from the meteorite. In her arms, she held an unconscious woman.

'Meteorite adaptability has evolved to completion; pressure resistance adaptability has evolved to completion; high-temperature adaptability has evolved to completion. Analysis of these abilities is complete, allowing for 100% adaptation to any of the aforementioned environments. Medical capabilities have evolved to completion, enabling the use of basic medical skills. Due to a lack of medical materials and equipment, only the minimum necessary survival can be guaranteed. Storms are currently being analyzed; this is a type of human superpower, black due to its unique energy system. Storm adaptability has evolved to completion, capable of handling any storm of the same type. Energy Sword One has evolved to completion.'

A series of reports echoed in the girl's mind. But her gaze fell on the Sky King who was falling from the sky.

"Save... Mom... Mom..." The girl had already picked up Gear while exchanging a brief glance with Kong Wang.

"Gear!! Medical team! Notify the medical team immediately!!!" Upon seeing the figure of Sky King's Gear, Sky King didn't waste any words and shouted directly to the people from the World Government standing nearby.

……

Finally, at the girl's insistence, she and Gear boarded the medical vehicle together. Watching the girl skillfully use the tools on the vehicle to treat Gear, Kong Wang couldn't help but show a puzzled expression.

Finally, after seeing the girl deliver the gear into the medical pod, the Sky King couldn't help but speak.

"I remember Miss Gear is only 23 years old this year, right? How could she have a daughter as old as you?" Looking at the girl, the Sky King couldn't help but narrow his eyes: "Although I am very grateful to you for saving Gear, just who are you?"

“I…I’m called…Rose. I’m my mother’s…daughter.” That was the only response the girl gave to the Sky King’s question.

"Your answer is practically no different from no answer at all," Kong Wang said helplessly.

"You don't need to ask anymore. This girl is part of a secret project developed by Gear Design. I never expected it to be exposed to the outside world under these circumstances." Leng Yan's voice suddenly rang out at this moment, and almost simultaneously, his figure entered the room: "Come with me, and I will give you a proper identity and a hero's certificate. Welcome to the Hero Association."

"Wait! What's going on? What does 'secret research' mean? What are you and the World Government doing? It's not some inhumane experiment, is it?" Hearing Leng Yan's words and seeing his immediate attempt to leave, Kong Wang's face once again showed a puzzled expression: "You've been so secretive, what exactly have you been doing?"

"There's only one thing I can tell you right now, and that is that we need power." Leng Yan said calmly, then turned to Rose and said, "I am Leng Yan, one of the people with the highest authority. You should have already verified this in the system, right? Now I order you to come with me immediately, and try not to attract attention."

Leng Yan didn't waste any words with the robot, directly issuing orders to Rose. As one of the people familiar with the experiment, Leng Yan had the temporary authority to receive orders from Rose.

But what surprised Leng Yan was Rose's next reaction.

"I...refuse...I want...to...stay...here...with...Mom..."

"what?"

Leng Yang's words shocked Leng Yan. These were not words a robot should be saying!

chapter eight

Rose's words startled Leng Yan slightly. After all, according to the plan, they would receive obedient and usable war weapons, not a war weapon that did not obey their orders at all.

Almost simultaneously, a communication message entered Leng Yan's communicator. This message caused Leng Yan's brow to furrow slightly. Clearly, he had been fully informed of what had happened in the research lab.

When Leng Yan looked at the girl in front of him again, he couldn't help but feel more wary.

"That madman Gear has finally done something he shouldn't have!" Leng Yan muttered to himself before turning to Rose: "I can assure you, she'll be fine."

"I...want...to stay...with...my mother." The girl's attitude remained firm.

"Alright, since that's the case, you can stay here with me." Leng Yan finally relented. After all, the girl before him possessed humanity's most advanced technology, a fusion of Stardust Armaments and other technological advancements. Stardust Armaments were undoubtedly one of the most powerful forces in the entire Milky Way. Even Leng Yan himself couldn't say for sure what level they could reach.

Fortunately, the girl didn't seem to have any ill intentions; she was simply guarding the gear beside the wheel. Because of the gear's learning and growth program, even Leng Yan couldn't know what the girl was thinking, but one thing was certain. Given the current situation, it was best not to provoke Rose too much.

In the end, Leng Yan agreed to Rose's request to stay.

"You owe me an explanation, Leng Yan."

“Project World Number One,” Leng Yan said calmly. “We call it THE ONE. That’s her codename. But she seems to prefer another name. It’s been a secret research project all along, and Gear and I were both participants in it.”

Faced with Kong Wang's renewed questioning, Leng Yan's expression was much more composed this time: "We need more power. With our current strength, we are not yet able to completely contend with the troubles that are about to come."

"What's next? Is it God? The Salvation Army? Or the recently emerged Church of Gods, or the superpowered individuals on the floating islands? Or perhaps, Zero?" Faced with Leng Yan's answer, Kong Wang finally couldn't hold back this time. Moreover, his way of speaking was more straightforward than that of the Miracle Master and others.

"I have them all!" In response to Kong Wang's question, Leng Yan simply replied with four words, and those four words were incredibly powerful.

"..." Upon hearing Leng Yan's direct answer, Kong Wang fell silent for a moment. Just as Leng Yan was about to leave, Kong Wang spoke up, saying, "I hope that your plan, once exposed, will not trigger a second civil war among the heroes."

However, Leng Yan didn't say anything more. He simply walked calmly outside.

Leng Yan had already had enough troubles lately, and he didn't want to waste any more time here.

……

At this moment, in the Hero Association headquarters in T City, Chloe was saying to the handsome guy next to her with a dissatisfied look: "Why is it here, and not in the Hero Association headquarters in H City?"

“Because you need protection, Miss Chrollo.” Bai Yu simply smiled faintly at Chrollo and asked, “Miss Chrollo, what would you like to drink? Coffee, juice, or tea?”

"I want Mr. Lin Jie to protect me." Hearing Bai Yu's question, Kuror just pouted and said, "As long as Mr. Lin Jie protects me, that's enough. I'm already very safe by his side. There's no need to come here, is there?"

"Lin Jie? That person is indeed quite powerful. If you wish, I can contact him." Hearing Kuror's request, Bai Yu shook her head helplessly. Although she's a super idol, it seems she's still a girl after all.

"Really?" Kuror's eyes lit up when she heard Bai Yu's words.

However, almost in the next instant, Bai Yu's expression suddenly changed.

A silver coin flew out of his hand. A Hero Association staff member froze on the spot. At the same time, Bai Yu strode up to the man and reached directly into his pocket.

It was in the man's hand, which was in his pocket. He seemed to be trying to press some device, but his hand was ultimately unable to press the button because of the silver needle piercing it.

The moment the machine was pulled out, two beams of energy shot towards Bai Yu. Almost instantly, a massive metal object in front of Bai Yu was pulled up by a powerful force and flew into the air, blocking his path. The energy gun was clearly powerful, shattering the specially designed association furniture. Keep in mind that everything here was made of bulletproof and energy-resistant materials.

Almost simultaneously, Bai Yu's gaze snapped to a direction—a building opposite the association. Clearly, a sniper was up there. Although nearly a kilometer away, Bai Yu could still clearly see the markings on the person and the expression on the face of the Church of the Gods.

Unexpectedly, they actually called in a sniper for help this time.

In an instant, Bai Yu vanished from his spot. The sniper also dashed to the side at that moment.

When Bai Yu caught up, the sniper had already run towards the crowd. Seeing this, and to prevent the sniper from using the crowd as hostages, Bai Yu quickened his pace.

However, to Bai Yu's surprise, the crowd of protesters actually made way for the sniper when they saw him, but when Bai Yu chased after him, they blocked his way.

“We don’t need superheroes! Superheroes get out!!” a member of the crowd shouted, clearly indicating that they were in White Tiger’s camp and were protecting the lifelong church member.

"You're protecting a terrorist, and that person is extremely dangerous," Bai Yu said helplessly, looking at the crowd blocking his way.

"You monsters are the real terrorists to us!" someone shouted again. "Get out of here! We don't need heroes' protection!"

As they spoke, some people even threw stones at Bai Yu.

Seeing these people, Bai Yu knew very well that they were just a group of misled civilians, and precisely because of this, he couldn't act rashly against them. He also couldn't do anything to these ordinary people; ultimately, the real culprits were the members of the Church of the Gods. They were the ones who instigated these innocent people and used them as shields for his actions.

Faced with the scene before him, Bai Yu remained silent for a moment. He could only sigh helplessly.

As the number of superpowered individuals increases, so does the fear of them among ordinary people. Despite the association's efforts to cultivate strong hero images, many still spread the superpower threat theory. And now, these foolish people are even attempting to seek protection from gods who have never offered them any solace.

At least in Bai Yu's view, this was utterly ridiculous, but now, he was helpless. After all, he couldn't just send those ordinary civilians flying in a few blows, could he?

In the crowd, Thomas watched the scene with a satisfied expression: "I think we might be able to add some news tonight, like an SS-class hero intimidating the masses or something."

However, just as Thomas was smiling and preparing to look for any inappropriate words or actions by Bai Yu so he could make a fuss about it that night, an unexpected incident occurred.

The reason Thomas chose to appear here was quite simple: someone had promised him a large sum of money and told him the 'truth' about the lifelong church, hoping he would publish it. Thomas, of course, was more than willing to do so.

Just as everyone was arguing, a huge creature suddenly flew out of the sky. Accompanied by bright sunlight, a lion with wings on its back appeared in the sky above them.

"They are messengers of God!!" Someone spoke first, and almost immediately everyone knelt down before the lions.

"Fools! That's just an ordinary monster!!" Bai Yu couldn't help but show an annoyed expression upon seeing this. But no one listened to him at this moment; they all knelt down after someone's initial shout.

Of course, these people are different from Bai Yu.

But when Bai Yu saw the sky, his expression instantly changed. He realized it wasn't just one lion, but tens of thousands of feathered lions that had appeared in the city. And the moment they appeared, they began to wreak havoc on the entire city.

The moment Bai Yu saw the first lion, he was already prepared for battle. Almost as soon as the first flying lion landed, Bai Yu charged straight at it.

Almost simultaneously, more than a dozen winged lions descended from the sky, and as they charged into the crowd, they began to devour the kneeling people, as if they were about to devour them as a delicious meal.

Upon seeing this, Bai Yu instantly exerted force in his fist, and the lion in front of him exploded from the inside.

Without further ado, Bai Yu charged into the crowd, loudly reminding everyone to immediately enter the shelter and evacuate through the tunnel. At the same time, Bai Yu also launched an attack on the other lions.

After the initial shock and panic, the crowd immediately began to flee Kashgar.

When danger struck, he began to flee in terror. The gods they believed should protect them had not appeared. And now they were seeking the protection of the very hero they had just hoped to drive away! This scene was undeniably ironic.

Bai Yu had no time to worry about that now. He immediately notified the Hero Association to request backup, and then turned to fight the falling lion.

Chapter nine

Just as Bai Yu was fighting the enemy in front of him, a man's figure suddenly appeared outside Chrollo's room in the Hero Association.

“Miss Chrollo, I’ve come to take you.” The man bore the mark of the Church of the Gods. A strange smile played on his lips. As the only known reincarnated god so far, he understood Chrollo’s value perfectly. After all, Chrollo didn’t possess the same power as other gods. Therefore, controlling Chrollo when the gods descended was tantamount to controlling the decisions of a god. This would bring them immense benefits.

That's precisely why they're determined to get Kuror no matter what. And now is a perfect opportunity. After all, Bai Yu has been lured away by the sniper, giving them a chance to capture Kuror. At least for men, aside from SS-class heroes, no one in the Hero Association should be capable of defeating him.

He casually remarked that he was now certain that Chrollo was sitting with one of the Hero Association's receptionists.

Without any unnecessary words, the man pushed open the door and entered Kuror's room.

What followed was this scene: Fenrir was lying on the table, while Chrollo was excitedly stroking her head and tail.

"This softness, this feeling, it's just amazing. Are you really a wolf?"

"Hmph, although I'm a demon wolf, I'm very confident in my fur!" the girl said with a smile to Chrollo. Then, both she and Chrollo turned their gazes to the man before them…

"..." The scene was extremely awkward. Faced with the two girls' questioning gazes, the man broke out in a cold sweat.

"Who are you?" Kuror asked the man, puzzled.

"I'm here to warn you, it's dangerous outside. Please evacuate immediately, the city is under attack." Seeing the scene before him, the man broke out in a cold sweat. Why would the strongest known member of the Hero Association be here? He hadn't heard anything about this beforehand.

“Wait! You smell like the Church of the Gods. And you’re not a hero here! I remember the scent of all the heroes here!!” Fenrir sniffed and then stared intently at the man in front of him.

"Are you a dog?" Upon hearing Fenrir's words, the man's face showed a pained expression. Who would have thought that he would be greeted by the most troublesome monster in the entire Hero Association after entering the room?

“So that’s how it is. You’re from the Church of the Gods, aren’t you?” Fenrir said, her wolf-like, fierce eyes fixed on the man.

Without any hesitation, the man would turn around and run away.

Then he was captured by Fenrir...

……

Within the Hero Association, only a loud bang and Chrollo's surprised voice echoed, and then everything was over. When Fenrir walked out of the Hero Association room, she simply said, "It doesn't taste good at all." As she spoke, she casually tossed one of her arms to the ground.

As Fenrir seized a lion and tore it apart, his gaze simultaneously drifted towards a certain part of the city. There, a peculiar lion stood high above, silently observing everything that was happening.

This is a lion with a human face.

……

At this moment, large numbers of people were crowded in the city's shelters. In one of the shelters, all the refugees were busy boarding the city's special escape subway.

Outside the shelter, hordes of monsters were relentlessly attacking. A few low-level heroes were putting up a fight against the shelter's metal doors, but they were clearly on the verge of collapse.