Heroes Return

Upon seeing this, the bespectacled man immediately grabbed Zhao Lei's hand and pulled it out of the trash can. But along with it, a strangely shaped remote control was also pulled out.

"Although you were quick to capture him, it's a pity. You were ultimately a step too slow." Zhao Lei's glasses flashed coldly as he placed his hand directly on the remote control.

As the remote control was pressed, an explosion rang out, triggering a clearance alarm. Seeing the direction, the bespectacled man's expression changed instantly. Grabbing Zhao Lei, the two of them appeared in a small shop on a street corner in a flash.

Right across from the small shop, a house was completely destroyed by an explosion, with flames raging inside! That building was Glasses Guy's home! Just as Glasses Guy was about to rush into the fire to rescue people, the house collapsed!

Seeing this, the bespectacled man finally couldn't hold back and let out a desperate scream! The place that exploded was his house!!

With anger, the bespectacled man's gaze fell directly on Zhao Lei beside him!

"Why, when did you plant the bomb?!" Although it was a question, the bespectacled man's fist had already slammed into Zhao Lei's face, shattering Zhao Lei's glasses! A voice mixed with tears and anger came from the bespectacled man's mouth: "You! When did you do this! Why! Did you do this!"

Although it was a problem, the bespectacled man's fist swung fiercely at Zhao Lei's face once again!

"I made these arrangements after investigating you." Despite being beaten, Zhao Lei had a smile on his face: "Do you still think you were right? This is the consequence of letting a criminal go! Hahahaha!"

Zhao Lei's dry laugh didn't last long, because the bespectacled man's fists were already relentlessly raining blows down on Zhao Lei!

"Bastard! Bastard! Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!" he kept shouting and cursing! The bespectacled man kept punching Zhao Lei, his hands covered in blood!

"Cough cough, now you should understand how I feel! But you can't kill me. Don't you want to uphold your justice? Then let me, the enemy who killed your mother and sister, enjoy my life in prison in peace! Cough cough." Zhao Lei, who had been badly beaten, still had a smile on his face: "You and I are so alike. This time, you should understand, right? Some things you won't understand until you experience them! Cough cough!!"

"Shut up! You scum!!!" the bespectacled man shouted angrily at Zhao Lei, his voice a mixture of sorrow and rage. He had already picked up a rock and was pointing it at Zhao Lei. His extreme anger made him ready to smash Zhao Lei's head with the rock.

"Cough cough, dying here isn't so bad. After all, all my efforts have failed." Looking at the bespectacled man's expression, Zhao Lei laughed instead.

However, the bespectacled man holding the stone never dropped it, and Zhao Lei, who was waiting for the end, was surprised to find that there was no end in sight. The stone in the bespectacled man's hand ultimately didn't fall! Tears streamed down his face, but the bespectacled man forcefully wiped his eyes.

"I...I can't, I can't become you!" The bespectacled man's voice was distorted by his loss of control, but he still said, "You will be brought to justice for the crime of killing my family!!! You will be brought to justice for the residents of this building as well! And I will not be the judge! But I promise you, you will never run away again before you are brought to justice!"

After saying that, the man with glasses angrily grabbed Zhao Lei by the collar.

"I may look a lot like you, but I will never become you! You're just a piece of trash!!!" As the bespectacled man spoke, police cars had already surrounded the area.

"Brother? What happened at home?" Just then, the slightly surprised voices of the bespectacled siblings reached his ears.

"Huh?" Upon hearing this sound, the bespectacled man suddenly looked up. In his eyes, his sister, mother, and the other residents of the neighborhood were all staring in astonishment at the burning house.

"Thank goodness!! Are you all alright?" Upon seeing this, the bespectacled man couldn't help but rush forward and hug his family.

"Disgusting, bro!!" The bespectacled man's sister pushed him away, embarrassed.

"We went to a residents' gathering. This time, an unknown wealthy person showed up and arranged a high-end residents' gathering for us at a private clubhouse. There was even a place to look after the children. All the residents in the building were invited, so don't worry. No one was injured or killed," the bespectacled man's mother hurriedly explained when she saw his appearance.

"A rich man?" Upon hearing this, the man with glasses couldn't help but look at Zhao Lei.

-------------Chapter Dividing Line---------------

In the end, Zhao Lei was taken away directly. The man with glasses didn't inquire further about the identity of the wealthy person who had treated him. However, one thing was clear: Zhao Lei looked extremely dejected as he was being led away.

Of course, in the end, the guy with glasses kept his promise and broke Zhao Lei's glasses.

Of course, for the Hero Association and people around the world, this was just a minor incident. After all, almost all forces were now focused on Zero.

Inside Lin Jie's house, the superheroes had secretly sealed it off. Lin Wan, Mu Mu, and Tristi, three girls connected to Lin Jie, were also ordered by the Hero Association to stay home during this time. As for the fact that Lin Jie was Zero, it was clear that the Hero Association already knew to some extent, but they hadn't announced it.

Zero's identity remains a mystery to ordinary people.

Looking at the hero guarding her in the room, Lin Qian sighed helplessly: "Xiao Zhan, if you don't let me go out to find my brother, believe me, I'll beat you up! Besides, Mu Mu is just a child! Shouldn't you let her go back to school?"

"..." Hearing Lin Wan's words, Xiao Zhan, who was wiping away a comical expression, couldn't help but tremble. He unconsciously touched the two dark circles under his eyes that Lin Wan had given him. Cold sweat almost dripped down Xiao Zhan's back: "I said, you've asked me so many times, haven't you? I'm sorry, I really can't let you leave. If we find Lin Jie, I'll try to get you a chance to talk to him."

"That guy is really something! Why did he suddenly make this kind of declaration out of nowhere?" Hearing his words, Lin Wan muttered in dissatisfaction, "When I see him, I'm definitely going to teach him a lesson!!"

"Has brother become a wanted criminal? Sister! What bad thing did brother do?" Hearing Lin Qian's words, Mu Mu, who was originally in the room, suddenly ran out and asked, "Brother Xiao, what bad thing did Brother Lin do? Can't we forgive him?"

"Hey Mu Mu! Lin Jie's really up to something big this time! But don't worry, he'll be fine. After all, he's the strongest human in the world." Patting Mu Mu's head, Xiao Zhan said to her, "Consider these few days as an extra vacation for you. There are lots of games in the room; you can play whatever you want."

"Really? But my brother hasn't come back for so long," Mu Mu asked, a little worried.

"Don't worry, brother, you'll be fine! That's the only thing I can confirm," Lin Wan finally couldn't help but say.

Although Lin Wan and her friends have been confined to their home recently, and members of the Hero Association are lying in wait nearby, they haven't done anything to them. As for threatening Lin Jie with his sister, although some people suggested it, Leng Yan directly rejected the idea.

Just as Xiao Zhan and the others were talking, the door to the house opened. Immediately afterwards, almost all the SS-level heroes, led by Leng Yan, entered. The small living room suddenly felt overcrowded.

"Don't be afraid, we're not here with any ill intentions. We just want to know about your brother. Perhaps we can find out his motives for doing these things," the Master of Miracles said calmly to Lin Wan.

As for Lin Wan, seeing so many SS-level heroes at once was a bit overwhelming.

"Um, I'll go get you a stool," Lin Wan said, and walked towards the kitchen.

After the stools were brought over and everyone sat down, Lin Wan asked helplessly, "It seems you all know, huh? It's about Brother Zero."

“Yes, we know.” Torus said to Lin Wan, “We just want to know some things about your brother, such as where he went during his five-year disappearance.”

"Brother? It's nothing, I've just been a shut-in for five years! All I do is play games online and watch movies all day." Hearing their question, Lin Wan said helplessly, "If I hadn't finally reached my breaking point, you'd probably still be a shut-in at home, right? Seriously, you're such a strong person, yet you insist on making yourself look like a useless person."

This answer caused the heroes present to fall silent for a moment. In fact, the answer itself was unexpected by everyone present.

"Wait! You mean that Zero, the mighty hero, gave up his career as a hero for five years and became a shut-in for five years?" The Galactic Warrior asked Lin Wan with some uncertainty. Unsurprisingly, Lin Wan's answer also surprised him.

Of course, the Metroid originally brought a live streaming camera. However, for security reasons, his live stream was forcibly shut down by Leng Yan, and he was also forced to keep it a secret. Only then was he allowed to come along.

“Yes, back then, my brother was actually a total shut-in at home,” Lin Wan replied.

"What exactly happened to him? How could he be so dejected?" Bai Yu asked Lin Wan with some surprise.

“I’m sorry, this is my brother’s business, and I don’t want to talk about it.” Hearing Bai Yu’s question, Lin Wan shook her head: “My brother rarely talks about his past privacy, so I don’t want to reveal these privacy details to you.”

"Get this straight, Zero is declaring war on the entire world! To change his mind, we first need your help! As his closest confidant, I hope you can cooperate with us. After all, we don't want to actually fight Zero. If you want to resolve this peacefully, then cooperate with us!" Leng Yan's expression darkened.

"No!" Lin Wan's temper flared up at this point: "They've asked me no less than ten times in the past few days, and I've answered every single question I could! Whether it's the Hero Association, the World Government, or any other organization, I've answered everything I could!"

“We just want to confirm this again! I believe Zero wouldn’t do such a thing; I think he must have his reasons. On this point, we are all willing to believe Zero. But at least, we want to know why Zero did this,” Kong Wang said helplessly to Lin Wan.

"But I really don't have much more to tell you! Actually, I only recently found out that my brother is Zero! He's never told me his true identity!" Lin Wan sighed helplessly. "Even though I'm his own sister, he kept it from me for ten years. I really don't know the details of what happened when he was Zero. The only things I know are the same as how ordinary people learn about Zero. I don't understand at all what that starlight of dawn represents!"

"..." Upon hearing Lin Wan's words, the members of the Hero Association fell into a brief silence once again. In fact, Lin Wan had already said a great deal. However, they had gained very little information from it. Aside from knowing that this hero had lived an ordinary life in the past, they had gained almost nothing of substance.

On this point, Lin Wan gave the same answer as Xiao Zhan and the others. Lin Jie usually seems carefree, but he almost never talks about his past.

"If you really want to know anything, go ask Sister Tian! It seems that Sister Tian was my brother's temporary helper in the past." With a helpless sigh, Lin Wan finally said Tian Xiaoshu's name.

"We've already spoken to her, but she seems to be thinking about something and doesn't want to say much to us," Torus said with a helpless sigh.

"Sister Tian..." Upon hearing his words, Lin Wan fell silent.

Perhaps, in the Zero's Declaration incident, Tian Xiaoshu was one of the most hurt? After all, she and Xiaoqian were both Zero's accomplices, and both liked Lin Jie. But in the end, she had to watch Lin Jie make a mistake for his rival. Perhaps Lin Jie created that meteor shower because he felt some guilt? After all, Tian Xiaoshu seemed to have been waiting for him all these years.

“Don’t worry, she’s with the Hero Association. As heroes, we won’t force her to do anything, nor will we use any superpowers on her.” Leng Yan nodded. At the same time, Leng Yan’s gaze turned upstairs: “Tristan, would you like to come down? This time, we might need your power. You’ve been granted permission to move around freely.”

“I’m sorry, I won’t fight him.” Tristi’s reply was very simple. She refused to participate in Leng Yan and the others’ plan.

……

After a brief chat, the members of the Hero Association finally left.

"Xiao Zhan, if my brother insists on continuing to collect the starlight of dawn, will you fight him?" Lin Wan suddenly asked Xiao Zhan, who was making a comical face.

“I will do everything I can to crush him.” Xiao Zhan answered without hesitation: “Sorry, although we have a good relationship, that’s precisely why I can’t stand by and watch my buddy do something wrong. He taught me a lesson last time, and this time I’m going to teach him a lesson.”

"..." Hearing Xiao Zhan's answer, Lin Wan sighed helplessly. Then she suddenly asked Xiao Zhan, "That Dawn Starlight you mentioned, can it grant any wish? Including resurrecting someone who's doomed?"

"I've never seen it either, but I've heard it can grant any wish. It's definitely more advanced than my ridiculous ball that's only good for hitting people and doesn't really do much else," Xiao Zhan replied.

"Brother..." Hearing Xiao Zhan's words, Lin Wan hesitated, wanting to say something but holding back.

Without a doubt, she had figured out Lin Jie's motives. However, she didn't intend to reveal them now because she hadn't yet decided whether she should oppose her brother's actions. Out of a sense of justice, her brother seemed poised to kill many people; such a brother would clearly harm countless others, which was inherently wrong. But out of personal feelings, Lin Wan hoped her brother would succeed…

Chapter Twenty-Eight Epilogue

Just as the whole world was searching for Lin Jie, something unexpected happened. In a certain desert, Zero suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

As Zero appeared out of nowhere, the Bottle of Miracles also lay on the desert floor. When the Hero Association members arrived, they were surprised to find that, in that desert, not only had the wind vanished, but faint glimmers of light could also be seen on the ground. Even more astonishing to everyone was the appearance of greenery centered around Zero.

Thanks to the bottle, a small oasis formed in the desert in a short period of time. Within this oasis, faint points of light and electricity floated out. Of course, in the intense sunlight of the desert, these were difficult to notice during the day. Perhaps they would be more visible at night.

"Zero! We need to talk!" As a hero, the first person to feel this way was indeed the retired Captain Justice.

"..."

"You helped my daughter in the past, when Angela wasn't very old. But looking back now, you were probably just a middle or high school student. It's hard to imagine that the person who indirectly changed our family is so young." Captain Justice calmly said to Zero, "Angela really likes you, and I've always looked up to you. To be honest, when people said you were going to declare war on the whole world, I didn't want to believe it. I believe you must have your reasons, right? That's why you decided to use such an extreme method? Maybe we can talk! You've helped the world so many times. If you're willing, this time the whole world can help you find a suitable way to solve the problem."

“It’s no use, the world can’t help me. This is probably the only thing left in this world that can grant my wish.” Lin Jie said, calmly looking at the bottle standing at his feet: “Thank you for your kindness, but I also have things I have to do. Even if it’s a crime to you.”

"I've heard that what you're doing could kill many people, including many of your friends. Is it really worth it?" Captain Justice couldn't help but speak again. "You should already know the side effects of having a sliver of Dawn's starlight extracted, right? Some of your friends probably use mystical powers, right? Can you really bear to watch them disappear? And Sieg and Harry. They're your students, aren't they? Are you really planning to let your students just vanish like that? Doing this will only cause you great harm, won't it?"

As Captain Justice spoke, he lit a cigarette for himself and tossed one to Lin Jie.

Lin Jie didn't hesitate at all, and directly picked up the cigarette and put it to his lips. The cigarette lit up naturally the moment it was placed in his mouth.

“Your words are very convincing. If this were a hero, they might have already given up. But now, I'm sorry, I don't intend to continue being a hero. This time, I might just be a simple criminal.” Taking a deep drag of his cigarette, Lin Jie calmly said to the Captain of Justice, “You heroes have always been searching for your own path to justice. But I don't want to search for those right now. Right now, I just want to try my best for my own wish.”

"Your wish? For this wish, you'd even give up being a hero? Even give up the chance to be forever etched in human history? Do you know? As Zero, even if you don't want to, your actions are still influencing many people. Honestly, I really don't want to see the disappointed expressions on the faces of those who idolize you." Captain Justice also took a drag of his cigarette: "To be honest, I once thought you might become my son-in-law."

“That might disappoint those who idolize me, and you should also know that people idolizing me too much isn’t necessarily a good thing in a sense.” Exhaling the smoke from his mouth, Lin Jie said calmly, “I don’t want another organization like the Salvation Army to appear.”

That's not your fault.

“But it did appear because of me, didn’t it?” Lin Jie said calmly. “Even Zero isn’t absolutely selfless. To put it bluntly, he’s just an ordinary person after all, a person with emotions and desires. So, in the end, I still need to live for myself once.”

"...Aren't you really going to reconsider? I believe you're still that upright hero at heart. I don't want to see anything too tragic happen to you. By the way, you and that big star named Chrollo are quite close, aren't you? If you do this, he might disappear too!" Captain Justice still seemed unwilling to give up.

"If you're trying to persuade me, I'm sorry, you'd better give up." Lin Jie said calmly, "No amount of persuasion will change your mind. If you really want me to stop what I'm doing, then show me what you're capable of and defeat me! I won't leave here for the next two weeks. I'll stay here to protect this bottle. I look forward to you defeating me!"

"Really, is fighting the only way to make you stop?" Captain Justice asked again, feeling utterly helpless.

If it were anyone else, Captain Justice might not feel this powerlessness, but this time he's facing Zero! A true hero standing at the pinnacle of humanity, the strongest being who defeated all the gods as a mortal! Before such a powerful being, anyone would feel powerless.

"That's right, there's only one way: battle. We have two weeks left. During these two weeks, I'll accept any challenge from anywhere in the world! Whether human, god, or demon, you can come and fight me! If you don't want me to take back the power of miracles, then challenge me with all your might." Zero's voice was gentle, but to Captain Justice, it was nothing short of the most terrifying response.

"I hope you can think it over again. The blows from all over the world are coming soon." After responding to Lin Jie, Captain Justice took off and left the small oasis.

Just after Captain Justice left, Zhu Xian'er appeared in front of Lin Jie, along with Jue Xian and Xian Xian, and finally Lu Xian also appeared.

"Are you really going to do this? Reclaim the miraculous light that descended upon the human world last time?" Zhu Xian'er asked Lin Jie calmly.

What no one knows is that the Light of Miracles cannot be grasped by any living being, nor can it be used arbitrarily by any living being. As the most unreasonable force in the universe, the use of the Light of Miracles is also devoid of any logic. In fact, just that tiny speck of light that Glasses Guy encountered last time was enough to bring an ordinary person back to life.

However, for Lin Jie to revive Xiao Qian, all the miraculous light that Nicholas Dou Dou had previously scattered across the world, which had brought an early end to the cataclysmic end of the world, must be retrieved.

When Lin Jie was Zero, he almost influenced the entire world. Zero also changed the fate of the world more than once. Therefore, the miracle to change Zero's fate would have to be enormous enough to change the entire world. In addition, Zhenwu Hundred Battles is a bug-level technique. Since its earliest existence, no true user of Zhenwu Hundred Battles has been able to escape the fate of certain death within five years. Therefore, Zhenwu Hundred Battles itself is also a fate that is very difficult to change.