Heroes Return

However, just as these missiles were about to reach Lin Jie, they all mysteriously went out of commission. Not only did they go out of commission, but they also stopped in mid-air and then fell straight to the ground. When all the missiles hit the ground, Alice noticed that they were all neatly arranged in a row.

Upon witnessing this scene, the monster's mind began to race with erotic excitement. Then, right in front of Lin Jie, the mechanical device on the monster's back activated, and a large amount of metal began to cover the monster's body, instantly transforming it into an alloy armor.

"Hey! Are there still people in H City researching these kinds of gadgets?" Seeing the monster's transformation, Lin Jie couldn't help but scratch his head. Sure enough, with the development of the times and technology, it seems that human scientists will never stop experimenting and exploring.

As the monster was covered in metal, its mechanical hand was completely transformed into a giant hand cannon! While using its mechanical eye to aim at Lin Jie, the large-caliber, high-power energy cannon fired directly at Lin Jie.

But a bizarre scene unfolded once again. When the energy cannon struck Lin Jie, he simply extended a single finger. The instant his finger lightly touched the cannon, the beam was split in two by Lin Jie's finger. The separated energy beams shot out to either side, but failed to cause any harm to Lin Jie.

With a single finger, Lin Jie easily sliced ​​through the energy cannon's firepower, and then continued walking towards the energy cannon as if strolling leisurely.

"Speaking of which, it seems I've come up with a new trick lately. Why don't I try it on you?" Pointing directly at the monster before him, Lin Jie declared, "Formless—Zero."

As soon as the word "Formless" was uttered, everything around the monster changed. Even in its berserk state, the monster's instincts remained. When the energy cannons began to fail to harm Lin Jie, the monster showed signs of retreating.

However, when the monster tried to escape, it discovered that its mechanical parts were becoming uncontrollable. The metal plates that were originally in place contracted again and lost all power. The mechanical computer and electronic eyes also lost all energy. The monster's own strength vanished the instant it uttered those two words.

The ground lost its neutrality at that moment; the stones floated erratically, their trajectories unchanged or bouncing even when they collided. For a moment, the forces of motion seemed to vanish. And this disappearance of forces rendered the monster unable to stand on the ground. Forget about escaping; it couldn't even move an inch now.

Then, a miraculous scene unfolded. However, Lin Jie didn't notice this miracle. The moment he uttered those words, Lin Jie turned and walked towards Alice and the others. The ruined houses he passed, those houses recently destroyed by the monsters, seemed to be rebuilt as if time had reversed.

As time passed, it seemed only this lazy figure remained, strolling leisurely down the street. The expressions of the two sisters, Alice and Delis, began to change as they watched this scene.

Just as Lin Jie left, the changes on the monster's side were not yet over. The metal and mechanical structures on the monster's body began to be peeled off continuously. After being peeled off, they began to deform, eventually reverting to their original, unprocessed form.

But the process didn't end after the metal turned into metal bars. The metal began to decompose again and eventually turned into ore.

The components embedded within the monster's body also underwent a transformation, instantly separating completely, leaving the monster appearing as a bloody mess. The separated technological parts were similarly transformed back to their original form—the so-called raw materials.

Then, the monster's blood began to flow backward. As the blood continued to flow backward, large amounts of liquid were sprayed from the monster's body. And as this liquid was sprayed out, the monster's body began to shrink continuously.

Finally, when the monster shrunk to human size, it revealed its original form before it turned into its original form: a chimpanzee! As for the liquid, it was continuously broken down in the air and eventually dissipated.

There was no sound; it all happened silently. No sound, no elaborate special effects. No overwhelming aura of destruction. Not even the usual fluctuations of power. Everything unfolded so quietly.

In the area where the monster was, the houses disappeared, the concrete ground vanished, and plants began to appear. Before long, it had transformed into a small grove of trees.

As all this was completed, all the changes came to an end, and the chimpanzee landed back on a tree, looking around in confusion.

There were no flashy special effects, no sound, no fluctuations in power, and not even the presence of any laws could be sensed. Yet, this bizarre scene still unfolded.

Seeing all these changes, even Alice, watching from afar, couldn't help but feel a lot of questions. Even she couldn't understand what Lin Jie had done, nor what kind of power he was using. And Lin Jie, throughout, acted like an ordinary person. His movements were slow, his techniques unpretentious, and his fighting style unrefined. He didn't even deliberately mimic the movements of someone using a technique.

"Kuhoho! This is truly the most difficult challenge ever! What kind of power is this? Even in Ivan's database, it has probably never appeared before! It could completely break Mr. Ivan's database records once again!"

Inside the city, the fighting girls continued their fierce battle. No one seemed to sense the changes that had just occurred in the no-man's-land.

……

On the snow-capped mountain, Dao Qizhan suddenly stood up, his gaze coldly fixed on H City in the distance. Behind him, the Extinction Sword was resonating, seemingly seeking a fierce battle.

"It seems the time is ripe." Dao Qizhan said calmly, but his gaze once again turned coldly to the sky: "It seems it's time to go find him."

As soon as he finished speaking, Dao Qizhan soared into the air, his figure transforming into a streak of light and flying out of the atmosphere...

Meanwhile, just as Lin Jie looked at Alice again, a drone appeared in the sky. Before Lin Jie could react, a grappling hook on the drone swooped down and grabbed him.

"Huh?" Just as Lin Jie was surprised by the drone's movements, the drone had already taken Lin Jie away from the city.

"..."

"Kuhoo, I didn't expect we'd still be found!" Looking at Lin Jie flying away, Alice smiled again. "I'm so curious, how did they find us? Gears?"

As Alice spoke, a dozen or so automated robots had already surrounded the two girls.

As Alice finished speaking, the voice of an automated robot rang out.

“Of course, we’ll use the power of science! Satellites are the most effective way to find people.” Gear said with a smile, “I activated three satellites to monitor and search over H City. It seems I’ve found you on the rooftop! You’ve fallen into your hands, Alice.”

"Kuhuhu, I really didn't expect you to have the authority to access three satellites."

"Then, I'll take Lin Jie with me! You can go back to the Hero Association with these automatons later!"

After saying that, Gear shut down the communication.

"Sister, why are we..."

"Kuhuhu, that's enough for us today, isn't it? So there's no need to keep arguing!" Alice interrupted Delis before she could finish speaking: "Sometimes, some things don't need to be done all the time, as long as the timing is right! Alright, let's go to the Hero Association now, and let Mr. Lin Jie and the others have some fun!"

"I understand." Hearing Alice's words, Delis was a little confused, but she nodded in the end.

Chapter 11

In the sky, the drone's cable slowly retracted, eventually pulling Lin Jie back into the drone. As the drone soared into the sky, it disappeared over the city.

It didn't really disappear; rather, the drone entered the interior of a stealth warship.

When Lin Jie stepped down from the drone, a huge drone hangar came into view. Looking at the advanced aircraft and various styles and models of mechs before him, Lin Jie couldn't help but show a surprised expression.

These mechs all look brand new, but in fact, many of them are products of the old era.

Just a century ago, a young mecha enthusiast named Milo developed a very special core operating system, which became the operating system for the earliest humanoid weapons.

It was a groundbreaking product! No one could have imagined that this system would be used for over ninety years, until recently being replaced by the latest brain-connection system. And in the beginning, he was just a shut-in obsessed with robots.

Unexpectedly, the system's creation also brought him to the brink of being hunted down worldwide. However, he ultimately escaped with the help of a mysterious force. This brush with death did not diminish Milo's love for robots; instead, it strengthened his resolve to create humanoid mechs. Thus, he and a group of mechanical enthusiasts, who were still in university at the time, formed a special workshop.

This very workshop, sixty years in the future, completed the world's first war mech. However, just as these old folks were thrilled with creating their dream, their mech technology was stolen by hackers. Taking advantage of this, nations using humanoid weapons as their primary weapon of war launched invasions across the world.

The flames of World War III were ignited at this moment. To aid the invaded nations, Milo ultimately chose to publicly reveal their research technology. In an instant, countries worldwide acquired the technology to manufacture humanoid mechs. An era dominated by humanoid mechs as weapons of war was finally born.

A few years later, Milo passed away. Shortly before his death, the invading nation was completely defeated. However, what he didn't know was that not long after his passing, World War III officially began; the war against aggression was merely a very brief appetizer.

That was an era that belonged entirely to mecha.

After more than two decades of war, peace-loving people around the world formed the World Federation of Governments, finally ending this farce. The era of mecha also became the greatest glory in that final battle.

More and more advanced mechs continued to appear in the world. However, no one could have imagined that just as mech civilization was developing to such a high level, a new era was dawning. And the killing machines of the past became beings torn apart by human flesh.

In the current era of heroes, those who cannot defeat the military's war mechs with their bare hands are hardly worthy of calling themselves true masters. With the emergence of increasingly powerful special entities, these humanoid mechs have paled in comparison.

"These are all from my collection, they're all old mechs!" Gear, who had stepped forward, said to Lin Jie as he looked at the mechs. "While I think my skills are far superior to theirs, I still respect these mechs. Because they are the foundation of everything."

"I didn't expect you to be such a big collector of figurines." Hearing Gear's words, Lin Jie couldn't help but say, "By the way, these weren't all preserved from World War III, were they?"

"Yes! I went to great lengths to get these old things." Gear said proudly upon hearing Lin Jie's question, "Not just these mechs, but also those warships, armored vehicles, zoological mechs, airplanes, air defense equipment, and infinite radar—they're all my favorites! By the way, see the cannon in this mech's hand? That's one of the world's first energy cannons! It was these energy weapons that helped the World Government win the final peace. Can you imagine? Back then, energy cannons could even slowly recharge themselves using solar and thermal energy."

"Did you get all of these? They look quite expensive."

"Of course, these are all from my private collection." As Gear spoke, he waved his hand a few times in the air, and the metal beneath their feet floated up, carrying them towards a certain location. "Money is more than enough for me. After all, before I became a hero, I was..."

"Huh? What is it?" Seeing that Ci Lun suddenly stopped talking, Lin Jie couldn't help but feel puzzled.

"Um, I just hope you won't be angry if I tell you." Hearing Lin Jie's question, Gear, who had always seemed shameless, became a little hesitant.

"Don't worry, I'm not interested in getting angry right now."

"Alright, then I'll tell you!" Hearing Lin Jie's words, Gear said somewhat embarrassedly, "Actually... well, I... when I joined the Hero Association... actually, I'm... actually an arms dealer."

"An arms dealer?"

“That’s right, specifically targeting world governments or other special entities that want to stop the sale of their own manufactured weapons.” Gear nodded. “We also accept some research commissions, and of course, I have quite a few patented technologies. However, as you know, research requires a lot of money.”

"Hmm? You used to be an arms dealer? If so, you should be glad you weren't around when I was Zero! Back then, I never cared who the other party was or what their purpose was. Any such heinous acts would be dealt with swiftly and decisively." Lin Jie said to Gear with a smile.

“I only decided to join the trade after your cloak was discovered,” Gear said after thinking for a moment. “Back then, I often dreamed that you would kill me.”

As Gear spoke, it seemed to recall some unpleasant past events.

"Really? Then how did you join the Hero Association?"

“Because of Leng Yan.” Hearing Lin Jie’s words, Gear answered without hesitation this time: “I accepted Leng Yan’s invitation and became a hero. At that time, he told me that even if I didn’t have superpowers, I could still become a hero. After all, my skills were already sufficient. Moreover, he found me at that time, and if I refused to join, he might kill me on the spot to prevent my skills from being used by criminals. I had no choice but to accept his invitation and provide technology to the Hero Association.”

"So you were forced into joining the Hero Association by Leng Yan? This guy is really good at doing these kinds of things." Even Lin Jie couldn't help but sigh upon hearing Gear's words.

"At first I was really reluctant, but later I found that being a hero is pretty good."

As the two spoke, they entered a room. As the window opened, a beautiful view unfolded before them. Although they knew it was a screen-generated image, the realism of the scenery still amazed Lin Jie.

"Do you think being a hero is also good?"

“Yes! Not only can I continue my research, but I can also gain people’s recognition and not have to hide every day.” Gear said, already standing next to Lin Jie: “Actually, it feels pretty good to help others.”

"Is that so?"

"But you must never let my sister know this."

"Your sister?" Upon hearing Gear's words, Lin Jie suddenly recalled a girl wearing glasses and holding a wrench.

“Yeah! If Tifa knew, she’d definitely laugh at me!” Gear said, having already taken off his lab coat, revealing his casual clothes underneath. “Well, it’s about time, let’s start.”

"Hey! What's with this sudden 'start'? And this sudden taking off of clothes??" Lin Jie's face showed surprise as he watched the gears approach him.

"Of course, we should hurry up and make babies!" Gear said without any hesitation. "Don't worry, although I haven't done it myself, my theoretical knowledge is quite extensive. So you'll definitely be very comfortable."

"Hey! Your chat is jumping around too much, isn't it?" Lin Jie said helplessly to the other person after hearing their words.

"Did you know? Times are constantly progressing! As time goes by, humanity can't stand still forever!" The gear straddling Lin Jie said earnestly, "For us scientists, the future of humanity is our sacred duty! And humanity needs continuous scientific evolution and research, so don't resist. I just need some of your DNA for research. Of course, having a child would be even better; maybe I can completely unravel the secrets of your power, and the so-called secrets of cultivators! Based on the changes in your physical form and the abilities of your offspring, I think I can learn many interesting things! This is all for the sake of human evolution and research! Besides, isn't it a good opportunity to lose your virginity? I don't necessarily expect you to take full responsibility."

"Damn it! Can you make something like this sound so noble? And what you're doing is practically indecent!" Although he didn't offer any strong resistance, Lin Jie couldn't help but say.

At this moment, Gear was already riding on Lin Jie's back, but just as she was about to undo Lin Jie's clothes, a girl's figure appeared in the room!

"Sister! What are you going to do to the teacher?!"

Tifa then appeared in the room. Seeing this, Gear reluctantly climbed off Lin Jie.

"Ah! What brings you here? Shouldn't you be doing hero training?"

"It's all because you suddenly said you were resigning!" Tifa said to Gears, annoyed. "By the way, this is Mr. Cold Flame's communication."

As she spoke, she tossed a holographic communicator into Gear's hand.

Chapter 12

With Tifa's appearance, Lin Jie was finally saved from his chastity crisis. Although he was saved, for some reason, Lin Jie felt a sense of loss. It was as if he had just lost something, and that faint sense of loss lingered in Lin Jie's heart.

On the other side, Gear had already opened the communicator Tifa had given him, and Cold Flame's eternally unchanging icy face finally appeared in front of Gear.

"Get Lin Jie out of here immediately." Leng Yan said with a slightly cold expression, "I've already heard about you from Alice. If you continue to cause trouble for Mr. Lin Jie, I'll consider blowing up your floating mothership! And that will be the end of you for good!"

"Wait! Isn't it a bit too harsh? No matter how you look at it, he should be lucky to be with me, right? It seems like I'm the one who's losing out, isn't it?" Hearing Leng Yan's words, Gear couldn't help but say, "Besides, he's happy here too."

“According to current criminal law, sexual assault is also illegal.” Faced with Gear’s statement, Leng Yan simply said, “Furthermore, I have already rejected your application to withdraw from the Hero Association. If you continue to cause trouble for Mr. Lin Jie, you know the consequences.”