Heroes Return

After Ren Xiaojie finished his work, he saw a beautiful woman on the road, accompanied by a little boy who looked about six or seven years old.

Upon seeing these two people, Ren Xiaojie immediately went up to greet them.

"Teacher Tian."

"Xiao Jie? Are you still working so late?" Teacher Tian looked a little surprised when she saw Ren Xiaojie appear, but she immediately said, "By the way, congratulations on getting into Academy Island. You'll become an excellent superhero in the future."

"Thank you, Teacher Tian. Will I definitely become an excellent superhero? Like Zero?" Ren Xiaojie said earnestly to Tian Xiaoshu.

"Like Zero?" Upon hearing his words, Teacher Tian shook her head: "Let's forget about Zero. Actually, I think THE ONE did a better job than Zero."

"Huh? Is that what the teacher thinks?"

"Well, although he's not as powerful as Zero, as a hero, THE ONE is probably the purest hero," Teacher Tian said to Ren Xiaojie with a smile.

Just as the two were talking, a little girl with a pair of demon wings on her back, who looked only five or six years old, suddenly appeared next to Teacher Tian: "You must be Teacher Tian, ​​right?"

Upon hearing this, both Ren Xiaojie and Teacher Tian were somewhat surprised. She was an incredibly cute little pink-haired girl; not only was she adorable, but her eyes were also remarkably expressive and lively.

"Huh? Aunt Tian? Why are you calling me that?" Hearing the little girl's words, Teacher Tian couldn't help but squat down and ask.

"Um, Mom told me to come find Teacher Tian. Mom said she hopes I can receive some human education. So she told me to come find Teacher Tian." The little girl said to Teacher Tian with an adorable expression, "Mom said Teacher Tian is also my mom, because Dad is Teacher Tian's husband."

"Pfft!!!" In an instant, Ren Xiaojie almost spat out a mouthful of saliva. The amount of information conveyed in those words was quite explosive...

After hearing this, Teacher Tian carefully examined the girl in front of her, and then made a phone call.

"Hey? Honey! What's up? I'm almost off work."

"Honey, you won't have any pocket money from now on," Ms. Tian said expressionlessly to her husband on the other end of the phone.

"Hey! What's going on? I know I was wrong, honey! I'll never smoke secretly again!!" A man on the other end couldn't help but say after hearing his wife's words.

So you were secretly smoking behind my back?

"Huh? Not because of that? Could it be about sneaking off to the magical girl concert?"

"...Husband, you..."

"Huh? Not even this? Then what happened, honey?!"

"I think we need to have a serious talk," Teacher Tian said, then hung up the phone. She then looked at Ren Xiaojie beside her: "Remember, Ling isn't as upright as you think."

"Oh……"

"Alright, I have something to do and need to go back first," Teacher Tian said, taking the little girl's hand. Turning to the little boy beside her, she said, "From now on, she's your little sister."

"Oh." Hearing his mother's words, the little boy was still very happy, even though he didn't know what kind of family crisis he was about to face. He had a little sister, and she was so cute.

"Going home with Aunt Tian? That's great! I can see Dad tonight, right?"

"Forget about your father! The three of us, mother and daughters, will live a good life from now on. Let that scum die." Teacher Tian said calmly, then walked away into the distance, leaving Ren Xiaojie dumbfounded.

"The adult world is so complicated." With that thought, Ren Xiaojie ran back home without stopping, having already forgotten about what had just happened.

After all, even heroes can't just ignore other people's family affairs, right?

Ren Xiaojie's home is a small house located next to a garbage dump. The house isn't big, but at least it has two rooms.

"I'm back, Rose!" Ren Xiaojie shouted as the door opened. Immediately afterwards, he heard a series of crackling sounds.

"Rose!!" Upon hearing the sound, Ren Xiaojie immediately ran into the room, only to find a girl tangled in discarded electrical wires, her halter top hanging from the floor. Her body was covered in a thick, white liquid…

"Welcome back." The girl's voice was very calm, even though she looked quite ashamed. She didn't seem to care much. After saying a sentence to Ren Xiaojie, the girl habitually licked the white, viscous liquid on the corner of her lips.

Upon seeing this scene, Ren Xiaojie couldn't help but cover his eyes. For a teenager in the prime of his adolescence, the impact of such a cute girl striking such a pose in front of him was a bit too much.

At first glance, you'd probably think this person was human, right? But upon closer inspection, you'd discover that a significant portion of the girl's body is made of electronic components.

At first glance, Ren Xiaojie's room is quite small. Almost all four walls are covered with various mechanical parts and discarded metal components. There's an old-fashioned computer and a large number of repair tools. There's no bed; both Ren Xiaojie and the girl in front of him usually sleep on makeshift beds on the floor in this small room.

Although the girl was a robot, she unexpectedly possessed human senses, such as touch, smell, and taste. Sight and hearing went without saying. The most bizarre were her senses of smell and taste. What surprised Ren Xiaojie even more was that the girl had a mysterious appetite, especially a particular fondness for yogurt.

"Help me, I can't move." Seeing that Ren Xiaojie was covering his eyes and not looking in their direction, the girl finally spoke up.

How did you manage to fall and get hurt like this?

“Let’s test the new power system,” the girl said to Ren Xiaojie. “The body drive repair is not yet complete.”

"Since the body's drive repair isn't complete, don't move around recklessly," Ren Xiaojie said helplessly. Ten years ago, as a child, he found this robot in a junkyard. That was the seventeenth day of the War to Destroy Gods. On that day, Ren Xiaojie witnessed the power of a hero. And who knew that it was a meteorite named Rose?

"Ugh! Even though it can move automatically, why is it always so clumsy? Robots should be so precise." As he spoke, Ren Xiaojie began to clean the discarded wires tangled around the girl.

"Some kind of driver bug," the girl said calmly.

"Yes, where exactly is the problem? I've been searching for two years, but I still haven't found that bug." With a helpless sigh, Ren Xiaojie couldn't help but ask, "What kind of person created you? Hasn't the memory module been repaired yet?"

"The memory module has been repaired, but most of the memories have been lost."

"Are you sure it's most of it? It seems you don't remember anything except your own name, do you?" With a helpless sigh, Ren Xiaojie finally removed the last wire.

"Ah, my clothes feel sticky," the girl said, her gaze falling on Ren Xiaojie.

"I know, I'll wash it for you! Wait! Don't take it off right here! Men and women should be separate, you know? Go take it off on the other side of the curtain!" Ren Xiaojie couldn't help but speak up as Rose started taking off her dress right in front of him.

Ever since he found Rose, he had hoped to fix her, but unfortunately, his current skill level was simply not enough to fully restore her. In fact, he had only been able to get Rose moving again two years ago. Moreover, this movement was still imperfect, and she would often fall down clumsily.

However, it must be said that automatically acquiring Rose allowed Ren Xiaojie, who had lost his family, to rediscover the feeling of home. It's fair to say that Rose has now completely become family to Ren Xiaojie.

While Rose was changing her clothes, Ren Xiaojie began to habitually go to the junkyard to do warm-up exercises, and then started to perform various martial arts moves that were quite difficult.

This was a training method that Rose found for him a few years ago. At that time, Ren Xiaojie's electronic skills were not as good as they are now. Rose was unable to move at that time, but she demonstrated computing power that surpassed all ordinary computers on the market. In fact, most of the electronic technology that Ren Xiaojie has mastered now comes from Rose's teaching.

After Rose learned that Ren Xiaojie wanted to become a hero, she got him a training program. Initially, Ren Xiaojie completely believed Rose and diligently followed the program for several years. It wasn't until last week that he discovered the program he'd been using was actually a cheap, ten-yuan book from a reputable online marketplace, and that only one copy had been sold in all these years…

Although he felt like he'd been tricked, mistaking a cheap, off-the-shelf novel for ultimate martial arts, Ren Xiaojie was surprised to find that his years of training had undeniably made him stronger and more agile. So, Ren Xiaojie continued training. After all, it had become a habit. Even though the numbers might have been fake, it had still served its purpose of improving his physical condition. It was thanks to this that he was admitted to Hero Island University. And now, after several years, this training had finally become a habit for his body.

"By the way, Rose, we're getting ready to leave tomorrow." After finishing his workout, Ren Xiaojie turned to Rose, who had changed her clothes and was looking at him, and said, "Hero Island has a lot of skilled technicians. Maybe we'll have a chance to fix you then."

Side Story (3)

"I think it's fine as it is now." Dressed in a snow-white dress, the girl gently approached Ren Xiaojie's side. "Isn't it good for us like this? Why do we need to know about our past memories?"

“Rose…” Hearing Rose’s words, Ren Xiaojie couldn’t help but look at her: “I just think that at least you should know what your Creator looks like, right?”

As he spoke, Ren Xiaojie lowered his head. He was only two years old when his parents died in the disaster, and to this day, he doesn't even remember what they looked like. They left no photos, so every time Ren Xiaojie sees Rose, he feels that Rose should understand her origins.

"What if the one who created me was a bad guy?" Rose suddenly asked after hearing Ren Xiaojie's words.

“If he’s a bad guy, we just need to keep him out of reach. I’m going to be a hero, I’ll definitely protect you,” Ren Xiaojie said with a smile. “If he’s a good person, he must be very disappointed, right? If he’s a good person, I think you should go and meet him.”

"So you have to fix me?"

"Yes! And I'm actually very curious, what will you be like after you're fully repaired?" Ren Xiaojie couldn't help but look at Rose with curiosity. At this moment, the girl was taking small spoonfuls of freshly opened yogurt: "It took me two years just to fix your body's drive system. What will Rose be like when she's fully functional?"

"I have no memory of it, so I don't know either." Rose spoke calmly to the boy, her tone still as indifferent as ever.

"But thinking about it, the one who could create Rose must be some small force, right?" the boy suddenly said to Rose. "However, before we can confirm whether they are good or bad, it's best not to let them discover Rose's existence. If they are a group of bad guys, we absolutely cannot hand Rose over to them. So, until I fix you and restore your memories, I will definitely protect you."

"Oh." Rose only gave a faint reply upon hearing Ren Xiaojie's words.

After a while, Rose turned to Ren Xiaojie and asked, "Are heroes really that good?"

“Of course! Being a hero is the best profession in the world! It’s everyone’s dream.” Upon hearing Rose’s question, Ren Xiaojie answered without hesitation: “There are very few people in this world who don’t dream of becoming a hero.”

"Oh." Rose's reaction remained calm in the face of Ren Xiaojie's excitement: "New feature..."

"New feature?"

"I've discovered a new function." Seeing Ren Xiaojie's puzzled look, Rose said calmly. Then, right in front of Ren Xiaojie, Rose's body began to melt. Just as Ren Xiaojie was shocked, the melting Rose began to reshape herself. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that she wasn't actually melting, but rather scattering into many tiny metal particles. With these tiny metal particles rearranging themselves, Rose transformed into a cat right in front of Ren Xiaojie, climbing onto his lap and lazily lying down, even yawning.

"Great! This is fantastic!" Seeing this, Ren Xiaojie excitedly picked up Rose: "Now you can come to Academy Island with me!!"

……

Night passed quietly. The next day, when Ren Xiaojie brought Rose, who had transformed into a cat, to the meeting point, he was surprised to find that he wasn't the only one in H City there.

Looking at the young people around him, it was clear that these people would be Ren Xiaojie's classmates in the future.

Just then, a few people caught Ren Xiaojie's attention.

"Mumu, are you really not planning to join our group?" A very pretty girl asked a cute but slightly naive girl next to her.

"I'm not going, Qingqing." Mu Mu just smiled and said to her female companion, "Didn't you already gather five people? Wouldn't it be awkward if I squeezed in? Mu Mu is very sensible! So I'll just form another team after we get to school."

“But Mu Mu, Su Jiu, he…” Hearing Mu Mu’s words, Qing Qing couldn’t help but speak to Mu Mu.

"Who said we're full? We just need to kick one of those three out." A handsome young man pointed to his three buddies not far behind him and said to Mu Mu with a hint of affection, "I'd much rather team up with you guys than with them. Promise me, join our team."

The learning methods on Hero Island have changed significantly. With the improvement of the teaching methods, students on the island not only participate in regular classes, but are also divided into groups of five to participate in real hero operations under the guidance of an S-rank or higher hero. This is to allow them to accumulate more practical experience before they can stand on their own, since there have been cases in the past where freshmen from the Hero Academy were controlled by criminals due to a lack of combat experience.

Therefore, to ensure students' combat experience and overall combat effectiveness, almost every student must participate in extracurricular activities in groups of five. Of course, many heroes do actually form teams for these activities after graduation. And these people in front of us are definitely discussing forming a team.

"No!" Mu Mu shook her head again in the face of the invitation from the young man named Su Jiu: "Aren't they your friends?"

"That's true, but... if I just say a word..."

"No way! My brother said that people who don't value their friends are bastards." Mu Mu said seriously to Su Jiu, "So Su Jiu, please don't keep inviting me! Mu Mu can't watch her good friend become a bastard, so this time I'll just withdraw."

“But aren’t we good friends too? We’ve been best friends since we were little.” Qingqing suddenly spoke up to Mumu, “Mumu, if you abandon me, wouldn’t you be a jerk too?”

“That makes sense…” Thinking this, Mu Mu still shook her head: “But, my brother said he won’t let me be on the same team as Su Jiu. So, I’m sorry, Su Jiu, we can’t be friends anymore.”

"Hey! What's with this amazing logic?! I know! I won't ask you to join the team anymore, okay? Don't just cut ties like that! We've been best friends since we were kids!" Seeing this, Su Jiu broke out in a cold sweat. Having grown up with Mu Mu, Su Jiu knew very well that if it were Mu Mu, she probably really would keep her word.

Of course, this is also why he likes Mu Mu. After all, she is a very special girl. You have to know that Su Jiu's family is a very large family, not only rich but also powerful. In addition, he himself is very handsome, elegant, young and rich. Getting any girl would be an easy thing for him, but Mu Mu is the only exception.

All his accolades seemed to hold no appeal for Mu Mu. As for the three friends Mu Mu considered his, Su Jiu was nothing more than three lackeys and errand boys. He hadn't even truly regarded them as friends. But facing Mu Mu, he simply couldn't bring himself to say such things.

"It was Bai Qingqing who said it, so why am I the one breaking off the friendship?" Su Jiu sighed helplessly upon hearing Mu Mu's words. He even felt like crying. If he wanted to pursue other girls, he probably would have already succeeded by now, but with Lin Mu Mu, he had been pursuing her since childhood, and it was still the same.

"Then, we'll still be good friends, but I won't join your team," Mu Mu said seriously.

"Sigh! I was so sympathetic to those who hate you for participating in the Rising Star Tournament. Judging from your strength, Mu Mu, you should have no problem with the Rising Star Ranking Battle." Bai Qingqing sighed helplessly and finally said to Su Jiu beside her, "It seems we're going to be unlucky in this Rising Star Ranking Battle. Mu Mu isn't on our side, so we can only pray that we don't run into her in the first few rounds."

"What is the Rising Star Ranking Tournament?" Mu Mu asked, puzzled.

"Mumu, what exactly are you watching? The Rising Star Ranking Tournament, of course, is the freshman ranking battle two months after the start of the semester. This is a chance for students on Hero Island to quickly become famous!"

"Fame? Is fame really that important?"

"Of course it's important! What's the point of a hero if he's not famous?"

"But my brother said..."

"Don't listen to what that greasy, perverted brother of yours says all the time! He's just like Xiao Zhan, the boss of that ridiculous company, both are notorious perverts." As if thinking of something unpleasant, Bai Qingqing couldn't help but say to Lin Mumu.