Heroes Return

The base is very large, with rows of health-preserving cells stored there.

Right in front of all the hibernation pods, two smaller hibernation pods lay quietly.

"Kuhuhu." A cute voice came from one of the hibernation pods, and then a girl with twin ponytails who looked about sixteen or seventeen years old sat up from the hibernation pod.

The girl wore two different colored stockings and a purple dress, with pink hair, making her look petite and adorable. She then walked to another health capsule and knocked loudly on the door: "Kuhuhu! Dave, wake up... no, since you're back in this body, you should call me by my original name, wake up, Delis, the sun's almost up! Kuhuhu! I bet you didn't have your soul erased by that sword, did you, Kuhuhu!"

"Meow..." Accompanied by a drowsy groan, a little girl who looked to be in her teens rubbed her eyes and sat up from her hibernation pod. The little girl had unusually long green hair and was wearing a sky-blue nightgown.

"Kuhuhu. It seems we've lost again this time," the girl said. "But thankfully, I managed to escape Zero's power range in time."

"What do you plan to do?" asked the girl who wasn't named Delis.

“Of course, it’s to play a new game with him, Kuhuhu!” the girl said. “I’ve already thought of a name for the new game: Bigfoot Finds His Identity!”

"..."

"Kuhuhu, now that we've confirmed the power of Zero's sword, I've realized one thing for sure," the girl said. "Using those other bodies won't help anymore, and I don't want to die looking like a thirty-year-old man. So this time, we'll use our true form."

"..."

“That way, Zero won’t know our identities, and consequently, we won’t know Zero’s true identity. Since Zero is hiding among the crowd, we’ll hide just like him, kuhoho. If we discover his identity first, kuhoho, we can approach him and kill him, kuhoho. Conversely, if he discovers our true identities first, kuhoho, we’re doomed.” The girl then looked at Delis: “How about it? Isn’t it an interesting game?”

"..."

"Of course, this game isn't fair to Zero. He doesn't know we're plotting against him. Kuhuhu," the girl said confidently, "but correspondingly, he also possesses absolute power, doesn't he?"

"..."

"Speaking of which, you haven't grown at all in these five years, Dailis," the girl said, looking at Dailis's petite body.

"It cannot grow in the hibernation chamber..."

"Alright, a brand new girl group has been born..." the girl said, pulling the little girl beside her in another direction. "Oh, right, Delis, put up a sign on the control panel for me! If anyone finds this place, I can teach them the correct way to operate it, kuhoho!!"

What does the sign say?

"Hmm... I'll write... Attention everyone entering here: Before operating the equipment, you must first press the largest red button with the skull on it! Kuhoho!!"

“Okay…” Dai Lisi replied, “Why do we need to write down the correct procedure? Aren’t we going to activate the base’s security system?”

"Of course not. We don't want this base anymore, Kuhoho!!" the girl said. "Whoever finds this place in the future can have it, Kuhoho!! But there are about 300 clones of Ivan lying in the health pods. If there's a mistake, all these clones will be implanted with our thoughts and awaken. I set this up to prevent myself from dying. Kuhoho, although 300 Ivans sounds quite interesting, having 300 more men around isn't really an interesting thing for me."

"learn."

……

This happened six years ago.

Lin Jie stumbled upon a strange and beautiful mountain.

"Damn, there are monkeys everywhere on this mountain..." Lin Jie said as he arrived at the foot of a large waterfall.

Just as Lin Jie was about to rest behind the waterfall, he suddenly sensed a strange energy fluctuation coming from behind the waterfall.

Out of curiosity, Lin Jie walked behind the waterfall.

Then he was surprised to find a strange cave behind the waterfall.

Upon entering the cave, Lin Jie was confronted with the corpse of a monkey dressed in a tiger-skin skirt, with an iron rod perched atop its head.

Based on the skull, Lin Jie could definitively conclude that the monkey had been killed by the iron rod, as there were obvious signs of crushing on the monkey's ear cartilage.

Just as he was examining the corpse, a string of words behind the throne caught Lin Jie's eye...

"This object was originally the Sea-Stabilizing Needle used by Yu the Great during his flood control efforts... Weighing 18,000 jin, it was left behind by an ancestor of my monkey clan. Now that my monkey clan has lost its cultivation methods... Therefore... this treasure will be left to a destined person. May that person cherish this treasure and ensure the survival and prosperity of my monkey clan on this mountain."

Remember! Sleep-talkers, do not put this in your ears…

"Holy crap...we've found the Monkey King's tomb!!!"

________________

The following times are unrelated to the plot; just forget about them after you've read them...

"Hello, as the first positive character to have no deaths, do you have any thoughts to share with everyone?"

"Hello everyone, this is the spirit of the spiked club. If I had to give my thoughts, I could only say it's all about transactions!!"

"Oh? May I ask why you say that?"

"Did you know? Actually, the position of Xiao Zhan was originally intended for a girl who was rich, beautiful, naturally innocent, and a little bit eccentric."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"That's right, but that night Xiao Zhan secretly went to the author's room. The next day, that spot was taken by that goofball Xiao Zhan..."

"Uh... is that really true??"

"Not only that, but there's also that stain remover stick. It quietly showed up in the author's room during the first popularity poll. And the next day it became second in popularity. Do readers like a stick more than a girl?"

"This one……"

"Actually, I did go to see the author... but he absolutely refused to let me in... So what if I'm a bit bigger and thicker and have a few more thorns? I could make the author go to heaven too... why..."

"Alright, please tell us your opinion on Lin Jie's new weapon."

"It's so great that the length and thickness can be adjusted..."

...On that day, Bangling died...

Volume 4, The Lost Voyage of the Future

Chapter One

A full week after the incident in H City, the sea that Lin Jie had parted with his sword slowly began to heal.

H City gradually returned to calm. Because such emergencies had occurred frequently in the past, the government was able to respond to the incident quite quickly.

Meanwhile, the people of H City quickly adapted to life after the disaster and reconstruction.

"The culprit in this museum cape theft, superhero star He Qi, has been arrested. He will also become one of the first members of the newest cube prison. This cape theft and the series of reactions it triggered also serve as a reminder to the public that superhero Zero has been missing for five years. Please be wary of anyone claiming to be Zero."

At the same time, we are also issuing a call to the world: if the real Mr. Zero is listening right now, please go directly to the World Parliament in the New World Government office area of ​​the floating city. Once you prove you are truly Zero, we will, on behalf of all humanity, present you with the first medal awarded by the World Government—the Medal of Honor for Heroes of Human Civilization.

Looking at the news broadcast on the large screen in the square, Lin Jie couldn't help but recall Dong Xiaoye's warning when he was at the Hero Association.

"Remember, you must keep this matter of the true zero appearing a secret. If you lie about it, you will be punished by the Hero Association."

"Why did you block the news?" Lin Jie asked curiously at the time.

"Because of the false zeros, many places have become chaotic, so the government does not want the public to know that the real zeros have appeared, as this would only make things more chaotic."

"Oh, I'll keep it a secret."

Historically, it wasn't just Lin Jie who received this warning; every superhero in the H City Hero Association did. This also included those reckless reporters; even the female reporter with Togami had her camera confiscated.

The live footage that was broadcast was all edited by the World Government. However, Lin Jie didn't care much about not being on TV, because all he was thinking about was the free cruise ship and his youthful life where he could flirt with girls.

H stands for dock, and Lin Jie is currently standing on a boat at the dock.

"When will my brother come back?" Xiao Mumu asked, clinging to Lin Jie's arm.

"Soon, I'll be back in a few months," Lin Jie said to Xiao Mumu.

“Brother, you really shouldn’t come back.” Lin Wan, standing to the side, offered a different opinion: “That’s the most advanced superhero academy in the world! I’ve heard the salaries and living conditions are top-notch. My good-for-nothing brother actually got the favor of the chairman and was invited to work in such a great place. Brother, you absolutely have to seize this opportunity!”

"Little sister, can't you show some adorable reluctance to part, like Mu Mu?" Lin Jie couldn't help but say after hearing Lin Wan's words.

"Seeing my useless, nerdy older brother finally taking a step towards the pinnacle of life, how could I possibly say anything that would hinder his progress?"

"You're making it sound like I've been useless all this time."

"I don't just say it's useless, it's practically useless most of the time!" Lin Wan said. "What have you ever done for the household necessities? Besides spending lavishly on games and figurines, you don't even have the slightest intention of saving money, and you even have to rely on your sister to work every day to support the family..."

"Okay, stop talking, I'm going to work now, really." Lin Wan didn't say a word, but Lin Jie could clearly feel his figure getting smaller.

"Keep it up, partner. I wish you a speedy return from the other side of the ocean, where you're charming all the girls." Xiao Zhan said from the side.

"Speaking of which, you're really lucky. While we were having a blast fighting with a bunch of plants, you actually met the young and beautiful chairman of the Hero Academy! And she even paid for you to go on a two-week luxury cruise! That's amazing." The bespectacled guy next to him said, "By the way, the Thirteen Institute won't be seeing you off to prevent any accidents on the cruise ship. Have a safe trip."

"Thanks," Lin Jie replied.

"We're all here, why do we have to go all the way to District M?" Black Gold said to Lin Jie.

“Exactly, whenever you finally see the light, the Muscle League will welcome you anytime,” Platinum said. “Then we’ll show you that true friendship between men is what matters most.”

"I'd better hurry up and leave." Seeing the teary-eyed look in Lin Jie's eyes, Lin Jie couldn't help but shiver, and then immediately walked towards the boarding gate of the huge cruise ship that was docked.

……

As the massive cruise ship set sail, Lin Jie embarked on his two-week vacation.

"Mr. Lin Jie, this is your room." The pretty female attendant led Lin Jie into the cabin: "Have a pleasant journey."

With that, he left Lin Jie's room. Lin Jie put down his luggage, carefully examined the cruise ship's room, and couldn't help but sigh. It truly lived up to its reputation as a luxury resort cruise ship; the room was almost on par with the suites in high-end hotels.

Almost all facilities are available.

Lin Jie went to lie down on the field in his room for a while, then looked out the window at the calm sea.

"I really should go out and take a look." Lin Jie muttered to himself as he walked up to the deck of the cruise ship. Along the way, female waitresses would pass by and ask him if he wanted to go for a tour.

However, Lin Jie gave up on the idea. Although having a pretty girl show him around the entire ship was very tempting, he noticed that every time he noticed the eyes of those who weren't looking at him seemed to be looking at a stack of banknotes, he abandoned the alluring thought.

Although all the food and drinks on board are free, since these beautiful waitresses are serving you, a tip is naturally essential.

For Lin Jie, who was determined to travel for free, this was quite a surprise.

I couldn't very well give my adjustable stick to those pretty waitresses as a tip, could I? I don't even want to worry about being seen as a pervert; those waitresses probably couldn't even lift that stick, after all, it weighs about nine tons…

Therefore, Lin Jie gave up the idea of ​​having the female waitress show him around the cruise ship.

He walked towards the deck by himself.

The cruise ship was much larger than Lin Jie had imagined, especially the deck area, which was definitely no smaller than the entire H City Hero Association. The deck was also fully equipped with various facilities, including many lounge chairs for tourists to sunbathe, and even a sizable swimming pool in the center. Robots carrying various kinds of food and drinks were constantly walking around the deck.

The cruise ship wasn't moving fast, and diving and surfing equipment, connected by safety ropes, could be seen everywhere on board. Lin Jie then spotted a handsome young man surfing, suspended from the back of the ship by a rope on a surfboard.

A number of young people had gathered on the stern deck, watching the handsome guy and screaming.

"As expected, being handsome has its advantages everywhere." Lin Jie sighed as he took a glass of juice from a passing service robot, leaned against the railing at the stern of the ship, took a sip of the juice, and felt the sea breeze blowing by.

"Rich people really know how to enjoy life," Lin Jie couldn't help but sigh.