Heroes Return

“…” Dai Lisi paused for a moment: “Eleanor’s family has a botanical garden.”

“I’ve already replied to you,” Alice said. “Any other questions? Kuhuhu, I can see your eyes are practically sparkling with excitement. Once we get to Area O, you can do whatever you want. Kuhuhu.”

“That’s all,” said Daisy.

“Kuhuhu, let’s enjoy the luxurious lifestyle on this world-class resort yacht.” Alice said, pulling Delis along. “Kuhuhu, there’s a real possibility we might run into Zero on this yacht, Kuhuhu. So we should be careful of those quiet, powerful-looking people, Kuhuhu.”

"understood."

"Speaking of which, who exactly is Zero?" the girl said, pulling out a pistol. "Rewriting the password to the security cameras here was definitely the right choice. Maybe the older brother eavesdropping there is Zero."

The young man tidying the shelves was startled as soon as the girl finished speaking. Although the two girls looked frail, he instinctively sensed danger, though he had no chance to react. A vine with a powerful paralyzing effect wrapped around him, instantly paralyzing his entire body.

Before his horrified eyes, the girl appeared before him with a delicate little pistol.

"Kuhuhu, big brother, could you be Zero?" With that, the girl shot the man in front of her in the head, then turned to Delis in disappointment and said, "Obviously, this isn't him either. But that makes sense, someone as almost bug-like as Zero wouldn't be working as a cargo clerk on a ship like this just for a job, Kuhuhu."

As she spoke, the girl dragged the bellhop to them and even made a cute face at the monitor, but it looked extremely eerie compared to the bloody scene.

However, the monitor in the cruise ship's control room showed the porter packing luggage.

"Kuhu, it was supposed to be a smart warship that had made great contributions at sea, but it didn't even notice that I had hacked its system. Kuhu. No wonder it was decommissioned and turned into a cruise ship." As she spoke, the girl took out a large chainsaw and began to cut up the baggage handler's corpse.

Delis extended her vines from the side, sucking the baggage handler's blood and brain matter into the surface of the vines.

"Kuhuhu, we've finished our work, let's go out and have some fun, Kuhuhu." Alice said, taking Delis's hand and walking out of the warehouse.

Where the two had just been standing, a huge suitcase now lay. If someone were to open it now, they would probably vomit. Not only was the suitcase piled high with various severed limbs and internal organs, but it was also clear that not just one person had been dismembered, but several.

……

"Kuhuhu, do you think Zero might be among these people?" Alice said, holding Delis's hand as they walked down the cabin corridor. Then her gaze fell on the three figures and a plant in the cabin.

“My flowers.” Daisy’s expression changed noticeably when she saw the plants, because the three people were walking together and she was hopping along with them into a cabin, using the flowerpots she was standing on.

“Kuhuhu, those look like your flowers, Delis.”

"..."

“Kuhuhu, I never thought even plants could betray us.” Alice said with a smile. “Let’s go to our room and see if any of these three are Zero.”

“Okay,” Dai Lisi replied.

The two girls then entered a suite, where Alice took out her pre-prepared ID card and opened the door.

As soon as the two girls entered the room, they went to the computer in the room. With Alice's rapid operation and the help of several nanobot synthetic chips, Alice easily controlled the video devices on the computers in all the cabin guests' rooms.

"Kuhuhu, Delis, are these the three who turned your man-eating flower to the other side?" Alice had barely finished speaking when three faces appeared on your computer screen: "Isn't that somewhat handsome guy the man who fought your man-eating flower the other day? He's probably the one who turned your flower to the other side..."

"..."

"Let me ask what those three are doing, Kuhuhu. Maybe one of the other two is a zero."

As they spoke, the two girls looked at the three people at the same time.

……

Completely unaware that they were being monitored, Lin Jie and his two companions were currently exchanging their treasured collections in front of their computers.

"Yamete... Iku... Iku..." The girl's cries echoed from the computer screen from time to time.

"Hmm, that's an impressive move. This pose really tests a girl's flexibility; it's hard for most girls to pull off," Master Wuneng commented as he listened to the voice.

"Master, aren't you blind?" Lin Jie looked at the incompetent master in confusion. "How come you know the poses in the movie so clearly? Were you pretending to be blind before? I've suspected you're a fake monk for a long time!"

“Amitabha, this humble monk’s experience is accumulated from the past, and I have also learned the divine eye.” Master Wuneng said with his hands clasped together, “So now I can tell what position a girl is using just by listening to her cries.”

"Really?" Lin Jie couldn't help but ask.

"If you don't believe me, you can try," Master Wuneng said, turning away.

Without saying a word, Lin Jie switched to another video clip.

“Judging from the voice of this female benefactor, it should be **…” Master Wuneng said.

"Damn, you're actually right." Without saying a word, Lin Jie switched to a few more videos, but each time the monk in front of him was right.

"Wow, amazing, Master," Thirteen couldn't help but exclaim.

"You still have the nerve to call yourself a master with cultivation?" Lin Jie pointed at Master Wuneng and said, "How many films have you watched to reach this level? What about your Buddhist practice of purifying the six senses?"

“You are too attached to appearances, benefactor,” Master Wuneng said to Lin Jie.

"Screw you."

"Have you heard of the monk Daoji, benefactor?" Master Wuneng asked Lin Jie.

"Of course I've heard of Ji Gong."

"The monk Daoji drank wine and ate meat, completely disregarding the rules and precepts, yet he still became a Buddha, didn't he?" Master Wuneng said, "Therefore, this humble monk also emulates the monk Daoji of yesteryear, passing through a myriad of flowers without a single one clinging to my body, with Buddha residing freely in my heart. As the saying goes, form is emptiness, emptiness is form..."

Then the incompetent master began to recite Buddhist scriptures.

"Stop, Master, I'm impressed! You're amazing! Now I know why your Bachelor Temple is so famous." Lin Jie quickly interrupted the incompetent master and said, "I've only ever seen one person who can say such shameless things so righteously. Master, you are shameless in such an open and aboveboard way."

“Those who live outside the secular world value the consistency of their true nature,” Master Wuneng said. “Therefore, I have never concealed my true nature.”

"You'd better keep it under wraps," Lin Jie said. "I reckon once you get to the Western Paradise, Buddha will slap you to death."

"Are you done yet? Look at that posture," Thirteen said to the two of them.

"Wow, that's possible! Amazing!" Lin Jie exclaimed as he watched the video.

"This posture is something I've never seen before in my life," Master Wuneng said after listening. "Indeed, the islanders are always making progress."

……

Seeing the lewd expressions on the three men's faces, Alice decisively switched the video.

“Kuhuhu, there’s definitely no zero among them. Let’s not waste our time on these three idiots,” Alice said to Delis beside her.

"..." Delis nodded. Then she asked Alice, "What are they looking at?"

"Huh?" Alice was a little surprised after hearing Dave's words: "You've been Dave for so many years, can't you guess what they're looking at?"

At this moment, Dai Lisi shook her head: "I don't watch videos. I usually grow plants."

"..." Alice paused for a moment, then looked at Delis's loli-like figure and said, "Kuhuhu, this kind of video is too early for someone with your figure."

……

At the same time, a pleasant ringtone sounded on each passenger's ID card.

"What's wrong?" Lin Jie asked Thirteen, who was looking at his identity card.

"It's nothing, a captain who claims to be an admiral seems to have invited all passengers to a banquet in the banquet hall on the third floor of the cruise ship tonight," Thirteen said.

Chapter Four

In the enormous banquet hall on the third floor of the cruise ship, Lin Jie couldn't help but marvel at its luxury.

"Is this the legendary high society banquet?" Lin Jie said as he walked to a table, picked up a plate, and started eating.

"You need to mind your image, Lin Jie." Thirteen approached Lin Jie, holding a glass of red wine and speaking to him with a gentle smile. He was as polite as a nobleman, but what surprised Lin Jie most was that Thirteen was wearing a formal suit for a banquet.

"Where did you get this dress?" Lin Jie couldn't help but ask.

"You mean formal wear? There are some in the closet in the room. They were custom-made for each passenger before the ship arrived," Thirteen said. "Of course, most people who come here wear their own formal wear, but it's perfect for me."

Lin Jie glanced at Thirteen, who was dressed in formal attire, and then at himself in casual clothes: "Damn it! Why didn't you say so sooner?"

“You are too attached to appearances, benefactor,” Master Wuneng said to Lin Jie. “A mere physical body, no matter how lavishly decorated, is still just a physical body; what meaning does it hold?”

"Master, could you please put down these steaks while you're explaining these principles?" Lin Jie said to the incompetent master. "Don't you monks adhere to strict rules and regulations? You've not only broken the precept against lust, but you're now indulging in meat without any hesitation!"

"Amitabha Buddha, as the saying goes..."

"Alright, that's enough." Lin Jie quickly interrupted the incompetent master, "Let me at least preserve my image as a Buddhist master. By the way, why is the name of your temple so strange?"

"Guanggun Temple is a temple that was only established a hundred years ago." Thirteen said as he picked up a piece of roasted meat and threw it into the mouth of his man-eating flower. "I heard that it used to be a university specializing in architecture."

"If you don't care about all that, are you sure it's okay to bring this flower along?" Lin Jie asked, looking at the carnivorous plant.

"Don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on him."

Just as the three were talking, a middle-aged man in a navy uniform with a muscular physique appeared in front of Lin Jie, accompanied by a little girl with silver hair and an expressionless face.

"Hello, my guests!" The middle-aged muscular man looked at Lin Jie and said, "You must be Lin Jie. It's quite impressive that you were chosen by the chairman of the Super Hero Academy with just a few moves, young man. Enjoy your time on my ship, all your expenses will be covered by the Super Hero Academy. By the way, I am the captain of this ship, the former Navy Admiral. You can just call me Admiral!"

"Greetings, Admiral." Lin Jie quickly greeted the uncle.

"This girl is the artificial intelligence on the Future. If you don't understand anything, just call out 'Miss Future' in the lobby. She can appear anywhere on this Future," the admiral said to Lin Jie.

"You must be the lucky winner!" the admiral said, then looked at Thirteen.

“Hello, Admiral,” Thirteen said to the Admiral.

"Hahaha! Enjoy yourself on the ship, all your expenses will be covered by our Future." The admiral said to Thirteen and then looked at the Incompetent Master again: "Judging from your attire, you must be the Incompetent Master! I've heard so much about you."

"It's just an empty reputation." Master Wuneng put his hands together and said to the admiral, "It's nothing but an empty reputation. To a layman like me, it's nothing but a mirage."

"What the master said is indeed true." The admiral said to the master, "I must have a long talk with the master in a while. After all, there is no one in high society who does not know the master's name."

“Amitabha, since the Admiral has extended an invitation, this humble monk will naturally accept.” With that, Master Wuneng put on his basic spiritual form and said to the Admiral, “However, I see that your hands are covered in blood. You should lay down your butcher’s knife as soon as possible so that you can ascend to the Pure Land and enjoy the blessings of others. I have some basic scriptures here. If the Admiral is interested, he can study them. They are very useful in eliminating the evil aura on a person.”

"Thank you for the reminder, Master. In my younger days, I did kill many people for the sake of the country and humanity, but I have no regrets. However, just as you said, my future husband and I have already retired. This has given me a chance to lay down my weapons." The admiral said with emotion, "I appreciate your kindness, Master. I will definitely read it in the future."

"Thank you for your patronage, 1,980." Master Wuneng said to the admiral.

After a moment of silence, the admiral said to the three of them, "I wish you all a pleasant journey. I need to go and say hello to the other guests, so I won't disturb you any longer."

As he spoke, the admiral walked toward the guests in another direction.

"Admiral?" Lin Jie said with a touch of emotion, "Speaking of which, I used to really want to become an admiral, until my dream was shattered."

"Oh? Why was it destroyed?" Thirteen couldn't help but ask.

"Because my sister said that there can't possibly be ship girls in the world," Lin Jie said.

"What makes your sister say that?" Thirteen asked.

At this moment, Lin Jie told Thirteen what Lin Wan had told him when he was a child.

"Huh? Bro, you want to become an admiral? Great, but what's a ship girl?" Lin Wan looked at Lin Jie, puzzled. "It's impossible for a human and a ship to be combined. First of all, there's the technical problem. By the time we can solve the sophisticated machine technology to compress the size of a battleship into a girl's body, there'll probably be no need for naval warfare anymore. Judging by the progress of technological development, space warfare will probably have already begun by then. Also, even if we had that technology beforehand, why would it have to be in the form of a ship? Wouldn't it be easier to just produce war robots?"

Besides, even if they were to actually produce them, why ship girls and not ship boys? You know, male soldiers generally have higher overall combat capabilities than female soldiers, especially professional soldiers who have undergone special training. Aren't they more suitable for this kind of work? They would definitely be able to complete missions more effectively than some soft, delicate girls.