Heroes Return

"So she's a wet nurse," Lin Jie muttered to himself, but he didn't want to disturb Haina's work at this moment.

He just watched quietly as Haina slowly treated Thirteen's wounds.

Thirteen's wound had stopped bleeding, but being carried by Lin Jie while running caused him to suffer even more serious internal injuries.

Several hours passed quietly, and then a large mouthful of black blood spurted out from the sky above Thirteen.

"Damn, it's kind of like using internal energy to heal injuries."

As blood gushed from Thirteen's mouth, he slowly opened his eyes: "I just dreamt of a red-skinned man with horns on his head, smoke coming out of his body, fire on his back, and black blood flowing from his feet. He said something about my soul belonging to him, and told me to go with him immediately. He also said that he could arrange a good position for me right now."

"So even if you go to hell, you can still become a civil servant," Lin Jie couldn't help but sigh. "But it's a good thing you didn't go with him, otherwise you probably wouldn't have come back."

"Thirteen! Are you alright?" Haina looked at Thirteen at this moment.

"Don't rush to spread your lovey-dovey stuff. Now, can you tell me how you got caught cheating?" Lin Jie quickly interrupted Thirteen, who was about to answer Haina, and spoke first. He didn't like watching others flaunt their love.

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"You mean your fiancé caught you two on a date?" Lin Jie said after hearing Thirteen's story. "Isn't that the same as what I said, being caught cheating?"

"They're completely different!" Thirteen shouted. "Aren't you focusing on the wrong thing?"

"Okay, so that sea creature named Karu was willing to trade his fiancée for this Reverse Scale?" Lin Jie couldn't help but exclaim, "Impressive! He's willing to abandon his future wife to achieve his goal."

"That's not the point! Get lost!" Thirteen struggled to sit up, pointing at Lin Jie and saying, "The problem now is what we do? The city guards probably won't believe us!"

“Actually, this problem can be solved by finding the power of the elders of Neptune City,” Haina said. “As long as I reach the Senate and expose Karu’s purpose in the Senate Council, I believe Karu will definitely be put on trial.”

"So we have to run back?" Lin Jie asked. "Why didn't you say so back then? You made me run all this way for nothing."

"Did you give me a chance to speak?" Haina looked at Lin Jie and said, "I never expected that you would actually conquer the Blue Giant Whale. For thousands of years, no sea warrior has ever conquered the Blue Giant Whale. My father also tried to conquer the Blue Giant Whale in the past, but he ultimately failed."

Heina became somewhat saddened at this point.

"Your father?" Lin Jie couldn't help but ask.

“It was the previous Aquaman,” Hena said. “The anger over losing his beloved son ignited the flames of war within him, but he ultimately angered the Black Death and was killed by him.”

"What is the Black Death?" Lin Jie asked, puzzled.

"He was a monster shrouded in black mist, wearing a black robe and wielding a longsword capable of reaping souls. He relentlessly reaped the lives of the sea race's army. From the best and strongest warriors, to the most valiant generals, to my brothers. And finally to my brother and father, who had lost their minds and were about to activate the forbidden fantasy sea. The Black Death reaped all lives."

“Zero…you must be talking about zero,” Thirteen couldn’t help but say.

“That’s what you humans call him,” Hena said. “But we understand him differently. Later, under the threat of the Black Death, we retreated back to the Fantasy Sea.”

"..." Lin Jie broke out in a cold sweat when he heard this, but he knew he had to pretend to be very interested.

“But the Black Death came, along with a large number of humans.” Hena said sadly, “In that battle, I lost my mother when I was very young. But my mother’s death did not end everything. The Black Death seemed to want to destroy us all and slaughtered us in the Fantasy Sea.”

Fortunately, the Black Death eventually left; it's said he was driven away by a mother trying to protect her daughter.

Hearing this, Lin Jie suddenly recalled an image of a sea creature woman holding a girl, and unconsciously said, "It really is a bad memory..."

“It’s certainly not a good memory,” Haina said. “It’s as if it’s mocking us for waging war with violence, only for the Black Death to be driven away by a woman who has no power at all.”

"You mean Zero was defeated by an ordinary sea creature woman?" Thirteen asked, somewhat astonished.

"..." At this moment, Lin Jie was thinking, "Stop talking! My dark history and scars are being exposed right in front of me!! I want to die! I really want to die! A scumbag like me who hurts innocent people should never live! I might as well just die."

Regardless of Lin Jie's inner turmoil, Haina's narration did not stop.

"Later, legends about the Black Death began to circulate in the Fantasy Sea. Legend has it that only true love and an unwavering heart for protection can drive away the Black Death," Haina said.

"Do you hate the Black Death?" Lin Jie asked, looking up at this moment with a serious expression.

“I hate him. He killed all my family,” Haina said. “But I hate war even more! It’s ironic that the Black Death came because of war and invasion, and left because of his unwavering loyalty. The Black Death taught the entire sea race a lesson in the most cold-blooded way: power is for protecting what is important, not for creating hatred.”

I was once captured and taken to Paradise Island, where I witnessed firsthand the hatred that humans have harbored towards sea creatures to this day.

The cost of war is too high; I am not the only one who has lost loved ones!

Both humanity and we have paid a heavy price for this war.

I have personally experienced the pain of losing loved ones, so I don't want it to happen to anyone else. Therefore, we absolutely cannot let Karu start another war.

“You might become an excellent queen,” Thirteen said with some emotion. “I never imagined that Zero would be spoken of in this way where you are.”

"Wait, can we stop wasting time on this topic?" Lin Jie interrupted. "Actually, I've always been curious why you insisted on marrying that Karu, saying it was fate."

“This is an ancient custom,” Haina said somewhat sadly. “In the past, the nine-headed sea monster ravaged this area. He was like the embodiment of hatred, ruthlessly devouring all living things.”

"What does this have to do with your marriage?" Lin Jie asked.

"There is a connection, because the one who later defeated the nine-headed sea monster was the chosen one born from the union of two warriors who possessed the power of pure water and who wielded the trident of the sea god. The chosen one possessed immense power and was also the only person in the history of the sea race to be able to seal the nine-headed sea monster."

Every thousand years thereafter, the nine-headed sea monster would break the seal and escape from it.

At the same time, the parents of the Child of Destiny are also reincarnated, destined to unite again as vessels for the Child of Destiny, and to give birth to the Child of Destiny once more.

"You mean, in your generation, you're the woman who wields the power of pure water?" Lin Jie asked. "And Karu is the man? So you two have to unite and have a divine child to save the sea race? Why does this premise sound so familiar?"

Haina nodded: "I was taught like this since I was a child, and I was told from a young age that I would become Karu's wife."

"Arranged marriages are a killer," Lin Jie remarked with a touch of melancholy.

"I always thought my life would be like this, and I could accept it peacefully back then," Haina said with some sadness. "But that war changed everything."

"What happened?" Thirteen asked.

"My last brother went mad after retreating to the capital. He planned to take the Black Death down with him. So he broke a taboo that he shouldn't have touched and he opened the seal on the Nine-Headed Sea Monster," Haina said. "But even the Nine-Headed Sea Monster, which has plunged us into fear for a thousand years, could not stop the Black Death's advance."

"You mean Zero killed the nine-headed sea monster?" Thirteen asked.

"Yes. That's why, even after five years, we still feel both awe and fear towards the Black Death. The Black Death was too powerful; unlike the Chosen One who sealed the Nine-Headed Sea Monster, he simply annihilated it."

“Zero’s power is truly beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.” Thirteen couldn’t help but recall the feeling he had when he saw Zero on the rooftop: “It was as if he were a god who controlled life and death.”

“But the death of the nine-headed sea monster also rendered my destiny meaningless; I lost the mission that was originally mine,” Haina said.

"Isn't that a good thing? You won't have to be forced to have children with someone anymore," Lin Jie said.

"Later, I was kidnapped to Paradise Island for a while, and that's where I met Thirteen." As she spoke, Haina looked at Thirteen, whose complexion had improved considerably. "At that time, I was so glad that my fate had been changed. I was so glad that I no longer had to marry that man with whom I had no love, all for the sake of my mission."

"Isn't that a good thing? Why did you agree to him again this time?" Lin Jie asked.

“Because all the elders of the sea race desire our union,” Haina said. “Karu is one of the finest warriors of our sea race, and our child will also possess immense power. The elders believe that we, having experienced that war, need a strong leader to guide our race out of its slump. And our child is the most suitable candidate; each generation of chosen ones possesses immense power.”

The elders believed that as long as the Chosen One remained, they could restore their former glory. Furthermore, in their view, only the Chosen One could possibly counterbalance the Black Death.

"So you mean your elders, feeling that this generation is no longer viable, are planning to rely on the next generation?" Lin Jie said with a bit of annoyance, "I didn't expect the habit of relying on one's children to succeed to exist everywhere."

"..."

"..."

Thirteen and Haina were at a loss for words when it came to what to say about Lin Jie.

"You're focusing on the completely wrong thing!" Thirteen shouted at Lin Jie.

"I'm sorry," Lin Jie said calmly, "but I think I understand. For the sake of the sea race's future and hope, you still want to marry that Karu?"

“Yes, I thought I had escaped my fate. But my fate remains unchanged,” Haina said.

"What the hell is fate?" Lin Jie couldn't help but ask. "I don't believe in it anyway, and your chance to change your fate has already come, hasn't it? Just get rid of that Karu guy, right? At the very least, just castrate him or make him impotent, right? Anyway, isn't Karu planning to stage a coup?"

“What you said is indeed very simple,” Thirteen said, “but what exactly should we do now? The royal city is almost entirely populated by Karu people.”

“Why don’t we just go back and kill that Karu?” Lin Jie replied. “Or, like she said, find a way to send her to the Senate.”

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

"Do you think it'll be that easy?" Thirteen gave Lin Jie a disdainful look: "Right now, we should figure out a way to get Haina to the Senate."

"Tch, trash who only knows how to avoid battle." Lin Jie glanced at Thirteen with disdain.

"Then why don't you rush over and beat up Karu and his gang?" Thirteen said unhappily, "You bastard who doesn't plan to fight the sea tribe has no right to talk to me!"

……

Meanwhile, in another palace within the Sea King's Palace, only Karu stood quietly. Before him lay a strange pearl. A majestic shadow gradually appeared on the pearl mountain, finally forming a majestic divine dragon within the hall.

"I can sense my Achilles' heel right here! Why haven't you taken it back yet?"

“Lord Dragon God, the one holding the Reverse Scale is an extremely fast human powerhouse,” Karu said to the illusory figure before him. “And I’m currently in some trouble.”

"Useless trash! If you can't get my wrath back, then our deal is off."

“I can take back your wrath,” Karu said, “but I need your army’s help now.”

"Want to use my army? No problem, but only after you return my scales of rebellion," the Dragon God said. "I advise you not to be too greedy."

“Lord Dragon God, I’m in some trouble, so I need the help of your army.” Karu said calmly, “Didn’t you also sense that the Reverse Scale is in the Fantasy Sea? But I don’t have enough power to help you retrieve it right now. I need the help of your army. Otherwise, I won’t be able to return the Reverse Scale to you.”

Are you threatening me?

“No, this is not a threat, but a request,” Karu said.

"..." The Dragon God was silent for a moment: "Open the gate. Now you can call upon my army."

After he finished speaking, a dragon-shaped jade pendant fell to the ground.

"Thank you for your help, great Dragon God." Karu immediately picked up the jade token in his hand.

"Remember your promise. My army can help you accomplish anything, and it can also destroy everything you have." After saying this, the phantom of the Dragon God disappeared from Karu's sight.

Karu walked out of the building with the jade token in his hand and said to the guards beside him, "Open the gate connecting to the real ocean within the city. Since Haina already knows my plan, we have no choice but to proceed ahead of schedule."

The guard responded and left Karu's side.

“Lord Karu, the Senate wishes you to see them,” another guard stepped forward and said.

“That’s perfect, I was planning to see them too.” Karu said casually, then got into his car and drove towards the Senate.

……

The Senate is where major decisions are made regarding the Sea Clan. It is also the final resting place for the Sea Clan's elder councilors.

In a semi-circular parliamentary hall, Karu stood in the very center of the parliamentary platform.

"Karu, how exactly do you intend to explain the abduction of the princess?" an elder asked Karu.

"I have nothing to say, it was indeed my fault."