Above Tokyo Bay, leaden-gray clouds hung low, as if the heavens themselves feared the terror approaching from the depths of the Pacific, donning a shroud in advance. The air was thick with the pungent smell of salt and panic, and the piercing air-raid sirens and evacuation broadcasts echoed like an endless dirge over the city, which had suddenly plunged into a pre-apocalyptic rehearsal.
Just as this chaos and despair began to breed and spread, a completely different "sound" resonated among specific groups of people, transcending physical boundaries.
"Ding—!"
"Ding—!"
"Ding—!"
Unlike the monotonous and harsh official alarms, this was a clear, short, and rhythmic notification sound carrying a specific message. It came from thousands of mobile phones, from special terminals worn on wrists, and from miniature receivers hidden within hero uniforms.
Among the Hero Association heroes standing ready along the Tokyo Bay coast; among the Police and volunteers assisting with evacuation and maintaining order in the streets; and even among the crowds who had evacuated to relatively safe areas but were still concerned about the front lines… countless screens were forcibly lit up at the same time, jumping to the now widely known interface—the Hero Association APP.
The previously color-coordinated and clearly laid out task list interface was now covered in a stark, blood-red hue. A large, constantly flashing skull symbol dominated the top, below which was the bolded, heart-pounding task information:
[Highest Emergency Call (Dragon-level): Engage Sea King!]
[Mission Location: Tokyo Bay coast and nearby sea areas (coordinates updated in real-time)]
[Core Mission: Establish a defense line, delay the target's landing, and buy maximum time for civilian evacuation!]
[Sub-missions (Area Division):]
· Area A (Front Line): Construct physical/energy barriers, engage head-on. Requirements: A-Class and above, specializing in defense/strong offense.
· Area B (Buffer Zone): Intercept breakthrough firepower, handle collateral threats, rescue trapped personnel. Requirements: B-Class and above, comprehensive combat/rescue capabilities.
· Area C (Evacuation Zone): Assist official efforts to accelerate civilian evacuation, maintain order, establish temporary medical points. Requirements: C-Class Hero and above, specializing in support/rescue.
· Area D (Logistics/Support): Material transport, battlefield repair, information relay, long-range fire support. Requirements: D-Class and above, or possess relevant professional skills.
[Mission Rewards: Points settled in real-time based on contribution, with no upper limit. Compensation for fallen heroes and family protection protocols automatically activated.]
[Warning: This battle is perilous, a near-certain death. Please act within your capabilities, but the Association and millions of civilians need your strength!]
There was no lengthy mobilization, no empty slogans. Only a clear, almost ruthless, stratification of tasks, an extremely precise division of responsibilities, and a stark warning about sacrifice and dedication.
This cold yet efficient information, however, struck like an invisible bolt of lightning, instantly piercing through the hesitation and fear that permeated the hearts of many ability users!
"Damn it! All or nothing!" A B-Class strength-type hero, who was assisting with a family evacuation, looked at the B-Class interception mission assigned to him on the screen, slammed his fist on a nearby wall, leaving spiderweb-like cracks. He yelled into his communicator, "Wife, take care of the kids! Wait for me to come back!" Immediately, he ignored the crying civilians behind him (leaving them to lower-ranked heroes), surged with power in his legs, and shot towards the designated coastal defense line coordinates like a cannonball.
"C-Class medical station urgently needs 'Cell Activator' and 'Mental Stabilizer'! Are there any logistics brothers nearby?! Coordinates shared!" A C-Class Hero with rapid healing abilities, while holding down a wounded person whose artery was severed by flying debris, shouted hoarsely into the Association's internal channel.
Almost the instant his words fell, a small unmanned transport drone, emblazoned with the HA logo, hovered precisely above his head, dropping a medical kit flashing with a green cross marker.
"This is Hawkeye (not the Avenger, an Association registered hero with super long-range reconnaissance capabilities), located at D-Class vantage point number three. Observing a large number of small, fast aquatic monsters appearing around the main body of Sea King, currently assaulting the left flank of the A-Class defense line! Approximately two hundred in number, extremely fast!"
"Received! A-Class left flank, 'Frost' and 'Thunder Sparrow' teams, prioritize clearing out the small fry! Iron Wall squad, be mindful of filling defensive gaps!" In the command channel, the frontline Commander's voice was calm and unruffled, rapidly adjusting deployments based on real-time intelligence.
"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—"
Figures, from every corner of Tokyo, in their own ways, like iron filings drawn by a magnet, surged without hesitation towards the bay that was brewing a storm of destruction.
Some leapt through skyscrapers, others sprinted across the ground raising dust, some piloted peculiar vehicles in low-altitude flight, and even more, merged directly into Shadow, flickering forward in a manner akin to spatial jumps.
They wore uniforms of varying styles and functions, their abilities diverse, and their ranks ranging from A to D. At this moment, they were no longer independent individuals, no longer self-serving vigilantes on the streets, nor were they specimens being studied in laboratories. They were nodes in the vast system of the Hero Association, receiving commands from the central processor (the system and command center), and, according to preset algorithms (task assignment and ability matching), precisely rushing to their designated "positions."
In the sky, in addition to official patrol aircraft and S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjets, small reconnaissance planes and high-speed transport aircraft bearing the Association's insignia also began to appear, weaving beneath the oppressive clouds like busy worker bees, transmitting information, delivering supplies, and constructing invisible supply and information chains.
On the ground, more figures in Association uniforms quietly appeared alongside the somewhat chaotic evacuation teams. They might not have been strong in combat, but they used their abilities to calm frightened children, constructed temporary shelters to block falling debris, or guided the safest evacuation routes with their keen senses, significantly boosting efficiency.
This scene, broadcast through uninterrupted media live feeds and blurry footage captured by countless civilian phones, shocked everyone watching on screens around the World.
"Oh my god… they… they're like an army!"
"Look! I know that person! It's 'Gale'! He used to deliver food in our neighborhood!"
"So many heroes… they all went…"
"The Association… is serious…"
Compared to the Avengers' assembly, which was full of individual heroism and resembled a legendary epic, the Hero Association displayed a cold, vast, and systematic mobilization capability, like a War Machine. It was less romantic but carried a sense of absolute order that was both reassuring (or perhaps terrifying).
Inside the Association's Tokyo branch command center, the person in charge looked at the glowing dots of their units surging towards their designated battle positions on the screen, and the defense line data, which, though still severe, was being forcibly brought under control. He reported in a deep voice into the communicator:
"Mr. Fisk, all frontline cooperative missions have been issued and accepted. Ninety-two percent of heroes have arrived or are en route to their designated positions. The defense line is being initially established. However… Sea King's energy signature is still continuously escalating, expected to enter maximum attack range in seven minutes."
On the other end of the communicator, Kingpin's voice was calm and unruffled:
"Understood. Proceed as planned. Sandman is about to enter the battlefield."