HEROCOM - OUTSIDE - ENTRANCE
People in the crowd of Lucky Cyan protesters were kneeling on the ground while HAC agents verified their identities to proceed with the procedure.
"I can't believe we did that… it was stupid." A man muttered to a woman standing next to him.
"Shut up… if we accept the silence of DOS and its heroes, we'll be giving up on Lucky Cyan… she's already saved all of us…" the woman murmured in response, sounding sad.
"I know… but getting arrested isn't going to help much… we didn't get the tickets, but your plan to draw attention to ourselves wasn't a good idea…" the man said, feeling down about the situation they were now in.
"Huh?" The woman looked puzzled. "What are you talking about? I didn't come up with that idea—you sent me a message saying all of you were willing to do it."
"What? No, you sent a message to each of us telling us we'd do this."
"He's right," another man standing next to him began. "We all got a message from you about this."
"…I didn't send any message." The woman said, looking even more confused than they were, and a silence fell over the group as they took in this revelation.
"Wait a minute…" the man who had started the conversation began to sweat with nervousness. "If you didn't organize this… who did?"
"It seems like you don't really feel like smiling."
Lin Ling jumped in surprise upon hearing that voice—a very familiar voice; turning around, he found the person he had already imagined.
"Hero... Smile?"
Lin Ling couldn't help but feel intimidated by the presence of this hero, a captivating figure over the past few decades.
Is he okay with Nice?
"I saw your performance with Moon..." Smile began to speak calmly, his characteristic smile never leaving his face. "You showed everyone a beautiful smile."
"T-thank you," Lin Ling replied awkwardly, trying to smile as best he could at that moment.
"But right now you're forcing yourself to smile…" Smile said as he began to approach Lin Ling. "A smile is something that can affect everyone around you, so smiling has to come from within—there has to be a reason that inspires you to smile." Smile stopped in front of Lin Ling,
Leaving Lin Ling feeling the hero's gaze fixed intently on him.
"Why were you smiling earlier?"
Lin Ling's eyes widened upon hearing that question; at that moment, he hadn't thought about it.
A silence stretched between them as Lin Ling kept his head down, deep in thought.
'I…'
"I… just thought about being the hero they wanted…"
"At that moment, I felt happy to see them looking at me as someone they trusted…" Lin Ling spoke calmly, while Smile listened in silence.
"But…"
Lin Ling remembered the moment he was on stage, but for some reason, the person standing next to him wasn't Moon—it was Cyan.
"I think for a moment I thought I could be by her side..." Without realizing it, Lin Ling said this part with a slight smile, which caught Smile's attention.
"If that's the reason you have to smile…" Smile placed a hand on Lin Ling's shoulder, flashing his signature smile. "She's definitely an amazing person. I hope you can keep smiling like that…"
With those words, Lin Ling felt a warmer presence coming from the hero; he nodded, smiling genuinely at him.
"Yes, she is…"
Lin Ling then remembered last night—the moment he realized he was afraid of something—the same feeling he'd had earlier when he saw Cyan acting naturally around her fans.
"I think I'm afraid I won't be able to see her anymore…" Lin Ling said, his smile fading into something more melancholic.
Smile's eyes widened upon hearing this; he hadn't expected something like that—unexpected even for someone like Nice.
'It's inevitable that she'll go back to being a heroine; she is a heroine, but…'
"I don't want to say goodbye to her." Lin Ling clenched his fists in frustration, feeling a pang of sorrow in his heart at the same time.
So that's what's affecting you… Moon seems like the type who hardly ever gets attached to anything, but if that's what you're afraid of…
Smile reflected as he thought about the situation; he hadn't expected to hear something like that coming from Nice himself.
"Nice..."
Lin Ling jumped in surprise upon hearing the hero's voice in a serious tone once again; he realized he'd let something slip that he hadn't planned to say.
"Listen… I'm not the best person to say things like this, but before that time comes, don't let fear stop you from telling her how you feel. Be true to yourself, because that way you'll be able to truly enjoy the time you have with her without suffering inside from fear."
I'd like to do that, too…
Smile allowed himself, for a moment, to recall a single wish he'd like to fulfill before becoming a hero: to be able to smile at his own daughter.
Lin Ling fell silent after hearing those words, but at the same time couldn't help repeating them to himself.
"I will… thank you." Lin Ling gave the hero another sincere smile; he now understood perfectly why this man was a true hero.
"I'm glad I could help you… now I'd better go; my break is almost over…" Smile smiled again in his characteristic way and turned to leave. "Ah…" but halfway there, he stopped, as if he'd just realized something.
"I know you're also very busy as a hero, but how about we go out for a drink sometime? Do you like barbecue?"
Lin Ling almost answered without thinking, but then he remembered that, in this hero's eyes, he is now Nice himself.
"I appreciate the offer. Could we discuss it later? I need to talk to Miss J about my free time."
Smile chuckled softly upon hearing that response.
"Sure, that's for the best." Smile then walked off, while Lin Ling waved goodbye.
"Be true to yourself, because that way you'll be able to truly enjoy the time you have with her without suffering inside."
Yes, there are things I want to say to Cyan… but first, I'd better find my way.
Lin Ling then realized that he should have gone with Smile to get out of these corridors once and for all.
"Finally!" Lin Ling said with relief upon finally finding a way out of the hallways.
He looked around, curious about which part of Herocom he was in now; there were various booths and small shops selling Treeman hero merchandise.
I'm still in the Treeman area...
Lin Ling thought gloomily, but he noticed other cosplayers walking around the area, so he figured he wouldn't draw too much attention.
I'm definitely going to get lost again if I go back into those hallways...
Lin Ling then began walking while looking at the shops around him.
"Look, Mom! I want this one!" a boy said as he grabbed a Nice stuffed animal.
"What do you think of this one?" a woman asked her friend as she tried on a replica of the dress Moon wore the day she met Nice.
"Is this perfume really the same one Nice uses?" a man asked a salesperson, surprised to find something like this.
I still remember the commercial for this perfume...
"Need to be perfectly ready for the challenges of everyday life? Then live perfectly with 'The Perfect Fragrance'—you'll become more perfect every day."
I still think that's cheesy...
Lin Ling found himself remembering more of his own commercials for Nice and the hero's perfect style that fans love.
He then noticed a stall that was even less eye-catching than the others nearby.
A pendant shop...?
Curious, he approached the shop, and a young saleswoman who had been distracted with her back turned, turned around and was startled to see him.
"NICE!?"
Lin Ling laughed awkwardly at her reaction; he still finds it unbelievable that he's seen as just like Nice.
"No, I'm just a cosplayer."
"Oh…" The saleswoman looked disappointed upon hearing this, but smiled as best she could. "Sorry, it's just… wow, you really look like Nice… aren't you some kind of—"
"Long-lost twin brother?"
"I was going to say clone. But that makes more sense…" The saleswoman seemed to be thinking deeply about it.
"No, I'm just an ordinary person."
"O-okay." The saleswoman then coughed into her clenched fist to compose herself after that strange conversation.
"Is anything catching your eye?" the saleswoman asked as she showed him more of her store.
"Actually…"
Cyan's birthday is tomorrow and I still haven't bought anything...
Lin Ling then remembered his attempts to come up with a gift over the past few days,
Another big stuffed animal? No.
Maybe headphones? Interesting, but he wanted something more meaningful.
Take her shopping for more clothes? Too simple.
An acoustic guitar? Well, there could be better options.
Write a song for her? Out of the question.
I haven't even finished the one for Nice yet… besides, I'd like to give a more special gift, something for a…
"What do you think would be a nice gift for a… special woman?" Lin Ling asked with a slight blush on his face.
"Oh, so Nice wants to give Moon a gift?" the saleswoman said, smiling amusedly at the idea."Well! I have this set for couples that's really cute!"
The saleswoman then showed him two necklaces that, when put together, formed a purple and blue heart.
Lin Ling felt his blush grow deeper at this suggestion.
"S-she's just a very special friend! Something romantic would be overkill…" Lin Ling replied awkwardly, but the saleswoman stared at him for a few moments, deep in thought.
"I see… Is there anything specific you want to convey with this gift? Or what do you think makes her special to you?"
"I…"
Lin Ling then thought about all the time he'd spent with Cyan up to that point; his life had taken on a whole new meaning. He could say he'd saved her, but he actually felt it was different.
"She saved me—I'd say she saved me," Lin Ling said, unaware that his eyes had sparkled for a moment as he spoke those words.
"Oh, so she's your heroine…" the saleswoman said as an idea struck her.
"How about this one?" the saleswoman said after picking up a small box and opening it for him to see. It was a bracelet in a striking golden color, but that wasn't exactly what caught his attention.
Lin Ling stared at it for a few moments before picking up the bracelet.
"That symbol… a sun?"
The symbol on the bracelet is a circle with six slightly curved triangular shapes emerging from the outline in a clockwise direction, leaving a white space in the center that resembles a circle, which looks like a sun.
'In a way, it reminds me of the symbol for Nice...'
"It's based on an old prototype symbol for Nice. I liked the idea, so I made this one-of-a-kind piece. It doesn't mean that much to me personally, but I think it fits with what you said." The saleswoman said calmly, with a gentle, sincere smile.
"Really?"
"Well, think of it as a light that appeared in your life to save you from the darkness…" the saleswoman said, thinking that kind of meaning would explain it well.
"A light?" Lin Ling said to himself, and then a fleeting image of Cyan smiling happily at him flashed through his mind, and he found himself smiling without realizing it.
"Yeah… I like that idea."
"I'm glad you like it, but I should warn you that this one's going to be a little pricey."
"Sure—" Lin Ling froze when he realized something important.
I DIDN'T BRING MY WALLET!
To keep himself from recklessly spending money on things like a new product from Moon, or even from Cyan herself, he'd decided not to bring his wallet.
"Is there a problem?" the saleswoman asked curiously, noticing his dejected expression.
"Yes…"
I found the perfect gift, but I won't be able to buy it—
"I finally found you."
Interrupting his thoughts, Lin Ling heard a familiar voice, and the saleswoman's surprised expression also confirmed what he had imagined.
Xiao Yueqing!?
Moon was standing at the store entrance, looking directly at him with a slight smile on her face.
"Wow, now a cosplayer who looks just like Moon..." the saleswoman said, taking in the coincidence.
Moon then broke into an amused smile when she saw what Lin Ling was holding.
"So that's what you were doing? You should've told me you were buying a gift."
"Are you two together?" the saleswoman asked, unable to hide her curiosity.
"W-well—"
"Yes," Moon said, cutting him off before he could explain. She then stepped closer, standing beside Lin Ling, who looked lost. "He's always trying to pull off these surprises." Moon couldn't wipe the smile off her face, amused by the situation.
"How cute! So you'll take this one, then?"
"Of course." Moon then pulled something out of one of the pockets in her hero outfit—a credit card. "I'll pay this time; it was already a lovely surprise."
Lin Ling fell silent, processing the situation. He hadn't expected such unexpected help, especially from Xiao Yueqing herself.
HEROCOM - FOMO Area
"LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!"
A huge crowd was screaming in front of Herocom's main stage—euphoric fans excited for the special performance by the rising heroine of the moment.
"Okay, I can do this."
Luo Li was backstage, finishing up her preparations.
"Son, calm down!"
The Johnnies and Ghostblade were there too, though Big Johnny was still wriggling in his father's arms, trying to escape.
Luo Li couldn't help but watch this, recalling the scene the three of them had been in not long ago with the perfect hero, Nice.
That…
His confused and fearful expression still puzzled her; she hadn't expected him to act that way in a situation like this, especially given how friendly Big Johnny had been toward him.
Was that really Nice?
"LOLI!" One of the event organizers approached her.
"It's time. Are you ready?"
Luo Li nodded in response.
"Great."
"Go for it," Little Johnny said, encouraging Luo Li.
Luo Li smiled slightly in response and walked toward the stage—it was time for her to focus on something more important.
Meanwhile, Ghostblade was lost in thought, trying to ignore the loud commotion around him.
I've seen this scene so many times…
He remembered the look on Nice's face when he could have put an end to that hero, but…
Many of those I've killed showed a lot of emotion—many because they already knew why they were going to die…
Ghostblade then recalled the moment when he and Nice had stared each other in the eye, and Ghostblade had realized something.
He didn't know why he was going to die…
"What's gotten into you this time!?" Little Johnny was still trying to calm his son down.
Struggling a little more against his father's embrace, Big Johnny managed to break free and started running in a specific direction.
"Wait—Son!" Little Johnny wasted no time and began chasing after him.
Ghostblade couldn't help but watch the scene with an exasperated expression.
Does this happen all the time?
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT'S TIME! MEET THE NEW STAR OF FOMO, A CUTE HEROINE WHO FIGHTS FOR JUSTICE WITH DETERMINATION... LOLI!"
HEROCOM - LIN LING AND MOON
After a brief shopping spree and taking a few photos with the saleswoman, Lin Ling and Moon walked through Hercom in silence. Lin Ling was holding a small gift-wrapped package, and he still hadn't properly thanked Xiao Yueqing.
She's been quiet this whole time… does she really think I'm "Nice"? So she thinks this gift is for her! How am I going to explain that it's for someone else now that I'm her boyfriend—
"So who's the lucky girl?" Interrupting his thoughts, Moon asked a question that caught Lin Ling off guard.
"W-what!? What are you talking about—"
"I've heard enough." Moon stopped walking and spoke in a firm tone—even cold, in Lin Ling's opinion. She was looking down, so he couldn't see the expression on her face. "So that's why you took so long to show up earlier? You were looking for a gift for this special woman?"
Does she think I'm cheating on her!?
Lin Ling thought, alarmed by the situation he'd created by drawing a connection between Xiao Yueqing and Nice.
"X-Xiao Yueqing—listen, she's just a friend! I would never cheat on you—"
"Pfffft—"
To Lin Ling's even greater surprise, Xiao Yueqing began to laugh out loud right in front of him.
"Hahahaha.... I can't take it... You really... the look on your face!"
A few people passing by gave the two of them strange looks, and while Lin Ling was in shock, he couldn't help but notice her behavior. He'd already filmed commercials where she had to laugh, but he felt that, unlike in the commercials, she really seemed to be laughing for real.
"Sorry...." Moon began to calm down, her laughter subsiding. "Sorry, but when I saw your face—which looks just like Nice's—acting like that, I couldn't resist… He always has the same expression, so seeing that was really refreshing." Moon let a sincere smile spread across her face, while Lin Ling looked at her in surprise.
"Y-you know I'm not Nice? Since when?"
"Hm…" Moon brought a hand to her chin as she seemed to be thinking of an answer. "At first you were pretty convincing, but I already felt there was something off. It became more obvious when you replied to the fans—not that you answered them rudely, but…
"...in a world like this, where trust creates heroes, anyone can be a hero, and I trust that you can be one."
Moon let herself recall his earlier response to that boy about being a hero.
"Was everything you said before true? Anyone can be a hero," Moon asked, looking directly at Lin Ling, who, after processing the question, took on a more serious expression.
"Yes, that's what I believe," Lin Ling replied firmly, almost taking Moon by surprise.
She didn't sense even a hint of a lie coming from him.
It would be nice if the real Nice learned to act on what he believes in…
Moon thought, slightly amused, as she imagined the real Nice learning something from a fake Nice.
"So let's just say I figured it out because you're a really nice guy," Moon said with a slight, sincere smile, causing Lin Ling to feel a faint blush of embarrassment spread across his face.
"THANK YOU!" Lin Ling suddenly exclaimed loudly, drawing more attention from the people around them and making Moon jump slightly in surprise—she hadn't expected him to react that way to a compliment.
"I-it's not that big of a deal—"
"It's not just that..." Lin Ling began to say in a softer voice as he realized the scene he was making. "I don't know when it started, but you've become someone special to me... a heroine who gave me hope. You've saved me so many times, so thank you for everything." Lin Ling smiled sincerely at her as he finished speaking.
Moon stood in silence, her eyes wide as she processed what she'd just heard. She'd heard plenty of expressions of gratitude from fans before, but they'd always been about her relationship with Nice. This time, however, she truly felt she was hearing sincere words from a fan—words meant for her.
Seriously… this guy…
"You're kind of weird too—and even a bit dramatic—but I'm happy to have such a dedicated fan like you. I hope I can always count on your support," Moon said, smiling just like he did. It had been a long time since she'd responded to a fan without following a script; she felt happy to be seen as a heroine again after so long.
"Sure."
"Well… getting back to the most important part, you'd better find that special someone for yourself soon, and I can give you a little help…" Moon said as she grabbed her portal gun.
Lin Ling perked up at the sight of it; he'd be lying if he said he didn't want to see Moon traveling through portals in person…
"Thanks… but I think it's best not to do anything else that draws attention or gives everything away all at once." Lin Ling said, glancing around slightly and realizing that while the scene they'd just created had caught other people's attention, they'd quickly lost interest in both of them.
"Oh…" Moon instantly understood what he meant.
It's impossible to imagine the perfect couple acting like that...
"LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!"
Catching both of their attention, a small commotion was taking place at another broadcast location where TVs were showing the main event of the moment at Herocom—the Fomo stage, where another huge screen was displayed above the stage.
Drawn in and curious, Lin Ling and Moon approached and gathered to watch.
Moon noticed that Lin Ling seemed to be deep in thought as he looked at the screen.
"Don't you like Loli?"
"What? No! I think she's a really cool heroine, but I'd say she's the one who doesn't like Nice…" Lin Ling recalled the brief encounter he'd had with the heroine.
"Yeah… you can't be loved by everyone, not even the perfect hero," Moon said, recalling how many times she'd seen people—and even other heroes—who wouldn't even look at Nice.
Lin Ling remained silent until a question popped into his mind.
"For you… what would a perfect hero be like?"
Lin Ling asked calmly, and Moon looked at him curiously, even a little surprised.
Lin Ling then realized that this question bordered on the ridiculous—she's the girlfriend of the perfect hero; the answer is obvious.
"S-sorry… I was just thinking out loud—"
"No, I've thought about this before…" Moon said calmly as she pondered the question deeply.
'What is a perfect hero… the last time I thought about this was before I met Nice… what I expected from him as a hero…'
"A perfect hero… to me, it's someone capable of making people not feel fear, maybe even hatred…" Moon said, sounding uncertain as she thought further.
"Not to feel fear or hatred..." Lin Ling pondered those words.
"I guess that's the best I can come up with these days..." Moon murmured to herself, recalling these past few years alongside the perfect hero.
"LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!"
Before they could continue, the small crowd began cheering enthusiastically again; on the screen, Loli climbed onto the stage.
"LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!"
With the microphone in her hand, Luo Li felt nervous for a second when she saw the size of the crowd in front of her shouting her name, but she took a deep breath, and then the crowd began to calm down as they realized she was about to speak.
"Thank you so much for being here! Your support means a lot to me. For a long time, I've wanted to become a heroine—a heroine who fights for justice. And like many other heroes today, I've had my inspirations, but today I want to talk about someone in particular… Lucky Cyan.
Part of the crowd began to murmur among themselves.
"We often think about what a hero is like and what they do, but Lucky Cyan gives us something we always need: hope. Her songs have already helped so many people; music is capable of expressing so much of who we are to everyone… and this song has that same purpose, so thank you, Lucky Cyan, for being an inspiration to me and to everyone who loves music.
As she finished speaking, the huge screen behind her lit up, and the sound of the song began to fill Herocom.
(Candy Mountain - Loli)
This is a fairy tale about a girl
And what kind of story is that?
Turn up the volume
It's dark and droll
I'm only interested in the real part...🎶
As Luo Li sang, the big screen displayed a variety of pink shapes—such as hearts, stuffed animals, tools she uses for her work, and even cute drawings of the face on her own armor—all of which moved in time with the song lyrics that appeared on screen for everyone to follow along.
I'll tell you something
That you will surely wake up to
Until the time comes,
It's a secret between you and me
We've done well so far
Negativity is sweet nectar
No matter how crazy our world gets, yeah
You can always find an ally
An ally can be more than just make believe
It kind of makes me think
That life in hard mode might be super fun
Because of you, you're the best buddy...🎶
HeroCom --- Lucky Cyan
"Okay…"
Cyan, who had been reading the lyrics to the song she'd received as a gift not long ago, closed her notebook and, with one hand, pulled a coin from one of her pockets.
With this, I should be able to find Lin Ling—
Before she could put her plan into action, she noticed a screen nearby displaying something important, so she walked over out of curiosity.
"...Today I want to talk about someone in particular... Lucky Cyan."
Is that Luo Li...?
We're here to go
Don't wanna be stuck in shape
That someone else makes for someone else
It doesn't matter
A fresh breeze is blowing
I wonder if they'll get jealous again?
We're probably so cool...🎶
As she continued singing, Luo Li gradually loosened up and began dancing to the music, while her enthusiastic fans started singing along with her.
Those lyrics...
Ghostblade, though uncomfortable with the noise, let himself listen to the song and couldn't help but notice what the lyrics meant.
There's someone else waiting for you...
Ghostblade thought as he recalled his daughter's adventures with Luo Li, which he had witnessed without them fully realizing it.
At the Same Time - The Johnnies
"SON! WAIT!" Little Johnny was running after his son through Herocom, even though their commotion was drawing the attention of a few curious onlookers. The audience was too engrossed in Loli's performance to pay much attention to this duo—at most, a few harmless comments.
"Look how cute—even his cat is cosplaying."
"WAIT!"
Big Johnny seemed determined to keep running in search of something at Herocom that his father couldn't figure out what it could be.
It can't be food… we're heading in the opposite direction of the food court.
Little Johnny thought as he looked ahead in the direction his son was running and realized where they were headed.
Is he heading back to the DOS backstage area!?
Entering the backstage area reserved for DOS, Big Johnny abruptly stopped running and began sniffing the air, searching for something.
Little Johnny stopped beside him and began to catch his breath from that unexpected sprint.
"Son… what's… going on—"
Before Little Johnny could continue, Big Johnny started running again upon catching the scent he was looking for.
"W-WAIT!"
...Things are best when they're turned upside down, right?
And something I don't know about is exciting
It's like a heaven if you can do whatever you want
We're lost in a mountain of candy
And we're just picking and choosing and picking and choosing, yeah
In a way, we are just lucky!🎶
Even far from the event venue, countless people in City X were watching the HeroCom broadcast, excited by Loli's performance.
"That girl really is amazing," said an older woman as she rode the subway home from work, watching the broadcast on her cell phone.
"Mom! Mom! Mom! Come see! Loli is singing a song!" a young girl exclaimed as she jumped up and down on the couch, excitedly watching everything on the TV at home.
"Is that FOMO's new heroine?" a teenager asked as he walked with his friend through City X and noticed the HeroCom broadcast playing on yet another of the city's countless big screens.
"Yes! She's the heroine who wears armor to dish out justice—and even sing!" his friend said excitedly as he watched intently.
I think singing is quite an inspiration that Lucky Cyan brings...
Back with The Johnnies
Big Johnny kept running with his dad right behind him.
"Hm...? Big Johnny?"
"QUEEN!?" Little Johnny shouted in surprise when he saw that his son was running in the same direction as his friend.
Is he missing Queen? After all these years, it's no surprise he's grown so attached to her—
Interrupting his train of thought and taking him by surprise, instead of jumping into Queen's arms as usual, his son ran right past her without slowing down; Queen couldn't hide her look of surprise either.
"Queen, something's wrong—he's acting strange."
Upon hearing Little Johnny's words, Queen's expression grew more serious; she levitated into the air and began flying after Big Johnny.
..Sometimes I feel like I'll never be anything
Some days I cry on the long nights
So it's easier to be alone, but I'm sure when I'm alone
I'll be looking for you
We're here to go
Don't wanna be stuck in shape
That someone else makes for someone else
It doesn't matter
A fresh breeze is blowing
I wonder if they'll get jealous again
We're probably so cool...🎶
In a more secluded part of the backstage area where it was hard to find anyone else, Little Johnny kept running as Luo Li's music continued to echo throughout HeroCom; rounding a corner, he found Queen standing there, staring straight ahead, frozen in place.
"Did… he stop?" Little Johnny said as he came to a halt beside her, panting from all the running.
He then looked and saw that Queen was silent, a look of shock on her face. Looking in the direction she was staring, his eyes widened at the scene before him.
"W-wait… I missed you, too…"
Big Johnny was sitting on the lap of a woman with cyan-colored hair, wearing the same costume as Lucky Cyan, but what was most surprising was that Big Johnny was constantly nuzzling his head against she in a continuous display of affection.
Little Johnny and Queen knew exactly what that meant.
"Cyan…" Little Johnny let those words slip out, and she looked at them with visible surprise in her eyes, but she then broke into a big smile for them.
CLANG!
Queen's spear fell to the ground with an audible clang, and in the blink of an eye, she was hugging the person she'd been so worried about tightly.
"I'm so glad you're okay…" Queen said with relief in her voice as she tightened her embrace, small tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
Cyan wasted no time returning the hug, while Little Johnny approached and joined in; Big Johnny stayed on the ground, letting them have this moment.
"It's good to see you both again," Cyan said, smiling, while—just like Queen—small tears threatened to fall from her eyes.
In an old warehouse in City X
Shang De was silently observing an experiment of his own—an experiment involving fear.
Suddenly, the warehouse door opened, but he didn't need to turn around to see who it was; he already knew.
"Mr. Shang, I came as fast as I could." This was the true, perfect hero, Nice. He approached calmly, a slight smile on his face. "Is there something you need me for?"
Shang De remained silent for a moment, and Nice sensed the tension in the air.
"If it's about the incident at the ruins, I can still make it into the top 10. Even today on Herocom, I'm sure I'll attract new fans—"
"Nice…" Shang De finally spoke, his voice in its usual monotone. Nice fell silent the moment he heard his name being called.
"What are you afraid of?" Shang De asked, turning to face Nice directly. Nice felt anxious for a moment as he looked back at Shang De, but quickly regained his composure.
"Afraid? I'm the perfect hero people trust—I'm not afraid of anything," Nice said confidently, flashing his signature smile.
Shang De remained silent for a few seconds until he turned away and faced away from Nice again.
"I see… it's better that way."
Once again, a silence stretched between the two, but this time Nice was unsure about something specific.
"You didn't call me here just to ask that question, did you?"
"Is there a problem with that?"
"N-no! It's just that Herocom is happening right now, and I think it would be better for me to focus solely on that—"
"That event is already deemed dispensable; I'm sure Mickey thinks so too," Shang De said in a more serious tone, which took Nice by surprise.
"What does that mean?" Nice asked, though he had a hunch what it might mean.
"If you want to go back to Herocom, you can go—just be sure to prioritize protecting what's important to Treeman."
Nice nodded and turned toward the exit, then took off, flying back to Herocom.
Meanwhile, Shang De remained silent, observing his experiment in the old warehouse.
"LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!" "LOLI!"
The huge crowd cheered ecstatically after the performance; Luo Li had certainly put on a real show for everyone.
"Thank you... I hope we can continue to share music just like Lucky Cyan does."
Luo Li then waved and, with a happy smile on her face, walked toward the exit of the stage; there was one more person who still had to perform.
"Way to go, Loli—that was incredible!" One of the event organizers appeared, praising her without a second thought. "Zac is definitely happy with this result."
"Thank you…" Luo Li let out a sigh of relief after leaving the stage; she had to admit it was harder than she'd thought. Even now that she was a heroine, her nerves were still on edge—she still had a lot to learn.
And to think that Lucky Cyan has to deal with this way more often than usual…
Loli then realized something important when she noticed Ghostblade standing silently in the same spot as before.
"Where did The Johnnies go?"
Ghostblade simply shrugged in response; even if he wanted to speak, he wouldn't have a proper answer to give her.
"Knowing them, Big Johnny must have gotten hungry…" Luo Li muttered to herself, remembering how moments like these shouldn't come as a surprise when dealing with that father-son duo.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT'S NOT OVER YET! ANOTHER HERO HAS A GREAT PERFORMANCE IN STORE FOR YOU!"
The crowd cheered happily in response to the announcement that yet another hero would take the stage, and everyone was already wondering who it would be.
At the same time, Ghostblade visibly trembled at the noise and at what was about to come.
"HEY!"
Catching his attention, Luo Li spoke to him with a serious expression on her face.
"No hiding this time. If you can't face this head-on, how are you going to face her when the time comes?" Luo Li said in a firm tone, and Ghostblade didn't even think about denying what she was saying.
Taking a deep breath, Ghostblade took a step forward, heading toward the fate he had chosen for himself today.
HeroCom - Lin Ling and Moon
"She really is a pretty cool person..." Lin Ling said this, but couldn't help wondering what could have happened to make this same heroine act that way toward Nice.
"Yeah... I hope she can keep being this amazing heroine," Moon said with a slight smile on her face, but Lin Ling noticed a hint of melancholy in her voice.
"Xiao Yueqing…" Lin Ling said softly as he let his mind wander to what might be causing her to feel this way; he already had an idea of what it might be—her image as a heroine was fading more and more because of the way Treeman was treating her and Nice.
"Okay." Moon then regained her cheerful expression as she turned to face him. "Enough distractions—let's go find her."
Lin Ling nodded, but something still bothered him. He certainly wanted to clear up his doubts about her, but he also wanted to find Cyan once and for all.
Cyan must be in the DOS area right now…
"So…" Moon seemed to notice something important before continuing to speak. "Sorry… but I still don't know your name…" she said with a hint of embarrassment upon realizing this detail.
Lin Ling's eyes widened slightly as he realized this too; so many things had happened up to this point that details like this were slipping past him without him noticing.
"My name… I'm—"
BOOM!
HEROCOM — Cyan, Queen, and The Johnnies
The trio had been hugging for a few minutes, until they finally broke apart slowly.
"I'm sorry…" Cyan said with a melancholy expression on her face. "I reached my limit with Mrs. Smith's demands and ended up running away… I'm sorry for making you worry like that."
"What matters, Cyan, is that you're okay," Queen said with a slight smile on her face.
"Yes!" Little Johnny said with a big smile on his face as his son nodded in agreement.
Cyan's expression softened as she watched her friends react this way.
"But I'm still curious—where have you been all this time? Not even Luo knew anything," Queen asked, still wanting to know how Cyan had managed to hide for so long.
"Well… that night I wandered aimlessly through the city until I met a really nice guy; I've been living with him ever since—"
"WHAT!?"
Queen and Little Johnny shouted in shock, surprising Cyan with their reactions.
"Cyan! What were you thinking!?" Queen asked, her shock still evident on her face.
"Huh—what?"
"Living under the same roof as a stranger isn't safe, no matter who he is!"
Little Johnny nodded frantically, agreeing with Queen's words.
"G-guys, it's okay… he's a nice guy, he really helped me, and I'm sure you'd all be good friends," Cyan said defensively, but she understood perfectly well what they were saying. She wouldn't lie—the whole situation she'd been through over the past few weeks had been crazy—but she didn't regret it.
A silence fell over the group until Queen let out a long sigh.
"All right, if there's one person I trust 100% with something like this, it's you," Queen said, her expression softening.
"Okay, so where's this nice guy?" Little Johnny asked as he picked up his son.
"He came with me here to Herocom, but I ended up losing track of him, and I was just about to go look for him—"
BOOM!
"GHOSTBLADE!" "GHOSTBLADE!" "GHOSTBLADE!" "GHOSTBLADE!" "GHOSTBLADE!" "GHOSTBLADE!" "GHOSTBLADE!"
As he took the stage, the crowd cheered wildly—it was the first time this veteran hero had appeared at HeroCom, an unbelievable moment for everyone.
Then Ghostblade stood motionless on stage, looking directly at the crowd with the microphone in one hand, while the crowd fell silent, anxiously awaiting what was to come.
However, long seconds passed, and Ghostblade remained silent, leaving some fans impatient.
"What's he doing? Do something!"
"Idiot! That's Ghostblade—silence is his trademark."
"Then why did he take the stage with a microphone in his hands!?"
"What a waste of time!"
"Say something!"
"This doesn't look good at all!" the event organizer said, worried about the situation. "Why isn't he doing anything!?" he asked Luo Li, who was watching the whole scene in silence.
"He's not the type to talk," Luo Li said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Then why—"
"Well, it's up to him to decide."
The organizer fell silent, still not understanding the meaning of it all.
As the increasingly impatient crowd chanted "Ghostblade"—feeling dizzy from all the noise—he closed his eyes and began to calm himself down, until he realized the crowd had fallen silent, though he could still hear one person making a commotion.
As he opened his eyes, they widened slightly as he saw a young woman with medium-length gray hair, pinned back with clips, and orange-brown eyes—it was his own daughter, Nuonuo. To him, the entire noisy crowd had vanished, and only his own daughter stood before him, eagerly awaiting what he was about to present.
You… the person I most want to talk to is you…
Ghostblade then used his free hand to remove the mask covering his mouth and brought the microphone closer.
The entire crowd fell instantly silent upon seeing this scene. Ghostblade then parted his lips, about to say something—
BOOM!
A massive explosion rocked HeroCom itself, eliciting screams of shock from all around.
"WHAT!?" Luo Li exclaimed in shock as she looked toward the explosion.
HEROCOM — the site of the explosion
"Help!"
"Where are the heroes!?"
"What's going on!? Why are heroes doing this!?"
People ran and screamed in desperation, fleeing from the explosion, as smoke and debris engulfed the area.
The same hero that Luo Li and The Johnnies had passed by earlier—the one who used a device strapped to his back that connected to gauntlets on his hands to unleash fire—was glaring menacingly at everyone. The unusual detail was that his eyes were glowing purple, and a chain around his neck was glowing the same color.
"It's about time everyone learned once and for all…" Mrs. Smith emerged from the smoke, wiping the dirt from her face, a smile never leaving her lips.
"Where there is trust…"
Several eyes glowing purple appeared within the smoke.
"There is fear."