Chapter 6

Looking at the enormous, ultra-modern building before him, Lin Jie couldn't help but marvel. "They really spare no expense."

"Of course. The Hero Association is the product of gathering the strongest heroes in the world and combining them with the most advanced technology." As Xiao Zhan spoke, he led Lin Jie into the lobby. "This brand-new order was born thanks to the efforts of many senior superheroes."

When he finished, Xiao Zhan pointed to the statues in the middle of the lobby.

At the head of the group stood a figure entirely cloaked in black.

"I know the one at the front is Zero, but who are all the people behind him?" Lin Jie asked, pointing at the other statues.

"You've been holed up at home all these years. What have you even been doing? They're all superheroes who once fought alongside Zero. The Hero Association we have today exists thanks to their efforts," Xiao Zhan said.

"Is that so?" Lin Jie thought to himself. Why don't I remember fighting alongside any of these people?

"Just so you know, everyone represented by these statues is an SS-Class superhero. They're the strongest guardians of order in the entire World Federation." Xiao Zhan continued to enthusiastically explain the backgrounds of the people represented by the statues.

"Come to think of it, I always thought this was the result of the Superhero Registration Act from five years ago," Lin Jie said.

"Let's not bring that up. That act cost the World Federation quite a few superheroes."

At Lin Jie's mention of the Superhero Registration Act, Xiao Zhan's expression changed.

What Lin Jie didn't know was that while he'd been cooped up at home, the heroes who opposed the Superhero Registration Act had clashed fiercely with those who supported it. In the end, however, the superhero faction backed by the World Government emerged victorious. After all, the government had kept a firm grip on the news media's coverage at the time, and the military had joined the conflict as well.

The conflict ended with the opposition's defeat. Afterward, quite a few superheroes who had been active at the time were branded criminals, and some were even thrown in prison.

"Let's not talk about that anymore," Xiao Zhan said. "We're here to get you certified as a superhero. There's nothing we can do about the rest."

Before long, the two arrived at the superhero registration office. After paying a processing fee, Lin Jie was led into a room.

A bald, burly man was waiting inside.

"Name?"

"Lin Jie."

"I mean your superhero name."

"Whatever," Lin Jie said.

To his surprise, the man actually wrote down "Random Warrior."

"What kind of abilities do you have? We need to know so we can tailor the tests," the man said.

"Cutting people."

"Are you messing with me? Plenty of things can cut people. Almost any superpower can do that. Be more specific. Is it a superpower, or a physical technique?"

"Well..." Lin Jie couldn't really explain it. "You just pick something up and swing it hard."

As he spoke, Lin Jie made a chopping motion.

"Strength-based, then? You brought your own equipment, right?" the burly man asked.

"Yes."

"Fine, follow me." The man led Lin Jie into a training room. "All right, enough talk. Show me your weapon. If you can last three minutes against me, you'll get a passing score of sixty. If you can hold out for more than three hours, I'll give you a hundred."

"Um... what if I knock you down?" Lin Jie asked curiously.

The man burst out laughing. "Almost eighty percent of new registrants ask that, but let me tell you, it's impossible! Do you think they'd let someone without the strength be your examiner? I'm a B-Class hero known as War Tank Yatan."

"Oh, if you're that strong, then I'm relieved," Lin Jie said.

"Now, see the one-way glass around us?" The burly man pointed to the windows above. "Give it your best. Maybe one of the senior heroes will see what you can do and invite you to join their team. High-ranking heroes pass through here all the time."

"Oh, thanks, but I already have a teammate," Lin Jie said.

"Right, kid, enough chatter. Last three minutes and you pass."

As he spoke, a metallic sheen spread across Yatan's body. Both his arms transformed into greatswords, while sparks flew from his legs. "Just so you know, kid, I'm a superhero with speed, attack power, and defense all rolled into one. So if you get hurt, don't blame me."

"Don't worry. I should be fine." Lin Jie pulled his Wolf Fang Club from his clothes.

"All right, begin."

Yatan's legs unleashed a tremendous burst of power. A streak of fire trailed behind him as he charged at Lin Jie in an instant. Across from him, Lin Jie had only just raised his Wolf Fang Club.

Tch, this guy's hopeless. He won't even last five seconds, War Tank Yatan thought disdainfully. Then the greatsword in his hand swung at the man before him.

At that moment, Lin Jie's swing suddenly sped up. His Wolf Fang Club came crashing down toward Yatan's head.

You think an attack like that will work on me? Yatan smirked. One of his arms suddenly transformed into a massive alloy shield.

The next moment, the Wolf Fang Club collided with the alloy shield. A tremendous shock rang throughout the training room.

A chill washed over Yatan's face. Only then did he slowly open his eyes.

"Where am I?" Yatan looked around in bewilderment, then spotted the room around him. "The training room? Right, I was testing a new recruit."

"Finally remembered?" A beautiful girl with silver hair was standing beside him.

"Miss Dong, what are you doing here? What happened to me?" Yatan asked in surprise. He tried to stand, but after several attempts, he still couldn't get up. Only then did he notice that his entire body was trembling uncontrollably.

"Have you figured it out?"

"Did I... lose? To that kid? I only remember that we'd just started fighting, and then I... I... I can't remember. What happened, Miss Dong?" Yatan looked at her in confusion. "You were there, weren't you?"

Miss Dong nodded. "I saw it."

"Tell me, what happened after we exchanged one blow?" Yatan asked. "Why can't I remember anything after that?"

"Because there was nothing after that. He struck once, and you went down."

"Y-you mean that rookie knocked me out with a single blow?" Yatan said in disbelief.

Miss Dong merely nodded. "He's strong. From what I can tell, he's at least A-Class."

"Where is he now?"

"Two hours ago, when we couldn't wake you, someone else took him to sit the written exam."

"Really? Was I unconscious for over two hours? I didn't realize anyone could be that strong. Thinking about how I acted earlier, I really was a clown." Yatan sat there dejectedly. "You didn't come to see me get knocked out, did you?"

"No."

In the written exam room, Lin Jie was looking at the questions in front of him.

Why do you want to become a superhero?

"To avoid getting beaten up by my little sister," Lin Jie wrote.

Question: What is the most important duty of a superhero?

"Um... cutting people and monsters."

As a superhero, what image should you present to the public?

"Anything's fine. This is such a pain."

What should you do if you encounter a criminal holding someone hostage?

"Cut them down as quickly as possible."

What is the most effective way to deal with a monster?

"Cut it down."

What should you do when you encounter someone from another world?

"Cut them down."

What should you do when faced with extraterrestrial life?

"Cut it down."

What should you do when...

"Cut them down."

*...*

"Cut them down."

Looking at the entire answer sheet covered in "Cut them down," Lin Jie turned to the final question with satisfaction.

Write a little about your ideals as a hero.

After thinking it over, Lin Jie picked up his pen and wrote, "A hero? I stopped wanting to be one a long time ago. Because I don't know if everything I do is really just. Can it really be called heroic?"

After handing in his answer sheet, Lin Jie received his results.

"How'd you do?" Xiao Zhan came over and asked.

"Hmm? I got full marks on the practical test, but only thirteen on the written exam. My total is 113, so I passed by the skin of my teeth," Lin Jie replied.

"Being uneducated really is a problem. If you'd passed the written exam, you could've gone straight to C-Class. I believe you've got the ability," Xiao Zhan said. "But this works out. If my assistant outranked me, wouldn't that be embarrassing?"

"..."

"By the way, let's go listen to a lecture. There's an A-Class superhero giving one today," Xiao Zhan said.

"Oh? We should check it out. I feel like the way I think is out of step with today's superheroes."

"Then let's go. By the way, how strong was your examiner?"

"He was a decent guy. He pointed out a lot of things I should know, and he even went easy on me during the practical test."

If Yatan had heard that, he would have cried. He hadn't gone easy on Lin Jie at all; he simply hadn't even had a chance to use his full strength before being knocked out.

"Miss Dong, here's the exam paper you asked for." A butler-like man brought an exam paper and some documents to the silver-haired girl.

Miss Dong looked over the exam paper in her hands. After a while, she murmured to herself, "Lin Jie? He should prove useful."