Natural Disaster

"What kind of joke is this?" Xiao He asked Cui Man with a forced smile.

"Do I look like I'm joking with you?" Cui Man glared at Xiao He, her expression cold.

Although she was beautiful, Xiao He lost all interest whenever he saw women of the ice-queen type. On a physiological level, his desire simply vanished.

"When 'Sally' makes landfall, it's expected to reach Level 15. Even with an early evacuation, a typhoon of that magnitude will cause enormous economic losses to Link Harbor City's port. More importantly, it will affect an important dock handover operation in our country," Cui Man explained. "So, we hope to 'eliminate' it before it makes landfall."

"Mm-hmm." Xiao He smiled politely. "Do you have a more detailed plan?"

"The plan is," Cui Man said, turning to Ye Wanqing, "Wanqing changes the typhoon's name to 'Lin Tiannan,' then you go up and deal with the typhoon."

"What a detailed and inspiring plan." Xiao He nodded with a faint smile. "I had no idea my ability could even work on natural disasters like typhoons."

"That's why we need to test it." Cui Man said dismissively, "You only need to weaken the typhoon's winds. While we act, the evacuation will continue. That way, even if the mission fails, it won't affect anything. But if it succeeds..."

At this point, Cui Man's expression turned stern. "Then this mission will be your best debut. Think about it: a superhero who defeated a typhoon. How inspiring would that be for our country? At the same time, it would deal a heavy blow to the sense of superiority held by Europe and America. This is an important event that could invigorate national morale!"

"Other than the part about eliminating a typhoon, the rest sounds pretty reliable." Xiao He nodded with a smile that did not reach his eyes.

"Don't you want to become that 'savior'?" Cui Man asked, crossing her arms and crossing her shapely legs.

To be fair, although this woman's aura made her hard to approach, her legs in flesh-colored stockings really were beautiful... Her calves were slender, her ankles delicate, and the stockings made her skin seem even smoother. Looking at them made him want to press his face against them and rub against them.

"If you accomplish something as great as 'eliminating a typhoon,' you'll become everyone's idol. Every child will dream of becoming a hero like you." Cui Man coaxed him, her tone especially tempting. "Isn't that every boy's dream?"

"Honestly, I won't deny it." Xiao He shrugged. "But only if..."

"Then that settles it." Cui Man clapped her hands decisively. "The helicopter is already waiting for us. Let's move."

Half an hour later, Xiao He sat in the helicopter and glanced out the window. This was his first time riding in one. Because of the rain, it was not flying very high. The city swept past outside, not far below him. The skyscrapers in particular seemed almost within reach. Xiao He's feelings were complicated: he was about to go into battle.

In Xiao He's imagination, his job went like this: an enemy appeared, they confirmed the enemy's true identity, Ye Wanqing changed their name to "Lin Tiannan," then he made his entrance and defeated them easily and stylishly before returning triumphantly to the cheers of the public. Everyone was relaxed, and everyone was happy.

But reality was that his first opponent was a typhoon—and a Level 15 typhoon at that...

What the hell was this!?

The more Xiao He thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. Even for a mutant, fighting a typhoon was ridiculous! This was a natural disaster!

"Tch, why do you look so defeated?" Ye Wanqing clicked her tongue unhappily from across from him. "Can't you show a little fighting spirit?"

"You can do it, then do it. If you can't, no BB." Xiao He crossed his arms irritably. "Easy for you to say!"

"I have to fight too, okay? In my own way!" Ye Wanqing huffed.

"Sure, changing data in front of a computer. What grueling combat." Xiao He mocked.

"That's a crucial battle too! How will your ability activate without me!?" Ye Wanqing said angrily.

Xiao He sneered. "I'm not sure my ability even works on typhoons. Even with you, maybe my ability still won't activate."

But for some reason, after arguing with the girl for a couple of sentences, Xiao He calmed down a little.

In fact, Xiao He could feel whether his ability had activated. When it did, he felt as though... his body was filled with power, with a powerful feeling that he could do anything.

"Here, put this on." Cui Man handed him a set of clothes to change into.

"What is this?" Xiao He frowned at the outfit.

"Your combat suit," Cui Man said blandly.

"Why is it a suit? And it's black, too. I look like a funeral home employee..." Xiao He asked unhappily. Cui Man explained unhurriedly, "It's made of reinforced fibers. When your ability isn't activated, it can provide bulletproof protection. That way, if your ability fails to activate or stops working during a mission in the future, it might save your life."

"So that's how it is..." Xiao He realized. Then he found a pale white mask beneath the suit. There were three oval openings where the eyes and mouth should be, and he was immediately speechless. "This mask just screams villain..."

"This mask is also made of the latest nanomaterials. It can filter toxic gases and provide light protection, also to protect you when your ability isn't active," Cui Man replied. "As for the design, you can change it however you like. You can alter it into another style later. In any case, this mission won't be carried out in the public eye, and the drones will only film from a distance. No one will see your face."

Xiao He frowned and muttered, "This outfit looks like something worn by S.H.I.E.L.D. grunts. How is it supposed to look like a superhero costume? Those superheroes all have their own distinctive styles."

"Hmm..." Cui Man rested her chin on her hand and pondered. "It does lack individuality... But we can deal with those elements later. Your team uniform, codename, and so on can be considered after you complete this mission. We'll promote you immediately if you succeed. If you fail, then everything else is meaningless."

After changing into the suit and putting on the mask, Xiao He sat beside Cui Man and Ye Wanqing. Ye Wanqing glanced at him and teased, "Oh, you actually look pretty decent now."

"How does it feel?" Cui Man shifted her shapely legs to the other side and looked at him.

"It's a little tight around the stomach..." Xiao He cleared his throat.

"It's fine. You'll slim down after a while," Cui Man replied. "We've prepared a large number of physical enhancement programs for you. Whether this mission succeeds or fails, you'll begin intensive training immediately tomorrow."

Then Cui Man handed Ye Wanqing a phone. "This is the highest-performance phone in our country, custom-made specifically for you. It has many special programs that can help you find information about your opponent as quickly as possible. This is so that if the two of you ever encounter an enemy alone outside and we can't provide technical support, you'll be able to save yourselves."

"Mm..." Ye Wanqing nodded.

"Besides, you need to learn some hacking skills. You can't rely entirely on your boyfriend, after all. Your partnership emphasizes 'cooperation'; both sides need each other." Cui Man closed her eyes to rest. "Get some sleep. It's a long trip."

After all, they had to defeat the typhoon before it made landfall, and it was still out at sea.

After five or six hours of flight, Link Harbor City's docks appeared outside the window.

The typhoon's effects grew increasingly intense here. Torrential rain and powerful winds rocked the helicopter through the air. An ordinary helicopter could no longer fly in such harsh weather, so a specialized fighter jet would take Xiao He out over the sea to face the typhoon directly. But before that, it was Ye Wanqing's turn to act.

Cui Man pulled up an introduction to "Typhoon Sally" on the computer, and Ye Wanqing raised her hand toward the screen.

Very quickly, the typhoon's name changed from "Sally" to "Lin Tiannan." Actually, every time it came to the moment when "Lin Tiannan" appeared, Xiao He felt awkward. He cleared his throat, trying to get through this moment as quickly as possible.

"Alright, the heroine's task is complete. It's time for the hero to make his entrance." Cui Man slapped Xiao He on the back and said blandly, "Perform well."

"I'll try..." Xiao He replied without much enthusiasm. Right now, he just wanted to go home, curl up beneath his blankets, and binge-watch shows.

Because he was now standing in the storm, soaked like a drowned rat. Even though he was a superhuman, the fierce wind still made him sway unsteadily. The pilot still had to take him somewhere he could see the "enemy" before he could determine whether his ability had taken effect. So the next stretch of the journey was between him and the pilot alone.

"Sit tight, kid." The pilot handed him a flight helmet. The wind was so strong here that they had to shout to hear each other. "If your ability activates, give me a signal. I'll eject you."

"Mm..." Xiao He replied through gritted teeth, praying inwardly: Please don't activate.

Yeah, it was a tornado, after all. How could his ability possibly activate? Xiao He comforted himself as he climbed into the fighter jet.

The fighter jet swiftly carried him out over the sea. Because the weather was so terrible, the jet also flew unsteadily. The view outside shook rapidly, making Xiao He want to vomit. Before he knew it, they had reached the sea.

Then he suddenly shuddered, and his entire body snapped awake. He instinctively looked up: the clouds in the sky had formed a terrifying, massive vortex that was rapidly closing in on them at a visible speed. Below, the sea roared with towering waves, violent winds ravaged the water, and torrential rain battered the fighter jet's glass with sharp crackles. The jet was like a fallen leaf swaying in a gale.

A typhoon did not have the same visually shocking effect as a tornado, so it did not feel like much when viewed on television. But being there in person felt like the end of the world.

I really want to go home! Xiao He felt a headache coming on.

But then he realized something: his ability had activated...