"I'm E Rank Hero Godstartle Ghostjump. Truth is, I didn't pick this name myself—the Hero Association gave it to me. But I felt it had quite the flair, so I accepted it."
"Speaking of which, I've been an orphan since childhood. An Auntie at the orphanage named me Thirteen. I thought I'd grow up happily there... until it shut down when I was three. Rumor was armed police raided it. To this day, I don't get why my teachers blamed *me* for everything. They were the ones running human experiments."
"Well, that chapter closed. I never saw them again anyway."
"My memories from ages three to seven are hazy. I was too young, constantly shuffled between orphanages. None kept me longer than half a month. In those six months, I cycled through every shelter in Sector C."
"By seven, no shelter would take me. I hit the streets early."
"Hard times. But I found a way to survive."
"Once, I lingered outside a wealthy man's house, starving. I stayed all day hoping for scraps. He finally came out, threw money at me, and begged me to leave. He even knelt."
"After that, whenever I needed cash, I'd tail rich-looking folks. They'd always hand over big sums just to make me go away."
"I lived like this till ten. Then I realized: whoever I followed met misfortune. People fled at the sight of me. Entire streets emptied when I walked out."
"Honestly? It hurt. I understood then how deeply I was hated. Many wished I'd just die. Silver lining? Even gangs avoided me."
"Hurt and rebellious, I started targeting bosses I disliked, camping outside their companies. Daily chaos and pandemonium became my view."
"Then one day, while I was staking out a mall, monsters attacked. Weird thing—the other buildings stood untouched. Many died. A massive chunk of ceiling plummeted straight toward me."
"I thought, *Fine. Death’s better than this.* No one wanted me anyway."
"But I didn’t die. Zero saved me."
"I only saw his back then, but I was captivated. I knew instantly: this was a soul that judged no one. He saved scoundrels too."
"So I idolized Zero. I vowed to become a hero just to meet him again. I trained relentlessly. At fifteen, I joined the Super Hero ranks, dreaming only of thanking Mentor Zero."
"With that dream, I became a Super Hero."
"Then Mentor Zero vanished. The Super Heroes split into factions and tore each other apart. The victors formed the Hero Association. I joined them."
"Life there wasn’t bad. They assigned me two teams. Both got wiped out alongside my enemies within days."
"Later came the ranking system. My examiner changed four times before finishing my test. I figured my strength deserved at least A Rank. They gave me E Rank."
"I stormed to the president to complain. That night, he hanged himself..."
"Every president after avoided me. So I’m still E Rank. Now you understand me a bit better, right?" Godstartle Ghostjump sat atop rubble, speaking to Glasses Bro buried beneath debris.
"CALL AN AMBULANCE FIRST!" Glasses Bro roared.
"Sorry, sorry! Got carried away in memories. I’ll dig you out. Who’d think Mentor Zero’s statue would just collapse?" Reaper Ghostjump said.
"DON’T! I’ll—!" Glasses Bro’s warning cut off too late. Another statue crashed toward them. Reaper Ghostjump leaped back, dodging cleanly. Under the rubble, Glasses Bro fell silent.
"Guess I’ll check on Lin Jie and Xiao Zhan first." Reaper Ghostjump dialed a number.
Inside a speeding ambulance, Lin Jie and Xiao Zhan lay on stretchers.
"Hello?"
"It’s me. Godstartle Ghostjump."
"What’s up?"
"Just checking in. Glasses Bro’ll take a while to dig out."
"We’re fi—" *CRUNCH!* The line went dead.
Reaper Ghostjump hung up slowly. He stared at the rubble and rescue crews. "Better focus on freeing Glasses Bro."
...
Next noon, in an H City Central Hospital room, two nutrient tanks stood silently.
Lin Jie entered. "How are you two?"
Inside one tank, Xiao Zhan opened his eyes. Bandages covered his wounds; a neck brace held him rigid. His voice crackled through the tank’s speaker:
"Out by tomorrow. How are *you* unharmed?"
"Doc said just a dislocated shoulder. Slept it off." Lin Jie turned to the other tank. "Why are you wrapped like a mummy?"
Glasses Bro’s text reply flickered on his screen:
"Full-body compound fractures. Lucky to be alive."
"That bad?!"
"Hey," Xiao Zhan typed. "About inviting Godstartle Ghostjump... reconsider?"
"I don’t take back my words. But don’t worry—I’ll have Glasses Bro join us too."
"Perfect. We need a errand boy," Xiao Zhan replied.
"WAIT—I’M NOT JOINING!" Glasses Bro’s face twisted in the tank.
"If not for you, I’d never have met Reaper Ghostjump! You caused our bad luck—you’ll share the consequences!" Lin Jie’s expression hardened. "Refuse, and I’ll have Godstartle Ghostjump follow *you*."
"You bastard—"
"Oh? Follow *who*?" Reaper Ghostjump stepped in.
"Nothing! Glasses Bro *wants* you to join us. He’s a D Rank Hero too," Lin Jie said smoothly. "By the way, Ghostjump, you’re terrifying. Last time I was this injured was seven or eight years ago."
"Call me Thirteen. That’s my real name. No need for formalities."
"Got it, Thirteen. But your power is... well. My offer stands—I won’t retract it. So..." Lin Jie fumbled for words.
"Don’t worry. I get it. I’ll keep my distance," Thirteen said cheerfully.
"Thanks, Thirteen. We’ll coordinate by phone. Glasses Bro will relay anything you need."
"Works for me. Glasses Bro and I have plenty to talk about." Thirteen grinned at the tank. "Hey? Why silent? Mad I got you crushed? Total coincidence! I tried to save you, remember?"
Glasses Bro didn’t reply. His face was turning ashen. So was Xiao Zhan’s.
Even Lin Jie noticed.
"MAKE WAY!" Doctors and nurses rushed in. "Oxygen failure! They’ll suffocate!"
Lin Jie instinctively sidestepped away from Thirteen.
"Need help?" Thirteen asked.
"No! Just override the lock and drain the fluid!" The lead doctor sweated. "Why won’t the password work?!"
"What’s wrong?" Lin Jie asked.
"Catastrophic system failure! We can’t even open the tanks!" The doctor panicked. "Thirty years in medicine—never seen this!"
A nurse trembled nearby.
"Let me help?" Thirteen offered.
"NO—I’LL HANDLE IT!" Lin Jie pulled out his Spike Mace. *No way I’m letting him near them.*
"Stand back!" He swung. *CRACK!* The tank shattered.
Medics rushed the two onto beds. Glasses Bro was unconscious, receiving CPR.
Xiao Zhan’s eyes fluttered open. "I... saw my dead dad. He wanted a reunion..."
"Don’t worry. He just came to check on you. He’s gone now," Lin Jie said.
Amidst the medical chaos, a new Super Hero team came into being in H City.
