"Sister, why doesn’t Zero-gege ever talk?" the little loli asked while watching the movie.

"I don’t know. In this film, that one line is the only thing Zero ever said publicly," Lin Wan replied.

"Huh? Isn’t that Holy Maiden an S Rank Hero now? Why didn’t they invite her to act in this movie?" Xiao Zhan chimed in from nearby.

"That just shows how out of touch you are," Glasses Bro said, pushing up his frames. "From what I’ve gathered, they did invite her during pre-production. But she refused, claiming she was busy fighting some faction. So they hired an actress who looks like her instead. Though... there’s also a rumor she refused because she didn’t want to remember things about Zero. After all, he’s been missing for five years."

"I get it now," Xiao Zhan said. "Typical post-breakup behavior. Speaking of which, Hand of God was surprisingly eager to join this film’s production."

"Yeah. I never expected that ‘wise man’ Hand of God—the one always shown in public—to have such a foolish past," Glasses Bro muttered.

"Is that Holy Maiden sister Zero-gege’s girlfriend?" the loli asked curiously.

"No idea!" Lin Wan said. "But I heard they did fight together back then. Zero supposedly killed that evil deity only because of her magical blessing."

"They must’ve hooked up," Xiao Zhan said. "Everyone who lived through that incident says so. This movie’s plot is based on their real experiences. Even the Holy Maiden herself never denied it, right?"

"True," Lin Wan agreed.

*Like hell it is!* Lin Jie sighed inwardly as they gossiped about his past fling with the Holy Maiden. *And they call this the ‘most historically accurate’ film? That evil deity was weak—I’d have sliced it in half with one swing! No ‘blessing’ needed. Total nonsense.*

"Bro, you look pale," Lin Wan said.

"Nothing. Just wondering if those people’s memories got corrupted," Lin Jie replied.

"How could that happen?" Lin Wan argued. "The script was revised by an A Rank Hero, an S Rank Hero, and witnesses who were actually there. They can’t all be wrong."

"Guess not," Lin Jie said with a dry chuckle.

*Did I have amnesia back then? I remember the Holy Maiden was dizzy the whole time—what could she possibly recall? And who the hell is this ‘Hand of God’ guy? I don’t remember anyone standing beside me. Though... she was pretty. Wish I’d actually dated her. This film series has five installments already, and I ‘dated’ a new girl in each one! Why don’t I remember any of these ‘good times’?!*

As Lin Jie wrestled with the gap between reality and the movie, the credits began to roll.

An ad popped up the moment the film ended:

*"Thank you for supporting the ‘Great Hero Zero’ series! Pre-production for Part 6 has begun. For this installment, we’ve invited an SS Rank Hero squad from the Otherworld to advise on filming. Stay tuned for ‘Zero VI: Demon King and Heroes’!"*

*So even that chapter’s been dug up…*

"Next up is the Otherworld invasion arc?" Xiao Zhan exclaimed excitedly. "As a hardcore RPG player, I’ve researched that era nonstop!"

*When will this company stop?* Lin Jie thought wearily. *Is digging up someone’s embarrassing past that fun? Maybe I should suit up as Zero again and wreck their studio... Nah. My costume’s locked in the World United Supreme Museum. Retrieving it would be a hassle.*

...

Unlike the relaxed atmosphere at Lin Jie’s home, Ouyang Rui sat scowling in the Hero Association president’s office, glaring at a report on his computer.

"Useless trash!" he roared. "Can’t even handle two E Ranks!"

He’d ordered his loyal Super Heroes to bring Lin Jie, Xiao Zhan, and the little girl to him—a bargaining chip for his deal with Evolution Corporation. Instead, those heroes were now piled up like pancakes in the news.

"Next time I back new heroes, I’ll vet their strength more carefully," Ouyang Rui muttered to himself.

A knock interrupted his thoughts.

"Enter."

A mature, sharp-suited OL walked in. "Sir, the latest intel on Winter Xueer’s whereabouts."

"Place it here," Ouyang Rui said.

After his secretary left, he slid the data card into his computer.

"She went to Winter Leaf?!" Ouyang Rui’s eyes narrowed. "Time to contact the Hunter."

...

In a dim, unsettling room, Shadow strained against restraints binding her entire body. She twisted with all her might—but the bonds held firm.

As she struggled, a grotesque humanoid figure emerged from the shadows. It held an indescribable, censored rod-like object.

"Drink your milk," it leered, shoving the obscured end into Shadow’s gagged mouth. Thick white liquid sprayed across her tongue.

"Mmph! MMMPH!" Her body jerked violently against the restraints.

"It’s shooting... shooting... Hahaha! More! Give me more!" the voice cackled.

"Mmmph! I can’t swallow anymore!" Shadow jolted upright in bed, gasping. She scanned the familiar room and slumped in relief. "Just a dream..."

Then Xiao Zhan’s face flashed in her mind. "That bastard!"

After a quick shower, Shadow strode down a corridor into a conference room. Two men waited inside.

"You’re late, Miss Shadow," said one—a man who’d led the failed bid to buy the loli from Lin Jie’s group.

"My apologies, Mr. Gan," Shadow said.

"Now that we’re all here," Gan began, "last night’s operation failed. And Elixir vanished, correct?"

"Yes," the other man—Bingqi—confirmed.

"Bingqi. Explain your failure."

"When I reached Glasses Bro’s house, his whole family had relocated."

"And you, Shadow?" Gan turned to her.

"I failed too," she muttered, eyes downcast.

"Reasons?"

"I won’t say. Next time, I won’t miss."

"Do you think there’ll *be* a next time?" Gan’s voice turned icy.

Bingqi and Shadow stiffened.

"My apologies—I startled you," Gan continued smoothly. "But there won’t *be* another mission. Elixir’s life-sign monitor flatlined. Whoever rescued that girl killed an Elixir injected with T-3 Evolution Serum. Even among A Rank Heroes, few could manage that."

"What?!" Bingqi gasped. "An S Rank?!"

"Not necessarily," Gan said. "H City shows no S Rank life-signs. But they might possess lethal specialized abilities."

"So... headquarters will send someone to deal with them?" Shadow asked bitterly.

"Headquarters won’t spare anyone for this," Gan replied. "The little girl project is suspended. Paradise Island’s underground lab was exposed yesterday."

"What?!" Bingqi choked.

"Yes. All researchers working on potential enhancement projects are dead. We lost terabytes of data."

"How could they find Paradise Island’s lab?!"

"During the Sea Clan invasion," Gan said. "A Hero codenamed ‘God-Fearing Ghost-Jumper’ infiltrated it."

"Did he leak the location?"

"No. He was captured. But inexplicable system failures struck the lab mid-battle—right when Super Heroes clashed with the Sea Clan. The facility was exposed to both sides..."

"...Silence hung in the room.

"After SS Rank Hero ‘Son of God’ appeared on Paradise Island, headquarters lost most of its combat strength. Restarting this project will take years."

"Unbelievable," Shadow whispered.

"But our H City mission continues," Gan stated. "Tomorrow night, headquarters’ envoy arrives to trade T-3 Evolution Serum with the Ouyang Family. This deal decides our access to Sector C—and upper management is watching closely."

"So we’ll guard the transaction alongside headquarters’ team?" Bingqi asked.

"Precisely. We’ve each failed once. If this trade fails too..." Gan let the threat hang. "I trust I needn’t spell out the consequences."

The room chilled. Two failures meant one outcome: death.