In the Peach Grove at night, peach blossom petals drifted down intermittently.

"Mr. Gan?" Ouyang Rui arrived at a clearing. Before him stood three people: two men and one woman.

"Mr. Ouyang, not only are you punctual, but your choice of location is also top-notch," Mr. Gan said. "It truly is a beautiful place."

As he spoke, Mr. Gan admired the lanterns among the peach blossoms.

"You flatter me, Mr. Gan. I also hope this meeting will be a good start," Ouyang Rui replied. "My people have arrived. Are there only three of you?"

"Of course not. Mr. Ouyang, please look up," Mr. Gan said, pointing overhead.

Above them, an invisible stealth hovercraft floated silently. As it shed its camouflage, a figure leaped down, carrying a case.

Just before landing, jets of air shot from his feet, cushioning his descent. The gusts swept through, sending countless petals swirling.

"Let me introduce you. This is Kaito, sent by Evolution Corporation to handle this transaction," Mr. Gan said to the man. "This is Mr. Ouyang of the Ouyang family."

...

While the atmosphere inside the Peach Grove was harmonious, Lin Jie outside was far from comfortable. Two muscular men were groping him, one on each side.

"Just as I suspected. He doesn't look strong, but under his clothes, the muscles are incredibly powerful," one muscular man said. This was Aten, the B-Class Hero who had been Lin Jie's examiner and was instantly defeated.

"His muscles are solid, all compact and explosive. Looks like tough training," said another jet-black muscular man. Lin Jie recognized him: Black Gold, the B-Class Hero lecturer from the Hero Association.

"Really? Let me feel too!" A fair-skinned muscular man walked over. Lin Jie had just met him through Winter Xueer's introduction; he was White Gold, Black Gold's brother, also a B-Class Hero. Behind them stood dozens of muscular men, from C-Class to E-Class. They were Winter Xueer's reinforcements from the H City Muscle Association.

"Get lost, all of you!" Lin Jie snapped. Surrounded by muscle-bound men groping him, he felt a distinct chill in his... sensitive areas.

"Kid, interested in joining our Muscle Association? To research muscle-building methods?" Black Gold said. "I have high hopes for you."

"Like hell I'd join your stupid Muscle Association!" Lin Jie dodged backward, looking helplessly at Winter Xueer. "I never thought you'd like this type."

"In H City, among strong and justice-driven Super Heroes, only they were available," Winter Xueer said. "Be careful! Don't get spotted. The Peach Grove is filled with Ouyang Rui's men, and they outnumber us."

"Tch!" Lin Jie said. "Stop touching my butt!"

...

Just then, Xiao Zhan and a group of muscular men charged into the Peach Grove. Armed mercenaries and lower-tier ability users appeared before them.

"Let them see the might of our Muscle Association!" the leading muscular man shouted.

"Roar! Roar!" His men roared in unison, raising massive alloy shields as they charged.

"Damn, this is like the 300 Spartans!" Xiao Zhan leaped aside. Where he stood, a fist-sized crater appeared.

After clumsy dashes, Xiao Zhan barely steadied himself on a tree branch.

Watching the chaos, he felt deep helplessness. Enemies were everywhere. Even his Spartan-like warriors couldn't win.

"Ouyang Rui, you damn rich bastard! Bringing so many mercenaries just to go out?" Xiao Zhan cursed. "Good thing I was prepared."

He pulled out a strange device.

"Time to show you my domain," Xiao Zhan said, activating it.

The next moment, both sides at the grove's edge were shocked: everyone was covered in mosaic blurs. Xiao Zhan's device had pixelated every person and weapon.

Thus, in the pink-hued Peach Grove, pixelated figures brawled chaotically. The bizarre sight left Lin Jie and others who entered utterly dumbfounded.

"I've suppressed the outer enemies. The rest is up to you," said pixelated Xiao Zhan, waving his pixelated Stain Remover Rod as he ran toward Lin Jie and Winter Xueer.

"Alloy Heavy Fist!!"

Just halfway there, Black Gold's fist slammed into him. Xiao Zhan flew sideways, crashing into a peach tree and buried under petals.

"What the hell are these things?" Black Gold asked, retracting his fist.

"The one you hit is on our side," Lin Jie said. "Awkward as it is, he's my partner."

"What?" Black Gold was stunned. "The way he looked, I thought he was a monster."

"Forget it. Just count him as a non-combat casualty," Lin Jie said.

...

In the clearing, Kaito said to Ouyang Rui, "Mr. Ouyang, your security isn't very good."

Behind Kaito, Weapon and Shadow had vanished.

"So Winter Xueer really came to ruin things?" Ouyang Rui muttered. "Don't blame me for being ruthless. I've given you chances."

He took out a communicator. "Hunter, move in."

"It seems our transaction will be postponed," Kaito said.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I need to clean up here first," Ouyang Rui replied.

"No problem. Good luck," Kaito said, activating the fighter jet above.

"None of you are escaping today," a female voice echoed. A massive ice spear pierced the jet.

The jet plummeted. Ouyang Rui and others barely dodged it.

It didn't explode; the moment it landed, it froze into an iceberg.

Behind Winter Leaf, ice wings formed. Like a night sprite, she looked down imperiously.

"Winter Leaf, you really came too," Ouyang Rui said.

"Today, you all—" Winter Leaf's words cut off as an electromagnetic pulse shot toward her. She dodged, but it shattered one ice wing. Tilting, she fell toward the forest.

"Huff... huff..." Glasses Bro ran over, saw her falling elsewhere. "Damn it!"

Glasses Bro thought for a moment, then chased after her.

"I didn't expect you'd bribe Hunter," Winter Xueer emerged from behind a tree, with Lin Jie and the brothers White Gold and Black Gold.

"I've given you chances, Winter Xueer! Now, even if I kill you, the boss won't care," Ouyang Rui said. A faint golden light surrounded him; pen-like devices floated nearby.

"Seems we underestimated the combat strength," Winter Xueer said helplessly. "You handle those two from Evolution Corporation. Lin Jie and I take Ouyang Rui."

"Leave it to us," White Gold said. His body hardened like steel as he charged Kaito. Black Gold rushed Mr. Gan.

"Do you think just two of you can handle me?" Ouyang Rui said to Lin Jie and Winter Xueer. The pen-like devices flew toward them.

...

On two large peach trees at the grove's edge, one person stood on each: Aten, the Hero Association examiner, and Weapon from Evolution Corporation.

Their hands transformed: one into long blades, the other into alloy swords.

"Same ability users?" Aten raised his swords. "Let's see who's stronger."

...

Shadow had been in a bad mood. She hadn't killed the bastard who gave her nightmares for two nights. But today in the Peach Grove, she saw him again on a monitor—he was attacking their transaction site.

This was her perfect chance. When the battle erupted, she rushed to the perimeter.

Then she was utterly stunned.

The grove's beauty was ruined by pixelated creatures that looked utterly out of place.

Everyone was blurred, holding pixelated props. They threw pixelated items at each other. The scene was pure chaos, like a dance of demons.

Sometimes two pixelated figures rolled together, groaning. Anyone watching imagined something indecent.

Now, almost everyone was an enemy. Pixelation made friend and foe indistinguishable...

"Where the hell is that bastard?" Shadow was on the verge of a breakdown. With everyone blurred, she couldn't identify him.

"Forget it... heh heh..." Shadow's eyes turned void-like. "Kill them all! Once they're dead, this won't exist anymore..."