The warm sun bathed the campus as hero trainees, finally freed from grueling drills, burst from their cages like birds—youthful energy radiating from every relieved face. To become a true Superhero demanded more than innate talent; it required sweat, sacrifice, and relentless training.
This was no longer the chaotic dark age of four years ago, when anyone could throw on a mask and cloak to gamble their lives against the Dire Calamity. Perhaps it was sheer luck, Mirror October mused, that the Superhero Administration’s final act before rotting away was at least shielding battlefield rookies from utter panic.
But this was also deeply unfortunate…
These new-generation trainees had grown in greenhouses. None possessed the resolve to face disaster head-on, to stake everything on stopping it. In the early days, heroes like him had truly gambled their lives—betting each Dire Calamity they met wouldn’t overpower them. Often, they’d knowingly stand against unstoppable horrors, buying time with their deaths for reinforcements.
That was a dirge…
That was an ode…
The weight crushed the breath from your lungs. The comrade fighting beside you yesterday might lie dead today. Though dying for this cause was honorable, the heaviness never faded. Yet hope remained. Mirror October’s eyes crinkled slightly as a genuine smile touched his lips—recalling something precious.
Just then, Mumu stumbled out of the training hall, utterly drained. Her weary gaze locked onto Mirror October’s unmistakable figure.
“Big Brother!” Her exhaustion vanished. Gasping with delight, she sprinted toward him.
Nearby girls who’d been eyeing Mirror October groaned inwardly—*what a waste of a good catch*. His aloof, sculpted beauty clashed painfully with Mumu’s plain face, freckled cheeks, and flat frame.
“Shouldn’t you rest? Training just ended,” Mirror October said, eyeing her sweat-drenched uniform as she nearly crashed into him. His lips twitched.
*This little beast has no self-awareness… But no matter. We’ve only just met. She’ll need proper guidance.*
Don’t misunderstand—Mirror October wasn’t some creep. “Little beast” referred not to Mumu herself, but the faint, unnatural Hero Power coiled within her. He sensed its strangeness: a creature cowering in fear yet sharpening its claws, waiting.
“Don’t worry, Big Brother! I’m full of energy now!” Mumu blushed, remembering her bold QQ chats with him.
“I see…” Mirror October’s tone was unreadable as she sidled closer, hesitating—too shy to cross the line into romance. “...Then let’s go. Didn’t you ask to meet?”
After fleeing his last “kind” gesture in panic, Mumu had apologized and invited him out as penance. She never expected him to accept! Used to invisibility, she’d never met a boy this effortlessly gentle—a man even girls admired. Flustered, she giggled awkwardly, words failing her.
*This…*
Mirror October sighed inwardly. Such timidity? He almost pitied her future as a hero. *The little beast still needs to grow. I suppose I could guide her. No ulterior motive—just because that timid girl dared to approach me.*
“Let’s find a place to sit. But first…” His slender finger lifted her chin, wiping sweat away with deliberate grace before tracing her collarbone over her loose training top. “Clean yourself up first. I trust that’s not too much to ask?”
*POP!!*
A white halo burst above Mumu’s head! Her nose nearly gushed blood.
*SO HOT! Oh god—he’s melting my brain!* That finger flick had shattered her sanity. Giddy and trembling, she rubbed against his arm once before vanishing like a startled rabbit.
Alone, Mirror October stared at his sweat-stained sleeve. His mild germaphobia screamed to burn the jacket. As he debated its destruction, a glacial chill stabbed his nose—summer instantly froze into deep winter.
Above, clear skies curdled into storm clouds. The heavens churned like a goddess enraged.
“Hm?... Xiu. Xinyi?”
Two distant powers clashed—Lu Xiu’s Lone Ghost Cavalry against Lan Xinyi’s Winter’s Arrival. Those women were testing each other across the city! One, a former S-Class now weakened to D-Class. The other, the A-Class apex Winter Empress. What madness drove Lu Xiu to provoke her? Mirror October almost moved—then the clouds parted. The storm’s fury had clearly lost.
After a pause, he abandoned the idea of seeking Lu Xiu.
*Let her court death. She was S-Class once. So long as she doesn’t cross my line, I won’t control my Jigsaw Disciples.* Lu Xiu had chosen the Saw Burial Sect’s combat path—likely using this as an excuse to challenge the Winter Empress. Their feud, born from Mirror October’s past entanglement with Lan Xinyi, had festered for years. Now, Lu Xiu would never pass up a chance to settle scores. He pieced it together easily.
