At this moment, Wu Jianguo finally grasped what Mirror October meant by "familiar." His political protectors, the hard-won connection to a certain Superhero—the three most responsible for the mine disaster months ago—were ruthlessly seized by the Jigsaw Sect without mercy.
What shocked Wu Jianguo most was that untouchable Superhero, a man so powerful guns were useless against him, who toyed with the law like trash. Now, he lay like a thoroughly lifeless dog, boneless and slumped on the filthy, damp ground, straining to cast a pleading, ingratiating gaze at the three standing figures.
So this is a Superhero…
Strangely, even though he himself was trampled underfoot, a trace of mockery rose in Wu Jianguo’s heart. If even a Superhero could be reduced to this, then a gangster like him wasn’t so terrible—not unforgivably evil. Hahaha! Superheroes, Superheroes! Just wearing an extra layer of skin, nothing more!
“The threat level isn’t high,” Lu Xiu assessed. “I sensed at most D-rank—an exceptionally weak Dire Calamity.” D-rank was a watershed in the Superhero Administration’s rules; only at D-rank could one transcend ordinary humans. For Superheroes, though, it was merely the beginning.
Lu Xiu couldn’t understand why Mirror October took this Dire Calamity so seriously. This thing posed no real threat. If it dared to surface, not only the Administration’s standing forces, but even rogue heroes who ignored the Bureau could string it up and beat it creatively.
This was Huaguo’s superhuman world: awkward yet fascinating. The Superhero Administration didn’t control all Superheroes. From its peak four years ago to its current decline, eroded by the Jigsaw Sect and shadowy forces, its actual power had dwindled to a laughable level.
“Because this is the first human-made Dire Calamity.” Without Mirror October speaking, Dragon Sparrow—who knew everything intimately—directly named the mine disaster’s brewing consequences.
“This is the first. We don’t know if there’ll be a second, third… We must understand the mechanism. That’s why Saw takes it seriously.” Secrets around Dire Calamities were as vast as the deep sea beneath an icy abyss. Even the Jigsaw Sect, ahead of the world, couldn’t claim to master them all.
As a pioneer, Mirror October’s bond with Dire Calamities had endured to this day.
Lu Xiu wasn’t some airheaded bimbo. With just a hint from Dragon Sparrow, she envisioned a terrifying future. The human world was a lone boat on a dark ocean. Calm on the surface, but beneath the black waves, countless greedy, hateful eyes watched. One trigger, and a monstrous tsunami would bury it in an endless abyss!
At that thought, the murderous glint in Lu Xiu’s eyes hardened into icy, bone-chilling killing intent.
She was once a hero, bearing the title Justice Knight. Though she’d beaten that scum before, it was only superficial. Now, she truly intended to kill.
Scum like this didn’t deserve to live!!
“We’re not babysitters.” Sensing Lu Xiu’s sudden killing intent, Mirror October—who’d silently observed the nascent Dire Calamity—finally spoke leisurely. “Heaven helps those who help themselves. If humanity can’t save itself, no protection will work. Humanity will march toward self-destruction.”
As he uttered these cruel words, Mirror October didn’t place himself on humanity’s side. He stood transcendent, the human part of him almost erased.
“Hmph, whatever. My sword is yours to command.” Unwilling to dwell on this heavy topic—and having shed her Superhero mantle—Lu Xiu closed her dazzling, icy silver-blue eyes. Only a slit remained, coldly beautiful and aloof, as she swept a faint gaze over the mine’s deeply ironic scene.
This slender youth had the right to act thus. The world that survived only through his death had no right to refuse him. Simple. Nothing worth debating. Yet… Lu Xiu believed that fool—who’d sacrifice his life for humanity—would never stand idly by.
This method might be cruel, but it was absolutely correct!
Next came patient waiting. The flickering crystalline light pulsed with mesmerizing, kaleidoscopic colors. Without prior knowledge, no one would believe such beauty could birth humanity’s doom. Sacred and brilliant, pure and lovely—yet deep within lurked a darkness that filled humans with ominous dread. This was the birth of a Dire Calamity.
Like humanity itself, an embryo of evil!
“No matter how many times I’ve seen it, every time I face this, awe and fear well up from my core. As if it were humanity’s natural enemy, the embodiment of evil.” Dragon Sparrow’s breath quickened. His human instincts drove him to annihilate this calamity.
“Not quite, Dragon Sparrow. This isn’t evil’s embodiment.” Mirror October suddenly curled his pale lips into that infinitely mocking smile. His tone was gentle, like a patient teacher guiding a naive child. “For humanity, this is an unprecedented blessing…”
The deeper Mirror October understood Dire Calamities, the more he perceived their purpose. He wouldn’t explain it; humanity needed to find the answer itself.
“I came, I witnessed…” Devotion flickered on Dragon Sparrow’s grotesque, stitched face. Whether calamity or blessing, he would witness it—faithfully recording humanity’s brilliant transformation.
Perhaps sensing others’ expectations, the nascent Dire Calamity stirred violently. Its serene beauty twisted into grotesque ugliness, peeling away a beautiful facade to reveal true, repulsive horror!
An eerie, bone-chilling wind swept through the dim mine. Faint, mournful sobs echoed in everyone’s ears, and a spine-tingling cold permeated the air!
