Chapter 17

The second day of the workplace experience.

According to Stein's habit of committing crimes, he would always stay in the same city for a period of time before moving to another city.

Brother Tensei's incident was only his first action in Baosu, so it was very likely that he was still in some corner of the city.

This was the main reason why the professional heroes had been so diligent in patrolling recently, and also the reason why Tenya chose to come here for an internship.

However, Baoxu was neither big nor small. It was not easy to find an assassin whose whereabouts were erratic. Otherwise, there would not be so many heroes from the law firm who could not find him even if they went out in full force.

However, even if Tenya really wanted to find Stein, she believed that Manual, who was in charge of him, would not let him leave his sight.

Although Manual seemed to be the kind of person who did not have a temper at all, according to Netev, his fierce aura was not something ordinary people could bear. Otherwise, how could he manage all the people in their firm with all kinds of backgrounds?

Zoe listened lazily as Netev talked about all the gossip in the firm while eating. She thought to herself, 'How can a 1.8-meter man like Mr. Netev be more gossipy than the aunties in the market? He can even tell her what his colleague's grandparents do.'

"Ah, by the way," the 1.8-meter man with a grain of rice at the corner of his mouth raised his phone in front of Zoe and said, "Explosive Brat is Gale's classmate, right? Look at this."

On the phone screen was a photo of Takeshi with a 28: 8 hairstyle and bloodshot eyes!

"Pfft —" Zoe felt like she even vomited the milk she drank this morning. "Mr. Netev, where did you get this?"

Netev took another look at the photo and burst into laughter again. "I have a friend who is a lackey in Tidal Bull King's firm. He just sent it to me. It seems like many heroes have received it. I'm one of the last to receive the photo."

As he spoke, he showed Zoe the private group chats of professional heroes from all over Japan. They were filled with "WWWWW", "LOLLOLLOLLOLLOLLOLLOL\", and all kinds of emojis that indicated that they were hilarious.

"…" Zoe turned to look at Mr. Netev.

So, this was how the private groups of professional heroes from all over the country were used.

She also saw the familiar words "Midnight" and "Breuxent Mike".

"Ah."

Netev had just realized that he seemed to have done something that destroyed the aloof image of the professional heroes. He weakly put away his phone and coughed. "Of course, Fengze. Remember not to spread the news of this, ahem, group."

Zoe nodded. "Can you send me the photos as well?"

Netev quickly gobbled down his rice and nodded slightly.

On the second day of the workplace experience, nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Before Zoe went to bed, she received a text message from Aunt Iida, saying that Brother Tensei's condition had stabilized a lot. It was estimated that he would be transferred to a normal ward soon and begin some chemotherapy for his spine.

When she saw this message, Zoe felt like a huge stone had finally been lifted from her heart, and she felt more relaxed.

She looked at the wall in front of her, hoping that Tenya would feel more at ease after learning about this and not think about finding Stein for revenge.

On the third day, something finally happened that made the dull workplace experience a little more interesting.

At that time, Zoe and Netev were doing the same thing as the previous two days. Before they started work in the morning, they checked their email to see if there was anything they needed to deal with first. After they were done with these things, they took advantage of their free time to go to the firm's fitness room to train their bodies.

At four in the afternoon, Netev received a report from a citizen that they had seen suspicious people going in and out of an alley.

After he received the report, he said, "Just in time!

Let's give you some exercise, Gale. When you're ready, let's set off!

It must be boring to patrol for two days straight. "

Zoe resisted the urge to cheer and nodded. "Okay."

When the two of them arrived at the place mentioned in the notice, they found that it was a secluded house in an alley. The two windows on the wall had been covered with newspaper from the inside. It really looked like someone was planning a big conspiracy.

Netev asked Zoe to sense the situation in the house. "There's a man in his thirties sitting at a table writing something … There's no one else. There's only one exit in this house."

"… Sensing ability. It's so convenient that it's infuriating."

Zoe: "Hahaha …"

When they rushed in and tied the man to a chair, they found that he wasn't a big villain at all. He was just a disgusting stalker who was stalking a famous celebrity.

The walls of the house were covered with all kinds of celebrity posters, figurines, and all kinds of accessories.

Moreover, when the stalker saw them rush in, he was so scared that he almost peed his pants. He couldn't do anything big.

Tsk. She had been so excited, thinking that she could experience the real daily life of a hero.

"Now we just have to wait for the police to come and take him back."

"Okay."

The police arrived at the scene a quarter of an hour later. By the time Netev finished recording his statement and explained everything to Zoe, it was already seven o 'clock in the afternoon.

Several police officers forced the stalker into the car. Zoe stood up and stretched, her waist creaking. "Today should be over like this."

Netev smiled when he heard her say that. "Well, it's also a good thing if nothing major happens."

As soon as he said that, there was a boom in Zoe's ears, which startled her. "What?"

"What's wrong?"

"No …" She wasn't sure what she had heard. "It seems like there's a big explosion nearby …"

"Is it your perceptive ability again …" Netev's communicator rang before he could finish his sentence. He immediately picked it up, and his face was filled with fear after he heard the call. He signaled Zoe to follow him with his eyes before he walked forward.

The two walked in the dark alley, only the sound of the wind, Netev's footsteps, and his voice.

Boom!

Zoe frowned. Was it another explosion?

She looked at Netev in front of her. He didn't seem to have heard the explosion. Was she the only one who had heard it?

What the hell was going on?

She was in a normal state now. Why was this happening?

Unbeknownst to her, while she was distracted, a black shadow descended from the sky, and a cold blade flashed past. Netef let out a weak groan, and in the next second, he was pressed against the wall, unable to move.

So fast!

Zoe felt goosebumps all over her body. She reacted to the flash of the knife in front of her and immediately moved her gloved hand. She caught the sword with one hand and caught the other knife that was coming at her waist with the other hand.

This pair of gloves didn't just look good. When they were custom-made, she had specifically specified that they were made of material that allowed her to catch knives with her bare hands.

The man was a little surprised by her fast movements. Zoe grabbed the knife with both hands and raised her foot to step on the man's knee.

He knew what Zoe was thinking and dodged in time. Zoe's plan to break his kneecap didn't work.

Damn it!

"Who are you?!"

The man didn't answer. Netev struggled to open his mouth and said to Zoe, "Gale … Run, he's Stein. Run …!"

Zoe's pupils shrank. This was the man who killed her Brother Tensei!!

Stein's identity was exposed. He took advantage of Zoe's distraction to pull out the sword above her head. He was so fast that Zoe could feel the heat from the friction through her gloves. She quickly let go of the hand and bent behind her to pull out her serrated knife.

"Clang!" The serrated blade collided with Stein's sword that was coming down from above.

This man wasn't easy to deal with. Mr. Netev had fallen …

Zoe saw that the three of them were now in a line in the alley, with Stein between her and Netev.

Anyway … she had to get him to a place where Stein couldn't touch him!

She tightened her grip on Stein's knife again to prevent him from being blown to the same place as Netev.

She stomped hard on the ground and kicked up a gust of wind.

She didn't care about Netev's injuries this time. She just wanted to get him out of the alley. No matter how badly he was injured, it was better than being killed by Stein here!

The gentle night wind grew stronger with them as the center, whistling past their ears.

"Gale!!" Netev was knocked out by the wind and landed at the end of the alley, putting some distance between him and Stein.

Stein was shocked. "Wind?"

Zoe finally let go of him. The hand above her head pushed Stein's sword away and turned her wrist. The sharp serrated knife immediately slashed at Stein's shoulder.

Stein was already a little flustered because of the wind. When he saw Zoe attacking him again, he could only jump to the side with his knife. When he was still in the air, he raised his leg and kicked at Zoe.

Zoe and Snake Well had been practicing close combat recently, so they immediately realized that Stein's kick wasn't a kick they would see in close combat. Upon closer inspection, they realized that there were spikes on the tip of his shoe!

She raised her hand that was holding the saber in a reverse grip, and then used her arm to block the sharp thorns behind the saber. She used the saber to block the thorns.

The fingers on her other hand moved slightly. She directed the wind in the direction of Stein, who was behind her, and threw it at him.

Stein, who wanted to sneak up on her, was surprised. This girl could still sense his movement …

But he was only pushed away by the wind and wasn't injured. After he steadied himself, he grinned and chuckled.

Although she had successfully made Stein switch places with her and Netev, Zoe had no intention of letting him rest. She opened her right palm and waved it.

"Hmm?"

The red scarf dangling from Stein's ears swayed. Before he could see what had attacked him, the fabric of his pants had already been cut open. The skin underneath was also cut open, and a few droplets of blood were oozing out from the wound.

He tightened his grip on the knife. He didn't know that there was such a trick.

Although it was invisible to the naked eye, it greatly increased her chances of winning. But …

He raised his knife. "This level of power is still far from enough."

Zoe saw that Stein was coming at her aggressively. She gritted her teeth and took a step back. Her hands didn't stop moving, and as usual, she waved a few wind blades that were scattered by Stein's casual wave. The distance between them only increased.

Netev, who was lying on the ground, saw that the situation wasn't good. He shouted, "Gale!

Run! "

Stein raised his knife and prepared to give Zoe the final blow. "Go to hell —"

But he was hit by the last wind blade that came at him. He fell heavily on the ground, stirring up a circle of dust.

Did she suddenly become stronger?

He didn't expect Zoe to do this. He lowered his head to check his weak arm, only to find that the sword in his hand had cracked after blocking the wind blade.

In the time it took for him to make a few moves, the dimly lit alley was already covered in flying dust, greatly reducing the visibility.

Stein stood in the dust and looked around. Obviously, he couldn't find the two people.

Did they escape, or were they waiting for an opportunity to attack?

A two-finger-wide round hole suddenly appeared in the smoke behind him.

He heard the sound of a sharp weapon cutting through the air and immediately turned around.

In that half a second, although he couldn't see anything with his eyes, his body's sense of danger clearly told him that something sharper than the wind blade had touched the center of his forehead.

Zoe turned around and ran, not knowing what to do.

Netev was not far from her. He watched as Zoe made a gesture of throwing something at the smoke and then ran towards him.

Although he was very curious about what she did, the most important thing now was to escape this place.

Zoe put aside the growing sense of uneasiness in her heart and forced herself not to think about whether her last attack had succeeded or not. She focused on her companion in front of her.

Next, she just had to carry Mr. Netev and run to a place where there were professional heroes …

Thinking of this, her legs suddenly turned to jelly, and her soul seemed to be pulled from all directions. After a moment of dizziness, she lay on the ground weakly.

What is this?

Stein's personality?!

Without the wind blowing the dust around, the smoke screen that Zoe had just created started to show signs of dissipating. Stein's figure walking out of the smoke became clearer and clearer.

"First, you used a weak wind blade to make me underestimate you and rush forward. After shortening the distance between us, you used the strongest wind blade to attack me … You still have some brains …"

Zoe, who was facing down, felt a cold touch on the back of her neck. It was Stein's sword.

Damn it … When did he do it? How did he do it …

Thinking of this, she saw that the right sleeve in front of her had been cut open at some point. The skin under the cut felt a tingling sensation. It should be bleeding.

He got it when he jumped behind me … Does this have anything to do with his personality?

"Behind the smoke curtain, as long as you immediately took that person away, there was a great chance that you could successfully escape, but your last attack … was to kill me, right?"

Stein looked down at the girl who couldn't move on the ground with cold eyes and said faintly, "Who are you?"

The last attack was clearly aimed at her head, and he also felt the murderous intent leaking from this girl.

It was so dark that it could make people despair.

Such pure murderous intent wasn't something that normal people would have.

But seeing that she was protecting another hero, she didn't look like someone who would reveal that kind of thing …

Ah, so that's how it is.

"I understand.

You are the kind that someone interfered with. "

Stein's sword stabbed downwards again. "Forget it. I thought you were a good person, so I thought I could let you go. However, your last attack was too disappointing. You also let down the person who wanted to pull you back to the right path …"

When Zoe heard his last sentence, she immediately thought of the young hero lying in the ICU. She roared as if she had a mental breakdown. "You made him unable to stand up in the future!!"

Stein paused. "Although I don't know who you are talking about, nature isn't something that can be easily shaken off.

Even if someone tries to pull you back to the right path, you will only follow your desires in the end and do whatever you want.

Just like just now …

Well, you are the same as those black sheep of society. Go to hell. "

Zoe's eyes widened. She couldn't even bite the inner wall of her mouth to vent her anger. Was she going to die here?

Was she going to give up her life because of a stranger's stubborn beliefs?

She thought of her last attack.

How unseemly.

Her ears suddenly trembled, and her thoughts were interrupted. She shouted in a panic, "Don't come here!!!"

At this time, the silhouette of the person who appeared nearby was too familiar to her. She didn't have to deliberately sense it to know who he was.

She shouted again, "Don't come here!

Go find another hero!! "

And the moment she spoke, Tenya Iida had already arrived in front of Stein. She wanted to use a kick to stop him first, but Stein's sensitivity in battle allowed him to raise the long sword pointed at the back of Zoe's neck in a moment. He swung the sword to dodge the kick and directly knocked off the helmet on Tenya's head.

In the process, Tenya's glasses fell off and landed not far away.

Stein saw Tenya's face. "A kid in uniform?

Who are you?

Get out of here. This is not a place where a kid can set foot in. "

Zoe still couldn't move. She could only shout at him to leave. "Run!

Don't stay here!! "

Tenya, who had fallen to the ground, propped himself up as she shouted, "A blood-red scarf and knives all over your body … You are the hero killer Stein, right?!"

And Zoe could only look at him helplessly after seeing his eyes in the shadows.

He couldn't possibly listen to her in his current state …

Tenya leaned over and said in a vicious tone, "I've been looking for you. I didn't expect to meet you so soon …"

Stein knew what he was here for. He raised his hand and the tip of the knife was already in front of Tenya's eyes. "Look at your eyes. Do you want to take revenge?

Watch your words. Depending on the specific situation, even a kid may become my target … Just like this girl … "

Amaya looked down and saw Zoe lying on the ground not far away.

"Zoe …"

But this made him want to kill the person in front of him even more for revenge. Not only did she hurt his brother, but she also hurt his best friend …!!

Tenya stood up from the ground. Every word he said was overflowing with hatred. "Listen up, criminal!

I'm the younger brother of the hero you attacked!

The younger brother of the best elder brother!

I came here to take down you on behalf of my elder brother … Remember my name: Ingenium!

This is the name of the hero who will take you down!! "

Stein was indifferent. "Is that so? Then I'll let you accompany him on the road to hell."

"What did you say!!!"

Tenya roared and rushed forward. The only thought in his mind was to tear the face in front of him apart!!

On the other hand, Stein was calmer, as if he was indifferent to Tenya's words.

"Ingenium? Are you brothers?"

He jumped lightly and dodged Tenya's attack. "I spared his life to let him pass the message, but you …"

The spike on his shoe pierced Tenya's shoulder. He stepped on Tenya's back with his other foot and pressed Tenya to the ground with his own weight.

"Too weak."

With a twist of his wrist, the tip of the sword in his hand buried in Tenya's arm.

"Ah!" Tenya screamed in pain.

"You and your brother are weak because you're both imposters."

"Shut up!!

You evil man!

My brother's lower body is almost paralyzed because of his spine injury. He might not be able to do any heroic activities in the future!

My brother saved so many people. He's an outstanding hero. He's the great hero who gave me a dream!! "

Tenya became more and more agitated as he shouted. He was so angry that tears almost fell. The resentment that had accumulated over the past few days gradually emerged. Now, he just wanted to. "I'm going to kill you!!!"

Stein interrupted him and said coldly, "Think of a way to save the two people in front of you first. A hero will sacrifice his life to save others. He can't abuse his power for his own convenience. But you're not only trapped by your personal grudge, you even tried to use the power of a hero to satisfy your selfish desires.

This is the most contrary behavior of a hero.

So … "

He pulled the sword out of Tenya's arm. Under the cold light of the sword, he stuck out his unusually long tongue and licked the blood on it. "Die …"

"Hey."

A short cry came from behind him. It was Zoe, who hadn't spoken for a long time.

She opened her eyes wide and stared at the sword in Stein's hand. "What are you doing?"

Stein didn't turn his head. He waved the sword and lowered it. "Isn't it obvious? I'm going to get rid of the trash in this society."

Zoe was instantly pulled back to reality. She felt like she had been thrown heavily on the limestone ground.

She instinctively wanted to struggle but couldn't move. "No, stop …"

She then remembered the time she spent with Tenya. "No, I beg you. Stop. Let Tenya go …"

"Don't worry. It'll be your turn soon."

"Stop. Let Tenya go … I beg you …" The scene of Tensei lying on the hospital bed suddenly flashed in her mind. The mechanical beeping sound rang in her ears again. She suddenly begged fiercely, "Don't hurt him!!!"

She tried hard to regain control of her body, but the power output only made a few invisible blood vessels appear on her neck. The blood rushing to her head made her a little dizzy.

"I can do anything!!

You can vent all your resentment on me! "

You have already turned Brother Tensei into that …

"Stop!!"

Intermittent gasps escaped from her tightly clenched teeth, and her throat was dry. She knew that her bad habit of crying whenever she was agitated was about to start.

"Don't hurt him!

Don't hurt him!! "

Don't hurt these two people —

Stein wasn't moved by Zoe's begging. He only said to Tenya in a low voice, "Goodbye, you're a tribute to society."

Hearing this, Zoe's breathing stopped abruptly.

Even if I beg for mercy … it's still in vain?

You really won't let Tenya go …

Tenya, who was under Stein's sword, calmed down. He looked in the direction of the voice, as if he had just realized that the person present was someone who cherished Tensei Iida as much as he did.

In a moment of daze, he thought that the argument that day might be their last communication. Regret and tears burst out of his eyes. "Zoe, I'm sorry …"

Zoe's chin trembled. Her vocal cords were so tight that she couldn't squeeze out a word.

Why are you apologizing so sadly? Where are you going …

Aren't I the one who should apologize? I can't even protect you in front of me …

…

…