Chapter 525: A Step Too Late
Chapter 525 A Step Too Late
Just minutes later, the ship completed its short-range jump and entered orbit around Zhazhazha Planet.
This planet bore a striking resemblance to Shrugging Planet’s surface appearance. From space, both were dull yellowish planets, though Zhazhazha Planet was slightly smaller in size.
"Hmm... The gravity on Shrugging Planet felt nearly identical to Earth’s", Feng Bu Jue mused as the ship plunged into the atmosphere. "Assuming this planet’s density matches Shrugging Planet’s, its gravitational pull should naturally be weaker... If a combat situation arises later, I’ll need to adjust for that..."
"The gravity here is slightly weaker than Shrugging Planet’s", Tap Monster Guest chimed in, turning his head to warn, "Be careful when you step out, Poker Hero."
"Oh, understood", Feng Bu Jue replied.
Through recent interactions, he’d grasped the personality traits of these two heroes. Pili Dancer Warrior was a more reserved type—though not exactly silent, he rarely indulged in useless chatter. In contrast, Tap Monster Guest spoke far more freely. His lively personality made him the kind of person who bonded easily with others, often cracking jokes.
"Putting aside the thick Indian accent and questionable hero titles..." Feng Bu Jue thought, "These two seem perfectly normal. Seems people in this universe aren’t just naive—they’ve got basic intelligence. I haven’t encountered any full-blown idiots yet..."
"Hahahaha! Hahaahahaha!" A maniacal laughter suddenly shattered Feng Bu Jue’s thoughts—and, to some extent, his assumptions.
As the Curry Ship pierced the atmosphere and began decelerating, the main screen abruptly switched to an unexpected image. On-screen stood a Shrugging Planet human clad in a mechanical exoskeleton, helmeted head held high. Judging from the laughter and expression alone, it was clear—this wasn’t some friendly face.
"Hahaha! Universal Superhero Alliance—you’ve finally arrived!" The man cackled.
"Who are you?" Tap Monster Guest barked at the screen.
"Hmph... You don’t even recognize me? Such ignorant fools!" The man sneered. "I am the great, genius scientist Doctor Sui!"
"Hey... What did you have against your parents?" Feng Bu Jue muttered.
"You actually hacked this ship’s comms?" Pili Dancer Warrior asked, his voice heavy with suspicion.
"Haha! Ludicrous! This is child’s play!" Doctor Sui laughed, striking a menacing pose. "Listen well, heroes! I advise you to stay out of this. Turn back now, or else..."
"Oh? Daring to intimidate us?" Pili Dancer Warrior cut in. "So you’re the one who started this crisis?"
"Hmph... You saw through it quickly. Not bad for a dimwit", Doctor Sui sneered.
"Is this what you call clever?" Feng Bu Jue inwardly exclaimed. "You practically have ‘I’m the villain’ tattooed on your forehead!"
"There’s no need to hide anymore", Doctor Sui continued. "My true title should be: The great, evil, invincible genius scientist—Doctor Sui!"
"What exactly are you hiding?!" Feng Bu Jue facepalmed. "You literally added nothing but ‘evil’ and ‘invincible’ to your name! You’re basically declaring yourself a bandit!"
"What’s your scheme?" Tap Monster Guest glared.
"Hahaha... You’ll find out soon enough", Doctor Sui chuckled, ending the transmission.
As they spoke, the ship descended significantly. Pili Dancer Warrior adjusted the controls, switching to atmospheric auto-pilot mode.
"Doctor Sui’s quite the arrogant one", Pili Dancer Warrior remarked. "This mission won’t be easy."
"C-rank threats are usually serious", Tap Monster Guest nodded. "We’ll need to confirm details with the local government’s military first."
"Ahem..." Feng Bu Jue finally interjected. "Since they breached Curry Ship’s comms, our position’s compromised, right?"
The two ahead stiffened.
"If they know our location but haven’t attacked yet, that’s suspicious", Feng Bu Jue continued. "Possible explanations: They’re on the opposite hemisphere, unable to strike quickly, or they lack effective anti-air capabilities. Hence, they can only issue threats via comms." He paused, raising three fingers. "But he confidently claimed we’d ‘soon know’ his plan. Which leaves three possibilities. First: He believes he can subdue us post-landing. Second: His ‘crisis’ affects the entire planet—wherever we land, we’ll face immediate effects. Third: He’s just a blabbering idiot."
Feng Bu Jue paused for a few seconds, letting the heroes process, then added, "I’d wager second possibility’s highest, first next. Either way, danger awaits us upon landing."
"OH! You’re a genius, Poker Hero!" Tap Monster Guest suddenly gasped, eyes wide.
"Ahhh—no, I’m just reasoning..." Feng Bu Jue tried to deflect, but the other wouldn’t let him finish.
Even Pili Dancer Warrior looked shocked. "So besides your powers, you possess ‘Super Wisdom’ too, Hero?"
"Wait—is this implying average Iqs of all ‘wise’ races here are below 80?" Feng Bu Jue thought, biting back the retort. "No wonder he called you clever... But is this setting even sustainable? How’d you reach a space age? Through a few geniuses singlehandedly pushing history?" He paused, reconsidering. "Now that I think about it... It’s not that unrealistic. In our world, humanity’s tech progress relied on a few brilliant minds too..."
Unaware of his expression, Tap Monster Guest rambled on. "Poker Hero, you might not know—Earth hasn’t seen a Super Wisdom Hero in ages! Heroes combining powers and Super Wisdom are rarer than rare across the universe!"
"Heh... Haha... So I’m special, huh?" Feng Bu Jue dryly chuckled.
"Absolutely! The Alliance’s Supreme Council has two Super Wisdom Heroes", Tap Monster Guest revealed. "Toad Hero and Tinfoil Hero."
"Could their names be any lamer?" Feng Bu Jue inwardly groaned.
"Though powerless, their wisdom is unparalleled", Tap Monster Guest elaborated. "And they’re fabulously wealthy, practically funding the entire Alliance. When the Alliance had no sponsors, they kept it running."
"This setup sounds eerily familiar..." Feng Bu Jue mused. "And why does agreeing to a few lines make this guy spill every detail? Are Npcs here just over-easy to interrogate?"
Tap Monster Guest rambled on: "Toad Hero’s real name is Enwei Slub. Heir to the Slub family, Mahat Planet’s richest dynasty. Orphaned young by criminals, he vowed to eradicate evil. He trained under masters, mastering detective skills and combat, crafting high-tech gear via Slub Corp. By day—a brainless playboy young noble. By night—the Dark Knight, Toad Hero, feared by criminals."
"Seriously copying Batman’s profile? You’re telling me his real name? And why... a Toad? Why??" Feng Bu Jue nearly exploded.
"Tinfoil Hero..." Tap Monster Guest continued. "Real name Ketas Nitro, heir to Nitro Enterprises. His homeworld, Mud Planet, is famed for tech. He’s a legendary firearms merchant, physicist, engineer, philanthropist, inventor, adventurer, billionaire playboy young noble. He wears self-made armor, powered by a Miniature Ark Reactor in his chest. The armor grants Superman-like strength, endurance, flight, and weapon systems—enabling his heroics."
"Wait—" Feng Bu Jue barely held back. "So why ‘Tinfoil Hero’? Because his armor..."
"Exactly! It’s made from his patented ‘Super Foil’!" Tap Monster Guest explained. "Ultra-lightweight, pressure-resistant, heatproof. Combined with molecular tech..."
"Hey look!" Pili Dancer Warrior interrupted, adjusting a secondary screen onto the main display. "This footage from the ship’s monitors..." His tone tensed. "What are those on the ground?"
Tap Monster Guest turned, astonished. "Those aren't the military's regular mechanized units..."
Feng Bu Jue, teetering on the edge of existential despair, muttered, "Whatever happens next... I’m beyond caring..."
He glanced at the screen. Below, the tawny plains of the planet crawled with a vast, shifting black shadow. A closer look revealed an army of mechanical constructs—an endless formation of monstrous machines, varying in size and shape, advancing rapidly across the land.
"What the..." Feng Bu Jue thought. "Doctor Sui, couldn’t you just unleash a shrugging zombie virus or something? How are we supposed to fight an army of machines? Seriously, how obscenely rich and efficient are these villains? Why not just do something productive with that budget and manpower?"
"The alarm coordinates are near", Pili Dancer Warrior said, switching to manual controls. "I’ll approach."
"Got it", Tap Monster Guest nodded, grabbing the comm device. He pressed a few keys, waited a moment. "Strange... No signal."
"Could be the military’s jamming base signals to hide their position..." Pili Dancer Warrior began, but trailed off mid-sentence. His eyes had found the base.
"Ah", Feng Bu Jue murmured, gazing at the distant scene. "We’re too late..."
(End of Chapter)
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