"Hm?"
As soon as Fang Li turned on the television, all the girls present froze at the same time and turned their attention toward the screen.
Fang Li was still listening to the phone call as he watched the report on television.
The report began:
"Along the coast of J-City, a large number of Mysterious Beings suddenly appeared without warning and began attacking anyone they encountered."
That first sentence immediately captured everyone's attention.
"These Mysterious Beings all have appearances resembling marine creatures. They are believed to be mutated species originating from the ocean. They call themselves the Deep Sea Race and have declared their intention to conquer the world, turn humans into livestock, and rule over the land. Several Heroes have already engaged these Mysterious Beings, and the Hero Association has issued an emergency evacuation notice. Current Disaster Level: Tiger. However, there is a possibility that the Disaster Level may escalate to Demon."
After watching the report, the girls immediately understood why Fang Li had suddenly turned on the television.
Fang Li, meanwhile, quietly watched the entire report.
On the footage, several Mysterious Beings with marine-animal appearances emerged from the waves and made their way onto land. Some looked like octopuses, some like catfish, and others like squid. Yet all of them could walk upright like humans, almost like Fish-Men. They were also enormous, easily exceeding three meters in height and towering over everything around them.
Several Heroes were currently fighting the Mysterious Beings. Some were C-Class Heroes, while others were B-Class Heroes, and they had formed a standoff against the creatures. It also appeared that A-Class Heroes had begun rushing toward the scene, with the news helicopter capturing some of them on camera.
"Woof! Woof!" Tatsumaki let out a dissatisfied bark as she watched the report.
"She says, 'They're only Tiger-level disasters, yet they sent so many people. These Heroes really have too much free time. As expected, there isn't a single reliable person in the Hero Association. I could handle all of them by myself anyway,'" Fubuki translated, having already become accustomed to it.
Sylvia, however, had a different opinion. "Didn't the report say that the Disaster Level could rise to Demon at any time?" Sylvia looked at Fang Li. "That's why the Association contacted you, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Fang Li didn't look at Sylvia. He continued staring at the television for a moment before nodding. "I'll go."
He was speaking both to Sylvia and to the Hero Association employee still on the phone. Only after saying that did Fang Li hang up.
"Then I'll head over first," Fang Li told Sylvia. "You go get ready for your program."
"Don't you need me to come with you?" Sylvia immediately asked. "I can cancel the recording."
"No need," Fang Li shook his head. "It's just one incident. Even if it escalates to Demon-level, let alone Dragon-level, it's not something I can't handle. You go ahead with your recording. It'll be fine."
"All right," Sylvia thought about it for a moment before nodding.
Since Fang Li had said that, it meant he genuinely didn't need her to get involved this time. Otherwise, Fang Li certainly wouldn't have hesitated to ask for her help.
Take the meteorite incident, for example. Before the side quest had even been triggered, Fang Li had already informed Sylvia about it. So if he really needed her, Sylvia was certain that Fang Li wouldn't refuse to let her fight alongside him.
The two of them weren't in a relationship where one protected the other; they fought side by side. No one could deny that, and Sylvia certainly possessed the strength to stand alongside him.
Since Fang Li hadn't asked her to come this time, it meant that he was confident the incident could be resolved even without her.
"I'll be going, then." Fang Li headed toward the front door.
"Woof! Woof woof!" Tatsumaki suddenly struggled free from Sylvia's arms and prepared to chase after him.
'Whoosh…!'
But before she could do so, Fang Li had already stepped outside the gate. In the next instant, he transformed into a streak of light and shot into the sky.
"Woof! Woof woof woof woof!" Tatsumaki could only chase him to the gate and bark furiously at the streak of light disappearing into the distance. She looked absolutely livid.
Sylvia and Fubuki followed her outside and could only exchange amused looks.
"I don't even know whether I should say their relationship is too good or too terrible."
"If Big Sister weren't stuck like this, she'd probably have chased after him already, right?"
After all, Tatsumaki was still the Hero Association's ultimate weapon. Bang had mentioned before that although the young girl wasn't particularly enthusiastic, she would always properly complete the tasks assigned to her by the Hero Association. She also actively exterminated Mysterious Beings on a regular basis. If she couldn't do that, she would actually feel uncomfortable.
Perhaps, for Tatsumaki, being a Professional Hero was her entire life. And without it, she would have a hard time knowing what to do with herself.
As Sylvia watched Tatsumaki, who was so angry that she was about to use her superpowers to blow everything around her away while Fubuki hurriedly rushed forward to stop her, she couldn't help remembering the day she had first met Tatsumaki.
She remembered some of the things the young girl had said that day:
"This world is full of people who can't survive without relying on others. That's why people keep promoting the idea that communication and connections between people are the strongest and most lasting things. But there's no value in any of that. Friends? When you're in danger, do you really think those 'friends' you're talking about will come and save you? Don't make me laugh. Don't assume that someone will always come to save you when things get serious! The only person you can truly rely on in this world is yourself!"
Remembering those words, Sylvia silently watched Tatsumaki struggling wildly in Fubuki's arms, her little limbs still flailing about.
She couldn't help thinking to herself:
'This girl must have her own troubles that no one else knows about, too...'
...
The area where the large number of Mysterious Beings calling themselves the Deep Sea Race had appeared was J-City.
The city was right beside the sea, making it an extremely lively destination during the summer. Foreign tourists often came there for vacations as well, and the closer it got to the coast during this season, the more crowded the area became.
Fang Li flew at full speed and took some time to reach the city. However, by the time he arrived, the streets were already almost completely deserted.
'BOOM!'
Thunder suddenly rumbled across the sky. Dark clouds began gathering overhead, with flashes of lightning streaking through them. It probably wouldn't be long before the rain started.
"What a hassle..." Fang Li flew toward the coastline.
By the time he arrived at the location mentioned in the news report, the area was already a complete mess. The corpses of Mysterious Beings were scattered across the ground. Green and blue blood covered vehicles and walls.
It seemed that the Mysterious Beings calling themselves the Deep Sea Race had already been defeated.
But the Mysterious Beings weren't the only ones lying there. There were also people scattered across the area, one after another, all covered in wounds.
(End Of This Chapter)
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