Evening, Toshima District, Jiang Jian Apartment.
This massive structure, currently undergoing expansion, was brightly lit.
The scaffolding on the outside looked like a steel skeleton wrapping around the core building.
In the central computer room, the scent of lingering gunpowder and a faint… smell of roasted meat hung in the air.
Jiang Jian Yue stood expressionless in the central control room.
At her feet lay a charred corpse, its human form long since unrecognizable.
This was the unlucky bastard who had taken the “fifty Bitcoins” mission, attempting to sneak in here to steal GSAC security data.
His ability was “Phase Through Walls,” but unfortunately, his brain wasn’t quite as functional.
He had walked straight into the newly upgraded defense system — and Jiang Jian Yue herself, who happened to be here “inspecting the work.”
“Clean it up,” Jiang Jian Yue coldly ordered Mark behind her.
She had no desire to touch such a useless skill; it would only risk causing her to lose control.
“Yes, Missy.”
Mark waved his hand, and two bodyguards immediately stepped forward, skillfully placing the corpse into a body bag.
Jiang Jian Yue rubbed her temples, feeling a surge of irritation.
Lately, these flies were becoming more frequent.
The approach of the GSAC had stirred up all sorts of monsters and ghosts.
Just then, her phone vibrated.
It was a message from Yuki Asahi.
‘Training is over. Getting ready to head home.’
‘By the way, a newcomer joined the team today.’
‘It’s Miss Cuiyue.’
As Jiang Jian Yue read the words on the screen, her blood-red pupils instantly constricted.
A nameless rage surged from her heart, overpowering the murderous aura she had felt just moments ago.
That fake… actually managed to sneak into the Special Response HQ?
And into Yuki Asahi’s team?
Living together day and night? Fighting side by side?
Snap!
The expensive custom fountain pen in her hand was snapped in two, the ink staining her fair fingertips black.
“What exactly does that fat woman want?!”
‘Are you calling her frontal armor “fat”? You’re something else, Haji-Yue,’
Meiguan joked.
Then, in a tone that suggested she wanted to see the world burn, she added, ‘Is this what they call… the one who’s closest to the water gets the moon first?’
‘Little Yuki is such a gentle person. Faced with a Jiang Jian Yue who looks exactly like you but has a body that’s more… ahem… can he really maintain his composure?’
Contrary to expectation, after the initial emotional spike, Jiang Jian Yue became as cold as a block of ice.
‘That girl and I are different after all. If Yuki falls for her just because of a slight resemblance… then that man might as well get lost.’
Even though she said that in her mind, Jiang Jian Yue still felt a tightness in her chest.
Besides, nothing had actually happened yet.
It wouldn’t be right to take her anger out on Yuki Asahi.
If she acted too jealous or unreasonable, she didn’t even want to think about what Yuki would think of her.
Even her own scarce “masculine soul” found such behavior distasteful.
‘Hmph…’
‘However, I originally planned to pull some strings behind the scenes to let Special Response HQ Unit 1 take the championship. Now, don’t blame me for wanting “fair competition.”‘
***
How did the saying in the textbooks go?
Time passes like a flowing river, and days fly by like a shuttle.
The massive metropolis of Tokyo changed rapidly with the turning of the seasons.
The cherry blossoms bloomed and faded.
The cicadas’ cries gradually shifted from sparse to deafening, and the heat waves in the air became more stifling by the day.
The entire world was visibly on a downward slope.
Many countries had fallen into riots, economic depression, and famine.
Major political entities were locked in fierce confrontations — primarily the rivalry between the DRG and the European Union.
For some reason, China and the United States remained silent.
The American president, a political star who had served three consecutive terms during peacetime — surpassing Washington and drawing even with Roosevelt — was currently reorganizing the capitalists.
He was using mandatory executive orders to revive the economy and regulate the free market.
So-called neoliberalism had been trampled underfoot.
A ghost, the ghost of Roosevelt, was haunting North America.
This president, who should have been the most hated by Americans and capitalists alike, seemed to have returned decades later.
A large number of wealthy groups fled the country, condemning the current government as a puppet controlled by the “Old China” and “Old Russia.”
Just as political commentators were wondering where the current government got the resources to enact such bold reforms…
In March, a joint declaration from China and the United States left the world speechless — the “North Pacific Joint Treaty” was formed.
China and the United States would engage in more economic and military cooperation.
Two joint forces were announced: the United Near-Earth Defense Force and the United Superpower Force.
Through certain clauses targeting “threats from beyond Earth,” commentators caught a whiff of something ominous.
It seemed… the reason China and the United States had been silent was that they were the first to know about a more pressing crisis?
Like… aliens?
The storm caused by this declaration on the international stage even overshadowed the GSAC and the clash between the EU and the DRG for a time.
These storms had not yet reached Japan.
At most, the Japanese people fell into a certain state of panic — the last time China and the United States stood on the same side was World War II!
Search volume for “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” surged in Japan.
Did anyone have a clue why?
It must be because more people like reading shota and fat-bastard doujins!
(A logical conclusion).
The opening day of the GSAC was drawing closer, and the eyes of the entire world were focused on Japan.
In this peculiar era, the GSAC had taken on a unique collective sentiment — a nostalgia for the decades of peace the world (specifically the First World) had enjoyed.
Or rather… the GSAC was one of the few grand events in this turbulent period that allowed people to reminisce about the glorious years of the past.
Inside the campus of Tokun High School, where the students were mostly children of middle-class families, the turmoil had not yet had an impact.
Daily life remained mundane and trivial.
These global storms were, at most, topics for after-dinner conversation or debates between “political experts.”
Jiang Jian Yue remained the cold goddess.
She spent most of her time in class sleeping or processing files on her laptop that only she could understand.
As for Yuki Asahi… rumors about him and Jiang Jian Yue were already rampant in the school.
Although they weren’t “together” yet, in the eyes of all the students and teachers, it was only a matter of time.
Kaori Onishi was still as energetic as ever.
She had recruited a large number of new club members, which resulted in the club activities turning into a collective tutoring session — the upperclassmen helping the underclassmen with their studies.
Only during their free time after meals could Kaori squeeze in between the two people who often snuck onto the rooftop to eat, chirping away about the latest gossip.
“Did you hear! Tanaka from the next class awakened! It seems he can change his hair color! That’s so cool!”
“Boring,”
Jiang Jian Yue said, biting into her pineapple bun without looking up.
“Right, right! Yuki, your muscles seem to have gotten firmer lately! Do you have some secret training manual?”
Yuki scratched his head awkwardly.
“Uh… it’s just normal exercise…”
Of course, he couldn’t say that he spent every day in the underground base of the Special Response HQ, engaging in life-or-death sparring sessions with a group of monsters.
Especially the sparring with Cuiyue.
That girl with the gray flames possessed terrifying strength.
During every sparring session, Yuki had to maintain one hundred and twenty percent focus.
“Captain! Again!”
On the training field, Cuiyue panted heavily, sweat soaking her gray hair.
In her blood-red eyes — which were identical to Jiang Jian Yue’s — burned a fire of refusal to lose.
“That’s enough for today.”
Yuki checked the time and decisively called a halt.
“Over-training will only be counterproductive.”
His relationship with Cuiyue was maintained in a delicate balance.
On the training field, they were coordinated partners and rivals who sharpened one another.
But the moment they left the base, the two were like parallel lines.
They wouldn’t say a single extra word to each other, nor would they allow any extra interaction.
Yuki was sticking to his promise to Jiang Jian Yue.
And Cuiyue also seemed to be deliberately avoiding something.
***
On the other side of the city, Mizuki Kotaro’s hellish life continued.
Mark’s whip had been replaced by a more scientific physical training plan, but the level of pain had not diminished at all.
“Last five sets! Hold on! Ako!”
“If you can’t even lift this weight, how are you going to lift up your life?!”
Sweat flowed like a waterfall.
The loose flab that had once covered him was slowly disappearing, replaced by the outline of tightening muscles.
Although he was still far from “bodybuilder” status, the cloudiness in Mizuki Kotaro’s eyes was fading.
He was beginning to dare to look at himself in the mirror.
Even if that face still wasn’t considered handsome, at least… it no longer made him feel disgusted.
And when he transformed into “Mizuki Hoshi,” that confidence radiated from the inside out.
On stage, her smile was no longer stiff, and her dance moves were no longer sluggish.
The popularity of the “Southern Cross” was skyrocketing like a rocket.
Especially after Saori Saiyonji (Stage name: MOMO) and Makino Yuzuha (Stage name: YUZU) officially joined as second-generation members, this peculiar “Superpower Idol Group” set the entire internet ablaze.
“Heavens! Is that MOMO really not a girl? How can he be so cute?”
“Is… isn’t he that Saiyonji from before?”
“Is this what idols are like in your eyes? They look different in mine. DM me for NSFW videos.”
“YUZU is so inspiring! From an ordinary student to an idol, it’s a total Cinderella story!”
“I feel like five is greater than seven.”
Public opinion was mixed with praise and criticism, but there was no denying that the “Southern Cross” had become the most dazzling pre-event stars before the opening of the GSAC.
***
As the depths of summer arrived, the atmosphere in Tokyo became increasingly feverish.
GSAC promotional posters were everywhere in the streets and alleys.
Superpower users, media members, and tourists from all over the world arrived in droves, packing the city to the point of being impassable.
A massive holographic projection over Shinjuku displayed the countdown.
[Distance from the GSAC Global Opening Ceremony — ]
[3 Days]
In the Toshima District, on the top floor of the newly completed DRG headquarters.
Jiang Jian Yue stood before a massive floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the city that glittered like a sea of stars.
Countless neon lights were reflected in her eyes, her blood-colored pupils deep and calm.
“Finally… it’s about to begin.”
She murmured softly.
In the shadows behind her, Morita Aoya stood respectfully.
“Missy, everything is ready.”
“The security system has been upgraded to the highest level, and the Special Response HQ has prepared their defensive support.”
“Additionally… regarding the investigation into that ‘Adventurer Bulletin Board,’ we have some leads.”
“It’s similar to your deduction. The personnel are connected to the Saints, who have long since disappeared.”
Jiang Jian Yue turned around, the corner of her mouth curling into a cold arc.
“Very good.”
“Since the stage has been set…”
“Let the actors take their places.”
So the US and China are allies now? Seems it’s really the end of the world