Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Lin Ling opened his eyes, a pure white embraced his hazy vision

There were no decorations, no windows, not even a lamp even though the room is lit.

Had he fallen asleep at work? His boss would kill him if that were the case. Had he died? His boss would search for him even in hell for not finishing his work hours.

But alongside the dazed thoughts dancing in his stunned mind, clarity fiercely broke through, dragging with it a panic that he began to feel when he realized that the ceiling he was seeing so much was unfamiliar.

"Ah, I see you finally woke up..." The voice was soft, small and feminine. It was definitely not Lin Ling who had emitted it.

His brown eyes looked towards the source of the sound and suddenly opened wide with astonishment and nervousness. Perhaps, in his right mind he would not have done what he did at that moment, but being in a pristine, unknown place, and with one of the Top 10 heroes beside him, he could only lunge to grab her wrist in amazement.

"Lucky Cyan?!" Maybe his voice was louder than expected, but he is nervous, so they couldn't blame him for sounding so excited.

"Umh," The girl seemed uncomfortable, it was noticeable when her eyes darted to the side. Now that Lin Ling was paying attention to her appearance, he saw her younger than he remembered, perhaps because it was the first time he saw her in person, but... that wouldn't explain why she looked smaller in height. She was also wearing a starched white coat. Where was her hero suit? If that was her civilian attire, it is very strange. "You are... One of those who seeks a blessing?"

"Ble...ssing?" Lin Ling tilted his head, confused by what the girl was asking him.

He could have pressed further, like any terrified civilian demanding answers from a hero as if they held the knowledge of the entire universe, but a hand landed on his shoulder, and Lin Ling almost lost his soul seeing the albino woman looking at him with murderous seriousness. But who could blame him for being scared? He had the Top 2 looking at him like he was a weird bug.

"I would appreciate it if you let go of Lucky Cyan," She paused. "She is not comfortable with contact from strangers." Her voice was calm, but the translation of her words was: "Let go of her or I'll make you let go, you damn pervert."

And Lin Ling might be a groveling dog, but never a filthy pig; so he released her and muttered a whispered apology to Queen and Cyan.

The albino woman just gave him another serious look before carefully grabbing Cyan's hand (and the girl, childishly, let her cheeks blush) and looking around.

"It seems there's no way out." She turned to look at Lin Ling. "I was thinking of asking you if you knew something, but since you just woke up, I doubt that's the case."

Or perhaps Lin Ling is showing the stupidest face he can wear. It's not surprising: he's been told he has the face of an idiot.

"Queen! Big Johnny and I searched everywhere and found nothing." A redhead ran up to the three, carrying a strange cat in his arms.

They were the Johnnys. What crime could Lin Ling have committed for the Top 10 heroes to be appearing? Submitting the video presentation late? When his boss threatened that everyone would be after his head, but he never didn't think it would be serious.

"I see..." Queen put a hand to her chin and looked around, catching Lin Ling's attention.

And the brunette must still be half-asleep because he was startled when he looked around and saw many more heroes and some strangers.

But when his eyes fixed on a raised, blonde head of hair, the blood drained from his veins.

What was Smile doing here... alive?

X hated unforeseen events.

Normally, issues that presented themselves out of nowhere always made him work overtime, stress out too much, and made him desire to drink a hot coffee with a kilo of sugar on top.

So when he woke up in an unknown room, unlike some who let out alarmed exclamations, he could only frown.

Did the threat he was preparing for show up earlier than expected? Where were they and how did he not notice anything?

"So you're here too, do you have any idea what's going on?"

X was a calm, reserved, perhaps a bit serious person, but there were very few things that could elicit any emotion in the chain-filled drawer that represented his heart. That didn't stop his eyes from widening when he heard the voice. It was deep, calm, too kind, perhaps a bit tense.

It was the voice of a dead man, a ghost whispering to him on the side.

And when X turned around, he wasn't surprised to see the sun itself smiling nervously at him. He was surprised to see that this sun was shining again as if it had never gone out.

He is the same as the day he left: blonde and elevated hair, not as much as when he was young, but he still kept that silly tuft. Gray hairs were just starting to appear, and the beard around his face was visibly unshaven and patchy. His wrinkles were marked under his eyes and around them; they also framed his goofy smile.

And he was wearing the same clothes from the day he died.

Perhaps the X of months ago would have preferred to eat desserts with salt before what his dazed mind made him commit next, but right at that moment he allowed himself to tear down the walls he had stubbornly built over his cold heart.

He always thought that hugging Smile would be like hugging a brick wall; he was very strong after all and didn't seem like the type to break down easily (even though X had defeated him before). But when X slammed into the blonde's chest, it felt like coming home tired from work and throwing himself onto the bed to hug his pillow, only this pillow felt warm and even more comfortable, plus it moved gently up and down, accompanied by a soft heartbeat that flooded X's eardrums when he placed his ear on the left side of his torso.

He really is alive: he didn't seem infected by fear, he wasn't pale, at least not more than he usually was, and his body temperature was warm, comfortable.

Smile is alive now, and X was too stunned to even question how it was possible.

The blonde, for his part, seemed to tense up considerably at the impact of the other person and the arms wrapped around his torso. Perhaps he didn't expect that in all the years he had lived, X would ever be able to hug him. Was he drunk? It was a valid conclusion, but he didn't seem to be. Despite everything, even in his moments of doubt, unconsciously, Smile returned the embrace to the person who needed comfort.

Even if that person was his inexpressive friend X.

"Wreck, wake up!"

A loud smack was heard and a black-haired man shot up, rubbing his left cheek which was starting to turn red with a curious hand shaped mark.

"What? Nice, I told you that..."

Silence. 

Wreck's lips snapped shut seeing a pair of blue eyes looking at him with concern. Nice looked worried, with a slight crease between his eyebrows and his lips pressed tight. Oh, there was also the hand that Wreck was barely noticing resting on his shoulder, squeezing it occasionally with nervousness.

Is he dreaming? It wouldn't surprise him: the pristine white room and Nice, dressed in his usual white clothes with a yellow vest, were the biggest evidence, and it wasn't like Wreck wasn't used to these dreams since Nice stopped visiting him and answering his messages.

Sometimes he would lunge to hug him (only to pass right through), other times he would get angry and yell at the reflection that only smiled and turned a deaf ear to his words, making him wake up with tears in his cold, empty bed.

He was supposed to be used to that, to the reflection of the other person that became unattainable even in his dreams. He wasn't used to the worried look, the warm hand squeezing his shoulder, and especially, the sting on his cheek.

It hurts, but isn't pain what makes us feel alive?

Only Wreck knew Nice's true hits.

And this is his Nice.

It should be considered fair that Wreck raised his hand and slapped the albino, leaving his cheek even redder than Wreck's, perhaps because he is pale.

He didn't have time to exclaim angrily or even make a sound when he then grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Nice! "Where had he been? Why wasn't he answering his calls or messages? Where were they? What was going on? Why didn't he say anything while he was still appearing on television with... that girl? Why did he forget about him so quickly? Did he not need him anymore? Did he... not love him anymore?

"Wreck! What are you supposed to-?"

Nice should be angry, of course he should be. Wreck had just woken up, slapped him, and squeezed his shoulders so hard he dug his nails in. But his annoyed expression gave way to one of concern again as he looked at Wreck.

Why was he looking at him that way? Maybe it was because of the tears that were starting to stream down his eyes like waterfalls, rolling down his reddened cheeks.

Wreck could register nothing more than Nice's arms wrapping around his shoulders and neck, pulling him close. Maybe he was trembling, maybe he was panting, but his arms also tightened around the other person and he whimpered pitifully.

"Nice... Where have you been?"

Wreck buried himself in the albino's shoulder, he didn't care about anything anymore. The questions that tormented him evaporated the moment those arms surrounded him.

And perhaps that's why he didn't notice the somber look watching them from afar.

"He's not waking up..."

"He's not dead, can you see? He's breathing, don't worry."

Xia Qing has always thought that Shang Chao was a very calm person: he didn't seem to worry about anything, perhaps because his father is the CEO of a hero company. But even so, she felt he is too calm for literally having to wake up in an unknown place with several heroes and strangers who were just as confused as them.

Xia Qing, on her part, is very nervous: her hands are trembling a little and her heart is racing. The only reason she hasn't been wandering around the room looking for answers is because of the black-haired boy lying on the floor that she found next to Shang Chao, unconscious.

"Let me try something," Shang Chao brought his hand close to the other person's face and squeezed his nose with a bit of force, perhaps hoping that the lack of air and the accelerating heart would wake him up.

When a few moments passed without a response, Xia Qing gently hit the brunette's hand so he would release the other boy. Maybe in another situation she would have laughed a little when she felt Shang Chao's confused and offended look, but now she couldn't afford those luxuries.

"Yang Cheng, please, wake up..." Xia Qing gently stroked his hair, pulling it away from his face.

"Is the boy alright?" A deep, muffled voice sounded behind them, and while the brunette felt her heart skip a beat for a moment, Shang Chao looked confused in that direction.

Instinctively, Xia Qing hugged Yang Cheng against her chest.

"Oh, it's E-soul," The smile that appeared on Shang Chao's face was what Xia Qing saw before looking at the person who had spoken to her earlier.

Is the one and only E-Soul, in his bluish suit and the helmet he never took off. He is more intimidating than Xia Qing imagined: he is big and tall, and all that armor didn't make him look human.

Xia Qing didn't stop hugging Yang Cheng, even when he started to stir in her arms.

"What...?" The voice came out hoarse and soft, capturing the attention of the other three.

"You finally woke up, I thought you'd sleep a few more hours," Shang Chao was the only one who spoke, laughing slightly at Yang Cheng's confused look.

For his part, the black-haired boy could only register two things when his eyes cleared:

He had E-soul, his idol, staring intently at him from above.

And he was being squeezed against Xia Qing's chest and surrounded by her arms.

And him? He could only faint again.

After all the remaining sleeping people woke up (some scared, others angry), they gathered in a circle. There were 26 people in total... And a dog that spoke for some reason.

At first, there was panic in some parts, mainly when they realized that their trust indices had disappeared from their wrists and no one could use absolutely none of their powers, but one clap from Queen was enough for everyone to pay attention; even without her abilities, the woman had an authoritarian aura and character.

For now, they had certain things clear:

1: They were in an unknown place.

2: There were different types of heroes (Some should even be dead, Queen is very curious, but she didn't want panic to spread again).

3: They couldn't use their powers.

In terms of battle, they were at a disadvantage.

"Still nothing?" Queen turned to look at the man with long black hair who was looking at something on one of the walls.

"Give me a moment, I almost have it."

Ah, and detail number four: Approximately 10 minutes ago one of the walls was filled with strange writing that, as far as he understood (at least according to what the man who also seemed to be a hero said), is Latin.

Whoever brought them there seemed to be having fun giving them riddles.

Qishi, for his part, frowned further as he adjusted his glasses, trying to completely decipher the writing. He had been told a long time ago that learning Latin was a waste of time. But now, being all trapped in that strange room with that Latin writing, Qishi felt superior for being the only one capable of deciphering it.

Was he taking too long? Perhaps, but those were just details, either way, he wasn't far from finishing.

And when he finally understood the writing...

Those who seek the truth run the risk of finding it.

He didn't understand what it referred to, was it... A hint for him? He was always obsessed with revealing truths to this world full of falsehoods, but he didn't understand why the others were also there with him.

"Those who seek the truth run the risk of finding it...." Qishi whispered, perhaps if he tested the phrase in his language he could understand the situation and see if he found a hidden message that would get them out of there.

However, as soon as he whispered those words, the phrase written on the wall began to glow and distort. Qishi could only take two steps back before falling onto his rear, watching in surprise as a dark door slowly formed from the black ink.

"What did you do?" Arms lifted Qishi by his armpits, making him turn to look at the redhead who was talking to him.

"I don't know either, it just happened," Qishi adjusted his crooked glasses and looked at Queen who was approaching the door. "Are you planning to open it?"

Queen nodded. "It's the only clue we have, we can't waste it." The woman placed a hand on the black, ink-like doorknob, but before that she looked at those behind her. "The heroes will go first, from the highest rank to the lowest, the civilians will go last," she declared, and no one in the audience thought to contradict her, after the time they had been there, everyone wanted to leave by any means necessary.

But when the last person crossed the threshold of the door, they didn't expect to see the environment that was shown to them.

A... Movie theater?

Completely clean, completely empty, and above all dimly lit. Several red seats were facing a screen, like any movie theater, only it had no exit door, and the one they had entered through closed and disappeared when the last person entered.

No one said anything, no one moved an inch, at least for a few seconds. Until Qishi slowly started approaching the seats and then, sat down in one.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Nice asked, somewhat confused by the hero's confidence to go without fear or doubt to the seats and sit in one.

"“He who seeks the truth runs the risk of finding it”," The black-haired man, still sitting, looked at the others. "A truth, a movie theater, I think whoever brought us here wants to show us something," Qishi paused for a moment and then looked at the screen in front of him, "and I think they won't let us go until they succeed."

A deathly silence reigned among the undecided looks and the doubts the others had. Maybe they should look for another way out instead of sitting and waiting, was this the only option?

Amidst the continuous murmuring, a sigh resonated and with it, Queen began to walk until she also sat down in one of the chairs of that strange place.

"It seems this is the only option left for us," Queen, without even looking at them, continued speaking. "As he says, if they brought us to this place, maybe they have something to show us."

Doubt again, but this time it lasted less than before, perhaps because she is the Top 2 hero, but little by little everyone began to go to a random seat, some sitting with acquaintances, others simply throwing themselves onto the first one they saw, someone simply remained standing checking if there was popcorn somewhere (And of course, that someone was Little Johnny), but in the end, in less than five minutes, everyone was in a seat.

And when everyone was seated, waiting.

The screen lit up.

Chapter Text

“What is a hero? A ray of light in the middle of darkness. A savior in times of crisis…” A voice begins to narrate in the background while the screen shows a humanoid being surrounded by a purple aura while Nice appears contrasting with a golden aura when he smiles.

When the voice flooded the deathly silence of the room, many immediately tensed their shoulders, surprised by the images and flashes appearing on the screen. Some recognized the hero, others (like Nice himself) were confused to see him on the screen.

But one in particular…

“Wait… isn’t that my voice?” Lin Ling murmured. Perhaps it was because he was in an unknown place, or because he was surrounded by many important people; But hearing himself on screen made him very nervous, feeling even his hands sweat.

“What do you mean?” A soft, feminine voice spoke to him, almost sounding unsure about addressing him.

But when Lin Ling turned to look at the speaker, he felt a slight dizziness and a tingling in his stomach along with his racing heart.

Perhaps it was weird but what fan wouldn't get that nervous when seeing their idol?

After all, Lin Ling had the one and only Moon next to him.

“Uh… Well, I-I,” Good job, Lin Ling, you’re acting like an idiot in front of the girl you admire the most. No wonder your boss despises you, “I-I think that’s my voice, the one playing on screen.” He ran a hand through the back of his neck. “Although maybe I’m wrong.”

The villain begins to attack Nice with rubble from the battlefield, but the white-haired man dodges them without any problem and launches himself to attack the villain, defeating him in a few seconds. “He’s perfect and loved by everyone! Nice!” The voice exclaims while several hands reach the hero up high who smiles at his fans. “In this era where heroes are forged with trust, everyone creates heroes and everyone can become a hero.” Nice approaches and brushes his finger against one of the hands like the painting of the Creation of Adam, while a blue light envelops him.

At that moment, the narrator suddenly appears, revealing Lin Ling who is standing in front of the projection making finger guns.

“Sure… Wrong.” Moon gave him something resembling a sarcastic look and Lin Ling felt ashamed.

That feeling didn't last long, though, as doubt and disbelief replaced his expressions, realizing what was being shown on the screen.

Wasn’t that… Wasn’t that the video he was preparing to hand over to his boss in a few days?

Why was this…?

“Wait, wait! Tell me, do you know who our client is?” Exclaims a middle-aged man, with annoyance, who is Lin Ling's boss.

“The perfect hero, Nice…?” Lin Ling responds nervously.

Instead, the one mentioned frowns, confused.

He knew that was the title they decided to give him when they said they were going to hire him to be a hero, but… wasn’t it a bit exaggerated to make him a promotional video so soon? He didn't even know what his suit was, and he was barely getting used to the stage name they demanded he use, even to Wreck.

“People create heroes, anyone can be one’?” His boss scoffs with irritation. “We have to focus on Nice, Nice, Nice!” The boss exclaims angrily, hitting the desk repeatedly with his finger.

“Yes, but this is what I’ve learned from you, following trends,” Lin Ling says as he moves his hands forward, explaining with an almost serious expression. “The Hero Tournament is returning this year, so the final message of this video should be ‘Be the Hero X!’” Lin Ling smiles nervously as he continues to explain. “The X represents the number one hero, but it means that even people like me can become heroes…” Lin Ling speaks excitedly while his boss gets irritated by his words.

X raised an eyebrow.

“That’s a very optimistic thought, perhaps too naive.” He pauses. “Reminds me of someone.” The black-haired man gave a quick look at the blonde next to him. “Even so, I don't understand their eagerness to be a hero, it’s quite boring, to be honest,” X yawns, “It’s just unnecessary overtime.”

“For the number one hero, you say very problematic things,” Smile smiles at his friend. “Don't let them hear you, anyone in this place can use what you say against you.”

X looks at him and then sighs.

“It’s not like they know me, anyway… At least, it doesn’t seem like it,” he whispers the last part.

The boss suddenly slammed his desk. “Stop! How old are you? Stop dreaming about being a hero!”

“Uh, but–”

“No buts! Look at yourself! Why would they notice you? What can you do? What makes you special? You are just an ordinary person. Realistically, you will only succeed if you try hard! Accepting reality and working hard is your only path to success!” The boss continues shouting while Lin Ling looks very nervous.

“He doesn’t have to be so cruel,” Smile frowned. “You never know what words will provoke in people.” Smile knew that many young people romanticized what it was like to become a hero and what it entailed, and he preferred them to know what they were getting into before even considering it. Even so, crushing a young man’s illusions like that was very cruel.

Smile had already witnessed too many young people with broken dreams wanting to commit suicide, too many for his taste.

Lin Ling might have been hurt by the words, that was normal, he felt that anguished, but the bewilderment also didn't leave his mind. What did the screen want to show them? Why didn't he remember any of this? That was his video, the one he was going to deliver days later…

…Days la–?

“Nah! Don’t listen to that loser, he’s just a failure who wants to project onto you.” A voice spoke, pulling Lin Ling out of his thoughts.

The brown-haired man looked towards the other seat he had on the right side, noticing the soft gaze of a gray-haired girl, and leaning against her seat was a pink-haired girl, with a determined look, revealing that she was the one who had spoken to him.

“Uhm?” How did she recognize him as the one on the screen? The room is dark. Did she notice as soon as he sat down? But Lin Ling was a common boy; he had nothing to stand out to be remembered.

What Lin Ling didn't know was that, stupidly, his common appearance stood out among so much colored hair, weird hairstyles, and extravagant accessories.

“It’s true that you have to work hard,” the gray-haired girl suddenly spoke, smiling calmly, “but don't pay attention to bad comments about yourself; if you try hard, I’m sure you can achieve it.”

How kind…

Lin Ling felt his chest warm.

“But…”

“’But’ what? Change it!” the boss shouts, waving his hand at Lin Ling who shrinks back, scared.

“But…” Lin Ling tries to explain something, but suddenly the boss’s phone rings.

Only Lin Ling realizes that the nervous look on his on-screen self means he has made a blunder.

“Ah, this is going to be bad.”

The boss grabs his phone, looking at the Treeman contact while pointing at Lin Ling and telling him to turn off the music, while he only nods, even more nervous.

“Hello, Miss J. Yes, yes.” He speaks in a soft tone as he answers the call. “Excuse me? The proposal? You see, there was a hitch in the process–”

The phone suddenly hangs up, and the boss starts talking to the cut line.

Lin Ling approaches his boss uncertainly, adding: “But didn’t you ask me to send them the proposal?”

“He's going to get fired,” Shang Chao whispered, resting his face in his hand. “I would do it.”

The boss turns his head towards the nervous boy. “Lin Ling… I want you to pack your things and leave.”

“Huh?”

“That's a bit unfair.” In his seat, Little Johnny frowned and puffed out his cheeks, stroking Big Johnny in his arms. “His boss told him to send it first. Why is he so angry?”

Next to him, little Cyan nodded, grasping Luo's hand, probably still feeling nervous, clinging to the only person she knew.

“That’s how things are,” Queen sighed, watching the scene.

“It's not like he did what he was told either,” Qishi moved his hand in his seat. “It’s normal for his boss to be upset.”

The scene changes to Lin Ling on the roof of a building, standing on the edge while holding a box with his belongings.

At the scene, Smile winced, catching X’s attention.

“I don’t think he’s going to commit suicide, don’t worry about it.” Well, X actually knows very well that Lin Ling wasn’t going to commit suicide, but it’s easier to say that than to try to explain whatever is happening, when he himself is still trying to understand it.

In his seat, E-soul nodded, even though they weren't talking to him.

Just in case, he would be ready to cover the eyes of the little girl sitting next to him who was watching the screen intently.

“I got excited thinking that anyone could be a hero, but for a common guy like me, it's very difficult to obtain people's trust, and not to mention being liked by most…” Lin Ling murmurs, setting the box down next to his feet.

Yang Cheng frowned at this, already familiar with that thought from a very young age.

Next to him, Xia Qing looked sad for her friend.

“Hey, cheer up!” But as if it were a sign from God, a sweet voice spoke.

“Moon…!” Lin Ling exclaims excitedly, looking at the blonde in the advertisement.

Lin Ling shouldn't look so excited; he shouldn't look like a puppy wagging its tail at its owner.

Not when the person he’s admiring on screen is sitting right next to him.

With a… quite empty expression.

Ah, his stupid on-screen self. He hopes he doesn't say or do any more foolish things, or his present self will be pushed, slapped, despised, and called a pig by his goddess.

“Life is full of many challenges and obstacles, but the important thing is to take the first step! Watch ‘The True Love Recipe’!” Moon appears next to Nice, making a heart with her arms while they exclaim: “And you will learn the secret to a perfect love!”

“Uh… What is supposed to…” Nice felt very confused. Who was that girl? Why hadn't they told him anything about this? Why were there so many advertisements about himself that Nice was still unaware of?

The white-haired man turned to look at his best friend next to him, who had an unreadable, perhaps slightly annoyed expression. Did he already know about this?

“Wreck…” The boy approached his friend, suppressing a grimace when he turned around. He had already noticed his dark circles and pathetic appearance, but he hoped to get out of that place to ask him what had happened and take him for a health check if possible. “Do you know anything about this?”

Wreck seemed very confused by his question.

“About what? The advertisement? Yes, they told me you recorded it a while ago. It has been repeated too many times… for my taste.” The black-haired man frowned a little at the last part.

“I don’t remember doing this…”

Wreck seems to react very confused to this.

“What do you mean?”

“Damn, that's the advertisement I made last month,” Lin Ling laments. “For the phrases I thought of myself to end up hurting me, no more…” he murmurs while Moon and Nice in the advertisement encourage the audience to watch the show as a couple.

“Hey, do you have a home?” The advertisement changes to an individual one of Nice who looks at the screen smiling.

“No!” Lin Ling exclaims comically depressed.

A snort is heard in the room, and Queen looks accusatorily at her red-haired friend.

“A perfect family consists of two life partners and a stable home. Treeman Corporation will make dreams come true,” Nice says while pointing at a building and then making finger guns.

Zac raised an eyebrow and looked amusedly at the long-haired man next to him.

Rock seemed too inexpressive, yet Zac was amused to see the other's hand repeatedly tapping his index finger against the seat.

The advertisement begins to distort, and Lin Ling, already fed up, shouts, raising his index finger to the sky. “Shut up, Nice! Even if you are perfect now, one day you will also get old and ugly, and someone else will replace you!”

Luoli whistled in her seat in approval.

“Yeah, yeah, exactly,” Moon, for her part, smiled with amusement at the scene, unconsciously giving the boy next to her a playful nudge. “Tell the ‘perfect gentleman’ what he is.”

“Ah… Ah.” Lin Ling felt his ears flush, confused.

Suddenly, in front of Lin Ling, Nice begins to descend from the sky onto the building's rooftop.

“Uh?” Lin Ling looks confused.

Nice begins to walk across the terrace towards where Lin Ling is, while pigeons cross his path and disturbing music begins to play.

“Oh, this is bad, this is so bad,” Johnny looked comically nervous watching the scene, thinking that maybe Nice wanted revenge for Lin Ling’s words.

“This guy is dead~” Luoli says as if she didn't have the mentioned person nearby who looked very nervous and scared.

Her father only tells her to behave a little.

A couple of sequences occur where only the faces of Nice and Lin Ling are shown looking at each other intently while the white-haired man continues walking.

“If you think about it, it looks like those scenes from romantic series when the protagonists fall in love at first sight,” Johnny murmurs, changing his mood as he sees the close-ups of Lin Ling's and Nice's expressions.

He only received some strange looks for his comment.

But Nice only walks past Lin Ling, letting his feet leave the floor, and at the same time, the white-haired man makes finger guns at Lin Ling who looks at him confused.

A scream echoes as Nice suddenly falls into the void.

At the scene, Wreck jumped out of his seat, his eyes wide open.

“W-Wait!” Lin Ling yelled, extending his hands forward, while Nice falls and hits the surfaces of the building before finally coming to a stop on the ground.

“Nice, the best hero of the Treeman Corporation, the perfect hero Nice,” the advertisement continues to glitch while the voice repeatedly exclaims Nice’s name.

Silence floods the room. Some are in shock, others have pitying expressions, and some seem very calm about the scene.

Nice, for his part, is in shock, even scared, seeing himself commit suicide.

But he didn't have time to even fall into denial, because hands were placed on his shoulders and squeezed tightly while laughter was heard behind him.

“I knew it was too weird!” The voice behind his back is playful, overly mocking, perhaps even amused by the death of the perfect hero.

Nice swallows, and slowly turns his head to the side, noticing purple eyes looking at him with amusement accompanied by a toothy smile. The purple-haired boy is so close to him that it would be uncomfortable if it weren't for his expression.

“Tell me, perfect hero…”

The hands on his shoulders squeeze tighter.

“Why are you alive?”