A Guide to Humanity’s Extinction

The metal doors of the lounge slid open, and Rain Crow stepped out, his pitch-black cape dragging across the silver-white floor like the tail feathers of a crow.

He stepped into the elevator and waited in silence with his head bowed. A moment later, he arrived at the thirty-fifth floor of the Super Hero Company.

The Hero Control Bureau. Originally, this organization was established to monitor superheroes and prevent them from breaking the law. When necessary, they dispatched ”executors” to discipline heroes who lost control.

Beyond that, the Bureau had a hidden mission: to eliminate mythic vessels around the world.

Once a mythic vessel advanced to a certain tier, they would inevitably lose control. To the authorities, they were an unavoidable disaster that couldn’t be ignored.

But ironically enough, long before the Bureau recognized the threat posed by mythic vessels, the Superhero Roundtable Council had already recruited two of them into its ranks.

One was the Rank 1 hero, ”Zeus.” The other was the Rank 4 hero, ”Nidhogg.”

Because of this, the Bureau was forced to keep their hidden mission a secret from the public while constantly monitoring the two Roundtable heroes. The moment either of these mythic vessels lost control, the Bureau would execute them immediately.

The person Rain Crow was here to see came from the Bureau. Her codename was a single word: ”Zero.”

Within three years of joining the Hero Control Bureau, Zero had become one of their S Rank executors. Now, she was the most prominent figure in the entire organization.

Since she had asked for this meeting, even a Roundtable hero like Rain Crow had no choice but to attend.

A short while later, the elevator arrived at the thirty-fifth floor of the Super Hero Company.

Rain Crow walked down the metal corridor for a moment before the heavy doors ahead of him parted. He stepped inside and found himself in a brightly lit conference room.

A young woman in a black bodysuit sat in a swivel chair, quietly watching a projection screen.

Zero had a straight nose, pale skin, and a cold, indifferent aura. She looked like a Nordic girl, though her facial features hadn’t fully matured yet. But that might have just been a facade created by a human skin mask.

Rain Crow had heard the rumors: this executor always wore a black bodysuit, donned two layers of human skin masks, and spoke through a built-in voice changer. Seeing her today confirmed it.

The metal doors closed shut behind him. Zero looked up, glancing at him before cutting straight to the chase.

”This meeting won’t take much of your time. Please look at the screen.”

Rain Crow remained silent for a moment, then turned his head toward the projection screen at the far end of the conference room. The footage showed a silver-white room where a man was tied to a chair, accompanied by a woman in a black bodysuit.

The woman in the bodysuit was still ”Zero,” but she was wearing a different skin mask. She looked like a cute Japanese girl with arched brows and a delicate, dainty nose.

”Player?” Zero asked.

”Yes... we have to exterminate the super-human species within half a year,” the man in the chair said hoarsely. ”Otherwise, we’ll be obliterated by the system...”

Zero fell silent for a moment. ”You and your accomplices killed a superhuman citizen classified as ’harmless.’ They had no criminal record. This is a blatant crime.”

The man hung his head and said despondently, ”None of us want to die. That’s why we did it.”

Zero thought about it. ”My people didn’t detect any ’super-human species genes’ in your body—not magical girl, mutant, mythic vessel, esper, or anything else. But... please demonstrate your ability.”

A staff member in a Bureau uniform walked over and untied the man’s right hand.

The man hesitated for a moment, then raised his right hand, aimed his index finger at Zero with a roar, and snapped his fingers.

With a crisp snap, an air bullet shot forward from his fingertip. The invisible, lethal projectile pierced the air, flying straight toward Zero’s forehead.

Zero remained expressionless.

The air in front of her solidified as a layer of hard ice spread outward, blocking the invisible bullet. It left nothing but a microscopic dent in the ice.

Ice manipulation. The ability of an S Rank executor, Rain Crow thought. With such an outstanding ability, it’s no surprise she’s doing so well in the Bureau.

”Is there anything else?” Zero asked on the projection screen.

”No, nothing else... I only bought this skill,” the man said, trembling in fear.

The staff member smiled and bound his right hand again.

”Your companions have already been taken by our people to be sliced up for research. If you don’t want to suffer the same treatment, I suggest you confess everything you know,” Zero said coldly.

After that, the man confessed a great deal of information, such as the ”number of players,” the ”Skill Shop,” the ”weekly quests,” and the most crucial detail—the ”player ID.”

The projection screen stopped playing there.

”Based on our observations, the eyes of a player can see the markers above other players’ heads,” Zero said expressionlessly. ”This is the most direct way they identify each other.”

”A hundred people arrogantly think they can exterminate the super-human species?” Rain Crow said calmly. ”That isn’t just ignorant and arrogant; it’s downright stupid...”

”Of course, our people think so too,” Zero said lightly. ”But since this is a new type of super-human species, and we have more than one case, we must take it seriously to prevent future disasters. That is the Bureau’s job.”

She paused. ”Right now, they might just be bugs, but they could very well grow into behemoths later.”

”So... what do you need me to do?” Rain Crow asked quietly.

”I’ll be staying in Lijing for a while. Every employee entering the Super Hero Company must undergo my inspection,” Zero said. ”I have to ensure the Super Hero Company isn’t infiltrated by players.”

”How exhausting for you,” Rain Crow sneered.

Zero considered his words. ”Instead of worrying about me, Mr. Rain Crow should be careful himself.” She looked up and met his gaze directly. ”Perhaps someone you spend time with every day has long since been replaced by a ’player.’”

Rain Crow didn’t speak. He simply frowned slightly, his gaze burning like a torch.

”That concludes tonight’s meeting.”

Zero spoke without a hint of emotion. She stood up from the swivel chair and headed for the exit.

”Do Bureau agents also collude with unsanctioned heroes... or even criminals?” Rain Crow asked.

Zero stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him in confusion.

”Owl Judge,” Rain Crow said slowly. ”The staff member cooperating with you in that video—both his movements and his demeanor perfectly match ’Owl Judge.’ Of course, I don’t believe that’s Owl Judge’s true face. He’s obviously wearing a skin mask, just like you.”

He paused. ”Are you going to deny it?”

Zero remained silent for a moment. ”Mr. Rain Crow is quite observant. I hope you can apply that observation to the people around you.”

With that, she stepped out of the conference room.

Rain Crow silently watched her walk away.

A short while later, executor Zero took the elevator to the visitor’s lounge on the seventieth floor of the Super Hero Company.

She inserted her ID card into the slot, and the doors opened. Zero stepped into the lounge and used a pen-shaped detector to confirm there were no surveillance devices before peeling off the skin mask on her face.

Xia Lingxue let out a soft sigh. Her medium-length black hair tumbled down, resting over her shoulders.

She pulled out her phone and started a video call. A feminine, handsome face appeared on the screen.

”Rain Crow recognized that the staff member in the video was you,” she said.

Ke Linye tilted his head. ”Oh? Isn’t that bad? It’s all my fault for not acting seriously back then.”

”If only your acting outside was half as good as it is at home,” Xia Lingxue said coldly.

”It’s different at home,” Ke Linye smiled. ”So, what did Rain Crow say?”

”He didn’t intend to dig any deeper,” Xia Lingxue said expressionlessly. ”Otherwise, if the Hero Control Bureau started asking about our relationship, I’d be in a bit of trouble.”

”Isn’t that great? I knew he wouldn’t make things difficult for a little girl,” Ke Linye joked. ”Or maybe he just likes me and doesn’t see me as a complete criminal, even though I’ve killed quite a few superheroes.”

”Call me a little girl again, and I’ll kill you,” Xia Lingxue said, emphasizing every word.

”It’s getting late. Goodnight.”

Ke Linye smiled dismissively and waved his hand.

Xia Lingxue hung up the video call. She unwrapped a lollipop, popped it into her mouth, and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window to look down at the brightly lit city of Lijing.

”It’s about time I went home,” she whispered. ”I just hope a maggot or two hasn’t wriggled its way in.”