Rorgh City wasn't always calm; on the contrary, there was at least one doom attack per week.
After receiving the news that the doom were capable of tactical thinking during the battle at Karj City, humanity became more vigilant.
Although these tactics were quite crude and simple, the overwhelming numbers and the biological characteristics of the doom were enough to make a strategy of sacrificing troops to protect the main force both terrifying and difficult to counter. The forces for clearing out the doom were increased, and many attacks were quelled solely by defense towers and fighter jets. At those times, the doom couldn't even get within 50 meters of the city walls.
Occasionally, there would be aerial doom attacks. They weren't much superior to the regular doom, they just had two extra pairs of wings that allowed them to fly.
The flying doom still posed a slight danger to Rorgh City, so all civilians were mobilized to hide in bomb shelters. Then, fighter jets and turrets took turns clearing them out.
Noid also saw Selina on the battlefield through a screen.
Selina and a group of others wore a different kind of armor from the one Noid and the regular soldiers wore. It was blue armor, with a flexibility, toughness, and defensive power that completely surpassed ordinary armor.
Moreover, Selina's group weren't ordinary people. Their strength, endurance, and physical quality had surpassed the limits of humanity. Seeing Selina swing her greatsword, kill an elite doom, and then strike a victory pose, he understood why the leaders occasionally showed these images to the public.
In this era, what the people needed was hope, and that group of people was humanity's hope. To prove that the doom weren't invincible, because humanity had hope.
Looking at the image of Selina smiling and raising her sword in victory, Noid felt a certain emotion.
Is this what a hero is?
Thinking of that kid, Jack, Noid felt a wave of frustration. Although he had strongly reminded him not to call him a hero anymore, the boy would still sometimes slip up, which annoyed him greatly.
Noid was still just a lost soul, a coward running from his past. Did he deserve the word "hero"?
The weather began to turn cold and it started to snow. He huddled under his blanket but couldn't help but look out at the white snow, even scooping up a handful.
It was cold!
Still, the feeling was very interesting. After all, the only time he had seen snow before was through a screen.
The winter workdays passed quickly. After greeting the people around them, Noid and Jack returned to their tent. It was much more spacious than it had been a few months ago, and they could move around more comfortably. There was enough space to put some personal belongings without it feeling cramped.
The two of them had started eating meal boxes less because Noid and Jack had saved up to buy an old battery-powered induction cooker. This cooker was twice as old as Jack, but it had been integrated with a system that used energy packs, so it was very convenient to use. All they had to do was go to a store once every two weeks, pay a certain fee, and they could fully recharge it and continue using it.
With this and some simple cooking ingredients and spices, Noid's cooking had greatly improved their meals.
After eating, Jack suddenly ran out of the tent. Ten minutes later, the boy came back, holding a comic book in his hand. His eyes shone with joy.
"Noid, look at this! It's a super cool superhero comic I found! Luckily, no one had bought it yet."
In this era, the entertainment industry was almost completely paralyzed, and people greatly sought out entertainment products from the previous era.
He had noticed Jack looking at the bookstore for a while now. He hadn't expected it to be for this.
The comic book was a bit yellowed, and the corners were worn. He flipped to the back cover, where it was printed as a 2002 edition.
An old superhero comic book.
For a 30-year-old comic book to be kept like this was truly not bad. In the middle of the cover was a figure in armor striking a pose. It was indeed very appealing to children.
"So what's this about?"
"I don't know. The bookstore owner said he didn't remember very well, he just said it was a superhero in armor."
"That's it? I also used to wear armor."
"This is different!"
Noid shook his head. Even though he was a bit sensitive to the word "hero" right now, he still subconsciously considered superheroes to be something for kids.
He was about to go to sleep, but a sudden urge of curiosity or perhaps boredom made him decide to read the comic with Jack.
The comic was set in a world where a species of monsters existed. They hunted and killed humans for fun and survival. Everything began with a monster attacking people in the street, and the police quickly arrived at the scene.
However, the monster was too strong. Dozens of police officers firing their guns couldn't even injure it. At that moment, a figure rushed out from the street, the same person in the armor from the cover.
Noid, putting other things aside, actually liked this style of armor. Its appearance was much more pleasing to the eye than the armor he used to wear.
The battle unfolded, and the armored hero gradually overwhelmed the monster. He then jumped into the air and stomped down, destroying the monster.
However, the next development was very unexpected. The police and the people who were saved did not thank the hero. Instead, the civilians retreated behind the police. The hero didn't pay attention and disappeared.
This left both Noid and Jack very confused. They continued to flip through the pages. The story continued with the hero's daily life interspersed with fighting monsters. But the more Noid read, the more he felt a sense of oppression. Jack, being a smart child, also understood and felt extremely uncomfortable. He even questioned it from time to time.
Even though the hero had saved many people from the monsters, aside from those whose lives he had directly saved, the armored hero in the story was almost completely ostracized.
In the eyes of society, the hero and the monsters were no different. Reporters slandered him, and the government plotted to seize the power of the monsters and the hero's armor.
Despite this, the hero continued to fight, even at the cost of his life. Noid never saw him run away. He was like a moth that perpetually flew toward the flame. Even when he was beaten to the point of his armor being dispelled, he would still stand up resiliently.
"Don't do that anymore. You're hated, hunted, and seen as a monster. Why do you still continue?"
Noid really wanted to say this to the hero. In the next part of the story, someone asked the hero a question that, although not the same as Noid's, had a similar meaning. The superhero's answer astonished him.
"I fight so that those adults can continue to go home to their families. I fight so that those children can continue to grow up with their parents. I don't have happiness, but I will fight for it."