RBCT Chapter 1 The Door of the Past
Chapter 1 The Door of the Past
"The strongest is definitely the 'Golden Witch'. I've seen the video before, and the golden roses she released instantly killed hundreds of gate beasts."
"Those control-type superhumans have great limitations. What if they run out of gold? It has to be said that 'Snake Eyes' is amazing, able to spew out poison and melt all the monsters."
"None of them compare to the rule-based system. 'The Ink Craftsman' simply wrote a story for the monster in his Book of Destiny, and the monster was instantly killed. Isn't that invincible?"
......
Baigang City, Baigang High School, Class 2, Grade 3.
During breaks between classes, the boys in the class always liked to get together and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the superheroes.
When they talk about those famous extraordinary individuals, they become excited and gesticulate wildly.
They would also rack their brains to cite scriptures and try to find all sorts of evidence that could overwhelm other superhumans in support of their idols.
Of course, the focus of these boys' discussions sometimes veers slightly off.
For example, suddenly people started discussing who is prettier, who has longer legs, and who has a fuller figure, between "Golden Witch" and "Phantom Songstress".
At times like these, Lin Jue, who had no interest in discussions about the extraordinary, would quietly prick up his ears.
The frequency of swinging the dumbbells, which almost sparked, will also be slowed down slightly.
Don't get me wrong, he wasn't interested in hearing which female superhuman had bigger breasts or longer legs.
However, this involves the physical realm, which is Lin Jue's area of expertise.
He simply felt the need to absorb more mystical knowledge.
Even so, it cannot change the fact that he is out of place in the environment.
In his class, Lin Jue was the only student who brought his own exercise equipment to school, and probably the only one in the entire school to do so.
Whenever he has a little time, he will magically pull out a 50-kilogram dumbbell from his desk and start doing "overhand rows" or "alternating curls" on his own.
The students in the class initially found this behavior strange, but later ridiculed it, and it was even often used as a topic of conversation when talking to students from other classes.
"Let me tell you, there's a weirdo in Class 2, Grade 3 who spends all his time at school lifting weights."
"Huh? Is he an Awakened One of some kind of body system? Is he training his abilities?"
"No, that guy hasn't awakened any abilities at all; he's just a mortal."
"Wow, is he planning to work out like this after graduation and become a construction worker?"
"Even after graduation, he's now working as a porter at the port to earn money. Someone saw him carrying several large sacks off the ship, and he walked very steadily."
"That's great! A seamless transition right after graduating high school. This is probably the kind of man destined to become a bricklayer king, hahaha!"
......
Lin Jue remained unresponsive whenever he heard these harsh jeers.
After all, what they said was true; he himself, as a time traveler, had not awakened any superpowers.
Moreover, because my younger sister is hospitalized for many years, a lot of money is needed to maintain her treatment.
So every day after school I had to go to the port to work as a porter to earn money, and there was nothing shameful about that.
However, while manual labor is for survival, weightlifting is not... This is Lin Jue's hobby and persistence.
Since I transmigrated here and learned that this is a world where spiritual energy has been revived and humans have awakened supernatural abilities.
He never stopped training his body; it was Lin Jue's favorite thing to do and the only thing he could do.
Even before he transmigrated, Lin Jue's favorite type of manga was action-packed, visceral fighting manga like Dragon Ball.
Every time I see the protagonist become stronger through constant training and defeat one enemy after another, I feel a surge of joy.
He would feel a surge of joy inside, as if he were becoming stronger along with the characters in the comics.
After Dragon Ball, most modern comic book authors like to add all sorts of complicated abilities to their characters, which Lin Jue feels is like the tail wagging the dog.
In his view, no matter how fancy the abilities are, they are not as satisfying as a Saiyan directly unleashing their power and turning the enemy into mincemeat.
In short, physical training is paramount, melee combat is the strongest, and a powerful physique surpasses everything else.
Lin Jue believed that any superpower was just a flashy paper tiger.
To others, however, it seems that someone who is still working hard to train their body in this day and age must be out of their mind.
After all, no matter how strong Lin Jue's body became, when facing those powerful monsters, it would only add a bit more chewy texture.
Soon after, as the day's classes at Baigang High School came to an end, the students scattered and left.
Lin Jue then rode his rather ugly steel bicycle toward the port where he worked.
This bicycle was handcrafted from materials collected by Lin Jue and is called "Anti-theft MK2".
The entire frame is welded from solid round iron, and the pedals and chain are also specially reinforced, making the whole vehicle weigh over 100 pounds.
Such a heavy block of iron is so heavy that an ordinary person might not even be able to push it, let alone ride it.
It is named Anti-theft MK2 because it has built-in anti-theft function without the need for a car lock, and it is very safe.
Lin Jue, who was already used to the weight, rode the bike wildly on the road, occasionally leaving deep marks on the road surface.
After riding for a while and arriving near the port, Lin Jue subconsciously looked up from the hillside road and gazed at the distant sky.
At dusk, on the horizon, a massive black door stands tall against the sky.
The size of this door far exceeds the limits of what humans can build.
Even a colossal mountain like the Himalayas looks like a little girl in comparison.
That gate spanning the sky is the source of the spiritual revival that has occurred in this world.
Its name is "The Door of the Past".
It is said that this giant gate appeared without any warning on a certain day thirty years ago.
After that, countries around the world joined together to try to study it, but to no avail.
No... perhaps it's not fair to say we gained nothing; it's more accurate to say we suffered heavy losses.
All the researchers who tried to approach that door either went insane, went mad, or committed suicide on the spot.
Or, under some mysterious influence, their bodies undergo a mutation, bursting through their protective suits and turning into a pile of minced meat.
At the same time, a large number of illogical monsters seemed to be summoned by this door.
They tore through space and appeared in every corner of the world, launching a fierce attack on the human world.
Some of these lower-level monsters are called "Gate Beasts," while the stronger ones are named "Paradox Demons."
Initially, the human alliance suffered repeated defeats when facing these monsters, almost to the point of national extinction.
Fortunately, under the diffusion of high-density energy emanating from that door, human society also experienced what is known as the "awakening phenomenon".
As batches of extraordinary individuals awakened their powers, their eyes could shoot lasers, they could travel thousands of miles, and with a wave of their hand, the wind and clouds would surge and the world would change.
From then on, superhumans became the saviors of humanity and the heroes of this world.
And people are looking forward to the day when the strongest superhuman will emerge.
He transformed the world's hope into wings, and in the afterglow of the blazing sun, he flew like a meteor towards that door, utterly shattering that symbol of the unknown and fear.
Of course, only an extraordinary person could accomplish such a feat.
As for those mortals who lack the ability to awaken, they can only silently stand below as spectators, ready to raise their hands and cheer for the protagonist at any time.
Lin Jue had no complaints about this situation... nor did he have the energy to do so.
The air at the harbor was thick with the salty sea breeze, mixed with the smell of diesel fuel and rust, sticking stickily to the skin.
Whenever a cargo ship arrives, many dockworkers, under the direction of their foreman, board the ship in an orderly manner and unload various goods.
Among the bustling porters, Lin Jue's figure always stands out the most.
He walked hunched over on the gangway, the sacks on his shoulders like a small mountain, but his steps were frighteningly steady.
Looking at the young man whose stack of goods was twice as high as his colleagues', a newly arrived transport worker panted:
"Holy crap, what kind of god is that guy? He can carry three or four hundred pounds at a time like nothing's wrong?"
"It's not like he's some kind of superhuman," a familiar old coworker nearby sighed, wiping the sweat from his neck.
"He started coming here to move goods to earn money when he was in junior high school. I heard that his younger sister needs to be hospitalized for treatment all year round, and his parents have passed away. The family has a lot of expenses... He is a person with a hard life."
The newcomer, a porter, paused for a moment after hearing this, but didn't say anything and went back to his work.
After all, in this era, it is quite common for families to be torn apart and people to die because of attacks by the demon of paradox; it is not surprising at all.
Two hours later, the transport ship finished unloading, and Lin Jue was called to his room by the foreman.
The foreman of this dock is named Li Qiang, and he is nicknamed Brother Qiang. He always has a dark white towel draped around his neck, and his voice is as rough as sandpaper.
"Have some water... You'll have a lot of work to do tomorrow, you might have to work hard."
After Li Qiang called Lin Jue in, he poured him a glass of lightly salted water.
This stuff replenishes the salt lost after strenuous exercise and is a common drink for transport workers.
But just as Lin Jue had thanked them and raised his glass, his hand suddenly froze in mid-air, his eyes fixed on the television beside him.
Li Qiang, the foreman, has his own small tin shack at the port, which contains a second-hand television.
At that moment, the television was broadcasting today's "Daily Half Hour" news channel.
In the background of the news report, a gleaming figure can be faintly seen fighting against a massive gate beast.
The figure was covered in thick crystal armor. Although the gate beast was enormous, neither hand-to-hand combat nor the rays it emitted had any effect on it.
As the camera panned across the screen, the female host at the control panel enthusiastically reported on the latest developments of this extraordinary hero.
"Today, another massive 'city-destroying' gate beast has appeared in the old city. Fortunately, the B-level superhuman 'Diamond' arrived at the scene in time. What is being shown now is the scene of his battle with the gate beast."
At this moment, Li Qiang followed Lin Jue's gaze to the screen, nodded, and smiled:
"Diamond's been quite active lately. I heard he's preparing for the A-level advancement exam. Maybe our city has a chance to produce one..."
Li Qiang stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, his whole body trembling slightly.
Because at that moment, he saw a strong killing intent in Lin Jue's eyes.
This murderous intent was as intense as molten lava erupting from a volcano, enough to melt even the hardest metal into molten iron.
Of course, this is quite normal, after all, it was this superhuman named "Diamond" who almost killed Lin Jue's sister, causing her to lie in the hospital for five years.
Whenever I think of my younger sister, Lin Qing, lying in the intensive care unit, her body wrapped in bandages, I feel a deep sense of dread.
Lin Jue would feel an urge... an urge to grind that bastard into powder.