Outside the popular cafe in Greenwich Village, which had just experienced an unusual storm, the Police tape had not yet been removed. The Police maintained order, while Hero Association logistics personnel efficiently cleaned up the mess inside and carefully loaded the unconscious perpetrator—'Keyboard Warrior' Evan—onto a specialized isolation transport vehicle.
The crowd of onlookers had not fully dispersed. They pointed at the cafe, discussing animatedly, with lingering shock on their faces, but more so, a sense of curiosity and awe at the brief and peculiar confrontation that had just occurred.
"Did you see that? The one in gray, he just said 'Quiet,' and that lunatic shut up!"
"It's amazing! I felt like a ticking time bomb just now, and he just looked at me and I cooled down."
"He's called... The Silent Heart Master, isn't he? That ability is so cool!"
"The Association really has all kinds of people; they can even deal with this kind of mental attack..."
Amidst these discussions, a figure wearing a light gray Association uniform and a silver half-mask quietly emerged from the shadows at the side of the cafe. It was the new hero who had just completed the mission—The Silent Heart Master. His steps remained steady, and his aura was restrained, as if he had just done something insignificant.
He ignored the curious, grateful, or scrutinizing gazes cast his way and walked directly towards an inconspicuous dark sedan with the Association's emblem parked by the roadside. This was the standard transport support provided by the Association for field heroes.
However, just as he pulled open the car door, preparing to get in and leave, an untimely voice sounded behind him, carrying a deliberate hint of provocation and condescension.
"Hey! You over there! The one with the mask!"
The Silent Heart Master paused slightly but did not turn around.
Several young men in street-style clothing, looking rather unruly, pushed through the crowd and approached. The leader was a young man with green hair and a lip ring, holding a phone, seemingly live-streaming.
"Yo! Is this the new 'hero' the Association recruited? Doesn't look like much!" The green-haired youth pointed his phone camera at The Silent Heart Master and said in an exaggerated tone, "What happened inside just now? I heard you took down that lunatic without even moving a hand? You didn't use hypnosis or some shady trick, did you?"
His companions chimed in:
"Exactly, hiding your face like that, are you too ugly to show yourself?"
"Has the Association's bar gotten so low now? I feel like I could do it too!"
"Hey, hero, show us your power, will you? Let us see something amazing!"
Some onlookers frowned, but no one stepped forward to stop these individuals who were clearly there to cause trouble and gain attention. The Police's attention was still on the scene processing.
In the live-stream room, because of the hot topic of "Hero Association's New Hero," the comments started to become active, with some condemning the troublemakers and others enjoying the spectacle and joining in the commotion.
Facing this sudden, malicious verbal provocation and camera focus, The Silent Heart Master remained with his back to them, his hand on the car door not trembling in the slightest. The expression beneath the silver mask remained unknown.
Seeing him ignore them, the green-haired youth assumed he was timid, and his arrogance grew. He took a few steps forward, almost pressing against The Silent Heart Master's back, and loudly declared into the phone camera: "Look, everyone! This is the so-called hero! A coward! Doesn't even dare to fart! I think the Association is just..."
His words abruptly stopped.
It wasn't that someone interrupted him, but that he himself suddenly couldn't make any sound.
He opened his mouth wide, trying hard to speak, but only "Hoo... hoo..." sounds, like a broken bellows, came from his throat. His face instantly filled with terror and disbelief. He futilely pointed at his throat, then at The Silent Heart Master's back, his eyes full of horror.
His companions also noticed something was wrong. Just as they were about to question him, they found themselves in the same situation! Several people seemed to have their throats gripped by an invisible hand at the same time, only able to make comical and terrified silent movements, creating a very strange scene.
It was then that The Silent Heart Master slowly turned around.
His gaze calmly swept over the hooligans, who were flustered and helpless because they couldn't speak, finally resting on the live-streaming phone in the green-haired youth's hand. Through the camera, countless netizens saw the calm, unruffled eyes hidden beneath the silver mask, eyes that seemed to see through everything.
He showed no anger, no disdain, not even a hint of emotional fluctuation.
He simply looked at the camera, or rather, at the "muted" provocateurs and everyone watching, and softly, once again, uttered that word:
"Quiet."
This time, no invisible force field spread.
But the absolute, undeniable intention of "Quiet" was clearly transmitted through the camera.
The rapidly scrolling comments in the live-stream, mixed with various emotions, momentarily froze at this instant. Many people who were typing unconsciously stopped their actions, as if their own voices had also been stripped away by those calm eyes.
The hooligans, even more so, were like statues, frozen in place, forgetting even their futile struggles, with only terror filling their eyes.
The Silent Heart Master no longer paid them any attention, nor did he offer any superfluous explanation to the camera. He opened the car door, got in, and the dark sedan started smoothly, merged into traffic, and disappeared at the end of the street.
It wasn't until the car was completely out of sight that the invisible, suffocating power seemed to vanish abruptly.
"Cough, cough, cough!!"
"I can talk!"
"Wh-what just happened?!"
The hooligans gasped for air like people rescued from drowning, their faces filled with lingering fear. The green-haired youth frantically checked his phone and throat, looking in the direction The Silent Heart Master had left. There was no longer any of his previous arrogance in his eyes, only deep apprehension.
Online, discussions about The Silent Heart Master and this brief conflict instantly erupted.
"Silent Deterrence! A First Look at New Hero 'The Silent Heart Master's' Abilities!"
"Facing Provocation, He Only Used One Word!"
"Now this is class! Compared to certain boisterous masked vigilantes..."
"Association Hero Quality: Ability and Temperament Coexist!"
Video clips were frantically re-shared, and the phrase "Silence is golden" almost became synonymous with The Silent Heart Master. He had no fierce battles, no dazzling special effects, not even a single superfluous word. Simply by virtue of his mysterious and powerful silent force field, and his almost cold composure in the face of provocation, he won a great deal of goodwill and reverence.
This image of restrained power stood in stark contrast to some overly lively, even chatty, street heroes in people's minds (like a certain guy in a red and blue bodysuit).
Fisk Tower, Command Center.
Wesley looked at the rapidly fermenting public opinion online, a satisfied expression on his face. He pulled up The Silent Heart Master's file.
Hero Codename: The Silent Heart Master (Serenity)
Real Name: Lin (Confidentiality Level C)
Ability Level: Current D, Potential B
Core Ability: Silent Force Field (Area-of-Effect / Single-Target Directed)
Ability Effects: Interrupts/weakens sound propagation, calms intense emotional fluctuations, interferes with abilities reliant on sound/mental fluctuations.
Notes: Calm personality, dislikes speaking, strong will, possesses extremely high resistance to mental pollution-type attacks. First mission performance perfect, has potential to grow into a core member in specific fields.
"Another good prospect," Wesley muttered to himself. The Association's hero roster was being enriched at an astonishing speed and quality. Sandman represented powerful physical offense, defense, and crowd control potential, while The Silent Heart Master filled the gap in dealing with special types of threats, especially mental attacks.
Kingpin stood before the massive floor-to-ceiling window, listening to Wesley's report, his gaze profound.
"Tell Logistics and Public Relations to appropriately guide public opinion about The Silent Heart Master, highlighting his professionalism, calmness, and efficiency," Kingpin slowly began. "What we need to show the outside world is a comprehensive, multi-layered, professional organization capable of handling various complex threats, not just a bunch of muscle-bound brutes."
"Yes, Boss."
Kingpin's gaze turned towards the window, as if he could see the gray figure who had just completed the mission and quietly departed.
Silence, sometimes, is more powerful than any roar.
The Silent Heart Master's debut perfectly illustrated this point.
Another piece of the Association's puzzle had been found. This network for dealing with future crises was becoming increasingly tight-knit.