Inside a popular internet-famous coffee shop near New York University, the air was filled with the rich aroma of coffee beans and the cloying sweetness of desserts. Gentle jazz music couldn't quite mask the increasingly loud sound of keyboard clicks coming from a laptop in the corner.
Evan, a college student with thick glasses and greasy hair, was intently staring at the screen, his fingers dancing wildly on the keyboard, so fast they almost left afterimages. His face was flushed with excitement, his lips rapidly opening and closing silently, as if he was muttering the "battle proclamation" he was typing.
On the screen was a trending social media debate post about the "legitimacy of the Hero Association." Evan was a staunch "anti-Association" advocate, or rather, a staunch opponent of any mainstream view. In his online career, "dueling" with people and refuting opponents into silence with sarcastic remarks and seemingly logical but actually sophistical arguments was his only way to gain a sense of accomplishment and existence.
However, today, he hit a snag.
A user with the ID "Logical Bedrock" dismantled and refuted all of his emotional attacks and flawed arguments one by one, using incredibly solid data, calm and objective analysis, and rigorous logical chains. No matter how Evan changed his angle, resorted to personal attacks, or made unreasonable demands, the other party remained like a true bedrock, unmoving, making Evan's remarks appear increasingly ridiculous and pale in the eyes of onlookers.
The comments below the post gradually shifted:
"Haha, Evan has nothing to say this time, right?"
"Logical Bedrock is awesome! Great rebuttal!"
"Evan, just admit it, you're just arguing for the sake of arguing."
The last highly upvoted reply, like a poisoned needle, sharply pricked Evan's most vulnerable nerve: "Timid in reality, aggressive online? Give it a rest, keyboard warrior."
The three words "keyboard warrior" were the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Evan felt all the blood rush to his head instantly, his ears buzzed, and an abnormal red glow began to appear at the edges of his vision. Extreme anger, humiliation, and long-accumulated low self-esteem and real-life frustrations, at this moment, combined into a potent catalyst, triggering a certain mutation factor hidden deep within his genes, which he himself had never noticed.
"What… what do you understand?!"
"I am not a keyboard warrior!!"
"I am… a defender of truth!!"
He suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot, filled with hideous blood vessels. He opened his mouth, but what came out was not a roar, but visible, distorted, and murky sound waves in circles!
These sound waves were not merely sound; they were mixed with countless sarcastic insults, malicious curses, distorted facts, and mentally polluting negative energy!
"Buzz—!!!"
The first to be affected were the other customers and waiters in the coffee shop.
A girl sipping a latte suddenly changed her expression, violently slamming her coffee cup to the ground, and screamed at her innocent boyfriend across from her: "Were you peeking at that female waitress just now?! Scum! Useless!"
A business elite working on his tablet suddenly grabbed his hair in frustration, yelling at the screen: "What kind of crappy plan is this! The client is an idiot! The boss is an idiot! The whole World is an idiot!"
Even the barista behind the counter, who was making latte art, froze, and the beautiful swan latte art was instantly ruined. His eyes grew gloomy, and he muttered: "Why should I be here serving others… I should be the one being served…"
Chaos erupted instantly!
Arguments, smashing, baseless rage, and aggressive behavior spread like a plague within the small coffee shop. And the source of all this chaos—Evan, or rather, the "Keyboard Warrior"wack at this moment, slowly stood up.
His body didn't seem to undergo significant physical changes, but he was surrounded by those irritating, emotion-controlling, murky sound waves. He spread his arms, as if embracing the chaos he had created, a twisted and satisfied smile on his face.
"Yes! That's it! Be angry! Argue! Let everyone feel this 'truth'!!"
[Greenwich Village · Near NYU, high-intensity mental pollution energy reaction detected! Threat level assessment: Wolf-Class!]
[Event type: Emotional Mutant (Keyboard Warrior), ability to emit "Filthy Language Wave," causing emotional loss of control in creatures within range, with mental polluting properties.]
[Mission issued: Immediately subdue the "Keyboard Warrior"wack, interrupt his ability release, and pacify affected civilians. Mission level: Wolf-Class. Reward points: 25.]
The Hero Association APP's mission alert arrived on time.
At the Association Command Center, Wesley frowned as he looked at the monitoring screen, which showed a wack whose destructive power wasn't strong, but the resulting chaotic scene was extremely severe. Sandman was on another patrol mission, and this type of mental pollution enemy didn't seem to be Sandman's specialty.
"Issue a collaborative mission, find a registered hero with mental soothing or silencing abilities to handle it," Wesley ordered.
Almost simultaneously with the mission issuance, the Command Center received a response.
[Hero "The Silent Heart Master" (D-Class) has accepted the mission. Estimated arrival at the scene in 3 minutes.]
...Inside the coffee shop, it was already a mess. Tables and chairs were overturned, cups and plates shattered, the once cozy atmosphere completely gone, replaced by hysterical arguments and cries. "Keyboard Warrior" Evan stood in the center, reveling in the power of his "words."
Just then, the cracked glass door of the coffee shop, which had been vibrated by the sound waves, was gently pushed open.
A figure walked in.
He was wearing a light gray combat uniform, uniform for the Association but seemingly custom-made. His build was not tall, even a bit slender. He wore a simple silver mask that only covered the upper half of his face, revealing a soft jawline and lips. Most strikingly, he held no weapons in his hands, which hung naturally by his sides, his steps steady, as if he were not entering a chaotic battlefield, but a tranquil library.
It was none other than the hero who had recently registered, with a D-Class ability rating—The Silent Heart Master.
His appearance was completely out of place with the surrounding chaos.
"Keyboard Warrior" Evan immediately noticed the uninvited guest. His bloodshot eyes glared over, and a malicious grin spread across his lips: "Another one looking for a scolding? Feel the 'truth'!!"
He took a deep breath, aimed at The Silent Heart Master, and unleashed his strongest wave of "Filthy Language Wave!" The distorted sound waves, with visible murky colors, surged towards The Silent Heart Master like a tide, containing enough mental pollution to instantly enrage or break even a strong-willed person.
However, facing this surging mental attack, The Silent Heart Master didn't even pause his steps.
He merely raised his right hand slightly, palm outward, and softly uttered a word, his voice not loud, yet strangely penetrating all the noise:
"Stillness."
There was no radiant light, no energy burst.
But from the center of his palm, an invisible, gentle yet firm field of stillness spread out like ripples!
The murky, negative-energy-filled sound waves, the moment they touched this field of stillness, melted and disintegrated like ice and snow meeting the scorching sun, no longer able to transmit any malicious information or mental interference!
"Wh-… what?!" The sinister smile on "Keyboard Warrior" Evan's face froze. He couldn't believe that his always-effective "verbal" attack was so vulnerable before the gray-clad man. "You… you blocked me?! You're stifling freedom of speech!!"
He frantically pushed his abilities even further, a barrage of unbearable insults, twisted logic, and malicious curses spewing forth like a machine gun.
But it was useless.
The field of stillness around The Silent Heart Master was as solid as bedrock, isolating all mental pollution. He walked towards Evan step by step, his pace still steady, his eyes, visible through the silver mask, as calm as a deep pool, without the slightest ripple.
This absolute, incomprehensible, and even "ignored" silence, in turn, became the greatest attack on the "Keyboard Warrior."
Evan began to panic. His power stemmed from others' reactions, from the chaos he created. When his "words" could no longer stir any ripples, when the other party looked at him with a nearly pitying calm, he felt like a Joker performing vigorously on stage only to find the audience seats empty.
"Say something! Argue with me! Why aren't you saying anything!!" Evan screamed hysterically, his sound waves becoming disorganized, losing their previous cohesion and destructive power.
The Silent Heart Master had already reached him, less than a meter away.
He raised his hand again, and this time, he gently touched Evan's forehead.
No attack, no harm.
Just a more pure, gentle power of stillness, like cool spring water, instantly washed over Evan's brain, which was filled with negative emotions and almost burning.
All the anger, humiliation, and frenzy were gently wiped away by an invisible hand.
Evan's bloodshot eyes quickly faded, returning to their original brown. The murky sound waves swirling around him completely dissipated. He looked blankly at The Silent Heart Master with the silver mask in front of him, then at the chaotic scene around him and the customers who were gradually recovering from their uncontrolled emotions, equally blank-faced, as if waking from a long dream.
"What… what did I do?" he murmured, his body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, falling into a coma. The mutated state was lifted.
The Silent Heart Master withdrew his finger, not even looking at the unconscious Evan, and instead turned his gaze to the surrounding startled and gradually awakening civilians. He said nothing, merely once again subtly releasing his gentle field of stillness, like a mother comforting a frightened child, helping everyone completely calm their agitated emotions.
Soon, the Association's logistics vehicles and the police arrived, beginning to process the scene and clean up. The Silent Heart Master, after cooperating with the simplest record-keeping, left as silently as he had arrived, his deeds hidden from fame.
[Mission "Subdue Keyboard Warrior Monster" completed! Reward points 25 have been issued to Hero "The Silent Heart Master"'s account.]
[Hero "The Silent Heart Master" first mission performance evaluation: Excellent. Perfect handling of special type threats, zero collateral damage. Association's adaptability and diversity of capabilities demonstrated.]
In the Command Center, Wesley looked at the report and nodded slightly. The Association's hero roster was gradually being enriched, with various abilities complementing each other, which undoubtedly greatly enhanced the Association's responsiveness.
Meanwhile, online, videos and discussions about the "Keyboard Warrior"wack incident and The Silent Heart Master's perfect counter began to spread. People once again realized that the "wack" the Hero Association dealt with were bizarre and varied, and within the Association, there were unexpected specialized talents to deal with all kinds of wack.
The Silent Heart Master's debut was low-key, yet stunning enough. He used absolute "stillness" to suppress extreme "chaos."
The Association's wings, in one seemingly small but precise mission after another, quietly grew fuller.