Chapter 364: The Boy Who Dreams!

Su Mo’s expression became strange. "Didn’t you say it was already being applied in other fields?"

"In the medical field, a partial transfer of consciousness can still be useful. But until the Neural Transceiver is perfected and reaches the point where consciousness can be transferred safely without causing damage, we can’t apply it in virtual games."

"The research costs are extremely high. We need to recover some of those costs while obtaining more funds for further development."

"That’s why the game was developed despite the technology still being imperfect."

"..."

Su Mo fell silent.

Well, it seemed he had simply expected too much. That was partly his own fault, so he couldn’t really blame her.

Forget it. I’ll forgive this woman. After all, she’s my future wife.

Suddenly, something clicked in his mind.

"If Lanze Mirai steals the new Protagonist’s newbie rewards, and he has a Super Tech Hero System, then those rewards must be some kind of advanced technology."

Su Mo’s expression became serious.

"He could steal the technology, register the patents under his own name, and use them to gain fame. That incident would probably become the starting point of his conflict with the Yang Consortium and your family."

"Yes, I had the same thought."

Yang Qingxi nodded.

"That’s why I’m thinking about how we should deal with this new Protagonist."

She paused before continuing.

"Someone who crossed into this world with a system specifically designed around technology could potentially possess technological capabilities far beyond the current level of this world. If we interfere in time, we can prevent him from being mistreated by Lanze Mirai and possibly even recruit him."

Su Mo nodded.

"We must."

His expression became thoughtful.

"The information makes it clear that this guy has a strong sense of justice. Only after his initial rewards were stolen by Lanze Mirai did his mentality changed."

"A man who originally arrived with a heroic heart will eventually become an Antihero."

Su Mo looked at Yang Qingxi.

"We can’t let that happen."

***

Somewhere in the universe.

On a blue planet, beneath a sky illuminated by countless neon signs, a young man who looked like a college student was walking home with a stack of superhero comics tucked under his arm.

His name was Anthony Stan.

He had been an avid fan of superhero comics since childhood. While other children dreamed of becoming doctors, astronauts, or businessmen, Anthony had always dreamed of becoming a superhero.

He knew reality was not like the comics. There were no aliens waiting to grant him superpowers, no mysterious accidents that would suddenly awaken hidden abilities, and certainly no secret organization recruiting ordinary people to become heroes.

Still, that had never stopped him from dreaming.

Being a hero doesn’t necessarily require superpowers, anyway.

If someone is in danger, you should help them. If someone is being bullied, you should stand up for them. If a villain appears, you should be the one who steps forward.

’Maybe I don’t have superpowers now, but who knows what the future holds?’

Anthony smiled at the thought.

’Besides, if I really had superpowers, I would probably become a hero just like Super Cactus Man.’

He glanced at the comic in his hand.

A new game based on the popular superhero series was going to be released soon, and Anthony had already pre-ordered it.

’I wonder how good the game will be. If they let me play as Super Cactus Man, I’ll probably spend the entire night playing it.’

He chuckled to himself.

’If only I could experience what it’s like to actually become a superhero.’

Just as he was lost in his thoughts, a screeching sound suddenly came from ahead.

"What’s that?"

Anthony looked up.

A truck was speeding toward an intersection, apparently out of control.

At the same time, a young woman wearing headphones was crossing the road without noticing the approaching vehicle.

Anthony’s expression changed.

"Oh, shit! Move! Danger!"

He immediately dropped the comics and sprinted toward her.

The woman didn’t hear him.

The truck was getting closer.

Only when the vehicle was almost upon her did she finally notice something was wrong.

Her eyes widened. But it was already too late. She froze in terror.

Anthony didn’t hesitate.

He rushed forward and pushed her out of the truck’s path with all his strength.

"Get out of the way!"

The woman fell toward the side of the road.

Anthony, however, had no time to escape. The truck slammed into him.

For a brief moment, intense pain overwhelmed his entire body. Then everything went black.

Anthony never regretted his decision. If given another chance, he probably would have done the same thing.

His Super Cactus Man comic lay scattered on the roadside, stained with blood. The woman he had saved was sitting against a signpost, trembling and crying in shock.

People soon gathered around the scene and desperately searched for the young man who had saved her.

But strangely, Anthony’s body was nowhere to be found.

No one knew where it had gone. Nor they knew what had happened to him.

An unknown amount of time passed. Anthony slowly opened his eyes.

"Huh?"

He stared at the dark sky above him. His body felt completely fine. There was no pain, no blood, and not even a scratch.

"Am I... alive?"

Anthony immediately sat up and looked around.

He was lying on a large patch of grass surrounded by trees. The place looked somewhat like a park, but there was no one around. Maybe because it was night.

"Where is this place?"

Before he could figure anything out, a mechanical voice suddenly rang inside his mind.

[Ding! Super Tech Hero System has been bound!]

Anthony froze.

Then his eyes widened.

"A system?"

His expression quickly transformed into excitement.

"Super Tech Hero System?"

He jumped to his feet.

"Am I finally going to become a superhero?!"

The system continued explaining.

[The host can earn Tech Points by completing system missions, performing acts of justice, defeating supervillains, saving people, and other heroic actions.]

[Tech Points can be exchanged for technologies available in the System Store.]