In a spacious underground bunker, a group of individuals sat attentively, focused on a middle-aged man who was elucidating a concept displayed on a large holographic screen. Among them were two Asian brothers who were strikingly similar, one sporting white hair while the other had black. Additionally, there was a handsome white man with silver hair and a lightning mark above his eye, a stunning white woman, and a muscular dark-skinned man adorned with flame tattoos on both arms.
"You've been selected to safeguard the world against imminent threats. So, please introduce yourselves one at a time, beginning with you." The middle-aged man remarked, gesturing towards the white man who rose with a solemn demeanor.
"My name's Michael Barnes, and it's my pleasure to work with you," The Silver-Haired man stated with a serious expression as he surveyed the faces of the others.
"Oh, so you're that guy," The first Asian with white hair remarked, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Excuse me," Michael replied, glancing at him with furrowed brows.
"Definitely that guy," The other Asian with black Hair said with a grin.
"Which guy?" Micheal asked, his expression one of confusion.
"You," The white-haired Asian replied with a grin.
"Me?" Michael inquired, his confusion deepening.
"That guy," The black-haired Asian said with a smile.
"Which guy?" Michael asked, his voice tinged with frustration.
"You, hehe" The brothers responded simultaneously, sharing a laugh.
"So, you two were messing with me, you two punks," Michael said, a vein bulging on his forehead.
"I am Bai Wang, or White Fang," The white-haired Asian said with a smirk.
"And I am Hei Wang, or Black Fang," The black-
haired Asian said with a grin.
"And together we are the Wang brothers," They both said in unison.
"Be quiet and take a seat; this isn't a commercial shoot," The middle-aged man said with a scowl, his eyes rolling in disbelief at the comical display of the brothers.
"Hahaha, you all are quite amusing! My name is Henry Chase, but feel free to call me the Pulverizer, hehehe." The man with dark skin spoke with a smile, winking at the woman.
"I am Racheal Bennett, but you can call me Flair" The woman responded with a captivating smile and a playful wink.
"Great, now that you all know yourselves quite well, what abilities do you possess?" The middle-aged man inquired.
"I can manipulate lightning," Michael declared, as bolts of lightning danced across his hands.
"I can transform my skin into any material I touch," Henry stated, placing his hand on the steel table. His body gleamed as his skin morphed into steel, only to revert back to its original state moments later.
"I can manipulate light," Bai Wang said, as a brilliant glow materialized in his palm.
"Do not underestimate his light; it possesses the ability to effortlessly melt through several inches of refined steel." The middle-aged man shook his head, fully aware of the danger he posed.
"I have the ability to manipulate darkness, which can corrode various substances." Hei Wang also remarked with a mysterious smile as his palm illuminated with a sphere of darkness, presenting it as if it were trivial, yet everyone could perceive that it was far from just 'several substances'.
"I can manipulate fire," Rachael said, her eyes shifting to a striking red as a wave of heat swept through the room, only to return to normal just as quickly.
"My name's Colonel Barnes, though I know most of you may recognize me better as Lionheart," The middle-aged man said with a smile.
"Wait, are you referring to...'The Lionheart'?" Henry inquired with astonishment as he gazed at him.
"In the flesh," Lionheart replied with a grin.
"Wow, you are truly remarkable; I can't imagine anyone here not being familiar with you." The two brothers spoke with reverence, for who had not heard of Lionheart, the one who dispatched his foes with ease, also known as 'The Strongest Human'.
"Excuse me, Colonel Barnes, Micheal Barnes—could there be some sort of connection?" Rachael inquired with a glint in her eye.
"Yes, Michael is my son, and many know him as El Panthera," Lionheart replied with a nod.
"Whoa, two legends in the same room as me, I must have exhausted my luck on this moment?" Henry remarked with a smirk as he glanced at Michael, who shook his head with a sigh, he clearly hadn't intended to disclose his identity.
"Good, now that you are all acquainted with your colleagues, please follow me. I will guide you to your accommodations until your first mission," Lionheart stated as he approached the door, opened it with a facial scan, and stepped outside with the others.
"This will be your training area. Here, you can enhance your speed, strength, endurance, and even your skills," Lionheart explained, gesturing toward a vast room bustling with scientists in white coats.
"This will be your cafeteria where you can order anything you want," Lionheart said after walking for some time, pointing at another spacious room filled with several tables and chairs, featuring a large screen.
"This will be your lounge where you can play games, chat, or engage in any other activities," Lionheart said once more as they entered another spacious room filled with various entertainment options.
"This will be your sleeping area," Lionheart finally announced as he came to a halt in a vast corridor lined with numerous rooms.
"You can access most areas in this facility, as your data has already been scanned and imprinted onto the database. All that is required is a simple facial scan," Lionheart explained, capturing everyone's attention.
"Are there any questions you would like to ask?" Lionheart inquired while casting a glance at them, a hand
swiftly shot up.
"Yes, what is it, Bai?" Lionheart inquired with a weary look, aware that Bai was on the verge of posing a foolish question.
"What do we call our taskforce?" Bai inquired with a serious demeanor.
"Huh, it's called Taskforce Ouroboros," Lionheart remarked simultaneously with Bai, who expressed an entirely different thought.
"Taskforce SpongeBob," Bai said with a smile.
"What? No, it's called Taskforce Ouroboros," Lionheart said with a scowl.
"I believe Taskforce SpongeBob has a nicer ring to it" Hei said with a smile.
"No, it doesn't. That doesn't even make sense," Michael said with a hint of mockery.
"Yes, it does. I mean, who doesn't like SpongeBob?" Bai said, dripping with sarcasm.
"Hmm, it does sound rather pleasant," Henry remarked, his expression contemplative.
"See, even Henry thinks it's acceptable," Hei remarked with a frown.
"No, it isn't. We are not using that name" Michael said, glaring at them with anger.
"If everyone likes it, why shouldn't we?" Bai inquired with a sly grin.
"What are your thoughts, Racheal?" Michael inquired with a serious demeanor.
"I believe it's good," Racheal replied with a smile.
"What! You too? Tsk, what about you too, Dad? Tell them!" Michael said in shock to Racheal who shrugged as he turned furiously to his father.
"Hmm, I suppose the majority has the final say, don't be a sucker, my boy. After all, who doesn't love SpongeBob?" Lionheart asked with a playful wink, giving his son's shoulder a gentle pat and a warm smile.
"Yeah, don't be a sucker, El Panthera," Bai and Hei said with mocking smiles, which earned them a glare from Michael.
"Dad, you can't be serious. What would everyone think when we go on a mission? We can't just say, 'Hello everyone, it's Taskforce SpongeBob, and we're here to save you.' What would they think?" Micheal inquired, his brows knitted in concern.
"Son, I've been telling you, it doesn't matter what the public says; your teammates' choices are always wrong," Lionheart said with a serious expression.
"That honestly does not make any sense, you've just said the opposite of what you meant" Michael said with a facepalm, his expression one of helplessness.
"I understand, son. Now, it's time for you to get some rest; tomorrow is an important day," Lionheart said with a smile before departing.
"Wow, what an eccentric man," Henry remarked as he strolled toward one of the rooms.
"I heard that Henry, oh, there's one more person I forgot to introduce; you'll meet him tomorrow," Lionheart said with a chuckle as he walked away.
"I wonder who it is" Michael said with a thoughtful expression as he walked into his room. His father hadn't mentioned who it was to him, so he also felt
a sense of curiosity.
"What in the world.." Micheal entered the room, speechless at its appearance. It was much larger than it appeared from the outside and was beautifully furnished with various gadgets. There were game consoles, TV sets, a master bed equipped with various controls, a personal training room, and much more.
"Wow, this is truly the life," Michael remarked with a smile as he jumped onto the bed and reclined on it.
KNOCK
KNOCK
"Yeah, who is it?" Michael remarked with a frown as he rose and made his way to the door.
"I apologize for the interruption, Sir Michael, but your father has requested an emergency meeting." As Michael opened the door, a soldier spoke with respect, the rest of the team standing behind him.
"What is this about?" Michael asked with a frown as they followed the soldier.
"We don't know; we're just as clueless as you," Henry replied, shaking his head. After walking for a while, they reached a door adorned with multiple security layers, consisting of retinal scans, facial recognition, fingerprint identification, passwords, and even kids puzzles, all these required the soldier ten minutes to unlock.
"What's the reason for these numerous locks?" Micheal quietly remarked to himself as they entered, and upon arrival, they found themselves in a vast hall filled with numerous advanced gadgets and technology.
"I apologize for summoning you all on such short notice" Lionheart said, his serious expression causing tension among them all.
"Well, what's the problem?" After a while of silence from his father, Michael inquired.
"Oh, that was merely a drill; you may leave now," Lionheart said, gesturing with a wave of his hand.
"What? This was merely a drill?" Bai remarked in disbelief, he was clearly taken aback.
"Then why all the locks on the door?" Michael asked, his expression one of surprise.
"Oh, that was just Charlie; he erred with the building plan," Lionheart responded, gesturing toward a soldier.
"I apologize for that," The soldier remarked, his expression tinged with embarrassment.
"Alright, I'm heading to bed," Henry sighed, turning to leave.
"Me too," Rachael said, stifling a yawn.
"See you tomorrow, Dad," Michael said, shaking his head. His father could be so strange at times. Were they high school kids?
BEEP
BEEP
"What's happening? Is this yet another drill?" Rachael inquired as a piercing alarm blared.
"No, it isn't. Sir, you must take a look at this." A scientist exclaimed in disbelief, projecting two images onto a large screen.
"Oh my God, how is this possible?" Lionheart exclaimed, his expression one of sheer horror.
"Could you please clarify what we're seeing?" Henry inquired while gazing at the two images. Initially, the first image resembled a satellite picture of an expansive area, featuring only a few red dots. In contrast, the second image presented the same scene, but the number of red dots had dramatically increased.
"This is the satellite image of Zone 1 in the badlands. The red dots indicate enemy targets from two days ago," The scientist explained, gesturing towards the initial image marked with several dots.
"And this is the same location today," The scientist concluded, gesturing towards the second image.
"Why did they suddenly multiply so much? Still though, this is not something to get so worked up over," Hei remarked with a frown.
"Well, when he mentioned enemy targets, he was
referring to Rank 5 Undead and above," Lionheart stated with a composed demeanor.
"What!" The five of them exclaimed simultaneously; the information was simply too shocking. Following the apocalypse, with the emergence of abilities, both monsters and ability holders were categorized into various ranks.
Rank 1 - Useless
Rank 2 - Below Average
Rank 3 - Moderate
Rank 4 - Above average
Rank 5 - Strong
Rank 6 - Very Strong
Rank 7- Has the potential to obliterate an entire town.
Rank 8 - Possesses the capability to single-handedly obliterate a major city
Rank 9 - Possesses the capability to effortlessly overpower a formidable nation.
Rank 10 - Global threat level
"This is troubling; there are so many of them. If they choose to lay siege to us, we will face numerous casualties, I haven't seen so many high-level targets since..." Michael remarked then paused, his brows furrowed in concern, those around didn't notice this change in his countenance.
"Exactly, it appears you have received your first assignment," Lionheart said with a grin.
"What do you mean first assignment? This feels like a complete suicide mission!" Bai exclaimed in disbelief.
"I understand, and that's precisely why you are the ones going. You will be leaving in three days, so make sure to get some rest. We will go over the plans tomorrow," Lionheart remarked, gesturing with his hand as he approached the scientist to engage in a discussion.
"I suppose I should get some sleep," Racheal remarked as they all departed.
"Excuse me, sir, are you certain they're capable of doing this?" The scientist inquired once they had departed.
"Believe me, there is no one more suited for this role than they are; they were specially enlisted for situations like this," Lionheart remarked with a chuckle.