The two people before them were known to virtually everyone in America, and they even had some influence globally.
One was the CEO of Overwatch Films, Ronin; the other was the globally famous superhero—Soldier: 76!
A few days earlier, news reports had stated that Soldier: 76 not only existed in the movies but also in the real world, complete with interview videos of Soldier: 76 by journalists.
In the Brilliant Star terrorist attack, Soldier: 76 had played a decisive role. Single-handedly, he had gunned down all the mercenaries in the Bowen Hall; otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable—possibly hundreds of filmmakers could have been taken hostage.
Seeing Soldier: 76 with their own eyes now felt somewhat unreal.
Could the super soldier described in the movie truly exist?
The buzz-cut man was the first to snap out of it. With some doubt in his voice, he asked, "Mr. Ronin? Soldier: 76?"
Ronin lowered his hands and extended his right hand in greeting. "Hello, I'm Ronin. Those mercenaries mentioned that this place had been targeted. That 'person' must be the renowned 'Falcon' Special Forces, right?"
Even someone who rarely left home like him had heard of the Falcon Special Forces. The news seemed particularly fond of them, frequently broadcasting their glorious feats of taking down terrorist hideouts.
The buzz-cut man shook his hand and nodded. "Correct. I'm the captain of 'Falcon,' callsign Lightning. Sir, can you tell me what happened here?"
"I was captured by the mercenaries. As for why, I'm not sure—perhaps they have a special fondness for filmmakers. That's why they attacked Brilliant Star, intending to kidnap all the well-known movie people. In the end, Soldier: 76 arrived, rescued me, and blew up the stronghold along the way." Ronin spoke unhurriedly.
"Soldier: 76, this is the third time you've saved me. I offer you my sincere thanks!" He gave Thomas a slight nod.
Thomas flashed a proud smile. This was exactly the feeling he wanted—feel倍爽! (It felt incredibly good!)
"Fighting crime is the very reason I exist in this world. Wherever there is crime, there I am. I am the embodiment of justice, the terminator of evil…"
There it was again!
Ronin knew that once Thomas put on the Soldier: 76 uniform, the chuunibyou soul inside him would ignite once more, burning brighter and hotter!
Captain Lightning heard this for the first time and found it quite novel. Sure enough, a super soldier was different from ordinary soldiers like them—not just physically, but mentally as well.
The other special forces soldiers were filled with admiration, practically prostrating themselves in respect. Superheroes really were different; even their words carried such depth.
In today's world, not many people could single-handedly crush a mercenary group. Soldier: 76 was one, and Iron Man was another. Both were weapons for punishing evil, making terrorists tremble at the mere mention of their names!
Captain Lightning noticed the bullet holes all over Thomas's body and his last doubts vanished.
It seemed what they said was true. The mercenary group's goal had been to kidnap filmmakers, and Ronin was undoubtedly the most prominent among them. After the Brilliant Star operation failed, they had taken him instead.
Soldier: 76 had a keen sense for illegal and criminal activities, which was why he had arrived in time to rescue him and destroy the stronghold.
With this explanation, everything made perfect sense!
"But who hired them? There must be a mastermind behind it, right? A mercenary group wouldn't do something meaningless," Captain Lightning asked.
"Eh!"
Ronin suddenly thought of something. "Follow me!"
Behind a sheet of iron about a hundred meters from the ruins lay a man wearing bright red shorts—it was McLaren, the mercenary Ronin had impersonated.
The anesthetic effect hadn't worn off yet; he was still sound asleep.
Thomas reacted quickly and immediately said, "This is the guy guarding the door. I anesthetized him before sneaking in, precisely to leave a live witness for later interrogation."
"Since you're here, I'll hand him over to you. You're far more professional than me when it comes to interrogation."
Captain Lightning nodded, ordering two subordinates to carry the mercenary back to the helicopter. He also had several others take photos of the scene.
"If you two don't mind, let's take a group photo. My subordinates are all fans of Overwatch Films. They've watched the movie Soldier: 76 quite a bit in their spare time and each one dreams of becoming a super soldier like Soldier: 76." The corners of Captain Lightning's mouth twitched slightly.
Was that a smile? Ronin couldn't really tell. Soldiers, especially the leaders, seemed to rarely smile.
The special forces soldiers behind Captain Lightning were all eager and excited. Upon hearing their captain's words, they swarmed forward, crowding Ronin and Thomas in the middle and taking a big group photo together, all wearing happy smiles.
They had all fantasized about encountering Soldier: 76 during an operation. They never expected the fantasy to become reality, and even less that their captain would be so open-minded today.
In previous operations, they had never taken group photos—even after completing missions smoothly with no casualties among comrades, the captain would never allow photos, always citing strict discipline.
This was the first time Captain Lightning had seen his brothers so happy. He reluctantly tugged at the corners of his mouth. Although he was the captain, he treated his subordinates as brothers. After going through life and death together for many years, "captain" was merely a title for giving orders.
The saying "a smile is uglier than crying" was best embodied here.
After the photo, there was no reason to linger. Captain Lightning bid farewell to Ronin and Soldier: 76, and casually asked, "Do you need a ride?"
Thomas shook his head. "Thank you, but I drove here, so no need."
"Alright then!"
Before leaving, the Falcon members lined up neatly in front of the helicopters. The captain shouted loudly, "All members of Falcon—salute Soldier: 76!"
Including the captain, every member raised their arms in unison, offering Soldier: 76 the highest salute!
They knew very well that if Soldier: 76 hadn't destroyed the enemy stronghold before they arrived, they would have faced a fierce battle, with inevitable casualties, and Mr. Ronin might have been harmed as well.
But now, they had completed the mission with ease and even brought back a live witness—all thanks to Soldier: 76.
Soldier: 76 fully deserved the entire Falcon Special Forces' salute!
Thomas's heart seemed to receive a powerful impact. With a solemn expression, he stood at attention and returned the salute!
Ronin stood to the side, smiling with relief. This was exactly the outcome he was happy to see.
After watching the five helicopters depart, Thomas finally took off the uniform. The scene from moments ago lingered in his mind. "So this is what being a hero feels like? But I feel unworthy of it."
Ronin patted his shoulder. "You're worthy. Your performance today was excellent. You'll definitely play the role of Soldier: 76 better and better. In the future, you might even become Soldier: 76 in the truest sense."
Hearing his boss's rare praise, Thomas felt as if he were living in a dream.
"Alright, go get the car out for me!"
Ronin led him to where the car was hidden. When Thomas saw the front of the car suspended over a large rock, he instantly felt like crying. "Mr. Ronin, are you messing with me?"
Ronin shrugged, looking completely serious. "Can't be helped. It's been a while since I drove, so my skills are a bit rusty. You're an experienced driver—I trust you can get the car down."
Thomas really wanted to say that trusting him was useless—he didn't even trust himself.
Driving a car to this state… he was truly impressed!