Hero Hack: Reversing Heroes and Raising Harem-Chapter 245: Neuro Needs a Firewall

The lights were low in the AA-Rank Hero Lounge. Clean walls. A large couch. Cooling vents overhead.

Blazren stirred. His eyes opened slowly. His arms ached. His chest felt heavy.

The suit had been removed—only a light med-vest covered his upper body now.

He looked around. The ceiling lights blurred in his vision for a second.

Then he blinked.

"...I lost, huh."

A voice came from the corner. Calm. Flat.

"Yeah. Badly."

Blazren turned his head slightly.

Neuro was seated on a bench by the wall, one leg crossed over the other, a datapad in his hand.

Blazren stared at him for a second.

Then he laughed once. It was short, weak, but real.

Neuro looked up.

"...You’re laughing?"

Blazren nodded slowly. "Yeah. Guess I needed that."

Neuro raised an eyebrow. "You lost to a villain who declared war."

Blazren smiled faintly. "No. I lost to Zain. That’s different."

Neuro stared at him for a long moment.

He tapped the pad once, closed it, and set it down.

"You still trust him?"

Blazren exhaled. "No. But I understand him a bit more now."

Neuro stood and walked toward the window.

He looked out across the night-lit city.

"We’re in trouble. You know that, right?"

Blazren nodded again. "Yeah. I know."

Neuro didn’t move. "And yet you laugh."

Blazren looked up at the ceiling.

"Because I’m still alive. And next time, I won’t lose the same way."

Neuro didn’t respond.

The silence between them settled like ash after a fire.

But then, the air shifted. The door behind them opened without sound.

Zain walked into the lounge.

Black coat, relaxed steps, that same calm expression.

"So," Zain said, glancing at the couch, "you woke up, old man."

Neuro turned instantly, eyes narrowing.

"You shouldn’t be here."

Zain chuckled. "What? No congratulations?"

He looked around.

"Hmm. The AA-Rank Hero Lounge might need a new security system."

Neuro’s frown deepened.

Blazren propped himself up slowly, using his elbow. "You broke in?"

Zain smirked. "Walked in."

He stepped closer to the couch. "You okay, old man?"

Blazren nodded with a tired smile. "Yeah. You took it easy on me, didn’t you?"

Zain’s smirk widened. "A little."

He folded his arms. "So... now that I’ve won—fair and square—the sectors are mine, right?"

Blazren didn’t hesitate. He nodded once. "Yeah. That was the deal."

Neuro said nothing but didn’t take his eyes off Zain.

Zain exhaled, satisfied. "Good."

Then another presence entered the room—silent, smooth, and confident.

Velra appeared beside Zain, arms behind her back.

Her heels clicked once on the floor as she stopped beside her master.

"I told the girls to begin the clean-up," she said.

Zain gave a slow nod. "Perfect."

Velra glanced once at Neuro, then at Blazren, and smiled.

Her eyes shimmered with pride.

The Heavenly Demon had claimed victory.

Zain stood tall at the center of the room.

The tension wasn’t thick anymore—it was fading, replaced by something else.

Calm. Final.

Neuro narrowed his eyes. His voice was flat. "Now that it’s over... why don’t you go back?"

He glanced at the side wall.

"I need to relocate the AA-Rank Hero Lounge to a new hidden location. This one’s compromised."

Zain only smirked. "Just wait a minute."

He looked at Blazren, who was still sitting on the recovery couch.

"I want to talk to the old man."

Blazren exhaled and leaned back, his chest still aching.

"What do you want to talk about, Zain?"

Zain stepped closer, his boots echoing lightly against the metal floor.

"I just want to tell you..." He stopped in front of Blazren, eyes sharp but calm.

"This will be the last time you see me."

Blazren frowned. "What do you mean?"

Zain looked over his shoulder at the window, then back at them.

"I’ll be heading to the A-Zone soon."

Neuro’s eyes widened. Even Blazren stiffened.

Neuro stepped forward. "What did you just say?"

Zain turned slightly toward him.

"You think it’s that easy?" Neuro asked.

"A-Zone isn’t just another level. That’s a high-end, private sector."

"Only top elites and classified forces even exist up there. No one just walks into the A-Zone."

Zain grinned. "But I know a way."

He paused. "And I also know something else. The Beastkin Brood isn’t over."

Blazren’s eyes sharpened. "What?"

Zain raised one hand and snapped his fingers.

Velra stepped forward and handed him a sealed containment box.

Zain opened the top.

Inside was the severed head of Syvarn.

The same calm face. The same silver hair.

"You know who this is, right?" Zain said.

Neuro frowned, stepping closer.

"Doctor Syvarn. Researcher for the Beastkin Brood... and—"

He paused.

"One of the real A-Zone members," Zain finished.

Blazren’s hands curled into fists. "How do you know all this?"

Zain smirked. "Let’s just say... I’ve got a few helpful tricks."

"And my questioning methods? Pretty effective."

Neuro narrowed his eyes. "Torture."

Zain tilted his head. "I call it truth extraction."

Blazren sighed. "So you came here just to say goodbye?"

Zain nodded. "Yeah. And to tell you something else."

He looked at both of them.

"Don’t worry too much."

"The Heavenly Demon Sect will keep helping down here. Only I and the Velvet Demon are going to A-Zone."

Velra smirked, stepping beside him. "We’ll make a bigger mess up there."

Zain turned to leave.

"Take care of the B-Zone, old man," he said. "I’ll take care of the top."

Blazren pushed himself up slightly, arms resting on his knees.

"Zain," he called out.

Zain paused at the door but didn’t turn around.

Blazren’s voice was low but firm. "If you go too far... if you lose yourself completely..."

"I won’t," Zain interrupted, still facing away. "I’ve already found who I really am."

Blazren’s eyes narrowed. "Then don’t forget who you were."

"Even if you change everything up there... don’t forget the fire that made you fight for people down here."

Zain gave a small nod.

"I won’t forget. But I won’t wait for permission either."

The door slid shut behind him.

The war wasn’t over. It was only moving to a higher battlefield.

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