Chapter 5

Here's the translation of your passage into English:

POV: Kyren Voltis

Today is a big day, and when I say big, I mean BIG!

Today is my first day as a professional hero!

Finally, after four years of constant tests and struggles at the academy, I can put on my suit, and I won't just be Kyren Voltis anymore; I'll be Pulse!

Alright, alright, calm down, Pulse. Like the teachers said, review the situation.

I'm in the offices of the hero group Titan Strike, which, while it's an agency specializing in fighting epsilon beasts, doesn't shy away from fighting supervillains either. In fact, we're the third most important agency in Neonara, one of the most important border cities not only in America but in the world, which also earned it the location of the great Northern Hero Academy.

Since it's a border city between the Gulf of Mexico and the Northern Wall—a huge mountain range that, if my history lessons don't fail me, was formed during the Era of Extinction and has only one passage in the east of the continent—Neonara is of significant importance. Now that I think about it, Neonara is quite close to an old ruined city called Houston, which was also destroyed during the Era of Extinction by a massive tsunami... along with almost all the coastal cities of North America... good thing I wasn't born during that era.

As I was saying, due to its position at the only access point that connects what were once the United States and Mexico, Neonara is a crucial location. But, due to its proximity to the sea, it's also a place where beastly tides are not uncommon.

But, like I was saying, imagine my surprise when they accepted my application to Titan Strike. I mean, I've got a decent gene—Electro Pulse—which, as the name suggests, lets me release electric pulses, and with the right mutated cells, I've managed to improve it quite a bit.

I was thinking about this while walking through the office of the group. I also noticed that everyone was super busy, running around with papers and other things. I remembered when I asked the secretary at the entrance what was going on, and she just smiled at me and said:

"You're going to have a great first day."

With those cryptic words, she told me to head to the meeting room, which I arrived at somewhere during my internal monologue.

I walked in and felt three things: surprise, nervousness, and a bit of fear. Why, you ask? Simple—because the entire Titan Strike was here! And not just them, but the chief of police and several heroes from other agencies, as well as some independent heroes.

I could only say one thing when I saw this whole group of people.

"What the hell did I get myself into?!"

...

To summarize the situation, there's a big drug trafficking gang in Neonara called White Cobra. They weren't a big deal before—just a group of idiots with nothing better to do—but five months ago, they changed leaders and started distributing a strange drug called Fulgor. According to the genetists, it's made from parts of electric monsters, though they don't know exactly which ones or how it's manufactured.

After several investigations, they managed to find the main base where Fulgor is being made. They had found other smaller bases, but those only distributed the product; they didn't manufacture it.

So here's the deal: they found the base in an old warehouse in the southern part of the city, where it's believed they've built a subterranean complex. While that might sound complicated, if you have people with the right genes, it's not too big of a problem.

As I was saying, we divided into three teams: one, two, and three. Team one is made up of SWAT units and heroes who can fight in confined spaces. Team two consists of regular police officers and heroes who aren't as effective in confined spaces, and that's where I am, though mostly because I'm a rookie. Team three is in charge of logistics for the whole operation.

It annoys me a bit to be in team two and not in team one, where they'll get all the action. I guess it's because of my lack of experience, but at least helping in a big raid on my first day will look good on my résumé.

Anyway, what could go wrong?

...

EVERYTHING WENT WRONG!

It's a trap!

At first, everything was going fine. Team one entered the warehouse after we surrounded it, but things started going bad when they reported that they hadn't found anyone. That's when it all began, and the only warning we got was a "WATCH OUT!" over the communicator.

Then BOOM—the whole building exploded. And since there was also a subterranean complex, the entire block around it exploded as well.

As if that wasn't enough, before we could even figure out what the hell was happening, a purple portal opened, and several villains came out of it. I have to admit, they knew what they were doing. After the explosion wiped out team one, who were the heavy hitters, they went for team three, leaving us without a command structure, which let them target team two—the largest group.

And that's how I ended up in this situation—dodging bullets from a guy with a Gatling gun while I run for my life and have this internal monologue. Thanks to my ability to enhance the electrical waves in my body and brain with my gene, I can think fast enough to do this.

But I realize I should probably focus on the guy shooting at me instead of thinking about what went wrong. As I run, I shoot electrical waves toward him. I miss, but I hit the ground right in front of him, kicking up a cloud of dust—just the distraction I need to close the distance and land a kick to his jaw.

No time to think, though, as another guy with hammers for hands charges at me. I dodge by jumping backward and counter with a pulse to his torso, stunning him just long enough for me to land an uppercut to his jaw.

I glance around—it's chaos. Buildings are destroyed, fires are raging everywhere, the police are firing at the villains, and the heroes are fighting whoever they can. Luckily, no more villains are coming out of the portal, but it's still open.

I brace myself and rush toward the nearest villain, who seems to have steel skin since the bullets from the cops are just bouncing off him. As I run, I charge up a powerful blow with my hands, and when I strike him, it's super effective—he drops to the ground, convulsing. I don't waste time on him and keep fighting more extras until I find myself facing a man wielding a sword, surrounded by a red aura.

He's clearly an aura user—something pretty rare among street-level villains. I raise my guard, not wanting to get too close, and fire off several pulses from a distance. Somehow, he senses them and turns just in time to block them with his sword. I look at him and mutter:

"This is gonna be a long night."