The department store in Manhattan, which had just endured the rampage of the "Shopping Festival" monster, was now enveloped in an eerie silence. The previous clamor, panic, and sounds of fighting were abruptly erased as if by an invisible hand.
Only shattered display windows, toppled shelves, and various goods scattered across the floor like the aftermath of a hurricane remained, silently narrating the recent chaos.
The 'smoke' (though there was no fire, the atmosphere was similar) had not yet cleared, and a lingering tension and unease hung in the air. Startled customers and staff gathered in safe areas, whispering, their gazes fearfully directed at the mess inside the mall.
Media reporters set up their cameras, attempting to capture any valuable footage.
However, the usual scene of Heroes giving interviews, police maintaining order, and city departments beginning the headache of cleanup did not materialize.
Instead, there was the Association's multi-functional cleanup vehicle, entirely black, with sharp lines, resembling a mobile fortress, and three Logistics Department personnel, precise and silent like machines.
They ignored all gazes, accepted no interviews, and even rarely communicated with each other, completing coordination with mere gestures and glances.
It was as if they were not dealing with a dangerous site where a superhuman event had just occurred, but merely a pre-scheduled "cleaning project" that needed to be efficiently completed.
New Logistics Department member Jim, this was his first field mission after joining the Logistics Department through "special channels."
He wore the same blue uniform as the others, trying to appear as calm as the veteran members, but his palms, gripping the equipment handle, were slightly sweaty.
He had previously worked in the municipal emergency department and knew that damage of this scale would typically require multiple departments and several days to clean up, often leaving various lingering issues.
But here, everything was different.
The Captain, a stern-faced middle-aged man code-named "Wrench," scanned the scene with hawk-like eyes, quickly issuing commands.
His voice, transmitted through an internal earpiece, reached Jim and another team member: "Zone A (primary damage zone), initiate 'High-Intensity Wide-Area Adsorption' and 'Rapid Structure Scan'. Zone B (scattered goods zone), perform 'Valuable Item Identification and Sorting'. Zone C (energy residue zone), deploy 'Inertialization Processing Units'. Move out."
Jim took a deep breath, pushing the [Multi-Mode Material Recovery Unit] he was responsible for.
It looked like an enhanced industrial vacuum cleaner but had a far more complex internal structure. He activated the device, a low hum started, and a special energy field unfolded from the front of the unit.
The next moment, a sight that left him dumbfounded occurred.
On the ground ahead, the product packaging, glass shards, and twisted metal shelf remnants, torn, crushed, and mixed together by the monster, seemed to come alive.
Like iron filings drawn to a magnet, they orderly and in large sections lifted off the ground, being sucked into the wide entrance of the recovery unit.
Not just large fragments, but even the finest dust and spilled liquids were precisely captured by that invisible force field, without a single omission.
This was definitely not an ordinary vacuum cleaner! This was... some form of material manipulation!
Another team member operated a mobile platform with a scanning arm, the [Intelligent Sorting and Evaluation Platform]. The scanning arm emitted a soft beam of light, sweeping over items that were still intact or only slightly damaged.
Images of the items, their barcodes, and preliminary value assessments and damage reports flashed across the platform's screen.
"Branded women's clothing, slightly stained, repairable, marked as 'returnable'."
"Electronic product, packaging damaged, internal components intact, marked as 'Association internal welfare discount'."
"Food, packaging ruptured, contaminated, marked as 'harmless decomposition'."
The robotic arms beneath the platform, according to instructions, sorted different categories of items into various storage bins, with an efficiency comparable to the most advanced automated factories.
Meanwhile, Captain "Wrench" himself walked towards the area where the monster's core had previously been, where faint, unstable energy fluctuations still lingered.
He took a metal box from the side of the cleanup vehicle; inside were several oddly shaped, probe-like devices, the [Environmental Energy Inertialization Generators]. He precisely inserted these probes into several points on the ground with the strongest energy reactions.
The tips of the probes glowed with a faint blue light, and an invisible wave spread out. Jim could feel that the subtly unsettling "aftermath" of the superhuman event in the air was rapidly dissipating, becoming peaceful and stable.
This was... energy purification?
The entire cleanup process unfolded like a silent, highly efficient industrial ballet. There were no superfluous words, no frantic movements, only the low hum of equipment and the subtle sounds of items being classified and processed.
Shattered display windows were covered with temporary energy membranes to prevent secondary damage; scattered goods were quickly returned or processed; energy residues were thoroughly cleared.
In less than thirty minutes, when the Logistics Department team packed up their equipment and returned to the cleanup vehicle, the interior of the mall was completely revitalized.
The floor was as clean as a mirror, shelves were righted (severely damaged ones had been recovered), goods were organized and categorized, and even the air felt much fresher.
Aside from a few structural damages requiring subsequent professional repair, the entire sales floor area had almost returned to an operational state!
The previously hiding customers and shop assistants cautiously peered out, looking at the almost magical scene before them, their faces filled with disbelief.
"This... it's done?"
"How did they do it? That was so fast!"
"They even cleaned the floor?! Better than our mall's own cleaning staff!"
The arriving municipal workers and insurance adjusters looked at the scene, where there was almost nothing left for them to do, exchanging glances with complex expressions.
They were accustomed to dealing with the aftermath of various disasters and incidents, and this was the first time they had encountered a situation where the "after-sales service" was so thoroughly handled by others.
Media reporters frantically clicked their shutters, documenting this incredible "cleaning" process. They had already come up with headlines: "Beyond Heroes! Unveiling the Association's Mysterious Logistics Department, Restoring Disaster Sites in Half an Hour!"
Jim sat in the cleanup vehicle on the way back to headquarters, watching the streetscape rapidly receding outside the window, his mind still reeling.
He touched the seemingly ordinary blue uniform he wore, feeling the integrated miniature environmental monitoring, vital sign scanning, and short-range communication modules within it.
He recalled the incredibly powerful equipment, Captain's precise, down-to-the-second commands, and the team members' unparalleled coordination.
This was not mere logistics and cleaning; this was clearly a special forces unit equipped with advanced technology, highly trained, and focused on "post-battle processing"!
"How's it feel, rookie?" Hank, a veteran team member next to him, suddenly spoke, without even opening his eyes.
Jim opened his mouth, but ultimately only managed to utter one sentence: "...Are we really the Logistics Department?"
Hank's lips curled into a barely perceptible arc: "Otherwise? Are we supposed to let those 'big shots' who routinely demolish buildings and destroy roads clean up after themselves?"
Jim fell silent. For the first time, he clearly realized that the Hero Association's strength was multi-faceted and all-encompassing.
The glamour and power of the frontline Heroes were built upon this efficient, professional, and equally unfathomable support system behind the scenes.
Fisk Tower, Command Center.
Wesley looked at the site cleanup report and media feedback from the Logistics Department, nodding with satisfaction. He connected with Kingpin.
"My Lord, the Logistics Department's first major public operation was remarkably effective. Not only did it swiftly restore order and significantly reduce societal property damage, but the technical capabilities and professional competence displayed also garnered widespread attention and discussion.
This is excellent for enhancing the Association's overall image and credibility."
From the other end of the communicator, Kingpin's deep voice came through:
"Very good. Logistics is an indispensable part of the Association. Let the world get used to, and depend on, our 'services'."
His words were calm, yet they contained an undeniable sense of control.
The prowess of the Logistics Department was revealed to the world for the first time so clearly. It told everyone that the Hero Association solved not just the "monsters," but all the "troubles" the monsters brought.
This silent performance, in some respects, had an impact even greater than the direct confrontations between Heroes and monsters. It demonstrated, with almost ruthless efficiency, the depth and breadth a mature organization should possess.