Without saying a word, he only gave a slight nod. The eerie green light under his helmet shifted toward the depths of the warehouse as he lifted his foot and walked forward. The darkness seemed to part for him as he passed, automatically opening up and retreating to both sides.
Far away, on the ruins at the center of Manhattan, the Avengers were nervously searching for possible survivors and mobilizing resources. No one noticed that, under the shroud of Brooklyn's night, a silent hunt for the lost scepter had already begun.
Meanwhile, Saitama had already wandered out of this shattered zone at his usual lazy pace. He followed a relatively intact street, his eyes roaming over the shops on both sides. Most of the storefronts had broken doors and windows, the insides a mess of debris.
Dinner smell? Discount signs? There was nothing.
"So hungry..."
He clutched his loudly growling stomach and complained, his voice especially clear on the empty street. Finally, at a corner up ahead, he spotted the convenience store's sign light still glowing.
Hope!
Saitama's eyes lit up and his steps quickened.
The glass door of the convenience store was cracked like a spiderweb but hadn't completely shattered. It was roughly taped together. Inside, the lights were on; half the shelves were toppled, but it still looked like the place was open. There were a few customers inside—citizens who had clearly been drawn here by the earlier commotion, either taking shelter or buying supplies.
Saitama pushed open the creaking door. A gust of air mixed with dust, disinfectant, and instant noodle seasoning rushed out to meet him. His gaze was instantly captured by the half-price instant noodles on the shelf by the counter!
They were beef-flavored (he actually wanted braised beef), but half-price was justice.
At that moment, the TV in the shop was broadcasting breaking news:
"...A violent energy shock wave has suddenly erupted in central Manhattan! Unprecedented in scale! A massive sinkhole has been confirmed! Stark Tower has completely vanished! Casualties unknown! The alien threat appears to have been wiped out by an unidentified power..."
The camera image shook violently, only barely capturing part of the enormous smooth crater wall and smoke billowing in the distance. The customers in the store all gasped, whispering to each other as panic spread.
"Unidentified power?" a chubby man in a suit muttered. "Is that a god? Or... some supervillain?"
"I hope it's a new superhero..." The young woman beside him looked pale. "Someone who can deal with those alien monsters..."
Saitama squeezed into the line at the counter. There were still two people in front of him. His eyes burned with longing as he stared at those few cups of half-price noodles. The sound from the TV and the chatter of the people around him felt like they were coming through a layer of frosted glass.
"That's gotta be some insanely strong guy!" a burly man behind him said excitedly. "One punch to blow up a battleship! One stomp to blast out the middle of Manhattan! That's so damn cool! I really wanna see what he looks like!"
The cashier was a tired-looking middle-aged lady. Her hands moved quickly as she scanned the items of the customers in front, her eyes occasionally flicking nervously toward the door and the dark street outside. From the radio, an emergency alert cut in again:
"...Attention! Multiple areas across New York have registered unidentified high-energy signals! They may be related to remaining alien forces! Citizens are advised to stay at home..."
The atmosphere instantly grew even more tense.
The customer in front of Saitama had just paid. Saitama hurriedly thrust his cup noodles forward, afraid someone else would snatch the last ones.
And just then—
BOOM!!!
A muffled explosion, mixed with a violent tremor, suddenly blasted in from the other end of the street! The floor of the convenience store shook hard; the remaining goods on the shelves clattered down in a shower, and the lights flickered wildly!
(End of Chapter)
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