Tony's expression instantly turned serious. "Alright. Vacation's over. Captain, gather everyone. Looks like the 'big guy' is still coming."
A new battle—far beyond anyone's expectations in scale and speed—suddenly descended upon the world. And Saitama, who had just finished the opening act of his "routine grocery run," seemed like he was about to get dragged into an even bigger mess again—
Hopefully… he'd already paid at the supermarket.
Saturday afternoon sunlight poured through the supermarket's glass "380" curtain wall, warming the goods on the shelves. Saitama stood in front of a row of shelves with a completely focused expression, holding a calculator as he carefully compared the per-milliliter unit price of two different brands of soy sauce, muttering to himself the whole time. Wearing red rubber gloves, he pushed a half-full shopping cart—mostly discounted eggs, milk, bread, and some instant foods.
Finally, after a full five minutes of precise calculations, he nodded in satisfaction, put the more cost-effective bottle of soy sauce into his cart, and headed toward the checkout lanes. Soft, relaxing music played in the supermarket. People pushed carts, leisurely picking out items. Everything was filled with the ordinary, peaceful atmosphere of everyday life.
Saitama placed the items from his basket onto the conveyor belt one by one. The cashier smiled and picked up the first item—the box of discounted eggs—and started scanning.
At that moment—
The music abruptly cut off, replaced by an ear-splitting, spine-chilling shriek of an alarm!
Everyone in the supermarket was startled by the sudden noise. They stopped what they were doing and looked around in confusion.
Immediately after, a female voice came over the PA. She was clearly trying to stay calm, but the urgency still leaked through: "Emergency notice! Emergency notice! An unidentified giant rock monster has appeared in the west-side industrial district and is currently destroying industrial facilities! Repeating—giant rock monster in the west-side industrial district! Residents outside evacuation zones must remain indoors immediately, close doors and windows, and do not go outside! Do not head toward the industrial district!"
The broadcast repeated over and over. The supermarket's peaceful mood shattered in an instant, replaced by tension and unease. People surged toward the windows, craning their necks to look toward the west.
Saitama couldn't help frowning too. He turned and looked out through the supermarket's enormous floor-to-ceiling windows. Even from this distance, he could clearly see thick black smoke billowing up on the city's western skyline—like an ugly scar defiling the deep blue sky.
He could even faintly hear dull explosions, along with some inhuman, teeth-grinding roar drifting over.
What concerned Saitama even more was the familiar, unpleasant energy fluctuation spreading from that direction. This feeling… it was almost exactly the same as that underground beetle monster he'd encountered before—the one that could molt and evolve. The same strange energy that carried a savage, destructive aura… only this time, it felt even larger and more violent.
"Sir? Sir!" The cashier's voice trembled slightly, snapping Saitama back. She was still holding the box of eggs—clearly frightened by the alarm, her hands a bit clumsy. "Y-your eggs and milk…"
"Checkout." Saitama said curtly, but his gaze remained locked on the industrial district, his brow tightly furrowed. He quickly placed the rest of his items onto the conveyor belt, thinking:
Looks like I'll have to speed up today's discount shopping.
The cashier tried to stay professional and sped up her scanning, but the way she kept sneaking glances out the window exposed the fear in her heart.
0.3 "Checkout." Saitama said curtly, but his gaze remained locked on the industrial district, his brow tightly furrowed. He quickly placed the rest of his items onto the conveyor belt, thinking that today's discount shopping would have to move faster.
The cashier tried to stay professional and sped up her scanning, but the way she kept sneaking glances out the window exposed the fear in her heart.
(End of Chapter)
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