A day that had begun in calm was split open by a blaring siren.
The alarm at the Z City branch of the Hero Association let out its shrillest wail in history.
It was the highest alert—"Dragon"—signifying a city-destroying calamity.
"What happened?"
The person in charge of the Z City branch shoved open the command room door—and the moment he saw the main screen, with a colossal meteor trailing a long fiery tail hurtling toward the ground, the composure on his face collapsed into panic.
"Detected a massive high-energy object approaching Z City! Based on orbital calculations, impact is expected in ten minutes! Predicted threat level… 'Dragon'!"
A staffer's fingers trembled on the keyboard; even his voice cracked.
"Damn it! How did a meteor this huge get noticed only now?!"
Eyes bloodshot, the director grabbed the collar of the space-monitoring chief beside him and roared,
"What the hell are you people doing here?! You take a paycheck to give me results like this?!"
The chief's face went ashen. His lips moved, but no sound came out.
The meteor's appearance was unnervingly abnormal—it had practically "jumped" into low Earth orbit, entirely bypassing all outer-space early warning systems.
By the time they found it, it was already too late.
The director flung him away and forced himself to calm down. Anger wouldn't solve anything.
Without hesitation, he rushed to the comms console and dialed the emergency line to Association headquarters in City A.
The call connected almost instantly. Strategist Sitch's voice came over the receiver, grave as ever: "I've been briefed on the situation."
"I've already urgently notified all S-Class heroes recorded as operating in or around Z City."
His rapid cadence betrayed inner anxiety.
He remembered all too well how KING had warned him not long ago that a meteor capable of annihilating Z City would appear.
He'd secured special funding to upgrade space-monitoring systems across the cities for that, with Z City's disaster alert system the top priority.
But reality slapped him hard.
This meteor had manifested as if from nowhere; by the time it was detected, it was practically at impact.
There wasn't enough time to assemble an effective S-Class defensive line.
"Report! S-Class Rank 8, Drive Knight, is on a classified assignment in the western sector of City A—too far to arrive in time!"
"Report! S-Class Rank 2, Tatsumaki the Terrible Tornado, is handling another 'Demon'-level disaster in City F. We can't reach her—her comms are inside a signal-shielded zone!"
"Report! S-Class Rank 3, Silver Fang—Master Bang—confirmed inside Z City. He has mobilized!"
"Report! S-Class Rank 14, the Demon Cyborg Genos, confirmed inside Z City. He has mobilized!"
"Damn it…" Listening to the overlapping briefings, Sitch clenched his fists so hard his knuckles went white.
Master Bang and Genos were powerful S-Class heroes, yes—but against a natural disaster of this magnitude… would they be enough?
Could this meteor be divine punishment sent to wipe out humanity? A bleak thought flashed through Sitch's mind.
He drove it out at once. "Who else among S-Class can make it to Z City in time?"
"Among S-Class, right now we can confirm only Genos and Master Bang are near Z City… Wait… hold on!"
"The system shows… S-Class Rank 6—Mr. KING—he's in Z City too!" an intel analyst blurted.
Sitch started—then broke into relief.
"I see… I see!" He sounded like a man who'd found a lifeline.
"Mr. KING is in Z City! Everything makes sense!"
"He foresaw the meteor—so he went to Z City early to arrange a response! He must already be dealing with it!"
The thought spread through the command center like a virus.
"That's right! Mr. KING! He warned us long ago!"
"The strongest man on the surface—how could he be helpless before a mere meteor?"
"So that's why Mr. KING suddenly went to a place like Z City—to save us!"
"We're saved! Z City is saved!"
—
Meanwhile, in Z City—
A dot had appeared in the once-vast sky. As time passed, the dot swelled into something huge, visible to the naked eye.
The streets were chaos. People fled like headless flies; crying, screaming, and collisions melded into a doomsday tableau.
Countless citizens slumped to the ground, staring up at the meteor growing ever closer, giving up resistance and waiting for death.
Soon, however, the city's emergency broadcast system, everyone's phones, and the roadside digital billboards all interrupted with breaking news.
The host's voice on the broadcast trembled with excitement but carried strength:
"Citizens, do not lose hope! We have just received confirmation from Association headquarters!"
"S-Class Rank 6, the strongest man on the surface—Mr. KING—is here in Z City! He is responding to this disaster!"
The once-dead crowd erupted.
"What? Mr. KING is here?"
"Really? That's great! Lord KING will fix it! He's KING!"
"Look at the news—it's true! The Association has confirmed it! We're saved!!"
The name "KING" swept away fear and sparked light in their eyes.
People stopped running. One after another, they lifted their gazes to the sky, awaiting that man's appearance.
—
Elsewhere, Lin Mo's eyes were glued to the TV screen, fingers flying on a gamepad—he and Saitama were locked in a fierce fighting-game duel.
Genos stood to the side, carefully polishing the furniture.
"Ring ring—!"
Lin Mo picked up his phone and answered in a steady tone. "Hello. What's the matter."
"Mr. KING! A massive meteor is incoming to Z City! Threat level: 'Dragon'! We need urgent S-Class support!" The Association contact on the line spoke fast and tight with urgency.
"A meteor—so soon?" Lin Mo's heart jumped. He glanced at the bald guy still playing beside him.
At almost the same moment, Genos froze—he'd received the same alert.
"Where are you now? Can you respond in time?" the contact pressed.
"I'm in Z City. I'll handle it as fast as I can," Lin Mo said briefly.
Before the sentence ended, he hung up—then grabbed Saitama by the cape collar as the latter cheered a successful in-game combo.
"Hey, what—? I was about to win…" Saitama looked baffled as he was hoisted up.
Lin Mo had no time to explain. He and Genos locked eyes—an instant exchange of information.
The three of them shot like arrows from a bow—ignoring stairs and elevators, they popped open the window and leapt out, heading straight for the tallest building in Z City.
-------
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