Saitama yawned, rubbed his eyes, and wondered if he still had time to buy the special price cabbage at the supermarket tonight.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, a sharp whooshing sound suddenly erupted.
"Whoosh!"
A kunai, glinting with cold light, tore through the air like a black lightning bolt, heading straight for the back of his head.
However, for Saitama, the speed was nowhere near enough.
He didn't even turn around, merely casually extended his right hand, clad in a red glove, backward and lightly pinched with his index and middle fingers.
The unstoppable shuriken thus lightly stopped between his fingers, less than a centimeter from his skin.
"Hey, hey," Saitama shook the kunai in his hand with a hint of helplessness, then pointed at the Peach Garden Gang members lying sprawled on the ground.
"I'm not part of the Peach Garden Gang, see? These guys are."
Sonic didn't reply. Having witnessed the entire process, he naturally knew Saitama wasn't with the Peach Garden Gang.
"Good reaction," a hint of approval flashed through Sonic's mind, but his movements didn't pause in the slightest.
He leaped down from the utility pole, landing silently.
In his opinion, this bald man, who could instantly deal with the Peach Garden Gang, should be a good sparring partner, perfect for testing his recently improved speed.
Before he finished speaking, Sonic's figure instantly vanished from its original spot.
A black shadow, moving at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye, rushed in front of Saitama, his ninja sword glinting with cold light as it lunged straight for Saitama's throat.
However, in the next second, he was in shock.
Saitama merely tilted his head very casually, and the lightning-fast stab grazed past the skin of his neck without even harming a single hair.
Immediately after, a hand wearing a red glove, moving too fast for him to see clearly, arrived from behind and lightly grasped the blade he had thrust out with all his might.
"Crack."
A crisp sound.
The steel ninja sword, crafted from a special alloy, was easily snapped into two by Saitama as if he were breaking a chocolate bar.
Sonic's mind went blank, but he quickly became excited again; he hadn't encountered such a powerful enemy in a long time.
"I see," Saitama said knowingly, looking at the smile on Sonic's face, which had turned from shock to fanaticism, and even a little "naive."
"You just want to try out your moves, right?"
Just as Sonic suppressed the excitement in his heart and prepared to reorganize his offensive to engage this unfathomably strong enemy, a slow, unhurried footsteps came from around the street corner.
Accompanying the footsteps, a heavy and oppressive rumbling sound began to echo in the air.
Buzz—buzz—buzz—
It was Lin Mo, arriving late, and his signature "Emperor Engine"!
Sonic's heart trembled violently, and he leaped back more than ten meters, putting a safe distance between himself and Saitama.
He looked at the newly appeared Lin Mo with extreme vigilance, his heart churning with stormy waves.
The S-Class Rank 6 hero, known as "The Strongest Man on Earth," KING!
He had, of course, heard of that title.
He had previously thought of challenging KING to test his own strength, but KING's whereabouts were unpredictable, and he had never found an opportunity.
He never expected to encounter him here today.
"The Strongest Man on Earth... KING?" Sonic murmured to himself.
He felt the terrifying Intimidation, and his gaze became more solemn than ever before.
This man, simply by standing there, brought him a sense of threat far exceeding that bald man from just now!
Lin Mo didn't pay attention to Sonic's wary gaze as if facing a formidable enemy; his attention was entirely focused on the light blue system screen in front of him.
[Detected eligible target: Sonic]
[Strength Level: Demon-level]
[Replicable Skill List: Wind Blade Kick (Demon), Exploding Shuriken (Tiger), Supersonic Speed (Demon)...]
"There it is! This is it!" Lin Mo was ecstatic and silently chanted without hesitation:
"System, use [Skill Replication Card (Demon-level)] on target 'Sonic,' designated skill to replicate — 'Supersonic Speed'!"
The moment his words fell, the card in Lin Mo's inventory suddenly glowed brightly, then transformed into specks of light, vanishing without a trace.
[Command confirmed! Skill Replication Card (Demon-level) used successfully, replicating skill 'Supersonic Speed'... Replication complete!]
[Congratulations, Host, you have obtained permanent skill: Supersonic Speed (Demon-level)]
"Two annoying guys!" Sonic suppressed the shock in his heart and snorted coldly.
As an arrogant ninja, he would never allow himself to back down like this.
He decided to first use his true speed to deal with this mysterious bald man, and then go and properly meet the legendary KING!
"Watch closely, this is my true speed!"
No sooner had he spoken than Sonic instantly transformed into a blurry afterimage and vanished from his original spot.
His speed reached its peak, constantly performing ultra-high-speed circular movements around Saitama, and the strong wind he stirred up swept up the gravel and dust on the ground, forming a small whirlwind.
"How's that, this speed that surpasses the speed of sound!" Sonic's voice came from all directions, full of confidence.
Immediately after, he abruptly stopped circling, and with the help of inertia, he soared into the air, flipping once in mid-air, and unleashed his ultimate technique — Wind Blade Kick — at Saitama below!
However, facing this attack, Saitama merely turned slightly and dodged the attack.
Sonic, whose attack missed, was moving too fast to react or adjust his posture, and could only watch helplessly as his 'magic ball' precisely collided with Saitama's fist, which he had raised as he turned.
"Ah, sorry!" Saitama seemed not to have expected this to happen, immediately moved his fist away, and said with a hint of genuine apology.
On the other side, Sonic was already curled up on the ground in pain, clutching his lower body tightly, his handsome face contorted in agony.
"Tell me... your name."
"I will forever remember this humiliation! I will continue to train until I defeat you!"
Saitama honestly stated, "My name is Saitama."
"You'd better go to prison and reflect properly first," Lin Mo, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke.
He took a step forward, and the roar of the Emperor Engine instantly increased several times.
"Intimidation, activate."
In an instant, an invisible but incredibly terrifying aura swept out like a tsunami, instantly enveloping Sonic, who was still struggling in pain.
Sonic felt as if his mind was being firmly gripped by a giant hand, and his vision went black before he passed out.
"How... is this possible..." This was the last thought that flashed through his mind before he lost consciousness.
"Don't look at me," Lin Mo explained, spreading his hands to a puzzled Saitama, "This guy was already a suspect; handing him over to the police is only right."
Saitama scratched his smooth bald head, looked at the unconscious Sonic on the ground, and finally nodded, seemingly accepting the explanation...