A giant alarm sound shattered what was originally a peaceful day.
The alarm at the Hero Association Z-City Branch let out its loudest shriek ever at this moment.
It was the highest-level alarm, representing a city-destroying catastrophe—a "Dragon"!
"What happened?"
The head of the Hero Association Z-City Branch pushed open the door to the command room and immediately saw the giant meteor, trailing a long fiery tail, rapidly plummeting towards the ground on the main screen.
His calm expression instantly crumbled.
"A massive high-energy object is detected approaching Z-City! According to orbital calculations, it is expected to impact the ground in ten minutes! Predicted threat level... 'Dragon'!"
A staff member's fingers trembled as they typed on the keyboard, their voice cracking.
"Damn it! Why was such a huge meteor only discovered now?!"
The head's eyes were bloodshot. He grabbed the collar of the space monitoring department head next to him and roared, "What are you useless people good for?! Do you just take your salaries to show me results like this?!"
The department head's face was ashen, his lips quivering, unable to utter a single word.
The way this meteor appeared was too bizarre; it seemed to have warped into near-Earth orbit out of nowhere, completely bypassing all outer space early warning systems.
By the time they discovered it, it was already too late.
The head roughly pushed him away, forcing himself to calm down. Anger wouldn't solve any problems.
Without hesitation, he rushed to the communication console and directly connected to the emergency hotline of the Hero Association Headquarters in A-City.
The call was answered almost instantly. The equally serious voice of Sitch, the association's strategist, came through the receiver: "I already know the specific situation."
"All S-Class Heroes recorded as active in Z-City and surrounding areas have been urgently notified."
Sitch spoke very quickly, revealing his inner anxiety.
He naturally remembered KING's warning not long ago about a city-destroying meteor appearing in Z-City.
For this, he had specially applied for dedicated funds to upgrade the space monitoring systems in various cities, especially Z-City's disaster alarm system, which was a top priority.
But... reality slapped him hard in the face.
This meteor seemed to have appeared out of thin air, and by the time it was discovered, it was already about to hit!
In such a short time, there was no way to gather S-Class Heroes to form an effective defensive line!
"Report! S-Class Rank 8, Drive Knight, is currently on a confidential mission in western A-City, too far to arrive in time!"
"Report! S-Class Rank 2, Terrible Tornado, Miss, is handling another 'Demon' level disaster in F-City. She cannot be reached for now; her communicator is in a signal-jammed area!"
"Report! S-Class Rank 3, Silver Fang, Master Bang, confirmed to be in Z-City, has already deployed!"
"Report! S-Class Rank 14, Demon Cyborg, Genos, confirmed to be in Z-City, has already deployed!"
"Damn it..." Listening to the continuous reports from the staff around him, Sitch clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white from the effort.
One Bang, one Genos. Although both are powerful S-Class Heroes, are they truly enough to face a natural disaster of this magnitude?
This meteor... could it be a divine punishment sent by the gods specifically to eliminate humanity? A pessimistic thought flashed through Sitch's mind.
But he quickly shook off this useless negative emotion and said, "Who else among the S-Class Heroes can make it to Z-City in time?"
"Among S-Class Heroes, only Genos and Master Bang are confirmed to be near Z-City... No... wait a minute!"
"The system shows... S-Class Rank 6, Mr. KING, he is also in Z-City!" An intelligence analyst exclaimed.
Sitch was first startled, then overjoyed.
"So that's it... so that's it!" Sitch mumbled to himself as if grasping a lifeline.
"Mr. KING is also in Z-City! Everything makes sense now!" His voice suddenly rose, filled with unprecedented confidence.
"He foresaw the meteor's arrival, which is why he went to Z-City in advance to set things up! He must be working on solving it now!"
This idea spread rapidly like a virus through the command center.
"That's right! It's Mr. KING! He warned us long ago!"
"How could The Strongest Man on Earth be helpless against a mere small meteor?"
"I knew why Mr. KING would suddenly go to a place like Z-City; it turns out he was there to save us!"
"We are saved! Z-City is saved!"
— — — — — —
Meanwhile, in Z-City.
A black speck appeared in the once vast sky, and as time passed, that black speck in the sky had transformed into a behemoth visible to the naked eye.
The streets were in chaos. People ran around like headless chickens, cries, screams, and crashing sounds mixed together, forming a picture of the apocalypse arriving.
Countless citizens sat paralyzed on the ground, gazing up at the increasingly close meteor in the sky, completely giving up resistance, waiting for death to come.
But soon, the city's emergency broadcast system, everyone's mobile phones, and the electronic billboards on the streets all simultaneously interrupted with an urgent news flash.
On the broadcast, the announcer's voice trembled slightly from excitement, yet it was full of power:
"Citizens, please do not give up hope! We have just received confirmation from the Hero Association Headquarters!"
"The S-Class Rank 6 Hero, The Strongest Man on Earth—Mr. KING, is currently in our Z-City! He is dealing with this disaster!"
The once dead silent crowd instantly erupted in a huge roar.
"What? Mr. KING is here?"
"Really? That's great! Lord KING will definitely solve it! He is KING, after all!"
"Look at the news, it's true! The Hero Association has also confirmed it! We are saved!!"
The name of "KING" dispelled fear and ignited a spark of hope.
Hope appeared in people's eyes. They stopped running and looked up at the sky, anticipating the man's appearance.
— — — — — —
On the other side, Lin Mo was intently staring at the TV screen, his fingers flying across the game controller. He and Saitama were in the middle of an intense fighting game match.
Genos, meanwhile, meticulously wiped down the furniture.
"Ding-a-ling!"
Lin Mo picked up his phone, which was placed nearby, and answered the call, speaking in a calm tone: "Hello, how can I help you?"
"Mr. KING! Z-City is under attack by a giant meteor! Threat level 'Dragon'! S-Class Heroes are needed for emergency rescue!" The voice of the association contact on the other end was urgent and fast.
"A meteor, so soon?" Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat. He glanced at the bald man still playing.
Almost at the same time, Genos, who was further away, instantly froze. He had also received the same information.
On the other end of the phone, the contact's urgent voice came through again: "Where are you now? Can you respond in time?"
Lin Mo didn't hesitate, saying briefly, "I'm in Z-City. I'll resolve it as quickly as possible."
Before he finished speaking, he hung up the phone and grabbed Saitama's cape collar, who was still cheering over a successful combo in the game.
Saitama was lifted up, looking bewildered: "Hey, what's going on? I'm about to win this round..."
Lin Mo had no time to explain. He exchanged glances with Genos. Their eyes met, and information was exchanged instantly.
The three of them, like arrows shot from a bow, ignored the stairs and elevator, directly opened the window, leaped out, and rushed towards the tallest building in Z-City.