That afternoon, the sky was utterly gloomy.
Lin Mo was carrying a shopping basket, browsing for weekly special instant foods at the supermarket, enjoying the long-lost sense of normalcy among the crowd.
His senses were now exceptionally keen; he could easily distinguish the cashier auntie's complaints about today's vegetable prices from the noisy chatter dozens of meters away.
He single-handedly lifted a shopping basket filled with drinks and snacks, weighing over thirty kilograms, yet it felt as light as a feather.
This sense of control over his own strength made him feel pleasant.
However, this tranquility was soon shattered.
"Boom!"
A dull rumble of thunder rolled across the sky.
Immediately after, large raindrops fell from the sky without warning, pelting the supermarket's glass doors with a clatter, instantly forming a thick curtain of water.
The world seemed to be cast through a gray filter.
"Emergency alert! Emergency alert!"
A piercing alarm sliced through the rain, echoing throughout the city.
Customers and staff in the supermarket stopped what they were doing, looking in astonishment at the television screen on the wall.
"Disaster alert issued! A large number of unidentified monsters have appeared in the coastal area of J City. The disaster level is assessed as 'Demon-level'!"
"The monsters are moving towards the city center! All citizens are requested to immediately cease outdoor activities and proceed to the nearest official shelter for evacuation! Repeat, the disaster level is 'Demon-level'..."
"Demon-level?"
The supermarket instantly plunged into a panic.
People dropped what they were holding, screaming and surging towards the exit, eager to find a safe shelter as quickly as possible.
Lin Mo frowned.
He felt the fear permeating the air, and a long-forgotten hint of tension began to surface in his heart.
But soon, this tension was soothed by the surging power within his body.
After all, he was no longer the ordinary person who would go weak in the knees at the sound of a disaster.
He followed the chaotic crowd out of the supermarket, the cold rain instantly drenching his hoodie.
He pulled up his hood, and with speed and strength far exceeding ordinary people, he easily navigated through the crowded masses, eventually arriving at a nearby underground public shelter.
The shelter was already overflowing with people, and the damp air was mixed with unease and fear.
Everyone's gaze was fixed on the large live broadcast screen on the wall, which was showing real-time updates of the front-line battle.
On the screen, the streets of J City had turned into a vast expanse of water.
Countless bizarre-looking "Deep Sea Clan" monsters, resembling fish-men, rampaged through the accumulated water; their strength and speed far surpassed ordinary humans, and the regular police force was utterly unable to stop them.
And in the center of this group of monsters, an incredibly tall figure, wearing a crown and draped in a dark red cloak, was slowly advancing with a king-like gait.
He was the source of all this disaster — Deep Sea King.
"Everyone, look! It's an S-Class Hero!" A cheer of surprise suddenly erupted from the crowd.
The camera switched to a man with an exaggeratedly muscular physique, wearing a striped prison uniform, who slammed into the battlefield with a powerful flying leap.
He was none other than the S-Class Hero, Sexy Prisoner, who had just arrived from prison.
"Feel my Iron Fist of Love!"
Sexy Prisoner roared, unleashing his ultimate move, "Angel Rush," his muscles bulging, as if a pair of pure white wings had spread behind him, and he charged towards Deep Sea King.
Deep Sea King neither dodged nor avoided, taking Sexy Prisoner's entire ultimate move head-on, his arm muscles visibly indenting.
But with a light laugh from Deep Sea King, his injuries quickly recovered as good as new.
"How... how is that possible!" Sexy Prisoner's eyes were filled with disbelief.
"Too slow, too weak," Deep Sea King commented disdainfully, then violently threw a punch.
"Pfft!"
The punch landed squarely on Sexy Prisoner's abdomen; his body instantly curled into a shrimp shape, and he spat out a large mouthful of blood.
He flew backward like a kite with a broken string, successively crashing through the walls of several buildings, and was finally buried beneath the rubble, his fate unknown.
Inside the shelter, the spark of hope that had just ignited was instantly extinguished by a bucket of ice water.
Everyone gasped, their faces etched with despair.
One-shot kill... An S-Class Hero was actually one-shot killed!
Lin Mo's pupils slightly contracted, and his heart began to beat uncontrollably faster.
"Thump... thump-thump... thump-thump-thump..."
The familiar "Emperor Engine" sound once again began to rumble deeply within him.
But this time, the pounding heart was no longer accompanied by fear, but rather a strange feeling mixed with solemnity and fighting spirit.
He instinctively clenched his fists, his mind rapidly analyzing the scene he had just witnessed.
"Such incredible speed... and ridiculously strong power. In this rainy environment, his strength has probably surpassed ordinary Demon-level, reaching the threshold of Dragon-level."
Just then, a golden light tore through the rain, bringing new dawn to the desperate battlefield.
"It's 'Demon Cyborg' Genos!" Cheers erupted again in the shelter.
S-Class Hero Genos descended from the sky, his arm cannons already aimed at Deep Sea King, and he unhesitatingly fired scorching energy beams.
"Incineration Cannon!"
Flames met the torrential rain, instantly evaporating into large plumes of white steam.
Deep Sea King's figure flickered in and out of view within the steam; he crossed his arms in front of him, enduring the attack head-on.
Although some charred marks appeared on his skin, they rapidly recovered at a visible speed under the rinsing rain.
"A cyborg, huh? What a boring toy," Deep Sea King shook his arm, a cruel smile on his face.
"Let me tear you into a pile of scrap metal!"
Before he finished speaking, he vanished from his spot.
The ensuing battle became a thrilling high-speed offense and defense.
Genos went all out, his "Machine Gun Blows" raining down on Deep Sea King like a dense meteor shower, each punch accompanied by small-scale explosions.
Meanwhile, Deep Sea King, relying on his extreme speed in the rain and terrifying regenerative abilities, constantly dodged and counterattacked.
The two figures continuously clashed and separated in the rain-soaked city, leaving behind ruins wherever they went, be it buildings or streets.
The people in the shelter held their breath nervously.
They couldn't see the specific details of the battle, only two golden and green streaks of light flickering wildly on the screen, accompanied by deafening explosions.
Lin Mo, however, saw everything more clearly than anyone else.
With his speed and telekinesis enhanced to 90 points, his dynamic vision and reaction speed had reached a superhuman level.
In his eyes, every movement of the two was slowed down.
He could see that while Genos's attacks were fierce, most of them were either dodged by Deep Sea King or endured by his formidable physique.
And with the rain's enhancement, those wounds vanished in an instant.
Conversely, Genos's mechanical body suffered minute cracks and damaged parts with each collision with Deep Sea King.
"At this rate, Genos will lose," Lin Mo concluded.
Genos's energy was limited, while Deep Sea King seemed to possess endless stamina in the rain.