Child Emperor, this ten-year-old genius, the intellectual pillar among the S-Class Heroes, was now staring intently at the scene before him, his heart churning with turbulent waves.
"It seems that bald man's physical strength far exceeds the upper limit of the 'ugly woman mask'…" Child Emperor thought silently, the incredible scene from moments ago replaying in his mind.
After a brief moment of shock, everyone's gaze collectively focused on the last person—KING, the man hailed as The Strongest Man on Earth!
If Saitama, who had rendered the "ugly woman mask" useless, was an unknown monster that couldn't be measured by common sense or data.
Then what kind of terrifying existence was KING, who was recognized by the entire world as strongest man on earth (title/epithet), firmly seated as one of the top S-Class Heroes, whose mere name could strike fear into countless powerful monsters, and who was constantly accompanied by the heart-pounding roar of the Emperor Engine?
If even that bald man's data couldn't be measured, KING's values... would probably cause the entire research institute's energy system to crash due to overload, right?
A-Class Hero Snake, Great Philosopher, and Dark Flame Dragon Swordsman all simultaneously had this thought, which seemed absurd yet incredibly reasonable.
Their eyes, as they looked at KING, were filled with awe and anticipation.
Lin Mo remained as still as a mountain on the surface, his perpetually stern face showing no ripple of emotion.
Since his transmigration, having experienced multiple life-and-death crises, his mindset had indeed changed a lot; he no longer felt weak-kneed at the sight of a monster, as he had in the beginning.
Moreover, he was genuinely curious about his current physical strength now; the system's values and what the "ugly woman mask" measured were not the same.
He needed a reference point to more clearly define his position in this world.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, KING finally moved.
He said nothing superfluous, simply walking slowly towards the center of the room.
"Thump… thump… thump… thump…"
A familiar yet unique heartbeat echoed clearly in the silent laboratory, like the beating of war drums.
The sound wasn't loud, but it possessed a strange, magical power that directly struck everyone's hearts, making them feel an inexplicable pressure.
"Oh, oh, oh! It's the Emperor Engine! The legendary Emperor Engine has activated!"
Child Emperor's eyes gleamed with an unusual light; far from being afraid, his small face was flushed with excitement.
"Yes, this is the feeling! Come on, Uncle KING! Let me witness the limits of this instrument with my own eyes!"
He almost impatiently aimed the still oddly shaped "ugly woman mask" at Lin Mo.
Everyone held their breath, even Saitama, who had been bored waiting and was about to yawn, cast a curious glance.
Lin Mo was still a little nervous inside.
'System, open personal panel,' he murmured inwardly, and a translucent panel, visible only to him, appeared before his eyes.
[Name: Lin Mo (KING)]
[Gender: Male]
[Energy Value: 20,360]
[Stamina: 90]
[Strength: 90]
[Speed: 90]
[Psychic Power: 90]
...Looking at the neat rows of "90" on the panel, Lin Mo felt a little more at ease.
"Test, start!"
Child Emperor commanded, pressing the activation button of the "ugly woman mask."
The eyes on the mask immediately lit up with a beam of light, slowly scanning KING's body.
Snake and the others widened their eyes, their hearts in their throats.
They stared intently at the holographic screen on the side of the instrument, anticipating the scene they had imagined.
A few seconds of scanning felt as long as a century.
Finally, the scan was complete.
On the holographic screen on the side of the instrument, a clear line of numbers slowly appeared.
[Physical Strength Value: 3888]
"Three… three thousand eight hundred eighty-eight?"
Snake almost subconsciously read out the number, his tone filled with disbelief.
This value was undoubtedly top-tier.
It surpassed all the A-Class Heroes present, and might even be higher than most A-Class Heroes specializing in close combat.
Looking across the entire Hero Association, this was a report card worthy of pride.
But... did this match the title of The Strongest Man on Earth?
One must know that the bald man Saitama just now had directly burned out the "ugly woman mask," whose measurement limit was close to ten thousand!
And KING's value was merely a four-digit number that the instrument could easily measure?
"How could this be…"
Great Philosopher also frowned; this result was far from the world-destroying, instrument-exploding scene he had imagined.
"Hmph, I knew it, mundane machines…"
Dark Flame Dragon Swordsman was about to express his chuunibyou remarks, but he was choked back by the eerie silence in the room.
"3888, huh… As expected, it's about what I thought." Unlike the others' surprise, Lin Mo felt no unexpectedness.
After multiple upgrades, his physical body had long been reborn, reaching the peak level of an A-Class Hero, but there was still a considerable gap from those true S-Class Heroes.
The atmosphere in the laboratory became incredibly oppressive.
Everyone's gaze shifted from the holographic screen, converging simultaneously on Child Emperor.
They urgently hoped to get a reasonable explanation from this genius child.
Child Emperor did not answer; he frowned tightly, staring intently at the data on the screen, his small face filled with confusion and bewilderment.
"Impossible… The instrument's scan was not wrong, and the energy supply was completely normal. This value is accurate; Mr. KING's biological characteristics, muscle density… the comprehensive result is this."
He looked up, casting an investigative gaze at the man who had remained expressionless throughout, as if completely unconcerned by the result.
"Uncle KING, did… did you use some method to suppress your strength?"
This was the only reasonable explanation he could think of.
Perhaps, The Strongest Man on Earth's power was not merely in pure physical strength, but more in his miraculous control over his own power.
He could, at will, compress and disguise power capable of destroying cities to the level of an ordinary A-Class Hero.
Saitama idly picked his nose nearby; he had no concept of these numbers, only finding it a bit boring, and was calculating when he could leave this dull place.
Just as everyone was lost in thought, trying to find a reasonable explanation for this unreasonable result, an unexpected change occurred!