"So..." Child Emperor's brain seemed to short-circuit as he stared at the surveillance footage from the hallway last night, muttering to himself.
"Tatsumaki, because she was drunk, used her psychic powers to control Atomic Samurai's sword and stabbed Zombieman-san?!"
"It appears so."
A calm voice came from behind him.
Zombieman, who had been forcibly dragged there by Child Emperor, leaned against the doorframe, a unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth.
There was no anger or desire for retribution on his face, as if the unfortunate soul who had been stabbed through the chest last night wasn't him at all.
"But... this..." Child Emperor still couldn't accept it. He spun around abruptly, his face flushed, his emotions somewhat agitated.
"This is an internal attack between S-Class Heroes! According to Hero Association regulations, this is an extremely serious violation! We should report it, and then..."
"And then what?"
Zombieman turned his head, looking at Child Emperor with his eyes.
"Make a big deal out of it? Let the media know that the S-Class Hero in second place almost killed the S-Class Hero in eighth place because she was drunk and causing trouble?"
"And then let the Hero Association's higher-ups intervene, punish Tatsumaki, make her lose face, and then she'll get angry and flip the entire headquarters?"
Zombieman took two steps forward and patted Child Emperor's shoulder. The force wasn't strong, but it carried an undeniable meaning.
"Child Emperor, you are very smart, but sometimes, not everything can be solved with data and regulations."
He said meaningfully, "Sometimes, 'not bothering to deal with it' is the best approach. Forget about this, it's better for everyone."
After speaking, he no longer paid attention to the deep-in-thought Child Emperor, and walked back to his room, closing the door.
Only Child Emperor was left in the hallway. Taking a deep breath, he calmed down considerably.
He then looked at the surveillance footage in front of him, and finally, he pressed the delete button, completely erasing all the data that had just been recorded.
All the surveillance footage and data analysis models on the screen vanished completely after a burst of garbled code.
"A bunch of... unreasonable guys."
He muttered softly, taking the lollipop stick out of his mouth and tossing it into the trash can... The leisurely time at the hot spring inn was coming to an end, and the S-Class Heroes were successively beginning their journeys home.
Atomic Samurai gathered his three disciples early in the morning, and after a rigorous morning training session in the courtyard, he departed first.
Metal Bat changed his clothes early in the morning, muttering about going back to accompany his sister to a piano competition, a tenderness on his face that was completely at odds with his appearance.
And before leaving, Sexy Prisoner even specifically hugged several male service staff at the inn, expressing his gratitude in his "loving" way, which caused a flurry of terrified screams.
When the Hero Association's black luxury executive car stopped at the entrance, everyone assumed King would, as usual, get in with his awe-inspiring silence.
However, Lin Mo merely gave a cold nod to the Hero Association specialist who came to greet him, then stepped forward and walked in the opposite direction of the executive car.
His deep gaze seemed to be searching for something, and in the end, he politely declined the specialist's accompaniment and walked alone towards the slightly old rural bus stop outside the inn.
On the bench at the bus stop, a bald man was holding a bag of local hot spring steamed buns, looking boredly into the distance.
Beside him, a blonde cyborg was meticulously recording something in a notebook.
"Been waiting long?" Lin Mo walked over and asked with a smile.
"Ah, King, you're really slow." Saitama yawned, casually took a still-warm bun from the bag, and handed it over.
"I thought you would also take one of those expensive-looking cars back."
"Forget it, dealing with the Hero Association people is quite tiring." Lin Mo shook his head, unceremoniously took the bun, took a big bite, and said,
"Every time I get in the car, they report this and that to me, and it's all content with no real substance, more hypnotic than listening to scriptures."
Saitama nodded in agreement, also took a bite of his bun, then asked curiously,
"Speaking of which, there was a lot of commotion last night, what happened?"
"What else could have happened, it was all your fault." Lin Mo said irritably, swallowing the food in his mouth.
"Me?" Saitama pointed to his bald head, looking innocent.
Lin Mo succinctly recounted everything that happened last night.
"...So, to summarize," Lin Mo rubbed his throbbing temples.
"It's because you told Tatsumaki 'children can't drink alcohol,' which led her to drink alone to prove she wasn't a child, got drunk, then mistook Zombieman for a monster, used her psychic powers to remotely steal Atomic Samurai's sword, and stabbed him."
"Do you understand? The source of all this is you, Saitama-kun."
"Huh?" Saitama, after hearing the dramatic sequence of events, his mouth agape in an "O" shape in surprise, almost dropping his bun.
After a few seconds, he suddenly slapped his forehead in realization:
"I thought that loud bang last night was a wild boar hitting a wall in the mountains! So it was that little one. Her temper is a bit too much."
Genos, beside him, was quickly writing in his notebook, analyzing with a serious expression:
"I see! A casual remark from you, Sensei, could actually trigger such a violent reaction within the S-Class Heroes... It's too profound! Must record this!"
"Hey! Are you two even listening to me?!" Lin Mo looked at these two who completely missed the point, feeling even more exhausted.
Just then, in the distant sky, a green streak of light streaked across at an astonishing speed.
High in the sky, Tatsumaki's cheeks were still red with anger, and she fiercely vowed to settle the score with that damned bald man!
...The bus screeched to a halt at the bus stop.
The three got on the bus and found a seat towards the back.
The old bus slowly started, and the pastoral scenery outside the window slowly receded.
The heroes left in twos and threes, and the distant hot spring inn grew smaller and smaller in their view, soon returning to its usual tranquility.
Lin Mo leaned back in his seat, looking out the window, his thoughts inexplicably adrift.
"Speaking of which, that Zombieman is really tough." Saitama suddenly said.
"Of course, he's immortal." Lin Mo replied.
"Hmm... Then next time I can let him try to take one of my punches and see."
"You stop right there! Do you want the Hero Association to completely disband?!"
Genos was furiously writing beside them: "Exploring Zombieman's immortality, and his regenerative potential after enduring a blow from Sensei..."
Lin Mo looked at the master and disciple, who were playing off each other, and helplessly sat back down, covering his face with his hands.
💎 Power Stone Bonus: Every 100 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter
🌟 5-Star Review Bonus: Every 5 (5-Star) Reviews = +2 Extra Chapters
💬 Comment Speed-Up: If any chapter reaches +10 Comments = The Next Chapter Will Be Released Faster!
🔥 Want to Read Ahead? If you want to read advanced chapters, check out my buymeacoffee(.)com/Oyunbozan