"Alright, stop looking."
Lin Mo's voice broke the sorrowful silence.
He walked back from the hole in the balcony, bent down, and picked up the game controller that had fallen to the ground during the commotion, now dusted with a bit of grime.
He carefully blew off the dust, then gently placed it back in its original spot on the TV cabinet.
"The more you look, the sadder you get. Out with the old, in with the new, right?"
Lin Mo walked over to Saitama, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a relaxed tone:
"Come on, don't worry about such a small matter. I told you, I'll cover all the renovation costs, and I guarantee I'll replace it with the Hero Association's highest-grade explosion-proof walls."
"Now, let's go fill our stomachs," Lin Mo said, a slight smile playing on his lips as he threw out a tempting bait.
"I heard there's a new hot pot restaurant nearby that specializes in excellent A5 Wagyu beef. It's my treat today, unlimited servings."
"Wa... Wagyu?"
Hearing that word, Saitama's black and white body instantly regained its color.
He slowly turned his head, and the light in his previously hollow eyes rekindled.
"Unlimited... servings?"
"Of course," Lin Mo confirmed with a smile.
"...Let's go!"
In an instant, Saitama completed the ultimate evolution from "sad homeowner" to "eager diner."
The desolate aura around him vanished, replaced by a powerful presence, as if he couldn't wait to sprint to the hot pot restaurant.
Grabbing the hooded sweatshirt hanging on the rack, Saitama swiftly put it on with decisive movements.
Watching Saitama's rapid change in demeanor, Genos recorded nearby:
"So that's it, top-tier ingredients are one of the key factors in restoring Master's fighting spirit and mood. Mr. KING truly understands Master better than I do; there is still much to learn."
As he spoke, he solemnly wrote new notes in his notebook, and drew three heavy underlines beneath the word "Wagyu."
——————
Meanwhile, in City M, an abandoned commercial district.
On the dilapidated streets, trash and rubble lay everywhere, and the cold wind howled like ghosts through empty windows.
This was a haven for vagrants and criminals, and also one of the key areas for heroes' daily patrols.
The A-Class Hero, Tanktop Vegetarian, ranked 9th, was currently walking cautiously through these ruins.
His strong muscles under his signature Tanktop exuded a sense of power.
As a loyal follower of Tanktop Master, he firmly believed that by upholding the "Tanktop Power," he could protect the peace of the citizens.
"According to the Association's intelligence, there have been signs of Monster activity in this area recently..." he muttered to himself, his sharp gaze scanning every corner that might hide danger.
Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks.
His muscular instincts sensed a faint, yet palpable, aura of danger.
About twenty meters ahead of him, at the end of a dark alley, a figure stood silently.
The figure was not tall, even somewhat slender, with silver-white hair that bristled upwards like a wolf's mane.
He wore a black, tight-fitting long-sleeved shirt and white kung fu pants, his hands in his pockets, his posture relaxed, yet he exuded an aura that was completely out of place in these ruins.
"Hey, who are you? This place is dangerous, leave quickly!" Tanktop Vegetarian frowned and issued a warning.
The figure slowly raised his head, revealing a young yet defiant face.
A cruel smile played on his lips, and his eyes gleamed with a beast-like light in the darkness.
"A Hero?" he spoke, his voice hoarse and magnetic, "Perfect timing, I was just getting bored."
"You are...!"
An alarm blared in Tanktop Vegetarian's mind; he felt an unprecedented pressure from the other person.
"My name is Garou."
The silver-haired youth withdrew his hands from his pockets and slowly assumed the starting stance of the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist, but his posture was even more aggressive than Bang's.
"Starting today, I will conduct 'Hero Hunting.'"
His eyes changed, becoming the gaze of a predator looking at its prey, cold and cruel.
"Let's start with you, A-Class Hero. Let me see just how vulnerable so-called justice truly is."
The moment his words fell, Garou moved!
His speed was like lightning, yet it carried a fluid, flowing sensation.
Tanktop Vegetarian only felt a blur before his eyes, and a fierce gust of wind was already upon him!
His pupils constricted; he had no time to think, reacting purely on combat instinct.
"Tanktop Blow!"
He roared, his proud Tanktop muscles instantly swelling to their limit, filled with explosive power.
He crossed his arms to protect his chest, simultaneously engaging his core, using defense as offense, and crashed fiercely towards Garou's figure!
However, Garou's attack trajectory, just before he launched his strike, arced in an incredible curve, deftly avoiding his frontal defense.
"Too stiff."
Garou's voice seemed to echo in his ear.
His palms became a series of afterimages, precisely striking Tanktop Vegetarian's joints and soft spots.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A series of dull thuds resonated in the alley.
Tanktop Vegetarian's massive body was utterly defenseless under Garou's continuous barrage.
His boasted strength couldn't even touch the opponent; every punch was like hitting cotton, while every one of the opponent's attacks inflicted immense damage.
"Ugh ah ah ah—!"
Accompanied by a piercing scream, Tanktop Vegetarian flew backward like a broken puppet, crashing heavily against the wall behind him.
He struggled to stand, but found that all his joints were dislocated, and he couldn't exert an ounce of strength.
Garou slowly withdrew his hand. He looked down at the hero lying on the ground, unable to move, with no trace of pity in his eyes, only a hint of disappointment.
"Too weak... Is this all there is to a so-called A-Class Hero?"
He shook his head and turned to walk deeper into the alley.
"This is just the beginning. Hero Association... the false peace you've built, I, this 'human Monster,' will personally shatter it."
His figure gradually merged into the endless darkness.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the city, deep underground, in a huge and empty cavern, countless screens glowed eerily.
On one of these screens, the entire process of Garou defeating Tanktop Vegetarian was clearly playing.
A bloated Monster with a giant cyclops eye let out a "gurgle gurgle" of strange laughter.
"Interesting... what an interesting human. Bang's disciple? He seems even more suited to become 'King' than I imagined..."
Its voice echoed in the empty cavern.
"Go forth, the will of Gyoro Gyoro shall guide you. Let this city offer the grandest fear and wailing for the Monster Association's debut!"
At its command, in the darkness, countless pairs of eyes, glowing with crimson light, slowly opened.
The hunt had begun.
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