Half an hour later, a charcoal hotpot restaurant on Z City's commercial street was bustling with people and steaming hot.
Inside, the air was filled with the warmth of the charcoal fire and the rich aroma of simmering beef bone broth, mixed with the cheerful laughter of the diners, creating a lively scene full of earthly delight.
White mist rose from every table, blurring people's faces but also bringing them closer together.
In a corner by the window, however, the atmosphere was a bit peculiar.
Saitama's face was beaming with a profound sense of happiness.
His world was very small now, focused solely on the copper pot in front of him, its golden broth bubbling.
Premium A5 Wagyu beef was sliced as thin as cicada wings, each piece displaying a perfect marbling of fat and lean meat.
After a few seconds of light swirling in the rich, beef-scented broth, the slices of meat curled slightly, turning an inviting pink.
Saitama barely used any dipping sauce, directly bringing the Wagyu, still dripping with broth, to his mouth.
In that instant, he felt as if every cell in his body was cheering for this ultimate deliciousness.
What was sadness? What were ruined houses?
In the face of unlimited Wagyu, everything else seemed insignificant.
"Mmm… delicious!"
Tears of emotion even welled up in Saitama's eyes, a rare expression for him since losing his hair and emotional fluctuations.
Lin Mo smiled, skillfully using his chopsticks to add more meat slices to Saitama's bowl, and then casually served some to Genos, who was sitting upright beside them.
"Genos, you should eat more too. Although your body is modified, it's equipped with a taste system, so you should enjoy life occasionally."
"Thank you, Mr. KING." Genos nodded slightly, but he did not pick up his chopsticks.
Finally, after Saitama devoured another plate of Wagyu like a whirlwind, Genos spoke with an incredibly serious expression: "Mr. KING."
"Hmm?" Lin Mo, in the middle of picking up a piece of tofu, paused and looked up.
"Regarding that move you used to defeat Sonic just now… the countless fist shadows that erupted in an instant, does it have a name?"
"Huh?" Lin Mo almost burned himself with the tofu.
He looked at Genos's golden electronic eyes, which gleamed with a thirst for knowledge, and couldn't help but find it a little amusing.
That move? What name? It was just a normal punch.
He thought for a moment and casually replied, "It doesn't have a special name, it's just… punching a little faster."
"Punching… a little faster?" Genos murmured to himself. Suddenly, his electronic eyes lit up, as if he had experienced a sudden enlightenment!
He spoke while rapidly writing in his notebook:
"New note: Mr. KING's ultimate technique — 'Punch a Little Faster'. Core philosophy: Return to simplicity, crushing all techniques with absolute speed and strength."
Lin Mo watched Genos frantically taking notes, opened his mouth, but ultimately decided not to explain anything.
He wondered if Genos's disciple attribute had exploded after becoming his apprentice, always pulling out a notebook from who knows where… Just then, Lin Mo's phone, placed on the table, vibrated.
The caller ID was an unfamiliar number, but the end of the number had an internal identifier for the Hero Association.
He gestured to Saitama and Genos, got up, and walked to the relatively quiet corridor outside the restaurant to answer the call.
"Hello, is this Mr. KING?"
A slightly anxious and respectful female voice came from the other end of the line. It was the contact person from the Hero Association headquarters.
"That's great, I've reached you!"
The contact person breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately reported:
"Mr. KING, the Association's disaster monitoring system detected several intense energy fluctuations and high-frequency tremors in Z City, with peak values reaching the standard for 'Demon' level disasters!"
"Considering that you are often active in Z City recently, the Association would like to inquire if you are aware of any related anomalies?"
"Oh, that matter." Lin Mo was a little surprised by the Association's quick response but still truthfully said:
"No need, it's already resolved."
"Res… resolved?" The contact person was stunned for a moment and quickly asked, "May I ask for the specific details…?"
"A ninja destroyed two walls of my friend's house." Lin Mo leaned against the wall, looking at the night view outside the window.
"I beat him away, that's all. As for the energy fluctuations, they were probably caused when I fought him."
A ten-second silence fell on the other end of the phone.
The contact person's brain was rapidly processing these few pieces of information-packed sentences.
A scene automatically appeared in her mind:
A certain ninja unleashed terrifying, world-destroying ninjutsu, and Mr. KING, rank 7 of Class S, "accidentally" released even more terrifying power, effortlessly crushing him.
This… what composure! What power!
"I… I understand!" The contact person's voice instantly became even more reverent.
"As expected of Mr. KING! So, regarding the subsequent damage assessment and…"
"Just send the bill directly to me, including the renovation costs for my friend's house."
Lin Mo interrupted her, "If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up. I'm eating."
"Beep… beep…"
Listening to the busy tone on the phone, the contact person at headquarters still maintained her listening posture, unable to snap back to reality for a long time.
After a long while, she finally put down the phone, took a deep breath, turned, and solemnly reported to the head of the data analysis department behind her:
"This disaster was powerless against Mr. KING. Mr. KING considers it merely a small matter."
…When Lin Mo returned to his seat, Saitama had just precisely picked up the last slice of A5 Wagyu from the pot and contentedly put it into his mouth.
"Was that the Association's call?" Genos had already closed his notebook and looked up to ask.
"Yes, they detected the commotion just now and called to inquire about the situation." Lin Mo sat down, poured himself a cup of barley tea, and cleared his throat.
"KING, did you tell them about the renovation costs?" Saitama, with his mouth full of meat, didn't forget to ask about his most crucial concern.
"Yes, they'll send the bill to me."
"Oh, that's good then." Saitama was completely relieved and began to attack the vegetables and mushrooms in the pot.
The hotpot meal was enjoyed by all.
As the three walked out of the hotpot restaurant and stood on the bustling streets of Z City at night, looking at the city, Lin Mo suddenly felt a little dazed.
It seemed he had completely integrated into this world.
"Alright, Saitama, you can't stay at your place for now."
Lin Mo looked in the direction of his own apartment in the distance and said, "Let's just squeeze into my place tonight. My place is quite big. Genos, you come along too."
"Yes, Mr. KING!"
"Oh, alright. Do you have the latest fighting game at your place?"
"Of course."
Under the night sky, the silhouettes of the three were stretched by the streetlights, gradually disappearing into the crowd.