Night fell, and Z-City was brightly lit.
In a damp, moldy alley, a hunt was underway.
"Is this… the strength of an S-Class Hero?"
A muscular man in a tank top—Tanktop Master—was kneeling on one knee, breathing heavily.
His proud tank top was covered in dust and tears, his solid muscles bore clear fist marks and bruises, and a trace of blood hung from the corner of his mouth.
"You've truly disappointed me." Standing opposite him was Garou.
He hadn't even changed into his battle suit, still wearing his ordinary gray hoodie, but the aura he exuded at this moment was terrifying.
"What else is there to your fighting style besides charging? A simple accumulation of power, utterly devoid of skill."
"Shut… shut up!"
Tanktop Master roared, forcefully suppressing his internal injuries, and his legs pushed off with a burst of power, launching his strongest move— "Tanktop Tackle"—like an outgoing cannonball!
However, facing this mountain-crushing blow, a look of extreme disdain and a cold sneer appeared on Garou's face.
"Too slow, too easy to see through."
He didn't retreat; instead, he charged forward to meet Tanktop Master.
His body swayed with a fluid rhythm, easily dodging Tanktop Master's grapple.
Immediately after, Garou's palm pressed against the exposed flank of Tanktop Master during his charge.
He wasn't using Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist; what he was using now was a unique fighting style he had created during his fight with Lin Mo, through imitation, learning, and combining it with his own circumstances!
A penetrating, subtle force erupted instantly!
"Ugh ah—!"
Tanktop Master let out a pained grunt, his forward momentum abruptly stopping. He felt as if his ribs had been struck hard by an iron hammer, and half of his body went numb.
"Heroes are nothing more than a bunch of fools blinded by false fame and power."
Garou's voice was cold and cruel, but his attacks showed no sign of stopping.
Each move targeted the points where Tanktop Master's muscles exerted force, the vulnerable areas of his joints, and the gaps in his breathing.
Tanktop Master had brute strength, but every counterattack was neutralized by his opponent with a 'four ounces deflect a thousand pounds' technique, while his own injuries steadily accumulated.
His proud strength appeared so pale and powerless in the face of absolute skill.
"Stop! You villain!"
Just then, two angry shouts came from the alley entrance.
Charanko was seen striking a seemingly impressive pose, roaring with feigned ferocity.
Beside him, a man in a uniform, riding a bicycle—Mumen Rider—also arrived, breathing heavily.
"Oh? Two more small fry?"
Garou didn't even turn around; he just delivered a back elbow strike, once again slamming the attempting-to-rise Tanktop Master back to the ground.
"Take this! I am Bang's chief disciple!"
Charanko bravely charged forward, delivering a seemingly sharp straight punch towards Garou's back.
Garou didn't even look back, simply shifting his body slightly, causing Charanko's punch to miss.
Immediately, a swift back kick accurately landed on Charanko's abdomen.
"Bang's disciple? Is this all your level?"
Garou's voice was full of mockery, "You haven't even learned the basics from him."
Charanko flew backward, curled up on the ground, groaning in pain, instantly losing his ability to fight.
"Damn it!"
Mumen Rider saw his companions fall one after another, and his sense of justice overcame his fear.
He forcefully threw his bicycle at Garou, while simultaneously charging forward himself, shouting, "Justice Crash!"
"Another idiot who only knows how to charge."
Garou impatiently dodged the flying bicycle, and facing Mumen Rider's disorganized charge, he didn't even have the interest to block.
He simply extended one hand, accurately grabbing Mumen Rider's shoulder.
Then, with a twist of his waist, a clean over-the-shoulder throw slammed Mumen Rider hard onto the cold concrete ground.
"Crack," went a crisp sound of bones breaking.
"Ah…"
Mumen Rider let out a pained groan, but lying on the ground, he still struggled, trying to grab Garou's ankle with his uninjured arm.
"Don't… don't do evil anymore…"
"Tsk." Garou looked at the man at his feet, as weak as an ant yet remarkably stubborn, a flicker of annoyance in his eyes.
"Hmph, weakling."
In the end, he just snorted coldly, retracting his foot from Mumen Rider's body.
"You're not even worth hunting."
Having said that, he no longer paid attention to the three groaning figures on the ground, turning and walking towards the Tanktop Army observing from a distance.
"It's your turn…"
——————
The next day, Z-City Central Hospital.
A faint smell of disinfectant permeated the clean hospital room.
Tanktop Master, Charanko, and Mumen Rider lay side by side on hospital beds, covered in bandages and casts.
Tanktop Master lay in bed; defeated by Garou, he didn't appear angry, but rather somewhat silent.
After a while, he slowly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of solemnity: "It seems Silver Fang has cultivated a monster…"
"So weak am I, no wonder Master expelled me from the dojo…" Charanko's face was filled with dejection.
Among the three, only Mumen Rider lay with his eyes open, silently staring at the ceiling.
He understood the gap between himself and Garou.
But what he hated more was how powerless his justice seemed in the face of such evil, unable to even buy others a moment to breathe.
The atmosphere in the hospital room was gloomy and bleak.
Just then, the hospital room door was pushed open.
"Yo, we came to see you."
Saitama walked in, carrying a bag of bananas, looking as leisurely as if he were strolling in a park.
Genos and Lin Mo followed behind him.
"It's Lord Saitama… and Mr. KING…"
Tanktop Master's face flushed hot when he saw the newcomers, especially when he saw The Strongest Man on Earth.
He instinctively tried to sit up from the bed out of respect, but winced in pain from his full-body injuries, ultimately only able to slump back onto the pillow in embarrassment.
Exposing such a pathetic side of himself in front of The Strongest Hero made him feel utterly ashamed.
"I heard you guys were badly beaten by a guy named Garou, so we came to check on you."
Saitama found a place to sit down, peeled a banana, and asked, "Is that guy really that strong?"
"Strong… strong like a monster," Tanktop Master said with lingering fear.
"My strength was completely useless against him; his martial arts… I couldn't even understand how he attacked."
Genos walked to Mumen Rider's bedside, his electronic eyes scanning the other's injury report, and analyzed:
"According to preliminary reports, the fighting style Garou uses is a martial art that fuses the essence of various martial arts schools.
"He possesses extremely strong learning ability and adaptability, capable of instantly seeing through an opponent's weaknesses and delivering fatal blows. He is an extremely dangerous martial arts prodigy."