"Who should I start with…" Allen pondered, his finger gently tapping the windowsill.
Among the S-Class Heroes, Tanktop Master should be the most suitable first target. This hero, who relies on pure physical strength, would be perfect for testing how strong his own physical capabilities currently were.
With a thought, the armor receded like a tide, re-merging beneath his skin.
The next morning, Allen woke up early, preparing to deal with the tasks assigned by the Association.
He himself was the Dragon-Level Monster; he would let them search slowly. In a couple of days, when he felt it was appropriate, he would report no abnormalities to the Association and request the task to be concluded.
Allen stood by the window, gazing at the rising sun, and stretched his shoulders. He took out his communicator and sent a message to the Hero Association:
"Investigation of the No Mans Land has begun. No abnormalities have been found so far."
After sending the message, he changed into a black combat suit, preparing to make a show of patrolling the No Mans Land.
Allen stepped into the ruins of the No Mans Land, sunlight filtering through the gaps in the broken buildings onto him.
Allen casually kicked at the loose stones at his feet when his communicator suddenly rang.
"Mr. Watchman, this is the Association Monitoring Center." The female operator's voice was distorted by static due to poor signal.
"A faint energy signature has been detected southeast of your current location. Please proceed to confirm."
"Received. Also, just call me Allen; 'Watchman' feels a bit strange," Allen said, then ended the call and headed towards the location provided by the Hero Association.
Fifteen minutes later, Allen stood in front of an abandoned department store. He sniffed, and indeed, a faint scent lingered here, a peculiar mix of various perfumes.
However, judging by the concentration of the scent, the Monster had already left about half an hour ago, and the path leading to the clothing store was the dirtiest, with very obvious muddy footprints.
Allen followed the scent to the department store's underground parking lot, where he found several torn fashion magazines and cosmetics scattered on the ground. The mixed fragrance was particularly pungent in the enclosed space of the underground parking lot.
He squatted down and picked up a fashion magazine cover torn in half.
The cover featured a female model in a glamorous gown, but the model's head had been violently ripped off.
"So it's a beauty-loving one, a Bow S?" Allen couldn't help but exclaim, looking at the mess on the ground.
If he continued tracking, he might actually find the Monster Association's lair.
Just then, the communicator emitted a crackling static sound.
"Mr. Allen, this is the Association Monitoring Center." The female operator's voice came through the communicator.
"Have you found anything on your end?"
Allen tossed the magazine fragments aside, stood up, and looked around: "I found some traces of Monster activity, but the target has already left."
"Based on the scene, it doesn't seem to be the Monster that caused the abnormal energy fluctuation, but there are indeed many traces of Monster activity in the No Mans Land."
"If the Monster Association truly exists, I suspect they might be brewing some evil plan." Allen preemptively set the stage for his upcoming hero-hunting plan.
Later, he could just blame everything on the Monster Association. After all, it would all be the Monster Association's evil plot, completely unrelated to Allen.
"Understood, the Association has recorded the intelligence." The operator paused, then continued: "Mr. Allen, please continue your investigation and report any findings immediately."
"Additionally, Ms. Tornado is currently heading to the outskirts of Z-City for investigation. Please keep your communication open for any potential support."
"Got it." Allen ended the call, a slight smirk playing on his lips. Let her investigate; there was nothing on the outskirts anyway. She would find nothing.
Allen left the underground parking lot and continued patrolling the No Mans Land.
He deliberately slowed his pace, occasionally stopping to check suspicious traces, ensuring his investigation appeared sufficiently diligent from a tracking perspective.
The communicator rang again: "Mr. Allen, Ms. Tornado has arrived at the outskirts of Z-City and is conducting a detailed scan of the abnormal energy fluctuation area."
"Understood." Allen responded curtly, thinking that no matter how much Tornado scanned, she wouldn't find anything, since that large crater was left by him when he tested his strength the night before.
Allen roamed the No Mans Land all day, during which he found several more traces of Monster activity, but they were all just low-level, small-fry Monster. He casually dealt with a few Wolf-level Monster that didn't know their place and reported the situation truthfully to the Association.
In the evening, the communicator rang again.
"Mr. Allen, Ms. Tornado has completed her investigation of the outskirts of Z-City." The operator's voice sounded a bit tired.
"She reported no abnormalities and believes the Monster may have left the outskirts and should proceed to investigate the No Mans Land."
"Aside from traces of some small rats, no abnormalities were found here either. The target has likely left the Z-City No Mans Land." Allen paused here to make his words more credible.
"I suspect the target may have already entered Z-City. A Monster with such powerful strength wouldn't just disappear suddenly, so he might have some evil plan."
"Understood." The operator's voice came through the communicator.
"The Association will raise Z-City's alert level and dispatch more Heroes to guard it."
Plan complete! No, I can't smile yet!
"Good, I understand. This situation is very urgent, and I hope you will give it due importance."
Allen ended the call, a slight smirk playing on his lips. The plan was progressing smoothly. Now all that remained was to wait for nightfall and begin his hero-hunting plan.
As the sun set, Allen stood on the roof of an abandoned building, gazing at the gradually darkening sky in the distance.
Tornado's disdainful voice came through the communicator: "Rookie, it seems your investigation hasn't made much progress either."
Allen pressed the communication button: "At least I found several traces of Monster activity, unlike some people who made a trip for nothing."
"What did you say?!" Tornado immediately bristled, wishing she could find Allen right now to teach him a lesson.
"Alright, both of you, please maintain harmony." The operator hastily interjected.
"The Association suggests expanding the search area tomorrow and teaming up to investigate the No Mans Land."
"Who wants to team up with her (him)?!" Both said in unison.
A burst of harsh static came from the communicator, and Tornado angrily cut the connection.
"That's enough for today." Allen stretched, then leaped down from the rooftop.
"It's time to start the hero-hunting plan."
Allen returned to his rented room, casually tossing the communicator onto the table. He stood by the window, watching the sky gradually darken.
As night fell, Allen stood in the shadows of an abandoned building. Black and red biological armor silently covered his entire body. He twisted his neck, emitting a "crack, crack" sound.
"I'll start with Tanktop Master."
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