Chapter 10: I'm So Freaking Awesome
Cola Man:
Background: A young man who was extremely fond of drinking cola unexpectedly mutated into a monster.
Skill: Liquid Spray.
Comprehensive Evaluation: One Star!
Sprite Man:
Background: A father who, because his son loved cola, desperately fell in love with Sprite, and coincidentally mutated into a monster.
Skill: Liquid Spray.
Comprehensive Evaluation: Two Stars!
Fanta Man:
Background: A kind old father who, because his two sons loved carbonated drinks, tried drinking soda year-round, leading to his mutation into a monster.
Skill: Liquid Spray.
Comprehensive Evaluation: Two Stars!
After king finished browsing the information on the three cards, he didn't use them recklessly anymore. He wasn't in a hurry to level up; he would use the cards later when needed.
"Rumble, rumble!"
Just as he was preparing to catch up on sleep, it was already bright outside. The sound of excavators rumbled over. He curiously pulled open the curtains for a look. The surrounding residents were spontaneously helping to clear the rubble from the damaged street.
"Ugh..."
His heart sank, and he instantly lost the will to sleep. He put on his black baseball cap to hide his face, picked up the shovel from downstairs, and went to help clear the rubble. To speed things up, he even directly used the one-star Cola Man card.
"Ding! Consumed one 1-star card. Obtained 125 experience points."
"Ding! Host failed to comprehend the card character's skill."
Crack!
With the added power of a monster, king's speed in clearing the rubble was very fast. In just a few moments, he had cleared the broken stones in front of his door and then began to work his way outward.
"Young man, you work really fast."
The neighboring uncle saw this and immediately praised him.
king kept his head down and smiled humbly, "I've been training since I was young, so I'm strong."
"Hehe," the neighbor, having finally found someone to chat with, said with a broad smile, "Young man, with your strength, you should go take the hero test. You might even become a hero, admired by everyone, and better able to protect our home." As he spoke, he said mysteriously, "Do you know who was fighting on this street last night?"
"..."
king froze, too embarrassed to speak.
"You don't know, right? Hehe, let me tell you! Last night, a ferocious monster couldn't sleep in the middle of the night and broke into the street to burn, kill, and plunder. You have no idea, that monster was especially hideous, with a green face and fangs, three heads and six arms, and extraordinary power. The people around were scared stiff, trembling. Just then, King, glowing with a golden light, descended from the sky! The moment he landed, he shouted, 'Monster, your granddaddy is here!' The monster casually replied, 'I am your ancestor!' King was furious and, without another word, used his ultimate move—the Purgatory Unrivaled Burst Heat Wave Cannon—to blast the monster into dust. That's what caused the damage to the street. They say that before King left, he coldly said to the monster's dust scattered in the air, 'Your granddaddy will always be your granddaddy.'"
After the neighbor finished, he stroked his slobber-covered beard, not yet fully satisfied.
"Hehe, King... King is really strong."
king wiped away a cold sweat. *Uncle, you really know how to spin a tale. The Purgatory Unrivaled Burst Heat Wave Cannon is a completely fabricated move. It's an ultimate technique King made up on the spot when the Hero Association asked him about his moves.*
"By the way, Uncle, King wrecked the street like this. Aren't you guys angry with him?"
"Hey, young fellow, that's where your thinking is wrong. That monster killed countless humans. If King hadn't eliminated it in time, I'm afraid many more people would have been slaughtered. Therefore, exchanging the damage to one street for the survival of tens of thousands of people is an absolutely worthwhile trade. No one will blame King. He's a great hero who protects humanity's safety."
"Hehe, perhaps!"
king was so embarrassed he felt like cringing himself out of existence.
"Jack, clearing the rubble?" At that moment, a middle-aged man walked up, carrying a shovel on his way back from the street entrance.
"Oh, Ximi, you went to donate?" the neighbor greeted him with a grin.
"Yeah, I'm a resident of this street too, after all, so I went and donated two hundred to show my support." The middle-aged man smiled and said, "I can't talk anymore, I have to hurry home and clear the rubble!"
"Okay, let's talk more tonight."
The two waved goodbye.
"Uncle, what's this about a donation?" king's heart stirred.
"Oh, the residents of the street are spontaneously raising funds for the project costs to speed up the repaving of the road."
"Is that so? Uncle, do you know where the donation spot is?" king's eyes lit up slightly. "I'm also a resident here. I'd like to express my support as well."
"There's an office at the end of the street. There are dedicated staff members managing it there," the neighbor said, pointing toward the street entrance.
"Thank you, Uncle."
Carrying his shovel, king rushed towards the end of the street in a flurry.
"Heh, what an eager young man," the neighboring uncle chuckled before lowering his head to continue clearing rubble.
...
Street Repair Donation Point!
king went forward and asked, "Excuse me, is this the place for donations for the street repair project?"
"Yes, it is. Are you here to donate?" the person in charge asked with great enthusiasm.
king smiled, pulling his baseball cap lower. He took out his bank card and handed it to the staff member, saying, "I'm donating one million three hundred thousand." He only had a little over 1.3 million on his card. Although he received nearly a hundred thousand a month, he hadn't been an S-Class hero for long, so that was all the money he had saved up.
"Huh? You... what did you say? You want to donate one million three hundred thousand?" The person in charge stared at king with wide eyes. Their donation point had seen plenty of residents, but most people donated a few hundred yuan out of enthusiasm. Who would just donate over a million for no reason?
"Yes," king nodded firmly. "Please swipe the card!"
"Oh, okay, okay." The person in charge fumbled to get the card machine, keyed in 1,300,000, and king swiped his card, casually entering the PIN. With a beep, the transfer was complete.
"Sir, could you please register your name? We will post a public notice afterward to announce the identities of the donors to everyone. Although it's not much of an honor, it's the least we can do for everyone who has donated selflessly," the person in charge said respectfully.
"Oh."
king picked up a pen and wrote down a name—"Hong Lingjing"—then said, "That's all for the other information." After speaking, he put the pen down, shouldered his shovel, and returned to clearing the rubble, feeling light and happy. After making the donation, he finally felt a little more at ease.
...
"Is this the street where King eliminated the monster last night?"
A group of men and women carrying cameras and dressed in suits arrived on the street.
"Are you from the TV station?"
The person in charge of the donation point, who was just wondering which prominent figure had donated over a million, immediately went up to greet the group that looked like they were from a TV station.
"Hello, my name is Gel. We are staff from the M-City TV station. We want to report on the situation of King eliminating the monster yesterday. Would it be convenient for us to enter the street to film?"
A mature and intelligent woman walked out with a smile. She was a reporter for the M-City TV station's news channel, specializing in reporting on the aftermath of various monster incidents.
"Oh, I see. Welcome, welcome." The person in charge of donations enthusiastically received the TV station staff and personally led the way. "Look, this is where King fought the monster last night. The street is so severely damaged because King used his ultimate move—the Purgatory Double Burst Heat Wave Cannon. It's said that when the wave cannon was fired, the street was a sea of fire, like rolling magma, a truly hellish scene..."
The person in charge glanced at the camera and spouted nonsense with a straight face.
While the female reporter was talking with the person in charge, she was also scouting for an interview subject. After a moment, her beautiful eyes suddenly lit up. Ahead, a man in a black baseball cap was clearing rubble with impressively fast movements, drawing attention.
She smiled slightly and gestured for her camera crew to move forward. "Hello, sir. I'm a reporter from the M-City TV station. May I interview you?"
"Huh?"
king looked up in confusion, revealing the three ferocious scars on his face.
"Ah? You... you're King?" The female reporter was stunned for a moment, then immediately recognized king's identity. After all, those three scars were too obvious.
"What? King?"
The donation manager accompanying the reporter also recognized king. "So it was you, King, who just donated over one million three hundred thousand for the street repairs."
"..."
*What is all this about? I just wanted to make up for my mistake in a low-key way. Why are you all interviewing me so publicly?*
king didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"King!?"
"King!?"
The surrounding residents all turned to look at king in unison.
"Wow, King, I want to have your babies!"
"King, take me as your disciple! I want to be a hero just like you too."
The residents swarmed forward like crazed fans.
"Whoa... Ah? Everyone, calm down... Everyone, calm down... Don't pull off my pants... Hey, hey, stop touching me everywhere..."
On the damaged street, king's tearless, mournful cries echoed.
The neighboring uncle stared at king's familiar figure and muttered, "I... was I just bullshitting with King? Whoa... hehe, I'm so freaking awesome."
(end of chapter)