At the doorway, more than a hundred people crowded together, all looking poor and shabby.
At the front stood none other than C-Class Rank 1, License-less Rider.
"You all…?" Mosquito Girl Christina froze. Other than License-less Rider, who drew a bit of her attention, the rest seemed unremarkable.
"Uh… is Saitama home?" License-less Rider asked cautiously.
"Oh? License-less, so you didn't die after all. Looks like you survived. That means you still owe me that bowl of udon."
Hearing his voice, Saitama walked out, dead-fish eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at the mass of figures.
"Saitama-sama!"
"Saitama-sama, thank you for saving Uncle License-less! From now on, you're our boss!"
"T-this is… this is a little money from our families, to thank you. Of course we know it's not much, but if possible, we're willing to work for you to repay our debt!"
"Yes, Saitama-brother!"
One by one, the C-class heroes spoke up, pushing forward crumpled bills.
From License-less Rider's words, they had learned that Saitama saved his life. And since they themselves had once been helped by License-less Rider, they chose to repay that kindness by swearing loyalty to Saitama.
They had no money. So they offered their labor.
"I couldn't stop them… these guys…" License-less Rider scratched his head with an embarrassed smile.
"Uh…" Saitama rubbed his bald head. Where was he supposed to put all these people?
"Sensei, the House of Evolution just started up. We still need plenty of security. From a practical standpoint, their loyalty is unquestionable. And…" Saturday Sale suddenly leaned close, her breath brushing his ear. "If you've got a whole bunch of people working for you, you'll earn money much faster."
"No problem! License-less, I just happen to need more manpower. I'll have Saturday Sale arrange everything!"
At the mention of money, Saitama's eyes lit up. He slapped License-less Rider on the shoulder, signaling that these people had a place.
C-class heroes were weak, yes. But for a growing organization, loyalty and unity mattered more than strength.
And with the gene serum in production, these same C-class heroes had every chance of breaking their limits. It wouldn't be long before the House of Evolution grew into a force to rival even the Hero Association.
Saitama himself didn't think that far ahead. All the planning was left to poor Saturday Sale, who had to act as his manager.
Mosquito Girl Christina was ordered to lead License-less Rider and the others to the House of Evolution, where they would be arranged as security staff.
And of course, as his friend, License-less Rider received special treatment: he was appointed security captain.
…
Meanwhile, in the Marvel "Iron Man 3" world—
Though the Chitauri invasion had ended, the world was far from peaceful. Instead, it grew more turbulent by the day.
The terrorist leader known as the Mandarin had orchestrated several shocking attacks in recent weeks, even toppling the roofs of government buildings.
He even dared to publicly assassinate the President of the United States.
The chaos spread worldwide.
The Department of Defense repeatedly contacted Stark Industries, pleading for Iron Man to restore order.
But just yesterday, Tony Stark's old friend—Happy Hogan, once his chauffeur and bodyguard, now security advisor—was gravely injured in a bombing. Barely clinging to life, Happy was rushed to the ICU.
…
Since then, Stark hadn't slept for days, furiously designing new Mark armors.
After visiting Happy at the hospital, he stepped outside, immediately swarmed by reporters.
"Mr. Stark, we believe this was the Mandarin's attack—what do you have to say?"
"Stark, when will someone stop him?"
"With your close friend Happy seriously injured, how will you respond?"
Fury burning in his chest, Stark stopped, turned, and glared into the cameras.
"Mandarin?! I've been meaning to leave you a message. Now I know what to say! I am Tony Stark. I'm not afraid of you! You're a coward, and I'm done playing games! You want me? Come find me yourself! This is revenge, plain and simple—it's between you and me. If you've got the guts, come to me! My address is 10880 Malibu Point!"
He smashed a reporter's phone to the ground and stormed off.
Ever since Saitama left, pressure had mounted on him.
The Chitauri leviathans, the space-time portal of the Tesseract, Thor departing Earth—one by one, they reminded him of how fragile humanity truly was.
His once-proud Iron Man armor now seemed so weak.
And worst of all, he knew his fatal flaw: his body.
Without the armor, he was nothing. Just a mortal, ready to be killed at any moment.
That thought woke him night after night, heart racing as he checked if his Mark suits were still intact.
He buried himself in endless research, burning himself out, nerves fraying.
At Malibu Point, in his underground lab, 178 days had passed since Saitama's departure.
Pepper, now fully handling Stark Industries as CEO, was the only reason Tony's condition hadn't completely collapsed.
"Sir, you need rest. You've gone 123 hours without sleep," JARVIS reminded him.
"Einstein only slept four hours a day, JARVIS. Now—what about the spatial coordinates on Saitama?"
Tony sipped coffee, his lifeline. Ever since Saitama left, he had analyzed Tesseract data to triangulate his location.
"We've confirmed Mr. Saitama exists in another dimension. We are attempting to establish contact. However, a precise address remains unclear," JARVIS reported.
"Keep trying. That bald guy disappears too often… damn, I miss when he was here," Tony muttered.
But as he worked, outside—
Several armed helicopters swept low over his Malibu mansion.
Target locked.
They opened fire.
(End of Chapter)
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