S-Class heroes aren't like other heroes. They're overflowing with confidence, so talk of "teamwork" barely moves the needle. Force them into one squad and you'll only get accidents of every flavor. Better to send them in separately to infiltrate the Monster Association's nest. If they're grouped up, they'll cause trouble; split them, and—well—the "juice" is much better.
Just then, a violent tremor rolled through the base.
While everyone sprang to their feet, nerves taut, Saitama waved them down, face completely blank. "Why so jumpy? Sit, sit. It's just an earthquake."
"Just an earthquake?" Child Emperor's face said otherwise. This wasn't a simple tremor. It felt like something was detonating underground.
"Zero-three-two-zero… Looks like we need to move now." Child Emperor drew a deep breath. The others wore the same sober look.
Puri-Puri Prisoner practically quivered with excitement. "Oh? I'll be seeing my beloved darlings soon—how delightful!"
"I'll head to point A," said Atomic Samurai. "My disciples will participate this time as well."
One after another, the heroes chose their insertion points.
Watching this blow-in, blow-out circus, Saitama gave a casual wave. He also ignored the poor soul being dragged away in tears.
"Well, that's that?" Saitama yawned. "Guess I'll get some sleep. I've been through enough back in the X-Men world."
Ding!
[Reminder: You still have an unclaimed Special Draw.]
"Oh right, I forgot." Saitama scratched his head. "Start the draw."
A beam of light bloomed in front of him, wrapping something inside—too bright to make out. Whatever it was flickered through forms at high speed, like one of those "say stop whenever" prize wheels.
"Stop," Saitama said.
"Ding. Draw complete. Confirming reward: Monster Restoration Serum ×3."
"Monster… Restoration Serum?" Saitama blinked. "What's that?"
As he took the small case into his hand, the item's details surged into his mind.
"Monster Restoration Serum: forcibly restores a monster to human form. Each person can use only one. Exceeding the limit causes genetic collapse and death."
"Turn a monster back into a human, huh?" Saitama thought about it. "Weirdly… not useless."
"Going to sleep, Saitama?" Fubuki asked.
"Mm? Ah—yeah." He changed into pajamas and flopped onto the bed. Fubuki was long used to how casually he treated… everything.
But Saitama didn't immediately drift off. His mind wandered to Professor X and the others. After he left… would those two keep fighting? That'd be bad. Would make saving them feel pointless.
He was on the brink of sleep when another jolt surged up from the depths.
Boom!
This one was stronger than before. Saitama sat up at once. Even Fubuki—who had been in front of the TV grinding her gaming skills to squash him next time—froze.
What was going on?
Another tremor. Then another. And another.
The shocks stacked, each harder than the last—like people were actually brawling right beneath the apartment. Saitama stared, blank.
Fubuki stood. "I'd better check. If we leave it to my sister and the rest alone, I'm worried something will happen."
Saitama thought it over. The Hero Association had restricted him from acting at will, but they hadn't placed that limit on Fubuki. He nodded. "Go on, but try not to make it a spectacle, okay?"
Fubuki could only go speechless. She'd done her homework: every time Saitama fought, the collateral damage usually exceeded the monsters'. That was probably why the Association had slapped the "don't act casually" rule on him. Left unchecked, the monsters might not end the world—Saitama would, by accident.
Elsewhere, Child Emperor and King were moving together; their entry points lay close.
"I used thermal imaging from an artificial satellite to sweep the area," Child Emperor explained as they advanced. "Just on the surface, I can confirm close to eight hundred monsters. Factor in the ones we missed, and it's even more. If we split evenly, each of us could be facing a hundred or more."
"What?!" King jolted. He'd hoped to weather this by clinging to a strong thigh again. With that many monsters, even extreme caution wouldn't keep him from running into some.
Child Emperor considered King one of the more reliable S-Class types, which was why he was sharing raw intel. "Still, sheer numbers don't matter much against S-Class heroes."
King bobbed his head. He'd seen big scenes; hordes weren't worth much in front of high-tiers.
Child Emperor continued—and the next part nearly broke King. "But it won't be that simple. Elder Centipede, a Dragon-level monster, was likely part of the Monster Association. It stands to reason there are others on that level in their base. That means plenty of Demon- and Dragon-class enemies inside. So—even for you, King—stay sharp."
Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.
King's heart started pounding wildly again.
(End of Chapter)
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