Chapter 71: Superman has never been able to defeat 'money power'
In addition to the doctor from the House of Evolution, there are many cutting-edge scientists in this world, especially top talents in the field of mechanical transformation.
However, upon careful consideration, these people are very mysterious and difficult to find, let alone secure their help.
Only the House of Evolution has some relatively clear clues. It seems a scientific research base has been built in a desolate area around City Z, complete with some powerful monsters, such as the Asura Rhinoceros Beetle.
Considering that the House of Evolution would most likely be destroyed by Saitama soon, Bane felt he should find them first and see if he could borrow their power for some beneficial effect on himself.
To find them, Bane had considered two approaches. First, he could search little by little around City Z, using his Observation Haki to sweep the area like a minesweeper.
But this method would undoubtedly be time-consuming. What if the House of Evolution was destroyed by Saitama before Bane could find the doctor? That would be embarrassing. The doctor would simply switch to selling takoyaki, valuable scientific research equipment would be destroyed, and the secret base would be gone. Even if they managed to find the doctor afterward, it would be impossible for him to create advanced technology with his bare hands.
They would also need to rebuild a cutting-edge scientific research base, which would take even more time. Bane needed to return to the pirate world to cause trouble, and he also had to absorb enough "nutrients" in this world to strengthen himself. How could he afford to waste so much time here?
Finding the doctor through conventional means would be troublesome, if not impossible, since the doctor was actively hiding himself. With his technical capabilities, it would be too easy for him to "disappear" into the crowd. If official authorities couldn't find him, an outsider like Bane with no local connections would have even less chance through conventional methods.
After careful consideration, Bane had only one viable option: find Saitama first, then follow him and stick to the original story's development. After Saitama dealt with Mosquito Girl, people from the House of Evolution would come looking, and Bane could simply follow them back to their base.
At the same time, now that they had come to this world, wouldn't it be a shame not to meet the real 'One Punch Man'?
Moreover, establishing a good relationship with Saitama, the most powerful person in this world, could serve as a safety net. If he really encountered troubles he couldn't solve, he'd have someone to rely on.
Finally, Bane was genuinely interested in Saitama, the superman who had broken his limiter. Although he suspected Saitama's path was probably impossible to replicate, meeting such a top-tier powerhouse would still be beneficial.
What's more, Saitama wasn't a violent person. He could even be considered very kind and easy to communicate with—not dangerous at all.
After thinking for a while, Bane stood on the sidewalk, looked at a billboard nearby, and said with a smile, "Let's go find someone first, then go study here."
Zoro followed Bane's gaze and noticed the billboard, then asked, "What does it say?"
That's right—Zoro had become functionally illiterate. Although he could quickly master spoken communication here, he was completely clueless when it came to reading!
"The Flowing Water Rock Smashing Fist Dojo—territory of the third S-class hero, Silver Fang. The sign says his dojo is recruiting students," Bane explained.
"Flowing Water Rock Smashing Fist?" Zoro pondered for a moment and said, "You want to learn boxing? Fighting techniques?"
"Something like that. After all, I still have significant flaws and shortcomings in this area," Bane nodded.
"You might as well concentrate on swordsmanship. Although you're not as talented as me in this area, as long as you work hard, you'll definitely achieve something," Zoro teased with a smile.
It was obvious that Bane was the type who had learned many different things but wasn't particularly outstanding at any of them. In terms of physical techniques, he had the Six Powers, and later he'd also learned swordsmanship. He had Devil Fruit abilities too, but lacked any particularly exceptional strengths. Combined together, he seemed rather "mediocre."
"Although I'm also interested in swordsmanship, it's just an interest. But when it comes to physical techniques, I care deeply—especially given my physical fitness. Don't you think I should focus on martial arts?" Bane retorted.
Zoro couldn't refute Bane's point. After all, this guy's physical fitness was abnormally impressive. His basic boxing skills and street-fighting-level techniques, combined with his physical capabilities, were already formidable. If he truly mastered martial arts, it would be terrifying—and the most efficient way to transform his physical advantages into real strength.
Without arguing further on this topic, Zoro quickly asked, "What's the level of swordsmanship in this world? Are there any masters worth visiting?"
"The path of swordsmanship requires learning from many masters. Think about how Mihawk, before becoming the world's greatest swordsman, caused a bloody storm on the seas, challenged various swordsmen across different waters, and even forcibly attacked several navy swordsmen. He was once called the 'Marine Hunter.' No matter how strong or weak the swordsmen in this world are, it's always worthwhile for you to visit them," Bane responded immediately.
"That makes sense. After we settle down, I'll also look for powerful swordsmen here. I heard someone mention that there's a formidable swordsman called Atomic Samurai in this Hero Association?" Zoro said thoughtfully.
"Well, let's try to join this Hero Association and make contact with these powerful people," Bane nodded. He didn't have grandiose ideas about slaying demons and contributing to justice, but joining the Hero Association would indeed be an excellent way to build relationships with various powerful individuals.
Finding the doctor from the House of Evolution wasn't easy, but finding Saitama, this oddball, was simple. In all of City Z, there was only one uninhabited area where monsters appeared frequently and troubles occurred every few days. As a result, people had moved away one after another, gradually forming an abandoned zone within the city. Saitama was so poor he had to scavenge for food, but he was also incredibly powerful with no worthy opponents. For him, the uninhabited area was like paradise—complete with utilities like water and electricity. Since no one dared collect rent or fees there, he saved all these expenses, so the guy lived there comfortably.
The area where Bane and Zoro currently were wasn't far from the no-man's land. The two discussed their views and thoughts about this world as they walked, soon arriving nearby.
The closer they got, the fewer residents they saw. Once they actually entered the uninhabited area, they couldn't see a single person.
"The person you're looking for lives here?" Zoro asked with some confusion, looking at the dilapidated environment and buildings around them.
"Well, that guy is pretty poor after all," Bane smiled.
Although the uninhabited area wasn't small, it wasn't particularly large either. Even though Bane's Observation Haki wasn't tremendously powerful, it could still cover the entire area.
After careful searching and perception, he confirmed there were indeed some monsters here. Then Bane immediately noticed that in a building within a residential complex in the uninhabited area, someone was climbing the stairs. It was Saitama!
At the same time, in the corridor, Saitama looked around with some confusion. For some reason, he'd felt a strange presence for a moment.
Although Saitama possessed invincible strength, his perception was actually quite ordinary. For example, he was often followed by people far weaker than him, and had been spied on remotely by Genos many times. Later, when he went to fight the Underground Monster Association, he got lost—all sorts of ridiculous things happened.
So when Bane discovered him at this moment, he just instinctively noticed something strange, but didn't realize that Bane was observing him.
"Is it my imagination?" Saitama scratched his bald head, didn't think much of it, and quickly went upstairs, opened the door, and went home.
Living in this monster-infested place, this kind of sudden strange feeling had happened more than once or twice, so there was no need to make a fuss. After all, some monster popped up in this haunted area every day.
Saitama put some discounted cheap ingredients he'd bought from the supermarket into the refrigerator and was about to watch TV when the doorbell suddenly rang.
This time he was genuinely surprised, because he'd lived here for so long he'd almost forgotten the last time someone had knocked on his door.
"Coming," Saitama responded, then got up and opened the door.
As soon as he opened it, he saw Bane and Zoro standing outside. A puzzled look appeared on his already indifferent face as he asked, "Who are you looking for?"
"We're looking for you. We two brothers are from out of town and have nowhere to stay. There's no one around here, but we happened to see you downstairs, so we'd like to stay here for a few days. Please help us out," Bane said with a smile.
Saitama stared blankly.
Is this person crazy?
He was about to refuse, but before he could speak, Bane pulled out a large bundle of cash and said, "Of course, we're not staying for free."
The moment he saw the cash, Saitama's face lit up with enthusiasm, and he welcomed them warmly, "Stay! Stay as long as you want! To be honest, I've lived here for a long time and I'm very familiar with the area. I can definitely help you integrate into this new environment!"
As expected, Superman has never been able to defeat "money power"—grandfather never lied to me!
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