Screech—!
A sharp sound of tires rubbing against the ground broke the tranquility of the street, as a jet-black official sedan executed a near-showy emergency stop and drift, precisely parking into the only empty space by the roadside.
The driver of a private car behind, who had also eyed that parking spot, watched the scene dumbfounded, then drove away grumbling.
The car doors opened, and two young men in suits stepped out one after another.
They had serious expressions and hurried steps, one of them, slightly older, tightly clutching a bulging black briefcase.
Their gazes quickly swept the street corner, and when they saw Han Sen under the sunshade, they simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.
They hurried to the coffee table, their shadows blocking the light Han Sen was using to read his newspaper.
The leading man in the suit spoke cautiously, with a hint of reverence in his voice, "Excuse me... are you Mr. Han Sen?"
Han Sen put down his newspaper and lifted his eyes.
His calm, unwavering gaze held a hidden majesty, causing the two men facing him to involuntarily stiffen.
"It's me, what's up?"
Upon receiving a positive reply, a professional smile immediately appeared on the speaking man's face: "Mr. Han Sen! Please forgive our sudden visit!"
"We are staff members of the Hero Association Headquarters' Strategy Department."
He pointed to himself, then to his slightly greener companion beside him: "I'm Hammerhead, and this is my assistant, Slater."
"We are here on behalf of the Association to extend an invitation to you—we hope to specially recruit you to become our S-Class Hero!"
As Hammerhead's words fell, his assistant, Slater, beside him was clearly even more excited; he stared intently at Han Sen, as if witnessing a historical moment.
To their surprise, Han Sen merely leaned back lazily, picked up the coffee on the table, and took a small sip.
"Oh my, oh my..."
Han Sen put down his coffee cup and let out a soft sigh: "Mask-kun and Miss Fubuki have both said similar things to me before. My answer is the same as it was then."
He raised his eyes, his gaze calmly sweeping over their faces, which were filled with anticipation.
"Currently, I have no intention of becoming a professional hero."
The air seemed to freeze in that instant; the smiles on Hammerhead's and Slater's faces were like a paused video, stuck in place.
"Is... is that so?" Assistant Slater murmured, almost unable to believe his ears.
How could this be?
How could anyone refuse an invitation to become an S-Class Hero?!
Without even a moment's consideration, he so casually... refused!
Just as the atmosphere in the coffee shop fell into an awkward silence, and Hammerhead was racking his brain trying to figure out how to salvage the situation—
Boom—!!!
An earth-shattering roar came from the end of the street not far away; the entire ground lurched upwards, and the violent tremor instantly shattered most of the coffee shop's glass windows!
Tables and chairs shook violently; except for Han Sen, who, at the moment the tremor hit, steadied his coffee cup with a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, all the drinks in other customers' cups spilled out, and the scene instantly became a mess.
The sudden explosion and commotion instantly tore apart the city's tranquility.
"Ah—!!"
"What happened?!"
"Monster! A Monster appeared!"
"Help, help me ahhh—!!"
"..."
Pedestrians on the street, after a brief moment of shock, burst into terrified screams, scattering in all directions like startled birds.
Out of professional instinct, Hammerhead and Slater's expressions changed drastically as they turned to look in the direction of the explosion.
At the end of the street, the outer wall of a high-end hotel building had been forcibly blasted open by a brutal force, leaving a massive hole over ten meters in diameter.
Billowing smoke and dust poured out from it, like the breath of a demon.
A bizarre figure, two stories tall, composed entirely of twisted metal and dirty white ceramics, slowly emerged from within, taking heavy steps.
Its main body was a giant square washing machine, its limbs made of countless tangled metal pipes and exposed wires, emitting a grating creak with every step.
Most horrifying was the twisted, eerie human face growing on the large glass door of its chest.
Through the glass door, countless rusted, gleaming knives, forks, bowls, and dishes could be seen spinning wildly inside.
"Hehehehe... Hahahahaha!"
The Monster let out a grating, metallic laugh, and dangerous, tyrannical red light flickered in the eyes of the eerie human face.
It extended its massive arm, made of thick drainpipes, and effortlessly grabbed a small car by the roadside as if crushing a biscuit box, then, under the horrified gazes of countless people, it squeezed hard!
Crack—!!
Amidst the teeth-grinding sound of twisting metal, the entire car was forcibly crushed into an irregular lump of iron.
"Listen carefully, despicable humans! I am the great 'Rampaging Dishwasher' Lord!!"
Rampaging Dishwasher slammed the lump of iron in its hand onto the ground, letting out a deafening roar that unleashed a gust of wind: "Every day! Every day! Every day I have to wash those foul-smelling, greasy dishes!"
"Those humans who just throw their dishes and chopsticks aside after eating, and complacently enjoy everything, are simply the most deserving of death in this world!"
"From today onwards! All humans who eat and don't wash their dishes, shall! Die!"
Before its words finished, the human face on its chest let out a shriek, and the glass door suddenly sprang open!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Countless ceramic plates, glass cups, stainless steel bowls and dishes... accompanied by sharp whooshing sounds that tore through the air, shot out indiscriminately in all directions!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
These seemingly fragile utensils now displayed astonishing destructive power.
Wherever they passed, whether it was thick building walls, roadside traffic light poles, or parked cars, they were easily sliced open, leaving smooth, mirror-like cuts!
"At least... it's a Demon-level disaster!!"
Hammerhead's pupils constricted, and cold sweat instantly soaked the back of his shirt.
This level of destructive power, this range of attack, was definitely not something an ordinary Monster could possess!
"Slater! Quick! Immediately report to Headquarters, request S-Class Hero support! Evacuate the civilians!"
Hammerhead reacted extremely quickly, frantically operating his communicator.
Slater, meanwhile, was loudly shouting with all his might to guide the chaotic crowd to evacuate, while intensely watching the Monster's movements.
A Demon-level disaster erupting in the city center, every second of delay meant...
Incalculable losses and casualties!
Two unarmed office workers, in the face of this level of disaster, were no different from ants on the roadside!
Just then, Hammerhead, who was anxiously reporting the situation on his communicator, suddenly felt a slight breeze brush past him.
He instinctively looked back, only to see that the seat where Han Sen had been sitting was now empty.
Only an empty coffee cup remained, pressing down on a 10,000-yen bill, standing steadily on the table.
"So... so fast!!"
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