"Connected!"
Just as Okamoto was about to relay the message, the operator responsible for contacting Mr. Allen suddenly cried out excitedly.
"Mr. Allen! Are you alright?" The operator was almost in tears; they had finally gotten through.
"Ah~ Sorry, I was just sleeping." Mr. Allen's slightly lazy voice came through the communicator, accompanied by the rustling of bedding.
He yawned, his voice thick with sleepiness and the hoarseness of just waking up: "I was just sleeping, what happened?"
Seeing that Mr. Allen was fine, the operator quietly breathed a sigh of relief: "Mr. Allen, your guess might be right! Tanktop Master was just attacked by an unknown Monster!"
"What?!" Mr. Allen's voice sounded a bit more awake, with a perfectly timed concern: "Is Tanktop Master alright?"
The operator adjusted his breathing and reported: "The Master sustained some minor injuries, but nothing serious."
"It's just that the Monster was a bit strange… It only came for a spar."
"A spar?" Mr. Allen feigned surprise.
"That's the first I've heard of it. It seems this Monster is indeed very special."
The operator continued to report: "Yes, that Monster claimed it only came to test the strength of S-Class Heroes and even threatened to visit other S-Class Heroes one by one."
Mr. Allen pondered for a moment: "Send me the location. I'll go to the scene to see if there are any clues."
The operator quickly sent the gym's coordinates to Mr. Allen: "Mr. Allen, please be very careful on your way there!"
"According to Tanktop Master's description, this Monster is incredibly powerful!"
"Got it." Mr. Allen hung up the communication, a slight smile playing on his lips. He leisurely changed into his pajamas, deliberately messed up his hair, and pretended to have just woken up as he rushed to the gym.
When Mr. Allen arrived at the gym, the scene had already been cordoned off by Hero Association staff. The crowds who had come to watch the commotion were also evacuated beyond the yellow tape.
As he crossed the police line, a staff member jogged over: "Mr. Allen, you're finally here."
"How are things?" Mr. Allen yawned, his gaze sweeping over the wall with a large hole. He paused slightly when he looked at the vanished roof above. He remembered he didn't seem to have ripped off the gym's ceiling, did he?
The staff member followed Mr. Allen's gaze and quietly explained: "When Miss Tornado first arrived, uh… she was a bit emotional."
Mr. Allen nodded knowingly. If it was Tornado, it made sense. He walked to the area with the densest battle traces, crouched down, and carefully ran his right hand over the cracks he had left.
"This Monster's strength is very high, but it seems to have deliberately controlled the scope of destruction," he analyzed, pretending to be serious.
"He said he only came for a spar, but I don't understand why a Monster would do something like that," Tanktop Master explained as he walked over, his chest bandaged by members of the Tank-top Gang.
"What a strange fellow," Mr. Allen frowned deeply.
At this moment, Tornado, who had been floating in the sky, also descended. She looked down at Mr. Allen from above, her small chin held high: "Hmph, Rookie, you're late. The Monster already vanished!"
She put her hands on her hips, looking at the young man before her with some dissatisfaction. Why were all the Rookies so lazy these days!
Mr. Allen stood up, patting the dust from his hands: "Miss Tornado, I was just carefully investigating the scene for traces."
"Oh? What can these traces tell you?" Tornado floated next to Mr. Allen, staring intently at the young man, wanting to see what he would come up with.
"Although nothing can be seen from the traces anymore, I already have a guess in my heart," Mr. Allen rubbed his chin with his right hand, feigning deep thought.
"What guess?" Tanktop Master couldn't help but ask.
Tornado impatiently floated in a circle in the air: "Stop playing games, just say it!"
Although she outwardly appeared dismissive of Mr. Allen's guess, her body honestly floated closer to him. After all, this Rookie's guesses about the mysterious Monster had been consistently accurate so far.
"I suspect he was sent by the Monster Association as a tool to test the heroes' weaknesses." Mr. Allen's words plunged the scene into a brief silence.
"Monster Association? Isn't that just a rumor?" Tanktop Master frowned.
"Evidence?" Tornado suddenly moved closer, her emerald eyes fixed on Mr. Allen.
"Don't tell me you're just guessing again."
Mr. Allen spread his hands helplessly: "There's no conclusive evidence yet, but don't you find it strange?"
He pointed to the large hole in the gym: "A powerful Dragon-Level Monster, who doesn't kill people or destroy the city, specifically seeks out S-Class Heroes to spar. Don't you think that's ridiculous?"
"Hmph, a boring guess." Tornado turned her face away, but couldn't help but move a little closer to Mr. Allen.
Once she finished listening to Mr. Allen's guess, it would be even easier for her to take down the Monster, letting this Rookie know the gap between him and her, hmph hmph~!
"Moreover, why do you think that Monster would cause abnormal energy fluctuations for no reason in the outskirts of Z-City?" Mr. Allen's words made everyone present fall into deep thought.
"You mean that Monster deliberately exposed its whereabouts?" With Mr. Allen's guidance, Tanktop Master's intelligence also reclaimed the high ground.
"Exactly! That's what I wanted to say!" Mr. Allen couldn't help but applaud Tanktop Master's astonishing wisdom; he truly was a good partner.
"He deliberately exposed his whereabouts to make the Hero Association send more powerful heroes to Z-City for investigation. This way, even if he can't defeat the opponent while testing weaknesses, the Monster Association can still provide timely rescue in Z-City, ensuring a safe retreat."
After listening to Mr. Allen's analysis, Tornado's green curly hair trembled slightly, and the corners of her mouth curved upwards: "Hmph! So what if it's really sent by the Monster Association? I'll take care of every single one that comes!"
Seeing Tornado's proud demeanor, Mr. Allen almost couldn't suppress the rising corners of his mouth: "You've definitely been exposed already. They certainly won't come looking for you."
Upon hearing Mr. Allen's words, Tornado's hair immediately floated up in anger: "What did you say?!"
She floated in front of Mr. Allen, glaring at him: "Rookie, are you questioning my strength?"
Mr. Allen shrugged: "I'm just stating facts. Given your personality, the Monster Association has probably already gathered enough intelligence."
Tanktop Master nodded thoughtfully: "Allen has a point. Miss Tornado's fighting style is too conspicuous, making it easy to gather intelligence."
"Shut up!" Tornado glared at Tanktop Master: "What do you muscle-brained idiots know?!"
She turned to Mr. Allen, green light appearing around her: "Rookie, since you're so smart, tell me, what should we do next?"
Mr. Allen smiled slightly, his hands in his pockets: "It's simple. You leave Z-City and go guard another city."
"They came to challenge Tanktop Master today, surely hoping we'd put all our focus on Z-City."
Tornado hovered in the air, level with Mr. Allen: "Rookie, are you ordering me around?"
"Just a reasonable suggestion. If you continue to stay in Z-City, the Monster Association might change their plan of action," Mr. Allen looked directly into Tornado's eyes.
Their gazes clashed in the air, and the surrounding air seemed to solidify. Tanktop Master unconsciously took half a step back; he was injured, and he didn't want to be caught in the crossfire if the two started fighting. The staff also held their breath, not daring to speak.
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