Suburbs of Z City.
Every five seconds, a thunderous roar like cannon fire echoed through the forest. Over time, the bombardment developed a strange rhythm.
Massive tremors traveled tens of kilometers along the earth. Infrasound waves accompanying the impacts triggered an unprecedented mass exodus of animals from the surrounding wilderness.
The epicenter sat at a naturally formed inland freshwater lake along the waterway flowing through Z City. It covered an area equivalent to ten stadiums, unnamed but surrounded by beautiful scenery—a perfect spot for vacation camping.
At this moment, the lake's mirror-calm surface surged with towering waves. Water columns from the shelling shot hundreds of meters into the sky. Lake water evaporated under instantaneous high temperatures, cooling in the air to form dense vapor. Arc-shaped rainbows complemented the constantly climbing mountain peaks of displaced water in a magnificent spectacle.
In just half an hour, the lake's water level had dropped over a meter.
Countless gallons entered atmospheric circulation prematurely. Clouds in the sky grew thicker and darker. Z City would soon be hit by torrential rain.
Waves crashing toward the shore collided with an invisible barrier, splitting in two and falling helplessly back. White turbulent spray exploded across the lakefront.
A tall man in shirt and trousers materialized from the falling waves. Neck muscles close to his collar were strong and well-defined. Broad shoulders, thick arms, powerful chest and abdominal muscles with smooth lines. His hands, half-tucked in pockets, were large and strong. Back muscles forming a perfect inverted triangle made the ordinary shirt look exceptionally three-dimensional. Even with a mountain of lake water hundreds of meters high before him, his silhouette seemed more majestic and powerful.
Stale air escaped from Jordan Evans's slightly parted lips.
An invisible purple Stand appeared beside him, holding pen and notebook. Whenever artillery fire rang out, the Stand scribbled observations in the book.
Behind Jordan, countless black iron sands stripped from underground rock layers lifted into the air under magnetic control. They gathered into clusters that vibrated and dispersed continuously.
Jordan's Mind Network covered the vast forest. Invisible electromagnetic force penetrated deep underground, locating various metals buried beneath the surface. Simple decomposition and refinement followed, then magnetization and collection. Raw materials for artillery shells, gathered at will.
This lake was the testing ground Jordan had discovered before his dimensional travel. Far from the city, isolated enough for unrestricted experimentation. Ideal for developing new abilities.
After systematic theoretical study, Jordan's ability development had proceeded exceptionally smoothly.
He'd analyzed railgun principles, applied superpower modifications, and successfully replicated Misaka Mikoto's signature technique: the Railgun.
His ammunition choice skipped the coin-flipping games middle schoolers played. He went straight for iron-sand alloy with freely controllable yield.
A small mass of black iron sand separated from the cluster. The electromagnetic field binding it suddenly rotated. Lightning-level current flowed through the particles. Continuously released high temperatures heated the dense metal to melting point instantly. The molten alloy embryo folded and twisted according to Jordan's will, shaping itself into a railgun projectile.
The subsequent shot pierced straight through the lake.
Gas bubbles instantly formed, revealing the blackened lakebed where silt had been scorched and solidified. Massive amounts of displaced water covered it again the next second.
"That's enough for today." Jordan rubbed his temples. "Increase the power further and we'll break through the underwater rock layers. Not doing that. I'm not destroying nature."
F-boy squinted. How can I believe someone would say that?
With continuous adjustments, Jordan had further refined the newly developed railgun with F-boy's help.
Attack methods derived from electromagnetic abilities were basically superweapon-level. If range and power couldn't be controlled at will, the damage to cities might exceed the monster disasters themselves.
Jordan wasn't like Saitama, that well-meaning fool who defeated Dragon-level threats and destroyed entire cities as collateral damage. Naturally, he needed maximum proficiency when developing abilities.
Just as he prepared to finish up and head home, Jordan frowned slightly. His gaze fixed on a point in the forest.
An abnormally energetic life form appeared within the Mind Network's coverage area, less than a hundred meters away in a straight line.
The abrupt discovery put Jordan on alert, especially since this life form was surrounded by an unusual biomagnetic field.
As a result, Jordan couldn't identify the visitor through Mind Network. He could only vaguely perceive a humanoid figure constantly disturbed by magnetic interference.
Which meant the other party was at least a life form on his level.
In an instant, massive amounts of iron sand burst from the ground. Iron sand projectiles forged themselves into shape, resembling countless floating cannons scattered behind Jordan. Static magnetic fields began rotating. All projectiles charged to full capacity.
With a single thought, the Railgun Array would unleash in saturation barrage.
Someone in the forest gasped. Then a deep, resonant male voice called out.
"Calm down, young man! Isn't this welcome a bit too grand for an ordinary passerby?"
In Jordan's sight, a tall man emerged from the shadows, hands raised.
The stranger's physique was in no way inferior to Jordan's. He wore full battle armor resembling a Dragon Ball combat suit, a white cape like Saitama's hero outfit fluttering behind him. A horrifying scar ran diagonally across his face above the right eye, but surprisingly, it didn't detract from his good looks. Instead, it added weathered, battle-hardened charm.
As Jordan sized up the man, the man studied Jordan in turn.
Tall stature. Handsome face rivaling his own. Bright, sharp eyes revealing iron will. Muscles bulging beneath clothes that showcased perfect male physique.
Furthermore, sensing the unprecedented vast energy within the young man's body, even someone with Blast's experience couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.
This kid was ruthless.
The railgun array didn't fire immediately after charging. Jordan's gaze fixed on the steel-stamped emblem on the man's chest armor.
"Hey, you recognize me? That makes things easier!" Blast, having just appeared, scratched his cheek. A hearty smile spread across his handsome face. "You're 'Super Cop' Jordan Evans, currently ranked A-Class #7, right? I only came to check out this area because I noticed unusually high-energy reactions. Absolutely no malicious intent."
"If you say so, senior, then of course I believe you."
Upon seeing Blast appear, Jordan breathed a sigh of relief. The dazzling electric lights on the artillery array behind him extinguished one by one. Under magnetic control, the projectiles decomposed into fine iron sand fragments that fell back to the ground.
Jordan Evans met the gaze of the world's strongest hero.
"It's an honor to meet you, Blast."