With a powerful step from his corded, muscular legs, a sharp sonic boom erupted.
In an instant, high-frequency shockwaves swept violently outward in all directions.
Jason's perception immediately scanned the surroundings and he caught the problem at once.
The nearby building glass was about to be destroyed.
In a flash of thought, "Spider Time" stretched infinitely.
Jason activated his ability. His already overflowing psychic energy transformed into tons of soul-like material, and countless AT Field barriers were deployed in an instant, barely intercepting the shockwave before it hit.
Whoosh.
At that moment, Jason broke free from gravity and accelerated. In a blink, he pierced through the sonic barrier cloud and shot straight upward like a drop of water.
Only then did a long, relieved sigh fade away at the original spot.
BOOM BOOM BOOM.
Air resistance was crushed by overwhelming kinetic force. The force field around his body continuously reshaped itself into an aerodynamic streamline optimized for flight.
Amid continuous sonic booms, Jason's altitude kept rising.
The cold night wind turned into bone-piercing chill. Oxygen thinned rapidly. The temperature dropped to the point where even steel would freeze.
Jason did not stop.
His body, now enhanced by the limiter breakthrough, rapidly adapted to the harsh environment.
Muscles vibrated, generating heat to counteract the cold, physically driving away the freezing intrusion.
He was still rising.
His explosive psychic power lit up the night sky like a torch. The surging spiritual particles formed a blue tail flame, gradually refracted into brilliant colors by cosmic radiation.
"Huh?"
On his balcony, Saitama, who had just finished moving into his new home and was drinking tea, suddenly shaded his eyes and looked up.
He saw a streak of dazzling light cutting across the night sky.
"A shooting star."
Saitama smiled while holding his teacup.
"People say seeing a shooting star on moving day is a good omen… or something like that?"
That night, not only Z-City, but countless people across the world saw the meteor crossing the sky and made silent wishes.
"Jason-kun, the director is looking for you."
A woman in a police uniform shirt, holding a folder to her chest, tapped lightly on the desk.
"Got it."
Jason stood up after finishing the case files he had just sorted. Seeing that the young officer was staring at him blankly, he asked:
"What is it, Anko? Anything else?"
"N-no…" Anko snapped back to reality like a startled rabbit. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she looked at him in a daze.
"Jason-kun… is it just my imagination, or have you changed a lot…"
Jason followed her gaze downward.
His chest muscles, now far larger than hers several times over, stretched the crisp uniform into a powerful, exaggerated silhouette.
Ah. That kind of "big."
Jason tapped her forehead with a finger and gently pushed her aside.
"Alright, you've gotten prettier too. Move aside, didn't you say the director is looking for me?"
"Ugh…"
Anko was effortlessly pushed aside with a single finger. After a beat, her eyebrows shot up in frustration. She stuck out her tongue at his departing back.
"Idiot! I was being so obvious… No wonder you don't have a girlfriend!"
"I heard that."
"…"
"The director wants to see me?"
"Yes. Take a look at this file."
The police chief nodded and slid a document across the desk.
Jason picked it up and scanned it quickly.
"A special police training program in A-City? You want me to participate?"
"I want you to be an instructor. I've recommended you."
"…No problem."
Leaving the office, Jason still felt slightly dazed.
Normally, shouldn't this kind of thing be him attending the training, shocking everyone, and carrying Z-City's police force to glory?
How did it turn into him becoming the instructor instead?
But instructor or trainee, it made no difference. Either role was easy for him.
The next day.
Cities in this world were connected by railways.
Jason boarded the train from Z-City to A-City and arrived at A-City Police Headquarters by noon.
"Hello, how may I help you?"
In front of him stood a sharp-looking young female officer with a high ponytail, wearing a white shirt and blue uniform pants.
Sharp eyes, oval face, neat shoulder-length hair. Her presence was competent and striking.
As their eyes met, the A-City officer instinctively straightened her posture, subtly showing off.
Jason, who had to look slightly downward to meet her gaze, casually pulled out a letter from Police Chief Kuma.
"Jason, officer from Z-City. Reporting as instructed."
"Oh, you're from the special training program…"
"To be precise, I'm the instructor."
"Ah… the instructor! Please follow me."
"Much appreciated."
After completing registration and formalities, Jason boarded a bus heading to the outskirts of A-City.
After an hour, he arrived at a secret training facility under the jurisdiction of the police headquarters.
Woooo
The moment he put down his luggage, a piercing alarm sounded.
All trainees rushed toward the training ground following instructions.
Then came an inhumane, hellish drill session.
On the podium, the chief instructor shouted himself hoarse.
"Run! Keep running, you useless scraps!"
"If you can't endure this level of training, what makes you think you can protect civilians?"
"Anyone who falls behind is eliminated! Weaklings don't deserve this uniform! Go hide at home and let so-called 'heroes' protect you instead!"
Jason, now wearing a training uniform and instructor armband, stood silently:
"…That 'hero' is me."
He coughed lightly.
The conflict between police and heroes really is intense.
By the end of the first day, many promising trainees had already emerged.
Jason judged their performance by Hero Association standards. Most of them were around C-Class to B-Class level.
For ordinary humans, they were already outstanding.
As a "normal instructor," Jason mostly observed while the chief instructor ranted endlessly. Recording results felt easier than his usual patrol work.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
As it turned out, people really are forged under pressure.
Even the weakest trainees had improved significantly through brutal training.
Jason's daily routine as an instructor, however, remained simple and monotonous.
His class's training load had doubled. Morning, afternoon, and night all included additional sessions.
At first, some strong trainees tried to argue with their instructor.
But after Jason suppressed them with a smile, not only did they all behave, even trainees from other classes began trembling when they saw him.
What kind of monster instructor is this?!
Training until 4 a.m., then immediately transitioning into morning drills… even animals would break down under this kind of schedule.