Dressed as King? Facing vaccine addicts right from the start!

Page 111

As I laughed, tears involuntarily streamed down my face.

"To protect...?"

"hero……"

"So... that's how it is..."

Chapter 148 KING: I Only Use Two Fingers

The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the sky a magnificent orange-red.

Saitama and Lin Mo walked side by side on the silent ruins, their feet crunching on the pebbles.

Saitama stood with his hands in his pockets, his back slightly hunched, his conspicuous yellow combat suit almost blinding in the setting sun.

He kicked a small pebble, watching it trace a weak parabola in the air before finally falling with a "thud" into a pile of rubble further away.

"It was all over with just one punch."

He muttered to himself, his voice devoid of any joy of victory, but instead filled with childish complaints.

"That guy named Baoshan looks so big, I thought he would let me stretch my muscles a bit."

Lin Mo walked beside him, her steps steady, her gaze calmly fixed ahead, seemingly already accustomed to Saitama's "Versailles"-like anxieties.

He didn't respond immediately, but listened quietly.

“And that guy called Water Dragon just now,” Saitama continued to complain, his tone becoming increasingly listless.

"He asked me how to become stronger, and I told him the truth. What was that look on his face? It was like I was lying to him."

"I told him I was going bald, that shows how sincere I am."

He stopped and turned to look at Lin Mo. His eyes, which usually seemed somewhat dull, now revealed a hint of confusion.

"KING, am I... too strong?"

If this question were asked by someone else, it would only sound arrogant and conceited, but when Saitama said it, it carried a heartbreaking sincerity.

"Fighting has completely lost its fun. My heart hasn't raced with tension and excitement in a long time."

"No matter what kind of enemy it is, whether it's a dragon-level or a prophecy of a god-level disaster, it's all just a matter of throwing a punch at me. Tell me, what's the point?"

He took off his gloves, spread out his palm, and stared blankly at the simple lines on it.

"I became a hero because of my interest."

"It's because when I was a kid, I saw heroes on TV and thought it was cool how they fought monsters. That feeling of fighting with all their might and surviving against all odds made me feel excited."

"But now? I've become the kind of character I least wanted to be—the kind of invincible character who makes the battle a foregone conclusion the moment he appears."

The setting sun cast a long shadow of loneliness, and the cloak that represented absolute power hung limply behind him, giving him a somewhat desolate appearance.

Lin Mo finally stopped and turned around to face Saitama.

Instead of simply agreeing as usual, he looked intently into Saitama's eyes.

“Saitama,” he began slowly, his voice as steady as ever, yet carrying a comforting power.

"Do you still remember why you became a hero?"

"Huh? Didn't I already say it's because of interest?" Saitama scratched the top of his smooth head.

"Interest is just a starting point," Lin Mo shook his head.

"In other words, Saitama-kun, for whom do you think heroes exist?"

Saitama was taken aback, clearly not expecting him to ask such a philosophical question.

"For whom? For yourself, right? Because of interest, because you think it's cool, that's why you become a hero, isn't it?"

"This is just the beginning."

Lin Mo shook his head, turned around, and stood side by side with Saitama, his gaze fixed on the distant urban area where lights stubbornly shone on the edge of the ruins.

"Perhaps you've been looking in the wrong direction all along."

"You're looking in the wrong direction?"

"Hmm." Lin Mo's voice carried a strange guiding quality.

"You're always looking at your opponents, anticipating how strong they are, how much challenge they can pose, and how exhilarating a battle they can provide."

Saitama didn't speak, but he knew that King was right.

“But have you ever thought,” Lin Mo continued, “that for a disaster, the real protagonist is never the hero or the freak.”

He stretched out a finger and pointed to the scattered lights in the distance.

"It's them."

"Those office workers working overtime in office buildings, those couples struggling to make ends meet in small restaurants, those children waiting at home for their parents to come home..."

"It is every ordinary person who longs to get through today and then welcome tomorrow."

Lin Mo withdrew his finger, turned to look at Saitama, and his eyes became more serious than ever before.

"The meaning of a hero is not to punch for one's own heartbeat, but to punch so that millions of hearts can beat steadily."

"This is what a hero is, embodying the word 'protection'."

As soon as he finished speaking, the world seemed to grow even quieter, with only the sound of the wind whistling past remaining.

Saitama listened quietly, the confusion on his face gradually fading, replaced by a deep contemplation.

After a long while, he slowly raised his head.

The last rays of the setting sun fell into his eyes, giving him some insights.

He blinked, his blank expression softening considerably, and then nodded in agreement, saying, "You're right, King."

"So... it's actually a good thing that I'm bored because I'm too strong?" he concluded.

"It's a tremendous blessing for those you've saved," Lin Mo nodded affirmatively.

Saitama nodded thoughtfully. Although the emptiness in his heart had not disappeared, it was no longer so unbearable.

His tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

"Thanks, King. I feel much better after hearing what you said," he said sincerely, his tone much lighter.

"We are friends," Lin Mo replied calmly.

“However…” Saitama changed the subject, sighed, and the longing deep inside him still surfaced.

"I still want to have a good, exhilarating battle. It's been a long time since I've felt that kind of adrenaline-pumping feeling."

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo revealed a barely perceptible smile, and calmly suggested:

"Want to come to my place and play games?"

"Never mind, never mind," Saitama immediately waved his hand, looking disgusted.

“I get beaten to a pulp by you every time, so there’s no fun in that at all.”

Lin Mo smiled slightly, a sly glint in his eyes, and said:

"How about this, I'll let you win. Today, I'll only use two fingers to fight you, okay?"

"what?!"

Saitama suddenly turned around, as if he had been injected with full energy, all the desolation and confusion he had felt before vanished.

Those eyes lit up instantly, flashing with an indomitable light.

"You said it, no take-backs! I'll beat you to a pulp this time!"

He was full of fighting spirit and eager to win.

Chapter 149 Hungry Wolf: A Good Opportunity!

Saitama's previous emptiness and desolation were instantly washed away by Lin Mo's suggestion to "play games with just two fingers".

His dead fish eyes were now shining brightly, gleaming with a fierce flame called "unyielding".

"Hmph, King, you underestimate me!"

As Saitama walked, he began to rehearse his tactics, waving his fists and gesturing in the air.

"I've been secretly practicing a new combo lately! You'll catch me off guard if you only use two fingers!"

Lin Mo walked beside him, a faint smile on her face.

Seeing his friend's high spirits, he felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

"I won't go back on my word," Lin Mo replied calmly, his tone carrying a hint of confident ease.

"However, it seems we've run out of potato chips, so we'll have to take a detour to the convenience store first."

"No problem! Let's get this over with quickly! We'll start right after we buy the chips!"

Saitama's steps were much lighter, and he seemed to be in a greater hurry than anyone else.

The two walked one after the other, their lighthearted conversation sounding particularly abrupt in the deathly silence of the ruins.

Neither of them noticed that a pair of eyes were staring intently at them not far behind.

Pain that is everywhere.

In the shadow of a half-collapsed building a few dozen meters away, the hungry wolf leaned against the wall, panting heavily.

His body was covered in wounds; the battle with Watchdog Man had left him battered and bruised.

"Damn it... that guy is as strong as a monster." Hungry Wolf muttered, clutching his wound.

But his eyes were brighter than ever before, sparkling with excitement.

"Cough...cough..." The hungry wolf coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood, but wiped them away with the back of his hand without caring.

Pain only makes him stronger; every battle on the verge of death is a stepping stone for him to reach "absolute evil."

His goal is to hunt heroes, especially those high-ranking S-class heroes.

Just then, the two voices clearly reached his ears.