"Sure, a few days of fun won't be a problem."
In a world full of heroes and monsters, Han Yu had long wanted to visit, but never found the opportunity. Now, with Saitama inviting him to hang out, it was the perfect chance to see if those monsters, who were always instantly defeated by Saitama, were really that weak.
As he reached the entrance of a grocery store, Han Yu's mind shifted slightly before pushing the door. The scene outside instantly changed. When he opened the door again, it was no longer New York. Everywhere he looked were Asian faces—this was Z City, where Saitama lived.
"So this is Saitama's world? Doesn't look much different." Han Yu looked around curiously. Buildings were buildings, trees were trees; everything appeared perfectly normal.
"This is the uninhabited zone. There are more monsters here, so you might get interrupted from time to time."
Saitama said this in a very ordinary tone, as if the monsters weren't destructive threats but rather nosy neighbors dropping by.
The group walked up the stairs, chatting and laughing. At the door, Han Yu noticed a face both unfamiliar and familiar.
Unfamiliar because this was Han Yu's first time meeting him in person. Familiar because in his previous life, he had seen this person countless times in the anime—just everyday scenes, nothing strange.
The man's appearance looked fierce. He had a long, narrow face and three scars running from his forehead to the corner of his mouth over his left eye, adding a lot of intimidation. When his eyes narrowed, it felt as though a jack was pressing down on your head, making it hard to breathe.
This was the S-Class hero ranked seventh on the Hero Association roster: King.
The man was extremely interesting. Many times, King happened to be present when Saitama defeated monsters, which accidentally made the otherwise ordinary King an S-Class hero. His strength depended entirely on how capable the enemy was.
People had even invented the so-called "King Engine," claiming it emitted a sound only when he entered combat mode. In reality, it was just his astonishingly loud heartbeat.
"Saitama, why are you just back? I've been waiting forever! There are so many monsters nearby—just now I passed by several and didn't even dare to breathe… Saitama, who's this?"
King blurted out a long string of words, only noticing Han Yu smiling behind Saitama halfway through. He quickly shut his mouth—he had no idea Han Yu already knew that his S-Class hero status was a sham.
"Oh, right, let me introduce. This is Han Yu, a friend I just met. Trustworthy, skilled in combat, and pretty good at cooking too," Saitama introduced them. "This is King, my friend. We often play games together, and his gaming skills are amazing."
Han Yu smiled and shook King's hand. From the grip, he could tell that King truly had no combat experience. Facing such enemies, Han Yu thought it was a miracle King had survived this long.
"Let's play games together," Han Yu said with a smile.
His friendly demeanor lowered King's guard. He was just an ordinary person, the only unusual thing being his terrifying heartbeat. All his physical stats were normal, and his hobbies were like any other otaku—action games and dating sims were his favorites.
The group planned to enter the house, play some games, and maybe have hotpot later. But Han Yu hadn't even crossed the threshold when a massive explosion rang out nearby.
"A monster?" Han Yu looked toward the source of the blast.
"Probably. After all, this is the uninhabited zone, so there are quite a few monsters," Saitama said. "But someone will go deal with it soon. Let's just go play games."
Han Yu shook his head. "I want to check it out."
Saitama thought for a moment and nodded. "Sure, go ahead and see."
At the Hero Association, the alarm blared in the control room. Countless agents in black suits paced back and forth. Some were on the phone with reports, while others tapped furiously at keyboards on the control panels.
"What's going on with this sudden monster in Z City? What's its disaster level?" a high-ranking official asked.
One worker at the control panel replied, "At least Dragon-level!"
"At least."
A terrifying word. If it referred to a hero, phrases like "at least capable of handling…level monsters" were comforting.
But now they heard that the monster's disaster level was at least Dragon, and Dragon-level monsters could cause destruction across multiple towns. This was the minimum—just imagining it was terrifying.
"Damn, Dragon-level? It's been a while since we had one of this magnitude." The official gritted his teeth. Every Dragon-level monster was formidable. Even heroes could be seriously injured. He continued, "Have any heroes arrived?"
"Yes. Multiple S-Class heroes have been notified and are en route. They'll arrive shortly."
"Good. Evacuate civilians faster—deploy more personnel!"
"Yes, sir!"
In the distance, countless buildings were crumbling at an alarming rate under the monster's attack.
A colossal being, dozens of meters tall, destroyed multiple buildings with a single step.
"Hahaha! Humans, tremble and submit to the Bat King! Taste what it's like to be bitten by bats!"
Laughing, the self-proclaimed Bat King raised his right hand. Several of his fingers transformed into numerous bats with glowing red eyes, flying in all directions. Screams filled the air as terrified civilians ran in panic.
The missing fingers visibly regrew, moving at incredible speed.
Anyone paying close attention would notice that Bat King's body was composed of millions of bats, their countless scarlet eyes making one's scalp tingle.
People screamed and ran. Some tripped, and a swarm of bats descended on them, turning several nearly two-meter-tall men into dried corpses instantly.
The scene was horrifying, and people's pace quickened.
"Flash Fist!"
A sharp voice rang out nearby, followed by a dazzling light that instantly dispersed the bloodsucking bats. A long-haired man ran over from a distance, stopping beside the dried corpses, shaking his head slightly.
"Still late, huh."
"Fraise, stay alert. There's more trouble here," someone said.
After the long-haired man arrived, another hero appeared: a man in a red bodysuit with yellow briefs over it, carrying a massive kendama on his shoulder.
The sight of the two heroes eased the scattered civilians, who cheered in delight.
"It's 'Flash Fraise' and 'Smile Man'! An S-Class hero arrived immediately—we're saved!"