Chapter 38: Silver Fang
Unfortunately for Dr. Genus, less than two minutes into rummaging through the ruins, the thunderous roar of the King Engine exploded in his ears.
Dr. Genus looked up and saw that majestic, domineering face. The serious expression exerted immense pressure, and coupled with the three scars over his left eye, the fear he instilled was no less than that of a hideous monster.
In the end, it was Dr. Genus who broke the deadlock. He forced a smile and extended his hand:
"What a coincidence. You must be the legendary Strongest Man on Earth, King. I've heard so much about you."
The corner of King's mouth curled up. He reached out and shook the hand firmly, smiling.
"I've heard your name a few times too. The mastermind behind the House of Evolution, the man who successfully developed genetic technology to rejuvenate his youth, the creator of Carnage Kabuto and numerous modified monsters... Dr. Genus. Am I right?"
The smile on Dr. Genus's face froze instantly. Beads of cold sweat rolled down his forehead.
Crap... what is this...
Hearing his entire resume listed out, Dr. Genus felt numb. How does he know everything about me?
Realizing that King clearly possessed all intel on him, Genus's plan to pretend to be a mere hiking enthusiast shattered instantly.
He tried to pull his hand back, but he found that King's grip was like an iron clamp. Once locked, it was impossible to escape.
After struggling for a few seconds, Dr. Genus gave up.
"I admit defeat. Do whatever you want. Kill me if you wish, it doesn't matter. But please, I beg you, don't destroy everything in the House of Evolution. Take my research data."
Dr. Genus adjusted his glasses, sneering internally.
So what if you kill this body? I'll just switch to another one, live under a new identity, and never cross paths with you again!
King nodded. He slowly raised his palm, his eyes sharp as a blade.
"In that case, I will grant your wish and bestow death upon you.
"Oh, by the way. Not just this body. I will also destroy the three other clone bodies you have hidden in other districts. I'll make sure your soul is completely liberated."
Saying that, King prepared to strike.
"WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT!! I was joking! Don't kill me!"
Hearing King casually reveal his entire resurrection plan, Dr. Genus was speechless.
He only dared to ask for death because he had backup bodies. But if King was going to wipe out all his bodies at once, then begging for death was just suicide!
King snorted coldly. He didn't speak further, just stared at Dr. Genus with those majestic eyes. Surging Qi and blood, hot as an ocean, began to radiate from his body.
The heartbeat in his chest thumped continuously, a dull, thunderous sound tearing through the night sky. The sonic waves of the King Engine even caused ripples in the surrounding air.
Feeling the aura of the man in front of him growing stronger and the killing intent becoming palpable, Dr. Genus was drenched in sweat.
Am I going to die here...?
Just as he closed his eyes to accept his fate, the pressure on his body vanished instantly.
Eh?
Dr. Genus opened his eyes in confusion, only to see King walking past him, patting him on the shoulder as he went.
"Look how scared you are. I have no need to kill you. Just go be a good citizen and sell takoyaki. Maybe I'll come by as a customer someday."
Watching King walk away, Dr. Genus didn't even realize his glasses were crooked. His expression was complicated.
Is this the demeanor of the Strongest Man on Earth? The magnanimity of the strong?
No wonder he didn't kill me. In his eyes, I'm probably just a pathetic clown.
Summoning an unknown amount of courage, Dr. Genus raised his head, his eyes gradually becoming firm.
"Wait, please!"
King stopped and turned around, puzzled.
He really hadn't expected this Dr. Genus, who had been scared out of his wits by his pressure, to have the guts to call him back.
Facing King's gaze, Dr. Genus's body trembled uncontrollably.
But for him, the answer to some questions was far more important than his physical life!
"Did you kill Carnage Kabuto? Before he died, did he activate [Carnage Mode]? The one where his whole body changes color?"
Hearing this, King shrugged and casually criticized:
"Honestly, your genetic modification project is a failure. The 'strongest monster' you created was just trash. Even that so-called [Carnage Mode] was achieved by sacrificing his brain.
"If I were you... having researched genetics for so many years without producing anything useful, and seeing my ultimate creation easily overthrown by the 'Old Humans' I despised... I would have run off to sell takoyaki long ago."
Having delivered this barrage of dissatisfaction regarding the genetic engineering project, King turned and left.
Leaving Dr. Genus sitting dazed in the dust of the House of Evolution's ruins, letting the gray dirt soil his pristine white lab coat.
Sure enough... even others think so. I really should just go sell takoyaki.
Hero Association Headquarters.
An elderly man with a head full of silver hair and a straight posture, wearing a long-sleeved black shirt, sat in the reception area, sipping tea slowly.
A moment later, having finished his tasks, Sitch walked over with a smile.
"What brings you here today, Silver Fang? It's rare for you to visit the Headquarters personally."
S-Class Rank 3: Silver Fang (Bang).
Bang raised an eyebrow, his aged voice revealing the aura of a grandmaster.
"This old man hasn't been here for a while. I just came to see... There's a new S-Class hero recently. Did that guy, Sweet Mask, actually agree to it?"
The "Sweet Mask" Bang referred to was currently A-Class Rank 1.
It wasn't that Sweet Mask couldn't advance to S-Class; he voluntarily stayed at A-Class Rank 1 to act as a gatekeeper, filtering out anyone unworthy from reaching the S-Class.
Because of this, the number of S-Class heroes hadn't increased for a long time. But this time, the precedent was clearly broken.
Sitch rubbed his large nose. "Mr. Sweet Mask disagreed at first. But when he heard that Mr. King personally recommended him, he changed his tune immediately."
"Oh?" Bang's eyes widened slightly in surprise, his white mustache twitching.
"Personally recommended by King? This 'Caped Baldy' must be quite an outstanding young talent then."
Though that codename is really too ugly...
Mentioning King, a look of seriousness flashed in Bang's eyes.
The reason he stayed at S-Class Rank 3 wasn't just because he didn't care about ranking up. It was also because he genuinely couldn't beat Tatsumaki.
As a martial arts grandmaster, Bang was naturally specialized against humanoid opponents. His Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist had reached the pinnacle of perfection.
Against humanoid opponents, as long as the size difference wasn't too extreme, Bang could fight anyone.
But Tornado of Terror (Rank 2) was the only S-Class hero Bang admitted he couldn't defeat.
Her terrifyingly powerful psychokinesis was a tier above everyone else in the S-Class.
Previously, Bang had heard rumors of King's god-like achievements but had always maintained a degree of skepticism.
After all, no one had ever truly witnessed those feats; they were all hearsay.
But a few days ago, the people at the Hero Association saw it with their own eyes: King fought Tatsumaki and brought her back unconscious, while he himself remained almost unharmed.
After that, the sliver of doubt in Bang's heart regarding King's strength vanished completely.
He had to admit, the title "Strongest Man on Earth" was well-deserved.
To defeat the Tornado of Terror almost unscathed... aside from King, perhaps only Blast (S-Class Rank 1) had a chance of doing that.
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