'Bzzz...'
It was the stirring of pure energy.
At that moment, an astonishing amount of power gathered in the center of the young man's mechanical palm, rapidly converting into heat. Even Fang Li could sense the rising temperature. It was obvious the youth wasn't joking; he truly intended to fight if necessary. And once he made a move, he would undoubtedly unleash terrifying power.
This wasn't just Fang Li's impression, it was Sylvia's as well.
Only Fubuki stared at him, demanding, "Who are you?"
Her question earned nothing more than a brief glance. His eyes, resembling electronic sensors, carried an icy chill.
Before he could answer, however, Fang Li suddenly spoke. "You're Genos, aren't you?"
It wasn't a question, but a statement. The certainty in Fang Li's voice caused the energy gathering in Genos's palm to pause for a moment.
Genos turned his gaze toward Fang Li and frowned. "You know me?"
"Of course," Fang Li replied with a faint smile. "You've been someone the Hero Association has been keeping a close eye on."
He wasn't making that up. The Hero Association had indeed been monitoring Genos for quite some time. The reason was simple, they regarded him as an exceptionally promising rookie and hoped to recruit him as a professional hero. Because of this, Genos's information had always been treated as high priority by the executives.
Originally, Genos had been nothing more than an ordinary person. However, when he was fifteen years old, his hometown was destroyed by a rampaging robot, leaving him as the sole survivor. Driven by a desire for revenge, Genos accepted the help of a doctor and underwent extensive cybernetic modifications, transforming into a cyborg.
Over the following years, although he never joined the Hero Association, he continued carrying out hero-like activities, eliminating numerous Mysterious Beings and eventually attracting the Association's attention.
The Association held Genos in extremely high regard, believing that if he joined, he would undoubtedly become the next S-Class Hero. Only Fang Li and Sylvia's sudden appearance had prevented that prediction from coming true.
Even so, no one could deny Genos's strength. He truly possessed the qualifications to become an S-Class Hero. Both his talent and his combat ability were no less impressive than those of Sweet Mask.
"I see... the Hero Association." Genos seemed to understand something. He lowered his raised hand, though his voice remained as cold as ever. "I detected powerful life-signs approaching from a distance. I thought you were enemies. It seems you came to persuade me again."
Apparently, the Hero Association had invited Genos to join before, only to be rejected. This time was no different.
"You should leave," Genos said without the slightest hesitation. "I've already told you that I'm not interested in becoming a professional hero. Even if I don't join the Hero Association, I'll continue eliminating Mysterious Beings. There's no need to waste your time."
With that, Genos prepared to close the door.
Then Fang Li spoke once more. "I think you've misunderstood. We didn't come here to recruit you." Looking directly at Genos, Fang Li smiled. "We came to meet the teacher you mentioned."
"...Teacher?" Genos stopped in his tracks.
"Please let me meet the master of this house," Fang Li said with a smile. "It's not that I have any urgent business, but I've admired your teacher's strength for a very long time."
Those words caused the normally expressionless Genos to fall silent. He turned his head and looked at Fang Li. Fang Li met his gaze without flinching, smiling calmly.
Silence spread through the surroundings. Meanwhile, Sylvia and Fubuki simply stood behind Fang Li, leaving everything to him.
After a long pause, Genos finally lowered his guard. "I understand," he said. "Since you've come here for the same reason I did, to admire Teacher's strength, there's no reason to turn you away. Please wait here."
Leaving those words behind, Genos walked into the house.
Soon, their conversation could be heard from inside.
"Teacher, please wake up. There are guests outside."
"Mmm..."
"Teacher, three people are here. They said they admire your strength and came to visit you. I imagine they're just like me, they want to become your disciples. Please give it some thought. And while you're at it, it's about time you agreed to accept me as your disciple."
"Mmm..."
"Teacher, please stop sleeping."
"Mmm..."
"Teacher..."
"Shut up! Stop bothering me while I'm sleeping! And hurry up and send them away! Didn't I already tell you I'm not taking you as my disciple?!"
"...If I am not mistaken, one of the three visitors outside appears to be the world-famous diva, Sylvia Lyyneheym."
"...Really?"
The conversation abruptly stopped.
A short while later, the door opened once again. As soon as it did, Sylvia and Fubuki immediately grew alert and looked toward the doorway. Fang Li, on the other hand, remained as calm as ever.
The person who stepped out left both Sylvia and Fubuki stunned.
It was because... he looked completely ordinary.
He was an average-looking man with an unremarkable build and a completely bald head. He looked like a random passerby or a typical office worker, without the slightest hint of anything extraordinary.
"Th-This..." Even Fubuki was speechless.
Sylvia was equally surprised. Before coming here, Fang Li had repeatedly told her that the person they were about to meet possessed extraordinary strength. That had led Sylvia to imagine all kinds of possibilities about what such a person would look like. But never, in her wildest imagination, had she expected someone so utterly plain.
Not only did he lack the aura of a supreme expert, he actually looked completely harmless. His presence was so faint that, if he were walking through a crowd without that eye-catching bald head, countless people would probably overlook him entirely.
Could this really be the unparalleled super expert Fang Li had been talking about? For the first time, Sylvia couldn't help feeling doubtful.
"Oh..." On the other hand, the bald man looked slightly surprised the moment he saw Sylvia. A faint expression finally appeared on his otherwise blank face. "So it really is the famous diva. Could I ask you for your autograph?"
He said it naturally, without the excitement or fanatical admiration that ordinary people usually showed when meeting Sylvia. For a moment, even Sylvia didn't know how to respond.
Only Fang Li continued staring at the man from the very beginning.
"Hm?" The man noticed Fang Li's gaze and looked back at him.
Their eyes met. Within both pairs of eyes... there was the exact same expression.
'Calmness.'
(End Of This Chapter)
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