Sharp head spikes and razor-sharp bone blades bristled, all aimed at Qingshui's vital points.
Beneath the Black Samurai Puppet Armor, Qingshui's eyes glowed blue as he activated his Reverse Growth state. Empowered by his mental aura and the armor, he unleashed a punch towards Mosquito Girl.
He wouldn't hold back just because this Monster had a pretty face and a sexy figure.
No matter how beautiful a mosquito was, it was still an annoying mosquito, not to mention this female mosquito had killed many people.
The nearby streets were devoid of any living souls.
With a single punch, Mosquito Girl's lower body vanished, while her upper body, like a cannonball, slammed into the ground below.
The building collapsed, and the mosquitoes that had survived the thunder and wind blades rapidly converged on Mosquito Girl's body, offering the blood they had absorbed to help her recover.
"Oh? A single punch only severely injured her? And she can still recover? Insects sure have tenacious life force!"
Qingshui's tone held a hint of surprise as he watched Mosquito Girl rapidly repairing her body, surrounded by the swarm of mosquitoes.
When he fought Sweet Mask before, his strength had already surpassed the Dragon-level threshold. Now, after significant enhancements, his power had improved in all aspects.
Mosquito Girl's performance was enough to astound him.
However, in the original timeline, Mosquito Girl apparently survived Saitama's punch and later became a waitress and mascot for Geno's takoyaki stand.
That explained it.
In terms of strength, Mosquito Girl was only Demon-level. Even in her current second stage, having absorbed plenty of mosquito blood, at most, she was at the peak of Demon-level, still a distance from Dragon-level.
Before this Avatar had been promoted to S-Class, she might have been a bit troublesome. If it were an S-Class hero at the bottom of the ranks like Puri-Puri Prisoner, they might not even be able to defeat Mosquito Girl.
But now...
"Sage Art: White Rage Technique!"
Blinding white light exploded with the appearance of a Chakra Dragon, and a powerful ultrasonic wave burst forth along with the explosive shockwave.
The remaining swarms of insects controlled by Mosquito Girl instantly stiffened, stopped flapping their wings, and plummeted from the sky.
Even Mosquito Girl, who was taking flight, couldn't help but fall to the ground, clutching her head, enduring the discomfort.
The true Sage Art: White Rage Technique was significantly more powerful than the White Rage Concussion Grenade Qingshui had previously created.
If they were powerful Dragon-level Monsters with terrifying physiques, they might retain a lot of fighting power under such an influence.
But Mosquito Girl was far from that; her strength might only be two or three-tenths of what it was before.
"Mosquitoes deserve to be burned to death."
Qingshui landed in front of the ruins. The chest plate of the Black Samurai Armor opened, revealing the laser cannon port connected to the Arc Reactor Mark II inside.
"No, I..."
A scorching, thick laser beam interrupted Mosquito Girl's words and enveloped her.
This creature had incredibly strong self-regeneration capabilities; she had even survived Saitama's attack.
Even though Saitama wasn't serious at the time, the power of a normal punch was not to be underestimated.
When dealing with such enemies, if you kill, you must kill completely!
Especially if it's a mosquito!
Mosquitoes must be killed completely!
Ground to dust, leaving no possibility of continued survival.
"I hate mosquitoes."
After more than ten seconds, the laser cannon gradually dimmed, leaving behind only a charred lump that was unrecognizable as a human form.
"Oh, sugoi, the mosquitoes were all electrocuted. What brand of electric mosquito swatter is this?"
A bald man holding insect repellent appeared beside Qingshui at some unknown point, his eyes, holding a hint of foolishness, looked at the mosquito corpses covering the ground.
"You're... Saitama? What are you doing here?"
Qingshui suddenly turned his head, instinctively taking a step back.
He had just completely failed to notice when Saitama had appeared beside him.
Either his Transparent World and other sensory abilities weren't working, or Saitama had crossed ten kilometers in an instant, appearing beside him before he could even react.
Either way, it spoke volumes about Saitama's strength.
"Huh? Do you know me? I was chasing mosquitoes just now, and then I saw a lot of mosquitoes here that were suddenly electrocuted to death, so I wanted to see who used such a powerful electric mosquito swatter."
Saitama grinned, a foolish smile on his face, as he gestured with his hand.
"By the way, how do you know me? Don't tell me you're a fan?"
"I just happened to see you deal with a Monster."
"Oh! So you are a fan! I didn't expect that after being a hero for three years, I'd actually gain some popularity."
If that counted as a fan, then...
Well, even so, Saitama would only have one fan.
If he admitted it.
"Oh, by the way, where's that super-sized mosquito swatter you used just now that could electrocute multiple mosquitoes at once?" Saitama asked, scratching his bald head.
"That's my ability, and... you call that a mosquito swatter? Besides electrocuting mosquitoes, how does it resemble a mosquito swatter in any other way?"
"But isn't the function of a mosquito swatter to electrocute mosquitoes?"
"You make a good point, I can't even argue... No, but it should at least be a swatter!" Qingshui couldn't help but retort.
"Then it's a mosquito electrocuting person."
"That's a lame name. I have my own hero name, Black Lightning. It's quite popular."
"Oh, so you're a fellow hero! I remember now, I think I saw you on TV. I thought you were some kind of variety show celebrity. By the way, can you teach me how to swat mosquitoes?"
"You shouldn't have to worry about that. All the mosquitoes in Z-City and City D probably died here. If not, just use mosquito coils."
"But using mosquito coils means closing the windows, and closing the windows in summer makes it stuffy, so I'd have to turn on the air conditioning, and the electricity bill for the air conditioning is really expensive, it wouldn't be enough. Besides, I need to save money for the supermarket sales, otherwise I won't even have enough to eat."
I almost forgot, this guy has been doing a hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups, a hundred squats, and a ten-kilometer run every day for three years, all without air conditioning.
It seems that not using air conditioning is a significant test of willpower for Saitama, as if it plays an important role in breaking his Limiter.
Of course, a bigger reason was that Saitama couldn't afford the high electricity bill for air conditioning.
The energy technology in this world is extremely advanced, and electricity bills are relatively low. Daily electricity consumption for residents is completely free below a certain quota. If one is a little frugal, it's barely enough.
This was even true in the uninhabited areas of Z-City where Saitama lived.
However, if high-power appliances like air conditioning were added, it could amount to several thousand, or even tens of thousands, of yen a month.
For Saitama, that would be enough to buy at least two weeks' worth of groceries at the supermarket sales.
Before becoming a professional hero in the Hero Association, Saitama was actually an unemployed vagrant with no income, living off the savings he accumulated when he was a corporate drone.
With his savings dwindling, Saitama was naturally very frugal with his money. Sometimes, when he defeated a Monster that looked like a seaweed crab, he would even bring the seaweed and crab meat back with him.
Even with such measures, his money was barely enough.
At the same time, the Monsters he encountered while running ten kilometers, rushing to supermarket sales, or engaging in hero activities out of personal interest, also became part of Saitama's training—real combat is the best training.
Perhaps this was the key to Saitama repeatedly breaking his Limiter.
During this process, the energy-rich and nutritious ingredients taken from those Monsters also supported Saitama's training to break his Limiter for three years.
"Oh, right, supermarket sales!" Saitama suddenly slapped his head and pulled a crumpled supermarket sale flyer from the back pocket of his old-fashioned yellow hero suit.
"Today's Saturday! It's supermarket sale day!"
"No rush, Saitama-kun. It's nine in the morning now, and there's still an hour until the supermarket sale you have opens. You'll make it in plenty of time with your speed. If you think that's not enough, I can give you a supermarket savings guide, covering twenty-six supermarkets and convenience stores in Z-City and City D, with sales not just on Saturdays, but also Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This can basically ensure you can buy cheap groceries most of the time."
Qingshui said to Saitama, looking at the supermarket sale guide for the week, planned by the Artificial Intelligence, displayed on the eye screen of his Black Samurai Armor.
Saitama's deadpan eyes lit up at that moment.
"Really? Senior? I didn't expect us to be kindred spirits! Can I have a copy of that guide you have?"
"No problem. Also, I can recommend you join the Hero Association. You get paid as a professional hero there."
"Hero? Professional? Why do those two words feel like they shouldn't be related?" Saitama scratched his shiny bald head again.
He always felt that being a hero was a personal matter, referring to a type of person, not a profession.
As long as one acts out of personal interest and does good deeds, they are a hero. Why should it be tied to a profession?
Qingshui spoke:
"Well, after all, we can't let those who are truly active on the front lines fighting disasters suffer. Doing this can also help them eliminate worries, allowing them to focus more energy on hero activities. It can also attract more capable people to join the hero profession. While this inevitably leads to some unsavory characters getting in, the negative impacts can be limited by regulations and rules.
Overall, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks."
A gentleman judges by deeds, not intentions. As long as the actions genuinely help many people, whether done out of sincerity or for fame and profit, the contributions are real.
The story of Zigong redeeming people still holds much truth.
If everyone saw that the fate of being a hero was like Spider-Man or Saitama – dirt poor – who would still be willing to do good deeds?
While the Hero Association undoubtedly has its dark side, its existence has indeed effectively curbed the frequent Monster disasters, and the positive impact far outweighs the negative.
It's like a food delivery platform; there's no shortage of shady dealings, with various disgusting and exploitative manipulations constantly emerging. But it genuinely saves consumers time, creates many jobs, and promotes economic circulation.
What these types of organizations truly need is strong oversight and effective safeguards, as well as competition from other similar organizations, to prevent them from corrupting and degenerating into tools for some people to gain profit and exploit the lower classes.
"That seems to make sense. So, what exactly is the job content? And how is the salary calculated?" Saitama continued to ask.
He really didn't have much savings left.
If he could continue to engage in hero activities as before and still get paid, he wouldn't refuse; in fact, he'd be quite happy.
Saitama was never a sentimental person; he was quite practical, just a bit of a goofball. In terms of personality, he was more like a Japanese otaku who longed to slack off but whose inner kindness and sense of justice sometimes spurred him into action.
"When you join the Association, you have to take an assessment. Your hero rank is determined by your score. The lowest rank, C-Class, has a weekly mission quota, but once you reach B-Class, there's no more quota. You just need to respond when a Monster appears and you get a notification.
As for salary, I remember when I first joined, I was ranked in the top ten of B-Class. My base salary was 400,000 yen a month, but there were other commissions too. Generally, earning over a million yen a month wasn't a problem. Now I'm the thirteenth S-Class hero. My base salary is 100 million yen, but because I'm quite popular, I get a lot of merchandise royalties, so my actual income is significantly higher."
"Oh, sugoi! So, do you think I could make it to B-Class? If I had 400,000 yen a month, I wouldn't have to rush to the supermarket sales anymore."
400,000 yen a month for B-Class, in terms of purchasing power, is equivalent to an income of 20,000, which is definitely a high-paying job.
If he could have that kind of income, Saitama would be very satisfied.
As for even higher income, while Saitama never underestimated himself, he felt that a guaranteed 400,000 yen a month was already enough, and there was no need to think too much beyond that.
"With your strength, becoming S-Class is absolutely no problem. In fact, you'd at least rank seventh."
Qingshui said with certainty.
Because King's rank in the Hero Association was S-Class, seventh.
"I wasn't really thinking about getting a high rank or level. Being B-Class, not needing to train, and getting a salary would be fine. But if I could get promoted and a raise, that would be good too."
Saitama had an indifferent expression.
"With your strength, if you can get promoted, you should. S-Class heroes get a lot of benefits. There are various sponsorships and endorsements from industries owned by the Association shareholders, they give out luxury cars, luxury watches, and even A5-grade premium beef, so much that my fridge can't fit it all."
"They even give out premium beef? Doesn't a single portion of that cost tens of thousands? I've never had anything that good."
Saitama didn't care about luxury cars or watches, because he could run faster than a car, and he could use his phone or an alarm clock to tell time. But premium beef, that was something Saitama truly cared about.
Because that was a delicious treat he could actually eat.
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