"Who set that score!? I'll burn him and his office!" Genos's shout echoed, palms glowing hell-red.
Staff edged back, terrified the brand-new S-Class would level HQ.
"Hey, steady," Saitama said, hand on Genos's hot shoulder, stopping the blow-up. "A-Class is fine. The pay's good."
A steady income—and freedom from fretting over discount days—was a huge win for him.
At his teacher's contented look, Genos's fury doused by half.
He didn't understand Sensei—but he respected him.
He retracted his weapons and swept the pale-faced executives with a cold glance that promised consequences.
As the tension eased, Lin Mo stepped forward.
"Genos," he said evenly, "rank is just a number. A hero's value is defined by what he protects. Your teacher's strength doesn't need titles."
Quiet words—but convincing.
Genos blinked, looked between King and his "that's right" Sensei, then bowed. "Understood, Mr. King."
He got it. Mr. King and Sensei stood on the same plane.
They weren't chasing this. He was the one getting hung up.
What could've been a blow-up dissolved under King's light touch. The brass exhaled as one, eyes for King now even more reverent.
"Wait."
As Saitama and Genos turned to go celebrate, Lin Mo stopped them—and addressed the nearest examiner. "Call Sitch. I have something to tell him."
He turned back to the others. "Wait in the lobby. I'll be quick."
"Yes, Mr. King," Genos said, respectful.
"'Kay," said Saitama, already weighing beef vs. pork for hotpot.
"Mr. King, you asked for me?" Sitch arrived a bit winded, sweat on his brow.
"I came today to escort those two," Lin Mo said, "and to tell you something."
"Please," Sitch said, posture attentive.
"Soon, a meteor will descend on City Z."
Lin Mo's voice was unnervingly calm—like stating a fact.
"It's large enough to wipe Z-City off the map in an instant. The shockwave could destroy several neighboring cities."
"W—what!?" Sitch felt thunder crack his skull.
A meteor? Enough to erase cities? That belongs in movies. "How… how do you know?"
Lin Mo turned, deep eyes holding Sitch's, and laid a hand on his chest.
Thump… thump… thump…
The familiar, nerve-shredding rumble rolled again.
"My King Engine… has been active lately," Lin Mo said, palming it off on his favorite scapegoat.
"I can feel it. The world is entering a period of frequent disasters."
"Monsters of all levels will appear at unprecedented rates. And the true threats aren't limited to them."
He stepped to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the matchbox city.
"In the not-too-distant future," he said, eyes seeming to gaze past the atmosphere, "a tyrant from deep space will arrive on a whim of prophecy."
"His fleet can erase a city in a breath. And his strength… can match mine."
Sitch reeled.
An interstellar tyrant? A fleet? And… someone who could fight King?
That wasn't "Dragon." That was beyond.
His hands shook; cold sweat soaked his shirt.
The value of this intel defied measure. A prophecy from the Strongest—humanity's one chance to prepare.
"I… I understand!"
"The Association will immediately form a top-level task force and draft defensive plans based on your prophecy," Sitch said, solemn.
Lin Mo nodded. Goal: met.
He turned to leave. At the door, his eyes fell on a tin of throat lozenges on Sitch's desk.
He stopped.
Sitch tensed at the odd pause, dread rising again. He followed King's gaze to the tin he kept on hand for sore-throat days.
"Mr. King… is there a problem with that?" Sitch asked, baffled.
Poisoned candy?
"Mr. Sitch—remind Madam Shibabawa to ease up on the lozenges."
"…Eh?" Sitch blinked.
Shibabawa was the Association's famed seer—elderly and ill these days, fond of throat candies.
But what did that have to do with cosmic crisis?
Seeing Sitch's confusion, Lin Mo made it simple.
"If she ignores it, she will choke to death on a throat lozenge—soon."
He left without another word.
Sitch stood alone in the room, petrified.
—
Outside HQ, Lin Mo glanced at Saitama—glowing over his new paycheck and planning hotpot.
He let out a breath.
"I hope my 'prophecies' save a few lives," he thought, looking up at the sky.
Once, he'd only watched this world.
Now he had power. Now he wore "King."
Standing outside was no longer an option.
-------
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