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An unprecedented and profound sense of security, along with a slight unfamiliarity with his own 'monster body,' simultaneously rose in Lin Mo's heart.
This was no longer the fake Emperor Engine, nor was it borrowed fame; this was truly his own power!
He urgently needed a place, a sufficiently secluded place, to adapt to this newfound power.
His gaze unconsciously turned towards the window.
City M had been reduced to ruins by Vaccine Man's rampage, a blessing in disguise perhaps—it was the perfect training ground.
Having made up his mind, Lin Mo rummaged through his wardrobe for the most inconspicuous gray tracksuit, put on a hooded jacket that covered most of his face and a mask, and stealthily slipped out of his apartment like a suspect preparing for a crime.
What he feared most now was being recognized on the way, which would trigger a new round of gawking.
— — — — — —
Deep in the ruins.
What was once the city's commercial center was now nothing but rubble.
The air was filled with a strange mixture of concrete dust and metallic rust, and all around was dead silence, save for the ghost-like wails of the wind blowing through the broken steel bars.
Lin Mo found a sharp-edged concrete block the size of a small car.
He stood three meters away from it, took a deep breath, recalling the feeling of punching in his living room earlier.
This time, he decided to use all his strength.
He lowered his waist, rotated his hips, and thrust his shoulder, his movements fluid and full of power.
His entire body's muscles tightened like steel cables, transmitting power from his feet to his waist, then erupting from his waist to his arms, finally converging at the tip of his fist!
"Boom—!!!!"
A deafening roar, like a bolt from the clear sky, exploded violently!
The massive concrete block, weighing several tons, developed clearly visible cracks the moment it made contact with his fist.
Seeing this, Lin Mo did not stop his assault but punched even faster.
Finally, after an unknown number of punches, the concrete block shattered with a "boom," sending debris flying everywhere.
Several head-sized pieces of rock slammed hard into Lin Mo's body, but they couldn't even make him budge, only emitting a few dull thuds before bouncing off powerlessly.
Lin Mo slowly retracted his fist, looking at the destruction he had single-handedly caused before him. Although his fists were numb and trembling uncontrollably, he could not hide the excitement in his heart.
Strong! Too strong!
For the next few hours, he completely let loose, like a child who had just received a long-desired toy, venting his boundless energy in this vast ruin.
He then tested his maximum speed.
Sprinting at full speed in an open area, his figure was so fast it almost became a gray lightning bolt, and the fierce winds he generated even swept up the gravel on the ground.
He leaped between broken overpasses and ran along the sides of toppled buildings, performing superhuman feats he had only dared to imagine in games before.
From initially being unable to precisely control his strength, he gradually learned to control it freely, perfectly mastering every muscle in his body.
This power, for the first time in this perilous world, gave him the confidence to truly control his own destiny.
Just as he was immersed in the supreme pleasure brought by his power, even beginning to wonder if he could challenge a monster, an unfamiliar encrypted call suddenly rang in his pocket.
This was the internal line of the Hero Association.
He hesitated for a moment, cleared his throat, and answered the call.
On the other end of the line, Sitch's distinctive voice immediately came through.
"Mr. KING, I apologize for disturbing your rest at this time. There is a small 'request,' I wonder if it would be convenient for you... Of course, if you are busy, we will absolutely not insist!"
"Speak." Lin Mo immediately switched back to his concise and cool mode, his voice deep and hoarse, as if the person who had been jumping around in the ruins just now wasn't him.
"It's like this," Sitch spoke quickly but articulated clearly, with a business-like rigor.
"In the neighboring City Y, within its largest public suburban park, a group of ferocious wild dogs with unknown mutations has appeared. Their size and strength far exceed ordinary beasts, and the preliminary assessment puts the overall disaster level at 'Tiger-level.' "
"They are highly aggressive and territorial, having already driven out all citizens and completely occupied the park. The Association successively dispatched two elite teams composed of A-Class and B-Class Heroes to suppress them, but... both were repelled by their extremely cunning tactics and numerical superiority."
Sitch paused, then continued: "The park's renovation project has been completed, and it was originally scheduled to reopen to citizens tomorrow. The public has been looking forward to this for a long time. Now that this situation has arisen, there is a lot of public pressure..."
"Considering that the group of mutated wild dogs is extremely troublesome, and the park's terrain is complex and unsuitable for the use of large-scale destructive weapons, we would like to... we would like to humbly request if you could make a trip to drive away those wild dogs..."
...On the other end of the phone, Sitch sat upright, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead.
This call was far more than a simple request for help.
In fact, this was a test of KING that the Association's high-level officials decided to carry out after intense discussion.
KING's feat of instantly killing the Dragon-level disaster Vaccine Man was too astonishing, but the entire process was shrouded in mist.
There was no clear video footage, and all intelligence came from the vague and exaggerated descriptions of survivors at the scene, as well as the awe-inspiring "Emperor Engine."
Just how strong was he? What were the limits of his abilities?
These were all data that the Association urgently needed to grasp.
It just so happened that a somewhat tricky crisis had appeared in the park at this time, which was undoubtedly a perfect touchstone.
It was tricky enough, having already defeated A-Class Heroes, enough to expose a pretender;
But its level was relatively controllable; even if KING failed, the Association had a backup plan, ready to dispatch other S-Class Heroes to clear the area at any time.
Having an S-Class Hero ranked sixth deal with a Tiger-level disaster seemed like overkill, but it was actually a cautious probe by the Association.
Tiger-level? Mutated wild dog pack?
Lin Mo's heart instantly blossomed with joy.
This was like someone bringing a pillow when he was sleepy!
He was worried about not finding suitable living creatures to test his upgraded Dragon-level Intimidation skill, and these wild dogs, delivered right to his doorstep, weren't they the best test subjects?
"Address." Lin Mo uttered two words, as if begrudgingly.
"Excellent! Thank you so much for your help, Mr. KING!" Sitch's voice was filled with the joy of relief.
"A special car is already on its way! We will immediately clear the road for you to City Y!"
I hope those wild dogs don't disappoint me... Lin Mo narrowed his eyes, then quickly ran back home, tidied up his messy room a bit, and waited for the special car to arrive.