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"Who rated this?! I'll go burn them and their office down right now!"
Genos's questioning voice echoed through the hall, his Incineration Cannon already preheating in his palm, emitting a dangerous crimson glow.
The surrounding Hero Association staff retreated in fear, worried that this newly promoted S-Class Hero would lose his temper on the spot and tear down the headquarters.
"Hey, hey, calm down, Genos."
Saitama placed a hand on Genos's hot shoulder, stopping his disciple's rampage.
"A-Class is pretty good. The salary is high."
For Saitama, having a stable income and no longer worrying about supermarket sale days was already a huge blessing.
Watching his teacher's contented expression, the anger in Genos's chest instantly subsided by more than half.
He couldn't understand his teacher's thoughts, but he had to respect his teacher's decisions.
So Genos put away his weapon, merely scanning the pale-faced executives with a cold glance, the warning in his eyes unmistakable.
Just as the tense atmosphere began to ease slightly, Lin Mo stepped forward.
"Genos," Lin Mo's voice was calm and steady.
"Rank is just a number. A hero's value is determined by what he protects. Your teacher's strength doesn't need such false fame to prove it."
His words were not loud, but they contained a convincing power.
Genos was stunned. He looked at Mr. KING, then at his teacher Saitama, who had an expression of "Exactly, that's right," and nodded thoughtfully, bowing deeply:
"Yes, I understand, Mr. KING."
He understood that Mr. KING and his teacher were strong individuals on the same level.
What they pursued was not this; he had been too caught up in appearances.
A conflict that was about to erupt was thus effortlessly defused by Mr. KING.
The Association executives all breathed a sigh of relief, their awe of Mr. KING growing even stronger.
"Wait a moment!"
Just as Saitama and Genos were about to turn and leave to celebrate their official status as professional heroes, Lin Mo called out to them.
He didn't turn around, but instead spoke to the closest assessment staff member: "Call Sitch over; I have something to tell him."
He turned back to Saitama and Genos and said, "Wait for me in the hall; I'll be back soon."
"Yes, Mr. KING," Genos replied respectfully.
"Oh, okay." Saitama was already contemplating whether to buy beef or pork for hotpot tonight... "Mr. KING, is there something you need me for?" Sitch, who had rushed over, still had fine sweat on his forehead and spoke with a slight gasp.
"Today, besides bringing those two for the hero test, I also have something to tell you."
Lin Mo cut straight to the chase.
"Please instruct me!" Sitch adopted an attentive posture.
"Soon, a meteorite will descend upon Z-City."
Lin Mo's voice was terrifyingly calm, as if stating an established fact.
"Its size is enough to wipe Z-City off the map in an instant, and the shockwave it causes could even destroy several adjacent cities."
"What?!" Sitch's heart suddenly jolted.
A meteorite? Destroying several cities? This kind of scenario, which only existed in disaster movies, was actually going to become a reality? He subconsciously retorted, "How... how do you know about this?"
Lin Mo slowly turned, his deep gaze fixed on Sitch, his right hand unconsciously pressing against his chest.
Thump... thump... thump... That familiar, heart-pounding roar sounded again.
"My 'Emperor Engine'... has been sounding a bit frequently lately." Lin Mo attributed everything to this excuse.
"I can feel that the Earth is entering a period of frequent disasters."
"Monsters of all levels will appear with unprecedented frequency, and the true threats are far from limited to this."
He stood up and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the city below, which resembled matchboxes.
"In the not-so-distant future," Lin Mo's gaze seemed to penetrate the atmosphere, looking towards the deep universe.
"A overlord from the depths of the universe will descend upon Earth because of a trivial prophecy."
"His fleet is enough to reduce a city to ashes in an instant, and his power is enough to fight me."
"Boom!"
A thunderclap seemed to explode in Sitch's mind.
An overlord of the universe? An interstellar fleet? And... strength enough to fight Mr. KING?!
This could no longer be described by disaster level "Dragon"!
His hands began to tremble slightly, and cold sweat soaked the shirt on his back.
The value of this information was immeasurable. This was a prophecy from The Strongest Man on Earth, the only chance for human civilization to prepare in advance!
"I... I understand!"
"The Association will immediately establish the highest-level response team to formulate a series of defense plans based on your prophecy!" Sitch said solemnly.
"Mm." Lin Mo nodded, feeling that his objective had been achieved.
He turned to leave, but as he reached the door, the corner of his eye inadvertently caught sight of a tin of throat lozenges on Sitch's desk.
His footsteps suddenly stopped.
Sitch was baffled by his sudden action, and the stone that had just settled in his heart was now suspended again.
He followed Mr. KING's gaze and also saw the box of throat lozenges he kept handy because of too many recent meetings and a sore throat.
"Mr. KING, is there... anything wrong with this?" Sitch asked, puzzled.
Could there be poison in this box of candy?
"Mr. Sitch, remember to remind Old Woman Shibabawa to eat fewer throat lozenges."
"Eh?" Sitch was completely stunned.
Old Woman Shibabawa was the great prophet supported by the Hero Association, with a respected status. But recently, due to her advanced age, her health had not been good, and she especially liked to eat various throat lozenges.
But... what did this have to do with the cosmic crisis Mr. KING foresaw?
Seeing Sitch's confused expression, Lin Mo decided to make his words clearer. He said in a calm tone:
"If she doesn't listen to advice, she will choke to death on throat lozenges soon."
With that, he no longer paid attention to Sitch, who was petrified in place, and pushed open the door, leaving directly.
In the meeting room, only Sitch remained, standing rooted to the spot, dumbfounded.
------
Lin Mo, who had already walked out of the Hero Association headquarters, looked at Saitama beside him, who was overjoyed at receiving his salary and planning the hotpot menu for tonight, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
"I hope these 'prophecies' of mine can save some lives."
He looked up at the sky, thinking silently.
He used to be just an observer of this world.
But now, he had power, he had the identity of "Mr. KING," and he found that he could no longer remain aloof.