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Z-City, a dilapidated residential area.
Only old buildings and outdated facilities could be seen here, all indicating that this was a forgotten corner of the city.
"Waaahhh… Spare my life…" A skinny Dou Ya Cai (Bean Sprouts) said, his face filled with terror. "Please don't kill me…"
[Skinny Bean Sprout]
[Disaster Level: "Wolf"]
This was the initial rating given by the Hero Association, a level that could only pose a threat and could be easily dealt with by any professional hero.
"Angry Man, you should be able to defeat this guy on your own," Smiling Man said, turning to his younger brother. "But its level is 'Wolf', so don't be careless~"
Clearly, as an A-Class Hero, he didn't take a mere "Wolf"-level monster seriously.
He nodded vigorously, his eyes burning with fighting spirit: "Thank you, Big Brother. This time, let me handle it alone. To catch up with you brothers as soon as possible, I must seize every opportunity to train myself!"
Angry Man took a deep breath and retrieved a huge battle top from his back. This was his weapon, and his renowned method of attack.
"Go! Top Charge!!!" Angry Man assumed a stance and forcefully spun the top away.
"Ahhhh—" Skinny Bean Sprout looked even more terrified. "Don't come closer!"
Seeing this, Angry Man's lips even curled up slightly, as if he had already seen the light of victory.
It was only "Wolf" level; he didn't expect any surprises.
However, just as the high-speed spinning top was about to touch its body, a sudden change occurred! A violently suffocating chill burst forth from the Dou Ya Cai (Bean Sprouts)!
The moment the chill touched the top, the menacing top suddenly paused in mid-air, its forward momentum abruptly halted, completely frozen into a block of ice, suspended in the air.
"Wh—" The fighting intent on Angry Man's face had not yet faded before it was replaced by extreme astonishment. He had no time to react at all, as the bone-chilling cold current rushed towards him. In an instant, he became an ice sculpture.
"Ah… I'm so sorry, I have cold extremities syndrome." Dou Ya Cai (Bean Sprouts) hid behind the ice sculpture of Angry Man, its face still terrified but its eyes full of playfulness.
"Please forgive me—for taking your lives…" After saying this, a strong cold air condensed in its hand.
"What?!" Smiling Man and Crying Man immediately entered battle mode. "What just happened?!"
Their eyes were filled with fear and vigilance.
The next second, Dou Ya Cai (Bean Sprouts)'s attack had already arrived. Crying Man didn't have time to dodge and followed in Angry Man's footsteps, becoming a "human popsicle" standing on the street.
"This is no laughing matter…" Smiling Man, being an A-Class Hero after all, managed to dodge several attacks, but his hammer weapon was accidentally frozen.
"Rampage Around the World!" Without the slightest hesitation, Smiling Man immediately unleashed his ultimate move, activating the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique, wildly swinging the giant hammer in his hand, smashing all the ice into smithereens.
"Hoo… hoo…" After a fierce assault, Smiling Man stopped, panting heavily.
The high-intensity burst had greatly depleted his stamina, and his body was in a brief state of post-attack rigidity.
And just as he let out a sigh of relief, an even stronger freezing power struck, and being in the post-attack state, he was instantly frozen.
How could this be!!! Smiling Man was completely engulfed in shock.
I have also seen S-Class Heroes fight "Ghost"-level monsters. This monster… is quite… no… it's even stronger than a "Ghost"-level monster—
Dragon-level!
[Skinny Bean Sprout]
[Estimated Disaster Level: "Dragon"]
...In the depths of a freezer in an inconspicuous corner of a certain vegetable market, no one knew how long a Dou Ya Cai (Bean Sprouts) had existed there.
It was so tiny that customers coming and going never noticed it, after all, no one would specifically buy such a small Dou Ya Cai (Bean Sprouts) that wasn't even enough to get stuck in one's teeth.
Originally, it should have remained quietly there, until it rotted into mud.
But then one day, perhaps it absorbed some unknown energy scattered in the freezer, or perhaps it was a pure coincidence, it developed consciousness.
It left the cold prison that had confined it for so long and saw the outside world for the first time.
In the beginning, it was not strong, in fact, it could be said to be weak.
Its slender body and frail limbs meant that even if it were thrown into a pile of monsters, it would definitely be the most inconspicuous one. Any low-level monster could seemingly crush it easily.
But it didn't feel discouraged; instead, it felt fortunate.
Especially after it gradually learned, through various channels, that there was a behemoth called the "Hero Association" in this world.
It was even more grateful to heaven for giving it a frail body, yet bestowing upon it a freezing ability with infinite potential, a stark contrast to its physical weakness.
"Playing the pig to eat the tiger."
This was the survival rule it had learned, most suitable for it, through countless life-and-death probings.
Thus, Skinny Bean Sprout hid in the shadows, and gradually, its abilities silently escalated from the initial "Wolf" level to the terrifying "Dragon" level.
And today, it seemed everything was as usual, and it, playing the pig to eat the tiger, was still the ultimate winner.
But—
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Drum-like sounds suddenly echoed through the narrow street.
The comfortable expression on Dou Ya Cai (Bean Sprouts)'s face instantly froze, and it suddenly turned its head to look—
At the end of the street, a man stood quietly.
He was dressed in ordinary casual clothes, his golden hair still conspicuous in the dim light, and the three iconic scars on his face added a touch of ferocity.
His entire body exuded a terrifying aura, and a thunderous sound emanated from his chest as he looked at it with the eyes of someone staring at a dead object… Time rewound to half an hour earlier.
Lin Mo was on his way to Anime City, and with his enhanced hearing, he heard intense fighting nearby on the street.
After an intense internal struggle, he still decided to join the commotion and see what was happening.
Are you kidding? Do you think Dragon-level monsters are like common cabbages, where you can just punch and destroy all evil spirits? Lin Mo wants to fight ten!
But when he arrived at the scene, he immediately regretted it—
Skinny Bean Sprout!
He actually happened to know this thing, and it just so happened to be Dragon-level!
In the One-Punch Man side story, this thing was an old schemer, a master at playing the pig to eat the tiger, only fighting when it had the upper hand.
At this excitement, Lin Mo's heartbeat uncontrollably quickened, and KING's "Emperor Engine" resonated throughout the entire street.
Dou Ya Cai (Bean Sprouts), hearing the commotion, naturally looked over and met "KING's" gaze.
At this moment, only one thought was in both their minds—
"Buh-oh! My life is over!"