Inside the strategic conference room, the air was so thick it felt like it could be wrung out like water.
Ten full hours had passed since the scheduled meeting time.
Outside the window, the sky over City A had shifted from the bright noon to the brilliant dusk, and now to the pitch-black depth of late night.
The long wait was wearing down the already limited patience of every S-Class Heroes present.
"Thump!"
Metal Bat slammed his alloy bat hard onto the floor.
The expensive marble tiles cracked upon impact, with fractures spreading like a spiderweb.
Veins bulged on his forehead:
"Hey! What the hell is going on?!"
"Ten hours! I've been waiting for ten hours!!"
"My sister's performance ended ages ago!"
"And here I am, sitting around like an idiot!"
Metal Bat whipped his head around, his bloodshot eyes glaring fiercely at the staff member huddled in the corner of the conference room, wishing they could embed themselves into the wall:
"Where's Sitch? Where the hell did that big-nosed bastard go?!"
"He tricked me into coming here from S-City, saying the Earth was done for, that even King was mobilized!"
"Where is King? Where is he?!"
"Ha! Don't tell me you bunch of losers just made up an excuse to lure us here?!"
His roar was like lighting the fuse of a powder keg.
"Indeed."
Child Emperor licked the lollipop stick that was about to melt away, his small face filled with annoyance.
On the small holographic projection in front of him, the recording of the "Advanced Spacetime Geometry" course he had missed was playing on a loop.
He pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold light:
"According to my calculations, from Mr. King's residence to the Association headquarters."
"Even using the slowest mode of transportation, plus the time to deal with ten Dragon Level disasters along the way, it should not exceed one hour."
"Ten times that amount of time has already passed."
"The Association's guarantee is unconvincing."
He lifted his small wrist, where a cartoon watch let out a "beep-beep" alarm sound:
"Additionally, my clock tells me I have already missed the three most important snacks and two 'happy children's sleep' times for my growth phase."
"This has caused irreversible potential damage to my brain development and height growth."
"The Association must be held responsible for this and compensate me for emotional distress, tuition fees, nutritional costs, and potential 'future height shrinkage' compensation."
Zombieman slumped into the soft sofa, his deadpan eyes staring at the ceiling, speaking slowly with a voice dry from staying up all night:
"Ah... anyway, I have an immortal body, so it doesn't matter how long I wait."
"However, if it turns out to be just a false alarm from the Association..."
He slowly sat up straight, pulled a gleaming scalpel from his trench coat's inner pocket, and wiped it carelessly with his fingertips:
"I wouldn't mind helping the Association's top brass 'examine' their brains to see if something is 'clogged' somewhere."
His tone was flat, but the implication made those staff members shudder in unison.
"Tsk."
Flashy Flash leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, a layer of Frost covering his handsome face.
Golden light swirled around him, and the air near him distorted slightly:
"A waste of time. Ten hours is enough for me to complete three rounds of slashing training in the 'Endless Forest' and refine my 'Flashy Slash'."
"The Association's efficiency, or rather, speed of operation, is atrociously low."
He tilted his head slightly, looking toward the door with eyes as sharp as knives:
"If I don't see King within three minutes, I will make the Association understand the importance of'speed' in my own way."
"Hehehe..."
Drive Knight's synthesized mechanical voice carried an eerie sense of electronic friction.
"According to existing data analysis, there are thirty-seven weak points in the structure of the Association building."
He paused and added:
"Of course, this is not a threat, just a 'friendly reminder' between colleagues."
Superalloy Darkshine was originally facing the reflective glass of the conference room, admiring the perfect lines of his muscles with intoxication.
Hearing this, he turned his head with some difficulty, flashing those bright white teeth, trying to smooth things over:
"Um... everyone, let's calm down. Maybe Mr. King was delayed by something important? For example... saving the world?"
He tried hard to make his words sound convincing, but with his gleaming muscles and simple-minded expression, the effect was minimal.
"Huh?!"
Metal Bat's anger instantly shifted targets:
"Saving the world? Aren't we gathered here right now to save the world?!"
"And you end up making us S-Class Heroes sit here and wait?!"
"I'm done with this!"
He swung his bat violently, pointing it at the heavy alloy door of the conference room, roaring:
"Sitch! I'll give you three seconds! Get out here!"
"1!"
The staff members' faces turned as pale as paper, trembling.
"2!"
Child Emperor put away the holographic projection, his small hand reaching toward the turtle backpack on his back.
Zombieman spun his scalpel in a fancy flourish.
Flashy Flash's fingers rested on the hilt of his sword at his waist.
Drive Knight's mechanical body emitted a low humming sound of charging.
"3—"
"Wait, wait!"
"Everyone, heroes! Please calm down! Calm down!"
Just as Metal Bat's bat was about to strike—
A small side door next to the conference room door was slammed open.
Sitch scrambled in, tumbling and crawling.
His once impeccable suit was now wrinkled, his tie was crooked, his slicked-back hair was a mess, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.
"He's, he's here! Mr. King is here!"
"He just arrived at the headquarters! He's coming up!"
"Really! This time it's for real! I swear on my career!"
"And, and... Mr. King didn't come alone! He also brought three... very special ladies!"
"Ladies?"
Metal Bat's bat stopped in mid-air, his brows knitting into a knot.
The gazes of the other S-Class Heroes also focused on him in unison.
Sitch nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, forcing a smile that looked worse than crying:
"Yes, yes! A silver-haired Damselette as beautiful as a goddess descended to the mortal world, a cold-tempered, sword-carrying blonde Damselette, and a... uh, flying, white little sprite?"
He tried hard to describe them, attempting to appease the public anger:
"Mr. King seems to value them highly, so arranging the reception took a little time..."
"Heh."
Flashy Flash let out a cold snort of disdain:
"So, making us all wait for ten hours is because King had to entertain his 'friends'?"
"What a grand display! The strongest man on earth!!"
Child Emperor pushed up his glasses, a thoughtful expression appearing on his small face:
"Silver-haired Damselette? Blonde traveler? Flying white sprite?"
"There is no matching information for known heroes or public figures in the database."
"Is it Mr. King's private connection?"
A glimmer of curiosity, belonging to a genius child, flashed in his eyes.
Zombieman yawned and slumped back onto the sofa:
"Whoever it is, to be able to make that King delay for ten hours..."
"I hope they are worth this 'honor'."
Drive Knight's sensor aimed toward the door, silently beginning to collect and analyze the energy readings of the "strongest man on earth" who was about to appear.
Superalloy Darkshine scratched his shiny scalp and laughed honestly:
"Mr. King's friends?"
"Then they must also be very powerful and amazing people! I'm looking forward to it!"
Metal Bat gave a heavy "tsk," reluctantly lowering his bat, but the irritation on his face remained thick and unmelting:
"Fine! I'll wait another two minutes! After two minutes, if I still don't see anyone..."
He glared at Sitch sinisterly, and the latter immediately buried his head lower.
Just then—
"Click."
All sounds, all movements, suddenly stopped at this moment.
The air in the conference room seemed to be completely evacuated, and even time seemed to freeze.
Sitch scrambled to the side, his face full of relief at having survived a disaster.
Metal Bat gripped his bat tight, Child Emperor put down his lollipop stick, Zombieman opened his half-closed eyes, Flashy Flash stood straight, Drive Knight's sensor adjusted to the maximum, Superalloy Darkshine puffed out his chest...
Under the focus of everyone's gazes, the door was slowly pushed open.
What came into view was a...
Bald head?
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