— — — — — —
Two hours later...
Genos and Dr. Kuseno finally arrived.
"You must be Dr. Kuseno! It's a real honor!"
Renzo and Saitama personally came out to greet them at the front gate. Renzo shook Dr. Kuseno's hand enthusiastically, clearly excited to talk shop with him.
But before they could even step inside, a tremor shook the ground beneath them—and almost immediately, the estate's alarm system blared to life.
Red Queen's hologram flickered into view right in front of them. "Master, something—or someone—is trying to break through the underground perimeter. The underground defense system has been activated."
As she spoke, she waved her hand and projected a live feed onto a translucent screen hovering in the air. The footage showed bizarre creatures—mutant animals of some kind—ramming into an energy shield underground.
There was a giant frog, a mole, a dung beetle... all of them slamming themselves against the barrier, causing the rumbling they'd just felt.
"Those are... monsters?" Genos frowned, immediately stepping forward. "Renzo-sensei, allow me to handle this."
But before he could take action, Dr. Kuseno's eyes narrowed. "Wait... look closely. They've got serial numbers. These things are genetically engineered—test subjects, no doubt."
"Engineered?" Genos blinked in surprise. Why would someone send artificial monsters to attack his teacher's estate? Had Renzo made some new enemies?
"No need to make a mess out of it," Renzo said casually. "You'd wreck the whole place if you went all-out down there. I got this."
He stepped forward, raised his foot—and lightly stomped the ground.
"Earth Shockwave."
In the next moment, the footage on the screen showed the monsters being pulverized by an unseen force. Not even a scream. One second they were attacking—then bam, reduced to mush on the spot.
Genos: "..."
Dr. Kuseno: "..."
Saitama scratched his bald head, staring in awe. "Whoa... Earth magic now? You seriously have an attack called Earth Shockwave? Is there anything you can't do?"
Honestly, he was a little jealous.
The guy had everything.
"Oh right!" Saitama suddenly smacked his forehead. "You did promise to teach me how to fly, didn't you? Or were you hoping I'd forget that?"
"Of course I didn't forget," Renzo shot back with a sigh. "You're the one who kept putting it off! Addicted to video games and impossible to drag away!"
At this rate, Saitama is going full NEET mode.
"Ahaha… that might be true," Saitama replied with an awkward laugh. "Anyway, they are here."
Suddenly—
Over a dozen more mutated creatures—each a different animal-hybrid freak—charged in from multiple directions and surrounded Renzo.
The leader, a hulking black gorilla, pounded its chest and sneered, "So you are pretty strong. Took out the mole squad without breaking a sweat, huh? But let's see how you handle us!"
Without warning, he lunged forward, swinging a fist at Renzo's head. From the side, a bipedal lion rushed in to flank him.
At the same time, the rest of the freaks—green mantis, pangolin, and more—charged straight toward Genos and the others inside the estate gate.
"Tch! More of them? You've gotta be kidding me—DIE!" Genos growled, activating his high-speed mode and shooting forward like a missile.
WHAM!
His fist smashed into the face of a mantis monster, sending it flying across the estate. It crashed straight into the second floor of a nearby building, blasting a massive hole through the wall.
And that was just the beginning.
In a blur of motion, Genos punched the next few attackers one after another—sending one through the roof, another into the ground, and reducing everything around him into a cratered mess.
He was like a one-man demolition crew.
Dr. Kuseno winced with every impact, watching his surroundings crumble under Genos's rage.
Saitama, meanwhile, stood frozen in place, mouth hanging open as he stared at the building Genos had just punched a hole through.
That was… his house.
"YOU IDIOT!!!"
Saitama finally snapped out of his stupor, forehead veins popping as he stormed over and grabbed Genos by the collar.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! LOOK!" he yelled, jabbing a finger at his poor, half-destroyed house. "DO YOU SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO MY PLACE?!"
"That's my house, damn it!"
Sure, he'd been staying at Renzo's place lately and hadn't planned on moving back anytime soon—but that was still his house! His appliances, clothes, and all his stuff were still in there!
And now it was basically rubble, all thanks to Genos.
Genos looked genuinely confused. "Huh? What's wrong?"
Saitama's face twisted. "What's wrong?! That's my house you just wrecked! What do you think is wrong?!"
Genos scratched his head awkwardly. "I mean… I thought this was an abandoned neighborhood. Didn't know anyone actually lived there. But if you've suffered losses, I'll pay for the damage."
"Oh?" Saitama's anger cooled a bit. He narrowed his eyes. "You sure you've got the cash for that?"
"Of course," Genos nodded confidently. "I don't have a fortune, but I can cover a few million yen. Why don't you calculate the damage?"
"No need for that much. Just give me five hundred thousand yen and we're good."
Saitama let go of Genos' collar and even patted it down with a friendly smile. "As long as you've got money, we're cool!"
Renzo watched the whole exchange and couldn't help but chuckle. "You've really become a money-grubber. I mean, I'm letting you live here for free. What do you need all that cash for?"
Saitama rolled his eyes. "That's not the point. This is your place, not mine. I still want my own home, my own independence, y'know?"
Despite his usual laziness, the guy still had a bit of pride left in him.
"Whatever floats your boat," Renzo shrugged, then turned his gaze to the Armored Gorilla and Beast King still pinned underfoot. "Now then… why don't you tell me who sent you to stir up trouble here? What's your goal? And where's your base?"
"Uh…" The two monsters tried to move but realized it felt like a mountain was pressing down on them. They were completely immobilized. So, they could only smile nervously.
"If we talk, will you let us go?" the gorilla asked cautiously.
"Hm…" Renzo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe. Depends on who gives the better answer. I don't have all day, so you'd better start talking."
"Y-Yes, of course!"
"I'll go first!"
"Back off, you damn monkey! You trying to die?!"
"Oh please, bring it on!"
Renzo sighed when the two idiots started arguing again, looking ready to throw hands. He gave a light grunt, and that alone shut them both up immediately.
The gorilla broke the silence first. "It was Dr. Genus! He sent us to capture you because you killed Mosquito Girl… one of his precious test subjects."
"He's the one who created us too! He runs this organization called the House of Evolution. As for where the base is—we can take you there! Just please spare us!"
"Yeah! We'll cooperate! Please don't kill us!"
Renzo chuckled. "Not bad. At least you know how to beg properly."
He lifted his foot off the two monsters and gave them each a kick. "What are you waiting for? Lead the way! Move too slow, and I'll change my mind."
"Y-Yes sir! Right this way!"
The gorilla and Beast King scrambled to their feet and started trotting ahead to guide the group.
"I'm heading out for a bit," Renzo said. "Anyone interested can tag along. Dr. Kuseno, maybe sit this one out. I doubt you'll keep up with us. Head inside and rest—Red Queen will take care of you."
With that, Renzo leapt into the air and flew after the monsters.
"Wait for me!" Saitama called out as he launched himself after them. No way was he missing out on something this interesting.
Besides, that guy who sent the monsters? He was responsible for the damage to Saitama's house. If there was any chance of getting compensation, Saitama was definitely showing up.
"Doctor, I'm going too. Please wait here safely," Genos said respectfully before dashing after his teacher.
.
.
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