Chapter 159: A Bald Man's Troubles
A-City, Hero Association Headquarters, Command Center.
Coulson reported to Sitch with a grave expression, "Director, we've finished verifying the situation regarding King using a meteor to smash a Monster. According to Chain Toad and Gunman, who were present at the time, King did indeed summon a meteor to crush the Monster while they were locked in a fierce battle. However, King has never once admitted that he can summon meteors. He flatly denies having any psychic powers and even clarified that the meteor was just an ordinary seabed boulder, which a dark shadow he was tracking from the bottom of the sea had thrown up to attack him."
"King has always preferred to keep a low profile. I remember before he joined the Hero Association, he killed numerous powerful and terrifying Monsters. If it were any other hero, they would have made sure the whole world knew about it. But not King. He quietly killed the Monster and just as quietly left. If we didn't have eyewitnesses, or if we weren't able to arrive at the scene in time to find King, I'm afraid he would have never revealed his great achievements and would have continued living the life of an unsung hero. I must say, King is truly a model for all heroes, an example for everyone to learn from. This is a hero who has transcended vulgar tastes, a hero who selflessly serves the people, a hero worthy of the people's expectations—King." Sitch's face was filled with emotion. "Right, didn't King send us the video footage he recorded of the dark shadow at the bottom of the sea? Maria, plug in the video drive and transfer the feed to our main screen. Everyone, keep your eyes peeled and see if the dark shadow used a boulder to attack King."
"Yes, sir."
Maria's pretty face was stern. Her long, slender fingers tapped away at the computer keyboard. A moment later, the large screen in the command center lit up. Turbulent waves crashed one after another. Amidst the torrential surge, a dark shadow was faintly visible. One could vaguely see the shadow moving forward. Suddenly, the shadow stopped and turned to look in the direction of the camera—King's direction. A wave towered over the sky, and then… the camera began to shake violently, obscuring whatever happened next.
Sitch: "..."
Coulson: "..."
King: "..." *I just dodged because things looked bad, how is it my fault?*
"Ahem." Sitch cleared his throat twice and said with a straight face, "The facts prove that King, as always, wishes to remain low-key. He summoned the meteor himself but insists on blaming it on the Monster. Besides, would a Monster spare humans and instead help them kill another Monster? King's own argument simply doesn't hold up to scrutiny."
His words settled the matter—King had summoned a meteor to kill a Monster!
This fact was to be written into King's file and would appear in the next issue of the "Hero Registry" published by the Hero Association.
Coulson hesitated for a moment before asking softly, "Director, isn't this a bit of a stretch?" As the manager of hero data, he always handled hero-related incidents with caution.
"No. Actually, we should have been mentally prepared for King's psychic abilities long ago. From the moment King demonstrated the ability to fly, we should have understood that besides possessing the immense power to kill any Monster in one punch, he is also a terrifying psychic. Only psychics who have reached an extremely high level can fly! Of all the psychics we know... only Tatsumaki can fly freely. At the same time, only Tatsumaki can summon meteors. From this, we can deduce that only a psychic powerful enough to fly can call down a meteor." Sitch said solemnly, "The number one hero of B-Class, Hellish Blizzard, is also a powerful psychic, strong enough to rank among the top A-Class heroes. But even someone as strong as her cannot fly, let alone summon a meteor. Therefore, the deduction that King can summon meteors is valid."
Coulson pondered this for a moment and slowly nodded his head. The Director's reasoning was quite sound; he was left speechless.
And so, despite King's strong objections, the matter of him being able to summon meteors was written into the next issue of the "Hero Registry"!
At this, he was greatly annoyed. *If Tatsumaki finds out, is she going to kill me?*
...
While King was vexed, Saitama was also facing a headache of his own. Well, more of a bald-head predicament.
B-City, Shopping Center.
"Why do people have to work? Why can't we eat if we don't have money? If there's food, shouldn't everyone just share it equally? While the rich feast, the poor freeze to death on the streets! Is there any justice left in this world? Is there any freedom? Everyone is chasing after money, everyone is shackled by labor! We have become slaves to money! Is anyone happy working? No! It's impossible! Everything needs to be reformed, and I, Hammerhead, will lead you all to reform this unjust world! The creed of our Paradisers is: Never work!!"
Hammerhead, with his massive frame, was dressed in a black, imposing battle suit. A burning flame was emblazoned on his belly. His shiny bald head gleamed under the sun, and a ferocious scar ran across the bridge of his nose. At this moment, he was passionately proclaiming his team's political agenda, hoping to attract more like-minded people to join.
However...
A cool breeze blew past, the crowd milled about. A crow flew by, the crowd milled about. The cicadas chirped, the crowd milled about. From start to finish, no one paid any attention to the Paradisers. They were just talking to themselves.
"Boss, no one's listening to you!"
"Damn it! Ignorant citizens! Let's go, everyone! We'll go destroy the golden turd building of F-City's richest man, Zeniru, and show everyone our resolve to change the world!"
"Let's go!"
...
Z-City Ghost Town, Saitama's home.
"Aaaah! Don't play rock-paper-scissors with fingers covered in boogers! You got it on me!!"
Saitama was jolted awake from his dream. He blinked and looked around his room—which served as a living room, bedroom, and study all in one—and realized it was just a nightmare. Ugh, a disgusting one.
"Phew. Let's see today's latest disaster news. There have been surprisingly few Monsters lately, so I haven't gone out to do any hero activities."
He grabbed the remote and turned on the Disaster channel on the TV.
"Recently, a group of thugs calling themselves the Paradisers has been causing riots in F-City. They destroyed a skyscraper with their bare hands and are extremely dangerous. Their leader is the B-Class wanted criminal, Hammerhead. He has previously caused multiple violent incidents. What's noteworthy is their most obvious feature—a bald head. They have all shaved their heads to symbolize a fresh start for the world. They appear extremely dangerous. If any citizens see someone with a bald head, please get away as quickly as possible!"
*Clink.*
The remote in Saitama's hand clattered to the floor. His face was full of shock. He immediately and quickly put on his hero suit.
"Damn it! I finally became a hero, and I was hoping my bald head would become my unique trademark once I got famous! I can't believe someone copied my hairstyle and is using it to do bad things! Now I might get mistaken for a bad guy when I go out! This is unforgivable!"
Saitama quickly finished dressing. With a flick of his cape and a clap of his fists, his rage meter filled up. "Copying my hairstyle to do bad things... I'll destroy you!!"
...
B-City.
Superalloy Darkshine was working out, grunting with exertion. Hearing the news broadcast on the large TV in the gym, he looked annoyed. "This is why I'm not going to the beach party in F-City!"
He touched his own bald head and muttered to himself, "If I go out like this, people who don't know me will mistake me for a bad guy! If a dignified S-Class hero like me gets arrested as a villain, it'll be so embarrassing!"
"Mr. King! Old man Bang! Little brother Child Emperor! Brother Puri-Puri Prisoner! Please destroy them for me!"
(end of chapter)