bookbashuk Page 4
Page 4
The world seemed to lose its color at that moment.
What are the sixth-ranked S-class heroes, what are the huge prizes of 30 million yen? Compared to the perfect save file that I'm about to achieve after two days and two nights of hard work and fierce battles, they all seem so pale, empty and meaningless.
He felt as if his soul had been hollowed out, and the grief that welled up in his heart was even more real than when he faced the vaccine recipients.
Just as he was immersed in immense grief, contemplating whether to delete his account and start over, fighting for another three days and three nights, a piercing and urgent phone ring suddenly broke the silence in the room, slightly easing Lin Mo's sorrowful heart.
Lin Mo irritably scratched his slightly greasy hair, which hadn't been washed for days, and reluctantly moved from his gaming chair to answer the phone.
"Hey." His voice was full of annoyance at being disturbed.
"Excuse me, is this the strongest man on Earth, Mr. KING?! Oh my god, I actually beat it!"
A young male voice, extremely excited and almost cracking, came from the other end of the phone, making Lin Mo frown slightly.
"I'm Jimmy, the star reporter for Hero Mania Weekly! What were you thinking when you single-handedly and instantly killed the Dragon-level disaster Vaccine Man?"
"Based on the vague testimonies of eyewitnesses and the most popular analysis posts online, did you use the rumored ultimate finishing move—'Purgatory Unparalleled Explosive Wave Cannon'? Or the more mysterious 'Emperor Dimensional Slash'?!"
"..." A vein bulged on Lin Mo's forehead.
What kind of ridiculous move names are these? They sound even less reliable than the Emperor Engine.
"Beep." He hung up the phone expressionlessly.
However, the call seemed to have stirred up a hornet's nest. The moment the ringing stopped, it started ringing again with even greater frequency.
Lin Mo took a deep breath and answered the call again.
"KING-san! Greetings! I am the chairman of the National Martial Arts Federation! Our entire federation holds you in the highest esteem! We have created a brand new modern martial art based on your heroic feat of defeating Vaccine Man, named 'KING Style: Annihilation Fist'!"
"We sincerely hope that you will serve as the lifetime honorary chairman of this alliance and authorize us to promote this divine skill, so that your martial arts spirit can be carried forward—"
"Beep." Lin Mo hung up again, feeling his blood pressure soaring.
The phone rang for the third time, this time answered by a voice with a hint of obsequiousness.
"Hey... I'm your classmate from elementary school, the one who sat behind you, do you remember me? The one who always lent you his eraser... Um, I recently started a company, and I'm a little short on cash, do you think you could..."
This time, Lin Mo was genuinely amused and exasperated. Ever since he became famous, all sorts of nobodies and crooks have started contacting him, trying to get something out of him.
Lin Mo decisively blocked these people and turned on airplane mode.
The world is finally completely peaceful.
He leaned against the wall, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for breath.
He felt that dealing with these fanatical and irrational fans and all sorts of strange and monstrous people was more mentally taxing than facing a Dragon-level monster.
Only then did he belatedly realize that the title of "strongest on Earth" brought with it energy points as powerful as landslides and tsunamis, but also endless troubles.
"I have to adapt..."
He rubbed his throbbing temples, his arms hanging limply, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over his clenched fists.
At that moment, he froze.
Wait... this feels... something's not right.
He slowly opened his right palm and examined it carefully.
He had seen this hand countless times since he transmigrated, but never before had it given him such a strong sense of unfamiliarity.
The muscles in his palms were full and firm, his knuckles were distinct and full of explosive power, and the blood vessels under his skin were like coiled dragons. With each heartbeat, he could feel a surge of blood rushing through them.
These are definitely not the hands of an ordinary person who spends a lot of time at home playing games!
Because all his attention had been focused on the sad archives and annoying phone calls, he completely ignored the earth-shattering changes that had taken place in his body after absorbing nearly 10,000 energy points.
Strength, Speed, and Constitution – all attributes 50 points!
What exactly does this mean? And how would this be ranked in the Hero Association's rating system?
Lin Mo instantly forgot about what had happened before and could hardly contain his excitement.
He straightened up, walked to the open space in the center of the living room, imitated the movements of a character in a fighting game, took a deep breath, and then slowly assumed a standard straight punch stance.
He didn't use his full strength, not even half of it; he simply relied on instinct, engaging the muscles in his arms and abdomen, and threw a punch at the wall in front of him.
"call--!!!"
With a loud bang, the decorative painting on the wall was blown down by a strong gust of wind, and tiny cracks appeared on the sturdy reinforced concrete load-bearing wall.
Lin Mo stared blankly at his fist, then at the wall, his mind going completely blank.
This... this is what I did? I just... casually swung my fist like I was doing calisthenics! If I had used my full strength... wouldn't I have been able to flip someone's skull open with one punch?!
He lifted his leg again in disbelief, wanting to test his speed of 50 points.
This time he was mentally prepared; he simply wanted to take a quick step forward and feel the explosive power of his body.
"Whoosh-!"
However, he severely underestimated the concept of 50 points of speed.
The instant his thought arose, his body transformed into a blur, almost instantly traversing several meters and hurtling straight toward the opposite wall!
"Oh no!" Lin Mo thought with a start.
But just before his forehead was about to make intimate contact with the wall, his enhanced reflexes kicked in as well.
Everything around seemed to slow down, and the texture of the concrete on the walls was clearly visible.
His feet shifted very slightly on the ground, and with a burst of power from his waist, his entire body came to an abrupt halt at an incredible angle, just half an inch from the wall.
The whole process was smooth and effortless, without the slightest delay or strain.
The strong wind whipped up his hair, but his body remained as steady as a mountain.
"Monster... I'm... a little monster now too..."
Lin Mo slowly backed away, muttering to himself.
Shock and bewilderment intertwined in his heart, followed by an overwhelming surge of ecstasy.
Anyway... this is definitely a good thing!
Chapter 6 Sitch's Request
An unprecedented and solid sense of security, along with a slight sense of unfamiliarity with his "monster body," rose simultaneously in Lin Mo's heart.
This is no longer a false imperial engine, nor a borrowed reputation; this is his own true power!
He desperately needed a place, a place remote enough, to accommodate this new force.
His gaze unconsciously drifted to the window.
M City has been reduced to ruins by the rampage of the vaccine humans, which can be considered a blessing in disguise—this is the perfect training ground.
Having made up his mind, Lin Mo pulled out the most inconspicuous gray tracksuit from his closet, put on a hoodie and mask that covered most of his face, and sneaked out of his apartment like a suspect about to commit a crime.
What he fears most now is being recognized on the way and attracting a new round of onlookers.
------
What was once the city's commercial center is now nothing but ruins.
The air was filled with a strange smell of concrete dust mixed with metal corrosion. The surroundings were deathly silent, except for the mournful wail of the wind blowing through the broken steel bars.
Lin Mo found a concrete block with sharp edges, about the size of a small car.
He stood three meters away from it, took a deep breath, and recalled the feeling of throwing a punch in the living room just now.
This time, he decided to use all his strength.
He lowered his waist, rotated his hips, and extended his shoulders, his movements fluid and full of power.
The muscles throughout the body are like tightly twisted steel cables, transmitting power from the soles of the feet to the waist, then from the waist to the arms, and finally converging at the fist!
"boom--!!!!!"
A deafening roar, like a thunderclap in a clear sky, exploded violently!
The massive concrete block, weighing several tons, developed a clearly visible crack the moment it touched his fist.
Seeing this, Lin Mo did not stop his attack, but instead threw punches even faster.
Finally, after countless punches, the concrete block shattered with a loud "boom," sending debris flying everywhere.
Several pieces of gravel the size of a human head slammed into Lin Mo, but they couldn't even make him sway. They just made a few muffled thuds and bounced away weakly.
Lin Mo slowly withdrew his fist, looking at the destruction he had caused. Although his fist was numb and trembling uncontrollably, he could not hide his excitement.
powerful! too strong!
For the next few hours, he completely let loose, like a child who had just received a long-awaited toy, venting his boundless energy in the vast ruins.
He then attempted to reach his maximum speed.
He sprinted at full speed across the open area, his figure so fast it was almost like a gray lightning bolt, the gale he generated even whipping up pebbles from the ground.
He leaped between broken viaducts and ran along the sides of collapsing buildings, performing superhuman feats that he had only dared to imagine in games before.
He went from initially being unable to precisely control his strength to gradually being able to control it freely and perfectly master every muscle in his body.
This power gave him, for the first time in this perilous world, a sense of confidence that he could truly control his own destiny.
Just as he was immersed in the supreme pleasure brought by the power, and even began to think about whether he could challenge the monster, an unfamiliar encrypted phone suddenly rang in his pocket.
This is the internal wiring of the Hero Association.
He hesitated for a moment, cleared his throat, and then answered the phone.
Sic's signature voice immediately came from the other end of the phone.
“Mr. King, I’m very sorry to disturb your rest at this time. I have a small request, I wonder if it’s convenient for you… Of course, if you are busy, we will not force you!”
"Speak." Lin Mo immediately switched back to his concise and cold mode, his voice low and hoarse, as if the person who had been jumping around in the ruins just now was not him.
“That’s right,” Sitch said quickly, but clearly, with a businesslike seriousness.
"In the neighboring city of Y, a pack of ferocious wild dogs that have undergone unknown mutations has appeared in its largest public park. Their size and strength far exceed those of ordinary wild animals, and the overall disaster level is preliminarily determined to be 'tiger' level."
"They are extremely aggressive and territorial, and have driven out all the citizens and completely occupied the park. The association has dispatched two elite squads composed of A-level and B-level heroes to subdue them, but... they were both repelled by them with their extremely cunning tactics and numerical superiority."
Sitch paused for a moment, then continued, "The park's restoration work is complete, and it was originally scheduled to reopen to the public tomorrow, something the public has been eagerly anticipating. Now, with this situation, the public pressure is immense..."