Chapter 368

Long Juan flew into the hall, hovering in midair as she sipped her coffee, then turned to Chuixue with a serious expression: "What? Of course I'm checking what he's capable of—he stole my spotlight, after all."

"Is, is that so..."

Not just Atom Smash, Long Juan, and Chuixue, but other S-class heroes like Child Emperor, Super Alloy Darkshine, Metal Knight, Zombie Man, Drive Knight, Muscle Monk, and Flashy Flesh also felt intense curiosity toward the mysterious powerhouse known by the codename 【Sword Master】.

The dojo of Silver Fang Banggu.

Cha Lanzi swung punches under the blazing sun outside, drenched in sweat.

Banggu sat cross-legged on the floor inside the dojo, eyes closed, still replaying his battle with Luo En.

He was aware of everything that had happened outside recently, but he did not know that the mysterious young man currently generating the highest public buzz under the codename 【Sword Master】 was the same youth who had fought him before and left him profoundly shaken.

20, Meteor

While people from all over the world watched with growing interest, the heat surrounding the incident continued to swell, yet Luo En, the very center of this storm, paid it no mind whatsoever.

In the central district of Z City, a barbecue restaurant.

"Are you sure it's okay?"

"What?"

Qi Yu glanced around the surroundings, then whispered to Luo En across from him: "You're treating us here? This place must be expensive."

Luo En smiled: "Don't worry—I can still afford this."

Genos sat beside Qi Yu, using tongs to place meat on the hot griddle, then looked across at Luo En: "But why the sudden barbecue treat?"

"Nothing special—I just felt like eating, but it's boring to eat alone. You've treated me plenty of times, and Qi Yu just got promoted to B-class. This is my way of returning the favor and celebrating."

Upon hearing this, Qi Yu smiled at Luo En: "Is that so... Then we won't be polite."

He picked up his chopsticks and stared at the sizzling, fragrant meat on the grill, a clear liquid dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"Genos, is it ready yet?"

"Master, almost—ten seconds left."

Qi Yu fixed his gaze on a slice of beef tongue: "Let me be clear—no one's taking that slice of tongue from me."

As soon as the time was up, Qi Yu moved instantly—his chopsticks a blur as they snatched the beef tongue and shoved it into his mouth.

"So hot so hot, but delicious! Haven't eaten anything this good in ages..."

Qi Yu devoured his meal, utterly satisfied.

Genos began eating too. Compared to the cheap meat he usually bought at supermarkets, the flavor of this premium beef grilled here was entirely different—like heaven versus earth.

"Didn't you invite Chuixue to join us today?"

Qi Yu asked Luo En, chewing as he spoke.

Luo En picked up scissors to cut the meat in his bowl: "I invited her, but she's apparently not in Z City today."

"Is that so..."

Qi Yu felt a pang of regret for Chuixue—she had missed the chance to eat such delicious barbecue.

Genos swallowed his bite and looked at Luo En: "The Hero Association has now confirmed you're the mysterious powerhouse who appeared in Z City's uninhabited zone."

Luo En nodded: "So that's why the Hero Association officially gave me a codename."

"Sword Master? Why does Luo En-kun have such a cool codename when you're not even a hero? Mine's nothing like it..."

Qi Yu remembered his own hero name—Bald Cape Man—and couldn't help feeling depressed.

Genos stared at Luo En: "Online media and the Hero Association are both digging for clues about you. I know at least several S-class heroes and Sweet Mask, the top A-class hero, are involved. The Hero Association probably wants to recruit you, but those S-class heroes and Sweet Mask might have other motives—what are you planning to do?"

Luo En took a sip of iced beer, his tone calm: "I'm not planning anything. The key is what they plan to do. Let me be clear—I won't become a hero. I only want to do what I want. So whether it's the Hero Association, S-class, or A-class heroes—if they bother me... they'll bear the consequences."

Genos said nothing more.

The three continued eating, drinking, and chatting about nothing in particular.

Suddenly.

Genos received a message. He opened his phone and his expression instantly hardened.

Qi Yu noticed his reaction and turned to him: "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. The Hero Association branch just sent me a notice to come in immediately."

"Is it urgent?"

"It seems urgent—something must have happened. Master, I'll go now."

Genos stood up.

Qi Yu grunted, and Genos left the restaurant.

Qi Yu turned his gaze back from the door, picked up the tongs, and placed another piece of meat on the grill: "So urgent... what could it be?"

Luo En glanced up, then looked away, picked up meat from his bowl, and slipped it into his mouth with a quiet smile: "Maybe a meteor just fell."

"A meteor? That can't be..."

The Hero Association branch in Z City.

"A meteor?!"

Genos stared at Banggu before him, stunned.

Banggu, arms behind his back and hunched over, looked at him: "You didn't know? A massive meteor suddenly changed its trajectory—it'll impact Z City in thirty minutes."

"Disaster Level—Dragon. If it hits Z City, we're done for."

Genos's pupils contracted.

Banggu walked past him: "The Hero Association wants nearby S-class heroes to handle it, but only the two of us showed up. We can't manage this alone—you should go evacuate with someone you care about."

"What about the citizens?"

Banggu closed his eyes: "They'll probably issue an evacuation notice soon—but it'll only cause panic. It's already too late to evacuate now."

The moment his words fell.

An evacuation notice came through the surrounding broadcast speakers.

【Hero Association notifying all citizens: a massive meteorite will fall on Z-City in thirty minutes. Citizens nearby, please evacuate as quickly as possible. Repeating once more…】

The people on the streets of Z-City's central district, hearing the evacuation notice from the broadcast, were all somewhat dumbfounded.

"A m-meteorite?!"

"That has to be a lie."

Still not believing it, they looked up at the sky. Once they saw the ever-growing silhouette of the meteorite appearing in the heavens, they realized in terror that the evacuation notice was real!

A meteorite really was about to crash down!

Z-City instantly plunged into utter chaos and panic.

Saitama and Luo En walked out of the barbecue restaurant and stood on the street. The usually bustling street was now jammed with traffic, and crowds of people, faces twisted with terror, were fleeing outward in all directions like a tide—everyone shoving, scrambling, and fighting each other in total disorder.

Saitama rested his left hand on his forehead, gazing up at the meteorite's silhouette in the sky: "It really is a meteorite. Luo En, you called it."

"Oh, it's Genos."

Saitama spotted Genos darting at high speed across the rooftop of a distant building.

Luo En, hands tucked into his coat pockets, looked over in that direction and said: "He's trying to stop the meteorite, isn't he."

"Can Genos pull it off?"

"Probably not."

"Is that so…"

Saitama narrowed his eyes as he watched the meteorite falling from the sky.

Luo En glanced at him: "Are you going to step in?"

Saitama stared at that meteorite, swung his right arm, and said: "Of course. How could I just let some meteorite drop willy-nilly onto the city I live in?"

"After all… I'm a hero too, in my own way."

Luo En nodded: "Alright then, I'll lend a hand as well."

Both of them stomped the ground beneath their feet and vanished from the spot in an instant.

21, one freak after another

Above Z-City.

That enormous meteorite, wrapped in flames, pierced through the cloud layer and plunged toward Z-City with an utterly terrifying momentum.

The people below stared up at that meteorite, despair written across their faces.

"So huge…"