69novels Page 13
Page 13
This is, after all, a world teeming with eccentric characters. Heroes who possess the absolute power symbol of "the strongest on Earth" are far more appealing than those who are merely glamorous stars who sing, dance, and act.
Of course, "Sweet Mask" is an exception. As a hero, he is also a popular celebrity, which gives him considerable influence within the Hero Association.
However, to his relief, Lin Mo has gained quite a few "energy points," which has brought him some comfort.
"Forget it, out of sight, out of mind."
Lin Mo casually tossed the magazine that gave him goosebumps into the trash can in the corner, where it landed precisely.
"Never mind that, let's take a look at my new game first. The core framework is almost finished."
He sat down at the computer and skillfully opened the game development engine.
On the screen, a pixelated hero stands before a huge, ferocious dragon.
"Combat logic optimization... numerical balance adjustments... hmm, the new player tutorial also needs to be made more user-friendly."
Lin Mo's fingers flew across the keyboard, a focused and joyful expression on his face. This was the world that truly belonged to him.
"Once the first beta version is finished... let Saitama test it first."
"Yes, that's right, we must ensure that even complete newbies can have a full gaming experience..."
He muttered to himself as he nodded at his "thoughtful" decision.
------
Meanwhile, at the other end of Z City, in a dark, abandoned warehouse.
“KING…the strongest man on Earth?” A middle-aged man wearing a high-end custom-made suit, but with an extremely gloomy face, squeezed out the name through gritted teeth.
His voice was hoarse and filled with undisguised jealousy as he sneered, "Hmph, just an idol carefully packaged by the Hero Association, a robber who stole our market!"
The man's name was Achuan, and he was the president of a long-established clothing group.
Since KING became the spokesperson for the clothing brand owned by the major shareholder of the Hero Association, the entire industry ecosystem has undergone a devastating change.
KING's personal influence swept across the market like a tsunami.
Consumers are snapping up "KING's style" items, as if wearing those clothes will imbue them with the aura of the most powerful man on earth.
Achuan's company and its peers experienced a precipitous drop in sales, leaving countless franchise stores in dire straits.
Left with no other choice, they followed suit and sought out heroes to endorse their products, but reality dealt them a heavy blow.
Other clothing manufacturers were in dire straits and had no choice but to also hire Hero Hero as their spokesperson.
But they don't have the ability to invite S-class heroes, and other S-class heroes can't be as bored as KING Lin Mo.
While heroes of rank A and below also have a certain level of popularity, their market impact is incomparable to that of KING.
This led to a group of capitalists, led by A-Chuan, uniting in desperation and coming up with a crazy idea—since they couldn't defeat KING commercially, they would physically make him disappear completely!
To this end, they spared no expense and contacted the world's largest underground assassin group through layers of black market channels.
A mysterious organization known as "Everyday Good" Group, which boasts the saying "Money is all it takes to crush the gods" and operates with an efficient and ruthless style.
"Are you confident?" A-Chuan handed a heavy metal briefcase to the group of men in black opposite him and asked, "That's the strongest man on Earth! The sixth-ranked S-class!"
"Don't worry, we're professionals. There's no one in this world who can't be killed, only people who can't afford the price."
The masked man weighed the box in his hand, seemingly quite satisfied. "Just stay home and prepare some celebratory champagne. Wait for the good news on TV: 'Hero KING has died unexpectedly.'"
Behind him, a tall, thin figure pressed the last Enter key on a laptop.
On the screen, KING's detailed information, daily activity range, apartment building structure diagram, and even the locations of his favorite supermarkets and game stores are clearly presented in the form of 3D models.
In another corner, a burly man, as big as a bear, was cleaning a strangely shaped pistol.
This is clearly a well-organized assassin squad.
Meanwhile, Lin Mo was unaware that he was being targeted and was calling Saitama, inviting him to a coffee shop to try out a game he had made himself.
Chapter 19 The assassination is underway
The air is filled with the rich aroma of freshly ground coffee beans, which mingles with the sweet scent of freshly baked pastries, creating a comforting aroma.
This café, located in a little-known corner of the city, is one of the few sanctuaries Lin Mo has found in this world.
This is also his favorite place since he transmigrated here. Everyone is focused on doing their own thing and doesn't bother others.
After ordering snacks and drinks, he waited here for Saitama—he specifically chose this location to meet Saitama so as not to be disturbed by enthusiastic fans.
At this moment, Saitama had not yet arrived. The lava chocolate cake and strawberry parfait on the table were still steaming. Lin Mo was staring intently at his laptop screen, his fingers tapping on the keyboard.
"The title page of the Book of Sages should contain a prophecy... 'When the night devours the last glory, tofu frozen in the extreme cold will be transformed into a sacred artifact to punish evil.'"
"Hmm... using frozen tofu as a weapon for the final battle seems a bit hasty," he muttered to himself.
"Never mind, I didn't plan to promote it to the public anyway, so I'll just write it for my own enjoyment." He adjusted his posture and continued to immerse himself in his fantasy world.
Lin Mo was unaware that beneath this tranquil facade, murderous intent was quietly brewing.
------
Not far away, a man with a similar hideous scar on his face and wearing gold-rimmed glasses was staring intently at him out of the corner of his eye.
He is the captain of "Night Owl," the top assassin team dispatched by the "Everyday Good" Group, codenamed "Professor."
"We are a top-notch assassin team, capable of taking down even professional heroes. We'll attack from blind spots and kill them with a single, decisive blow!"
The professor used a miniature microphone hidden in his collar to issue instructions to the team members who were lurking throughout the coffee shop.
"Remember our plan: Group A will launch a disruption from a blind spot, while Groups B and C will simultaneously advance from both sides, using specially made alloy daggers for a one-hit kill! We absolutely cannot give him a chance to activate the 'Emperor Engine'!"
His mind raced: "But it's great that King would come to this remote place; it will make our retreat easier..."
"The shop's entrances and exits have been blocked off; now is the best time to sell!"
The professor took a deep breath, suppressing the surging tension in his heart. The air in the entire coffee shop seemed to freeze at that moment. He slowly put down the newspaper, preparing to give the signal for the final assault.
At this critical moment, Lin Mo, who had been focused on the computer, suddenly spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of all the members:
"Looks like you brought quite a few people. How foolish. No matter how many people or how many times, the result will not change."
These words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the hearts of all the members of "Night Owl"!
What?! We've been discovered? The professor's pupils contracted sharply, and cold sweat instantly soaked the back of his shirt.
How is this possible? How did he detect it? Can he even sense killing intent? Is this the level of an S-class hero?!
Lin Mo's hands didn't stop moving at all. He had just written this line for the hero protagonist in the novel, and was still giving it a satisfied review in his mind:
"Yes, the hero's character should indeed grow stronger with each battle, remaining calm even when facing thousands of troops. That's what makes them truly cool..."
The professor stared intently at Lin Mo's retreating figure, analyzing the current predicament: "No, judging from his waiting posture, he probably hasn't yet obtained information on all of us and our locations."
Suddenly, something occurred to him, and a sinister smile involuntarily crept onto his lips as he muttered to himself, "I understand... worried about accidentally harming civilians? Well, that's actually our advantage..."
Just as he figured it out, KING's voice rang out again—
"Let me tell you what true despair is..."
Lin Mo took a big gulp of his drink, thinking to himself, "This dialogue paired with the final boss's defeat cutscene would be quite shocking, wouldn't it?"
"I deliberately lowered the villain's final stats a lot, so Saitama shouldn't get tortured, right?"
He then realized that his melon soda was almost gone, so he immediately stood up to get some more, and the direction he was walking in was right past the professor's desk.
"They've stood up!"
All the assassins' hearts were in their throats. The professor felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
"He really knew my location! And he walked right towards me without any hesitation!" The professor's muscles tensed instantly, and his hand, hidden under the table, gripped the knife handle, ready to fight to the death.
One step, two steps... Lin Mo's figure drew closer and closer. Just as the professor was considering whether to overturn the table, Lin Mo walked past him without looking at him and went straight to the counter.
"Hoo..." The professor felt as if all his strength had been drained, and he slumped into the chair, his back feeling cold.
"What? The melon soda is all gone?" Lin Mo looked at the empty beverage machine and thought to himself, "What a pity."
The receptionist smiled and bowed, saying, "Sir, please wait a moment. We still have some in the warehouse. I'll go to the backyard to get it for you right away."
After saying that, the girl jogged and pushed open the back door, heading to the warehouse in the backyard.
This scene, however, had a completely different meaning in the eyes of the "Night Owl" team members.
"They sent the staff to the backyard for safety!?"
"Hmm... He's taking a defensive stance... That guy KING!"
Fear instantly spread throughout the team. Finally, a long-haired male assassin lurking near the restroom couldn't hold back any longer.
"Damn it! Why are these guys all so timid and hesitant! Even the captain is looking back and forth!" he roared inwardly.
"What's there to be afraid of! He's just King, right? As long as I can kill him here, my name will resound throughout the entire assassin world, and my status will rise accordingly!"
The overwhelming temptation overcame his fear, and a glint of madness flashed in the long-haired man's eyes. He abruptly stood up from his seat, turned around, and prepared to rush towards Lin Mo's back.
However, as soon as he turned around, he saw that Lin Mo had turned around at some point, and a pair of calm eyes were staring intently at him through the frame of his glasses without lenses.
Suddenly, immense pressure crashed down like a mountain collapsing, and the long-haired man's previous confidence vanished, leaving only terror on his face.
"Damn it... It's... It's the Emperor Engine! This is bad..." His legs felt like they were filled with lead, and he couldn't move an inch.
Lin Mo was extremely puzzled: "What's wrong with this guy? Why is he blocking the toilet door? Is he protecting his food?"
"Wait a minute..." Lin Mo carefully examined the other person's "excited" expression, and a thought flashed through his mind, "This person, could they be my fan?"
He adjusted his glasses, which had no lenses, and was immediately surprised. "That's terrible."
"If he finds out I'm a regular at this place, things won't be so peaceful anymore."
The long-haired man also saw Lin Mo raise his hand to adjust his glasses. From his perspective, this was undoubtedly a prelude to some kind of attack!
He gritted his teeth, ready to go all out, and reached into his pocket, intending to pull out his modified pistol for a shootout.
However, when Lin Mo saw the long-haired man reach into his robes, a look of sudden realization appeared on his face.
"Ah! I knew it!" he realized. "Is this gesture a way of asking me to sign his notebook and pen?"
"No, absolutely not!" Lin Mo's sense of crisis surged instantly. "If I sign my name here and cause a big commotion, other customers will definitely realize who I am. Then I really won't be able to come to this store anymore!"
Lin Mo acted instantly.
He darted forward and, before the long-haired man could pull out his autograph book, grabbed his hand that was reaching into his pocket.