Li Chen Tramples Saitama

Saitama rushed into a discount supermarket and, without another word, headed straight for the sale items.

He was dressed in casual clothes and wore a hat that covered his bald head.

That also made him impossible to recognize.

Li Chen said, "You don't need to buy the sale items. We've got plenty of money."

Saitama scratched the back of his head. "It's a habit."

"Besides, it really is cheap here."

To his surprise, they really did have one-dollar fried chicken.

Though it didn't look very fresh...

It reminded Li Chen of jokes he'd heard before: wash dishes for a month and you could buy the restaurant, or eat one-dollar fried chicken until you puked.

Saitama wasn't really interested in that. He followed Li Chen into the produce section and bought a huge pile of bananas on sale.

The reason he liked bananas was that they were relatively cheap.

Simply put, Saitama had had enough of being poor.

In his original world, money had already been tight for Saitama. He was just an ordinary person, so naturally he had no extra source of income.

With even a hero at the mercy of an empty purse, Saitama could only buy discounted goods at the supermarket and live frugally.

It had become a habit, and a hard one to break.

Even so, he got to experience it: "It's great to buy whatever you want without worrying about money."

No wonder people said the power of money was more important than superpowers!

After buying the bananas, Li Chen also got to enjoy the thrill of shopping.

Although he was rich now, it had been a long time since he'd walked into a supermarket like this.

People bought whatever Li Chen needed for him, so why would he have to do it himself like this?

And so a strange sight appeared: Li Chen, a grown man, carried nothing, while Saitama and Li Qianhuan followed behind him with their arms full.

But it had to be said, this was very American.

Capital didn't care about any of that.

Li Chen bought a game console and other things for Saitama to pass the time.

In a way, Saitama could actually be considered an otaku...

It was just that he was single-mindedly focused on getting stronger.

"Qianhuan, is there anything you want?"

Li Chen asked, looking at Li Qianhuan, who was carrying the purchases and sweating profusely.

She felt this was even more tiring than her training at X Academy.

It was practically weighted training!

Hearing Li Chen's question, she immediately shook her head. "No."

When she was shopping with her boss, how could she let him pay for her too?

She was well aware of her role as a tool, even if at some point she might become her boss's tool...

Afterward, they returned to the car, and Li Qianhuan drove them back to the estate.

Then she left on her own.

Li Chen and Saitama carried the console into Saitama's room.

Although Li Chen hadn't had much experience with consoles before—he only knew how to play, not set them up...

With the help of his super brain, he understood it all in an instant.

Before long, the two of them had set up the latest console.

It was a Nintendo, not a Sony.

Seeing Sony annoyed Li Chen now.

Then, after inserting the game they'd bought, they could play.

That was also why Li Chen disliked consoles. Playing games on a computer was so much easier: find the game on a platform, pay for it, and download it.

That meant players all over the world wouldn't feel much difference.

But consoles were different.

If you wanted to play games, first you had to buy a console.

Once you had one, you still had to buy discs for the games made exclusively for it. You couldn't play them right away, either; you had to wait a few days for them to arrive.

Although secondhand discs sometimes held their value well, playing games that way was too much of a "hassle."

Li Chen thought consoles should have been phased out long ago.

In the crazy times that came later, the price of a console couldn't even buy a graphics card...

That showed just how big the performance gap was.

But those manufacturers weren't willing to give up. They deliberately made certain games exclusive, keeping PC players from playing them to promote their consoles.

As a result, there weren't that many games you could play on a console, either.

For example, you couldn't play many PC games, and you couldn't play Sony games on a Nintendo console, either.

For many players, that was simply torture.

Li Chen despised that sort of thing most of all.

Hmm, the games I invest in have to be released on PC, so players all over the world can play them. That's popularity, that's reputation points!

I absolutely can't let one company monopolize them!

Li Chen came back to his senses and crushed Saitama with one hand.

Saitama was sweating profusely as he pressed the buttons on his controller. "How... how are you so good?"

He looked at Li Chen in confusion.

Li Chen was clearly a big boss, so why was he so good at games?

Was there no justice?

"Don't ask. I've only got four words for you."

Li Chen said nonchalantly, "Get good. Practice more."

Who was he? He was a fighting-game master who had lived through the Street Fighter 6 era. When it came to playing games, Saitama couldn't possibly match him.

The games of this era still had quite a way to go in his eyes, especially fighting games.

Perhaps Saitama was too reckless, using a "Serious Punch" against everyone he fought. As a result, when he played the fighting games of this era, he had no concept of "neutral."

Simply put, neutral was about spacing: making the enemy think they could hit you when they actually couldn't, then finding an opening the moment they attacked.

Well, Saitama didn't need that bullshit. He used a Serious Punch against anyone he faced.

And so Li Chen utterly defeated him in terms of gaming strategy.

But Saitama just happened to be an obsessive person.

Even when he was beaten until he was dripping with sweat, he immediately shrieked, "One more round!"

The battle didn't end until Ram came to call Li Chen to dinner.

Saitama didn't go over, choosing to munch on bananas instead.

"Master, Rem made your favorite sweet-and-sour pork ribs tonight."

Ram spoke on their way to the dining room.

Li Chen patted her head. "Good, good."

"Ram, would you two like to go out and have some fun?"

Ram froze for a moment at her master's question.

She and Rem were still very curious about this world.

Mainly, this world was so advanced. The estate was obviously better than where they had stayed before.

It showed in other ways, too.

For example, with the thing called a television, they could sit at home and find out what was happening outside. It had become something the sisters watched every day to pass the time.

They liked some variety shows, and even the reserved Rem would sometimes smile.

"Can we?"

Ram asked expectantly.

They had also learned about their own situation: to the people of this world, they were manga characters.

So, to avoid causing their master trouble, she and Rem had stayed inside the whole time.

"Of course, but it'll have to wait until I have time."

Li Chen said, "You only need to change your clothes. Nobody will pay you any mind."

"I'll take you out for ice cream and cold drinks."

The world Li Chen described excited Ram.

Soon Rem learned about it too. Both sisters blushed, and the way they looked at Li Chen was almost yearning.