"Saitama—never mind." Matt started to say something, then stopped and closed his mouth.
"What is it, Matt?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to remind you to be careful. We've done a lot of damage to Kingpin's business over the past few days, so I figured he'd come after us. But then I thought about how strong you are, and realized I probably didn't need to warn you." Matt couldn't help sighing.
At first, Matt had only thought Saitama was strong, especially when it came to speed. But after Saitama joined him on several missions, he realized just how powerful Saitama really was—so powerful that he seemed to exceed anything Matt could comprehend. If Saitama's abilities weren't limited to incredible speed and strength, without the sort of divine power to create things that gods in myths possessed, Matt would almost have thought he'd stepped right out of some myth.
"Oh? So we might run into a formidable opponent next time?" Saitama looked at Matt, his eyes shining.
"Uh, we might run into someone strong, or they might have set a trap specifically for us. Kingpin has a lot of power, and if we push him too far, he might even resort to unusually heavy weapons." Matt's voice grew a little more serious.
"Oh. I see. I can't wait. I hope they're Dragon-level monsters—or maybe even stronger. It'd be great to have a proper fight for once." Saitama didn't take Matt's concerns to heart. If anything, he seemed eager. Ever since he'd gone bald, his strength had kept growing, and he'd never once been able to go all out. He'd nearly lost the passion he'd once felt, and even his emotions had gradually become more subdued.
"Dragon-level monsters? Never mind. We'd better be careful either way." Matt shook his head. He was starting to believe Skye might be right that something was wrong with Saitama's head. Still, Saitama was on the side of justice—a hero. He might be a little strange, but Matt no longer felt wary of him.
"Mm-hmm!" Saitama nodded, though it was obvious he hadn't really taken Matt's warning to heart.
As usual, Saitama set out with Matt again.
At the place where Matt and Saitama were headed, a large group of people had already gathered to lie in wait.
Just as Matt had said, Kingpin's men had begun targeting Translucent and Daredevil. They had laid an ambush with a large number of gunmen and brought plenty of heavy weapons. They'd even stocked up on explosives and grenades.
Bringing this much firepower clearly violated certain unspoken rules. Gangs generally avoided using such powerful weapons because they could cause too much of a commotion, attracting the police or even higher authorities. An investigation might uncover clues and bring them trouble.
But this time, they couldn't afford to care about the unspoken rules. Saitama's methods were simply too effective. Translucent was impossible to see, yet he could take them out in no time at all, often before they even had a chance to fire. Saitama was just too fast.
"You're making a huge fuss over this? And you've even brought out all these heavy weapons? You're way too timid. Don't worry. I'm here this time. Whether it's Daredevil or Translucent, I'll take them out with ease." Bullseye glanced over the ambushers, a trace of contempt in his eyes, and thumped his chest as he made his promise.
"Bullseye, you're strong, but you weren't in New York before, so you don't know how dangerous Translucent is. He's incredibly powerful, and even worse, he's unpredictable. His invisibility lets him appear anywhere, out of nowhere. We have to set a trap to spot him, track him down, and take him out."
"Please. You're just making excuses for your incompetence. Leave this so-called Translucent to me. Let's see if you're still acting like this when I put his corpse in front of you." Bullseye sneered, growing more contemptuous of the group. If Kingpin hadn't ordered him to work with them, he would've gone off on his own already.
Watching Bullseye, the junior leader shook his head. He thought Bullseye was too arrogant, but Kingpin had specifically brought him in, so even with all that swagger, the leader had no choice but to tolerate him for now. Still, he hoped Bullseye would run into Translucent and get taught a good lesson. Maybe then he'd learn some sense.
"Just as I thought. Kingpin was bound to set a trap for us. Translucent, be careful. I suspect they'll tailor their plan to your abilities, so don't let your guard down." Daredevil made a point of warning Saitama.
"Mm-hmm, I know." Saitama nodded casually. "But will there be a strong opponent?"
"Wait a moment. Let me stop and listen." Matt tilted his head, listening to every sound around them. He could even clearly hear the ambushers' deliberately muffled breathing and heartbeats.
"Saitama, they've got quite a few people lying in wait. More importantly, I can sense someone in there who's pretty strong." Matt's expression turned serious. He'd heard that one person's breathing was noticeably different from an ordinary person's, and his powerful heartbeat was beyond what an average person could manage.
Daredevil's face grew grave as he considered it.
"Someone strong? Great!" Saitama could barely contain his impatience. He flashed forward and disappeared.
"Wait—" Matt tried to call him back, but Saitama was simply too fast.
Saitama charged inside. He was moving so quickly that he skimmed right over the ground, and the traps buried there to catch large carnivores didn't even have time to trigger before he had already raced past them.
"A strong opponent? I'm curious!" Saitama muttered as he scanned the area after charging in.
Before you continue