One Punch Was All It Took

Saitama scanned the area. He saw the people standing out in the open, as well as some who were hiding. Of course, there were also those lying in deeper ambushes, out of sight. But Saitama didn't see anyone who seemed particularly strong. Well, he couldn't sense how strong any of them were.

Of course, it was possible the strong ones were already hiding. Or perhaps they just looked ordinary on the surface.

In any case, Saitama couldn't tell who was stronger than whom. The whole group he was up against consisted of bad guys, after all. Every one of them looked vicious, with strange tattoos and weird hairstyles. He'd even seen plenty of bald guys before.

"But this bald guy—uh, the guy with a target painted on his head—doesn't seem to be hiding at all. Right, Matt said this was a trap they'd set specifically for me. So this guy with the target painted on his head is just a decoy they've put out in the open to draw my attention. In reality, this target-headed guy isn't anything special." Saitama muttered to himself. His feet didn't slow, and in an instant he was standing right in front of Bullseye.

Bullseye stood there brazenly, waiting for Translucent and Daredevil to show up. He wanted people to know how good he was. He wanted them to understand that Kingpin had been right to value him so highly.

Bullseye might have looked carefree, but in truth he was fully focused. He watched his surroundings without blinking and pushed his hearing to its limits, using every possible way to keep track of even the slightest movement around him.

As Bullseye saw it, this so-called Translucent might be using some kind of high-tech gear, like optical camouflage, to fool people's eyes. But that kind of equipment wasn't especially advanced. Someone might miss it if they weren't paying attention, but if they focused, they could definitely spot traces of the so-called invisible man.

That was what Bullseye thought as he held a coin in his hand, spinning it over his fingertips. He was sure that the moment he caught even the slightest trace of Translucent, the coin in his hand would punch straight through the man's body.

Bullseye was that confident.

Suddenly, Bullseye sensed that something was wrong. Before he could react, his vision blurred. He thought he saw a flash of red—something that looked like a person's fist, appearing in his field of vision in an instant. It was so blurry that he couldn't make it out at all. As he tried to figure out what he was looking at, pain struck him, and then his whole body went flying through the air.

Smack!

Bullseye's eyes remained open even after he lost consciousness, as if still trying to spot something. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do now. Only just before he lost consciousness completely did he realize that Translucent really could turn invisible. No wonder everyone was so concerned about him.

After taking Bullseye out with one punch, Saitama didn't stop moving. He streaked through the area like a bolt of lightning, taking down everyone in his path. Yet no one saw him—not even a trace of him.

To everyone else, their companions were falling one after another. The first to go down was the strongest among them, Bullseye, the man Kingpin valued most. It was almost like a paranormal event: one moment, a person was standing there, and the next, he was down.

The people in hiding grew terrified at the sight. Unable to help themselves, they made the slightest sound. Saitama noticed them and knocked them out, too.

The whole thing took only two or three seconds. Every one of them had been taken out.

Saitama couldn't help frowning as he looked at the group sprawled on the ground. There weren't any so-called experts here at all.

Saitama had no idea that the first person he'd taken out was the very expert he'd been expecting: Bullseye, a super-assassin.

Outside, Matt stood ready to spring into action. Kingpin had set a trap for them, after all. It was better to be safe than sorry. If Saitama happened to run into an ambush, Matt wanted to be able to rush in and save him. It was unlikely, but he couldn't afford to take chances.

Just as Matt had readied himself to set off at a moment's notice, Saitama's voice sounded in his ear again. Hearing it, Matt immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Daredevil, you said Kingpin had sent an expert this time, but there isn't one here. They're all just street thugs. Did you hear wrong? Or is that expert hiding somewhere I haven't found?"

"Uh, well, maybe. I really did hear someone strong earlier, but there's nothing now. Maybe he's already escaped?" Matt listened closely. There was no other sound from below, and he couldn't find any sign of an expert. He couldn't help frowning, filled with uncertainty and doubt.

"Is that so? Looks like the guy you mentioned isn't very reliable," Saitama said, disappointed.

"Maybe. But taking out this whole group without any trouble is actually a good thing for us," Matt said with a smile.

"But will Kingpin really send someone strong? It's been so long, and there's no sign of any so-called expert," Saitama asked doubtfully.

"Uh, he definitely will. Kingpin will never give up his business. It's not just the financial loss—there's his reputation, too. If he doesn't want people to think they can walk all over him, he'll bring all his resources to bear against us," Matt said gravely.

"I see."

Kingpin's expression was dark—terrifyingly so. He had just received word that every one of the men he'd sent had been wiped out. Translucent had taken them all down, and they hadn't even managed to hurt him.

Most importantly, his most capable subordinate, Bullseye, had turned out no different from all the other useless men.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. Bullseye was still alive, unlike the others. He'd survived an encounter with Translucent. In reality, that was only because Saitama had thought Bullseye was an ordinary person and hadn't used much force. Otherwise, how could a mere Bullseye have survived one of Saitama's punches?

Looking at Bullseye lying in the hospital bed, his spine broken and his career as an assassin over, Kingpin grew even angrier.

"Bullseye, tell me what you found out. Who is that invisible man?" Kingpin asked sternly.

"I—I don't know. I'm lucky I survived, but he broke my spine with one punch. Damn it! Bastard!" Bullseye cursed furiously. He'd been a super-assassin, but now he was disabled. For him, it was a complete disaster.

"Shut up! Didn't you notice anything?" Kingpin frowned, displeased with Bullseye's behavior.

"I vaguely saw a flash of red."

"Red? And then?"

"Then nothing. I didn't see anything else."

"Hmph! Useless." Kingpin snorted and turned to leave the hospital room. Bullseye had learned a little more than the others, but it was only a flash of red. Beyond that, he had nothing.

"Kingpin! Wilson! You can't leave me behind! You can't just abandon me!" Bullseye shouted after him. As a super-assassin, he wasn't short on money, but he couldn't accept being left disabled.

"I can give you a chance. But if I give you that chance and you still can't catch Translucent, then—"

"Don't worry! I swear, I'll kill Translucent!" Bullseye roared.