"Are you... Wu Di!"
Fubuki froze for a moment, then let out a sigh of relief.
"They're all members of the Fubuki Group. They've only been controlled by someone, so don't hurt them."
"Don't worry. Leave this monster to me. We still have some unfinished business."
Wu Di looked at Do-S in the distance and revealed a sinister smile.
"Damn it, why is it this guy again?!"
Do-S recalled the terror of being hunted down by Wu Di that night, but today, he seemed somewhat different.
"Boros's attack didn't even kill him. What absurd luck. I have to notify a Dragon-level Executive to deal with him, or every other Demon-level executive, including me, will die!"
The whip in Do-S's hand lashed wildly as dozens of controlled civilians rushed toward Wu Di, trying to stop him.
"Now's my chance to escape!"
Swish, swish, swish—countless vines instantly tangled all the civilians together, while a towering tree burst from the ground directly behind Do-S.
"Damn it, what the hell is this thing?!"
Crack—Do-S swung her whip frantically. Though she snapped a few vines, it was barely a drop in the bucket.
Vines blanketed the sky and pierced directly into her body, greedily absorbing nutrients. In moments, Do-S's seductive body withered away until all signs of life vanished.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host, for killing a Peak Demon-level Monster. Reward: 2,000 Talent Points."
"Th-this is your ability too?"
Fubuki was so shocked that she could barely speak. She had seen Wu Di's powerful Psychic Powers, but she had never expected him to possess another hidden trump card.
If he had used this ability back then, she would likely have been defeated in an instant.
At that thought, Fubuki felt a lingering chill. Fortunately, Wu Di was a hero of the Association.
"I'll leave the cleanup here to you. I still need to deal with the other monsters."
Wu Di waved his hand and headed straight for another location.
"With Talent Growth at eighty percent, I can not only control plants but also control the regeneration of trees and flowers. It couldn't be more suitable for building houses."
"Next is this one!"
Wu Di looked at the enormous body wrapped around a skyscraper in the distance, a smile curling at his lips.
"Death Shower!"
Rat-a-tat-tat—the Gatling gun's blazing muzzle flash poured fire at the giant octopus before him, yet it failed to inflict even the slightest damage.
"Damn it, I can't even break through this monster's defense."
Death Gatling, eighth in A-Class, wore an unwilling expression.
"Hey, you A-Class guys, get out of the way. Don't stand here being a nuisance."
A man with long golden hair and a white cape appeared before the group with a calm expression.
"You're... Flashy Flash, thirteenth in S-Class!"
Death Gatling looked astonished, but Flashy Flash had already vanished from where he stood, unleashing countless streaks of sword light.
All hundred-plus eyes on the giant octopus's body sprayed green blood. Yet Flashy Flash's attack enraged it, and a massive tentacle came crashing down.
"Is its weakness inside? I'll slice you to pieces in one go!"
Flashy Flash appeared atop the skyscraper. Just as he prepared to attack, thick vines shot skyward from the ground.
"What is this?"
Confusion appeared in Flashy Flash's eyes, while another figure watched the scene from the air.
Pfft, pfft, pfft—several vines stabbed viciously into the octopus monster's body, making it struggle violently, yet it could not break free.
Hum, hum, hum—Wu Di could clearly feel streams of incomparably pure energy constantly flowing through the vines into his body.
"What a convenient ability!"
Wu Di was overjoyed. He had only just discovered this ability: he could absorb monster energy through vines and store it within his body.
"A Demon-level Monster, the Hundred-Eyed Octopus. I really ought to thank you!"
As time passed, the Hundred-Eyed Octopus's struggles grew weaker and weaker. Its enormous body shriveled like a deflated balloon.
"You interfered in my battle without permission. What a busybody."
Flashy Flash gave Wu Di a cold glance before turning and leaving.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host, for killing a Peak Demon-level Monster. Reward: 2,000 Talent Points."
"I've already got enough Tiger-level Monsters. Now I only need five Demon-level ones and two Dragon-level ones."
Wu Di silently calculated. Just as he prepared to head to the next location, a cool voice rang out from the sky.
"You're pretty capable, aren't you?"
Wu Di turned around. A black robe, a head of curly green hair.
It was Terrible Tornado, Second S-Class Hero.
"Idol! You came too!"
Wu Di shouted, pretending to be excited.
"You're... the guy who was in City A and came out of the spaceship!"
Tatsumaki remembered Wu Di quite clearly, especially since he had killed a Dragon-level monster back then.
"That's right. I've always been training hard with you as my goal, and now I've already risen to A-Class!"
"Not bad! If every hero were like you, I wouldn't have to worry so much. But was that your ability just now?"
Tatsumaki asked suspiciously. The ability Wu Di had displayed was extraordinarily powerful, yet there was no record of it in the Hero Association.
If Wu Di truly possessed such immense power, why would he be content to remain merely A-Class and stay completely unknown?
All of this made Tatsumaki feel that something was amiss. Wu Di was surely hiding some secret.
"Yes, but the conditions for using this ability are extremely demanding. I need to accumulate energy for a long time before I can use it once. I'm still far inferior to you, Idol. I'll keep working hard and strive to catch up to you as soon as possible!"
Wu Di made up an excuse casually. He did not want too many people noticing him yet.
Still, paper could not cover fire forever. When killing monsters in the future, he could only avoid other people as much as possible.
"Is that so? Then perform well and strive to enter S-Class soon. But forget about trying to catch up to me!"
"A truly strong person never expects help from others. If you run into trouble in the Hero Association later, you can come find me. Don't learn from those low-rate heroes!"
Tatsumaki did not dwell on it further and casually took a jab at the other S-Class Heroes.
As for Wu Di, he was her fan. At worst, she could pay a little more attention to him in the future.
"Whew... I finally managed to placate that little tyrant..."
Wu Di wiped away his cold sweat. If Tatsumaki insisted on investigating, his double identity would definitely be exposed.
"This has caused a bit too much of a commotion. I need to leave quickly."
"Hey! You're Wu Di, thirty-fifth in A-Class, right? Want to team up?"
Death Gatling took the initiative to approach him, and Wu Di turned to look at the several heroes behind him.
"Sure! But I received an order from the Association to handle some urgent matters. If there's a chance later, you can contact me through this number."
Wu Di did not refuse. Instead, he warmly left them his phone number.
Death Gatling and the other heroes were overjoyed, since they had witnessed Wu Di's strength firsthand.
"If I make more friends among these A-Class Heroes and ideally blend in with them, people will be less likely to suspect me, right?"
Before you continue