Chapter 99: A Foolish Opponent and a Moronic Teammate
"Hey! Aren't you getting a little arrogant? Do you have any idea who you're about to face? He's the strongest man on Earth... King!"
Snek watched as the arrogant G1 declared its intention to eliminate King, the man acknowledged as the strongest, completely ignoring them. It was as if they weren't even there. How infuriating!
"All talk." Tanktop Boxer slowly got to his feet, rubbing a bruised spot on his body. He looked at G1 with disdain. "Come, come, let this master teach you a thing or two about fighting."
Quick-Fist Hero clenched his fists, his expression grave. "Don't you underestimate us! Our strength may not be great, but we are by no means... weak!"
The Hero Association staff member looked at the three B/C-Class heroes with their soaring fighting spirit. Hearing their passionate declarations of battle, he felt his own blood begin to boil. This was epic!
His eyes reddened, and he clenched his fists, roaring at G1, "You ignorant fool! How dare you challenge the Strongest Man—King! Hmph, I bet your master wants to scrap you but can't bear to personally dismantle the 'child' they created. That's why they sent you here to challenge King, hoping he'd do the dirty work of destroying a piece of junk like you!"
"Prepare yourself!"
With a passionate roar, the four of them charged recklessly toward G1.
"So epic! I can't believe... they're actually making me feel the urge to fight!"
Watching Snek and the others charge bravely forward, King's eyes sparked with an eagerness to try. An inexplicable impulse to fight alongside them surged within him.
"You are not the target. Obstacles, get out of my way!"
G1's single eye shifted slightly. A cold voice emanated from its body as it moved, charging head-on towards Snek and his companions.
Bam, bam, bam, bam!
The crisp sounds of impacts suddenly echoed through the laboratory.
Clang, clang, clang!
The clean, sharp sounds of collisions followed immediately after.
"Ah... so... so strong."
"We're no match at all!"
"If I play dead, I should be able to survive this blow, right?"
The four of them were sent flying by G1 with just three punches and two kicks, crashing into walls, iron cages, and various other objects. Their bodies ached as if they had been completely disassembled, leaving them with no strength to get back up and continue fighting.
This small glimpse of G1's power was truly terrifying.
"Hey, don't end the fight so easily! What am I supposed to do now?"
King looked at the heroes sprawled on the ground and sighed internally. As expected, it's always the reckless fools who die first. This hot-blooded stuff is just too cringey. I think I'll just be a quiet homebody.
After effortlessly ending the fight once again, G1 pointed its broadsword at King and said coolly, "King, this is a performance test for my combat AI. Therefore... face me with all your strength!"
"A combat performance test?"
Child Emperor's brows furrowed as he lowered his head in thought. *Is it the Professor, after all? Only the Professor's robots would so brazenly test their own power like this, right?*
"What the hell is this? So he's another one who wants to use me for an experiment. Child Emperor politely invited me, while this guy is arrogantly challenging me. This 'strongest' title is going to be the death of me!"
King took a deep breath, his heart involuntarily starting to pound faster. He understood now. The person behind G1 wasn't an enemy of his at all; they were after his title as the strongest. Their goal was to collect G1's combat data by challenging him, in order to improve it.
This was a total screw-job! He who wishes to wear the crown must bear its weight. Only after putting on the "crown" of the strongest did he realize just how damn heavy it was! It might just crush his frail body one of these days.
He looked toward Child Emperor, hoping the boy would step in and take care of G1. After all, G1 had broken into Child Emperor's lab. Furthermore, it had destroyed Child Emperor's robots as if slicing melons and vegetables the moment it appeared. By both reason and emotion, Child Emperor had plenty of grievances with G1. It was highly likely that he would deal with G1 himself.
However, as if sensing King's gaze, Child Emperor crossed his arms and pursed his lips. "I have no interest in getting involved in your troubles."
King's face darkened. This brat... was screwing him over! He really wanted to hold him down and spank his little bottom, to teach him the story of "Mulan joining the army in her father's stead."
Of course, that was just wishful thinking on his part. In a real fight, he might not even be able to beat Child Emperor.
His face, hidden under his baseball cap, gradually turned grim. It was over. If Child Emperor wasn't going to help, he would have to deal with G1 himself. Was he going to have to waste a four-star Character Card on G1? It wasn't worth it at all!
At this moment, his heartbeat slowly quickened due to nervousness, anxiety, and other emotions.
Thump-thump... thump-thump... thump-thump...
Since King hadn't answered G1's question, the scene fell silent. Only an engine-like sound gradually grew louder, echoing continuously within the laboratory.
"An engine? Is that King's Emperor Engine?"
"Has King already entered his battle state?"
"Now I don't have to play dead! I need to open my eyes wide and watch King's fight closely. Maybe I can learn some valuable fighting skills from it! After all, it's rare to see a battle between powerhouses of this level!"
Snek and the others struggled to sit up, finding something to lean against. They stared wide-eyed at King and G1, unwilling to miss a single detail.
"Hey, King, what is the meaning of this? Are you looking down on me by adopting a stance full of openings?" G1's single eye stared intently at King as it said coldly, "Get serious! Only when you fight with all your might will the combat data I collect be of any use. If I kill a King who's full of openings, then the data I collect will be completely useless!"
King's eyes lit up. He seemed to have found a way to avoid trouble. He relaxed his entire body, letting himself become even more limp, like a complete wreck of a person.
*I should have even more openings now, right? Attacking me won't get you any useful data. You should just leave. Or maybe change your target to Child Emperor. In any case, it's impossible for me to go all out just to satisfy you.*
"Damn you, King! Get serious! The one I'm here to kill is the Strongest Man fighting at full power, not some useless old man!"
The robot G1 was furious, yet it refrained from attacking due to King's current state.
"Hah! You robots really are single-celled organisms. Do you ever use your brains when you think?" Tanktop Boxer looked at the indecisive G1 and sneered. "Everyone knows that when the Emperor Engine roars to life, it means King has entered his battle state. Don't you dare underestimate this stance that seems full of openings. This *is* his strongest battle stance! It may look like it's full of flaws, but in reality, it is impeccable. No matter which opening you attack, you are sure to be met with King's most terrifying counterattack! This is the Strongest Man... King!"
"I see."
G1's mechanical gaze focused, its broadsword aimed at King. "King, prepare for battle!"
Pfft!
King nearly coughed up a mouthful of old blood. Was this foolish opponent and this moronic teammate putting on a damn double act?
He took a deep breath and looked up coldly at Tanktop Boxer. This kid's skin was itching—he was asking for a beating!
(end of chapter)