Chapter 101: Unfathomably Terrifying
"It missed?"
Snek and the others didn't notice King had already run away. Their attention was entirely on the punch King had just thrown into the air. The man known as the Strongest Man actually punched the air—it was completely beyond their expectations.
In the scene they had imagined, King should have obliterated G1's head with a single punch, ending the fight cleanly and decisively. Who would have thought King would punch the air, not touching G1 at all?
"Uncle King, where are you going?"
"I'm going to be late! I'll leave this to you!"
When the simple two-line exchange between Child Emperor and King reached them, Snek and the others suddenly realized King… had left? King actually left? G1 hadn't been dealt with, how could King leave?
Child Emperor watched King vanish in a puff of smoke, equally stunned. He sighed helplessly. "There's no other way. Uncle King is so unreliable. It looks like I'll have to take care of G1 myself."
He stared at the towering G1, stuffed the lollipop in his hand into his mouth, and then fumbled with his small backpack. Immediately, the clicking sounds of machinery turning could be heard as mechanical arms gradually extended from it. In a moment, Child Emperor became like a spider, supported in mid-air by four mechanical arms.
Tanktop Puncher complained, "King is too much! He just abandoned us and ran. He has none of the responsibility of the strong. He's completely unworthy of the honor of 'The Strongest Man'!"
Quick-Fist Hero looked regretful. "It's a pity we didn't get to see a proper fight between King and G1." He had wanted to learn some fighting techniques from King's style, but he didn't expect King to just up and leave everyone.
The Hero Association staff member watched Child Emperor's "transformation" succeed and let out a small sigh of relief. "Luckily, Child Emperor is still here. Otherwise, we would have been in big trouble."
Snek said, perplexed, "Since King chose to act, why did he stop at the critical moment? Wasting his energy for nothing. Could it be he was just toying with his opponent?"
King could have clearly obliterated his opponent with one punch, but at the last moment, he suddenly pulled his punch, hitting the air and narrowly sparing the G1 robot. This turn of events was surprising, making them wonder if there was some hidden reason behind it.
"How dare you barge into my research institute and cause trouble, and even severely damage my lab! This is unforgivable! Now I'll show you the power I possess as an S-Class hero."
Child Emperor looked at G1 unhappily. Although he suspected G1 was one of the Doctor's experiments, G1 had trashed his lab, which was a slap in the face. Even if G1 really was one of the Doctor's subordinates, he wouldn't let it go.
Because… S-Class heroes have their pride!
"Child Emperor, let me go first!" Snek stopped playing dead, stood up, and strode over to face G1. "Although I don't know why King stopped and left in the end, one thing is undeniable: we must destroy you… G1!"
"Count me in." Quick-Fist Hero cracked his knuckles, making a popping sound. "Even though I know there's a huge power gap between me and it, I refuse to be taken down in one punch. That's too humiliating."
"And me."
Tanktop Puncher stood shoulder to shoulder with Snek and Quick-Fist Hero.
"You too?" Quick-Fist Hero was slightly stunned.
Tanktop Puncher snorted. "Hmph, if even a weakling like you is going up, how could I possibly watch from the sidelines? Besides..." He glanced at Child Emperor and said arrogantly, "I don't want to be protected by a child."
Child Emperor looked at G1, annoyed. "Hey, you guys stop arguing. Judging from G1's power just now, you're definitely no match for it. Don't try to be heroes. Let me take care of it. After all... it broke into *my* lab. As the owner, I naturally have to 'welcome' it properly and teach it to knock next time."
The Hero Association staff member, who hadn't said a word from the beginning, kept his gaze fixed on G1. "Hey, everyone, have you noticed something strange about the G1 robot? It hasn't moved for a while now, has it? And the light in its single eye has gone out. Has it stopped operating?"
"Stopped operating?"
Child Emperor and the others looked at G1 in astonishment. Only now did they find it strange. They had been arguing for so long, yet G1 hadn't attacked at all. It just stood there quietly, as if waiting for them to choose an opponent. This didn't fit with G1's previously arrogant and domineering posture at all.
As a man of science, Child Emperor scanned G1 carefully and said with uncertainty, "It seems G1 really has stopped operating."
Tanktop Puncher chuckled. "Let me test it." He grabbed a handrail from the floor, flexed his right bicep, and violently threw it at G1.
Clang!
Under the watchful eyes of Snek and the others, the handrail accurately smashed into G1's chest, letting out a piercing sound of metal impacting metal. From start to finish, G1 showed no reaction.
"Stop overthinking it! Let me clear the way! Rapid Barrage Punch!"
Quick-Fist Hero was simple and direct. With a push of his feet, he instantly rushed towards G1, his large fists continuously bombarding it like a machine gun.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Clank! Clank! Clank!
In the blink of an eye, he had already landed over a dozen punches on G1. A series of muffled thuds rang out as the robot was pushed back by his attacks. Finally, with a full-power punch, the immense force sent G1 crashing to the ground.
As a researcher, Child Emperor was obviously the authority on G1's problem. He controlled his four mechanical arms to approach G1, bent down, and fumbled with some of its parts. After a moment, he said with a grave expression, "Now I'm certain. G1 has indeed malfunctioned. Its central processing unit has fried."
"It broke?" Snek's pupils contracted. "Do you know what caused G1's central processing unit to burn out?" He already had a faint suspicion, but he didn't dare to be certain.
Child Emperor's face was stern. "It was an immense..."
...
"...force. An immense force destroyed G1's central processing unit."
Bofoy stared gravely at the analysis results for G1's shutdown on his computer screen. The results showed that G1's central processing unit chip had been shattered by an immense destructive force.
"Was it King?"
He narrowed his eyes. In the instant G1 and King were about to make contact, his computer screen had suddenly gone dark. Regrettably, he hadn't collected any data on King's attack. However, this didn't hinder his assessment of King's strength. He was convinced G1 had already lost. Judging by the fried central processor, King must have blown its head off with one punch!
"The G-series robots are still too weak. They must be improved and perfected further, otherwise they can't stand on their own at all."
...
"Force? An immense force?" Snek looked utterly shocked. "Child Emperor, are you saying that even though King's punch didn't hit G1, the wind from his fist destroyed its central processing unit?"
"Perhaps!"
Child Emperor wasn't too sure either. In his career of researching robots, sometimes a robot's central processor would explode from being overworked. Under normal circumstances, he would have concluded that the chip had simply exploded due to the robot itself overloading.
However, with King involved, he was filled with doubt. He couldn't be sure if the G1 robot's central processor had self-destructed or if it was because of King. After all, as the Strongest Man, King might indeed possess such power. And King's actions just now were too strange—throwing a punch at the air and then just leaving.
Looking at it now, King must have been completely confident that the G1 robot no longer posed a threat, which is why he left so assuredly!
"Hiss—"
Snek and the others sucked in a cold breath. G1, which had completely dominated them, was utterly powerless against King. King had finished it off with just the wind from his fist.
Is this the power of the Strongest Man?
King, is truly terrifying!
(end of chapter)