Great, we're doomed now!

"What 'Emperor Engine'? It just beats a faster heartbeat and makes a louder sound, that's all. How did you mistake it for a finishing move? I'm not an anime character!"

call out!

Kachu Fan!

Ye Shougang was interrupted in time as he was about to make his final move, resulting in a stalemate where he was attacked by the female hero who was skilled in throwing techniques.

But seeing her bare back in the final victory scene wasn't so bad~

“KING, you're an ordinary person impersonating... no, being misunderstood as an S-rank. Didn't anyone suspect anything from beginning to end?”

“No.” KING turned around, looking at him with a desperate gaze, and then, as smoothly as flowing water, selected another character.

"..."

Ye Shou looked at the man beside him with a rather strange gaze, but KING seemed not to notice. He subconsciously confirmed that he was entering the next round, as if his hands and brain were completely separate, and no matter what he was thinking, it would not affect his operation.

'What the heck? A controller version of Ultra Instinct?'

Ye Shou's operation was flawless. With his reaction speed and brain computing power, he could push the operation of electronic devices to their limits. Only advanced AI could possibly beat him.

But for some inexplicable reason, it was just a little bit off!

It shouldn't be a matter of skill level. Even if King could perfectly master the operation, he would still have wins and losses... Is it just luck?

No matter what kind of game it is, there will always be "random numbers". Skill damage, energy value, and character attributes are not completely fixed, but fluctuate slightly within a range.

Generally, this is purely a matter of luck. As long as you play a lot, everyone will have their peak moments when they feel like they're blessed by the heavens. After all, things like getting a critical hit while spending a lot of time and money do happen.

KING, on the other hand, gives the impression of having some kind of built-in buff, turning these "random numbers" into fixed damage. What can happen will happen, and what can be avoided can be avoided. There have even been instances where he has a drop of health left, fully charged, and then turned the tables with a single move.

This doesn't make sense!

...Of course, Ye Shou didn't really come here to play the game; his battlefield wasn't on the screen, so it didn't matter to him at all.

Okay! Don't be angry!

Ye Shou's lips twitched slightly, but he held back after thinking about it.

"There were several times I felt like I had given myself away... but as long as I kept my mouth shut and didn't say anything, just looking at the other person..."

KING put on an expressionless face, his eyes revealing a mixture of murderous intent and pity that made Ye Shou take him seriously.

"They just gave up on their own, and nobody really fought me."

What is that? Is it Conqueror's Haki?

"But you should also know that this cannot last."

"I know! But!"

KING clutched his head in pain, only able to operate with one hand. For a fleeting moment, an opening appeared, and Ye Shou's eyes gleamed. His character unleashed a flurry of attacks, releasing a super special move—

Winner!

【it is good! 】

Ye Shou quietly clenched his right fist, let out a slow sigh of relief, his expression softened considerably, and the pent-up emotions in his chest dissipated.

Wow, what a thrilling and evenly matched battle!

"But I can't bring myself to say it!"

For some reason, even though it was our first meeting and this person immediately exposed his true colors, I should have been very wary of him. But after playing a few games and chatting for a while, KING inexplicably opened up and told me everything he had been keeping to himself.

It felt like we'd known each other for a long time... Indeed, that face looked trustworthy.

Why can't you say it?

"..."

"It seems you knew about this too."

KING fell silent, his gameplay began to falter, and Ye Shou seized the opportunity to press his advantage, winning three consecutive games.

After the victory animation started playing, Ye Shou casually put down the controller, appearing completely unfazed by the outcome.

He said casually, "A huge scandal."

"!"

Upon hearing this, King tensed up, sweat began to bead on his face, and his heartbeat grew louder and louder, becoming exceptionally clear in the small room.

The word "scandal" deeply affected him, and his breathing became heavy.

Ye Shou continued: "This world is fraught with danger, yet society still maintains a basic order. So what force is maintaining all of this? S-class heroes?"

They are indeed powerful, but relying solely on them would only create isolated safe zones, unable to cover all areas of every city. The true force that unites these elite fighters and actively develops core combat power to fill the gaps at the grassroots level is the [Hero Association]!

This is why the association has gained the trust of the vast majority of the public and possesses functions similar to those of a government, enabling it to mobilize enormous resources for various activities.

After a pause, Ye Shou looked intently at King's anxious expression and shook his head slightly.

"However, if the world knew that the S-class hero officially certified by the association, the famous KING, was actually just a charlatan, what kind of public opinion would it cause?"

Not only will you suffer the backlash, but the association's very position will be jeopardized. Public distrust will spread to other heroes, causing extremely serious consequences!

"...I vaguely sensed it."

KING stammered, “Once, I encountered a scene where a monster was attacking humans. Everyone was expecting me to intervene, but I had no idea what to do. Everyone around me was cheering, and I was so nervous that I could barely see anything.”

Fortunately, the strange creature opposite me didn't know my strength either. It probably thought I was trying to lure it into making the first move, so it just kept at it with me..."

"You didn't run away?" Ye Shou asked with great interest.

"How can we run away!"

KING turned his head and said hesitantly, "So many people are watching. If all the S-class heroes run away, everyone will definitely panic! I can't do that!"

Besides, at least my appearance can hold out for a while... I'm a shameful liar who took so much money from the association, but I didn't defeat a single weirdo by myself... I'm already so pathetic, I should at least keep up the act.

Children...do we want children to see heroes abandoning others and irresponsibly running away for their lives?

In that case, I would lose even my last shred of dignity...

"Mr. Kuze, even someone like me sometimes wants to show off a little."

"..."

—The way Ye Shou looked at him changed.

People like you are the most ruthless when they unleash their full power in the finale!

"Fortunately, that weirdo was taken down by some passing hero. I escaped with my life, and now my record has been improved in everyone's eyes."

At this point, King stroked his chin in confusion: "But the monster's corpse was also taken away... Why?"

"Didn't you see who the other person was?"

"The smoke was too thick, but I could barely make out a person wearing a helmet."

"helmet?"

"Yeah, it's reflective too."

KING noticed a strange expression on Ye Shou's face—a mixture of wanting to laugh but trying to suppress it, and a slight twitch at the corner of his eye—and couldn't help but wonder.

Did I say something wrong?

"Isn't it time to end this absurd life?" Ye Shou braced himself with his hands behind his back, tilted his head back, stretched his neck, and his spine stretched out, a long-lost feeling of comfort spreading throughout his body.

I haven't had this much fun playing games in ages!

Do you want to stay surrounded by lies forever?

"Of course I don't want to... but what should I do?"

KING is a homebody with a vivid imagination: "Should I fake my death to escape? Actually, I've been thinking about this for a long time. It's not good to keep lying like this. Before I become completely out of touch with society, I should find a job that can support myself."

"Oh?" An unexpected direction. "For example?"

"Game streamer!"

KING was a little excited: "After all, this is my only advantage."

"Hmm... this face would be immediately shut down by the platform just for appearing in the live stream."

"Of course I can't use my own image, since I'm already 'dead,' but I can use a costume. Virtual game streamers are very popular now."

"...What a wonderful idea." Ye Shou was a little caught off guard by the topic, but his intuition told him that KING would not succeed.

This guy is skilled, but you can tell he has a communication problem. How am I supposed to make things work?

"But you did not make up for the damage you caused."

“Losses?” King was a little confused. Although he did take money from the Hero Association, he had never done anything wrong on his own initiative.

"Weirdos don't commit suicide. Aren't you curious about who defeated all those powerful guys?"

Ye Shou said seriously, "His name is 'Saitama,' and recently there's a hero online called 'One-Punch Man.' Most of the monsters you've encountered were defeated by him."

"Saitama!"

KING was in a daze. He surfed the internet intensely every day, so he naturally knew about the hero who broke the meteorite. He only needed to compare the scene of the meteorite shattering with the corpses of those monsters to know... It was indeed a similar style.

One strike, and the body is gone!

"He is not a registered hero, so the association has never given him any awards."

"...and then it fell on my head?"

hiss!

KING clutched his head in guilt: "What am I going to do? Those beautiful girl figures, oh no, those visual novels, oh no... In short, I have no money left to pay him back... How am I supposed to compensate Saitama?"

"How about we earn it back ourselves through the Hero Event?" Ye Shou suggested.

"Ugh?"

KING blinked: "Me? Hero activities? But... don't let my appearance fool you, I've never actually been in a fight since I was a kid."

"I can teach you. Take your time, there's no rush. Saitama is my comrade too, he won't mind."

Ye Shou thought for a moment: "If you're not confident enough, why don't you try to gain experience by fighting a few weak monsters first, using the methods you're best at?"

What do you mean by "the way I'm good at"?

"I recently got my hands on an awesome Gundam... no, I mean humanoid robot, and it's already assembled."