In City M, inside King's apartment.
The lingering hotpot aroma from dinner hadn't completely dissipated yet.
Lin Mo and Saitama-kun divided the chores; one washed dishes, the other wiped the table, and soon the small living room was spotless.
Outside the window, the city, free from Monster invasions, presented a serene sea of lights in the distance.
"Alright, King, are you ready?"
Saitama-kun pulled out a brand-new game console from under the TV cabinet.
He carefully blew off the dust, connected the wires, and then solemnly placed two controllers—one black, one white—on the low table.
His face showed an unprecedented level of seriousness.
That expression hadn't even appeared when he faced powerful Monsters.
"Today, I must win against you at least once!"
He sat cross-legged, picked up the black controller, his knuckles cracking audibly.
"For this day, I specifically hunted down the latest fighting game and secretly practiced for a long time!"
Lin Mo watched his as-if-facing-a-great-enemy demeanor and couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright," Lin Mo sat down and picked up the white controller.
"Hmph, don't think I don't know, you've definitely played it too."
Saitama-kun stared intently at the magnificent opening animation playing on the screen, saying without turning his head.
"But it doesn't matter! I've mastered all the combos of my character!"
At this, he suddenly felt a bit uneasy and added, "You promised to only use two fingers, King."
"Of course," Lin Mo smiled.
He skillfully moved the cursor on the character selection screen, finally stopping on an agile-looking assassin-type character.
This character was known for complex controls, high combo difficulty, but also an extremely high skill ceiling.
"Hmph hmph, King, today I'm absolutely going to beat you black and blue! Let you know the price of underestimating me!"
Saitama-kun had already chosen his muscular, strong character and said confidently:
"Choosing such flashy characters is useless; in the face of absolute power, all techniques are futile!"
"ROUND 1, FIGHT!"
As the game sound effects rang out, the battle officially began.
Saitama-kun completely erupted.
His controlled character charged madly towards the assassin-type character Lin Mo had chosen.
He furiously pressed every button on the controller, executing a set of "Farmer's Three Punches" he had diligently practiced, flowing like water.
Punch, heavy punch, 波動拳(hadouken)!
On the screen, the burly Fighting Character was formidable, every punch impactful.
However, Lin Mo's two index fingers danced lightly on the controller with dazzling speed.
His character moved leisurely amidst the storm of attacks.
A nimble back-step dodged the heavy punch; an extreme crouch made the 波動拳(hadouken) graze his scalp.
All of Saitama-kun's attacks, without exception, missed!
"Ho-how is this possible!?" Saitama-kun's eyes widened.
"Too naive, Saitama-kun," Lin Mo said calmly, his two fingers still dancing gracefully.
"Less talk!"
Saitama-kun was so angered he became embarrassed. He went all-in, pressing the combo keys to unleash his super ultimate move.
"Take this! This is my strongest ultimate technique! Ten Thousand Degree Hot Blooded Shockwave!"
On the screen, his Fighting Character took a charging stance, and a huge energy ball began to gather in his palm.
This was his strongest move, with a massive range and astonishing power, and once unleashed, it couldn't be interrupted!
Victory was within his grasp!
However, just an instant before the energy ball was about to be released, Lin Mo's assassin character, who had been moving leisurely, acted.
His figure instantly turned into an afterimage.
Immediately after, a magnificent and deadly combo, one Saitama-kun had never seen before, unfolded under Lin Mo's two fingers.
Dual-blade dance, aerial pursuit, forced knockdown, followed by ground attacks... The Fighting Character's massive energy ball hadn't even been released before its health bar was instantly depleted by a series of attacks from behind him.
"K.O.!"
Golden letters mercilessly dominated the center of the screen.
Saitama-kun stared blankly at the screen, then looked down at his controller, which was almost sparking from being pressed, and then looked up at Lin Mo's two leisurely index fingers still resting on his controller.
His mind was blank.
"Again!" he shouted, refusing to believe it.
"ROUND 2, FIGHT!"
This time, Saitama-kun played smarter; he no longer rushed in but started to play steadily.
And Lin Mo also seemed to have changed his strategy.
He no longer just dodged but began to engage Saitama-kun in a direct offensive.
At this, Saitama-kun felt he had found his rhythm again.
One punch from you, one slash from me, sparks flew on the screen.
Saitama-kun discovered that while the opponent's attacks were precise, their damage seemed not very high, while every punch from his character was powerful and heavy.
Slowly, he began to gain the upper hand.
Lin Mo's character's health bar kept decreasing.
70%... 50%... 30%... Saitama-kun's breathing became rapid, and the flame of hope reignited in his eyes!
He could win! He could definitely win this time!
He seized an opportunity, hitting his opponent into mid-air with a beautiful Shoryuken, then followed up with a damage-bursting combo!
On the screen, Lin Mo's health bar instantly bottomed out, leaving only a tiny, almost imperceptible sliver of red.
One hit from death!
"Hahahahaha! It's over! King!"
Saitama-kun let out a triumphant laugh.
He controlled the Fighting Character to unleash the simplest and most practical normal punch, swinging it towards the character who had already landed.
As long as it hit, even a graze, this long-lasting nightmare would be declared over!
However, just an instant before the punch was about to touch the opponent's body...
A miracle happened.
On the screen, the assassin who had been passively taking hits suddenly burst forth with a blue light!
"Guard Counter!"
This was the highest-level defensive technique in this game, requiring command input at the exact moment an attack landed to be successfully triggered.
Once successful, it not only nullified the current damage but also granted a huge counter-attack advantage!
Saitama-kun's Fighting Character's attack was parried, revealing a huge vulnerability.
And Lin Mo had been waiting for this moment.
His two index fingers, which had been tapping the controller at a steady rhythm, suddenly turned into two phantoms!
"Da da da da da da—!"
A dense series of button presses sounded.
On the screen, the one-hit-from-death assassin launched a desperate counterattack that was nothing short of art!
All the suppressed offensives erupted at this moment!
From ground to air, from screen edge to center, a thirty-seven-hit, magnificent combo, worthy of being recorded in gaming history, flawlessly took down the full-health Fighting Character!
In the final hit of the combo, the assassin sheathed his blades, and the gaze beneath his mask revealed disdain.
"PERFECT K.O.!"
The controller in Saitama-kun's hand dropped onto the tatami with a "clatter."
He himself turned grayish-white, as if his soul had been sucked out.
He lost... even though the opponent had only a sliver of health left, and he was almost at full health... he lost.
Moreover, the opponent had only used two fingers the entire time.
Lin Mo slowly withdrew his fingers, gently flexed them, then placed the controller on the table, a perfectly appropriate smile on his face.
He looked at the petrified Saitama-kun and slowly spoke, his voice not loud, but accurately piercing Saitama-kun's broken heart.
"How was it, Saitama-kun?"
"I tried to let you enjoy the fun of the game, gave you the hope of victory, and then staged an exciting comeback from the brink of death."
"Isn't that much more interesting than simply crushing you?"
"Pfft—"
Saitama-kun felt as if an arrow had struck his heart.
He suddenly looked up, pointed at Lin Mo, and roared with all his might:
"This didn't become fun at all! It just made me even angrier, you bastard—!!!"
"One more round! This time I'll use that assassin! You use the Fighting Character!"
"Alright," Lin Mo calmly picked up the controller, "But this time, one finger will be enough for me."
"Ah ah ah—King!!!"