With Saitama's decision to "have hotpot," the apartment was immediately filled with a lively atmosphere.
Genos truly lived up to his reputation as an S-Class Hero with incredible initiative.
Almost the moment Saitama finished speaking, he had already compiled a perfect shopping list and rushed out of the apartment at a speed barely perceptible to the naked eye.
In less than ten minutes, he returned with bags of ingredients, his efficiency astonishing.
The coffee table in the living room was moved aside, and a folding low table was placed in the center.
Bomb and Bang, the two Martial Arts Grandmasters, sat cross-legged without any pretense.
Bang looked at the fresh cabbage in the bag, stroked his beard, and chuckled, "Let this old man help. Chopping vegetables is also a form of cultivation; it's about hand-eye coordination, and the mind guiding the knife."
As he spoke, he pulled out a small fruit knife from who knows where and casually picked up a head of cabbage.
With a flash of cold light, the large cabbage was instantly sliced into uniformly thick and neat pieces in his hands, then placed on a plate.
Bomb was not to be outdone and picked up some enoki mushrooms from the side.
With a seemingly casual rub and twist of his hands, the tangled enoki mushrooms instantly separated, scattering neatly onto another plate, not a single strand broken.
Fubuki watched from the side, dumbfounded. She felt her worldview being repeatedly refreshed today.
So, top-tier martial arts could be used like this?
This wasn't preparing ingredients; it was clearly a display of skill.
Saitama, however, paid no attention to these details. His eyes were gleaming as he stared at the box of A5 Wagyu, practically drooling, continuously urging, "Water! Is the water boiling? Genos, the hotpot base!"
"Yes, Teacher! Everything is ready!"
Genos poured the hotpot base into the pot, plugged it in, and soon, a rich aroma filled the air, accompanied by a "gurgling" sound.
Lin Mo, meanwhile, maintained his composure. He simply sat quietly on the sofa, watching everyone busy themselves, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Just as the lively atmosphere peaked, the doorbell suddenly rang at an inopportune moment.
"Hmm? Is someone else coming?" Saitama scratched his bald head, a little puzzled.
He had lived here for so long, and besides Genos and Mr. KING, he rarely had visitors.
What was going on today? One after another.
"I'll get it," Genos offered, turning and walking towards the entrance.
When the door opened, an old man with white hair stood outside.
In his hand, he also carried a thermal packaging box almost identical to the one Fubuki had brought.
"Doctor!" Genos exclaimed in surprise when he saw the visitor, immediately bowing respectfully. "Why are you here?"
The visitor was none other than the genius scientist, Dr. Kuseno.
"Genos, I came to see how your body is recovering."
Dr. Kuseno's voice was gentle and kind. He stepped into the entrance and immediately saw the lively scene in the living room, pausing slightly.
"Oh my, it seems quite lively."
His gaze quickly settled on Mr. KING on the sofa and the tempting Wagyu on the low table.
"Mr. KING and Saitama-kun are both here. Genos often talks about you two to me."
Dr. Kuseno smiled and nodded, then lifted the gift box in his hand.
"I specifically brought a small gift to visit, it's nothing much."
With that, he placed the thermal box in his hand on the table as well.
The air in the living room solidified for a moment.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on that second Wagyu gift box, almost identical to the first.
"This... this is also... A5 Wagyu?!"
Saitama's eyes widened like brass bells. He practically pounced, carefully opening the second box.
The moment the box opened, another plate of beautifully marbled, top-grade beef, emanating a intoxicating aroma of fat, was revealed to everyone.
Double the... top-grade Wagyu!
"This is... too extravagant!!!"
Saitama's voice trembled slightly. He felt as if he had seen heaven. "Tonight... tonight is a Wagyu feast?!"
Lin Mo looked at the two plates of Wagyu on the table, which together were quite valuable, then at Saitama's excited expression, like he had won the lottery, and his lips twitched involuntarily.
"Alright, alright, don't just stare!"
It was Saitama who first broke the blissful silence. With a grand wave of his hand, he declared with great spirit.
"Genos! Get a few more plates out! Old Man Bang, you prepare the hotpot base! Fubuki, help wash the vegetables! Dr. Kuseno, please just sit and rest! Mr. KING, you... just watch and help if you can."
"Yes!"
"Okay."
"This old man's secret sauce can finally be put to good use."
Everyone immediately sprang into action, and the small apartment filled with a cheerful and busy atmosphere.
The hotpot feast officially began.
The steaming hotpot base bubbled, releasing an enticing aroma.
The first to go into the pot, naturally, was the highly anticipated A5 Wagyu.
Lin Mo carefully picked up a slice of beef as thin as a cicada's wing, placed it into the boiling soup, and silently counted: "One, two, three..."
However, he had only counted to "three" and was about to retrieve the slightly curled, perfectly cooked beef when several afterimages flashed before his eyes!
"Swish! Swish!"
Two pairs of chopsticks, like lightning, plunged into the pot, precisely gripping both ends of that slice of beef from two different directions.
One pair belonged to Bang, the other to Bomb.
The two grandmasters exchanged a look, applied slight pressure with their chopsticks, and the slice of beef was instantly divided in half, each piece falling into their respective bowls.
"Hmm, perfectly cooked, the meat melts in your mouth. Truly exquisite," Bang closed his eyes, savoring it.
"The timing is impeccable, not a fraction of a second off. This is where martial arts and the art of eating converge," Bomb nodded in agreement.
Lin Mo: "..."
Are you guys not even pretending anymore? Fine, then I won't be polite either... At the same time, Saitama also picked up a slice of beef he had coveted for a long time and put it into the pot with anticipation.
He had learned his lesson; his eyes were fixed on that piece of meat, not moving an inch.
The moment the meat was cooked through, Saitama moved! His chopsticks shot towards the target like an arrow released from a bowstring!
However, a flash of light was faster!
Lin Mo, with lightning speed, picked up that slice of beef and put it into his mouth, his gaze roaming the entire pot like a hungry wolf.
Saitama: "..."
But just as he was about to complain, the battle on the other side had already entered a fierce stage.
Bang and Bomb, the two brothers, seemed to have activated a combined attack formation; chopsticks flew, and as soon as any slice of meat in the pot changed color, it was precisely scooped up by them.
Even Fubuki, a psychic, tried to subtly use her psychic powers to pull a slice of beef into her own bowl.
However, as soon as her psychic power touched it, it was skillfully deflected by Master Bang's chopsticks with the "Flowing Water Rock Smashing Fist" technique, and the beef instantly went into his stomach.
Fubuki was horrified to realize that this small hotpot had become an S-Class battlefield!
The center of the battle, naturally, was the two boxes of A5 Wagyu disappearing at an astonishing rate.
Saitama was greatly alarmed, too busy to pay attention to Mr. KING, and turned his gaze to the hotpot.
But no sooner had he put a slice of meat down than, in the blink of an eye, it was "intercepted" by someone's chopsticks.
He tried to put several slices in at once, which only led to a fierce collision between chopsticks, soup splattering everywhere in the pot, and he only managed to snatch one piece with all his might.
Watching the two boxes of top-grade Wagyu, totaling two kilograms, dwindle visibly, while his own stomach remained empty, Saitama's face gradually darkened.
The veins on his forehead began to throb, and a raging fire ignited in his usually somewhat listless eyes.
"Hey, hey!"
He finally couldn't hold back, slamming the table with a burst of resentment.
Everyone's movements stopped, and they all looked at him simultaneously.
Saitama pointed at the last few remaining slices of beef in the pot, then glared around at Bang, Bomb, and Mr. KING, who were chewing contentedly, trembling with anger, and shouted loudly:
"Hey, hey, why are you eating so fast?!"