Chapter 167: What Is This Ultimate Siscon?!
(T/N: I'm back, guys! Thesis defended! š I can finally focus on updating for a while now. Wellā¦ mostly. My thesis has been defended, so I just need to do a few minor revisions.
Hmm? Did I already mention my thesis was defended? Oh wellāMY THESIS IS DEFENDED! š)
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Meanwhile, on Earth, in the ruins of Z-City.
Zombieman, who had already fully recovered, had found a tattered piece of cloth from somewhere to cover his rear and was squatting on the rubble, smoking a cigarette with a helpless expression.
Looking at the heroes neatly lined up before him, the helplessness on his face deepened.
What a mess this is... why are they all lying so neatly... After Sun Sperm's rampage, all the S-Class Heroes present had sustained severe injuries and had basically lost their combat capabilities.
Zombieman, who had his entire upper body blown off at the very beginning, had instead become the only S-Class Hero still able to stand, thanks to his formidable regenerative abilities.
At his feet were numerous cigarette butts that had burned down to the filter, clearly indicating he had already smoked quite a few.
Zombieman scratched his head, glanced at his phone which had mysteriously lost signal, and his mouth twitched.
Why is the signal so bad... The residual energy waves from several powerful entities had not yet dissipated, and on top of that, King and the God's brief clash in space had accidentally destroyed some satellites.
At this moment, the ruins of Z-City were experiencing severe signal fluctuations, making it difficult to send any messages to the outside world.
Zombieman had to dial dozens of times before he barely managed to contact the Hero Association and have them dispatch a large number of medical personnel for treatment.
The next thing to do was wait for the medical team to arrive. Before that, he planned to check the condition of the current S-Class Heroes.
Tatsumaki, her Psychic Power overloaded, was currently unconscious, with multiple external injuries and excessive blood loss.
Superalloy Darkshine, this guy was even worse off. His proud, strong muscles were battered and bloody, covered in fine cracks like a glass doll.
But the part that was hard to take seriously was that his shiny black skin was still radiating a bright luster, and his injuries seemed to be slowly recovering.
Flashy Flash, this one was beaten into unconsciousness, still unable to wake up and hanging on by a thread.
Bang, after receiving a heavy blow from Sun Sperm, had also fallen into a coma, unable to fight any longer.
Atomic Samurai, almost punched through by a single blow. If he hadn't used his sword to block Sun Sperm's fist in time, he might have been turned into a donut on the spot. Now he was also severely injured and down.
Pig God's injuries were relatively light. He was currently replenishing his nutrients with a large amount of snacks. Although it was unclear where he pulled out so much stuff to eat, as long as he was fine, it was okay.
Puri-Puri Prisoner... Looking at Puri-Puri Prisoner, who was clearly beaten bloody, severely injured, and unconscious, yet still had a flushed face and was curled up in a shy pose, Zombieman's face twitched, and he didn't dare look any further.
As for Tanktop Master...
Uh... Looking at the 1.2-meter-tall muscular dwarf covered in blood and severely injured before him, Zombieman didn't know what to say.
Seems like he heard a treatment method before.
Recalling the earlier thought, Zombieman walked forward, grabbed the blue tank top's shoulder strap on Tanktop Master, and snapped it twice.
*Twang~*
*Twang~*
Accompanied by two sounds that were clearly very elastic, the blue tank top strap, after being pulled, snapped back onto Tanktop Master's body.
Something miraculous happened.
The injuries on Tanktop Master's body began to heal rapidly at a visible speed. In an instant, all the damage was restored, broken bones repaired, and torn flesh regenerated.
But the cost was also obvious.
Looking at Tanktop Master, whose height was now only one meter, Zombieman silently touched his nose.
It's fine, he'll understand.
Probably.
As for Watchdog Man... Zombieman spat out the burnt-out cigarette butt, lit another one, and through the drifting smoke, he looked at the white creature on all fours scratching its ear with its hind leg.
Watchdog Man's injuries were also light, or rather, his own strength was formidable. He hadn't taken many hits during the entire battle.
Even facing a terror like Sun Sperm, he could still handle it with ease. He just consumed a lot of stamina and got a bit dusty.
His gaze sweeping past, Zombieman's eyes lingered on a child lying perfectly straight on the ground.
Child Emperor's various mechanical devices had all been destroyed. Fortunately, he himself was unharmed. That guy covered in flames didn't seem intent on killing him either, which was a silver lining in this misfortune.
When Zombieman saw a certain someone lying next to Child Emperor, he almost couldn't hold it together.
Can this even be repaired?
Drive Knight had been bisected at the waist. A casual strike from Sun Sperm had blown off his entire lower body. Only that huge crimson mechanical pupil kept rotating.
His vocalizer flickered on and off, as if trying to say something, but no sound came out. Clearly, it was damaged too.
At that moment, Zombieman frowned, seeming to have noticed something.
Where's Metal Bat?
He looked around and finally noticed a trail of bloodstains on the rubble, extending continuously into the distance.
Oh no... Could it be that guy is pushing himself again... Zombieman's expression darkened. He knew very well that a teenager like Metal Bat, around sixteen or seventeen, was at an age prone to stubbornness and might do things others considered foolish to prove himself.
In his memory, Metal Bat's injuries seemed quite severe too. After suffering two heavy injuries in succession, he was probably at the end of his rope by now.
Thinking this, Zombieman didn't dare delay any further. After confirming the other S-Class Heroes were mostly stable, he immediately followed the trail of bloodstains to search for Metal Bat.
He sprinted through the ruins, nimbly navigating between shattered rocks and broken buildings, his eyes fixed on the bloodstains on the ground.
On a relatively wide, albeit broken, road, Zombieman finally found Metal Bat.
At this moment, Metal Bat's silhouette looked unsteady, barely propping himself up with the already bent and slightly cracked bat, limping forward.
With every step he took, blood from his face dripped down his chin onto the ground. His originally red clothes were now stained a deeper crimson.
"Hey! Metal Bat! Your injuries are serious! Stop wandering around! I'll take you back to wait for help!"
Zombieman shouted as he ran, but Metal Bat never once looked back. He just kept limping forward, as if he intended to walk to the ends of the earth.
Seeing that Metal Bat was completely unresponsive, Zombieman felt something was off. No matter how stubborn, he should at least turn his head upon hearing the shout, right?
His condition isn't right!
Zombieman rushed forward, grabbed Metal Bat's shoulder, forcing his limping gait to a halt.
He circled around to face Metal Bat, about to say something, but froze on the spot.
"You..."
From Zombieman's perspective, Metal Bat's eyes had rolled back, blood was continuously flowing from his head, and all his muscles were trembling, having reached their limitāclear signs of severe injury.
This... Based on his own experience of dying so many times, Zombieman could tell that Metal Bat had definitely lost consciousness. But why was this guy still moving?
Just as Zombieman was utterly puzzled, he made a new discovery. Metal Bat's lips were constantly moving, as if mumbling something very quietly.
Leaning in close, he could only hear extremely faint words escaping Metal Bat's lips, clearly in a state akin to sleep-talking.
"My sister's piano recital... absolutely can't miss it... or she'll get angry..."
Huh?!
Zombieman's eyes widened in disbelief.
You mean to tell me the belief that drives you to charge forward with all your might, to keep your body moving even after losing consciousness, is not wanting to miss your sister's piano recital?
What is this ultimate siscon?!