Chapter 14: The Budget-Burning Warrior
Location: Saitama's Apartment
Kenji couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
According to the original timeline, after Vaccine Man, the next threat should be the colossal titan, Marugori. Why did we skip him and fast-forward straight to the debut of Genos, the "Budget-Burning Cyborg"?
Whatever. Maybe my transmigration caused a butterfly effect, shifting the timeline slightly.
In the blink of an eye, Saitama had already grabbed a can of bug spray and charged out the door, chasing after the mosquito that had flown away.
Kenji scratched his head, set his cola down on the floor, and vanished from the room with a flicker of movement.
He decided he might as well go meet the legendary "Budget Warrior"—the cyborg known for blowing the animation budget on his fight scenes—and check out the Mosquito Girl, whom the internet unanimously agreed was strangely attractive.
Location: City Z Streets
The public address system was blaring harsh alarms, repeating the warning over and over again:
"Warning! A Demon-level disaster has erupted in City Z. The affected area is extensive. Citizens are advised to evacuate the streets immediately! Repeat: A Demon-level disaster has erupted..."
The entire district was practically a ghost town. People hadn't even bothered to lock their shops; valuing their lives over their property, they had fled with the evacuating crowds.
On the side of the road, two sleazy-looking young men were dragging massive burlap sacks down the street.
One of them, wearing a beanie, couldn't resist peeking inside his sack. Seeing the glint of valuables, his face blossomed into a greedy grin.
"Big Bro! We hit the jackpot this time! No one's watching these stores. We grabbed so much gold, we're set for life!"
The "Big Bro," a punk with bleached blond hair that reflected the sunlight, slicked back his bangs and laughed uncontrollably.
"Hahahaha! Those idiots running away are so stupid. What disaster? There's nothing here! We cleaned house today! Come on, let's go before anyone sees us!"
These two thugs had taken advantage of the Demon-level evacuation to sneak back into the district for a little "zero-cost shopping spree."
Just then, a mosquito landed on Blondie's face, emitting a high-pitched buzz.
Smack.
Blondie slapped the mosquito dead and clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Why are there so many damn bugs today? I've killed like a dozen of them. So annoying. Let's move!"
When he didn't hear a response, Blondie turned around, only to find Beanie standing frozen like a statue, staring blankly at the sky.
"Hey! Are we going or not?! Do you want the cops to catch us?"
Beanie ignored the scolding. His eyes were wide with terror. He stumbled back two steps, his voice trembling so hard it sounded like he was crying.
"Big... Big Bro... look at the sky! There are... so many mosquitoes!"
Hearing this, Blondie tsked in irritation. He looked up while continuing to curse.
"Look at you, you coward. What's there to be afraid of? It's just a few bu—"
His voice died in his throat. Blondie went rigid. His eyes went dead as he stared into the heavens, muttering to himself:
"What is that... what the hell is that?!"
Above them, millions upon millions of mosquitoes formed a black tidal wave in the sky. Accompanied by a deafening, unified buzz, the swarm was sweeping down toward them at breakneck speed.
Blondie and Beanie finally reacted. They dropped their sacks of stolen gold instantly, scrambling over each other to run for their lives.
But how could they outrun a swarm?
The black tide engulfed them in seconds.
Sharp proboscises pierced their skin, greedily draining every drop of blood they had. Their skin shriveled at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The two thugs struggled and screamed, but within seconds, their voices were drowned out by the buzzing.
The black cloud dispersed, the mosquitoes now glowing a faint red as they flew back into the sky. On the ground, only two dried, mummified husks remained.
High in the air, amidst the massive swarm, a strange humanoid creature hovered in the center.
She possessed limbs that resembled long, jagged insect legs, her body covered in fine bristles. Her lower body was distinctly insectoid, but her upper body resembled a human female with a slender figure and a pure, alluring face. A mosquito-like proboscis helmet adorned her head.
She looked both seductive and deadly. Mosquito Girl.
She raised a hand, summoning the swarm that had just fed. She absorbed the blood they had stolen, draining the red glow from their bodies into her own.
She licked her lips, which turned a deeper shade of crimson. Her smile grew wild and arrogant.
"That's it! More! Go plunder more blood!"
"You won't have the chance."
A cold, mechanical voice rang out from behind her.
Mosquito Girl's pupils constricted. She whipped her head around.
All she saw was a black mechanical arm, the incinerator port in the palm spinning rapidly.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A beam of high-heat orange energy expanded rapidly in her vision. Mosquito Girl didn't dare hesitate; she vibrated her wings and dodged out of the blast zone instantly.
But her swarm wasn't so lucky.
The violent Incineration Cannon vaporized the massive cloud of mosquitoes behind her. Millions of insects were turned to ash in a split second.
Watching the air shimmer from the intense heat, Mosquito Girl hovered at a distance, a mix of shock and rage on her face. She locked eyes with the attacker.
"What thing are you?!"
Suddenly, she paused. She realized she couldn't sense any blood flowing inside the man's body.
No blood... Is this guy not human?
Having seen many experiments at the House of Evolution, Mosquito Girl immediately thought of a possibility.
Could he be...?
"Demon-level threat: Mosquito Girl. For ravaging City Z and causing significant casualties, I will eliminate you today."
The cold voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked the newcomer up and down.
The man standing before her was about 1.7 meters tall, with sharp, short blond hair. He wore a simple white sleeveless shirt that failed to hide his mechanical body.
The cyborg raised his right hand again. Violent energy began to gather in the port of his palm. His golden mechanical eyes flashed with a terrifyingly sharp light.
The Budget-Burning Warrior, Genos, has arrived!