"Saitama?" Steve turned to look at him.
Saitama rolled his wrist a little, eyes fixed on the heavy metal gate at the end of the passage ahead.
Energy flowed across its surface like liquid light, and several especially massive giant beasts stood guard before it.
"Yeah," he said calmly, "looks like they noticed us."
"Let's just go straight in."
Almost the moment the words left his mouth, a low, oppressive roar rumbled out from the depths of the base.
The entire underground complex seemed to come alive at once.
The packs of giant beasts that had been patrolling in neat, mechanical patterns suddenly turned feral.
Their scarlet compound eyes snapped in unison toward Saitama's team, locking onto them.
Like a tidal wave of flesh and chitin, they surged in from all directions.
At the same time, the heavy metal gate thundered as machinery within it engaged. It began to open slowly, revealing a deeper, darker space beyond—
and even more twisted silhouettes waiting inside.
"They've spotted us! Get ready for combat!" Steve raised his shield immediately, shifting into a fighting stance.
"Guess they're not inviting us in for tea," Tony muttered, as every weapon system in his armor came online in an instant.
"Then we'll just fight our way in."
Saitama didn't hesitate for even a second.
He charged first, straight toward the opening gate and the elite guard beasts clustered there.
"Stop him!"
One of the guard beasts let out a hoarse command—transmitted by some kind of psychic wave—
and swung a massive arm like a warhammer down at Saitama.
"Bang!"
Saitama didn't dodge. He simply threw a punch of his own.
Fist and limb collided, ringing out with a metallic crash like clashing steel.
The guard beast's arm, thicker and more heavily plated than those of its lesser kin,
was twisted out of shape by Saitama's blow, its bone-armor shattering into fragments.
Howling in pain, it staggered back.
Saitama used the recoil to launch himself forward, bursting straight through the gate and into the space beyond.
"Stay on Saitama!" Steve shouted.
He hurled his shield, smashing aside a beast that was lunging for Natasha, and then sprinted after Saitama.
Natasha slipped in behind him like a black cat, the Widow's Bite sparking in the dim tunnel light,
its electric arcs precisely disrupting any monsters attempting to close the net around them.
Tony went full bombardment mode.
His armor hovered in midair, repulsors stabilizing as repulsor blasts, micro-missiles, and high-intensity laser cutters poured down like a storm.
Fireballs ripped through the ranks of the pursuing beasts,
buying precious breathing room and easing the pressure on Saitama and Steve at the front.
The corridors of the base's core sector were relatively wide,
but they were now jammed wall-to-wall with raging monsters.
Saitama tore through them like a tiger in a flock of sheep.
His figure flickered between the hulking bodies, every punch accompanied by a dull boom and the sound of shattering armor.
There were no flashy techniques, just pure, refined speed and power.
One beast leapt at him from the side—
he smashed it in the head with a backhand punch, its skull bursting like a watermelon.
Another tried to ambush him from behind—
he spun and lashed out with a roundhouse kick, sending it flying into a metal wall and caving the whole section in.
Steve, meanwhile, displayed his superb combat skills and leadership.
Using his vibranium shield to block and counter, he moved like a mobile fortress,
clearing threats from Saitama's flanks and coordinating with Natasha.
Natasha's agility shone brightest in the chaos of melee combat.
She flowed through the gaps in the beasts' attacks,
striking at their joints and compound eyes with the Widow's Bite,
and even attempting to blow out the nodes on their backs with specially made micro-bombs.
The success rate wasn't high, but she pulled a huge amount of attention off Saitama and Steve,
forcing the monsters to split their focus just to keep up.
(End of Chapter)
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