However, he didn't notice that the instant his finger touched the relief, the monsters' eyes carved into it seemed to flicker with a faint, ghostly glow.
An indescribable chill quietly seeped out through the crack in the door, making every member of the team shiver uncontrollably.
The prelude to the awakening of some terrifying existence—sealed away by countless ages—seemed to have been quietly played by that reckless touch.
A massive military transport roared as it touched down on a hastily carved makeshift runway at the edge of the Sahara Desert—marked "203."
The hatch opened, and scorching, dry sand-laden wind immediately poured in.
Saitama wore his signature yellow bodysuit and white cape. (This time, it was an "upgraded version" provided by S.H.I.E.L.D., supposedly with temperature regulation, but he felt it was no different from the old one.) He was the first to jump off the plane, and a fine layer of sand instantly dusted his bald head.
"Tch, what a sandstorm." He wiped his head and looked at the endless golden dunes ahead, feeling like it was even more desolate than the ruins of City Z after the monster attacks.
Behind him, a squad of fully armed S.H.I.E.L.D. agents filed out. Leading them was a tall woman with a cold, stern face—codename "Hawkeye." (Clint was currently on vacation.) She quickly directed the team to establish a temporary camp and began calibrating various detection instruments.
"Saitama-san," Hawkeye walked up beside him and handed him a custom comm earpiece. "The entrance to the ruins is three kilometers ahead, in a sand valley. Based on the last distress signal we received, what's inside… is extremely dangerous. We need you to open the way."
"Oh, got it." Saitama took the earpiece and casually stuffed it into his ear, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
The team pushed forward against the wind and sand. Soon, a huge rocky canyon—eroded into bizarre shapes—appeared before them. At the bottom of the canyon, a pitch-black, man-made opening was clearly visible. Beside it lay scattered archaeological equipment and… dark red bloodstains.
"On guard!" Hawkeye immediately ordered. The agents spread out at once, weapons chambered, nervously aiming at the entrance.
Saitama, meanwhile, walked straight over and leaned in to take a look. "It's pitch-black in there. You got a light?"
The moment he finished speaking, a dull "rumble" came from deep inside the cave, followed by the clicking grind of mechanisms turning.
"Careful! It's a trap!" Hawkeye shouted—
Before she could finish, a gigantic circular stone boulder—over five meters in diameter—came thundering out of the dark passage, carrying the momentum to crush anything in its path. It was so fast it was in their faces in the blink of an eye!
"Move!" The agents' faces went pale as they threw themselves to either side.
Only Saitama remained where he was, staring at the boulder rushing straight at him. He tilted his head. "Oh? A rolling boulder trap. Seen it in movies."
At the instant the boulder was about to grind him into paste, Saitama casually lifted his right hand and lightly pushed forward.
(End of Chapter)
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