Chapter 78: One Punch Man
The group of four S-Class heroes leaped down from the rooftop and landed on the ground.
Instantly, the cheers and adoring gazes of the public flooded in from all directions. In this moment, they were the center of the world.
Countless hands, amidst the joyful clamor, quietly reached toward that sexy bald head.
Saitama sensed something was wrong and quickly dodged a few hands by moving his head rapidly, but more hands swarmed in.
Surrounded by ordinary people, he was blocked in. His shiny head was being rubbed like a lucky walnut.
Those who managed to touch Saitama's head raised their hands excitedly:
"HAHAHAHA! I touched it! I touched the Caped Baldy's head! It feels super smooth!"
"Really? As expected of one of the heroes who saved City Z! Even his head feels amazing! Let me touch it too!"
"Me too! Don't push! I want to touch Caped Baldy's head too! It looks so squishy!"
"Woohoo! I touched Mr. King's hand! I'm not washing this hand for three days!"
Feeling the countless touches on his head, Saitama froze in place, his mouth twitching uncontrollably.
You bastards! Touch my head again, and I'll curse you all to go bald like me!
Although he possessed invincible strength, the price was losing all his hair. Baldness had always been a thorn in Saitama's heart.
It was fine if it was mentioned occasionally, but now everyone was not only shouting the word "Baldy," they were dribbling his head like a basketball!
Unable to take it anymore, Saitama scratched his phantom hair and faced the passionately enthusiastic crowd:
"Uh, um... I have other things to deal with, so I'll be going now."
Before anyone could respond, Saitama leaped into the sky and vanished from everyone's sight in an instant.
After a brief silence, the crowd's gaze shifted to King.
A drop of cold sweat appeared on King's forehead. He cursed internally.
Damn it! Without the shiny head to draw aggro, what am I supposed to do?!
After hesitating for 0.01 seconds, King also decided not to linger. With a flicker, he vanished from the spot.
Before leaving, a sentence drifted into Bang's ears:
"Old Man Bang, please take care of Genos. Carry him to the Hero Association; I'll pick him up later."
Seeing Genos unable to move due to system overload, Bang helplessly picked him up with one hand and continued walking through the crowd.
"Wait! Lord King, don't go!"
"What are you complaining about? Lord King left in such a hurry, surely because another terrifying disaster is about to happen, and he's going alone to save humanity!"
"Damn, why didn't you say so?! As expected of Lord King, the Strongest Man on Earth, always worrying about humanity's safety! We love you!"
Hearing the crowd's heartfelt praises, Bang stroked his white mustache and disappeared into the throng, carrying Genos.
Really now... both of them ran away in the blink of an eye and left this mechanical boy to me.
Soon, the news of the meteor disaster being resolved spread rapidly to all cities.
While the Hero Association played a part in promoting it from the shadows, it was ultimately due to the citizens of City Z praising their saviors online.
People were already accustomed to King, the Strongest Man on Earth, resolving this disaster. They simply treated it as another addition to his legendary record.
What truly sparked heated discussion was the new S-Class hero: Caped Baldy.
Rumor had it that during the Hero Association exam, Caped Baldy broke almost every physical fitness record, far surpassing the previous limits.
According to an anonymous examiner, Caped Baldy's body seemed to house a god, possessing the terrifying power of a beast.
After becoming an S-Class hero, Caped Baldy was frequently seen by the public. Residents of City Z often witnessed him one-shotting monsters.
Moreover, in this meteor disaster, Caped Baldy teamed up with King to shatter the entire meteor and neutralize the dangerous debris.
Thus, with the online buzz, Saitama's reputation soared. Unlike in the original story where his achievements were met with cynicism and mockery, this time he was praised.
The reason was simple: He was S-Class.
When you are just an ordinary C-Class hero, no matter how god-like your feats are, in the eyes of ordinary people, you must be cheating.
Their narrow vision doesn't allow them to see beyond their cognitive bias; they always believe C-Class heroes should be weak.
But when you become an S-Class hero, in the eyes of the public, you are a god-like existence. No matter how absurdly powerful your feats are, they will simply believe you did it.
(Of course, the original King was an exception. His naturally intimidating face and the bluffing King Engine caused cognitive confusion among ordinary people regardless of rank.)
Amidst the constant discussions, some people began to feel that the title "Caped Baldy" was too ugly and didn't fit the image of a hero.
The online debate grew fiercer. Eventually, people agreed that Saitama's hero name shouldn't be "Caped Baldy," but rather "One Punch Man."
After all, no matter what monster he faced, Saitama always killed it in one punch. Plus, his outfit resembled Superman's, just with different colors.
The public's voice reached the ears of the higher-ups. The executives of the Hero Association held another time-wasting meeting.
The topic of discussion was whether to change S-Class Rank 14 "Caped Baldy's" name to the public's desired "One Punch Man."
Just for this question, they debated for another three hours, though nobody knew what exactly they were discussing.
Sitch sat in the corner of the conference room, staring at the ceiling with dead eyes.
How long can you guys talk about this, you bastards?!!
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