If anyone in the world is most familiar with Saitama and Genos, apart from Xu Mo, it's the animation team at the company. Every aspect of "One Punch Man" was painstakingly crafted by their hands—the drawings, the interior scenes—everything was meticulously conceived and executed, with every detail fully understood. They've even seen the original art displayed by Saitama countless times.
But now, they're utterly baffled.
"...Really??!!"
"This has to be cosplay; it can't be real. He's a virtual character!"
"The guy from the comic has come to life, but…how can that even be possible?"
"No way! Maybe the boss knew someone like Saitama and used him as inspiration for the comic."
"Yeah, that's plausible. But it's impossible for a comic character to come to life, not even with mutant powers."
The employees in the company were plunged into a stunned silence as they stared at the display on the wall. But in the next moment, they erupted in a cacophony of thoughts and emotions. Tension, excitement, disbelief, and panic were etched on every face, and soon the entire floor was abuzz with noise.
Natasha stared blankly at the screen, replaying everything she'd just seen. As an employee, she managed everything in the company with due diligence. But as an agent, this was a massive failure. She had spent so much time trying to gather information from Kaneki Ken, the man next to her, but it had been utterly futile.
Wait, Kaneki Ken?
Natasha's eyes widened, and her heart skipped a beat. She vividly remembered that the protagonist of the "Tokyo Ghoul" comic was named Kaneki Ken.
With her sharp memory, she vaguely recalled how Kaneki had been teased by employees for sharing the same name as the comic character. It was brushed off as a coincidence.
But…was it really just a coincidence?
Using S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources, Natasha had thoroughly vetted Kaneki Ken's background and found nothing amiss. Yet, Director Nick Fury's suspicious nature led him to believe it was no coincidence, so Natasha had kept a close watch on Kaneki.
But as her investigation proved fruitless, she was ready to give up—until Saitama appeared. His strength was exactly as depicted in the comics.
Could this Kaneki Ken really be the Kaneki Ken?
Natasha's face went pale as she mechanically turned to Kaneki, who was typing away on his keyboard. She heard him sigh.
"Today's work is done. I don't think you need me to teach you how to do your job anymore, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Natasha's face drained of color, and she felt her strength leave her body. This was the worst possible failure for an agent.
He knew!
He and Xu Mo knew all along that I had infiltrated the company to gather intel. They had orchestrated everything, luring S.H.I.E.L.D. with a simple name. The company had no valuable information at all—S.H.I.E.L.D. had been played for fools.
At that moment, Natasha realized everything. She had been led into a trap.
Kaneki closed his laptop, pulled a resignation letter out of his backpack, and placed it in front of Natasha with a blank expression. "It's in everyone's best interest for you to resign on your own," he said.
All around them, people were talking animatedly, their excitement and chatter a sharp contrast to the tense, frozen air between the two.
Natasha stood rooted to the spot. This wasn't a matter of physical force—it was a total strategic defeat. S.H.I.E.L.D., the largest spy agency on the planet, had been thoroughly outplayed.
Xu Mo is a truly terrifying person, Natasha thought.
Nevertheless, she wasn't ready to give up. Since Kaneki Ken knew everything, she had to act quickly.
Kaneki was swiftly apprehended and taken to the Helicarrier, but Xu Mo didn't react. Even if S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to find him, they wouldn't be able to. But they could extract information from Kaneki Ken.
Natasha picked up the pen to fill out the resignation letter, casting a slow glance at Kaneki Ken, but her gaze was met with the sight of a ghoul's red eye glaring back at her from the dark socket of his left eye.
Her blood ran cold. It was as though she had been plunged into an ice-cold abyss. She wanted to lash out with the pen, but found she was as helpless as a fish on a chopping block. Any movement, and she knew she'd be crushed in an instant.
At that moment, she realized that if the young man before her truly was the Kaneki Ken from the comics, then he was a ghoul.
Comics don't always reflect reality. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon was depicted as a powerful monster in the game, but in reality, it was a missile capable of mass destruction.
So, this Kaneki Ken couldn't possibly be the same as the one depicted in the comics. Otherwise, she wouldn't feel this kind of dread.
After all, Kaneki Ken in the comics was still a relatively weak young man.
This reaction was a natural human response to powerful creatures—a primal instinct to seek safety and avoid danger. Even an agent with Natasha's steely nerves couldn't suppress her fear.
"Give it up. I could kill you in an instant," Kaneki said, his expression cold as he warned her, "Xu Mo's order was not to kill you. Leaving quietly now would be your contribution to the company."
Natasha took a deep breath, finished signing the resignation letter, and looked at Kaneki Ken, whose eye had returned to normal. She got up and walked out, her steps heavy.
As she left, she glanced back. The other employees, oblivious to what had just transpired, remained focused on the screen, shaking their heads in disbelief.
It seemed that the company had no secrets after all, and the only lead was Xu Mo. What kind of power did he possess?
In his office, Andy was equally unsettled. No longer the seasoned, unflappable veteran he usually was, he quickly called Xu Mo.
"Xu Mo, what's going on?"
"Nothing much, just an acquaintance. Of course, I agreed when my friend suggested turning this comic into a reality."
"You… Xu Mo, this isn't as simple as it seems. In less than twenty minutes, the whole world will know."
"The more people know, the higher the sales—just what we need. Don't worry about anything else, Uncle Andy. If the media asks, just say you don't know."
"I don't know what you're hiding, but as a friend of your father's, I can only advise you to think carefully."
"Of course, everything is going according to plan."
Xu Mo hung up the phone cheerfully. He was no longer on the rooftop but lounging on the sofa, watching TV, waiting for events to unfold.
He didn't need to prepare anything—his strength was all he needed.
As he waited, Xu Mo reviewed his previous lottery results and spent 10 million fans.
In addition to the two pieces of Saitama that he had already synthesized, there were also [Monkey D. Luffy fragments x2, Gray's Ice-Make Magic, the Stone Mask (from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure), Shadow Scissors (from Doraemon), and Dragon Slayer Natsu Fragment x3].