Manhattan Cordon
When Saitama saw him, he was stunned. How did Genos become a girl? Cyborgs are truly unpredictable.
"Oh? Genos, why do you look like this?"
Jieluosi looked at Saitama expressionlessly and replied, "Sensei, my name is Jieluosi now. I am a robot created by Master Xu Mo. I possess all the memories and personality of Genos."
Although Jieluosi is a night-metal robot created by Skynet, its central CPU is formed from the memories of Genos.
"...Jieluosi...cough, Jieluosi, let's go."
Saitama didn't know what else to say. Since this robot had the memories and personality of Genos, it should be okay to call it "Sensei," right? Whatever, so be it.
The laid-back Saitama didn't refuse. He already had one disciple; having another wasn't a big deal. He wasn't going to bother himself with the nuances of their identities.
"Yes, Sensei." Jieluosi followed behind Saitama as they began to walk away.
But the surrounding soldiers kept their guns trained on them, showing no intention of letting them pass.
Jieluosi turned back to the officer, raised her right hand toward him, and said politely, "Don't be rude to Sensei."
As she spoke, her right hand morphed into a multi-barreled machine gun, its parts flowing smoothly like liquid. Faint blue particles began to glow.
Jieluosi only had three original Genos parts, including a single incinerator, but this didn't make her any less dangerous.
Genos often had to replace parts damaged in battle, and Jieluosi could perform just as well as long as the properties of the night-metal didn't deteriorate.
Additionally, the ion cannon, her strongest onboard weapon, wasn't as lethal as the incinerator but had a longer battery life.
Overall, Jieluosi's explosive power wasn't as high as Genos's, but she could hold her own in battle, even under severe damage.
The officer's face turned grim. His communicator crackled with the angry voice of General Ross. He glanced up at the hovering camera in the helicopter above, his frustration growing.
He spoke through gritted teeth, "Let them through."
The soldiers reluctantly lowered their weapons and stepped aside, creating a path.
Manmi and the gathered media reporters tried to follow, but Jieluosi and Saitama moved so quickly that they vanished from sight in no time.
In the Triskelion, Nick Fury was issuing tracking orders, calling in satellites and activating street surveillance, but no trace of them could be found.
Commander Hill entered with even worse news, hesitating before speaking, "Director, Agent Natasha has been compromised."
Bang!
Nick Fury slammed his hand on the table in anger, growling, "What's her status now?"
"She's fine. Agent Natasha uploaded her report."
Hill used a tablet to transmit the information to the small display in front of Nick Fury. It was filled with Natasha's detailed account of her resignation.
The increasingly frustrated Nick Fury forced himself to read the entire report. He pressed his hands to his forehead, hiding his expression from everyone.
Hill silently shook her head, recognizing that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been completely outmaneuvered in this operation.
After a moment, Nick Fury suddenly looked up and said, "We need to hold an emergency Security Council meeting about global security. We must act quickly, or we'll lose the initiative."
"Yes, sir!" Hill replied with a fierce determination.
In another office within the building, Nick Fury's former boss, Alexander Pierce, was reading a similar report.
Pierce, now a liaison between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Security Council, was responsible for coordinating between the two bodies.
After reading the report, Pierce narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. He pressed a hidden button on his desk.
After a moment, a burly white man entered the room. As he approached, the door quietly closed behind him.
"Rumlow, keep an eye on this person. Have someone test him out."
Rumlow simply nodded, took the photograph, and left the room.
Pierce closed his eyes, thinking to himself that Fury's S.H.I.E.L.D. was growing too powerful. Eventually, Hydra would have to step in and take control.
In addition to being the former head of S.H.I.E.L.D., Pierce was one of Hydra's top leaders. And Brock Rumlow, who appeared to be the captain of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s rapid response team, was also a Hydra operative, code-named Crossbones.
Nick Fury never suspected how deeply Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D., nor did he realize they were already making moves regarding Xu Mo.
Manhattan's Epicenter: A Villa
Peter Parker was practically shouting in Xu Mo's ear, all while gesturing wildly, "Xu Mo, is that really Saitama? This is amazing!"
Xu Mo wiped the sweat from his brow, surprised by Peter's intense reaction to Saitama's appearance. The moment he came in, Peter hadn't stopped talking.
When Jieluosi brought Saitama back to the villa, Peter's eyes lit up upon seeing him. He rushed over to Saitama, exclaiming, "Mr. Saitama, please teach me how to become stronger!"
The recent five-on-one battle had shaken Peter. His web-shooters were nearly useless against such formidable opponents, leaving him desperate to become stronger.
Saitama looked at Peter with his usual blank expression and said, "Since you're Xu Mo's friend, if you can beat me in a video game, I'll teach you."
Peter couldn't believe his luck. Saitama liked video games? Victory was almost guaranteed!
Sure enough, Peter beat Saitama 3-0. Saitama sat in front of the console, a bewildered look on his face as the controller slipped from his grasp.
Looking up at the ceiling, Saitama shouted in frustration, "How is this possible?!"
Clearly, even in this world, he was no match for Peter in gaming.
Saitama had no choice but to solemnly declare, "My secret to becoming stronger is 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10-kilometer run every day."
Peter's excitement quickly deflated. "But Mr. Saitama, I do that every day, and I haven't gotten any stronger. Plus, my hair hasn't fallen out!"
He was familiar with the routine, but it hadn't made any difference.
"Peter, there might be more to it. How many times do you do it each day?" Xu Mo interjected, a knowing look in his eyes.
Peter was confused. "How many times? Isn't it just once?"
"Go back and read the comic carefully. Do you really think this training is that simple?"
Xu Mo picked up the controller as Saitama resumed playing. "Take a closer look," he advised.
Peter furrowed his brow and quickly dashed out of the villa, racing home to find his copy of the comic.
As he flipped through the pages, one particular panel made Peter's blood run cold. He took a deep breath, the realization hitting him like a ton of bricks.
The secret wasn't in the routine itself—it was in the way it was executed.