Shinji sat in quiet reflection back at home, unexpectedly moved by what Psykos had just told him. He still had no clue what kind of solution she intended to offer, but honestly, the method didn't matter.

What touched him deeply was the fact that she was willing to help at all.

"Hm? Genos, you're still here? You haven't left for the Hero Association yet?" Shinji asked, suddenly noticing the cyborg still seated in the living room. A few minutes ago, the Hero Association contacted Genos, so Shinji had assumed he was already on his way.

"Yes. Since Saitama also received a call from the Association but hasn't finished his housework yet, I thought I'd wait for him," Genos replied calmly.

Now that Saitama was officially an S-Class hero, it wasn't surprising the Association wanted him involved. Then Genos added, "By the way, Master, they also said that if possible, they'd like you to come along too."

"They actually included me...?" Shinji blinked, genuinely surprised. But when he thought about it, it wasn't too strange.

The Association had sent word to all the S-Class heroes when the meteor warning came in, but in the end, only Bang and Genos had actually shown up at the Z-City branch. The rest were either occupied, too far away, or simply uninterested.

Genos, in fact, hadn't even been told what the situation was. He'd just been asked to come urgently and only found out it was about a meteor after arriving. Of course, even if he had known, Shinji knew Genos wouldn't have ignored the call anyway.

With such a serious manpower shortage, it made sense they were now calling on Shinji, the No. 5 A-Class hero, to help fill the gap.

"I'm down. I'll go ask Saitama how much longer he'll take."

Leaving the apartment, Shinji walked next door to Saitama's place. He gave the door a gentle knock and called out, "Saitama, how much more time do you need?"

"Not anytime soon. My washing machine's broken. I tried calling the repairman, but he looked bald in the photo. Also, he had many professions…" came the annoyed voice from inside.

Even just hearing his tone, Shinji could tell how frustrated he was.

"Okay then, how about Genos and I go on ahead to the Association?" Shinji asked, wanting to confirm with him first.

"Yeah, go ahead. If it turns out to be something serious, just let me know. And hey, if you two can handle it yourselves, that's even better," Saitama replied from within. "Dammit, I feel like someone is standing behind me while I am stuck in the washing machine!"

"…Got it. You do your thing…"

Shinji wasn't that worried. I mean unless someone from Dragon Ball comes, no one can harm that caped baldy.

Shinji then returned inside, and the two of them headed out. "I'll just take you there directly," he said to Genos as he reached over and placed a hand on the cyborg's shoulder. In the next instant, the Flying Thunder God Technique activated, warping both of them to their destination.

Even though Genos had experienced this teleportation before, a flicker of awe still passed through him every time his teacher used this technique. But the feeling didn't last. Something felt off.

They were standing right in front of the main entrance of the Hero Association, but Genos's bio-sensor detected only one lifeform inside. For a facility that normally had dozens of staff on duty, that made no sense. Had the place come under attack?

"Master, something seems wrong here..." Genos warned, his tone immediately shifting to alert.Bottom of Form

"It's fine. We'll find out once we go in," Shinji replied calmly.

As they stepped into the Hero Association building, they immediately came face to face with Bang.

"Yo... long time no see, Shinji boy," Bang greeted with a nod before turning his eyes to Genos. "You must be Genos, right? I'm Bang. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Genos," the cyborg responded with a slight nod. At the same time, he realized this elderly man with white hair standing before him was none other than Bang, the third-ranked S-Class hero. It also became apparent that Bang and his teacher already knew each other.

"The Hero Association called us over. Has something happened here?" Genos asked without hesitation.

"Looks like you're still out of the loop. This branch has already been evacuated. Everyone's run off to the shelters," Bang explained. "Seems like the only S-Class heroes who responded were you and me. And then there's Shinji, ranked fifth among A-Class heroes. But even with the three of us, this crisis is way beyond what we can handle."

"What kind of crisis are you talking about? Why did everyone evacuate?" Genos pressed further, eyes narrowed.

"The Hero Association only issues emergency summons when they're up against something outside their control. But this time, it's not just difficult, it's flat-out impossible," Bang said grimly. "The mission they dumped on us is to stop a massive meteor from crashing into the city. It's already been classified as a Dragon-level disaster. Since the Association was formed, we've never seen anything more serious."

"In just half an hour, that meteor will hit Z-City. When it does, the entire city will be wiped out, and several nearby cities will also suffer severe damage."

He continued, "Of course, if a hero somehow manages to stop it, the Hero Association's reputation would soar overnight. Investments and donations from every sector would pour in. The Association places a lot of importance on those things."

Just as Bang had said, if a hero managed to stop the meteor, the biggest beneficiary would be the Hero Association itself, both in reputation and funding. Anyone who helped achieve that victory would see their own rank increase alongside the Association's influence.

"But they're going to be disappointed. The three of us aren't nearly enough to deal with this kind of disaster. You should go find the people who matter to you and help them evacuate while there's still time," Bang said, his tone serious but composed.

"A meteor...!" Genos muttered, now fully grasping the scale of the catastrophe. "Do the civilians know about it?"

"The Association detected the meteor half an hour ago. They've probably already issued evacuation alerts," Bang replied, then added with a crooked grin, "Heh, mass panic should be kicking off right about now."

"And what about you? You're not evacuating?" Genos asked.

"What do you mean what about me? I'm Bang, remember," the old martial artist said. "I can't just abandon the dojo that's been handed down through generations. So I'll stay here."

Genos didn't reach much.

"Ever heard of the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist?" Bang asked as he immediately shifted into the opening stance of the technique, his posture sharp and fluid with practiced ease.

But Genos didn't even glance his way. Instead, he turned to Shinji and said, "Master, let's go."

"Ahem..." Bang cleared his throat, clearly caught off guard and a little embarrassed by being ignored. "You're not seriously planning to stop the meteor, are you? It's still not too late to get out of Z-City."

"It's fine. I have a way to deal with the meteor," Shinji replied, his voice steady and composed.

"Oh?" Bang raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Seeing Shinji so calm and confident instantly caught his attention.