Chapter 72: The Monster's Disaster Level is Elevated to... Dragon
"Hoo~"
Half a minute later, Sitch took a deep breath and calmly issued an order: "Genos, immediately contact M-City's TV station. Ask them to pull the program to prevent global panic."
The TV station's live broadcast had too much influence, easily causing serious damage to the Hero Association's reputation. The TV program had to be pulled in time to prevent negative impacts from escalating.
"Yes, Director," Genos replied with a solemn expression and went to contact M-City's TV station.
"Maria, immediately elevate the Disaster Level of the Tyrannosaurus Dinosaur Man, Hammond, to... Dragon! Remember, this Monster's Disaster Level report will be broadcast worldwide, no longer limited to the disaster area."
Hammond had continuously destroyed parts of City G and M-City urban areas, in addition to defeating the S-Class hero Puri-Puri Prisoner. He already qualified for a Dragon-level Disaster. Furthermore, Sitch absolutely could not let people worldwide believe that a mere Demon-level Monster had put the Hero Association in such a desperate state. If it were a Dragon-level Monster, then it would be understandable for it to break through the shelters, which could slightly mitigate the public's negative impression of the Hero Association.
"Dragon?" Maria trembled for a moment, then quickly reacted, exclaiming, "Yes, Director!"
She turned to adjust the Monster alert systems in major cities, preparing to broadcast the latest Monster Disaster Level.
"Coulson, contact King and Tatsumaki. Ask them to rush to the scene as soon as possible to eliminate the Monster. Remember to ensure the safety of the citizens as much as possible."
Ultimately, only by eliminating Hammond as quickly as possible could the storm completely subside. Currently, the S-Class heroes in M-City were only King, Puri-Puri Prisoner, and Terrible Tornado, who was about to arrive. Among them, Puri-Puri Prisoner had already lost his combat capability. Therefore, they could only pin their hopes on the Hero Association's two trump cards—King and Terrible Tornado.
"Understood, Director."
Coulson pushed up his glasses, nodded gravely, and turned to contact Tatsumaki.
"Hoo~"
After Sitch issued a series of orders, he slumped tiredly into his chair, rubbing his temples. Recently, Monster disasters had occurred frequently, and citizens' trust in the Hero Association was getting lower and lower. If this continued, citizens might completely abandon the Hero Association.
Half an hour later, Genos returned indignantly, "Director, the person in charge of M-City's TV station refused to cancel the program. They righteously stated that their program complies with government regulations and we have no right to interfere with their program arrangements."
Sitch was silent for a moment, then sighed, "They're not wrong. We indeed have no right to interfere with their program arrangements. We are just a civilian organization, not the world government. We... have no authority!"
No matter how great the Hero Association's reputation, it could not escape one fact: they were merely a civilian organization that upheld justice, not a legal entity under the government. They operated entirely on their own capabilities. If they operated well, the Hero Association could continue to exist. If they failed to operate, the Hero Association would disappear like smoke.
Reality was so cruel. The Hero Association had resisted Monsters for many years, yet the government had never injected a single penny into them. All operating funds relied on them attracting sponsorships and raising money from the public. Citizens complained that they had become bodyguards for the rich, but who had ever considered their difficulties?
They had no other choice. If the Hero Association wanted to continue operating, they could only rely on the sponsorship of the wealthy; public funds were simply too little.
Genos's face also showed a tragic expression, a kind of desolation similar to a loyal general devoted to his country yet reviled by all.
"Director, what should we do next?"
Sitch said with profound meaning, "Let them broadcast it. A global live broadcast can either make our Hero Association suffer a crushing defeat and ruin our reputation, or it can make our reputation even greater."
"Huh?" Genos was stunned for a moment. After careful consideration, his heart stirred. "Director, are you referring to King and Tatsumaki?"
Sitch nodded slightly. "I hope they both can win the battle splendidly."
...
M-City.
People were extremely concerned about the Monster invasion of M-City's third shelter.
"Isn't M-City King's protected city? How come Monsters have wreaked havoc repeatedly? The last time was the Monster jailbreak, and this time, the Tyrannosaurus Dinosaur Man invaded. Isn't King known as the Strongest Man?"
"King has already done his best! Didn't you hear the broadcast just now? King was everywhere, continuously killing three Demon-level Tyrannosaurus Dinosaur Men. It's just that there were too many Demon-level Monsters this time. King doesn't have clones, so it's normal for him to be overwhelmed."
"Fortunately, our Q-City is protected by Watchdog Man. Even the most powerful Monster cannot run rampant in Q-City."
"Is that Tyrannosaurus Dinosaur Man a mutated idiot? To actually challenge King directly?"
"Who knows? Maybe it got tired of living and wanted to die in a grander way, so it sought out King."
...
Z City.
As the city with the most frequent Monster incidents, the citizens here were already numb to Monster invasions. They complained more about the Hero Association's incompetence.
"The Hero Association is becoming more and more useless. Monsters were never so rampant before."
"Sigh, the urban Monsters in 'Hero Encyclopedia' are said to mostly originate from our Ghost Town in Z City. However, the Ghost Town is about to become a wasteland, and the Hero Association has never sent anyone to investigate the Monster situation there."
"The Hero Association has fallen."
...
People in various major cities like City B, City F, and N City kept a close eye on the situation at M-City's third shelter. While passionately discussing the situation, they were also very curious: Would King appear in time to kill the Monster and protect the citizens?
Just as the citizens were munching on melon seeds, preparing to watch the show, the Monster alert system in the city center suddenly blared out a broadcast.
"Attention citizens, attention citizens! Due to the Demon-level Monster that appeared at M-City's third shelter continuously destroying City G and M-City urban areas, it has already reached the Dragon-level Disaster scale. The Hero Association hereby officially elevates its Disaster Level to Dragon."
"Broadcasting again! Attention citizens, attention citizens! Due to the Demon-level Monster that appeared at M-City's third shelter continuously destroying City G and M-City urban areas, it has already reached the Dragon-level Disaster scale. The Hero Association hereby officially elevates its Disaster Level to Dragon."
"Wow~"
The entire populace erupted in an uproar. The Tyrannosaurus Dinosaur Man, which they thought was a Demon-level Monster, had become a Dragon-level Monster. Now the situation was even more complicated.
...
Above M-City.
A transport plane was speeding through the sky, also heard the Hero Association's broadcast.
The pilot was shocked: "Tatsumaki, that Tyrannosaurus Dinosaur Man's Disaster Level has been elevated to..."
*Shatter!*
Before the pilot could finish speaking, the sound of glass shattering rang out. He turned his head in surprise and saw an extremely fast green light flash past the windshield of the cockpit.
"A Dragon-level Monster is mine! King, you've lost."
"Huh?"
The pilot looked bewildered as Tatsumaki flew away. Just as he was about to follow, the plane suddenly lost altitude. He exclaimed in shock, "Damn it, airflow has entered the plane!"
He immediately pressed the parachute button. With a whoosh, he shot out of the cockpit, then popped open his parachute, slowly drifting through the air.
...
Within M-City.
A blurry figure sped through the streets. When the Hero Association's broadcast sounded, the figure abruptly stopped.
Jiyu scratched his face. "Ah, that Monster ran to M-City again?" He rummaged through his belongings and pulled out an M-City supermarket flyer from a pile of supermarket sale flyers. His face beamed with joy. "M-City has a supermarket sale! Let's go take a trip and defeat some Monsters while we're at it."
(end of chapter)