Chapter 144: King's Intelligence Adjusted to Max
Vroom!
King and the others sped along in the car, covering over two hundred kilometers in just over ten minutes. What greeted their eyes was a landslide, with mud and rocks burying the highway.
Government rescue personnel were directing excavators to systematically clear the road.
"Miss Yali is buried inside."
King "looked" at the radar-like display in his mind, which clearly showed Yali right in front of him.
"Too slow."
Child Emperor frowned, watching the government's rescue teams at work. "At this rate, it would take at least a day to rescue Miss Yali. It's already been four days since Miss Yali went missing. If we delay any longer, her chances of survival will become even slimmer. We can't wait."
King shrugged. "If we don't let the government use excavators to clear the road, do we have to blast a path ourselves?"
"Their efficiency is too low," Child Emperor said, stroking his head, his face full of seriousness. "It's time to show some real skill."
His small hand pressed a button on his backpack.
"Click-clack, click-clack!"
From inside the backpack came the sound of gears turning. One by one, Mechanical Arms gradually extended from Child Emperor's backpack. In a short while, Child Emperor was like a spider, supported in mid-air by four Mechanical Arms.
"Uh, Child Emperor, what are you going to do?"
King curiously examined the Mechanical Arms on Child Emperor's backpack. These arms shimmered with a metallic glow, their fingers sharp as blades, clearly instruments of combat.
"Commencing work!"
With a thought, Child Emperor plunged headfirst into the collapsed mud and rocks. Under the astonished gaze of King, Chain Toad, and Gunman, his Mechanical Arms swung, sending countless broken rocks and earth flying out, neatly piled on both sides.
"Thud! Thud!"
"Clank! Clank!"
Child Emperor's figure appeared and disappeared amidst the swirling dust. Massive mud and rocks were carved away, layer by layer. The government's rescue team stared dumbfounded at Child Emperor's amazing feat, exclaiming in wonder, "Is this the power of an S-Class hero? Truly superhuman!"
"S-Class... excavator? Child Emperor, did you graduate from Lan Xiang Vocational School?"
This was King's first time seeing Child Emperor's Mechanical Arms unleashed at full power. He hadn't expected them to be used for digging mud and earth – what a massive overkill.
"Found her."
In less than a moment, Child Emperor emerged from deep within the mud, carrying Yali. At this moment, Yali's condition was extremely critical; she was in a state of shock, her breathing was faint, and her pulse had almost stopped.
"To the hospital!"
King and the others quickly said their goodbyes to the dumbfounded government personnel, then pulled Yali into the car, speeding off again to the Hero Association Hospital in Z City. Yali was immediately sent to the emergency room.
"Where is Miss Yali?"
On the way, King had already notified Yamason, informing him that Miss Yali had been found and taken to the hospital.
"Mr. Yamason, please don't worry. Miss Yali is already in the emergency room. I believe she will be fine."
Accompanying Yamason were Bang and Superalloy Darkshine. The two of them had been sparring intensely for the past few days, sleeping side-by-side and inseparable like glue.
As for Puri-Puri Prisoner, perhaps he was currently agitated at some gay club.
"Thank you, thank you all for helping us rescue Miss Yali. Thank you very much."
Yamason was overjoyed and tearful, expressing his gratitude repeatedly.
"You should thank King," Child Emperor said with a chuckle. "Without King, we wouldn't have found Miss Yali so quickly. Speaking of which, King's deductive ability is incredibly strong! Although Officer Naolei stubbornly refused to tell us any clues about Miss Yali's search, King was able to deduce Miss Yali's missing location just from a tiny bit of information Officer Naolei accidentally leaked, thus saving Miss Yali."
"Is that so?"
Yamason narrowed his eyes slightly. "Naolei... Heh heh."
Bang glanced at Child Emperor strangely. "Heh heh, a smart little devil."
"If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."
King stretched lazily. Since the mission was complete, he was eager to go find Saitama. He wondered if they had dealt with the House of Evolution. Revenge was secondary; drawing cards was the main goal. Right now, he was... broke. He only had two cards on him, and he was reluctant to use them easily.
Yamason said solemnly, "If King has other matters, then I won't bother you. However, after our young lady recovers, please, King, you must come to the Elegant Estate. We wish to properly thank you for your kindness."
"Alright, we'll talk then!"
King waved his hand and bid farewell to Child Emperor and the others.
Gunman nudged Chain Toad beside him and asked, bewildered, "Hey, what exactly did we do on this trip?" He had thought that joining forces with S-Class heroes meant something big was happening. He hadn't expected it to be a search for a missing person. He just ran back and forth without doing anything.
Chain Toad said matter-of-factly, "I've done quite a lot these past few days, like driving the car."
"Uncle Toad, why are you so unmotivated? We are heroes; eliminating evil is our duty. Driving a car is a chauffeur's job."
"It doesn't matter. Peaceful years are also a kind of blessing."
...
A City Hero Association Headquarters.
"Hmm, Child Emperor, you're saying Director Yali has been found? Phew, you've been through a lot these past few days." Sitch sighed in relief. Director Yali was finally safe; otherwise, the Hero Association would undoubtedly face some turmoil.
"Sitch, you really need to thank King for this matter. From beginning to end, almost all of it involved King independently deducing Miss Yali's location. Honestly, King's deductive ability is stronger than mine! Every time, King is the first to find clues and deduce the results. I always fall a little short."
"King's deductive ability is stronger than yours?"
Sitch's pupils constricted slightly. Child Emperor was a gifted prodigy with intelligence far beyond his peers, possessing the knowledge of a great scientist at such a young age, and personally developing and designing robots. He had even earned a revered reputation in the City G detective world. Yet, King could actually surpass Child Emperor in deduction. One could only imagine that King's intelligence was equally extraordinary and unparalleled.
"Coulson!"
After pondering for a long time, he called out loudly for Coulson, who was responsible for managing hero data.
"Chief, please give your orders."
Sitch said with a solemn expression, "Adjust King's intelligence on his profile to maximum." Child Emperor's intelligence was already full marks, so how could King's intelligence be lower than Child Emperor's when he could surpass Child Emperor in the special test of deductive reasoning?
"King's intelligence to maximum?"
Coulson was startled. "If that's the case, King will have seven categories at maximum among his standard abilities, with only his martial prowess slightly lower."
In the Hero Association's records for heroes, hero data was categorized into eight standard abilities: Stamina, Intelligence, Sense of Justice, Durability, Power, Popularity, Combat Score, and Martial Prowess.
Martial Prowess referred to sustained combat ability, like that of Atomic Samurai, Child Emperor, or Metal Knight. King's fights almost always ended with a single punch, and he was never seen in sustained combat, which was why his Martial Prowess was slightly lower.
Sitch slowly said, "That's right. I've received sufficient evidence to prove... King's intelligence has reached maximum standard."
"King... truly a terrifying man."
"Heh, he is the Strongest Man, after all. Also, inform King to visit the Hero Association when he has time. His hero ranking should be moved up."
(end of chapter)