The bullet passed right through the man's head, causing his body to freeze and fall onto the ground with a loud thud. The blood gushed out, covering his head in a pool of red liquid.
Shocked, Saitama slowly turned around, pointing at the dead man's body. "Why did you kill him? And you had a gun all along?"
"Yes, Mister," Marcus sighed. "I was about to inform you, but you ran away."
Saitama scratched his cheeks. "You should've waited longer. He was about to use some special power."
"That's precisely why I killed him!" Marcus exclaimed, putting his gun back into his pocket. "Let's search this mansion since that man said that he was from Arplesis."
As soon as Marcus finished, countless robots emerged yet again, but their eyes weren't glowing red. They were totally lifeless, their limbs stationary as if their battery had exhausted.
One of the robots killed the silence by roaring. "Initiating Self-destruct in 3-2-1..."
"What!?" Marcus panicked and looked around, but it was too late. All of the robots started to burst, one by one.
BOOM!
KABOOM!
The continuous explosions were so powerful that the entire mansion turned into a pile of rubble. An enormous amount of smoke covered the manor, and the impact continued to cause havoc all around.
After a few minutes, the smoke cleared. Saitama was standing in front of Marcus, spots of black ash smeared on his face.
"Woo..." Marcus shook his head, cleaning smoke particles stuck in his hair. "Mister, thanks for saving me yet again."
Saitama turned around with a straight face. "Did my clothes burn again?"
"No, the mayor had it made in such a way that it could survive even a nuclear bomb!" Marcus clamored, walking towards the heap of rubble to investigate. "Before we set out, I need to find some remains of the robots. Maybe the mayor can give me a promotion for this."
He picked up one of the stones and started to rotate it.
"Were the robots made of stone?" Saitama asked, confused as to why Marcus was analyzing a stone.
"I'm just trying to guess how old this building is," Marcus said, picking up another stone. "Probably some two years old..."
"Hoh!" Saitama's eyes widened. "You can guess the age of the building by simply staring at it?"
Marcus chose not to reply and began to spread the pile. He found parts of aluminum and copper wires, which he collected and threw away.
"There's nothing here," He squinted before moving to another one. "Now watch my luck!"
He scattered the pile like a wild animal until a snail emerged. Quickly covering the rubble back, Marcus looked away. "Maybe the one next to this is lucky!"
While Marcus struggled to find parts related to the robots, Saitama also joined the search as he was bored.
Marcus uncovered yet another snail and shouted in anger. "HOW DID THESE SNAILS SURVIVE THE EXPLOSION?"
On the other hand, Saitama found a steel door that looked like a gateway to a bunker. "What's this?" He murmured as he pried the shining, metallic door open with his two fingers.
SCREECH!
Saitama's face lit up as he gazed at the dark stairs that led underground. Following the sound, Marcus glanced around and immediately went from curious to shocked.
"Is that an underground bunker?" Marcus slowly walked towards it. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
He stared at the dark stairs for a few moments before thoroughly inspecting the hidden steps. "It might be related to Arplesis... I think we should hop in, Mister."
Saitama nodded, and they leaped through the door, softly landing on the stairs.
"Do you think there will be any strong monsters inside?" Saitama questioned as his face grew darker.
"I don't know..." Marcus whispered. "But it would be better if there weren't."
They walked on for several minutes, but the stairs didn't seem to end. The lack of light made it impossible for them to keep track of each other.
"Mister, you're still here, right?" Marcus asked, his voice shaking.
BLAST!
A loud explosion echoed through the air, its thunderous resonance causing the very walls around them to quiver.
"An explosion?" Marcus yelled, rushing down the stairs.
Within a few moments, light replaced the darkness, revealing a flickering tube light surrounded by colorful wires.
As they reached closer, a wave of smoke gushed in their direction. They rushed through the smoke, eventually arriving at a door made of wood.
Marcus quickly attempted to force the door open and succeeded, revealing a chaotic scene. It was a room full of scientists who aimed at a giant robot with futuristic guns.
The colossal robot had eyes that resembled an eagle's. It had shiny, brown hair that looked as if it were real, while its colossal limbs were tied in steel chains.
Amidst all this, the scientists were unaware of Saitama and Marcus's presence as the humongous robot was too loud.
"Mr. X002, it looks like the advanced miniature technology grenade did not affect our robot." One of the scientists shouted.
"Mr. X002, the bullets seem to have no effect as well!" Another one exclaimed.
"The magic particles and the blue moons truly are a blessing," Another one in the crowd screamed.
"Try our luck with the lasers!" One of them roared. "Shoot!"
SCREECH!
BOOM!
The robot was once again left unscathed. "Do you think we can finally achieve our goal?" The one on the extreme left asked.
"Yes, we can, at least with this beast," The one behind him answered.
Suddenly, Saitama felt an itchy sensation in his nose, causing him to sneeze loudly. It created such high pressure that the scientists collided with each other, and the walls quivered, making some of the paintings hanging on them fall onto the ground.
The sneeze also unleashed a booger that rushed straight at the giant robot, passing right through its center and causing an explosion on impact.
BLAST!
Within a few moments, the smoke dissipated, unveiling yet another chaotic scene. The limbs of the robot were lying on the ground, disassembled.
The eagle-like eyes of the robot vanished into thin air. The main point of impact, i.e., the center, was nowhere to be seen.
TO BE CONTINUED...