Kryptonians: Man of Steel

Chapter 1550 Super Shameful System!
Any eye contact could be the straw that breaks her last line of defense.

Hiratsuka Shizuka abruptly released her grip on the edge of the table, the movement accompanied by an almost spasmodic stiffness.

She didn't even glance at the card again, which seemed to be the source of a curse, as if it were some kind of radioactive substance contaminated with deadly poison.

Like a puppet pulled by invisible threads, she stiffly yet swiftly grabbed her coat and handbag from the back of the chair, her steps unsteady yet purposeful as she rushed toward the door.

He opened the door, rushed into the corridor, and slammed it shut behind him—the movements were fluid and decisive, as if he were escaping from hell.

The icy corridor air rushed towards her, but it did nothing to cool the lingering embers of her mental turmoil beneath her skin and the icy despair deep within her heart.

She just wanted to get back to that one private space that still offered a sliver of shelter as quickly as possible, and let the water carry everything away.

As for tomorrow?

The old steam engine named "Hiratsuka Shizuka" has completely stopped running and is now scrapped.

These questions are as distant as problems from another universe to this empty shell that just wants to bury itself in hot water.

She just wanted to disappear.

At the end of the corridor, behind the emergency door in the stairwell, the shadows were so thick they seemed to melt away.

Luther leaned against the cold fire door.

He watched with amusement as that figure, usually so upright and imposing, now looked as disheveled as a cat scalded by boiling water, rushing frantically toward the elevator in an almost comical and broken manner.

He could even see the collar of her coat folded up comically, shaking ridiculously as she ran.

How pathetic, Hiratsuka Shizuka.

In the last sliver of light before the elevator doors closed, her distraught, bloodless face was reflected, like a crumpled and unfolded sheet of white paper.

Luther, of course, liked this quiet and adorable girl with her invincible iron fist.

I like her forced, hardened exterior, like steel armor, and I like watching her scold students and intimidate the wicked with that "I'm the best in the world" attitude.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so patient, put in so much effort, and meticulously prepared this "little game" just for her.

He enjoys the process of peeling back the hard outer shell to peek into the softness and wretchedness inside.

This "liking" is twisted and focused, with a cold, playful edge.

The city's neon lights, shining through rain-streaked windows, cast bizarre and ever-shifting patches of color onto the back seat of the taxi.

Hiratsuka Shizuka huddled in the corner like an abandoned package, her forehead pressed against the cold car window.

Every bump in the car felt like it was violently stirring the words on the card back into her brain, bringing waves of dizziness and nausea.

The love songs the driver played on the radio were so saccharine they were nauseating; every note felt like a tiny needle pricking her taut nerve endings.

She closed her eyes tightly, shutting out the flowing light and sound, futilely trying to shrink herself into a pure, sensory-isolated darkness.

The key trembled and turned several times in the lock before finally finding the right spot. "Click," the door opened, and a cool, crisp air, unique to a solitary living space, mingled with the scent of dust and a hint of old books, rushed out.

This atmosphere, which should have brought a sense of belonging, only made her feel a chilling emptiness. She practically kicked off her shoes, her high heels falling askew onto the entryway mat.

Her coat and handbag were carelessly tossed onto the back of the single sofa in the living room, like two abandoned shells. Without turning on the lights, she instinctively walked barefoot across the cold floor towards the bathroom.

The monotonous rumble of the bathtub filling the tub was the only sound that could occupy her mind at that moment. Thick white steam rose from the hot water, quickly spreading and blurring the mirror, filling the small space.

She slowly and mechanically removed her damp, sticky clothes, as if peeling off a layer of uncomfortable skin that didn't belong to her.

She saw only a blurry, swaying white shadow reflected in the mirror, and she refused to look at it.

The moment her body sank into the scalding water, an immense sense of comfort, accompanied by a slight stinging sensation, instantly enveloped her. Her muscles, stretched to their limit, emitted a silent groan under the intense heat, before slowly and gradually relaxing.

The burning skin greedily absorbed the temperature of the hot water, trying to dispel the icy chill that seeped from the very marrow of the body, brought on by shame.

She submerged her entire body until the hot water covered her shoulders, her chin, and finally even her ears. The sounds of the world were cut off, leaving only the muffled thumping of the water against her eardrums and the amplified thud of her own heartbeat.

She tried her best to clear her mind.

Her mind was like a ruin ravaged by a storm, and she forced herself not to clear away the rubble, not to recall any specific pieces of debris.

...All were forcibly driven away. Only pure heat enveloped the exhausted body, offering a false, temporary peace. Consciousness, buoyed by the hot water, sank little by little, sliding towards the dreamless darkness.

Just at this critical point when my mind was most scattered and the taut string was almost completely relaxed—

【Ding! 】

A crisp, almost shrill electronic notification sound exploded without warning deep within her submerged consciousness! Like an ice pick, it instantly pierced through the warm, chaotic darkness that enveloped her.

Hiratsuka Shizuka suddenly opened her eyes.

Her vision was blurred, and fine water droplets clung to her eyelashes. Yet, less than thirty centimeters in front of her, in the misty air, an image that clearly did not belong to this physical world floated in the air.

It was a perfectly symmetrical, semi-transparent rectangular interface, radiating a soft, cool white light, with faint, icy-blue data flowing along its edges. The background was as deep as the night sky, upon which a line of neatly formatted Chinese characters clearly appeared:

[Host's shame energy peak has exceeded the normal threshold! Energy intensity: Extraordinary!]

[Super Embarrassing System - Successfully Bound!]

"Wha...what?!"

Hiratsuka Shizuka's mind went blank, as if forcibly formatted by this bizarre sight. Her thoughts were completely disconnected, leaving only the most primal, instinctive scream in the face of unknown terror churning in her throat. Demons and monsters?! Urban legends?! Hallucinations after a mental breakdown?!
"Ugh—!"

Terrified, she sprang up from the water almost using only her core strength! Water splashed violently, hitting the tiled walls and floor. However, the bathtub walls were covered in slippery shower gel foam, and as soon as her wet feet pressed down, they lost all traction without a doubt.

"Pfft!"

A louder, more despairing thud followed. In a most disheveled state, the back of her head slammed heavily against the hard edge of the bathtub, stars flashing before her eyes, and her body was once again thrown uncontrollably back into the warm water.

(End of this chapter)