Kryptonians: Man of Steel

Chapter 1552 Shame Energy Continues to Increase
The tearing sensation in my chest from choking on water was instantly soothed by a powerful force, and the dull pain in the back of my head was also suppressed, becoming distant and blurry.

It was as if some heavy shackles within my body had been forcibly pried open with a "click." A sense of "lightness" and "power" I had never experienced before, with a kind of inhuman quality, suddenly emerged.

Is this the "minor enhancement" obtained by exchanging 124 units of shameful energy? This feeling is so unfamiliar, so... unlike herself! This sense of power did not bring her any peace of mind; instead, it deepened the fear and anger of being reduced to a puppet!
"Get out of the way!!" Hiratsuka Shizuka slammed her fist into the water at the edge of the bathtub!
"boom!"

A dull, loud thud! The warm water in the bathtub was violently blasted apart by this brute force punch!

A huge splash of water erupted like an explosion, slamming against the bathroom walls, mirror, and ceiling with a series of loud crackling sounds. The water level in the entire bathtub visibly dropped!
She froze, stunned by her own superhuman strength. Water droplets rolled down her soaked hair, cheeks, and bare shoulders, dripping onto the rippling water.

Those three cold interfaces still stubbornly hovered in her field of vision, like three indifferent judges, silently watching her collapse and outburst.

Time: [03:15].

Tears of humiliation welled up uncontrollably again, mingling with the bathwater on her face and sliding down. She bit her lower lip hard, tasting the metallic, metallic flavor of blood.

A cold power surged through her body, the pain in the back of her head reminded her of the constraints of reality, and the bright red countdown in her vision was like a red-hot iron, searing her nerves on the verge of collapse.

There was no other choice. Or rather, the system had already blocked all respectable escape routes.

"Ha..." A short, hoarse laugh, filled with all the crushed dignity, was squeezed out of her throat. She took a deep breath, the cold air filling her strengthened, no longer burning lungs.

Then, as if she had used up the last bit of strength in her soul, she braced herself with both hands on the slippery edge of the bathtub!
Wow——!
The sound of running water filled the air. Shizuka Hiratsuka, soaked to the bone and bearing the indelible humiliation, stepped barefoot onto the cold bathroom tiles. Her wet footprints sank heavily onto the floor, each step carrying a desperate, all-or-nothing resolve.

She didn't even try to grab the towel draped on the rack, letting the cold water droplets stream down her body. Those three interfaces, like a persistent, ingrained infection, firmly locked onto her vision.

The front door is just outside. 572 meters to the south. The countdown relentlessly ticks.

Fuck shame! Fuck magical girls! Fuck toy life!
Her eyes burned with a mixture of humiliation and anger. She flung open the bathroom door, stepping barefoot onto the even colder hallway floor. Her wet hair clung to the back of her neck, chilling her to the bone.

The dim light in the living room outlined her taut, dripping figure, like a statue just pulled from the deep sea, bearing invisible scars. The three interfaces floated above the familiar furniture, the scarlet numbers of the countdown jumping in the gloom: [02:48].

Time was that child's lifeline; every second was burning her nerves.

She rushed to the entrance, her wet, bare feet leaving clear watermarks on the floor.

The cold doorknob was turned forcefully, and the hustle and bustle of the city at dusk and the cold wind rushed in instantly, violently hitting her body, which was only wrapped in a bathrobe and was still dripping wet, raising a few goosebumps.

The chill felt like countless fine needles piercing the skin, yet strangely, it made the body, which had been forcibly injected with power by the system, even more tense and "awake".

The scarlet countdown [02:30] in my field of vision was blindingly bright.

The target location—572 meters to the south! Her gaze pierced the cold air, instantly locking onto the direction. It was the small side street next to that old, run-down park!

Fragments of memory flashed by: a narrow space, dimly lit by streetlights, piles of abandoned junk boxes. A child had an accident there…

The body's "enhancement" demonstrated its ruthless efficiency at this moment.

She didn't even consciously "think" about it; the muscle fibers in her legs seemed to be tightened and released by an invisible force!
She sprinted down the steps in front of the apartment building, her wet, bare feet slamming heavily onto the cold, rough pavement, sending a stinging pain through her, but it was instantly overwhelmed and suppressed by the icy torrent of power. Run!
The sound of bare feet crunching on the cold pavement was rapid and muffled; the hem of the bathrobe was whipped up by the wind, clinging tightly to the calves. The soaked fabric brought a suffocating chill and heaviness.

As evening fell, a few pedestrians on the street cast astonished glances at her; those gazes felt like tangible needles pricking her bare skin.

A woman, soaking wet, barefoot, and wrapped only in a bathrobe, running wildly in the cold wind—this sight alone is enough to draw attention.

She could clearly sense the astonishment, curiosity, and even the hidden disdain in those gazes.

Shame, like cold vines, instantly tightened around my heart, bringing a familiar, suffocating pain.

[Energy fluctuation: +0.5 units... +0.3 units... +0.7 units...]

A tiny, almost mocking message flashed by in the corner of the third screen.

"roll!"

Hiratsuka Shizuka squeezed out the word through gritted teeth, addressing both the system and those invisible gazes.

She forced herself to ignore the cold, stinging pain under her feet and the astonished looks of passersby, channeling all her willpower and the cold, "enhancing" power within her body into her legs.

Speed ​​increased again!

The wind blew more fiercely across my cheeks, taking away the remaining moisture from my skin and bringing an even deeper chill.

The distance is shrinking. The blurry outline of the old park appears on the horizon. The fork in the road is just ahead!

Just then, an unusually sharp, terrified child's cry pierced the relatively peaceful evening air and came through with perfect clarity!
"No! Let me go! Mom—!!"

The voice was childish, filled with helplessness and heart-wrenching fear, like a red-hot knife suddenly stabbing into Hiratsuka Shizuka's ear!

Hiratsuka Shizuka clenched her fists, and then she saw a scene that sent chills down her spine.

That was a monster.

She initially thought the little boy was in danger of being kidnapped by bad guys, but she never expected that he was actually being targeted by a monster.

Hiratsuka Shizuka knew that there were many demons and monsters in the world, and that students often went missing. Anyway, at night, the streets were basically deserted.

However, she never expected to be so lucky, or rather unlucky, to encounter a monster.

Seeing the goblin-like monster grab the child, Hiratsuka Shizuka hesitated.

(End of this chapter)