"Excuse me, coming through... please let me through... could everyone in front make way~"
"Hmm…" A salaryman who had been pushed aside by the black-haired young man asked with confusion, "Young man, that's the exit direction. Are you going the wrong way?"
The man didn't even look back, persisting forward, "I need to get out of here."
!!!
The moment those words were spoken, the entire place fell silent.
"Don't be rash, young man! You absolutely cannot go outside now!!"
Following the middle-aged man's terrified shout, the strong young and middle-aged men around immediately rushed forward.
"What are you thinking? Going outside now is suicide!"
"Ahh, what's happening? Let me go!" Suddenly restrained by a group of large men, the young man was startled and quickly explained, "It's precisely because there's a monster outside that I can't stay in here anymore. I must get out!"
"...Everyone, grab this young man, there's something wrong with his head!"
In an instant, the number of men on top of him doubled, and the young man immediately experienced what could only be described as a human tidal wave.
They choked his neck, pulled his face, grabbed his arms, and hugged his legs. Everyone used all their might to stop this seemingly insane guy, while others earnestly tried to reason with him.
"A hero will be here soon to defeat the monster, and then everyone can get out!"
The young man poked his head out from among countless arms, trying to explain, "That's exactly why I want to go out..."
"Shut up! The monster hasn't left yet, it's far too dangerous outside! You'll get everyone killed if you go out now!"
"We understand you're feeling anxious, but you absolutely cannot leave this place!"
"You brat, just stay put and stop causing trouble for everyone!"
"Where are the managers? Where are the Hero Association staff? Come and control this kid!"
...
After a round of pushing and pulling, the young man was successfully subdued by the enthusiastic trapped crowd, with at least a dozen people piled on top of him.
They were all broad-shouldered, sturdy men, as those with less strength couldn't push through the packed crowd to help.
Strangely, despite being choked to the point where his face turned red and breathing became difficult, the young man never fell down. He maintained his stance with remarkable steadiness.
"Alright, alright, I get it... I give up, I won't go out, okay? Hey, hey, hey, who's pulling my hair? I've been noticing signs of hair loss lately — could you please let go, big brother?!"
As he stopped resisting, the situation gradually came under control.
A group of staff wearing Association uniforms arrived. They educated the crowd about the shelter's defense functions and absolute security, explaining that once activated, the door cannot be opened from inside, and there is absolutely no back door — not even a fly could get in.
The black-haired young man raised his hand, "So where's the bathroom? I drank too much barley tea at lunch, and my stomach feels a bit uncomfortable now."
The young lady giving the introduction paused, "To prevent drainage pipes from being used as breakthrough points, there are no bathrooms."
"...Huh?" The young man's mouth fell open in shock. Seeing everyone's gazes converge on him, he ended up muttering under his breath, "...Isn't that an extremely major design flaw?"
After the staff's reassurance, the anxious atmosphere inside the shelter eased slightly. The black-haired young man, not wanting to become a target of public criticism, also quieted down.
"While my bladder can still hold out, I'll endure for now." The black-haired young man squatted in a corner, his gaze wandering, "If I really can't hold it anymore, I'll find a way to break out... By the way, if I make a hole in the exit, I shouldn't have to pay for damages, right?"
✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱
"Looks like we're dealing with a big one this time!"
With no air traffic control in the city sky, Johnson crossed half of Z-City in moments, arriving at the location where the monster was rampaging.
The giant 170,000-Year-Old Cicada Larva with a human face wandered through the city. Due to its enormous size, each step caused massive destruction to surrounding buildings.
Its front limbs pierced through streets as they touched the ground, compressing the pipes below and triggering explosive combustion. Flames shot skyward, yet the massive insect remained completely unaffected. Its mouthparts swung, slicing another apartment building in half, which crashed to the ground.
The nearby streets were already unrecognizable. In the path of the giant monster bug stood a recently built shelter.
Thanks to timely evacuation, there weren't many injured citizens around; they had likely already taken refuge inside the shelter.
"Then I can't let you go any further." Johnson spread his hands, his gaze locking onto the area around the monster bug's foothold, and activated his Psychic Power.
Bang!
The rampaging monster bug suddenly crashed into an invisible force field. Materialized psychic particles rippled in colorful waves, dissipating the kinetic impact into nothingness.
Having stumbled, the monster bug shook its buzzing head and looked puzzledly ahead, seeing no obstacle.
Defiant, why can't I move forward?
Ang Ang Ang—
The stubborn monster bug thrust forward with all its might. The tremendous impact kicked up a sandstorm, yet the creature remained mysteriously confined within a regular hexahedral space.
With its compound eyes blinded by sand, the monster bug crashed about in confusion, still unable to break through the barrier ahead.
"That forehead is really hard..." Feeling the impact force feedback in his absolute domain, Johnson gained deeper insight into the giant creature's attack power.
With its massive size, the creature's weight alone was its greatest weapon. The man-made steel jungle stood no chance against it, and even the nearby "absolute defense" Hero Association shelter would likely withstand only a few hits.
No wonder boys grow up wanting to pilot Evangelions — Unit-01 and Rei Ayanami truly represent masculine romance.
Being big enough is the ultimate truth!
Reining in his wandering thoughts, Johnson looked at the monster trapped in the force field below and suddenly tightened his hands.
As his will commanded, massive psychic force descended upon the ground like a terrifying tsunami.
The monster bug at the base of this wave instinctively sensed fear, but surrounded by the force field on all sides, it could only frantically spin in circles.
The next moment, the originally stable hexahedral force field, now infused with abundant energy, transformed into a black hole-like gravity field — slowly but resolutely collapsing inward, ignoring all resistance!
Under overwhelming pressure, the trapped monster bug only managed one final wail before its shell — impervious even to explosions — was crushed like a cookie by the contracting space. Viscous green fluid splattered out, mixing with surrounding flesh into an indescribable paste, continuing to be compressed inward before it could disperse.
It was like watching a giant hydraulic press at work — the scene was too beautiful to behold.
✱✱✱
T/N: Favorite, comment and save to your library of best reads in the world, thank you for reading this far!
T/N: Follow me on Pa-treon for advanced chapters: MrBlackWing! ( ◕‿◕ )
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