"Excuse me... excuse me... could you please move aside?"
A middle-aged office worker, pushed aside by the black-haired youth, asked in confusion, "Young man, that's the way to the exit. Did you go the wrong way?"
The man didn't turn his head, persistently moving forward. "Just trying to get out."
The moment those words left his mouth, the entire room fell silent.
"Don't be impulsive, young man! You can't go out now!"
The uncle's terrified scream triggered immediate action. Surrounding young men rushed forward.
"Exactly! What are you thinking? Going out now is suicide!"
"Ah, what's wrong? Let me go!" The young man startled when suddenly locked down by a group of burly men. He explained quickly, "It's because there's a freak outside that I can't stay inside any longer! I have to get out!"
"Everyone, come quick! Grab this young man! He's lost his mind!"
In an instant, the number of bodies piling on multiplied dramatically. The young man immediately experienced what it meant to be overwhelmed by a vast ocean of people.
Strangling, face-pulling, arm-grabbing, leg-clinging...
Everyone put in maximum effort to stop this crazy guy. People nearby tried persuading him earnestly.
"A hero will arrive soon to defeat that monster! Then everyone can leave!"
The young man peered out from among countless arms, trying to explain. "That's why I—"
"Shut up! That freak hasn't left yet! It's far too dangerous outside! If you go out now, you'll get everyone killed!"
"We understand you're upset, but you absolutely cannot leave from here!"
"You brat, stay here quietly and don't cause trouble!"
"Where are the administrators? Where's the Hero Association staff? Come take care of this kid!"
After a series of shoving and pulling, the young man was successfully subdued by the enthusiastic trapped crowd. At least a dozen people covered him completely.
All burly, adult men. Those weaker couldn't possibly push through such a crowded space to help.
Strangely, although he was being strangled and struggling to breathe, face flushed red, he didn't fall down.
He stood very steadily the whole time.
"Okay, okay, I get it... I give up. I won't go out anymore, alright?"
"Hey, hey, HEY! Who's pulling my hair? I feel like I'm starting to lose hair lately! Could you please let go, bro?!"
As he gave up resistance, the situation gradually came under control.
A group of managers in Association uniforms arrived, explaining the shelter's defensive capabilities and absolute safety to the public. Once the defense system activated, the main door couldn't be opened from the inside. No back door existed. Safe to say not even a fly could get in.
The black-haired youth raised his hand. "Where's the restroom? I drank too much barley tea at noon. My stomach's a little upset."
The young woman introducing the facility paused mid-sentence. "There are no toilets. To prevent drainage pipes from being used as breach points."
"...Huh?" The young man's mouth fell open in shock. Seeing everyone's gazes on him, he muttered a complaint in a low voice. "Isn't that a major design flaw?"
In any case, after reassurance from management, the anxious atmosphere inside the shelter eased somewhat. The black-haired youth, not wanting to become everyone's target, also calmed down.
"While your bladder can still hold it, let's endure a bit." The black-haired youth crouched in the corner, gaze darting around. "If we really can't hold it anymore, we'll find a way to rush out."
He paused thoughtfully. "By the way, if I make a hole in the exit, I shouldn't have to pay for it, right?"
"Looks like this is a big one!"
With no air traffic control over the city, Jordan Evans traversed most of Z-City in moments, arriving at the monster's rampage location.
A giant cicada with a human face, 170,000 years old, wandered through the city. Due to its enormous size, every step caused massive damage to surrounding buildings. When its forelimbs landed, they pierced straight through the street. Underground pipes squeezed and exploded. Flames shot skyward.
The giant insect remained completely unaffected. A flick of its mouthparts cut another apartment building in half. The structure crashed to the ground.
Nearby streets were completely unrecognizable. The direction the giant worm headed led straight to a newly built shelter.
Probably due to timely evacuation, not many casualties among surrounding residents. They should've already taken refuge in shelters.
"Then I can't let you go any further."
Jordan Evans spread his arms, gaze fixed on the area around the mysterious being's landing point. He activated his telekinesis.
The rampaging monster suddenly crashed into an invisible force field barrier. Materialized spiritual particles rippled outward in dazzling concentric waves, dissipating the kinetic energy from the monster's movement.
The mysterious being stumbled from the impact. It shook its buzzing head, looking ahead in confusion. No obstacle in sight.
I'm not convinced. Why can't I move forward?
Defiant, the mysterious being thrust forward with all its might. Enormous impact sent up a cloud of sand and debris, but it remained strangely confined within a regular hexahedral space.
Blinded by the sandstorm it created, compound eyes disoriented, it still couldn't break through the obstacle before it.
"That forehead really is hard..."
Feeling the impact feedback through his Absolute Territory, Jordan Evans gained deeper understanding of this behemoth's attack power.
With its enormous size, its own weight was its best weapon. The steel jungle built by humans stood no match. The Hero Association shelter known for "absolute defense" not far away would probably only take a few more hits before collapsing.
No wonder boys want to pilot Gundams when they grow up. Unit-01 and Rei Ayanami truly are the epitome of male romance.
Big enough is the only truth!
His wandering thoughts came to a close. Jordan Evans looked down at the mysterious being trapped in the force field below. His hands suddenly tightened.
With concentrated will, immense mental power surged forth like a raging torrent, crashing down upon the ground.
The mysterious being sensed instinctive fear but, surrounded by force fields from all sides, could only circle frantically.
The next moment, the originally stable hexagonal force field was injected with abundant energy. Its structure suddenly transformed into a black hole-like gravity field, slowly but firmly collapsing inward regardless of all obstacles.
Overwhelmed by immense pressure, the trapped insect could only let out a final, mournful cry. Its shell, which even explosions couldn't destroy, burst open like a biscuit as the space contracted. Viscous green liquid sprayed out but, before it could spread, mixed with surrounding flesh and blood into a greasy mess that continued pressing and shrinking inward.
It looked like a massive hydraulic press working overtime. The scene was so grotesque Jordan almost couldn't bear to watch.