Chapter 11: Chapter 11 (edited)
It was the drunk who fired first; otherwise, Kara would have just given them a little lesson and let it go.
Kara was furious. While she could handle the situation with her indestructible defense, what if it had been someone else?
This guy had a gun, and he actually pulled the trigger on someone. That alone was courting death.
Kara grabbed the drunk man's hair with her left hand, forcing him to look up. The pain in his arm was nothing compared to the searing agony at the top of his head.
She raised her right hand in a knife-like position. With her strength and speed, this motion was as lethal as any weapon.
"Kara?"
At that moment, Jennifer called her name in a frightened tone. Looking down at the drunk man, she shivered and said, "You don't mean to kill him, do you?"
Kara froze.
Jennifer shook her head. "Don't do this, Kara. We all know how strong you are, but if you kill him, there's no going back."
People often referred to Kara as "the strong girl." Many knew she was stronger than an ordinary person, but she had only ever displayed her extraordinary strength, never her other abilities.
And if she ever found out who had first started calling her that awful nickname, she'd make sure they regretted it.
"Kara, please," Jennifer pleaded, her voice trembling with worry.
Kara looked at Jennifer, pausing to consider her words. Then, she asked, "What if it hadn't been me here today? What if it had been you? What do you think would have happened to you?"
Jennifer faltered, picturing a grim scene in her mind.
"You saw it yourself. This guy not only had a gun but also didn't hesitate to use it. If it had been you instead of me, he would have killed you." Kara crushed the pistol on the ground beneath her foot as if to emphasize her point.
She raised her head again, asking Jennifer, "Even if you can forgive him for what he did, what if it had been Dani? What if she got hurt because of him? Could you face her? And even if it wasn't us, if he hurts someone else in the future because we let him go, how would you feel when you found out?"
Faced with these rhetorical questions, Jennifer was left speechless.
After all, they were only fifteen-year-old girls, and these were complicated moral questions.
Yet, Kara was not simply fifteen. She might look like a high school girl, but in reality, she had lived in this world for five years after crossing over. Adding that to her previous life's age, she was at least twenty.
Kara looked at Jennifer again. "Killing a bad person could save countless good people."
She paused, then added, "If Batman had been stronger-willed and killed the Joker right away, how many lives could have been saved? How many tragedies would have been avoided?"
Jennifer frowned, puzzled. "Batman? Joker? Who are they?"
They had been best friends for years, so if Kara had watched any movies or read any books, Jennifer would have known about them. At least in this world, Batman had not debuted yet.
So Kara gave her best friend a spoiler-filled explanation.
"Anyway, Jennifer, this person cannot be allowed to live. He has murderous intentions and no hesitation in acting on them. Keeping him alive would only lead to endless trouble."
As she spoke, Kara tilted her head and forced the drunk to look at her.
Suddenly, she laughed. The drunk man had stopped screaming. He was tough, but this only made Kara more resolute.
"I've always liked the phrase 'cutting grass and roots.' Are you still thinking of revenge? Will you hurt my family? My younger brother? Or go after my best friends, Jennifer and Dani, or their families?"
Kara gently tapped the drunk's eyelids with her right hand. His eyes no longer showed drunken confusion; instead, they burned with hatred, resentment, and murderous intent.
Kara smiled. "Consider this my debut."
With that, she turned and dragged the drunk man away.
"Kara?"
Behind her, Jennifer stood helplessly on the street, watching Kara's figure disappear into the shadows. She knew she couldn't stop her.
But Jennifer was deeply worried. What would happen to Kara if she really went through with it?
By law, she would be a criminal.
When Jennifer's father arrived to pick her up, he noticed Kara's absence. Jennifer lied, saying that Kara's father had already taken her home. Father and daughter then returned home.
Meanwhile, Kara paid no mind to such concerns. She dragged the drunk into a remote alley.
The drunk seemed to have accepted his fate and didn't plead for mercy. Instead, he gave her a cold glare until she tossed him into a pile of trash cans.
"You don't have the guts to kill me," he sneered.
"Oh, still delusional, are we?" Kara spread her hands mockingly.
The drunk glared at her deeply and said, "I'm not underestimating you, but think about it. You're just a young, beautiful girl. If you kill me, you'll spend years in prison. Is it worth it? Don't you have family? Aren't you afraid of hurting them?"
So that was his reasoning.
"From an ordinary perspective, you're not wrong," Kara admitted.
Anyone would think it ridiculous for a promising young girl to ruin her future for a drunk.
He was banking on that.
But Kara simply shrugged. "As long as no one knows I killed you, it's fine."
Her eyes turned red, and suddenly, two beams of heat vision shot out, instantly burning through the drunk's eyes and brain.
"I hate the way you were looking at me," she said coolly, retracting the heat vision.
"With Earth's current technology, laser weapons haven't been invented yet, right? And a farm girl like me wouldn't have access to something like that. Let's say... someone in a black bat suit did it. Has nothing to do with me," Kara muttered, already planning her next steps.
As for feeling guilt or regret for killing someone?
Why should she?
She had long since steeled herself for this kind of situation. Growing up, she'd endured many sleepless nights filled with terrifying noises and images that would have haunted anyone else.
For Kara, this was just another step forward.
Chapter 12: Chapter 12 (edited)
Kara's super hearing and vision allowed her to overhear Jennifer's conversation with her father. She also observed Jennifer's restlessness and hesitation.
Jennifer wanted her father's help to locate Kara and, if possible, stop her. However, Jennifer worried that they might stumble upon Kara during one of her "activities," becoming witnesses to something they shouldn't see.
Ultimately, Jennifer left with her father, conflicted and uncertain.
Not long after they departed, Kara emerged from the shadows of an alley. Watching them leave, she allowed herself a small, relieved smile.
"At least we weren't really friends," she muttered to herself.
Superficial relationships didn't weigh on her. If Jennifer were just a fair-weather friend, there would be no entanglement. But if Jennifer had been more insincere, she might have feigned innocence while later accusing Kara.
"That kind of person isn't worth trusting," Kara thought.
Still, this situation could have been much worse. Kara was thankful her instincts hadn't failed her this time.
Returning to the deserted street, Kara noted the stillness that small towns often offered at night. Unlike bustling cities where lights and sounds filled the air until dawn, this place grew eerily silent once the hour grew late.
Kara made her way back to the two drunk men she had knocked unconscious earlier. Without hesitation, she delivered a powerful kick, nearly shattering their leg bones.
The pain jolted them awake immediately.
Kara stood over them, her posture commanding and her expression icy. She no longer resembled a fifteen-year-old girl. Instead, she exuded a terrifying, almost regal aura, full of hostility and an undeniable authority.
The drunks had previously referred to Kara by two nicknames: "The Strong Girl," a nod to her superhuman strength, and "The Tyrant," an acknowledgment of her fearsome reputation.
At that moment, Kara embodied the latter entirely.
Even she might not have realized how much her presence mirrored that of a merciless leader. Her cold demeanor and piercing gaze made it impossible to see the tender girl she sometimes pretended to be.
"You're lucky you don't have weapons on you," she said, scanning them with her x-ray vision. "Because if you did, this would end differently."
The two men whimpered in fear, too afraid to respond.
"I'm letting you live," Kara declared. "But you know what to say and what not to say, right?" Her voice was sharp and biting.
The men nodded vigorously, their faces pale with terror.
Kara smirked coldly. "Good. And remember this: one of your buddies is already dead, taken by someone dressed like a bat. If anyone asks, that's the story you'll stick to. Got it?"
The drunks nodded again, their fear intensifying. Kara was confident they wouldn't dare defy her.
Satisfied, she turned and began walking away. However, after a few steps, she paused, as if remembering something.
"By the way," she said, turning back to them, her voice dripping with menace, "who came up with the name 'The Strong Girl' for me?"
The men exchanged confused glances before shaking their heads.
It seemed they didn't know the origin of the nickname either. It was likely something that had spread through the small town's grapevine.
Kara sighed. It annoyed her more than it should, but she let it go for now.
Behind her composed and intelligent demeanor, there was another side of Kara that few knew—a volatile, aggressive side that didn't shy away from confrontation. Any criminal or lowlife who crossed her path soon learned their lesson.
Jonathan and Martha Kent, her adoptive parents, had no idea about this hidden side of their "obedient" daughter. To them, she was just a bright and well-mannered young girl with excellent grades.
In truth, however, Kara was infamous among the town's less savory characters. They whispered stories of her beauty, intelligence, and fearsome strength. Some even tried to recruit her into their schemes, but Kara would never stoop to becoming a gang leader.
After ensuring the drunks understood the consequences of crossing her, Kara left the town behind. Walking into a secluded alley, she crouched before leaping into the air and taking flight.
As she soared higher, she reflected on how far she had come in mastering her powers. Her control over her abilities grew stronger every day. Recently, she discovered a unique "biofield" that extended from her body, enhancing her already formidable abilities.
This biofield allowed Kara to manipulate objects more precisely, protecting them from harm. For example, if she caught a falling plane, her biofield would distribute the force evenly, preventing the aircraft from breaking apart. Similarly, she could catch a person falling from great heights without injuring them, using her biofield to cushion the impact.
Even her clothes benefited from this biofield. Despite flying at supersonic speeds, her attire remained intact, protected from the immense forces that would otherwise tear them apart.
Kara marveled at this newfound ability. It was a level of control and finesse that set her apart from others of her kind.
As she flew into the night, she couldn't help but think about the path ahead. There were still so many questions unanswered, and challenges she would inevitably face.
But one thing was certain—Kara wasn't just a girl with superpowers. She was a force to be reckoned with, and anyone who underestimated her would soon regret it.
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