Chapter 699: The Unnoticed Fat Girl
The Inner Torment
"I killed again! Goddammit, FUCK!"
"Why did you lie to me? Why did you lie to me?"
Ahhh!
Barbara screamed madly, repeatedly hammering the ground with her fists. The force was so immense that it cracked the concrete floor. The final blow was an explosion of power.
Boom!
Dust flew up, and the floor exploded, leaving a crater nearly two meters wide.
Barbara covered her face, weeping. She didn't want to kill, never did. But her body simply wouldn't stop. Why had she become like this? What did she do wrong?
Unwillingness, regret, and pain swirled in her heart, gradually turning into a kind of obsession.
"Isn't this what you've always pursued?"
A voice, full of cold laughter and mockery, rang in her ear. "The pitiful, helpless, self-conscious, ugly fat girl. No one ever talked to you or asked for your number growing up. The man you secretly loved walked down the aisle with someone else, and you didn't even have the courage to offer congratulations. Every day you walked through the park, you hoped for a sweet, unexpected encounter, just like in the movies. Too bad all you got were the indifferent stares of homeless men."
"Cackle cackle cackle! Even a homeless man wasn't interested in you, you pathetic little thing. You're the most unfortunate woman in the world."
"No!"
Barbara screamed hoarsely. "That's not true! I didn't!"
"I am you, and you are me. I know all your thoughts, including going to the park and disliking nightclubs. Eight years ago, you tried to talk to a man at a bar, and he stood you up, then laughed at your figure with his friends. Since then, you never went back to a nightclub, but you secretly swore that one day you would be the Queen there."
"And you've done it now, haven't you? The sexy, hot Queen of the Night, toying with others using your beauty, crushing those low-life men who once humiliated you under your heel, trampling their dignity, tormenting their bodies, making them wish for death, making them feel the pain you once felt. Isn't this exactly what you wanted?"
"No, stop it, please, stop talking."
Barbara covered her ears, shaking her head frantically.
"Why reject yourself? Look at you now—beautiful, sexy, powerful, and confident. You're the focus of attention wherever you go, just like Diana. Didn't you always want to be a woman like her? You've achieved it; you're stronger and more perfect than her."
"But I don't want to kill! I... I... I..."
Barbara stared blankly at her hands. The bloodstains on her arms confirmed that everything last night was not a dream, but a true event. She killed someone, and she ate their internal organs. At the thought, her stomach churned, and she vomited.
"Everything has a price."
The voice in her ear grew colder. "Compared to a tiny sacrifice, you should savor what you've gained. You are no longer human; you are a God. The Cheetah God who races across the vast African savanna. All creatures are your prey—men, women, beasts, demons, including the treacherous Gods. Your speed is unparalleled. Your strength can tear the earth. Your claws are indestructible. Your fangs carry a deadly toxin. Anyone bitten by you will become your servant, waiting on you like a master."
"Why not continue?"
"Diana, the Wonder Woman you envy and are jealous of. Or perhaps, her boyfriend, Luke Shaw, that handsome, powerful, intelligent, elegant, perfect man. Imagine the sight of him crawling before you, kissing your feet. Isn't that exciting? Doesn't that move your heart?"
Barbara froze, her eyes scattered and lightless, losing focus.
The voice in her ear continued. "You are a God, the immortal Cheetah God. The world is destined to crawl at your feet. Go! Start with Diana, step over her boyfriend's back, and then become the ruler of this world."
"I won't!"
Barbara suddenly screamed. "I don't want to kill! I especially don't want to eat people! Please, release me!"
"Giving up this power means giving up everything. You'll revert to that ugly, self-conscious, unnoticed fat girl. No one will look at you. All eyes of admiration and affection will turn back into cold mockery. You will gain nothing, destined for a lonely life."
"No! I have Diana! She always treated me as a friend!"
A friend?
The voice cackled. "You're naive to think she's your friend. How hilarious! How could the great Wonder Woman be friends with you? She was merely pitying you, the unnoticed ugly duckling."
"Go away! Get out! I don't want to hear you speak anymore! Get out!"
"You poor thing. Deep down, you've always known she isn't your friend. The foundation of friendship is trust and open hearts. You poured out everything to her, yet she told you nothing."
"Wake up, you fool. She isn't even human; she's a God. The Lasso of Truth, the Tiara of Power, the Bracelets of Submission, the Sword of Hephaestus... the gear on her body are all famous artifacts from Mount Olympus. Only Gods are qualified to use this equipment. The Diana you know is actually an old woman who has lived for thousands of years. She is not the same creature as you. When you are old and decrepit, she will still look exactly as she does now."
"It's absolutely hilarious that you naively think a God like that is your friend! Hahahaha!"
The laughter echoed wantonly throughout the basement. The light flickered, illuminating her face, half twisted in agony, half numb with shock.
Diana's Investigation
In South District Park, Washington, the site of the murder was crowded with curious onlookers and reporters due to the recent case.
When Diana arrived, the police chief was handling reporters from the local station. Diana wasn't interested in his nonsense. She bypassed the crowd and went to the roof of a building across from the park.
Her eyesight was excellent. Even hundreds of meters away, she could clearly see everything in the park.
The homeless man's body was at the exact spot where the robbery had happened last night. His neck was bloody and mangled. Judging by the wound, it looked like it was crushed in a single strike. His chest cavity was torn open, all internal organs were gone, leaving only ribs and spine. There were claw marks on the wall, several centimeters deep. An ordinary beast wouldn't possess that kind of strength.
"It's a meta-human, indeed," Diana muttered to herself. After a moment, she took out her communicator.
"Eva, I need your help."
"Your command, Princess."
"Regarding the murder case at Washington South District Park, directly in front of my current location, I want all the evidence and documentation the police have collected."
"Understood. Please wait a moment."
Seconds later, the communicator beeped. Diana put on her contact lenses, projecting the data onto her retina. When she saw one slightly familiar item, her pupils constricted slightly.
"This is..."
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!