How to Use Tina

The antique shop late at night.

"Tick, tick, tick."

An old clock from a bygone era turned with a crisp sound.

In a room on the second floor of the shop, Tina, her brown hair falling around her, sat cross-legged on the carpet.

Perhaps because she was nervous, she had only lit a few candles to drive away the darkness.

Hundred-dollar bills lay scattered at the girl's feet. She took a deep breath of the air, thick with the scent of ink, her pretty face filled with rapture. "How should I spend this money?"

Should she buy some cosmetics first, eat food only rich people could afford, or move away from here and start over somewhere else?

Click.

A noise came from downstairs.

"Who's there?" Tina narrowed her eyes slightly and reached out to stuff the scattered bills into her backpack.

She quickly rose to her feet, her clenched fists crackling.

Ever since she had discovered her immense strength and her ability to change other people's appearances, courage had grown alongside that power.

Tina pushed open the door and stepped out, slowly making her way toward the first floor.

She descended the stairs, turned on the lights, and swept her gaze over the antique shop.

Everything was normal. The antiques her mother treasured so dearly sat quietly on the shelves, and the front door was tightly shut, with no signs of forced entry.

The girl sighed in relief and headed back to her room with light steps.

"My dollars~" A joyful smile curved across Tina's face.

All this money was hers, and soon, she would use it to begin a brand-new life above everyone else.

Tina stuffed the bag full of bills beneath her bed, then lay down on her small bed and let out a soft sigh.

Too much had happened over the past few days. She was a little tired as well.

Before long, Tina's eyelids grew heavy, and her muddled consciousness sank into sleep.

As the sound of her breathing filled the room, the girl found herself having a long dream.

She dreamed that she was on a beach.

The sea was azure, the breeze gentle, and a rainbow hung in the distant sky.

Wearing a swimsuit, she jumped into the ocean.

Countless fish swam around her. Everything was as beautiful as a fairy tale.

Yet in the next instant, the sky turned gloomy. Lightning and violent winds descended from the dark clouds above, while an invisible force dragged her downward.

Seawater poured into her nose and mouth, and the icy current battered her body.

The suffocating sensation made Tina struggle with all her might, but her body only felt heavier and heavier.

Finally, as though she had reached some critical point, the girl's eyes flew open!

In the dark room, she discovered that a large hand was tightly clamped over her mouth and nose.

She heard an amused laugh. "I thought you were never going to wake up."

There was actually someone else in her room?!

Tina's body tensed, and she clenched her fists.

Bang!

Her right fist smashed viciously toward the blurry figure in the darkness.

But in the next instant, as if the person had known she would do that, he easily reached out with his left hand and seized her wrist.

The shadowy figure shook his head.

"Behave yourself, Tina, or I can't guarantee I won't crush your jawbone with my hand."

As if to prove his words, the palm covering Tina's mouth and nose pressed down slightly.

A sharp pain shot through her jaw. Tina let out a terrified whimper and nodded faintly, indicating that she believed him.

"Very good."

Seeing that the woman was being so obedient, the hands slowly released the girl.

"Cough, cough... Haa, haa."

As the desperate suffocation faded, Tina greedily gulped down the long-missed air.

Snap.

The room's light came on, allowing Tina to see the uninvited guest clearly.

With familiar blond hair and a handsome face, the young man leaned against the table beside the desk lamp. At his side sat an expensive camera.

He stared at her expressionlessly. Those blue eyes held no emotion, as though... as though he were looking at a tool?

"You?!"

Tina let out a startled cry. The person before her was Jino Luthor, the man she had impersonated that morning.

"How—how are you here?" Tina pressed her lips together and stared fixedly at Jino.

She trusted in her own strength, but he had caught her punch so easily just now. That meant Jino might be a Metahuman too.

"Because someone stole my things."

Jino smiled and pointed at the backpack beside the bed. "Fifty thousand dollars. You robbed me of all of it."

To be honest, he only killed one kind of person: unlucky bastards who threatened his family.

But this woman impersonating him to rob a bank had also thoroughly pissed Jino off.

"So tell me, should I break your hands, or break your face?" Jino bent down and slowly moved closer to Tina's face.

"Don't, don't hurt me!" Tina's teeth chattered. She could feel a terrifying killing intent coming from him, making every hair on her body stand on end. She didn't want to die.

"Not hurt you?" Jino straightened up, his gaze dark as he looked at Tina. "But you stole my money and damaged my reputation."

"You have to pay the price." Jino's expression remained calm.

The next second.

Slap!

His steel-like hand clamped tightly around Tina's throat and lifted her into the air as if she were a kitten.

"Cough, cough!" Tina felt as though a dumbbell had slammed into her throat. The pain was unbearable, and breathing became difficult. Her face gradually turned bluish-purple from lack of oxygen.

"I'm giving you two choices." Jino held up one finger. "Either die here."

"Or work for me."

Tina didn't hesitate. Her desire to live made her force out a few words through clenched teeth. "I—I choose the second!"

"Wise choice."

The force around her throat loosened, and Tina collapsed onto the bed. She glared resentfully at the bedsheets. Jino was such an asshole—his moods changed too quickly, and he turned hostile without warning!

"What do you want me to do?"

Tina was a smart woman. Since she couldn't resist someone stronger, she might as well submit and save her own life.

For a moment, this rabid Lana Lang fan came up with countless possibilities—such as having her transform into Lana Lang or some other woman for Jino's amusement.

"Take off your clothes. Look at this woman, and turn into her." Jino picked up the camera from the table.

Ten minutes later.

"Come with me."

Jino pushed open the door with his hands behind his back, signaling for Tina to follow.

The girl bit her lip, hurriedly put on her clothes, and followed Jino.

Luthor Industries Group was a massive fertilizer company with hundreds of employees, the town's leading enterprise.

Naturally, no one was working at the group this late at night, aside from the forty-year-old security guard.

"Vroom."

A silver Bugatti sports car drove into the compound.

"We're here."

Jino pushed open the car door and headed toward the factory first.

"This is Luthor Industries?" Tina was somewhat confused as to why Jino had brought her here.

But she didn't dare ask. She could only follow Jino into the silent factory.

The two entered an elevator. Tina watched Jino pull a silver card from his pocket and hold it against the elevator's card reader.

Beep.

System verification successful. Jino reached out and pressed the button for Basement Level One.

The young man turned around and gave Tina a mysterious smile. "Next, you'll see the truth of this town."