The Female Loses Control

The post-race interviews began.

"You know, Shockwave is seriously fast." Beaming, A-Train told the reporters, "But there can only be one fastest man in the world, and that's me, A-Train."

The reporters below the stage broke into applause.

A-Train had put on an outstanding performance today, smashing the world record he himself had set. It looked as though no one would challenge his claim to the title of "fastest man in the world" for a long time.

"A-Train, how are you celebrating tonight? Is there a special girl waiting for you?" a reporter called out.

"Well, you know me. I've always been single." Asked about his love life, A-Train answered without hesitation. "I'm a man like the wind. Nobody can capture my heart."

"But," A-Train said, turning to the camera with a cool expression, "any ladies who've fallen for me are welcome to try."

In front of her television, The Female watched the live broadcast, the smile freezing on her face at his answer.

A-Train had promised her he would make their relationship public after the race.

But there he was, posing for the cameras as though he had forgotten she existed, his promise cast aside.

The shock in The Female's eyes gave way to disappointment, then anger.

She looked at the red medical case on the table before her.

Inside were the blue injections A-Train had asked her to keep for him.

From what she knew, they were extremely important to him. They seemed to serve some secret purpose, and he only used one when he had no other choice.

Driven by fury, The Female decided to get back at A-Train.

She opened the case. Three injections remained.

She was going to use every last one.

The Female knew A-Train was only holding the injections temporarily. Every so often, he came to collect them from her, then returned a few days later with a fresh batch.

If this batch disappeared, A-Train would have a lot to answer for.

Besides, the injections had side effects. If something happened to her from taking too much, she wanted to know whether A-Train would regret losing her.

The Female took an injection from the case. Inside the clear glass tube, the blue liquid gave off an eerie glow.

She held out her arm and injected it into a vein...

The race ended, and the crowd began filing out in an orderly fashion.

Mitarai Fubuki frowned, deep in thought.

As they walked, Serizawa said with a sigh, "That A-Train is ridiculously fast. Even I couldn't see him clearly..."

Luke scoffed. "Fast? Didn't seem that way to me."

"Huh?" Serizawa tightened his grip on his baseball bat.

That damned bald guy was obviously taking a dig at him for not knowing any better.

"Will you two stop arguing?" Mitarai Fubuki said. "Do you have time to come with me?"

According to what Starlight had overheard, A-Train had left something mysterious with his girlfriend. Judging by his performance on the track today, it was likely some kind of stimulant.

Ordinary stimulants had no effect on people with superpowers.

This drug had to be something unusual. There might even be a shocking secret behind it.

Fubuki decided to start with the drug in her investigation of Vought International.

She had already asked around. The person A-Train had called was not his official girlfriend but a secret lover known as The Female. Fubuki had also learned where The Female lived and decided to take a look.

"I can't. I have to pick up my little sister after class," Serizawa said.

Luke was secretly delighted.

If the guy with the baseball bat was leaving, Luke would have a chance to be alone with Fubuki.

"Where are you going? I'll come with you," Luke readily agreed.

Apartment 302 in a certain building was The Female's current address.

While Fubuki and Luke were still in the hallway, they heard a strange sound through the wall.

It sounded like metal scraping rhythmically across a floor.

Fubuki reached the door of apartment 302 and found it ajar.

She gently pushed it open. A heavy stench of blood hit her.

The strange sound was coming from inside.

Someone was in the apartment, apparently sawing through something hard.

Mitarai Fubuki's expression changed. A terrible suspicion crossed her mind.

In the living room, Fubuki noticed numerous glamour shots The Female had taken of herself on the walls, along with photos of her posing with popular stars.

The Female was a third-rate superpowered person. She had once spent some time as a superhero for Vought International, but she had gained little fame, and the company's pay was meager. So she had become an actress and model instead.

Judging by the photos on the wall, The Female was attractive. No wonder she had become A-Train's secret lover.

Luke followed silently behind Fubuki. It wasn't that he had missed the revealing photos on the walls. But beside a rare treasure like Mitarai Fubuki, who shone like a luminous pearl, The Female's looks were a mere grain of light, no match for her brilliance.

Fubuki moved quietly farther in, then stopped at the bedroom door.

Through the open doorway, she saw a horrifying sight.

A man's corpse lay on the floor, his head shriveled like a deflated ball.

The Female sat astride the corpse, sharp bone claws protruding from her knuckles.

With those razor-sharp claws, she was frantically sawing at the man's thighbone.

Fubuki had never seen anything like it. She cried out in fright.

Hearing her, The Female raised her head and looked toward the door.

Only then did Fubuki get a clear look at her face.

It was plainly not the face of a normal person. In The Female's eerily glowing blue eyes, Fubuki saw no emotion—only the primal instinct to kill.

The Female looked utterly deranged. Veins bulged across her face and body, leaving strange blue patterns beneath her skin.

At the sight of the terrified Fubuki, The Female abandoned the corpse, raised her sharp claws, still dripping blood, and lunged straight at her.