Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!

The second Parker slammed through the wall and hit open air, reality punched back harder. The sun burned down, hot and merciless, baking the cracked stone under his feet, but that wasn't what had his heart clawing up his throat.

It was the trail.

Thin shadows bled across the ground—faint streaks like bruises on dry earth, stretching out fast, way too fast for anything remotely human. And ahead? There he was. A blur cutting through the sunlit ruin like gravity didn't mean shit, like the laws of nature were just a suggestion.

And draped over his shoulder—fuck. Naomi. Limp. Hanging there like a broken doll someone had tossed aside. She was breathing—barely—but that didn't mean safe. That didn't mean anything.

Parker's stomach twisted, cold dread wrapping around his ribs and squeezing.

"No. No, no, no, hell fucking no."

He moved. Shadows snapped around his body like a second heartbeat, dragging him forward with every ounce of force he could wring out of himself. His feet tore across the ground—grass, stone, whatever the hell was in the way didn't matter. Everything blurred, sunlit trees and shattered ruins melting into streaks of green and gray.

But the bastard ahead? Still faster.

The gap wasn't shrinking—it was stretching. Like Parker was stuck in molasses and this guy was gliding on pure air.

The fucker didn't even look back. Just kept moving—smooth, efficient, terrifyingly casual, like he knew Parker couldn't touch him. His legs cut through the air with this deadly rhythm, every stride calculated like it was built into his bones. And Naomi? She bounced with every step, her arm dangling uselessly, head lolling like a rag doll's.

No way. No way in hell.

Parker's muscles screamed as shadows yanked him harder, faster—every breath burned through his chest like fire. He darted through crumbling archways, vaulted over jagged stone, slipped under a low-hanging beam without breaking pace. His vision tunneled, locked on the target ahead.

But the guy—who the fuck was this guy? Every time Parker closed the distance by a hair, the bastard pulled ahead again. Fluid. Effortless. Like the sun had carved this asshole out of light and speed itself.

Parker's pulse hammered in his ears—catch him, catch him, fuck, FASTER. Explore more stories with My Virtual Library Empire

The ground tore beneath Parker's feet, shadows clawing at the earth as he launched forward—faster, faster. The garden wasn't just a blur anymore; it was gone, swallowed by the sheer velocity shredding through his senses. His pulse roared in his ears like a war drum, every beat screaming the same desperate command: Catch him. Save her.

But the runner ahead? He was a ghost—a phantom slicing through the dark, every movement so sharp, so clean it looked effortless. His boots didn't crush the earth—they barely touched it, like gravity itself bent just to let him glide.

Naomi's limp body bounced with every step on that bastard's shoulder—each second that passed, Parker imagined her slipping further away.

No. Not again. Not this time.

His breath came in short, ragged bursts. Every inch of his body burned with a raw, screaming panic. This wasn't like running from that wolf—this wasn't fear-fueled survival. This was something worse. This was responsibility. Someone's life was in his hands. And the terrifying part?

He was losing.

"Shit—"

The ground twisted under him. His foot caught on a half-buried root—snap!—he stumbled, a wild lurch threatening to send him face-first into the dirt. A rookie mistake. His heart stopped for half a second.

Get up. Get up. Faster!

Ere's voice sliced through the chaos, sharp and cold like a blade against his throat. {You're not thinking straight—adapt! You're faster than this. You're stronger. Use it!}

Parker's jaw clenched so tight it felt like his teeth would shatter. His body screamed, muscles trembling under the strain. But something inside him snapped into place—instinct.

He didn't need to run like a human. He wasn't human anymore.

Shadow Manipulation Bond.

The darkness wrapped around him again like liquid armor, dragging him forward, yanking him through the air like a slingshot of pure force. His feet barely touched the ground now, gliding in jerks and lunges—faster than any mortal sprint could ever carry him.

And still…

That bastard ahead? He moved better.

Parker saw it in every step—the fluid, predatory grace. The man didn't just run—he hunted even as he fled, every movement calculated, efficient. No wasted energy. No fear.

This guy knows what he's doing.

Telekinesis—now!

He threw out his hand mid-lunge, snatching at the space around the figure like a fisherman casting a net. A violent pull of force—raw and unrefined—yanked.

The air shuddered.

The man stumbled—barely—but it was enough for Parker to taste victory for half a second. He surged forward, shadows screaming around him like a living storm—

But then the guy recovered like it was nothing. One misstep, one heartbeat later, and—whoosh—he exploded forward again, widening the gap like Parker was standing still.

"No fucking way!"

Panic clawed up his spine like ice-tipped knives.

He's stronger. Faster. Smarter.

But Parker wasn't stopping. Couldn't stop.

Omni Energy. The words felt like fire in his veins—an untapped force begging to be unleashed.

"Boost me," Parker growled, his voice low and savage.

It hit like a freight train—power, raw and pure, detonating through his muscles. His legs snapped into overdrive, every nerve sparking with wild, primal energy.

The forest wasn't just a blur anymore—it was obliterated from his vision. Time folded in on itself as he closed the gap—inch by brutal inch.

Naomi's hair whipped in the wind—so close.

What if he turns around? The thought sliced through his mind without mercy. What if this guy stops running and actually fights?

You're not ready for that.

Didn't matter. He couldn't afford to be ready—he just had to be faster.

Another telekinetic slam—this time, not just a pull, but a punch. The air itself cracked like glass as Parker hurled every drop of rage and fear forward—wham!

The bastard staggered. Worse than before.

NOW!

Parker lunged—shadows and fury blending into one violent force. His hand stretched forward, every fiber of his being screaming to grab Naomi, to rip her out of this nightmare—

But then it happened.

The runner turned.

Just for a second—just long enough for Parker to see it. A flash of a smirk, cold and inhuman. Eyes like polished onyx, void of anything resembling humanity.

Shit. Too strong. Too fast—

"But I don't care." Parker didn't hesitate. The fear burned through him like fuel. His first real fight—his first time running this fast, pushing this hard—it didn't matter.

He wasn't just running to catch up.

He wasn't running to win.