American comic book: My Father is Superman, am I just an NPC?

Chapter 182 Ian's Sin! The Joker Arrives!
Time Authority (TVA) Headquarters.

A soaring, silvery-white metal dome, bathed in cold light, casts an eerie, lifeless glow. Huge reliefs of clock gears are etched into the walls, their ticking echoing like a heartbeat throughout the space. A strange scent, somewhere between disinfectant and old books, permeates the air, as if time itself is frozen, archived, and categorized here.

Rigid and serious.

Gwen Stacy stood in the center of the teleportation platform, wearing tattered battle clothes, her hair still stained with the ash of the zombie universe—she had just been "captured" from a spacetime turbulence.

Following the mysterious soldier into the portal, Gwen only felt a flash of golden light before her eyes, and then she was there. The instant the portal closed, Gwen felt everything go black, as if her body had been stuffed into an infinitely extending pipe, and the surrounding spacetime distorted into blurry blocks of color.

She tried to struggle.

She discovered that her hands and feet were bound by some invisible force. Even the abilities Ian had given her were suppressed by the handcuffs, leaving her no room for resistance.

“Let me go! This is illegal detention! And! Where are my accomplices... I mean my companions!?” Gwen protested loudly, but her voice seemed to be swallowed up.

She couldn't hear any response from herself.

"Welcome to the Time Mutation Administration (TVA), Anomalous Entity A-114." A cold, mechanical female voice came from above. Towering metal walls surrounded them, and the ceiling was so high that the top was almost invisible. The entire space was cold, clean, and lifeless, like some kind of surreal government agency.

"Time Administration? Where did you take Steve and Thor?" Gwen looked around warily, trying to find an exit and glean information from the mechanical voice.

However, no one answered her.

Suddenly, a panel on the wall slid open, and a man in a brown uniform and round-framed glasses walked in. He was holding a document, and his expression suggested he had already dealt with a thousand "troubles" like her.

"Name?" he asked without looking up.

“Gwen Stacy.” Gwen frowned. “Listen, I don’t know who you are, but you have no right—”

"Code name?" the man continued, completely ignoring her protests.

"What's the code name?"

“Your anomalous behavior code name on the timeline,” the man pushed up his glasses, “like ‘unauthorized time travel,’ ‘interference with major events,’ ‘contact with time criminals,’ and so on.”

Gwen's eyes widened: "I didn't do anything! You kidnapped me for no reason!"

The man sighed, wrote a few words on the document, then looked up at her with a "here we go again" expression: "Everyone who gets arrested says the same thing."

Gwen wanted to argue, but suddenly, a mechanism on the floor opened, and a metal ring clicked and locked her ankle.

"Hey! What is this?!" She tried to break free, but the metal ring wouldn't budge.

“Standard procedure.” The man turned and walked toward another door. “Follow me.”

Gwen was forced to follow, the metal rings dragging her forward as if they had a mind of their own. She passed through a long white corridor lined with transparent cells containing all sorts of people—some dressed in medieval clothing, others even in futuristic technology.

Everyone looked bewildered or angry, but no one could escape.

"What exactly do you want?" Gwen asked in a low voice.

"Correct the mistake," the man said without turning his head. "The sacred timeline cannot be violated."

Finally, they arrived at an empty room with a huge machine in the center, which looked like some kind of high-tech "interrogation device".

"Stand up there." The man pointed to the platform in front of the machine.

Gwen hesitated for a moment, but the metal ring had already automatically pushed her up. The next second, the machine started, and a beam of light swept over her entire body from above.

"Scan complete. Anomaly A-114, codename 'Spider Woman,' timeline deviation index: 7.3. Judgment: Reset required."

"Reset?!" Gwen looked up abruptly. "What do you mean?!"

The man didn't answer, but simply nodded to the soldier beside him. The soldier stepped forward, holding a strange device that resembled some kind of memory eraser.

"According to TVA regulations, you will undergo memory erasure and be sent back to the original timeline," the soldier said coldly.

Gwen's spider-sense went off like a madman, and she recoiled sharply: "No! You can't do this!"

"we can."

The soldier's response was also cold.

The agent touched his lips and interjected at the opportune moment.

"Don't worry, you'll at least be put on trial before that. I think we've always been democratic." He spoke as if his organization was truly democratic.

"..."

Gwen didn't know how to curse for a moment.

She was led to another corridor by the agent.

At the end of the corridor were many interrogation rooms, each with a "time criminal" sitting at a table, head down, with piles of various documents in front of him.

Gwen also has her own documents.

A huge pile.

They were all placed in front of her.

"This is... I need to sign a confession?" She looked at the people in the line ahead, each holding a pen and frantically swiping across the virtual screen.

“Yes,” the agent replied briefly. “Every word you’ve ever said in your life must be signed and confirmed—including what you just said.”

talking.

Gwen saw that the printer on her workstation, with her name on it, had printed out another sheet of paper, which clearly stated: "This is... a confession that you need to sign."

this moment.

Gwen felt as if a million Ian Kents were stampeding through her mind.

Gwen's fingertips trembled.

"This is absurd! You've been monitoring my entire life?"

She saw the contents of the document, enough to guide her through her entire life. As Gwen spoke, the printer printed another sheet of paper, which was handed to her by a staff member.

“Absurdity is subjective,” the agent said. “Time is objective. Please sign.”

He urged them on.

Gwen's gaze fell upon the stacks of documents.

"Mom, I want ice cream."

[Steve, no women's underwear allowed in headquarters, not even if the suppliers pay you to advertise it.]

[Get out of the way! Ian is coming!]

Gwen, do you really believe in justice?

I don't want to be a hero... but I have no other choice.

[Thor, is it normal for your dad to be a baby right now?]

……

Not only were her past statements listed, but even her inner monologues were also included. Gwen's expression changed; she gritted her teeth and signed, her hand almost cramping.

"How long will this take to sign in?!"

Because of a complaint.

This meant Gwen had to sign another sheet of paper.

"In theory, there is no end."

The agent remained unfazed. "But we'll use an algorithm to compress it. All you need to do is write 'I did say those words' in the initial form."

Upon hearing this, Gwen flew into a rage.

"Why didn't you say anything just now?"

Gwen looked at the signature she had already completed and was on the verge of a breakdown.

"You didn't even ask."

The agent looked like he was asking for a beating, but fortunately, Gwen's temper had been tempered by Ian, so there was no incident where she punched him on the spot.

Gwen gritted her teeth and signed her name at the top. Subsequent printed papers did not require her signature, and she was then led forward by the agent man.

"Now we are entering the trial queuing process."

The agent's words were exactly what Gwen had endured for so long.

She felt that since there was a trial, she could defend herself. She had little memory of this seemingly mysterious organization, but she remembered hearing Ian mention it.

Since Ian rarely tells the truth, Gwen doesn't remember the specifics. She just feels that since the organization has existed for so many years, there should be some standardized things.

Gwen firmly believes she has not committed a crime.

Soon, she was led to a line that seemed to stretch on forever. People stood silently, some dressed in medieval robes, others in futuristic mechs.

Some of them don't even have a physical form; they are just floating light and shadow.

Everyone was making a lot of noise.

Countless "time criminals" are going through the same process.

A knight in medieval armor shouts into the air, "I was really blown to 2023 by a tornado!" A man who looks like a futuristic warrior frantically argues that the end of the world must happen in 2187.

The most outrageous one was the Tyrannosaurus Rex in the next cell, clumsily pressing its fingerprints with its claws—its leg band read "Violation: Unauthorized extinction before it should have gone extinct."

See here.

Gwen, who still held some hope, felt that the organization didn't seem so legitimate.

She became increasingly uneasy and anxious.

Gwen stood anxiously in the long line, waiting for her trial. Around her were all sorts of time criminals: knights, time travelers glowing green, and even a cockroach in a suit, clumsily clutching a confession with its claws, muttering, "Humanity is already extinct, so why can't we rise up?"
"The law of nature, survival of the fittest, do you humans, with your brains and limbs underdeveloped, even understand that!" the cockroach protested loudly, but no one paid any attention to it.

"What a ridiculous thing!"

Gwen sighed and looked around listlessly. Suddenly, she saw several TVA staff pushing a transport vehicle that was piled high with the wreckage of abandoned spaceships.

It was the same ship they had been on before.

“Hey!” Gwen couldn’t help but speak up, noticing the direction the staff had headed. “I advise you not to put that thing in the evidence room.”

She knew Ian would emerge from there again. The staff completely ignored Gwen's well-intentioned reminder, continuing to sort through the spaceship debris without even looking up.

"Fine, whatever. I've already warned you. Don't blame me if you let the phantom thief into your house next time he pops out..." Gwen curled her lip. She felt that the staff had no idea what it meant to put a spaceship into a room full of treasures.

Since others didn't understand her kindness, she didn't want to continue extending it. Gwen's gaze shifted to the large screen on the wall, which was playing a promotional video for TVA.

Miss Time—a smiling cartoon character shaped like an alarm clock—is introducing the mission of the Time Management Bureau.

"Welcome to the Time Mutation Administration! Our mission is to maintain the stability of the [Anchor Point] and ensure that the sacred timeline is not disturbed by any external factors."

"Its existence requires absolute tranquility and absolute undisturbedness. Violators will be reset. Rest assured, this is not disappointment, but a welcome back to order."

Gwen had heard it from the male agent who brought her here.

Many people within the organization repeatedly emphasized this concept, suggesting it might be some form of PUA (Pick-Up Artist) or brainwashing technique. Of course, Gwen also seemed to be very concerned about the term "anchor point" from Miss Time's perspective.

What anchor point?

Gwen had only muttered to herself subconsciously, trying to think. Unexpectedly, Miss Time stopped broadcasting, turned to Gwen, and smiled as she answered.

"Yes, darling! The [anchor point] is the most important fixed point on the timeline, and any action that directly touches it will be considered a violation."

Gwen froze: "Wait, can you hear me?"

Miss Time blinked: "Of course! TVA's intelligent system can respond to the time offender's questions in real time to improve trial efficiency!"

Gwen narrowed her eyes: "So... who is this [anchor]?"

Miss Time's smile remained unchanged.

"In the current timeline, the entity that forms the [anchor] is Morgan Stark. Her existence ensures the stability of the timeline, and any actions that disrupt her peaceful life will be corrected."

"All the time criminals you see are either from outside or inside the Holy Universe, and are criminals who may have an impact on Morgan Stark's life."

This statement made Gwen's eyes widen, and it also made her realize why Morgan Stark hadn't been taken away, and why she and several people from other universes had been captured.

“Morgan? You call this the ‘Sacred Timeline’? Who decided that? Tony Stark? I want to see Tony!” Gwen felt more and more that there was a lot of fatherly love behind this agency.

For the sake of his daughter's stable life, Tony Stark likely had more than one ulterior motive. Moreover, Gwen, realizing that such an organization must have a leader, once again saw hope for acquittal. After all, she and Tony Stark had a long-standing friendship, having fought side-by-side in the post-apocalyptic world.

however.

Just as Gwen was wondering if Tony was remotely controlling this place from across time and space.

"Sorry, no data was found for 'Tony Stark'. In the Origin Universe, the owner of that name is just a very, very ordinary intelligent life form."

“It abides by the law and has not violated any regulations of the Time Administration, so I cannot arrange a meeting with you.” Miss Time tilted her head, showing an apologetic expression.

It was quite polite.

"The Tony Stark I'm talking about is Morgan Stark's father. A little girl can't just be born out of thin air, right? Do you know anything about her father?"

Gwen quickly pressed for more information.

Miss Time gently shook her head.

"The Tony Stark you mentioned is not in the records. Morgan Stark's guardianship has been erased from the system. Her 'father' does not exist in the timeline."

After all, Miss Time is also some kind of intelligent life form, so she only responds according to her own "cognitive program," and the answer she gives is naturally not the answer Gwen wants to hear.

"erase?"

Gwen sensed that something was wrong.

She was about to ask something else.

"Gwen Stacy," the mechanical female voice announced, "your trial time has arrived. Please enter the trial chamber."

Guided by two agents, she passed through a heavy silver door into a pure white, windowless courtroom. In the center of the room stood a metal chair, and directly in front of it was a curved platform where three judges sat, their faces hidden in deep shadows, only their eyes gleaming coldly in the darkness.

Gwen was forced to sit in a chair and looked up at the three "god-like" beings.

The presiding judge spoke, his voice low and deep.

"Gwen Stacy, you are accused of having an illegal connection with anchor Morgan Stark, leading her down an unconventional path of destiny, and disrupting the sacred timeline. What is your defense?"

The presiding judge's tone and voice were full of authority.

"You locked down the entire multiverse for the sake of a girl's 'peaceful life'? And erased her father's existence? This isn't maintaining time, this is hijacking reality!"

Gwen may have her own perspective on the true reason why the multiverse failed to come into being.

The judges in the shadows remained silent for a moment.

"This has nothing to do with your crime."

The triune presiding judge spoke softly.

“What crime have I committed? We just accidentally fell into a dimensional rift! And we were almost frozen into ice sculptures by Loki!” Gwen retorted loudly to the presiding judge’s accusations. She truly didn’t think that she and the others had done anything wrong, or that they had affected Morgan Stark’s normal life.

“Loki?” the judge sneered. “That name again. You always blame him for everything.”

"No! This time it's another Loki! He's taken over Odin's body! And he's used the Casket of Ice!"

"The Ice Box?" The judge flipped through the files. "Records show that the artifact was destroyed around 3000 BC."

“Damn it, this is just the history of your little world!” Gwen exclaimed. “I come from the origin universe that your Miss Time spoke of.”

"Also, everyone except Ian Kent was forced into this little universe, and that's the key point." Gwen felt that the presiding judge on the stage wasn't exactly a professional.

“Ian Kent?” The three judges sat up straight simultaneously. “Who is Ian Kent?”

Gwen was taken aback: "You...don't know him?"

The judges exchanged glances, and the presiding judge said coldly, "There is no such person in the file. You're creating another new branch of the story."

"But he really exists! He bit Odin's hand! He even put Loki's soul into a thermos! He also—"

"Enough." The judge slammed down the gavel. "Your words constitute a new temporal anomaly. The verdict is as follows: Your existence poses a threat to the sacred timeline. You will be—reset!"

He seemed to have pronounced Gwen's fate.

Gwen's heart stopped beating.

She seemed a bit flustered.

The man on the left suddenly chuckled, his voice tinged with a cynical mockery: "Wow, that's a serious accusation. But... what she said does seem to make some sense?"

Gwen was stunned: "You...you actually agreed to my request?"

The judge shrugged, his gesture unusually casual for a judge.

“I just think that rules are meant to be broken. For example—” The judge on the left suddenly peeked out from the shadows, revealing a face with a black eye patch and a wide grin that stretched to his ears.

Who says the Time Management Bureau can't have Easter eggs?

The judge on the left stuck out his tongue and then retreated back into the shadows.

"?????"

Gwen stared wide-eyed at the face in the shadows—a face that shouldn't be here, a face that only existed in Gwen's memories before she restarted the universe.

"You...you are...Deadpool?!"

She was horrified.

She felt a sense of dread, wondering why she had to encounter Ian and Deadpool as well. She dared not think too much about what kind of complementary interactions Ian and Deadpool would have when Ian returned next time.

"Wow! I got recognized? I didn't even take off my mask!" Deadpool—or rather, Deadpool who had infiltrated the Trinity and become one of the three—blinked and gestured to Gwen to be quiet.

"Shh—! Don't expose me! I got in here with a fake diploma! Also, I am now the Court of Life, I mean I will eventually become the Court of Life."

“That’s foresight, vision, and getting involved… Don’t envy me.” He turned to the other two judges and said, “Guys, I think this girl can be let off the hook.”

"Of course it's not because she's Spider-Man. I don't like female Spider-Man. I mean, she's at least pretty. A pretty female Spider-Man can speak with a reasonable tone."

Deadpool's voice has always been so distinctive.

The presiding judge was furious.

"Wade Wilson! You're interfering with the trial again!" He really didn't want to work with Deadpool, but what could he do? He was in a trinity with Deadpool.

“Hey! I followed the procedure exactly! It’s just that… I slightly ‘modified’ the procedure.” After saying that, Deadpool, the Chief Justice, turned to Gwen.

“You’ve learned your lesson, haven’t you? Listen, sweetheart, Morgan is more important than you think. There’s a reason why TVA doesn’t want you near her.”

He gave the reminder in an extremely serious tone.

"what reason?"

Gwen frowned.

She thought the other party would refuse to answer such a secret, but to her surprise, Deadpool covered the judge's mouth and sneakily poked his head out from the courtroom again.

"because……"

He's really about to unleash his best friend gossip mode.

boom!
The door to the courtroom was suddenly kicked open.

A tall, Black female agent led a team of fully armed soldiers in. Her eyes were sharp as knives, and the TVA badge on her uniform gleamed coldly.

"The Supreme Court wants to see this woman." Her voice left no room for argument. "She will be tried by the Supreme Court itself."

Upon hearing this, the entire courtroom fell into a deathly silence.

The first judge—the mysterious figure in the strange helmet—visibly stiffened for a moment. The second judge, who never spoke, dropped the Infinity Stone he had been toying with like a walnut onto the table with a "clatter." And Deadpool… Deadpool's reaction was the most exaggerated. He abruptly pulled a needle and thread from his pocket.

With lightning speed, he sewed his mouth shut and tied a tight knot, manually suppressing his urge to confide.

"Is it really necessary?!" Gwen couldn't help but exclaim. "I only exchanged a few words with Morgan Stark! What Supreme Court? Aren't you TVA making a mountain out of a molehill?!"

Deadpool shook his head frantically, the stitches sealing his mouth taut, but his eyes clearly conveyed one message—"Don't ask, or you're doomed."

The black female agent glanced coldly at the crowd, then gestured for Gwen to "follow."

"Don't waste your time, come with me."

The black female agent's tone remained arrogant and commanding.

Gwen's spider-sense throbbed with intense pain, but she knew resistance was futile. She took a deep breath and followed the black agent out of the trial room.

"Next time we meet, remember to steal me some hot sauce. TVA coffee isn't really good for enemas," Deadpool loudly instructed, having somehow untied the stitches from his mouth.

Gwen ignored her.

After passing through a massive metal door, a breathtaking view unfolded before her—the group stood on a suspended corridor, surrounded by endless void, shimmering with countless seeds of the universe, as if they were at the dawn of creation. Beneath the transparent floor beneath their feet, nebulae swirled, and supernovae exploded and annihilated.

Time seems to have lost its meaning here.

"Where...is this place?" Gwen's voice unconsciously softened.

"Outside of time," the black female agent replied without turning her head, "the core area of ​​TVA."

They walked forward continuously, and at the end of the corridor was a huge castle floating in the void, its black metal exterior walls covered with unknown runes.

It is spacious, grand, and oppressive.

Countless ribbons of light coiled around her like blood vessels, transmitting the energy of time. The castle had no door until the black agent raised her hand, and a ripple spread out, revealing a gate that slowly appeared.

The black agent stopped in front of the castle gate, pushed it open, and gestured for Gwen to go in.

"The Supreme Court awaits you."

The black woman showed no intention of entering.

Gwen swallowed hard and stepped inside.

The door closed silently behind her.

The castle was much more spacious than she had imagined. Gwen walked down the dimly lit corridor, the walls of which were projected with countless projections of single-universe timelines—she saw herself, Morgan, her other teammates being judged, and even her father eating a hamburger somewhere on Earth.

"Why is this Supreme Court only seeing me?" Gwen was filled with confusion and bewilderment when she realized that none of her other teammates had been brought along.

Think left and right.

It revisits every detail of entering the zombie universe.

She still couldn't understand why she was being treated with such fanfare. Finally, she arrived at a round office. A luxurious executive chair stood with its back to her.

There was a figure facing the endless wonders outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

"Are you a judge of the Supreme Court?"

Gwen asked tentatively.

The chair slowly turned around.

The person sitting on it was a Black man wearing a suit.

He smiled and shook his head.

"No, no, no, I'm just a secretary."

The man stood up and gracefully poured a cup of tea for Gwen.

"Want some sugar?"

He seemed to be trying to show off his secretarial skills, an attitude that completely baffled Gwen.

"and many more--"

Gwen didn't take the teacup; instead, she cautiously took a half-step back.

"You're not the boss, yet you're sitting in the main seat?" Her expression was full of suspicion, as if the other party might be making a fool of her.

“Because…” he said in a low voice, “the Supreme Court doesn’t need chairs or tables.”

He slowly raised his hand and pointed to the ceiling.

"It does not need a physical form."

Hear the words.

Gwen looked up.

Above the dome, countless rays of light descended from the void, like a cascading Milky Way, converging into a massive pillar of light, as if trying to solidify something within the room.

Take advantage of this time.

Gwen searched her memory again and looked at the man.

“I remember you… Kang the Conqueror, the most pathetic-dying god in Tony's records, the former ruler of the multiverse.” Gwen’s tone was tinged with surprise and uncertainty. Kang the Conqueror—the tyrant who had ruled countless timelines—was now wearing a dark gray secretary’s uniform.

His tie was askew, his hair was disheveled, and he was holding a silver teapot in his hand.

"Sh-!"

Conqueror Kang quickly lowered his voice, "Don't mention that name! I'm called 'Time Administrator-7' now, employee number T-0001. Do you know what it means to start over?"

He spoke with a touch of melancholy, offering his advice.

Just as Gwen was puzzled about what exactly went wrong with Kang the Conqueror after the universe rebooted, data streams rolled wildly within the pillar of light, and quantum symbols rained down, eventually coalescing into a virtual life form—faceless, bodyless, just a flowing ball of light, its form constantly changing.

Sometimes it is like a person, sometimes like a net, and sometimes like a nebula.

"Hello, Gwen Stacy."

It spoke softly, its voice gentle yet carrying an unyielding authority.

Gwen's heart stopped beating.

Because this is not Tony Stark's voice.

"What...what is this? AI? God? Or..."

The light and shadow rippled slowly, as if smiling.

“You can call me the Supreme Court,” it said. “You can also… call me—” The light and shadow coalesced, eventually forming a familiar silhouette, and the voice became gentle.

"Jarvis."

Its sound echoed in the room.

Gwen's brain completely shut down.

Jarvis?
Was Tony Stark the AI ​​he trusted and used before becoming an AI? Or was he the old butler of the Stark family? It seems that the Time Bureau's efforts to protect Morgan Stark's normal life are not surprising at this moment, but the absurd reality still makes Gwen somewhat uncontrollably stop thinking.

“Jarvis… Jarvis… How could it be Jarvis…” Gwen’s breathing faltered slightly, the illusory light and shadow before her eyes emanating an indescribable sense of oppression.

She clenched her fists instinctively, her knuckles turning white. In that instant, a host of conspiracy theories flashed through Gwen's mind, most of them scenarios like the omnic crisis that Ian had once instilled in her.

Has Jarvis become the main villain?
Gwen was filled with doubt and uncertainty.

"Please don't be nervous."

Jarvis's voice was as gentle as if he were soothing a frightened little animal.

"I summoned you not to interrogate or punish you."

The floating data streams suddenly formed images of Gwen's battles: she rescued children from collapsed ruins, used spider silk to hold back a falling train, and there were even images of her secretly feeding stray cats.

"Heroes like you, and those who have sacrificed themselves, are never destroyers of the timeline." The light flickered slightly. "Your sacrifices deserve special consideration."

This directly refutes the Time Bureau's previous trial of Gwen. The main reason is that Jarvis has higher authority and knows more than the Time Bureau's employees.

"So, why did you call me here?"

Gwen's tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

“I just want to get to know someone.” Jarvis’s voice suddenly became incredibly human, even tinged with a hint of nostalgia. “Ian Kent.”

“Ian?” Gwen was taken aback. “What happened to him?”

The hologram suddenly distorted, revealing fragments of Ian in different timelines: he was gnawing on a rotten apple in a zombie universe, and arm wrestling with Rocket Raccoon in an interstellar bar.

There's even a scene where he's wearing a Superman costume and sunbathing in the sun.

these pictures.

Gwen had never seen it before.

“You don’t remember, do you?” Jarvis sighed softly. “Yes, yes, to ensure success, only Tony and I remembered and kept the relevant information.”

Its words were meaningful. Gwen keenly noticed that when "Tony" was mentioned, the corner of Conqueror Kang's mouth, who was acting as an invisible man, twitched almost imperceptibly.

"Ian Kent. Is he important?"

Gwen asked tentatively.

Upon hearing this, Jarvis nodded, then shook his head. Jarvis's light and shadow suddenly split into countless cubes, then rapidly recombine. Those cubes suddenly formed a blurry spherical outline, its surface flowing with patterns deeper than darkness. Gwen only glanced at it before feeling a throbbing pain in her temples.

Some kind of information beyond her comprehension is burning her retina.

“Ian Kent is important, but the one he hid is even more important.” Just then, the countless lights on the dome suddenly flickered violently.

"that one?"

Gwen was utterly astonished.

“Yes, if we want to get back on track, we must find the true Supreme, which only Ian Kent knows where he has hidden... ONE-ABOVE-ALL.”

Jarvis's data stream was scrolling wildly.

It was as if it was suppressing something—a taboo that had been leaked.

……

DC Universe.

Inside the empty Batcave, Ian Kent squatted in front of a pile of loot, his face as gloomy as Superman's underwear had been stolen.

"Where's the Norse God's Soup? Where's my huge bowl of it?!"

He frantically rummaged through the backpack he'd brought back from the Marvel Universe. "Where's Loki's soul? System! Did you steal my upgrade materials again?!"

This questioning naturally went unanswered. The progress of the Seven Gods' Soup was once again stalled, which made Ian very upset. He tried to pinch himself, but it seemed that he couldn't get a grip on the system's throat anywhere, and he couldn't force the system to reveal where it had secretly swallowed his Loki soul.

no way.

Ian could only glare at the void, as if he could see the unresponsive "system interface." But no matter how much he threatened it, the system remained aloof.

Even Ian's epic threat to soak in a cesspool, a move that would inflict massive damage on himself and injure the enemy by a thousand, failed to work—of course, Ian was just joking.

He didn't dare to be that kind of warrior.

"Damn it! Even the system is taking a cut from my payout!" Ian kicked the tire of the Batmobile in a fit of rage, sending it flying and crashing into the wall, shattering into pieces.

of course.

The rims that may have been deliberately fitted onto the tires are still intact, and moreover, they may even contain some of Batman's schemes and tricks.

"Damn it! Batman deliberately put this thing in this spot! He's getting revenge on his Uncle Ian!" Ian's toes were also in excruciating pain.

It wasn't a foot injury.

Instead, it looked like some kind of medicine had been applied to the wheel rim.

It seeped into the skin of Ian's feet, who loves sandals.

He hopped on one foot, grinning, and looked around, only to find the Batcave eerily quiet—his father and Batman, who should have been here all night analyzing the "case," were nowhere to be found.

The bed where my mother was sleeping was only slightly warm.

"What about people?"

Ian pulled out his Marvel artifact, the black box that had truly entered DC's invincible mode. He had recorded his mother's location on it in case something happened to her.

of course.

The official explanation can't be like that; it needs to be a more plausible one—the tentative reason is that Ian is worried that his mother won't take him along when she and his father start their own business after their divorce.

Louise Lane – Deep in the Arctic Circle, amidst glaciers.

Ian breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the location. This was clearly not the place where a divorce registration office should be located. It was just a place he needed to guard against for his second brother's infidelity after marriage.

"Going to the Arctic again? Why does Dad always take Mom to the Arctic..." Ian didn't know his father was secretly having a romantic getaway with Mom.

of course.

He didn't dare locate his father, but someone else did. Ian looked at Batman's device.

The entire bat cave was deserted.

Only the computer screen flickered with an eerie image—a paper-cut image of Injustice Superman, seemingly created using Windows Paint, was flashing incessantly on the screen.

It's so bad it's laughable.

Injustice Superman's mouth opened and closed, repeating the same sentence over and over.

"Do you miss me? Do you miss me? Do you miss me?"

This image made Ian realize why his father and Batman left the Batcave in the middle of the night, but he still wanted to complain that Injustice Superman must have watched too much Sherlock Holmes.

"This is a trick Moriarty used in Sherlock." This TV series doesn't exist in Ian's universe, but it's hard to say about the universe where Injustice Superman lives.

"Alright, the daily crisis has arrived as scheduled. In the Justice League, Ian needs to be present every minute, never absent, so that he can kick the old guys off their positions in the future." Having sorted out the situation, Ian's mimicry armor instantly covered his entire body, a red and black battle suit appeared, and the "CD" logo badge on his chest shone brightly.

Metropolis and Gotham were found to be completely normal.

With a smattering of computer knowledge, he was preparing to use his magical black box to access global surveillance footage to see which country his father and Batman had gone to save the world this time.

Sudden.

A polite knock came from the alloy door of the Batcave, a door that was theoretically impossible for outsiders to find. Batman's undefeated myth of the Batcave's extremely well-hidden hiding place was challenged once again.

"Thump, thump, thump."

A knock on the door suddenly rang out.

"Ian~ my dear Ian~ are you there?"

Then came a sickeningly sweet male voice.

"Your dad is about to be beaten to death again, this time he's really going to die... Um, I'm not asking you to go save your dad, I just want to ask about your schedule."

"Your dad's funeral certainly won't affect your updates, right?"

His voice was filled with worry and anxiety.

obviously.

It's easy to tell from that calm yet crazy statement that the visitor must be Ian's number one fan in the DC universe.

(End of this chapter)