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

Chapter 214 Raven, you're just a middleman!

Ian's actions left Raven speechless.

"..."

Ian's rapid "progress" over two weeks shocked Raven with the speed at which modern mental illness progresses. She stood in the center of the church, feeling a throbbing pain in her temples.

The knowledge she had accumulated since gaining consciousness and beginning her struggle against Sannomiya's shadow was being overturned with overwhelming force by the middle school student hanging upside down in front of her.

The scene was actually quite sanity-lowering.

"Dang Dang Dang~"

Ian Kent's head was still dangling from the ceiling, like a bizarrely shaped human-shaped wind chime.

Of course, what Raven couldn't understand the most was that Ian's body, which should have been stuck on the ground and unable to move, was actually moving freely on the ground and even slapping others' mouths!
She could clearly see Ian's body moving lightly towards the bound Jonathan, completely disregarding the rules of physics—his head and body were clearly in two separate spaces, yet they seemed to share the same nervous system and will, moving without the slightest hesitation.

It was no longer a simple spatial teleportation or illusion; it was a state of being that Raven could not comprehend at all, touching upon an absolute blind spot in her magical knowledge.

"Could it be that mental illness made him redefine his own rules?" Raven was a magician, so she believed in idealism, but the fact that she could think of this possibility fully demonstrated that her demigod brain was indeed operating at its limit.

A chill ran up my spine.

Raven felt that if that were true, then the boy named Ian in front of her was truly sinister—it was even more terrifying than the whispers of her father, the Demon King Trigon.

Because the latter is at least within the scope of "evil and chaos" that she can understand.

Just as Raven was trying to "reasonably" explain Ian's situation, on the other side, Jordan, who had regained his mouth, seemed to have discovered a new world after his initial shock.

As Ian's "surgery" proceeded simply and directly, a flash of golden light appeared where Jordan's mouth had disappeared, revealing a small, pure gold mouth engraved with intricate and ornate patterns. It was seamlessly "welded" onto Jordan's face, with a slightly adjusted, smiling lip effect.

"Well?!"

Jordan was actually quite startled at first.

But then he tried vibrating his vocal cords, and the golden mouth actually produced a sound, a sound with a peculiar metallic resonance that was exceptionally deep and powerful.

"Wow! This feels...so peculiar!" Jordan exclaimed in surprise, even trying to lick his cold, metallic lips with his tongue. "It's a bit chilly, but my words seem...more weighty! Yes! I feel like my words are more valuable! I'd have to charge girls if they wanted to kiss me!"

"Their lips might not actually be studded with diamonds, but mine are made of solid gold!" As expected of the second brother, whose hormones are off the charts and who is both flamboyant and repressed.

His line of thinking even made Ian think he was a bit crazy.

In this regard.

Ravens experience it even more directly.

"..."

She looked at the curly-haired boy with a pure gold mouth who was still rambling on and on, and then thought of his father, Superman, who was hailed as a god among men.

And there was Ian, who was also acting strangely, standing next to him.

A terrifying thought uncontrollably surfaced—Superman…is he really Earth's hope? Could Superman be a long-hidden, deeply afflicted mental patient?!
It's no wonder the raven thought that way.

After all, she's really smart; she can calculate a lot of things in the blink of an eye.

For two sons like this to be born purely through genetic inheritance, what an incredibly small probability and what incredible coincidence that would require! It can't be that Kryptonian genes and Earthling genes combined to produce some unpredictable chemical reaction!
"As expected, the prophecy of Earth's impending crisis has come true!"

Raven's expression was rather complicated. In fact, after the Sangu Demon incident at the school, Raven had thoroughly investigated Ian and Ian's family situation.

They also knew that Ian had so many "superhero personas" that they couldn't be listed on an A4 sheet of paper, and each persona was accompanied by a bunch of astonishing and inexplicable stories.

The more you think.

The more frightened the ravens became, the more terrified they became.

Her gaze swept over Damian Wayne, who, though bound, remained highly vigilant, seemingly trying to kill her with his eyes. Yes, she knew too; this brat's father was Batman. The Dark Knight, known for his paranoia, controlling nature, and equally unstable mental state.

The reason Raven knew this wasn't because she was particularly good at investigation, but because she had heard Damian say "my dad is so-and-so" no less than a hundred times since she captured him.

This is purely a self-inflicted act.

It would be hard for a raven not to know.

The relationship between Ian and Superman was information she discovered through her own investigation. Of course, she didn't need to put in much effort, as she could identify any of the abstract heroes in Metropolis.

As for the relationship between those disguised characters like "Superman in Stockings" and the real Superman, it's an open secret among newspapers and media outlets in Metropolis.

The raven easily obtained all the information it wanted.

It was based on these investigations that she formulated this plan.

Yes, capturing Jordan was not a random kidnapping at all. Raven knew very well the relationship between Jordan and Ian, and Jonathan and Damian, who came to rescue him later, were not the rescuers she wanted.

Raven catches Jordan.

Even his subsequent use of terrifying words like "sacrifice" to frighten the three unfortunate men was all just a ploy to lure Ian out.

This is the fastest, easiest, and most convenient way to find Ian. Raven isn't stupid. After traveling all over the world for so many years, if she really wanted to kill three people and use them as sacrifices, how could she "negligence" enough to leave behind their communication devices and allow them to "secretly" make phone calls for help?

To be honest, if Raven hadn't been so cooperative, Jonathan and his two companions wouldn't have been able to hide what they were doing by using their clothes as cover.

"So, Jonathan is quite wise after all." Raven couldn't help but sigh wearily in his heart, but thankfully the plan was ultimately quite successful.

Ian did indeed arrive.

The only thing that exceeded her expectations, and could even be described as completely out of control, was that Ian's abilities became more bizarre and abstract, and his mental state became increasingly unparalleled.

This directly eliminated her previous understanding of Ian.

"How come he hasn't gotten an insider price or gone through the special channel into Arkham yet?" Raven was having a mental battle, trying to reassess the situation.

Ian's body on the ground began to move again.

He leaned close to Jonathan, his head dangling from the ceiling, and enthusiastically began his pitch: "Jonathan, look at Jordan's new look, isn't it cool? Pure gold! It even has a built-in bass! Want to get the same one? I always treat my brothers equally, I'll never favor one over the other!"

Ian was demonstrating his equal affection for Jonathan, afraid that Jonathan would feel mistreated.

"..."

Jonathan looked at Jordan's gleaming golden mouth.

His face was filled with terror.

He truly didn't want to experience this kind of equal family affection.

"I don't want to! You need to go through security to play football!" Fortunately, Jonathan had a quick wit and knew that Ian didn't like football, so he made up an excuse on the spot.

"Ok."

Ian sighed in disappointment at first, but then immediately put on a seductive expression, "How about an upgraded version? 'Golden Eyes'?"

"Made with environmentally friendly materials, it will definitely pass security checks. It features a built-in focused thermal vision and dazzling effects, making it even cooler than our dad's thermal vision!"

"Plug and play! Hot-swap!"

Ian knows how to use his abilities to innovate.

His thinking was as advanced as ever. Upon hearing this, Jonathan hesitated noticeably, seemingly pondering the practicality of the "Golden Eyes."

Jonathan was mainly attracted to the heat rays.

As the son of Superman.

It was indeed a bit uncomfortable not being able to feel the heat rays. Of course, it was impossible for Jonathan not to care at all. Even though he had found his own path, what son wouldn't want to hear his father praise him as "brilliant and capable"?
The more you think.

Jonathan became increasingly hesitant.

"Stop! You all stop right now!"

Upon seeing this, Raven's alarm bells rang. Knowing Ian as she did, she was absolutely capable of performing an eye transplant on someone on the spot!

That would be so idiotic!
To prevent Ian from actually pulling out a few golden eyeballs and performing unlicensed medical procedures to replace other people's eyeballs on the spot, Raven waved his hand, restoring Jordan's mouth to its original state.

"what?"

Jordan gasped, feeling a lightness on his face.

Suddenly, his pure gold, ornate mouth, which had given him "more weight" in his speech, vanished, replaced by his original, intact mouth made of flesh and blood.

"Clang~"

The new mouth was only used for a few minutes before it was "squeezed" off the ground by the original mouth that had grown back, which actually made Jordan feel a little anxious.

That's why they say men are always fickle and easily bored.

"Too bad, you haven't even had a chance to warm up yet, Jordan. It seems you really are destined to lack JIN, unable to retain true gold and true essence." Ian's head on the ceiling also showed an expression of great regret.

It was as if a great work of art had been destroyed.

"????"

Seeing the two looking somewhat melancholy, Raven finally couldn't help but cover his forehead.

She couldn't hold back any longer and blurted out, "No way... what are you guys regretting?! It's just a metal lump that violates physiological structure!"

Raven is also a materialist.

He was probably forced into it by Ian.

"Huh?" Upon hearing this, Ian's top-of-the-line head immediately gave him a "you have no idea" look and retorted in a matter-of-fact tone, "Woman, your thinking is so limited! This is made of pure gold! It has artistic value, practical value, and the function of retaining value!"

"This isn't just a lump of metal; it's a man's romance!"

His voice was decisive.

However, this did not convince the raven.

Romance for men?
A silver tongue?!

"Big gold teeth aren't fashionable anymore, so big gold mouths are all the rage, right?" Raven felt the veins on her forehead throbbing wildly; she really couldn't keep up with Ian's thought process.

Some people once said she was crazy.

just now.

She really wanted to pull those people over to see this monstrosity in front of her!
As Raven's emotions fluctuated wildly, the purplish-black energy around her began to ripple uncontrollably, causing the air inside the church to become somewhat restless.

The candlelight flickered violently.

While bound, Damian whispered to Jonathan, "I think she's about to explode."

Jonathan trembled: "I...I think so too..."

But Raven took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the anger that was about to burst forth. She kept telling herself: Calm down, calm down, I need to calm down.

“I have important business with him.” Raven repeated this to herself several times before the energy fluctuations around her gradually subsided. She raised her eyes, trying to keep her voice steady, though her tone still carried a hint of helplessness: “I have important business with you. Is that Minotaur you took away from school last time still alive?”

"Please don't tell me you've already turned it into bull's head soup." Raven stared at Ian, her tone tinged with prayer; she did indeed need Baal's help now.

The Minotaur is a minion of the Sangu Demon, possessing special markings and energy. Therefore, Raven needs it to track the source of Sangu's recent unusual activities.

When she asked that question, she was genuinely unsure. After all, given Ian's modus operandi, it was entirely possible he used the demon core to make marbles, soak it in medicinal wine, or even use it as a sacrifice in some strange ritual. Of course, the most likely scenario was that Ian stewed it into beef head soup.

Raven still vividly remembers the look on Ian's face when she explained the demons of hell to him, and how he swallowed hard as if he wanted to boil all seventy-two demons of Solomon into soup.

Therefore.

She strongly suspected that Ian also liked to eat little devils.

After asking the question, Raven did not immediately receive a yes or no answer from Ian. Instead, a genuine look of astonishment flashed across Ian's eyes.

"Wow~ You're actually a business genius!" Ian seemed to have heard some groundbreaking, brilliant idea, and his face was instantly filled with a complex expression of amazement and regret.

"Oh, miss, you're a business genius whose talent was wasted on magic! Damn it! Why didn't I think of this business model before I got rich?!"

“You’re right, I can let that guy take hot baths 24/7, and I’ll take its bathwater out to sell beef head soup!” Ian’s sudden reaction left Raven completely bewildered.

"No, that's not what I meant!"

Raven stood there, stunned. She was about to correct Ian, but Ian was now spouting witty remarks and interrupting her, leaving all the follow-up words she had prepared stuck in her throat.

"Don't say anything more, don't worry, I'll learn from this experience and apply it to other situations." Ian was completely absorbed in his "business plan," speaking rapidly with his eyes shining.

"Now I have an opportunity too! Small-scale operations are meaningless! I need to scale up and industrialize! I'll build a separate factory to produce pre-cooked beef broth!"

"Crabs that have bathed in Lake Rhine can be sold at high prices as Rhine crabs, so how can my genuine, still-alive, not zombie-meat Baal crabs, which have been through a body of water, not be considered beef head soup? This time, my conscience is fully mobilized, and I could totally open a genuine [West Shell] restaurant!"

"It's all-natural, the soup has never been fed with animal feed, it's absolutely high-end! Although it's a pre-cooked dish, my ingredients definitely don't use broccoli from two years ago!"

“I’m a capitalist, I have a conscience… At most, I’ll put the plating on a nicer plating, serve the beef soup in fancy wine glasses, and sell it to the gentlemen of New York.”

Ian became more and more excited as he talked, and his head swayed more vigorously against the ceiling.

"??????" Raven listened to his outrageous, galactic-level business plan, her lips twitching almost cramping. But quickly, she astutely gleaned a crucial piece of information from Ian's ramblings—when Ian mentioned the Minotaur, he used the words "let it bathe," "live," and "went through water"!
This means that the demon is still around!

Raven's heart leaped with joy, abruptly interrupting Ian's increasingly wild thoughts, her voice tinged with urgency and confirmation: "So that minotaur named Baal is still alive, right?!"

"Great! Can I borrow it for a moment? Just for a moment! I promise to return it to you intact! After I'm done, I'll give you back ten! No! A hundred more advanced and powerful demons! You could sell demon meat in New York if you wanted! It's definitely worth much more than your demon with only its head left!"

Raven is a master of magic, so she wants to use "magic" to defeat "magic," trying to persuade Ian by putting herself in his shoes and offering him this benefit.

Although she hadn't dealt with Ian much, Raven considered herself a good judge of character. She thought that this "highly profitable" exchange should be able to sway the young man who was full of business acumen.

of course.

Hope is beautiful.

Reality is always surprising.

Raven's suggestion was indeed a case of taking advantage of someone's kindness.

However, upon hearing this, Ian immediately frowned, his face showing obvious difficulty and resistance: "No, no. Baal is different from other demons."

"It's not just a trash can anymore... uh, I mean, it has other important roles now, and we've developed a little bit of a bond with it."

Ian is not the kind of boss who would sell out his employees.

As he said, he has always considered himself a capitalist, and capitalists rarely betray their employees for small gains. If he really wanted to catch a devil, he would have plenty of places to catch him.

"Feelings?" Raven was stunned. She couldn't understand how a person could develop "feelings" for an ugly, chaotic, and inherently evil minotaur.

These words not only stunned Raven, but also made Jordan Kent, who was tied up, narrow his eyes. He felt once again that he was the only one smart enough to see through everything.

“Yes! That bull's head...it’s fantastic! My brother must have developed a real passion for it! I totally understand!” Jordan’s tone was tinged with envy.

The room fell silent for a moment after he said that.

Ian and Jonathan both looked at Jordan with an extremely strange expression.

As the saying goes, brothers have a deep bond. The two of them instantly understood that Jordan, this guy with a head full of dirty thoughts, had definitely misunderstood some indescribable purpose.

"what are you guys saying?"

The only one who didn't understand the situation was Damian Wayne.

However, seeing Raven frown at Ian's refusal, seemingly unsure how to continue the negotiations, his own assertive nature once again took over.

"When you see that my idol rejected you, aren't you going to hurry up and start paying more? My dad's few truths in his life, such as 'There's no problem that money can't solve,' really work."

“Believe me, this is the truth of Gotham.” Damian said with emotion, clearly having practiced this tactic quite a bit.

"Ok?"

The raven was in a helpless and awkward situation.

Hearing Damian's "words of experience," although she felt it was a bit strange coming from a bound imp, she still considered it for a moment and then actually adopted the advice.

“Then a thousand! A thousand even more powerful demons! Just lend me your trash can!” Raven turned to Ian, his expression becoming even more sincere.

“This isn’t about how many there are…this isn’t about an equal exchange, it’s about principles, it’s about feelings…” Ian said, watching Raven earnestly raise the price.

The look of embarrassment on his face deepened.

Seeing that he still wouldn't budge, Raven grew truly anxious. Her tone became urgent and serious: "Ian! I'm not doing this for myself! I've sensed that Trigon—my father—is plotting something incredibly terrible! A grand conspiracy that could affect multiple dimensions! I must use his minions, whose power originates from the same source, to uncover his specific movements and plans! The mark on Baal is the key!"

She took a deep breath, trying to persuade Ian with the greater good, after all, Ian was Superman's son, with a strong family tradition: "This concerns the safety of countless worlds..."

The idea was good, but the raven didn't finish its sentence.

"Wait a minute?!"

Ian abruptly interrupted her, his voice rising eight octaves in an instant, his tone filled with incredulous astonishment that even drowned out Raven's anxious statement.

"Don't tell me you're planning to stock up on supplies and make a fortune because you heard the apocalypse is coming?" Raven was startled by Ian's sudden shout.

She snapped out of her daze and immediately looked at Ian with some suspicion.

"No, no, it's the end of the world, why would I need to earn money? How could you say something like that... Are you alright? Would you like some sour plums?"

Taking the opportunity, Ian dropped his head back onto his body, and then reached out to touch Raven's forehead, seemingly to check if Raven was delirious from a fever.

Actually.

He clearly still harbored treacherous intentions.

"Ok?"

The raven quickly took cover.

"Let's talk about Sangu Mako again."

Ian sighed in disappointment.

“Okay.” Raven looked over with a mixture of anticipation and confusion, preparing to continue emphasizing the threat posed by the Three Palace Demon. However, what she saw was Ian’s eyes shining, his mouth slightly open, an expression of extreme excitement and drooling, and even… there seemed to be a suspicious, crystalline liquid about to spill from the corner of his mouth?

"No... you know you're drooling all over the place?"

The ravens were completely bewildered.

Is this the kind of serious topic that makes you drool?
"Since I can bypass you, the middleman, shouldn't I be drooling with joy?!"

Ian's answer was perfectly justified.

There was none of the fear of the Three Palace Demon that Raven had imagined.

(End of this chapter)