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

Chapter 218 Ian's bloodline remains a mystery.

Accompanied by the raven's humiliating song.

"Digging and digging in the little garden" became the catchy background music, and Ian Kent finally struck a hard, cold object with his shovel.

"Dig it!"

Ian cheered, and the entrenching tools he had conjured with his hands returned to normal. He began to dig through the surrounding dirt and rubble with his hands, as if afraid of accidentally hurting something with the entrenching tools.

"You're still quite concerned about that demon? Why are you being so cautious?" Raven immediately stopped "singing," breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly stepped forward to take a look.

A few minutes later, Ian dragged a rather high-end-looking but now mud-covered double-door refrigerator out of the ruins of Kent’s backyard.

The refrigerator door was slightly deformed from the impact, but the overall structure was still intact. After plugging it in, you could even hear the compressor starting up faintly.

Don't ask why he can still connect to a power source. If Ian doesn't carry hundreds of outdoor power supplies with him, he'd be embarrassed to say that he has a follower who is Thor and uses electricity for free.

"See! I told you it would be here!"

Ian patted the refrigerator door triumphantly, then forcefully pried it open, as it had become stuck due to deformation. Although the refrigerator was still usable, as the saying goes, out with the old, in with the new.

He secretly insured the entire house with an insurance company owned by Wayne Enterprises.

That's why you have to apply for compensation for broken items, and you have to smash things before you can apply for compensation. What was originally a new home was blown up and instantly turned into a scene of wealth.

after all.

For Ian, who has a "complete industry chain" and is committed to becoming America's small industrial Cthulhu, issuing false invoices is just a matter of talking.

from now on.

My house was bombed once.

The Kent family's fortunes were almost like winning the lottery; that's what you call foresight.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness, there's still a bit of cold air."

Ian looked relieved. A burst of cold air mixed with a slightly sulfurous and minty freshener scent wafted out of the opened refrigerator.

The refrigerator's internal structure is quite unique; the conventional storage compartments have been removed, and the entire refrigerator compartment is like a separate, reinforced, transparent storage box.

In the center of the box, a huge bull's head with curved horns is snoring softly with its eyes closed and nostrils slightly open.

It felt like I was having a sweet dream.

It was the head of a minotaur named "Baal." As the guardian of the treasure here, he didn't seem very competent, but it wasn't surprising that he neglected his duty.

After all, there were some very rare foods frozen in the refrigerator for Ian.

Take two puffs.

Even the devil would be confused.

"She slept quite soundly."

Ian commented, then reached in without hesitation, grabbed the bull's head by one of its horns like a shopping bag, and pulled it out of the refrigerator.

The demon Baal seemed oblivious, continuing to snore loudly.

Ian casually hung the still-snoring demon head on a special hook at his waist, letting it dangle like a strange ornament.

Then his attention was drawn to something else in the freezer compartment.

There were several pieces of chicken breast that were vacuum-packed and looked very fresh. They had thawed slightly, probably because the refrigerator had lost power and then restarted, and because they had been buried in the rubble.

This was the thing Ian was so careful about, afraid of accidentally breaking it—and Raven seemed to realize at this moment that Ian didn't seem to care about Baal the Minotaur.

"It's just a few bags of chicken breast, isn't it?"

Raven was somewhat confused; she didn't think Ian was a thrifty person.

"This isn't your average chicken breast!"

Ian cried out in distress, quickly took out all the pieces of meat, tore open the packaging without saying a word, picked up a piece and stuffed it into his mouth to chew it heartily.

[Savage Tyrant Experience Points +7]

[Savage Tyrant Experience Points +11]

[Savage Tyrant Experience Points +13]

……

A series of minuscule experience boosts flashed through his mind.

Even a small mosquito is still meat!

While wolfing down his food, Ian mumbled an explanation to the dumbfounded Raven beside him, "These are all hormone-treated chickens specially supplied from my own factory!"

"Pure hormone-based cyclical farming ensures absolutely no grain feed or traditional feed! They are super chickens that have grown up drinking the power of nine dragons since they were little!"

"It takes a hundred chickens to refine... I mean, to grow one up, with maxed-out technology, and extraordinary nutritional value and energy purity! I certainly can't waste something so hard-won!"

He swallowed a large piece of meat.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

have to say.

This explanation also clarifies a situation—there's a reason why Jonathan always likes to steal Ian's chicken breast! After all, not every piece of chicken breast has such an immediate muscle-building effect!
perhaps.

At certain times.

Some corner.

Jonathan searched the entire Metropolitan Area but could never find another such miraculous tonic that made him feel his muscles grow uncontrollably just from smelling it a couple of times.

"Smack, smack, smack~" Ian ate with relish, his cheeks bulging, and even took the time to add, "Mom taught me not to waste food."

He was clearly trying to cover something up.

He found a plausible excuse for wolfing down his food.

"Forehead……"

Raven watched him devour the half-frozen chicken breast, her eyes twitching almost like a vibrating motor. She couldn't help but cautiously ask again, "That's raw meat, isn't it? Even if your family advocates nature and a return to primitiveness... it shouldn't be this primitive, should it?"

Miss Raven is very careful with her words.

She was mainly afraid that if she spoke carelessly, she might trigger some more serious illness in Ian—at this point, she still didn't know the extent of Ian's illness.

Perhaps no mental hospital on Earth has ever seen such a complex case.

"Raw meat?"

Ian heard this.

He proudly waved the half-eaten chicken breast in his hand.

He chuckled softly, revealing his youthful, boastful nature: "No, it's not raw meat. My family doesn't have any of those messy 'political correctness' or 'naturalism' factors."

Ian pointed to his throat and stomach.

"Actually, it's not your fault. After all, you're just a demigod, and you don't have the full god-like talent that I have."

"Although it looks like I'm eating it raw, by the time the meat reaches my stomach, it has already turned into tender and juicy roasted meat!"

Ian's explanation was very serious.

"??????"

The raven's bewildered expression was genuine.

"That's it."

Ian explained again in a serious tone: "My esophagus, like other organs in my body, has its own ideas. It felt that its original function was too low-class and unworthy to be in my body. With such an inferiority complex, it worked hard to evolve the baking function."

"From throat to stomach, it's slow-roasted at a constant temperature throughout, locking in the juices, bringing out the aroma of the meat, and even allowing for molecular gastronomy... In fact, this is clearly recorded in Chapter 36 of 'Batman's Tragic Love Story'! As the saying goes, art imitates life, and the inspiration for Batman's ability to use his abdominal muscles to roast steak came from this!"

Ian thought his book had become a bestseller throughout America.

however.

Raven's expression suggested he was far behind the times, having never been able to read one of the century's best-selling books before—and Ian wasn't bragging.

He didn't even buy his own books, yet they were incredibly popular, to the point that tax authorities suspected he was using them for money laundering.

"It's unbelievable that a writer shares your symptoms... Indeed, the food modern people eat is just wrong, too many additives." It's unclear how Raven's mind managed to veer into food safety issues. Perhaps it's because she feels her brain's CPU is starting to overload and start smoking.

Talking nonsense is a classic symptom of CPU overload.

Well, Raven had really tried her best to understand what the other person was saying. However, although she could understand every single English word Ian said, when they were put together, they seemed completely wrong. The sentences were so bizarre that she wondered if she had ever truly learned the English language.

The esophagus...has evolved a baking function on its own?

Batman's abs grilled?

And that book that sounds outrageous?
Raven pondered for a long time but still couldn't figure out what was wrong with this world. She decided to give up thinking about it, otherwise she worried that her magic core would short-circuit due to logical inconsistencies.

And so, Raven forcibly shifted his gaze from Ian and the raw meat in his hand to the demon head that was still fast asleep, hanging from Ian's waist.

"If you...have eaten your fill," Raven's voice carried a hint of weariness, "shall we get down to business? Begin preparing for what's related to my father?"

She emphasized the word "serious business".

The raven, who is usually very busy, hasn't wasted time like this in many years.

“Okay, no problem. What I’m eating now is just an appetizer. Let’s welcome the real feast—don’t worry, you can’t beat the Three Palace Demon, but Ian has a way.” Ian quickly stuffed the last few pieces of chicken breast into his stomach and let out a very long, satisfied burp.

His movements were largely inspired by Zeng Xiaoxian from the sitcom "iPartment" he had watched in his previous life, and a peculiar aroma, a mixture of barbecue and faint sulfur, wafted around his mouth.

Ian clapped his hands.

Turning their attention to the demon Baal at his waist, Baal flicked the bull's head on the forehead with his index finger: "Hey! Baal! Wake up! Time for work!"

next moment.

The demon Baal jolted awake from his deep sleep. A look of confusion flashed across his large, bell-shaped bull eyes before he quickly focused and saw Ian's face clearly.

I saw.

Something happened that left the raven speechless.

She had expected the demon to hurl insults and curses, but to her surprise, the minotaur's face instantly lit up with an expression that was almost fawning, yet also revealed an indescribable, genuine joy! Despite having only one head, he was incredibly excited and tried to bow.

And he began to praise in a loud and emotional voice.

“Praise be to you! Great, supreme, and all-powerful Emperor Ian, who walks among men!” Baal’s voice trembled.

It was as if I had seen a savior.

It was so impressive that even cult leaders would be envious.

"Your loyal and humble servant Baal longs for your glory every moment! To see you the first thing after I fell asleep is the greatest blessing the abyss could bestow upon me! Your Majesty, you do not know how agonizing it is to be without your guidance every single moment, as if I were in eternal darkness!"

The flattery was so smooth and persuasive, so full of emotion, that it rivaled the most devout believer meeting their god. Most importantly, thanks to her extensive experience dealing with demons and her keen perception of energy and emotion, Raven could clearly discern that this demon Baal was actually telling the truth!

"?????"

Raven's mind went blank again.

Oh, the devil! It wasn't forced, it wasn't bound by a contract, and it wasn't a lie spoken out of fear! The other party truly radiated from the depths of their soul reverence and love for Ian Kent, this strange human!
This completely overturned Raven's understanding of demons! The essence of demons is chaos, evil, selfishness, and betrayal! They may succumb to greater power, but they could never generate such...pure and positive emotions! This is more terrifying than seeing Sannomiya Mako dance ballet!
This completely contradicts Raven's years of understanding of demons!
"!!!!!!"

There was silence for a long time.

Raven only snapped out of his shock when Ian waved his hand dismissively, adopting a nonchalant demeanor, and stopped Baal's incessant hymn of praise.

She looked Ian up and down with a bewildered gaze, as if he were an alien, and finally couldn't help but express the turmoil in her heart in the most concise way.

"How...did you adjust this?"

She couldn't think of a more suitable word.

Compared to the demon Baal's performance, to be honest, even the word "training" seems too mild.

"It's very simple."

Upon hearing this, Ian revealed a mysterious smile.

He even used his hand to help him twist the corner of his mouth to an extremely exaggerated angle, making a classic "crooked-mouthed dragon king" expression: "First of all, we must know that demons are also life. As life, they have pursuits, dreams, and a love and yearning for a better life!"

Hear the words.

The raven's expression seemed to say, "Keep making things up, I'm listening."

This performance did not affect Ian at all. Ian seemed to think there was nothing wrong with what he said and continued to speak eloquently in a passionate tone.

"You just need to let them know that following you means a bright future, a good life, and if they perform well enough to earn enough Ian coins, they can exchange them for travel projects in the human world, and even experience the feeling of riding on an angel's head and taking a dump. This is something that no demon can refuse!"

"Yes, that is the kind of leader I am. The demons all believe that I can make Hell great again!" He became more and more engrossed in his speech, his eyes even shining with a light that he himself was convinced of.

As the saying goes, a lie repeated a thousand times becomes the truth.

Anyway, Ian had completely believed his story. His self-confidence was impeccable, comparable to that of the big boss of Xibei. As soon as he finished speaking, the demon Baal at his waist shouted again like the most fanatical believer, the sound shaking the surrounding ruins and causing dust to fall.

"Oh! Praise be to the Emperor of All Laws, Ian! You are the only sun that illuminates the abyss! MHGA!" The back-and-forth was perfectly coordinated.

The raven opened its beak.

Looking at the "sincere" human boy and the excited demon head in front of him, he couldn't utter a complete evaluation for a long time.

She felt her worldview needed a complete overhaul. Finally, without a word, she silently pulled out an exquisitely crafted, portable energy detector shimmering with magical light from her magic robe, pointed it at Ian, and began to carefully scan and analyze it.

"What are you doing?"

Ian asked curiously and subconsciously cooperated with the examination.

"It costs 300 to touch my kidneys, and 500 to touch my pectoral muscles—oh, no, that area isn't available yet." He even proactively quoted prices.

"Huh??? How come there's no high-level demon bloodline?"

The raven examined it and froze on the spot.

"Is it possible that, apart from my Kryptonian bloodline, everything else in my being is charisma?" Ian never blushes when he lies.

"..."

Just as the raven fell silent.

"Ding~"

Her cell phone rang.

This is the billing information.

"!!!!???????"

Raven stared at the outrageous projects, which only worsened her already precarious financial situation. She looked up at Ian with a slightly dazed expression.

Who can understand!

How difficult it must be for a girl who hunts demons and has many important things to do on a daily basis to earn a living, so how could half of her savings be so easily taken away by someone?
"how did you do that?"

She hadn't expected that the fees Ian mentioned were actually deducted without her permission. He didn't even ask her to enter her password, nor did he use her bank card.

"I used some Wayne Technology." Ian's scapegoat seems to be a bit of a freak, focusing on either Luther's or Bruce's companies, which is another form of infatuation.

"..."

The raven, recalling the relationship between the Kent and Wayne families, silently harbored a grudge. The magical girl, who struggled to earn money, stubbornly raised her hand again, intending to cast a spell.

It's not that I intend to take down Ian.

Rather, she suspected that Ian's hidden bloodline was very well concealed.

In Raven's understanding, demons only possess such an instinctive and inclination to be loyal to one being—which is why she now strongly suspects that Ian Kent is not a Kryptonian-human hybrid at all. Neither ordinary human nor Kryptonian blood holds such a powerful allure for demons.

"I think I've already guessed it!"

A hint of seriousness flashed in the raven's eyes.

She knew all too well what kind of personality the dictator in Hell was, and how diverse his sexual orientation was, so she now suspected that Ian was the child of Clark Kent and Lucifer Morningstar!

Yes!

Otherwise, how else can we explain Baal's attitude toward Ian?

The raven attempts to use magic to investigate Ian's origins.

however.

The magic that had been invincible before had lost its power at this moment.

Got nothing.

"What's going on?" Raven's brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and a bead of sweat even appeared on her forehead. This wasn't right. Even if Ian was some kind of unknown, powerful hybrid, her magic should at least have some basic reaction, instead of being like this, as if scanning a conceptual void.

After being tested for a long time, Ian, who was getting a little impatient, raised an eyebrow. Looking at Raven's serious yet futile expression, he sighed helplessly and said in a tone that said, "You really don't know what's going on," "Hey, Miss Raven, you're... a little clueless."

The raven raised its head and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Ian pointed to the instruments and magic circle in her hand, then to himself, and lectured her with an air of self-righteousness: "You know this is a typical case of freeloading, right? You want to study me without paying? There's no such thing as a free lunch. With my net worth, you should at least give me tens of millions or a hundred or two hundred million!"

"You're not so poor that you can't afford it, are you?"

He made an outrageous demand, and then used reverse psychology to provoke him.

The word "poor" is like a precise arrow, instantly piercing the raven's heart!
The truth is swift! Raven has indeed been... less financially secure than before. Tracking the whereabouts of the Three Palace Demon, preparing various magical materials to fight her father, maintaining her own secrecy... each of these is a huge expense. The wealth and resources she had accumulated have certainly been depleted considerably.

Ian's casual, blunt truth broke her defenses. An uncontrollable blush instantly crept onto Raven's pale cheeks, spreading all the way to her ears. She wasn't angry; rather, she felt embarrassed and annoyed that her sore spot had been hit. She opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but found herself at a loss for words.

In the end, he could only glare at Ian and reluctantly put away the useless detector.

at this time.

"Ding-dong-"

A crisp notification sound rang out from Ian's pocket.

Ian pulled out his flashy-looking phone, studded with suspicious gems, and swiped to read the text message. His expression instantly became...serious?

"Alright, enough chit-chat, let's get down to business." Ian quickly stuffed his phone back into his pocket, then grabbed the bull demon Baal, who was still excited about participating in the "great cause" hanging on his waist, and stuffed it into Raven's arms like a basketball.

“Here, you take this first,” Ian instructed. “Be careful, don’t break it, or one Triple Demon won’t be enough to pay for it.”

Suddenly moved into an unfamiliar embrace, the demon Baal was a little confused. He shook his head and asked, "Your Majesty? What's going on? Aren't we going to carry out our great cause?"

Ian explained succinctly, “The plan remains the same. We’ll use you as bait to lure out his father… uh, or your former boss’s harem demon.”

“Then…” he paused, then said very directly, “eat him.”

This was so blunt that even the raven was taken aback.

She instinctively thought this horrific plan would frighten Baal. After all, the Trigon was the embodiment of supreme and inviolable fear for most demons.

However, to Raven's utter astonishment once again, when the Minotaur Baal heard about the plan to "devour the Trinity Demon," his bull-like eyes widened in shock, but then his shock turned into ecstasy!

"I knew it! I knew this day would come!" Baal was so excited that his head trembled in Raven's arms, drool uncontrollably dripping from the corners of his mouth onto Raven's robes with a sizzling sound. "Great! His Majesty is finally going to take action against that old bastard! I knew that following His Majesty meant there would be food to be had! If His Majesty is eating meat, I, Baal, can at least have some soup... no, even just smelling it or licking a scrap would be fine!"

Raven: “???”

Looking at the demon in her arms, drooling with excitement at the thought of sharing his former master, she hurriedly shifted her position, lifting Baal by his horns to prevent her magic robes from burning through. At the same time, she keenly sensed that the energy fluctuations emanating from this demon Baal were far more powerful than when she encountered him during the school incident! This rate of advancement was extremely abnormal!

Could it be... that this is also related to his unwavering devotion to Ian?

A terrifying thought flashed through Raven's mind. She looked up sharply at Ian, who was about to leave, her voice tinged with surprise and doubt: "How many demons have you... eaten?!"

Ian, already hovering in mid-air, turned back upon hearing this, revealing a meaningful smile: "That's not important~ What's important is that you prepare the summoning ritual here first. I need to go to the warehouse and pluck some archangel feathers as a safety net, in case we underestimate the Triple Demon and he gets away—you know, archangel feathers have incredibly strong holy light energy, definitely enough to suppress demons, then we can easily trap them... uh, trap them and beat them up!"

Before the raven could react, Ian's energy surged, and with a "whoosh," he transformed into a streak of light, shooting off towards the outskirts of the city and disappearing into the horizon in an instant.

Raven stood there, holding Baal who was still drooling, looking bewildered and confused.

"He...knows an archangel?"

The raven muttered to itself.

No matter how she looked at Ian, he didn't seem like someone who could communicate with the forces of Heaven and possess a holy soul. He was the complete opposite of the virtues represented by angels.

The demon Baal, whom she was dragging along, heard her whisper and couldn't help but sneer. In a mocking tone, he reverted to his old BJ-like manner and said, "Hmph! Ignorant! You know nothing about God Ian! Know him? How could such an equal relationship be worthy of His Majesty's status!"

Baal's voice was filled with pride and awe: "Ian doesn't know angels—he keeps angels in captivity! He keeps angels in his sweatshop! Don't blame me for not warning you! Show some respect when you speak to Ian! Otherwise, you might be the one hanging in the refrigerator next time!"

"Captive...angels?" Raven's brain went blank again from the shock of this information. This was even more outrageous than hearing about Sangu Mako dancing a tap dance!

Not a single word of truth comes out of that devil's mouth.

"Are you kidding me?"

Realizing what had happened, Raven turned red with anger, swung her other hand, imbued it with pure magical energy, and slapped the incessantly chattering Baal hard across the face!
"Snapped!"

After the crisp sound, Baal was stunned and felt a stinging pain from the depths of his soul. He immediately shut his mouth and chose to shut himself up.

I won't say another word.

Of course, his bull-like eyes also gleamed with a longing for "scraps".

Meanwhile, Ian had landed outside a large factory in an unremarkable, even somewhat dilapidated, industrial park on the outskirts of the metropolis.

As soon as he landed, he saw Madison, that little punk, holding a tablet computer and arrogantly directing a group of workers in overalls to unload goods from several dilapidated trucks.

this moment.

Even Ian was stunned.

"No, I told you to be frugal, and then you fed the angels this kind of stuff?" There aren't many people in this world who can make Ian so shocked.

A young delinquent girl is one of them.

no way.

Can Ian not be alarmed?
Even he couldn't have imagined such a way of saving resources and increasing expenditures—just look at those food boxes, with some blurry Russian markings and a signature pattern printed on them.

It's definitely an old product from the former Soviet Union.

He is probably older than Ian's maternal grandfather.

Ian is a capitalist, and he has some conscience to a certain extent, but Madison has a very entrepreneurial style—even if you use zombie meat, you can't be this zombie-like!
(End of this chapter)