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

Chapter 233 Ian's Grand Ambitions!
Ultraman Tiga's voice echoed through the alley.

Like many other "new immigrants" who had appeared here before. However, it must be said that Tiga is indeed Tiga; his emotions are perhaps the most stable of them all.

Even though his debt situation was even more outrageous than that of other "new immigrants".

In comparison.

As a human, Golden Superman's emotions are not as suited to romance as Ultraman Tiga's.

Upon hearing Tiga's words, he had a bad feeling and immediately looked at his watch to check his debt situation.

Total liabilities: 5,000,030,000 Energy Coins

Five...five billion?!
Golden Superman's vision went black, and he almost followed in Darkseid's footsteps.

"No! I didn't even hand it to you! How could you let me apply for such an astronomical loan?! And even if it's loan sharking, you should at least let me receive some funds so that I can set up this scheme, right?" Golden Superman seemed to know a lot about loan sharks. He pointed at Wolverine, and his voice changed.

Shocked.

Upon seeing this, Logan the Wolverine paused for a moment, then looked deeply at Ultraman Tiga with his weathered eyes, and then at Golden Superman.

There was a complex pity in his eyes that neither of them could fully comprehend.

"This is not usury, but rather theft. You took things without permission from the people of Earth, which is what rightfully belonged to the One God, Ian."

"Speaking objectively, there should be compensation and restitution, right?" Wolverine Logan seemed to have been notified in advance. And rightly so, after all, Ian was currently watching this extra dimension.

to be frank.

Ian wasn't the kind of person who was truly unreasonable and would exploit everyone he met. He was genuinely angry, though, because he had earned the light from his fellow humans through his own efforts.

Why did Golden Superman and Tiga, especially Tiga, get so much of it? They didn't put in any effort; they were just there to steal Ian's "earnings."

Reasonable people know how to reason things out.

"But... haven't our powers been sealed and taken away by him already?" Golden Superman frowned, feeling slightly guilty but also finding the calculation somewhat illogical.

In response, Wolverine simply took a deep drag on his cigar, refusing to answer Golden Superman's question about the loan, and abruptly changed the subject.

“Don’t ask me that question. My job is to register the new population and arrange your work.” He pointed out the alleyway and spoke seriously.

"Now, come with me."

As he spoke, Wolverine raised one hand, slowly revealing his newly acquired "steel claws," which looked much better in terms of both "special effects" and appearance than his original claws.

It has a light pollution effect similar to that of pay-to-win mobile games.

obviously.

Enforcers like Wolverine, Ian's most useful henchmen, also have shops similar to those of the new immigrants. Wolverine gave a watchful look, his other hand in his pocket, as if ready to pull something out at any moment—since Ian joined the Time Management Bureau, the extradimensional law enforcement agencies have gained some useful equipment.

Don't misunderstand, Ian isn't practicing the same kind of unauthorized taking as Ultraman Tiga and Golden Superman. In the outer dimension, he possesses authority equivalent to a "creator." As long as he has enough magic power, he can "copy" whatever he wants and create it himself.

"..."

"..."

Faced with Wolverine's attitude, Superman and Tiga exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness and resignation in each other's eyes. In this completely unfamiliar dimension with bizarre rules, resisting someone who appears to be an "official" representative, with steel claws that can pop out from between his fingers, is clearly not a wise move.

After all, neither Golden Superman nor Tiga can stand up anymore. Both of them are just brutes, and they don't really have any fighting skills.

Figure this out.

The two silently stood up and followed Wolverine out of the alley.

This compliant attitude surprised Wolverine. He sipped his cigar and mumbled a comment: "Tsk, you guys are the most law-abiding of these new immigrants so far."

Golden Superman and Ultraman Tiga heard this.

I'm heartbroken.

What could they say? They could only look at each other and smile bitterly.

The two are lawful and righteous heroes, but the biggest problem right now is... the rules of this world don't seem like a righteous world!
Following Wolverine out of the dark alley, they found themselves in a bizarre and surreal "city" with streets filled with all sorts of strange flying machines.

Some looked like teapots, others like slippers. The pedestrians on the street were also bizarre, including winged mutants and muscular men with mushroom heads.

In contrast.

Ultraman Tiga, in his suit, didn't seem so out of place.

At most, he might get a few extra glances from passing creatures, who might comment something like, "He must have been eating rare mushrooms," or "I'm going out to try my luck at mushroom hunting tomorrow."

"This way."

Wolverine led the two new immigrants to an old-fashioned police car that looked like it came from the 1940s.

Although it's called a police car, it looks rather comical. The tires are rainbow-colored, and the police light on the roof is a constantly spinning lollipop.

"Get in, back seat." Logan opened the driver's side door and gestured for them to sit in the back seat—which had a sturdy metal fence installed in front of it, clearly a setup for transporting prisoners!

The crackling electric arcs above seemed to be sticking their tongues out at the two people outside; it was the kind of haircut that could save a lot of money on perming just by touching it.

Golden Superman doesn't want to have an afro.

Ultraman Tiga doesn't have hair that can be permed.

The two looked at each other again, silently opened the back door, and sat in the "prison van".

The police car emitted a siren-like sound, then floated up and drifted towards the "suburbs" on the outskirts of the city.

"So, tires are a kind of decoration?"

The golden superhero riding his flying car couldn't help but complain. Perhaps he really should have a complaining alien attached to his head, a cowlick that could absorb complaining energy and transform it into the power of his own thoughts.

Wolverine remained aloof and did not respond. Along the way, Golden Superman and Tiga saw more scenes through the fence windows that shocked their worldviews.

Streetlights that dance on their own.

The cloud houses are fluffy like cotton candy and can even sneeze. Some little people live inside, and their daily job is to wipe the face of the big smiling sun.

They could be considered civil servants.

But the absurdity didn't end there. Instead of water, a river was flowing with bubbling orange juice, and several creatures that looked like playing card guards were watering a large tree with leaves that looked like banknotes.

A genuine money tree.

"I feel like this world..." Golden Superman finally couldn't help but complain to the silent Tiga beside him; "It's just like the world I saw when I was a little kid, on a farm in Kansas, after I accidentally ate some undercooked wild mushrooms... It's full of unreal absurdity and color."

He just finished speaking.

Logan, the Wolverine driving in front, actually struck up a conversation. He glanced at Golden Superman in the rearview mirror and said, "You like to eat mushrooms? We have a lot of mushrooms in the wild. Some can summon little people to dance with you when you eat them, but some will turn you into a dwarf. Of course, if you're lucky, you can become Snow White."

Logan spoke in a calm tone, as if he were introducing a local specialty.

Golden Superman: "..."

Diga: "..."

Although Ultraman remained expressionless, his eyes flickered. The two silently stared at each other again, both seeing a deep sense of powerlessness in each other's eyes.

What kind of damn worldview is this?

So, the mushroom people on the street were actually transformed from mushrooms?

Race change is so free.

It's really hard to judge.

They basically concluded that the ruler of this dimension seemed to want to create a fairy tale universe, but because he liked to freely express his "talent," he made the world deviate somewhat from the elements of a fairy tale. It can't be called a dark fairy tale, but it's the kind of scene that even a golden superhero would find himself unable to imagine after eating mushrooms.

silence.

Still silent.

The police car with rainbow tires, carrying Golden Superman and Tiga, flew over the bizarre urban area and finally landed in a relatively "normal" suburban area.

If the urban area is a wild, abstract oil painting, then this place is a slightly rough, pixelated farm simulator scene. Large tracts of land are neatly divided into squares, in which are planted oddly shaped crops that emit faint energy fluctuations. Some "people" dressed in uniform coarse cloth overalls and with various appearances are working in the fields with their heads down.

Among them are many familiar faces from Ultraman Tiga.

"Isn't that the old black guy from the Land of Light?"

Tiga's gaze locked onto Belial.

He found it hard to believe that the "debt kings" of the Land of Light, the major villains he often used his power to deal with, were actually in this place and looked like a diligent old farmer.

They didn't stir up trouble; they just focused on hard work.

“Run into someone you know? That’s normal, don’t make a fuss.” Logan parked the car in front of a simple wooden hut that looked like a warehouse and office. Standing at the door of the hut was a strange humanoid creature, tall and thin, wearing a foreman’s uniform, but with a head that was an old-fashioned clock ticking.

Logan got out of the car, gestured with his chin toward the clock face, and said succinctly.

"The two newcomers are yours. You know the rules."

He liked to act aloof. The clock face turned towards Logan, and the minute and hour hands swung slightly, making a dull "click" sound as a response.

Logan didn't say much, turned around and walked to the other side of the farm, where there seemed to be the entrance to a mine. His figure, with a cigar in his mouth, quickly disappeared into the darkness.

This guy had obviously gone to find his brother, Sabretooth, who was also "undergoing labor reform" here. After Logan left, the clock face finally turned its "gaze" to the newly arrived Golden Superman and Tiga. Its metallic clock face showed no expression, but a sense of scrutiny was unmistakable.

The markings on its clock face seem to be able to focus.

The metallic clock face revealed no expression, yet a sense of scrutiny was unmistakable. Just as he was about to assign tasks as usual, suddenly, the entire clock froze!
The pendulum stopped swinging, as if it were listening intently to something.

A sense of humility is vividly displayed on this clock face, which is slightly lowered as if listening to a direct command from a supreme being.

This process lasted for about ten seconds.

As the pendulum began to swing again, the clock's attitude towards the two men subtly changed. He first looked at Golden Superman, whose hands were pointing towards him.

"Your debts... are far too enormous. With ordinary labor, you probably won't be able to repay even a fraction of them in your entire life." The clock head made a metallic, scraping sound.

Golden Superman's heart sank; he had a bad feeling.

The clock continued, "Here's what we'll do, you go over there first."

He pointed to a farmland area where Ultron was spraying pesticide powder. Ultron had clearly upgraded its configuration and could now function as a drone.

“Learn basic planting from them, get familiar with the environment. Afterwards… the Lord has other plans for you.” The clock face told Golden Superman about Ian's arrangements. “Lord?” Golden Superman caught the key word, his unease amplifying dramatically. “What… plan does your Lord have for me?”

He was really scared!

I'm afraid that superhuman son, whose thinking has strayed to the wicked side of this universe, might dig some bottomless abyss for him! The previous loans and skill trees have already suffocated him.

However, his inquiry went unanswered.

The clock hands shifted slightly, his tone completely calm: "You'll find out when the time comes."

Of course, he wouldn't tell Golden Superman.

His great "Lord" recently envied a world with nine golden crows, so he conceived a magnificent blueprint that could be described as astonishing—the great Lord would gather nine superhumans of different types and attributes and hang them in the sky as nine suns! To realize his glorious vision of an "everlasting sun"!

"As long as I'm not forced to solicit clients or anything... that's fine." This was the worry that arose in the Golden Superman's mind because he didn't know that Ian also had his limits.

Filled with doubt and a strong sense of foreboding, Golden Superman took the rusty hoe handed to him by the clock face and walked toward the designated field, glancing back every few steps. Only after watching Golden Superman leave did the clock face turn its "gaze" to Ultraman Tiga, who stood silently by.

"As for you..." The clock hands swept over Tiga, the voice seemingly carrying a hint of... indescribable meaning? "The Lord also has other plans for you."

He gestured for Tiga to follow him, and they walked toward a separate, more sturdy-looking stone hut next to the wooden house.

“It’s obvious,” Clock said as he walked, his metallic tone carrying a hint of “you’ve hit the jackpot,” “the Lord has a very good impression of you.”

Diga: "..."

He couldn't sense anything about the guy who had brought him into this century that he liked.

The clock was still talking.

"So, even though you... well, you could say you 'tricked' the Lord once before, the Lord is magnanimous and willing to give you a very meaningful job that benefits both you and the Lord."

As he spoke, the clock pushed open the heavy door of the stone house.

The interior of the stone house is small and simply furnished, even solemn. The most striking feature is a uniquely shaped "chair" placed in the center of the room.

The object was dark gold in color, with a complex and majestic structure, a tall backrest and wide armrests, and some incomprehensible runes seemed to be carved on the backrest.

The overall style blends dark gothic elements with a futuristic, interstellar empire feel, and is very similar to the wheelchair Batman is currently sitting in, subtly hinting at the golden throne in Warhammer 40 that bound the human emperor.

"This is……"

Tiga expressed a questioning thought.

The clock head walked to the throne, and the hands of the clock face pointed to it: "Few people know that in our world, besides the 'Superpower Continent' you see now and the 'Monster Paradise' next door, there is actually a third continent that has only recently 'grown' naturally."

His voice carried a hint of mystery: "However, there are some... 'minor' problems with that continent. Its energy field is extremely unstable, filled with resentment of decay and despair, which can erode a normal mind. Therefore, the Lord used his great power to temporarily hide it away, which we internally call the Land of the Hidden Gods."

"Now, that place needs you." The clock face gestured for Tiga to sit on the golden throne.

"Need me?"

Tiga hesitated for a moment.

But considering his enormous debts and his current extremely weak state due to the loss of the light he had just received after his resurrection, it seemed he didn't have many options.

His massive body slowly sat on that cold, yet seemingly tailor-made throne.

And the instant he settled into his seat—

hum! ! !
An indescribable, cold, and vast stream of consciousness, like a flood bursting its banks, suddenly connected to his core through the throne! He felt as if he had instantly traversed countless spaces, projecting his perception into a dark, lifeless world filled with endless despair and agonizing cries!

That is the so-called "Hidden Land"!
A corner that seems to have been abandoned by all hope!

"Is there no hope left here?"

“But thankfully, I have a premonition that hope once existed in this world, so…” Tiga’s instincts were triggered, and then, the despairing energy that permeated that dilapidated world, enough to drive any living being mad, began to surge towards Tiga, who was sitting on the throne, like rivers flowing into the sea.

The moment these energies came into contact with Tiga's body, it was as if they encountered some kind of natural purifier.

The essence of Tigana as the "sixth in the underworld".

It still functions even when severely weakened.

The filthy, negative, and despairing energy was forcibly transformed and purified as it flowed through his body, turning into a relatively pure, warm light that represented hope and new life!
This newborn "light of hope" was divided into three parts.

A small portion, though faint, flowed back to that hidden land along the link, nourishing that parched and desperate land like sweet rain, and beginning to give the world a new lease on life.

"I see..." Tiga felt the faint but real warmth within his body, and the emptiness of having most of his hard work forcibly drained away.

I gradually came to understand everything.

"The reason I wasn't completely stripped of my talents like that human (Golden Superman) is because this ability of mine can be put to use here..."

It can help a broken world.

It was much easier for Ultraman Tiga to accept.

Moreover, apart from that, he wasn't too upset, since the other party had indeed given him a little "sweetness" so that he wouldn't immediately "die out."

The other part of the light, also not much, remained in Tiga's body, slowly replenishing his nearly depleted energy core and providing some relief to his weakened state.

Tiga, realizing what he needed to do, also had some enlightenment—this might be the "reward" promised by the boy named Ian Kent.

As for the other part, which was also the majority of the light, Tiga was unable to find its whereabouts. After the light flowed through his body, it was as if it had simply evaporated and disappeared without a trace!

Compared to his previous anxiety, now that he realizes he is saving a broken universe, Tiga is more curious about where most of the "light of hope" he has created has gone.

It should be noted that this light is different from the light that was intercepted before. It is very pure in nature and is more like a kind of symbolic spiritual energy, which is difficult to directly transform into powerful divine power.

Then.

What was the special purpose of the large head that the boy took?

……

Ultraman Tiga was filled with curiosity and confusion.

at the same time.

In the reality beyond the extra dimension, Ian Kent was comfortably lying on his luxurious bed, which was said to have been imported from hell and had countless invisible demonic hands providing massages.

While enjoying the royal-level relaxation services, he held his phone and had a video call with Madison, his "secretary" who was far away at the factory and determined to hide gold in the wall.

“Yes, yes, Madison, my good friend.” Ian said to the screen, his face beaming with a “noble” light. “You must understand the great significance of our cause!”

"You may not know, but that giant who looks like he's in a suit owes so many children a debt of gratitude. Anyway, all you need to know is that Mr. Ian doesn't lie much."

"We are doing a good deed now, helping him fulfill the promises he made in the past! We are saving the children's dreams!"

"We are heroes!"

"So please stay up all night. Overtime pay is guaranteed. Contact any Hollywood directors you know. We want to make a truly thought-provoking advertisement."

"Yes, that's what I just mentioned, our upcoming 'Childhood Guardian Series' Sparklers. The materials used in its production must be environmentally friendly and biodegradable."

"It's not about tax cuts, it's about being green and safe... After all, the United Nations is calling for action, and I can love environmental protection for the sake of the Nobel Prize in Environmental Protection."

"Back to advertising, you Hollywood professionals are good at this. I only have one request: the focus must be on America's school violence and shooting tragedy!"

Ian's eyes sparkled.

Talk about it.

"Learn the essence of the Rifle Association's rhetoric! Make those parents aware of America's current crisis!"

"Let them realize that what they are buying for their children is not just a toy sparkler, but a guarantee of safety! It is a guardian and hope that can instantly transform their children into mini Ultraman in the event of danger!"

"Yes! The advertising copy will be written exactly as I requested: 'When the alarm sounds, when danger strikes, your child deserves a light of their own!'"

"The price... let's set it at $199.99 a month! Sentiment and security are priceless!" After arranging everything fluently, Ian hung up the phone with satisfaction. He yawned widely, and under the gentle massage of countless invisible hands, he turned over and fell asleep peacefully, hugging the custom-made pillow printed with the words "I am the truth."

Despite all that has happened.

It's still not dawn.

So he decided to take a nap.

"Huh...huh..."

Even snoring soon began.

Just as he was about to drift off into a deep sleep, a thought seemed to flash through his mind.

"Hmm...did I...forgot something?"

For example, family ties.

On the other side, in the Metropolis, amidst the ruins of St. Caesar's Church.

The night wind was howling, making the broken stained glass window frames creak.

Forgotten here, still firmly tied to the pillar, Damian Wayne couldn't help but shiver, feeling like his snot was about to freeze out. He looked up at the sparse stars in the sky, then at Jonathan and Jordan Kent, who were also tied up and looked utterly dejected.

"Are we... going to stay here for the whole night? Or more than one night?" Wayne's young master finally couldn't help but ask after realizing their situation.

He, Jordan, Jonathan, has been tied up and hung here for quite some time.

It's as if the world has forgotten them.

The three of them looked like three abandoned puppies in the cold wind.

"I feel that Ian, Dad, and Uncle Bruce conspired to set us up to teach us some lessons." This is what Jordan came up with.

His super brain hasn't figured out yet what his parents should teach him.

"..."

Jonathan, the oldest and most mature among them, didn't have many thoughts. He simply remained silent and looked up at the night view outside the broken window.

He hadn't seen Los Angeles at 4 a.m.

However, he saw Seattle at four in the morning with his good friends today.

(End of this chapter)