Superman from the comics: Starting with the Black Robe

Chapter 491 The Anti-Life Equation and Martian Philosophy

At this point, the Martian hunter remained silent.

"What?"

Joey was getting impatient—since we've already come this far, why are you still keeping us in suspense?!

"This is a mysterious explanation that has been circulating in Martian history for a long time —"

Superman's persistent questioning gave Ron Jungs a headache. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk about it, but he wasn't sure if Superman could understand it. So he could only use common language from Earth and start with the most basic philosophical points: "You know the characteristics of us Martians. For Martians who are born with telepathic abilities, the word 'philosophy' is completely different from what you Earthlings understand it as —"

In the philosophical system of Earthlings, in areas such as "what is the essence of the world" and "how thought arises," there exist two completely opposing camps: "idealism" and "materialism."

Idealism holds that the essence of "existence" is consciousness and spirit, and that the existence of objective matter depends on human perception.

Materialism is something Joey is more familiar with. "Existence" means existence. Only after the objective existence of matter can there be the birth and perception of spirit and will.

These two opposing philosophical systems have been debated by humankind for centuries without reaching a conclusion, but for Martians who are born with telepathy, this is not a problem at all.

The world as perceived by Martians is a process of moving from mind to matter and back again. Their way of perceiving the world is forever different from that of humans, and this kind of opposing dichotomy simply does not exist for them.

Therefore, for the Green Martians who love philosophical thinking, "philosophy" is not the kind of general talk on Earth where most viewpoints can only exist on paper and in words, but a natural science that can be experienced firsthand and verified immediately.

Within this philosophical system, the Green Martians proposed a viewpoint long ago—

They believe that when Martian philosophical exploration reaches its peak, the free will and spiritual goals of living beings will be fully revealed, and at that time they can even be directly defined by a complex equation.

This equation contains the ultimate answer to all the mysteries of life and has been pre-named the "Equation of Life" by Martian philosophers.

So, given this, naturally some people would think of using this equation in reverse, which is what Malafak was originally searching for, called—

"The Anti-Life Equation!"

Martian Manhunter hesitated, his inner fear preventing him from completing the final name, but Joey had no such reservations. His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately understood what Martian Manhunter meant: "Damn it, why didn't you say so sooner! Did you tell the other Kryptonians?!"

The Martian hunter shook his head.

His own younger brother developed a super virus that wiped out the entire race. This is not something to be proud of. Should he go around telling everyone about it?

On the contrary, the Kryptonians (mainly the messenger Kara) provided a lot of help and information to the Martian Manhunters.

This includes, but is not limited to, providing Martians with devices that can suppress their telepathic abilities, and telling Ron Jungs who implanted the weak fire thought imprint into the Martian race.

This sudden news made everything fall into place—

"Joe Al, that old man, forced Karl and Kara to come to Earth back then, it definitely wasn't simply because this place was close to home!"

The Kryptonians in sector 2813 are definitely not ignorant about the solar system in sector 2814; on the contrary, they know far too much!

The Anti-Life Equation is an intangible and insubstantial concept; it is merely an abstract existence. For the holder, you can only perceive and possess it when you know what it is.

This is like a paradox for those who want to pursue it—if you can't even perceive something, how can you know it?

But if you don't know what the anti-life equation is, then the anti-life equation naturally won't reveal itself to you.

Could it be that with the Martian philosophical system, it is possible to actually construct it?

With Martians present, whatever Joe Al intends to do, he is definitely getting closer and closer to his goal of "anti-life equation"!

"No! We need to find out what's going on right away!"

Joey, who had just sat down after Martian Manhunter's long-winded speech, slapped his thigh and stood up: "Time waits for no one, let's get out of here quickly!"

"You think I didn't want to?!" Martian Manhunter shrugged. "I've been locked up here for ages! I don't even know how you got in!"

After the fire-fearing steel mark in Ron Jung's mind was erased, the original Martian personality of the Forge directly took over the dominant position.

After all, compared to Martian Manhunter, the Forge is the complete and real Martian, while Ron Jungs, this green Martian, is more like a defective product built on a false foundation.

Martian Manhunter had witnessed everything the Furnace had done since its transformation. Just now, the Furnace's mental shock should have been used to directly confront Superman.

Martian Manhunter couldn't figure out what had happened to cause Superman's thoughts to be directly transmitted to "Great Thought."

If Superman is there, then in the mental world of the furnace, who is he fighting against?

"Oh, well—"

Upon hearing Martian Manhunter's words, Joey suddenly calmed down and sat down, awaiting the final result: "I must say—this matching mechanism is quite reasonable."

This led Joey to a reasonable conjecture: "Is it possible that the furnace isn't actually the dominant entity within your body?"

With this mental shock, Joey, as the conscious mind of his body, confronted Martian Manhunter, while the Forge confronted Joey's subconscious.

If they match so perfectly in the realm of the mind, then it can only mean one thing—

Martian Manhunter is not a remnant squeezed out by the "Forge," which he considers his main personality, but rather the true main personality.

The furnace is merely a byproduct of the main personality, much like Doomsday within Joey's body. It is the latent consciousness of the physical body, only slightly unstable due to its inherent characteristics.

"Guardian Ganther is right. Perhaps bloodlust, cruelty, and a love of conquest and slaughter are in your Martian nature."

.

Joey, whose words were slightly too sharp for Martian hunters, paused for a moment before uttering a statement that suddenly enlightened him: "But isn't biological evolution and the development of civilization simply a process in which individuals gradually adjust, optimize, and even control their own nature?"

The initial goal of every surviving organism is survival, and to achieve this, it must first possess the instinct for self-interest.

Countless people in this world have transcended their self-interested nature, even willingly giving up the most fundamental essence of life—survival—for the sake of the ideals in their hearts.

This is how one's own morality and will allow higher, acquired values ​​such as responsibility, justice, and courage to transcend one's instincts.

Surrounded by the "great ideas of the Martians' mental network," the Martian hunter's stunned gaze made Joey a little uneasy: "————? What, did it crash?"

Martian Manhunter never expected that such words would come from Superman, whom he usually only knew as a very strong fighter: "You're right, Superman."

Compared to himself, a green Martian who should theoretically be more adept at philosophy, it turns out that Superman, who usually only uses his fists, is more likely to understand the essence of life.

A fiery tornado swept through this heart-shaped world covered in ashes, taking away everything from the past.

As the shadows in Martian Manhunter's heart dissipated, the true inner world of Ron Jungs, the fully realized Burning Martian, was revealed.

Amidst this sea of ​​lava and fire, Doomsday, covered in icy spurs, unleashed a powerful punch, knocking the unfortunate furnace to the ground.