American comics: Starting in Arkham, a system-based Batman

Chapter 119 God of the Mortal World

"But he just wanted to help others."

95

Jung Eun calmly raised a question, "Didn't you hear what Superman just said? He's not doing these things for power or fame; he just wants to help others as much as he can."

"7

"So he's not qualified."

The other party was unyielding, with a stubborn temper like a hard, smelly rock. "If he could distinguish between what's important and what's urgent, he would know that doing these trivial things is meaningless to changing the status quo."

"He should hurry up and establish a new regime to control the world. Only in this way can war and crime be nipped in the bud."

"Countless people will be saved because of this, and he will become a god in their eyes."

"But he isn't." Jung Eun didn't understand why the other person would be so—uh, superstitious—about Superman's abilities?

The other party's words were easy to understand, echoing the sentiment of Spider-Man: with great power comes great responsibility. However, they had a significant disagreement about the extent of Superman's capabilities.

"Even a god cannot make all of humanity stay quiet and not do anything bad."

He argued with the other person, saying, "Even an omniscient and omnipotent God couldn't prevent Eve and Adam from eating the forbidden fruit; there were only two people in the Garden of Eden at that time."

"But there are at least 8.2 billion people in the world now!"

After saying that, Jung Eun-jae realized that the conversation he should have kept in his mind had just slipped out.

The excited words were unusually clear in the quiet alley, startling a kitten that darted out from a corner. At the alley entrance facing the light, a passerby stopped in their tracks.

"Um, is there anything I can help you with?"

The red-haired youth looked over with concern, but Zheng En shook his head repeatedly, "It's nothing, thank you for your concern."

Having grown accustomed to seeing people go crazy in Gotham and being completely oblivious to it, he felt strangely uncomfortable with the kindness of passersby.

In Gotham, especially in the East Side, nobody pays any attention to strange behavior from passersby on the street. If they do see it, they'll walk a few steps further away to keep their distance. The person might be experiencing drug withdrawal, or they might be mentally ill.

Spreading goodwill comes at a price, and most people making a living in Gotham don't have that luxury.

They are more alert to potential dangers, while metropolitan residents tend to have a more positive and optimistic attitude towards things.

After receiving Zheng En's reply, the young man breathed a sigh of relief. "Then I'm relieved. Bye-bye." He jogged off, seemingly in a hurry.

Zheng En still had a smile on her face, but inwardly cursed the unknown guy in her mind.

The other person said, "I heard you."

"So what if I heard it?"

Zheng En rolled his eyes and strolled towards the alley entrance. After arriving in the new universe, he would have to find a place to settle down, buy some daily necessities, and find a good restaurant.

He had never been to the Metropolis before, so he simply strolled around the streets, taking the opportunity to get to know his new mentor.

"Let's put Superman aside for now and start by introducing ourselves."

Having had the experience of spending time with Batman, it was common for Zheng En to multitask and speak in his mind. If he hadn't been emotionally agitated by Batman's words earlier, he wouldn't have been mistaken for a freak by well-meaning passersby.

"I am Zheng En, a player bound to the system. And you?"

The other party remained silent.

Zheng En thought to herself that this was not a good reaction.

Normal people have a clear understanding of their own identity, whether it's their name or title. Just like Bruce Wayne identifies as Batman, and Superman identifies as Clark under the Lasso of Truth. The choice of how one addresses others signifies a lot.

Mentors and players cannot deceive each other about their identities; even Batman would blurt it out.

The other party's silence and bewilderment meant that he had lost his sense of self.

After a moment, the other party finally spoke.

"They call me a god among men."

Okay, I understand.

Upon hearing this title, Jung Eun immediately knew the other person's background.

Injustice Superman, it turns out to be you.

Just as he had guessed, the other person was someone who doubted his own perceptions.

When Unjust Superman spoke coldly to her before, Jung Eun had already guessed his identity.

Excluding Lex Luthor from the initial list, the most likely candidates are Lord Superman or Injustice Superman.

Both versions of Superman are arrogant and overbearing, establishing new political systems and treating the Earth and humanity as their own possessions.

However, the difference is that Lord Superman is more determined and confident. He is convinced that he can lead humanity to a more glorious and beautiful tomorrow, just like the Lord inspecting the sheep in the pasture.

He killed Luthor, but gained Batman's approval and everyone's forgiveness. The superheroes stood firmly behind him, and the Justice League became the initial cornerstone of the new regime.

The Lord Superman regime, cloaked in a facade of respect and communication, was successfully implemented and operated stably for decades, even after the Lord Batman betrayed him, and even the Justice League in the main universe could not change it.

No one can truly deny his actions, but Injustice Superman does the opposite.

If a lord is like an indestructible block of ice, then injustice is like a raging fire.

His anger consumed his reason; desire and ambition, like wild grass set ablaze on the plateau, swept rapidly across everything visible to the naked eye with the howling wind.

Compared to the Lord, Injustice seems less justified.

Although he had also killed his enemy, his emotions were more violent and agitated, and he was more easily influenced by external factors. He was like a flame, bending whichever way the wind blew.

Since the injustice Batman disapproved of his actions, he tried to gain the approval of those around him.

Unjust Wonder Woman wanted him to do more, so he went to a war-torn country and used his power to force the leader to stop the war.

Injustice Superman is someone who is easily swayed by external influences.

This is the conclusion that Zheng En drew from the other party's actions. Injustice Batman saw it very clearly. Injustice Superman's bottom line was crumbling, which is why he tried his best to prevent the Joker's death.

Just like how Batman in the main universe wanted to kill the Joker, but was stopped by Superman.

When they are under immense pressure, they become each other's shackles.

Unfortunately, Injustice Batman failed.

After the Joker's death, Injustice Superman's rage quickly spread throughout the world. He also established a new regime and had the support of the Justice League partners, but his personality was gradually corrupted by power, and he became violent and dictatorial.

In the first year of Injustice, he was enraged by the Atlantis incident and harshly rebuked Green Lantern.

Even the most righteous female knight-errant who supported him could not sympathize with his arrogance.

The tyranny of Injustice Superman first emerged and then intensified.

He killed Green Arrow, and then he killed Shazam, who was most likely to rival him.

Zheng En didn't believe his heart was strong enough to convince himself, and to convince Clark, who had been raised with love by the Kents and had over twenty years of normal values.

Injustice could not convince him that he was right.

Even when he was suppressing the rebels and maintaining his rule, he was absolutely certain that he was right and disregarded the blood on his hands. But no matter how fierce his anger was, the fuel beneath it would eventually be burned out.

And when that anger has burned away, leaving only embers, what will he be thinking?

Zheng En didn't know, but he knew that Lord Superman could proudly proclaim himself Lord, while Injustice was merely a title given to him by onlookers.

Clark Kent is an abandoned human identity, Kal-El is the son of Krypton, and Superman is a title that people yearn for.

Unjust Superman, not one of them could be said.

"So you want me to call you God of the Mortal World?"

Thinking of this, Zheng En couldn't help but press his temples.

He was communicating with the other person internally, but the sales assistant introducing the clothes was very professional and paying close attention to his every move. She quickly asked, "Is there anything you're not satisfied with in these clothes? Would you like to exchange them for another set?"

"No need," Zheng En smiled. "You should have delivery service, right? Can I leave the clothes here and call you later to let you know the address?"

Renting a house is something that needs time to think about, so he plans to stay in a hotel for a few days before that.

Compared to Superman, who doesn't even have a body, he has many more things to consider, such as changes of clothes, snacks and drinks for leisure time.

Although the other party isn't entirely without it.

Like the unified system, the spirit of the Unjust Superman only communicates with him through the system.

In the same universe, there can be identical entities from different universes, but there cannot be the same person.

The Superman he just saw was the injustice of not becoming a dictator.

Time cannot be easily changed, but the power of a system is enough to rewrite reality.

That's why mentors Batman and Injustice Superman had the chance to change their fate and start over.

Jung Eun's thoughts raced, and before he could get a response from Unjust Superman, he pressed him again, "Tell me, God of the Human World, do you want me to call you that?"

He made no attempt to hide his inner turmoil, just like a clueless teenager who does nothing but seek attention.

Injustice Superman: "————"

He hadn't thought that much about it, but after Zheng En said that, he suddenly didn't want to use it anymore.

Call me Karl.

In the few memories he had left sealed away, he heard someone call him that.

Just as Jung Eun had guessed, Unjust Superman indeed had no clear concept of his own identity.

Clark Kent, Kal-El, Superman, God among men—these were names he remembered, but none of them were right.

Clark Kent, a simple and honest young man from Kansas, could grow corn and drive a tractor. He spent a happy childhood in a small town, grew up to become a reporter, joined the Daily Planet, and married his colleague Louise and had children.

Kal'El, the last surviving Kryptonian, has a solitary fortress in the North Pole, a relic left by his parents.

Superman, the darling of the yellow sun, whose light grants him boundless power and speed, the ability to fly through the sky, and the power to emit heat vision and freezing breath. He is loved and trusted by the people, the chairman of the Justice League, and the leader of everyone.

The gods among men were met with fervent cheers from some and whispers of fear from others.

For a very long time, it seemed that everyone called him that.

He was once delighted and proud of it, but later it became nothing but boring.

Injustice Superman only regained consciousness after Jung Eun stepped into this universe; his consciousness appeared the moment the other person saw him.

Blue sky and milky white clouds, traffic flowing along the avenue and groups of two or three pedestrians.

Upon realizing that his consciousness had manifested in someone else, Injustice Superman instantly felt like he had been fooled.

Even though he knew the reason for all this through the system, he just coldly watched Zheng En act.

It wasn't until the appearance of a superman in this world that he couldn't help but feel angry.

Why can you be so leisurely and idle?

You clearly have the ability to make this world a better place!

Injustice Superman's memory is not very clear, but the feeling and smell of blood splattering on his face are still vivid in his mind.

He remembered that it should have been a woman's face, he remembered the heart that had stopped beating inside her, and he remembered the ruins that stretched as far as the eye could see.

The shadows left on the ground and walls after they were erased before they could escape, and the fragmented buildings were unrecognizable.

He has witnessed the end of the world.

Therefore, he loathed that useless thing.

So when Jung Eun asked him his name, he hesitated.

In the dim light, it seemed as if countless faces appeared before my eyes, questioning me—men, women, old, young, stained with blood, charred, and reduced to ashes.

He didn't know what they were saying; he only saw countless mouths murmuring and moving, the sounds flowing through his mind without lingering.

Therefore, he only said that some people had called him a god among men.

"I won't deny my name because of this, even though those good-for-nothings are using it too."

Hearing the Unjust Superman's cold snort, Jung Eun really wanted to tell him that the good-for-nothing was himself.

Unfortunately, the sealed memories are a system protection mechanism, and rashly breaking them could easily lead to disaster. Otherwise, Jung Eun really wanted to know which ending the other party had achieved.

Unlike stories in other universes, Injustice has multiple storylines. The first movie mainly tells the story of the Justice League in the main universe fighting against Injustice, overthrowing the evil regime of Injustice Superman, and imprisoning him.

The second film features Brainiac's invasion, forcing Batman to unleash Superman to fight in order to protect Earth. However, after defeating Brainiac, the two have a disagreement.

Batman believes Brainiac should restore the city to its original state first and rescue the remaining people. Superman, however, believes Brainiac must die and that Cyborg can handle the city.

The two disagreed again. The enraged Superman refused to listen to Batman anymore, while Batman, who had lost trust in Superman, scratched him with a gold-plated stone.

After that, there are two branching options in the finale: absolute justice and absolute power.

If you choose justice, Superman will be defeated and imprisoned in the Phantom Zone.

By choosing the power, Batman will be brainwashed and transformed into a member of Superman's team.

Even at this point, Superman still hoped to gain Batman's approval, no matter how fake it was.