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

Chapter 128 Clark Kent dared not think about it further.

"Can't you tell?"

Jung Eun calmly turned to look at him. "I'm a huge Superman fan."

"what?"

Clark Kent was utterly shocked. "Really? Is that so?"

I didn't realize it when he was interacting with Jung Eun as Superman.

And let alone a die-hard fan, he can't even be considered a fan, right?

Clark had a good memory and good eyesight; he could see Zheng En's subconscious wariness when he first appeared.

That's why he lowered his stance and tried to make the other person relax.

But now, Jung Eun is actually saying that he is a huge fan?

Clark's eyes widened, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

If he were lying, this would be rather self-righteous, and a normal person would experience symptoms such as an accelerated heartbeat and dilated pupils, subtle signs that he could easily spot.

Therefore, he knew very well that Jung Eun was not lying.

Seeing Clark's bewildered expression, Jung Eun remained calm. "Oh, I don't think I've told you yet, Superman helped me out when I first arrived in Metropolis."

This is the truth.

It's true that I like Superman.

However, the sequence of events is completely different from what he described.

Even before his time travel, when he was reading comics, Zheng En already liked Superman. Although not as much as Batman, he would still click on any related topics to take a look.

Isn't it normal to collect materials related to your favorite characters? Just like basketball stars' jerseys and sneakers are auctioned off and fetch high prices, it wasn't like Jung Eun was just bored and put a tracker and monitor on Batman.

Although it adds a bit of a surveillance element to Superman.

"Is that all?" Clark was even more bewildered.

Zheng En didn't elaborate. Anyone else might have thought Superman had saved their life or done them some other immense favor, but the person standing before him was Superman himself. Clark remembered that he had only helped the other man down from the rooftop.

This isn't a big deal; even without him, someone would have opened the door sooner or later. Is that why Jung Eun became his fanatical fan?

His bewilderment didn't elicit an explanation. Zheng En, who displayed the video on the screen like a trophy, frowned, his eyes filled with disapproval as he looked at Clark. "What do you mean, 'just because of this'?"

Clark instantly sensed something was wrong.

"Do you really think it's a given that Superman helps others? That he's not worthy of gratitude?"

The usually mild-mannered young man suddenly displayed a sharp aggression, even a somewhat aggressive one, which startled Clark.

"He is very capable and has the ability to help anyone. But just because these things are easy for him, does that mean we can overlook the help he has given us and the contributions he has made?"

"Of course not."

Clark quickly realized what was going on. He wasn't fooled by Zheng En's words. He looked at the densely packed video titles on the screen with a conflicted expression. "But... isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

While Superman did indeed gain some extreme followers after his appearance, just like most sports stars and actors have fans, Jung Eun was the first to act so fanatically and even appear directly in front of Clark.

Jung Eun glanced at the screen, then at Clark, still feigning ignorance. "What's wrong?"

What? What happened? Don't try to play dumb and get away with it!

Clark wanted to yell at him like that, but he held back.

The video covers displayed on this single screen already contain a wealth of information. Some are close-up shots of Superman, some seem to be recorded from an overhead perspective, and some are even taken from below, looking up—

How did Jung Eun obtain all of this?

Clark Kent didn't dare to think about it too much; he tried to use the law to make Jung Eun understand the seriousness of the matter.

"You've seriously violated Superman's privacy and personal safety; that's illegal!"

Zheng En's expression became unusually serious. He touched his chin, and Clark thought he had realized the seriousness of the matter. Just as he was about to relax, he heard Zheng En ask a serious question.

"Does Superman have U.S. citizenship in the general sense?" Jung Eun asked, feigning seriousness. "Or perhaps from another country? If he doesn't have any nationality, does that mean he's not protected by the laws of any country?"

Clark:

Who can stop this outlaw?! His thoughts are getting increasingly dangerous; he shouldn't try to exploit legal loopholes anymore!

"Superman is of course an American citizen! And stateless people are also protected by law; international law still exists in this world!"

He grabbed Zheng En's shoulder suddenly, "Wake up! Stop thinking about those illegal and criminal things!"

Jung Eun: "So, do you still want to watch these videos?"

"----want."

Clark remained silent for a moment, and after a fierce internal struggle, he gave in.

Unfortunately, Perry's deadline was fast approaching, and he couldn't get any more information from elsewhere. Besides, he was confident that no one had more or more complete information than Jung Eun.

That's a truly staggering number.

So much so that when Clark borrowed Jung Eun's computer to look at the data, he couldn't help but ask, "Where did all of this come from?"

According to Jung Eun, he had only been a Superman fan for a few days, and Clark did not believe that he was the only one who did all of this.

However, it's unlikely that someone assisted him from the sidelines, considering Zheng En's style of doing things.

"I hacked into the U.S. military's database."

Zheng En spoke as casually as if he were talking about the weather. Although he had only reached the proficiency level in "Computer and Related Intelligent Applications," it was a skill fragment he obtained from Batman.

In the original comics, Batman's hacking skills were once comparable to those of the cyborg Cyborg. He implanted a cybervirus in Cyborg upon their first meeting, becoming a key part of the counter-plan. His technical prowess was unparalleled among humans, and he performed equally adeptly in confrontations with alien technology.

He can use the Mother Box to take over Brainiac's alien systems, hack into the Kryptonian spaceship's main control AI, and dismantle the Green Lantern ring's underlying code.

Although Zheng En can't do all that yet, he can still bully the US military, who are still in the beginner's village.

Clark, who was downloading videos onto a USB drive, suddenly turned around. "You're breaking the law!"

"Do you still want to download it?"

"----want."

Clark turned his head away in frustration, then realized something important: "If these are things the military can't disclose, how am I going to explain the source of this information to Perry?"

"You can use the parts I filmed."

Zheng En took the mouse from Clark's hand and clicked on the screen a few more times. This time, fewer videos appeared, and their dates were more recent.

Clark glanced at them briefly and confirmed that they were indeed videos he had recorded after rescuing Jung Eun.

Although I testified to what the other party said, I couldn't feel happy at all.

"How were these photos taken?"

Zheng En smiled and said, "Hehe."

"—Never mind, I can guess without you saying it."

He can hack into the US military's database, so what's a few surveillance cameras in the Metropolitan Area?

Logically, Clark could hear the subtle sounds of the monitor operating, but being able to do so doesn't mean he should keep doing it. Releasing his ability without restraint would be too much of a burden, both physically and mentally.

Clark's super hearing, when fully unleashed, allows him to hear the sounds of the entire world. The overwhelming noises that flood his ears only bring him unspeakable pain.

Clark usually suppresses his abilities, and rarely unleashes them in full even during battle.

When he was being recorded by the monitor, he was mostly focused on other things, whether it was saving people or fighting. His mind was drawn to more important things, so he naturally didn't notice the subtle noises on the field.

But he has another question.

"Metropolis is so big, how did you manage to pinpoint the exact location where Superman would appear?"

Clark didn't believe Jung Eun was capable of setting up surveillance cameras throughout the entire Metropolitan Area; that was too far-fetched.

A metropolis is a large city that can accommodate tens of millions of people, and its area and number of buildings are not small.

Although Jung Eun acted quite arrogantly in front of him today, especially in the part where he broke the law, it was to the point that the FBI was able to break down the door.

But how should I put it, you can tell at a glance whether you have money or not.

Sensing a subtle emotion in Clark's gaze, Jung Eun said, "Do you think I don't have the money to install that many surveillance cameras?"

"Uh-huh————"

Clark hesitated for a moment, then glanced furtively at Jung Eun. "Do you have one?"

"I really don't."

Zheng En was indignant. He was neither Wayne, nor Luther, nor Quinn. He was rich, but not rich enough to be capricious.

The surveillance cameras he set up were able to accurately capture Superman's image, mainly thanks to the help of props.

Probability Predictor

[It is possible to determine the probability, timing, location, and conditions of an event through keyword search, as long as the keywords are available.]

If there's enough information, nothing is unpredictable. But please note that probability is just probability; there are no events that are 100% certain to happen, and the world is full of surprises.

With the help of the probability predictor, Jung Eun is able to find most of the places where Superman will appear. Although it is not 100% accurate, it is enough.

Clark was still pondering the earlier question, "How did you do that?"

Just take it as a gut feeling.

Seeing that the other party had circled back to the same question, Jung Eun prepared to seriously dodge the question, "Don't many people have that kind of premonition? They feel like it's going to rain, so they bring an umbrella, and then it really rains; they feel like they're going to have bad luck, and then they really lose money."

"My intuition is pretty accurate, so I was lucky enough to capture a lot of Superman videos."

Zheng Enyan explained his abilities with great conviction, but Clark was only half convinced.

"Yeah?"

"Isn't it normal for a few people to have some special talents?" Jung Eun shrugged. "Like your ridiculously strong strength."

Clark, realizing he had been too excited and hadn't controlled his strength after Zheng En said that, turned around abruptly.

Cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead. He turned his head and used his X-ray vision to examine Zheng En's bones.

Clark knew how strong he was. Although he hadn't tested it specifically, he could lift an airplane and stop a speeding train. If such strength were used on an ordinary person, even if only a small portion of it was leaked, it would cause unimaginable damage.

Broken bones? Bloody mess?

He was too flustered to make the right judgment.

Clark breathed a sigh of relief only after he could clearly see Jung Eun's bones, muscles, and skin.

There was only slight redness and swelling on the skin, thankfully.

"To be honest, I'm quite strong, and this is the first time you've made me feel this much pain."

It's almost as powerful as a full-force strike from a bare-handed claw.

Zheng En really disliked the intensity of Metropolis; it was far inferior to Gotham. Even with Killer Croc's physique, he couldn't just walk around like a headless chicken. There were cyborgs, aliens, and giant robots everywhere.

The most distinctive feature of the villains who are comparable to Superman is their numerical values, which are completely incomparable to the mechanics of the monsters in Gotham.

Clark scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Ah, it's probably because I often help my family with farm work that I've developed such great strength."

He dared not say anything more. As soon as the video was downloaded, he rushed back next door to write his article.

Injustice watched the whole thing and scoffed, "Wasn't your mission to make him feel defeated? What, suddenly you're having second thoughts?"

"He deliberately exposed the surveillance footage and then claimed the effect achieved using props was just intuition. You don't really think he's an idiot, do you?"

Injustice Superman likes to call Clark a fool, but Clark is still his counterpart. If he were truly treated like an idiot, he would also feel unhappy.

"The frustration of finally writing a draft but then losing it is probably stronger than the frustration of not being able to write one at all."

Zheng En had already planned what he wanted to do. "As for my opinion on Clark—don't worry, I know how strong he is."

Although he is often jokingly said to be completely useless with his super brain, that's only because Batman is around, and he can trust him wholeheartedly.

Jung Eun doesn't underestimate Superman's wisdom and insight. "It's precisely because I know how smart he is that I want to expose my own abnormality."

Jung Eun didn't think he could keep it a secret for long while he was with Clark.

That's Superman!

The other person's residence was separated from his by only one wall. Although Clark had been well-educated and raised to be kind, gentle, and upright...

He is straightforward and won't easily pry into other people's privacy, but there are always unexpected things.

Rather than having something amiss discovered and uncovered, it's better to be frank and open about it.

Just like if a shoe has a hole in it, people will know that the shoe is broken. But if the shoe is full of holes, passersby will only think that it is a special style of Crocs.

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