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

Chapter 130 This is Humanity

What are the odds of Superman misunderstanding Jung Eun's meaning, his alarm clock breaking down when he wakes up, and him not checking his briefcase when he arrives—all these coincidences happening at once?

Admittedly, this is not an impossible thing. Even with a super brain, Clark would still encounter problems in life, such as forgetting his luggage when rushing to catch the subway or forgetting to harvest the corn that Martha told him to.

But Jung Eun wouldn't pin her hopes on the possibility that the other party might not remember, a probability that is extremely low.

[Fortune Telling]

[The success rate of subsequent actions can be increased based on the lottery results, but there is a possibility of a negative result; fortune and misfortune are intertwined]

The props are presented in the form of a fortune-telling tube. After drawing a fortune stick, there are six equally likely outcomes: Great Luck, Medium Luck, Minor Luck, and...

末吉、凶、大凶。提高的概率分别为100%、70~80%、30~40%、0%、—50%~60%、—80%~

100%

This is an item that Zheng En purchased after obtaining the probability predictor. There are many items in the system shop that can increase probability, but their effects and risks vary.

It's not just an amulet that slightly increases luck with unpredictable effects, but also a dangerous item like the risk dice in Hunter x Hunter, where accumulated good luck is completely refunded after rolling bad luck, and in severe cases, it can endanger your life.

Using items that increase luck requires caution, as fortune and misfortune go hand in hand. Items that only increase the probability by a negligible amount are meaningless, while items with significant effects also carry enormous risks.

The Fortune Teller was the most suitable item Zheng En could find, but he wouldn't have bothered to exchange points for it if he hadn't drawn the Probability Prediction Device.

Those who play with luck will be played by luck, Zheng En believed. However, with the probability predictor at his disposal, and the task at hand being merely to make Clark forget his manuscript, he felt he could afford the cost and saw no need to risk actually stealing it.

"Now I don't need to write it again."

Clark excitedly grabbed the file folder and rushed into Perry's office.

He genuinely didn't notice anything unusual and thought it was perfectly normal.

In theory, the super brain granted Clark superior intelligence and perception. He could memorize the entire contents of a book instantly and understand and master its knowledge and principles.

His memory is better than that of an average person, but he can remember too much, which causes his senses to become disordered, and he can't even remember what someone just said a second ago.

Things were fine in Smallville, but after arriving in Metropolis, he had to balance his work and life as a human being with his Superman identity, constantly saving people in need.

Being able to hear and see too much isn't always a good thing. He often forgets about his wallet and keys, which he's carelessly stuffed somewhere, and when he's too busy, he even forgets that he just finished eating. He was even caught by Perry when he went to get a second lunch.

Jimmy and Louise, who shared an office with him, saw him more often.

"A careless small-town boy."

The tall, capable professional woman raised an eyebrow, glanced at Clark's departing figure, and then turned back to her seat.

Jung Eun glanced at Louise's back after she sat down, then at Jimmy. Their eyes met, and they exchanged glances.

"Is Clark that lucky?"

After leaving the office, Jung Eun inquired about Clark's love life from Jimmy. Unjust Superman went completely berserk upon seeing Lois, but Jung Eun didn't want to hear his inner monologue, so she simply blocked him out.

Otherwise, he would even have difficulty chatting with Jimmy now.

Jung Eun initially had no intention of coming to the Daily Planet, let alone meeting Louise.

Through his monocle and the taskbar, he could clearly see the mission's progress. He'd seen Clark's frantic search for the file from a coffee shop just across the street from the Daily Planet.

[Long-Term Mission: Superheroes and Supervillains]

[Task Status: Phase 1 (Completed)]

What kind of person could be an enemy of Superman?

How much power would it take to make him feel frustrated?

But perhaps what bothers us isn't necessarily life-or-death or fate-related matters. The bread we like is sold out, the shop we frequent closes down, the hair that falls out of our heads, the wrinkles that appear at the corners of our eyes—these little things in life can be just as frustrating.

The radiant and flawless Superman, and Clark, just entering society, are two sides of the same coin, sharing both troubles and glory.

[Task Reward: Settled]

[US$50,000, 30 simulation points, Flight Skill Level 1, Steel Body Level 1]

After completing the task, Zheng En no longer needed to keep the manuscript.

He went to the front desk, but they couldn't reach the overwhelmed Clark. Zheng En had only intended to leave the manuscript there and wait for Clark to come down and pick it up, but he unexpectedly ran into Jimmy.

The person who kindly asked him if he needed help at the alley entrance after he was put down by Superman was Jimmy, a red-haired young man with freckles who always carried a camera. He noticed Jung Eun at a glance.

"What's wrong? Is there anything I can help you with?"

The familiar words made Zheng En sigh at the simple and honest people in the metropolis. This was truly a simple and honest people! When others care about you for no reason, they really care about you, and it's not for extortion, blackmail, theft, or robbery.

While Gotham does have such people, given that Zheng Enchang is expected to stay in the East District, the probability is quite low.

Jimmy got out of the car because he forgot to take the key out. After listening to Jung Eun's account of what happened, he went upstairs with his men without saying a word.

He knew Clark hadn't brought a script, which matched what Zheng En had said. Besides, whether it was true or not would be clear once he went up there; the other party had no reason to lie to him.

Louise watched Clark's retreating figure, and they watched Louise's retreating figure as well. As Clark's friends, Jung Eun and Jimmy were clearly thinking the same thing.

"I really couldn't tell."

Jimmy clicked his tongue in amazement, "There are plenty of people in the Daily Planet who want to date Louise, but I've never seen her treat anyone differently."

"It can't be because you thought Clark was being silly today and found him amusing, can it?"

"Who knows?"

Zheng En stroked her chin. "Perhaps it was Clark's enthusiasm for the manuscript that caught her attention?"

But this enthusiasm was only enough to attract Louise's attention; for things to develop further, it would depend on Clark's abilities.

Louise is a strong woman; if she were to fall in love, she would only be interested in someone she admires.

Look at Clark, blushing and flustered like a silly boy. He's still a long way from truly standing by the other's side.

After Jung Eun left the Daily Planet, he also lifted the block on Injustice Superman.

"Louise shouldn't have fallen for that idiot."

He had barely opened his mouth when Zheng En couldn't hold back anymore.

"ha?"

Brother, that person is you. He wanted to say something, but he held back.

"How so?"

"He couldn't protect Louise, nor could he protect the child in Louise's womb."

That's true—as Injustice Superman seemed to be recounting his own deeds, Jung Eun's lips tightened.

Unjust Superman is so engrossed in his own world that he can't pull himself out. "He's too weak, too incompetent, and he doesn't deserve Lois."

Louise deserves someone better, someone stronger —

"Wait, wait." Zheng En couldn't hold back any longer; his lips trembled. "You're not trying to say that only you are worthy of Louise, are you?"

What is this? Injustice Superman from the future travels back in time to fight for Lois.

Commonly known as: I cheat on myself.

Unjust Superman was completely unaware of Jung Eun's intense inner turmoil; he had never cared about other people's emotions.

"Of course, only I can protect Louise and ensure she lives a truly safe and happy life."

Jung Eun couldn't hold back any longer. "So what? What are you planning to do? Capture Louise, lock her in a cage like a bird, and make her stay only where you can see her?"

Although he knew that Injustice Superman's mental state wasn't very good, and that he had clashed with Superman in the main universe in the game and made statements about ruling other universes and taking Lois from other universes, Jung Eun still couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy when this scene actually played out in front of him.

Especially when Injustice Superman fully accepted his sarcastic remarks and seriously considered them.

"That's a good idea." His tone was flat, without even the slightest intention to struggle or refute. "But there's no need to go through all that trouble. I can control her to live according to my wishes, just like Batman."

This guy—he's completely, utterly twisted.

Jung Eun hadn't expected the answer he wanted to appear at this time. Clearly, the universe's development had fallen into the very ending he least wanted to see.

Injustice Superman defeated Batman, regained control of the Earth, and used Brainiac's device to control Batman, turning him into his puppet.

The game's visuals flashed through my mind, overlapping with Superman's image of him with his back to the sun, reaching out his hand to him, and I felt elated.

The hapless young reporter Clark, carrying his Superman from the nuclear-bombed metropolis, soaring into the sky—

Zheng En remembered his compassionate expression, and dared not imagine him in black and purple armor. The purple lines glowed like fluorescent lights, as unsettling as the rings on a blue-ringed octopus.

The glow spread from the limbs to the torso, then outlined an S-shaped symbol on the chest.

This symbol once represented hope.

There's not much to say about Jung Eun and Unjust Superman. Shortly after the first phase of the long-running mission was completed, the second phase followed.

[Long-Term Mission: Superheroes and Supervillains]

Phase Two

Will you bleed?

Under the yellow sunlight, the Kryptonian Xi Jinping is omnipotent. Some regard him as a god, claiming that God sent messengers to shepherd his flock.

But are humans really such a weak and easily bullied race, as docile as sheep?

Therefore, some people raised questions, questioning the gods who hang high in the sky.

Will you bleed?

[Mission Requirement: Leave wounds on a body of steel]

[Mission Reward: 40 x 70,000 US dollars in simulation points]

Superman Skill Fragment: Heat Vision Skill Level x1 (Able to melt ice, cut steel plates, the bright beam has enormous hidden power and can easily take the lives of others, but it will also put a strong strain on the eyes)

Superman Skill Fragment: Freezing Breath Skill Level x1 (Dispels smoke, extinguishes flames, freezes lakes)

A breath as cold as the wind can briefly alter the surrounding temperature at will.

"Kill the Superman here."

The task panel is open to both players and mentors at the same time. Just as Zheng En finished reading the task, Unjust Superman suddenly spoke up.

Zheng En had no interest in thinking about the reason for his madness, and was too lazy to pay attention to him.

Injustice Superman noticed his emotions but didn't care. He continued to give orders as usual, as if he were still the earthly god who ruled the planet.

"Kill Superman, and I can take over here and protect everyone from harm."

He initially only intended for the Superman here to grow, but after seeing Lois, Injustice Superman changed his mind. Rather than wasting time training an incompetent Superman, it would be better to let him take over this brand new universe.

He ruled over Earth in his own universe, so naturally he could invade other universes to protect those suffering from war and crime.

"If humanity has become so fragile that it needs a tyrant to rule in order to survive, then it's better for all of them to die."

Zheng En wasn't joking. "Survival of the fittest. In the end, humans are just one of many creatures on Earth, nothing special."

"The Earth has existed for at least 4.5 billion years, while modern humans have only appeared for 200,000 to 300,000 years. This period of time is just a moment for the Earth. During this time, countless organisms have died and been born, and been born and died again."

"No matter how advanced the technology or how brilliant the civilization, on this enormous scale, it is nothing more than a grain of sand."

In the world before Zheng En's time travel, humanity had not yet reached the point where it could communicate with extraterrestrial civilizations, and even the existence of such civilizations was unknown. However, in the many universes of DC, civilizations other than humanity truly exist.

"Kryptonians can perish, Martians can perish, and so can Earthlings."

This was the first time Injustice Superman had sensed Jinping's cold-blooded emotions in Jung Eun. "Humans may wag their tails and beg for temporary survival, but no one can make them stop fighting."

Jung Eun knew that in the second Injustice movie, Batman released Superman, who was imprisoned in the Red Sunroom, in order to fight Brainiac.

This is normal. Humans are a species that does things like driving wolves to devour tigers or drinking poison to quench thirst. The long-term future depends on survival in the present. Without the present, there is no way to talk about the future.

"As long as the human race exists, there will inevitably be individuals who will rise up in resistance."

"That's human nature."

Jung Eun didn't expect her words to make Unjust Superman realize his mistake. Talk-no-jutsu is something you only see in comics. Everyone is an individual shaped by their past, and unless they experience a major upheaval, they are very difficult to shake.

If it were Injustice Superman who had just killed the Joker, he might still be able to listen to the words of his loved ones, but what about Injustice Superman who has ruled the earth for many years and even mind-controlled Batman?

Don't make him laugh.