Superman Termination Manual

Chapter 254: Chapter 170: The Second Family Meeting (Part 4)@@novelbin@@

Ke Mingye swallowed a mouthful of water and then slowly raised his head to meet Ke Xiaomo’s gaze.

Gazing into those eyes, as deep as the night, Ke Mingye was slightly stunned for a moment before he lowered his head, shifting his gaze and taking a light sip of his Coke.

He could tell that despite Ke Xiaomo’s best efforts to stay calm, from his tone to his expression, everything seemed very calm and gentle, just like their usual everyday conversations.

But from Ke Xiaomo’s eyes, there was still a subtle fury and blame being conveyed.

Like a volcano sealed under ice, ready to erupt at any moment and incinerate the seemingly solid and calm layer of ice completely.

The two brothers sat on the public bench, their eyes shifted away from each other, and they remained silent for a long time. All that could be heard were the cicadas in the trees and the sound of fans spinning from the supermarket.

Hunched over on the public bench, Ke Xiaomo sat with his hands together, his eyes faintly flickering. The pale light from inside the supermarket bathed his side face.

After a while, Ke Mingye set down his bottle of Coke on the bench and spoke in a low voice to break the deadly silence.

“Do you still remember what you said at that breakfast shop?”

Ke Xiaomo retained his silence and simply nodded.

Ke Mingye’s eyes were cast down as he continued, “I think you said, if I really wanted to be a superhero, you would support me.”

“No, at that time I was just hoping to induce you to tell me the truth, but you didn’t.”

“How could I ever say it?”

Ke Xiaomo’s eyes twitched slightly as he stared at the ground and took a deep breath, speaking slowly, “So, it really is you… You’re the Blue Owl, right?”

Ke Mingye kept silent for a moment, then lifted his right index finger.

In the battle at the Linjiang Business District, he had used up all the solar energy stored for his “Solar Punch,” and it would take some time to recover to 100%. He was currently left with only 3%.

But this 3%, was enough to raise a flame on the tip of his right index finger.

He pointed his fingertip towards the sky, and the warm light of the fire erupted from his finger, with scattered sparks bursting just like the hand-held sparklers from his childhood.

Ke Xiaomo stared blankly at this scene, at the flickering flame rising from Ke Mingye’s fingertip.

Then he averted his gaze, his chest heaving sharply.

In fact, Ke Xiaomo had long been mentally prepared.

Whether it was the diary found under Ke Mingye’s bed, the hints from the Dice Monster, or even the dissonance he felt from Mingye a few weeks prior, everything pointed definitively to some change that had occurred in Mingye.

Nevertheless, he still harbored a stubborn, unrealistic hope deep down in his heart.

He hoped that Mingye could provide a solid reason to refute the contents of the diary as being untrue.

To refute that his suspicions were wrong.

But the answers did not match his expectations. Facing his questions, Ke Mingye’s explanations were full of holes, hardly any of them convincing, further corroborating the diary’s content as true.

If after this, Ke Xiaomo still clung to a self-deceptive notion, gripping onto that last thread of hope in his heart, not willing to let go…

Then, witnessing the scene before him, the last shred of his hope shattered.

He drew a deep breath of cold air, which, like a sharp scalpel, pierced his insides, causing his brain to tremble, and his tightly clasped fingers to quiver.

Ke Xiaomo hung his head low, his jet-black eyes shrouded in the shadow of his forehead hair, his pupils reflecting a complex light.

His brother, Ke Mingye, was the superhero “Blue Owl.”

The reckless… imitator of Qing Ya.

The naive superhero who doesn’t know the vastness of heaven and earth.

The moth to a flame that could very likely draw the Timekeeper’s attention.

Fury at its peak, Ke Xiaomo couldn’t help but let out a light snort of laughter, filled with self-mockery.

“So what do you want to do, tell mom and dad about my activities to stop me?” Ke Mingye said, “Or maybe you want to bring big brother in to dissuade me?”

As he spoke, he paused for a moment before continuing, “But none of that means anything. I’ll just tell you straight, I can’t give it up.”

“Why?” Ke Xiaomo asked in a hoarse voice, almost whispering, “Do you think being a superhero is more important than your family? Is it just for that bit of vanity… to show off in front of your classmates, or to make those who looked down on you see you in a new light? Do you really believe… these things are worth risking your life for, to become a hero?”

“No, it’s not for vanity that I want to become a superhero,” he said.

Ke Mingye looked into Ke Xiaomo’s eyes, gently shook his head, and spoke calmly.

“Is it for Qing Ya?”

“Not for him either, though he is part of the reason why I want to be a hero.”

“You have no idea how dangerous what you are doing really is,” Ke Xiaomo said emphatically, “dangerous enough to kill you a thousand times, ten thousand times, or even more…”

“Even so, I would still do it.”

“Why?”

“No reason, just that I want to do it,” Ke Mingye said, “If there’s something I can do and I don’t do it, I would regret it for the rest of my life.”

He paused: “A long time ago, when I was still in that orphanage, I watched my only friend die at the hands of a superhuman criminal. At that time, I thought that if I ever got the chance, I would definitely not give up on becoming a hero.”

“But you can’t even protect yourself,” Ke Xiaomo said gravely.

“Why do you think that?”

“Do you know what happened to the last person who tried to emulate Qing Ya?”

“I know.”

“Gray Dove. He was dismembered into 24 pieces by Timekeeper and hung from the roof of Superhero Tower.”

“It was 23 pieces,” Ke Mingye corrected him, “And they were not hung from the roof of Superhero Tower but below the high-altitude work platform of Superhero Tower.”

His tone was as calm as well water, without a ripple, let alone fear.

“Anyone involved with Qing Ya could become a target of Timekeeper. That’s why Qing Ya has been fighting alone for so many years; he doesn’t want others to repeat the same mistake.”

Upon saying this, Ke Xiaomo paused briefly, speaking as calmly as possible, “And if Timekeeper would act against Gray Dove, then he is very likely to act against you as well.”

“I know.”

A twitch crossed Ke Xiaomo’s lips, then he abruptly turned his head to look at him: “Do you know? Do you want Xiao Ni, Xiao Ling, Yongzhu, and the others to see your body hanging up high for everyone to admire?!”

“That won’t happen.”

“You are far too naive.”

“I have confidence.”

Ke Xiaomo took a deep breath, then his voice gradually cooled down, no longer feigning gentleness, “You know, it would only take one finger from Timekeeper to crush you… to tear you to pieces and let the whole world witness your demise.”

“So what?”

“So, you still insist on doing this?”

“Because I want to be a hero, a true hero,” Ke Mingye said, “Qing Ya will find me, and if Timekeeper comes, I’ll join him in defeating Timekeeper.”

“Utterly… hopeless.”

Ke Mingye took a deep breath, still with a calm expression: “You’re my brother, and I wish you would support me. But that doesn’t mean I’ll let you dictate my own beliefs.”

During their conversation, the elevator on the first floor of the duplex across from the supermarket suddenly opened, and a crisp figure stepped out, walking slowly towards them.

Bai Qiuwu, wearing a hoodie, looked up from his phone screen, casting a puzzled glance at the two sitting on the public bench.

“What are you two talking about that’s got you looking as if you’re constipated?”

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