American comic book: My Father is Superman, am I just an NPC?

Chapter 267 Ian's Children Have Grown Up
Perfect Doomsday is dead.

Ian is the same.

Perhaps he really is completely dead, after all, as the ultimate class's super-powerful skill, [All Things Return to One], is an ability activated by [Lord of Embers] burning himself.

The person who activates this technique must simultaneously anchor themselves and the target as "things that should be ended." Only by acknowledging that they themselves are also objects of end can they activate the "power of ending" that transcends all laws.

Once activated, it cannot be interrupted, reversed, or recorded. Even the consciousness of the one who activates it will completely disintegrate the moment it takes effect, leaving no trace of attachment or echo. The universe itself will instinctively "forget" the occurrence of this event, as if everything had never deviated from its course—this is both a protective mechanism and ultimate solitude.

Similarly, this effect is written into the skill description, and ordinary people cannot exploit this skill's bug.

"Boom! Boom!"

This is the sound of an object burning up in the ozone layer as it passes through the atmosphere.

The two lifeless bodies were not burned; they simply fell to the ground like meteorites as the excess impurities on their bodies burned away.

It was like an asteroid hitting the Earth.

"Oh!"

"Oh!"

The body left two shockingly large craters, and the dust it raised resembled a small mushroom cloud.

"Did they all die at the same time? What did that weirdo do?" Clark Kent, the Superman who had been thrown into a safe area by Ian beforehand, rushed to the scene as soon as he broke through the atmosphere.

However, what he saw made him frown – Batman, Bruce Wayne, had arrived even earlier than him and was now crouching at the bottom of the pit where Ian was, carefully collecting the dark golden blood on Ian's body, which seemed to be still slightly wriggling, using a specially made cryogenic container.

"Batman! What are you doing?" Superman landed beside him, his voice filled with vigilance and a hint of barely perceptible anger. He couldn't help but think of Lex Luthor's actions and worried that Batman might also be tempted by this unknown and powerful force, heading down the wrong path of creating biological weapons.

"Shut up!"

Hearing Superman's question, Batman didn't even look up, his movements becoming even faster. His tone was filled with suppressed frustration and an almost obsessive urgency as he cursed, "Why are you asking me? I'm saving myself, of course! Do you think I want to touch this thing?! My head is full of those damn, absurd thoughts right now!"

"This guy's influence is like a virus, eroding my mind! I need antibodies to fight that contamination! His blood might be the only clue right now!"

Batman's idea is quite reasonable, since using blood from the source of contamination to create antibody serum is a very scientific approach.

"finished?"

Just then, Wonder Woman Diana and The Flash Barry Allen arrived one after the other.

Diana looked at the dark golden blood that Batman had collected into the test tube, which was still undulating slightly even after leaving Ian's body, as if it had an independent life of its own.

She couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine, goosebumps rising on her skin: "This blood... how is it still moving? Does it possess its own life and vitality?"

Thinking about this, Diana felt a chill run down her spine.

Batman finally finished collecting the sample, sealed the test tube, and gave Diana a cold glance: "As a god, you should have far more knowledge than us mortals."

“The blood was still moving after this guy died. In my opinion, there is nothing to be surprised about. Those ancient and illogical so-called ‘gods’ will still retain some kind of activity in their remains even after they fall, and may even bring curses. This guy’s situation is exactly what I have in mind about ‘evil gods’.”

He directly labeled Ian as an "evil god".

“But I don’t think he’s like an evil god…” Superman recalled his brief encounter with Ian, a bizarre and incomprehensible experience.

But in the end, he died a heroic death.

"He ultimately saved my mother, stopped Luther's plot, and even... dealt with that monster called Doomsday. In the end, he saved us all, didn't he?" Clark tried to find a reasonable explanation for Ian's actions by focusing on the outcome.

Perhaps this creature is just a "juvenile higher life form" with peculiar behavior patterns but not inherently evil.

"Heh, birds of a feather flock together, that's probably a perfect description of you and him." Batman stood up, his black cape billowing in the dust. His voice remained cold, carrying a ruthless judgment based on the impact of reality: "Don't forget, he also blew up the moon, completely disrupting the interstellar mechanical balance that had been maintained around Earth for billions of years."

"The consequences of a lunar explosion, such as tidal disturbances, drastic climate changes, axial tilt, and the risk of debris impacts, are enough to make human civilization struggle for hundreds or even thousands of years!"

"It could even directly lead to mass extinction! And the result? The result he caused was equally catastrophic!" Batman's way of looking at problems is completely different from Superman's.

It is a subjective assessment based on the impact caused.

In his eyes, Superman and Ian are essentially the same—possessing the power to easily overturn the existing order and rules, and this power itself is a huge threat of uncertainty, regardless of whether its wielder's subjective intentions are good or evil. This is also the core reason why he previously believed that "Earth does not need Superman."

Few people know this.

At this point in the universe, Batman wasn't actually so committed to the no-kill principle and was quite extreme. He only gradually came to his senses after defeating Doomsday with Superman and witnessing Superman's sacrifice.

Superman did not sacrifice himself.

The young Batman, of course, had not yet grasped the fundamental principles of his future or how to view other superheroes.

"Have you always viewed things in such an extreme way?" Superman keenly sensed the undisguised attitude in Batman's words, a kind of wariness and rejection of powerful forces. He knew, of course, that the other man wasn't just talking about the three-headed monster, but was also indirectly criticizing him.

Batman didn't hide his sneer, his gaze sharp as a knife beneath his mask: "Extreme? Kal-El, you would never want to see the truly extreme me."

Superman was not intimidated by his imposing manner. Instead, he stepped forward and continued to press, his tone laced with accusation: "If, Batman, if this mysterious man hadn't appeared today, or... as you wish, I would have been killed by you in that abandoned port. Do you think you alone could have stopped the monster that Luthor created?"

"When Doomsday flattens cities and wipes out humanity, will your stubbornness and refusal of potential allies also be partly to blame for the destruction of the world?"

"Will you regret it? Or will you habitually shift the blame to others?" Superman was genuinely curious about this, so he asked the question with conviction.

It must be said that Superman and Batman are indeed mutually restraining forces in the DC Universe. His words were harsh, like a heavy hammer, striking Batman's heart directly. He fell silent, his mask concealing his expression, but his taut jawline and slightly clenched fists revealed that he was not entirely unmoved.

After a long while, he slowly raised the vial of dark golden blood that was still pulsating slightly in his hand, his voice low and hoarse: "Perhaps... what you said makes some sense. However, I still stand by my point of view—the power you possess, this power that is above all living beings, is itself a kind of original sin."

"It brings as much fear and uncertainty as it brings hope." In fact, Batman's current extremism stems from his failure to truly overcome his inner fears.

Seeing the tension between the two escalate again, Diana, who in this timeline hadn't yet become bloated and still maintained the agility and good figure of an Amazon warrior, immediately stepped forward, standing between them. Her tone was serious and urgent: "Enough! Now is not the time to argue about this!" "The most urgent thing is to dispose of these two corpses!" She pointed to Ian in the pit and the remains of the Perfect Doomsday in another pit next to it. "Regardless of the origin of this three-headed, six-armed... being, the biological weapon he and Luther created, their body tissues contain unimaginable power and unknown risks."

"If we allow their residual energy to contaminate the land, or worse—if the military or some other organization obtains their DNA samples, I think everyone here will face endless and enormous troubles in the future!" As a superhero who has been active since World War II, Diana knows all too well the almost insane research desires and moral bottom lines of certain American official institutions when faced with supernatural forces.

This point was immediately agreed upon by everyone present.

after all.

In America.

People may have differing opinions on various aspects, but when it comes to the quality of the mold and official conduct, there is a high degree of consensus among people of all races and ethnicities.

Who knows if this situation might one day unite everyone and overthrow everything controlled by capitalism? Of course, it won't happen now, at least not yet.

"Well, maybe I have a way."

The Flash, Barry Allen, immediately raised his hand and suggested, his tone brimming with his characteristic enthusiasm: "We can take these two bodies to Star Labs in Midtown! My friends—Sisco, Caitlin, and Dr. Wells—are all top scientists, highly skilled at handling the aftermath of these paranormal events, ensuring safety and no contamination!"

This was also the first informal gathering of the core members of the Justice League, and Barry took the opportunity to briefly introduce himself.

“Oh, by the way, my name is Barry Allen, the Flash from Central City.” He tried to shake hands with Superman and Batman, but only Superman politely shook his hand. Batman, on the other hand, only gave this speedster, whom he assessed as being no less dangerous than Superman, a deep look.

This made The Flash a little embarrassed.

"There's no need for you and your... 'not quite right' scientist to bother." Batman coldly rejected Barry's offer, clearly aware of Harrison Wells's presence.

"I can handle the work independently and ensure that nothing goes wrong." His tone was full of absolute confidence, even revealing an undeniable air of pride.

"As for the military... you can rest assured, they won't be able to take a single hair or even a single cell from these two corpses from me! Even if a five-star general personally led his troops, he would have to think twice before doing so. How much of the US military's annual pay comes from Wayne Enterprises' orders and my sponsorship!"

This was the first time Batman had so openly displayed his wealth and influence as Bruce Wayne in front of Diana and The Flash.

The effect was immediate, successfully intimidating Diana and Barry.

He didn't even bother to hide his identity, because he knew that Diana, who had previously stolen the evidence of Luther's crimes from him, already knew that he was Bruce Wayne.

The Flash and Wonder Woman were speechless with shock. However, Superman Clark Kent vehemently objected. He stepped forward, standing between Batman and Ian's corpses, his eyes resolute: "I don't trust you, Bruce Wayne. I won't let you take their bodies."

Having witnessed the battle and heard Batman's "power is the original sin" statement, Clark couldn't believe Batman would properly handle the two bodies imbued with terrifying power, especially the corpse of the three-headed, six-armed monster. He feared this would be the start of another "Batman-style" obsessive plan.

"Hmm? You think you can stop me?" Batman's eyes instantly turned dangerous. He slowly straightened up, confronting Superman, his voice icy: "Don't force me to take action against you again, Kal-El."

With lightning speed, he pulled a kryptonite that shimmered with an ominous green light from his all-purpose belt! Sure enough, this guy was prepared all along.

"Damn it!" The unique radiation of Kryptonite instantly enveloped Superman. Clark felt all his strength recede like a tide, and a violent feeling of weakness and nausea washed over him. He groaned and involuntarily knelt on one knee, cold sweat beading on his forehead, and even breathing became difficult.

"Do your job and don't mess with me." Batman ignored the powerless Superman and turned to dispose of Ian and the Perfect Doomsday's bodies in a specially made body bag.

However, at this critical moment, another unexpected event occurred!

At the bottom of the pit, on Ian's previously lifeless "corpse," a crack suddenly appeared in the palm of one of his outstretched hands! A long, thin, silver-gray "dragon," as if composed of flowing time and shattered stars, suddenly shot out from it in the next instant!

That was the terrifying being from the end of time in the Marvel Universe that Ian had been forced to adopt—a time monster that could devour everything and which Ian jokingly called the "cosmic tapeworm"!

Because it absorbed some of Darkseid's and Trinity's energy.

This tapeworm has evolved somewhat since then; not long ago, two rather comical yet exceptionally swift long legs have grown from beneath its originally smooth, elongated body.

The cosmic tapeworm appeared.

It carried an aura of greed, as if it had been starved for countless eons.

Therefore, it used its two short legs to support its long body and ran very fast on the ground, turning into a silver-gray streak of light and rushing directly towards Batman, who was preparing to pack up the corpse!

"what?!"

Batman reacted extremely quickly, dodging to the side.

But the tapeworm was faster than anyone could have imagined. It didn't attack Batman himself, but rather, as if it possessed intelligence, it nimbly whipped its tail and precisely struck the hand that Batman was holding the kryptonite!
"Snapped!"

The kryptonite flew out of his hand!

Immediately afterward, to Batman's astonishment, the cosmic tapeworm leaped into the air, its slender body wrapping around the kryptonite like a rope. A mouth that seemed capable of swallowing light split open at the front of its body, and it swallowed the kryptonite, which was like poison to Superman, in one gulp!
You could even hear a faint, almost imperceptible "crunch" sound coming from inside its body, like chewing hard candy. It wasn't too late; this enormous, long-legged worm, with its grotesque head, charged at the corpse of the Perfect Doomsday, its terrifying mandibles opening to an unbelievable angle.

While Ian was offline, this guy actually managed to swallow the human-sized body of the Perfect Doomsday whole in almost no time! The process was astonishingly fast, as if it hadn't devoured a powerful ultimate life form, but just a slightly larger snack.

"Ya ya ya ya~"

After swallowing the Perfect Doomsday.

The silver-gray body of the cosmic tapeworm suddenly froze in mid-air and began to glow intensely! The light grew brighter and brighter, as if a miniature universe was being born within it!

Under the watchful, incredulous gaze of everyone.

The cosmic leaping worm, which had only evolved halfway and was stuck in the "long-legged lizard" stage, seemed to have finally completed its final puzzle and broken through some kind of bottleneck after devouring the Perfect Doomsday, which contained terrifying energy. The previously unfinished "transformation" process, with Ian's main body "offline" and unable to interfere, was finally able to continue thanks to the enormous energy and material foundation it had absorbed!

It evolved from a cosmic tapeworm that was devoured and perfectly destroyed.

An unknown humanoid life form is about to be born.

Under the utterly astonished gaze of everyone, the dazzling light began to shrink and take shape. The purple light and shadow gradually outlined the silhouette of a slender woman.

(End of this chapter)