Chinese Superman

Base office.

Mr. Qian was staring blankly at a newly developed photograph.

This is a group photo.

Their only photograph, which was in the possession of Qian Xuesen, included Xia Xinghan, Qian Xuesen, Lin Tingwan, and Commissioner Chen. The negative was naturally destroyed.

"Have you decided?" Mr. Qian asked as he slowly placed the photo into the drawer.

"Um."

Xia Xinghan nodded vigorously.

Old Qian sighed softly, closed the drawer, walked to the window, and looked at the snow-covered mountains in the distance: "More than a year has passed, and the 'second phase' of spiritual energy recovery, which was originally expected to arrive long ago, has yet to show any clear signs."

"Weather, ley line, and global spiritual energy monitoring data all indicate that the Earth seems to be...accumulating something. The calmer it is, the more worrying it becomes."

"The outside world is becoming increasingly turbulent, with unusual events occurring frequently in various places, and undercurrents surging."

"I know, Grandpa Qian."

Xia Xinghan walked to his side, his voice calm.

Through internal documents from the base and occasional revelations from Qian Xuesen, he was not entirely unaware of the external situation.

"Children grow up and eventually leave their parents' wings."

Old Qian ruffled his hair, his voice full of emotion, "Actually, it's not like you're not coming back. Why am I being so sentimental? You can't grow a towering tree in a greenhouse, and you can't raise a thoroughbred horse in a courtyard. It's just... you're only three years old after all."

Xia Xinghan had heard these words more than once in the past year.

Whenever Mr. Qian hesitated to speak, it would eventually turn into a helpless sigh.

He was both amused and exasperated, but he also understood the old man's concerns.

"Grandpa Qian, I'm just going out to gain experience and earn some credits. This is my home, and I will definitely come back," Xia Xinghan earnestly assured him.

Seeing this, Commissioner Chen, who was standing nearby, smiled and tried to smooth things over: "Mr. Qian, you are usually decisive and efficient in your work, so why do you become so indecisive and sentimental when it comes to Xinghan?"

Mr. Qian glanced at Commissioner Chen, a complex look flashing in his eyes, but he did not refute him.

He turned around, placed his hands on Xia Xinghan's small shoulders, and his gaze became extremely serious: "Zha'er, the outside world is no longer a place with rules and protection like this base."

"On your first long journey, you might encounter real life-or-death dangers, and face unpredictable malice and treachery. Even so, would you still go?"

Xia Xinghan looked up, his clear blue eyes unwavering: "I'm not afraid of danger."

When their eyes met, Mr. Qian saw no trace of childish timidity in those eyes, only a thoughtful composure and fearlessness.

He remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded slowly.

"Alright! In that case, I agree to let you leave the base and go out for training." Old Qian's tone became serious. "However, you must accept the base's arrangements—someone must accompany you, protect you when necessary, and also act as your liaison with the base."

Xia Xinghan had anticipated this.

Given his status and age, the base would never allow him to venture out on his own.

Whether overt or covert, protection and oversight will inevitably exist.

"Could it be Grandpa Guo?" Xia Xinghan guessed.

After all, with Guo Lao's saying "The enemy is in the light, and I am in the dark," even Superman cannot detect his existence, making him the most suitable person to be a protector.

Moreover, Xia Xinghan was quite keen to team up with Guo Lao.

An old man and a young boy often hide in the shadows, plotting against others when they have nothing to do. Just thinking about it makes me feel good!

Old Qian chuckled: "Old Guo is the guardian of the nation, shouldering the heavy responsibility of protecting the national treasure. He can't be left behind. I've arranged another suitable candidate for you. See you at the base exit first thing tomorrow morning."

At this point, Mr. Qian walked behind his desk, opened the drawer again, and took out a dark gray file bag without any markings, sealed with sealing wax.

"Before you leave, there is one more thing, the most important thing, that you need to know."

Mr. Qian's voice suddenly became low and solemn.

He handed the file bag to Xia Xinghan.

"have a look."

Xia Xinghan felt a sudden tightness in his chest and took the file bag as instructed.

He carefully peeled off the wax seal and pulled out a stack of documents that weren't too thick.

The homepage features eight shocking words in bold black font—

Top Secret Files: Doomsday Records

There is another line of smaller text below:

[Information source: Reborn individuals (partially verified)]

[Confidentiality Level: Top Secret]

[Scope of knowledge: The highest decision-making level and specific personnel in the Xia Kingdom]

"Reborn...Apocalypse..."

Xia Xinghan frowned slightly and turned to the first page.

[Documentary Clip A-01 - Source: Codename "Raven"]

Time anchor: December 20, 2025 in his memory

Content: Temperatures across the country plummeted by more than 20 degrees Celsius within 12 hours. Initially, people thought it was just an unprecedentedly strong cold wave. Schools closed, businesses shut down, heating systems operated at full capacity, and everyone stayed indoors, waiting for the cold wave to pass.

[Record Excerpt A-04]

Time anchor: December 22, 2025

Content: Today's outdoor temperature is -45℃. It's so cold, it hurts to the bone. Air conditioning, floor heating, electric heaters... all heating devices seem to have lost their effectiveness...

[Record Excerpt A-11]

Time anchor: December 26, 2025

Content: Overnight, it was as if God had pressed the pause button. All rivers, lakes, and even… the vast oceans were frozen solid. Communication was almost completely cut off, and from the remaining radio broadcasts and chaotic network information, a terrifying picture was pieced together—more than seven billion people worldwide had frozen to death in just a few days. Have you seen that apocalyptic movie called *The Day After Tomorrow*? Reality is a hundred times more terrifying!

[Record Segment A-12 - Last Record]

Time anchor: December 27, 2025

Content: Temperature? The instrument shows -68℃, but I know it's long broken; it's probably even lower. God created the world in seven days, and it only takes seven days to freeze an entire vibrant planet into a desolate, icy hell. Everything that can burn has burned—firewood, furniture, books… even my neighbor's corpse. I'm about to freeze to death too. The last rumor I heard was… an indescribable being passing by, gently blowing a breath of air towards Earth. That's all.

Global extreme cold apocalypse!

Xia Xinghan's pupils suddenly contracted.

The almost oral account in the file allowed him to sense how desperate and fearful the reborn person codenamed "Raven" must have felt at the time.

Especially the last sentence—

The destruction of Earth may just be a little prank by some unspeakable being!

It looks just like a naughty child urinating on an anthill.

For dozens or hundreds of ants, it is a raging flood, a catastrophe that will destroy the world, but for a mischievous child, it is nothing more than that.

He suddenly looked up at Grandpa Qian: "Grandpa Qian, what is this...?"

"Keep reading." Old Qian's voice was hoarse as he waved his hand, signaling him to continue.

Xia Xinghan took a deep breath and turned to the second page.

[Segment B-01 - Source: Codename "Single Dog"]

Time anchor: December 25, 2025 in his memory

Content: Damn Christmas! My friend and his new girlfriend were celebrating the holiday, and they insisted on dragging me along as a third wheel. Everything was fine until they started kissing… and then, my friend's girlfriend started biting him. A literal bite, a bloody mess! I was terrified and scrambled back to my apartment in the chaos, locking the doors and windows.