Terra's Magnetic Field

In a jewelry store in a mobile city in Colombia, two saleswomen on duty got together to chat during their free time.

It is four o'clock in the afternoon and the customer flow is much less than before. Their job is just to smile when customers enter the store. This kind of job is mostly done part-time by pretty female college students, so don't expect them to be very dedicated.

Since the establishment of a technology company called Rhine Life in Colombia, the Colombian economy has been revived, and laid-off workers have regained their jobs. Five years after the end of the Great Depression, everyone has spare money, and the entertainment and luxury goods industries are also booming.

The van speeding down the street suddenly turned and crashed into the jewelry store, the violent collision stirred up a cloud of dust. The jewelry in the glass cabinet of the jewelry store and the broken glass were scattered everywhere, and a glowing figure came out of the dust and walked into the messy jewelry store.

"Lord Plasma is here! If you know what's best for you, put all your valuables in the bag!" The burly man in rubber tights threw the sack in his hand behind the counter.

The two saleswomen who were chatting earlier were not too surprised. This kind of thing is not too common in Colombia, robbers in strange clothes and so on... They even continued to talk:

"Wow! They're real villains! I never thought we would encounter something like this, it's exciting just thinking about it! How long do you think it will take for the heroes to arrive?"

"About ten minutes. This place is a bit far from the city center. Who do you want to come?"

"Almighty Man, he's super handsome! Tall and handsome... light stubble and strong muscles, very manly~"

"The tights under his coat show off his sexy mermaid line. I'm also quite attracted to his looks."

"Did you hear that?!" Seeing that the other side had not reacted for a long time, Plasma decided to "kill the chicken to scare the monkey". He clenched his right fist towards the van that had crashed into him before, and a strong electromagnetic pulse crushed the van and the unconscious driver inside into a ball.

Blood flowed out from the cracks in the iron sheets like a popping persimmon, and a strong smell of rust spread throughout the jewelry store.

"Do you want to be treated like this too? Hurry up!" Plasma yelled at the person behind the counter. His right hand was shaking. It was his first time killing someone. He said to himself, "Why are you so nervous? I've already decided to go down this path... Do you still want to regret it?"

It was only then that the two shop assistants began to panic and wake up from their entertainment-to-death experience. They stood up from behind the counter tremblingly, picked up the sack that Plasma had thrown before, and picked up the precious diamond necklaces, gold bracelets, gemstone earrings from the broken glass...

Violence and crime naturally spread in the dark during rapid economic growth, which is an inevitable part of the development of all countries. But Colombia is a little different. In addition to conventional criminals such as gangs, hooligans and desperadoes, they also have a specialty called "super villains".

Super Villain

The term "criminal" comes from an old Columbia comic strip and, as the name suggests, refers to a criminal with special abilities.

Unlike ordinary Originium magicians, they do not need to carry an Originium staff to activate their special abilities, and there is almost no delay. Compared to magicians, they are closer to the "superpowers" in comics, so the public and journalists unanimously call these bizarre criminals "super villains".

The villains seem to know what the public wants to see, and they all tacitly imitate the settings in old comic books. They wear customized strange "suits" and call themselves with news headlines in newspapers, such as "Plasma", "Gallows", "Poison", "Afterimage", "Ghost", "Flaming Skull", "Necromancer"...

"Hurry up!" Plasma looked at the shaky clock on the wall. Five minutes had passed. He knew that although this place was a bit far from the city center and there were various obstacles blocking the direct road, the hero could still arrive within ten minutes.

Some of them can fly, some can teleport, some can run very fast, and some can climb walls... So he must leave within ten minutes, and at least reserve three minutes of retreat time.

In his eyes, the second hand on the clock was moving faster and faster, and before he knew it, another minute had passed.

As time went by, Dianjian's patience ran out. He leaped in front of the salesperson and snatched the sack of jewels from the female college student. He weighed it and thought to himself, "It's not even halfway... but it's enough for me to have food and drink for the rest of my life. After this deal, I will be financially free, which is much more comfortable than working in a factory. This is the benefit of being a villain..."

When Plasma was fantasizing about a better life in the future, a silk thread flew through the air and shattered his dream. Just as he was wondering who was coming, the flexible silk thread snatched the sack from his hands.

Plasma was furious and he quickly turned around and looked in the direction where the spider silk came from.

"Oh... Shit!" He realized his career as a villain was over when he saw the guy stuck to the ceiling above the jewelry store entrance.

"Are you looking for this, my friend?" A clear male voice came from above, "I think you should use your abilities in the right place, just like me. Rhine Life should be able to arrange a job for you in a power station..."

The guy on the ceiling wearing an orange and black tights and a half-face mask was called "Originium Man" by the newspapers. It was said that he gained his abilities after being bitten by an irradiated Originium worm.

Climbing walls, weaving webs, spitting acid, shooting flames, freezing... He can do anything that Originium insects can do.

"Original Bug" is currently the most popular hero in Columbia besides "Omni-Man", and his strength ranking is also among the top ten... Plasma, a fledgling villain, has no chance of being his opponent.

Plasma quickly realized this and quickly grabbed the salesperson's throat with one hand, holding her hostage and threatening the hero on the ceiling, "Give me back the bag! You'd better not act rashly!"

Electric current was surging in Plasma's wrist. He knew that the longer he delayed, the more disadvantageous it would be for him. If the Source Zerg appeared, other heroes would definitely be on the way.

"Relax, my friend," the Source Bug Man put his hands flat and said in a relaxed tone, "Even if I give you this bag and let you escape from here... you can't leave this mobile city..." The eyes on the Source Bug Man's mask narrowed slightly, "You should be very clear about this, look at your hands shaking..."

Plasma himself knew that Originium Man was not trying to scare him, and even if he left the jewelry store with the bag, he would be caught up by other heroes.

Apart from anything else, "Omni-Man" alone can cruise in the air at a speed faster than the speed of sound, but that guy is currently in another mobile city and rarely comes here.

"We don't have to do this, let's let the girl go." The Source Bug Man was still trying to negotiate with Plasma. He didn't realize that he was slowly pushing the fledgling criminal into a desperate situation.

Smart negotiators all know the "golden silence" principle, which is not to keep "persuading" the other party during the negotiation, which can easily cause the other party to be disgusted and resist. Many times, after expressing your own views, you just need to remain silent and wait for the other party to convince themselves.

"Damn it... Why am I so unlucky in everything I do!" Plasma's spirit was suppressed to the extreme, and the current surging in his body rushed out uncontrollably. The hijacked salesperson soon developed symptoms of swollen skin and bleeding from all seven orifices under the high-voltage current, and turned into charcoal as the current quickly increased in pressure...

The high voltage current generated by the plasma knocked the Source Bug Man out of the jewelry store and into the fast food restaurant across the street. Passersby who were eating there took out their phones to take pictures of the Source Bug Man being knocked over. They didn't notice at all that a guy with electricity all over his body walked out of the jewelry store across the street...

"Look! It's the Source Bug Man. He was beaten over here by the villain," the voice in the video said. "The Source Bug Man has risen... What does our friendly neighbor, the messenger of hell, have to say?"

"Run away! Ahem... I feel like a bug hit by an electric mosquito swatter..." Part of the tights on the Source Bug Man's body were carbonized by the high voltage electricity, and the exposed skin looked burned. He did not forget to complain to himself, "I really should have worn some insulating clothes..."

“It’s really cool

"It's crooked!" The plasma filled with electric current shouted excitedly. At this moment, his mentality was also extremely excited. The expanding power almost made him lose his mind. He walked across the street, and his glowing body devoured the energy of the electrical appliances around him.

"I feel full of power now! I can even kill Omni-Man and Captain Columbia!" He shouted, not noticing the changes in the sky above. The originally clear sunny sky was gradually covered by dark clouds, and thunder gradually rose.

"The weather suddenly changed!" someone pointed excitedly at the dark clouds gathering in the sky.

"Could it be..."

"It must be, that person is here... the representative of God's punishment!"

"Almighty Man!"

"Almighty Man!!"

"God...Lord..."

Amid the clouds bursting with lightning, people saw a figure wearing a pitch-black leather coat. The figure above the clouds looked like a god to the people crawling on the ground.

People were looking forward to it, calling for help from that figure, and even making wishes to him as he flew across the sky, and he responded to people's calls.

At that moment, his figure was like a god descending from heaven. The thunder from the sky hit the sins on the earth with a wave of his hand, and all the sins turned to ashes in the sound of thunder.

People cheered, people went crazy, extremely fanatical, and they all shouted the name of the man in heaven.

After the thunder came heavy rain, and the sweet rain from heaven washed away the bloodstains and black ash on the earth.

The Source Bug Man fell in the ruins. He vaguely saw a figure in the sky, smiled with relief, and then sighed:

"Is that the strongest hero? He is really like a god..."

After the rain, the dark clouds dispersed and a rainbow appeared in the sky under the sunshine.

Colombia in the 1970s was known as the "Golden Age", an era filled with crime and heroic legends, during which time "superhumans" with special skills emerged in large numbers.

Colombians of that era believed in "justice" and "righteousness". They regarded the "superheroes" dressed in strange costumes as messengers from heaven, exercising the duty of exercising strength and eliminating evil on behalf of God.

But is this really the case?

That’s all for today.

Postscript:

Wanbao: I can do whatever I want! (Face of the motherland)

Fast forward to Wanbao drinking the Queen Mother's milk, using laser eyes to heat milk, and eating donkey jealousy...

Wan Bao: The Omniman is Terra's hero. He will come as long as you call for help... Save me, the Omniman

Volume 76: Chapter Chapter The Principle of Not Killing

"At 3 o'clock this afternoon, the rookie villain Plasma attacked a jewelry store. The popular hero Yuan Zheren arrived first and fought fiercely with him, but was eventually defeated by the powerful attack of Plasma..."

The old-fashioned cathode ray tube TV in the dim bar was broadcasting the evening news. As usual, the content of the news was filled with various scenes of heroes fighting villains. Unconsciously, watching those "amazing people" in strange costumes fighting each other has become a daily routine for the Colombian people.

The host on TV continued to report, "Fortunately, Colombia's No. 1 hero, Almighty Man, happened to pass by there while on patrol and easily resolved the crisis..." The TV broadcast the scene of thunder and lightning falling from the sky, as well as the cheers of onlookers.

Then the scene of the interview with passers-by was cut to a scene where an old man with a haggard appearance said slowly in a hoarse voice:

"In the past, I heard from my grandson that there was a man who could control the sky and fly... I thought he had read too many comic books. What I mean is... I never believed in the existence of such a person as the All-Powerful Man. Today, when I witnessed his miracle with my own eyes, I even thought I saw a god... It was really shocking..."

"What do you mean?" The interviewer moved the camera forward. The old man was very excited. He made crazy remarks to the camera:

"I used to be a devout Lateran believer. I believed in their Lord, their guns and bullets... but their Lord never responded to me. When my wife was suffering from Originium disease, their Lord did not show His presence. No matter how I begged, no miracle came. And when that villain was rampaging in the streets, I prayed, and then the thunderbolt fell..." The old man suddenly opened his arms and shouted:

"Isn't it obvious? The Almighty is the true God we should serve! The *Columbian expletive* Lateran!" The old man raised his middle finger to the camera, his hand blurred, "The *Columbian expletive* Lord! All the *Columbian expletive* false gods!"

"God bless Colombia! God really exists! He is right here!" The old man pointed to the land beneath him.

Lin's father (V) is old and has passed away

The TV screen switched back to the host. The young man smiled awkwardly, "It seems that the old man was too excited..." Then he began to read the script again, "Almighty Man is the earliest superhero to appear in Columbia. His real identity is the director of the security department of Rhine Life. It is said that he is the only one in that department.

It is an organization established just for him, whose duty is to protect the safety of the mobile city where the Rhine Life headquarters is located."

"According to incomplete statistics, Omniman has demonstrated at least a hundred super powers so far, including but not limited to flying, controlling celestial phenomena, laser eyes, teleportation, clones, walking through walls, telekinesis, mind reading, clairvoyance, super hearing, frost breath, invulnerability, super strength, super speed... It seems that there is nothing he can't do, and the name "Omniman" comes from this. And his abilities are still being updated. I really look forward to what surprises he will give us in the next fight against crime, don't you think, Louis?"

The host's partner immediately agreed, "Yes, Clark, the origin of the Omni-Man is also a mystery. In the more than ten years since his debut, countless fans have rushed to investigate his true identity, including private detectives and professional criminal police, but without exception, they have found nothing, as if he appeared out of thin air... It's amazing."

"Yeah," the male host continued, "So there are rumors that he actually came from another planet, and his parents used an escape pod to send him to this land when his home planet was about to be destroyed. Some people also think that he came from a parallel universe or the distant future... These are all very sci-fi theories. Louis, if you meet Omniman, what would you ask him?"

"If I could meet him in person, I'd like to ask him how he maintains his looks. It's been more than a decade since his debut, but he shows no signs of aging. Maybe it's because he exercises regularly and pays special attention to health preservation~"

"Today our program team has actually managed to get a chance to meet him face to face. Now let's turn the camera over to the off-site reporter Jimmy..."

The TV screen switched to a shaking outdoor camera. In the picture, a red-haired Liberian man with light freckles on his face was walking forward with a microphone. He shouted to the white-haired Luper man floating in the air in front of him:

"Mr. Almighty! Don't leave in such a hurry. We have obtained three minutes of interview permission from Rhine Life... Could you please stop the strong wind?"

The camera focused on the face of the man in the coat. He was obviously a little reluctant, but he still slowly descended from the air. "My time is precious. Maybe while we are talking..."

As the strong wind died down, the camera stopped shaking.

"We won't take up too much of your time. We just want to ask you what you think about the rapid increase in superheroes and supervillains in society today. Recently, someone even said that the increase in villains is due to the increase in heroes, as if heroes are the catalyst for villains..."

The Lupo man looked serious after hearing this. "Maybe..." He glanced at the camera and realized that he was a public figure at the moment. His attitude changed. He smiled kindly and said to the camera:

"This statement is totally a fallacy, the relationship is completely reversed. It should be said that because the number of villains has increased, more heroes will stand up... At least that's what I think! I believe that the sense of justice buried deep in the chest of every Colombian will not allow them to turn a blind eye to the evil deeds before their eyes!" He patted his chest.

"That's it. I believe you in front of the screen feel the same way," the Almighty pointed at the camera with his right hand, then raised his head and flew into the sky. The airflow generated during takeoff almost shook the camera and reporters away...

"It flew away... Hey!" Reporter Jimmy hurriedly asked the accompanying photographer, "Did you take it? That's a precious shot of the Almighty Man taking off. We can keep it for editing..."

"How hypocritical... Doesn't it disgust you when he says such things? An old man talks about justice and freedom all the time..." The blonde Vaifan girl at the bar in front of the TV was shocked. After she finished speaking, she took another sip of the beer in her glass.

The blonde Vaifan girl was dressed very "rebelliously". She dyed her hair a conspicuous gold. She wore a short leather jacket with metal spikes, and only a sports bra underneath, with her chest and belly exposed. Her lower body was a pair of gym-common sports shorts, tight stretch pants and sneakers.

Like everyone else who frequents the bar, she is a professional villain. This bar is a gathering place for villains in this mobile city, where they circulate goods and exchange information.

"Don't get too drunk, you bastards, or I'll have to carry you out when I close the door," the bar owner interrupted, and the thugs in front of the bar waved and greeted him, "OK, Dad."

This bar is called "Peace Bar"

This bar owner known as "Daddy" is said to have been an influential veteran villain when he was young. After retirement, he opened this bar in the city where he was born and raised. He rarely talks about stories about his youth, and his abilities are unknown.

The thugs who come here also abide by the rules of "no fighting, no selling drugs, no selling sex". For these thugs with "professional ethics", if they don't abide by the rules of the game, they are no different from ordinary thugs and are doomed to not last long.

The TV screen switched back to the live news broadcast room. The two anchors continued to smooth things over. They began to report the next piece of news. "It also happened this afternoon. At 4 pm, the violent hero Punisher, who was known for his severe punishment of villains, killed the super villain Razor Croc who robbed the vault, and then quickly left the scene..."

"Compared to

Hero, some people prefer to call him a vigilante. The principle of not killing established by the first generation of superheroes has gradually lost its effectiveness as the times change. According to a radio survey, more than 60% of the general public believe that there is no big moral problem for heroes to execute villains..."

Louise, the female host next to Clark, asked back, "Speaking of which, has Omni-Man ever publicly announced his support for the principle of not killing? He doesn't seem to be too obsessed with this aspect, and he has never joined the Truth Association. He has always fought alone as an individual hero."

"Maybe he has his own set of behavioral standards," Clark said. He saw that there was no such question in the script, and it was an "improvisation" session. To add to the entertainment, the TV station occasionally asked his partner Louis to ask him some questions outside the rehearsal, and he handled it smoothly this time.

"Now let's see what the citizens think about the principle of not killing..."

The scene switched to the street, where a faceless off-site reporter extended a microphone to a random passerby. It was a blue-haired Lateran Fallen Angel. She was obviously unhappy when she was stopped. The reporter asked first:

"Excuse me, can you accept an interview with our TV station?"

"Tell me what you want to ask first."

"Here's the thing... We want to investigate the general public's views on superheroes killing supervillains, and whether this is in line with basic ethics..."

"What?" The fallen angel interrupted the reporter and expressed his opinion, "Is there anything wrong with this?"

"So you mean to support the hero killing the villain?"

"Isn't it natural to kill criminals? Why are people nowadays so resistant to this? In the past, the Lateran would crucify criminals, and it really hurt..." She moved her wrist reflexively.

"And I think it's more convenient and permanent to just kill the criminals. Think about how much it costs every year to house all those weird scums. Excuse me, those people will not contribute anything to this society at all. They are just sucking the blood of taxpayers when they are alive."

"If I am elected as the President of Colombia, I will consider reinstating the death penalty instead of spending a lot of money to build a sanatorium for criminals. If you in front of the TV support my words, please don't be stingy with your precious vote! I am Senator Mostima who will run in the election this year. I want to make Colombia..." Mostima clenched his fists and spoke emotionally to the camera.

When she was about to give a long speech, the scene quickly switched to other passers-by, and anyway, it got over with smoothly.

"These days, you can easily hit a politician by throwing a brick on the street," the host in the small screen of the live broadcast room on the lower right complained, "It is said that the CEO of Rhine Life will also participate in the presidential election this year. I heard that she has been posting on Bluebird to diss Senator Mostima who was just interviewed. The CEO of Rhine Life almost never shows up, and all important decisions are released on Bluebird. Many netizens jokingly call it the Bluebird Office..."

"I bet that if the CEO of Rhine Life is elected president, he will definitely find ways to get Congress to pass a superhero legalization bill and gradually replace the existing army with superheroes..."

"That sounds like a conspiracy theory..." responded his partner next to him.