Superman Termination Manual - Chapter 173

Chapter 173 – 127 Qing Ya, Gray Pigeon, Timekeeper
Ke Youqing finished watching the surveillance footage of the Hongdeng Commercial District, set down the tablet computer, bowed his head in silence for a long time, and then brought the lit cigarette to his lips, drawing in deeply.

The smoke swirled around his fingertips and was quickly dispersed by the sea breeze over Brighton Beach, rising into the sky along his slightly graying temples.

“Blue Owl…”

He muttered the name to himself.

After a while, Ke Youqing slowly lifted his head, his deep gaze turning toward the lonely lighthouse in the distance.

Seven years ago, he had encountered a similar superhero whose code name was “Grey Pigeon.” On his first day joining the Superhero Association, he candidly admitted to the media that he had become a superhero under the influence of “Qing Ya,” which prompted heated debate and backlash from the public.

Despite this, in the following period, Grey Pigeon managed to conquer the public’s prejudiced views of him with his outstanding abilities and was even hailed as the Superhero Association’s star of tomorrow.

During his time in the Superhero Association, Grey Pigeon practically applied every day to meet with the Round Table Council member “Qing Ya.”

At first, Qing Ya thought he would soon give up under the onslaught of the media, but unexpectedly, he persevered for so long that Qing Ya felt he could not ignore him. So he sought him out and personally mentored him for a time. He witnessed his strength gradually increase and saw how he went from being initially questioned to eventually being embraced by both the public and the association.

Back then, Qing Ya watched the young man from the shadows, as if he were observing his past self.

He always felt that Grey Pigeon was like another version of himself, clearly possessing the same traits, yet he hadn’t gone down that extreme, violent path.

Instead, he carried a sincere heart, moving forward while upholding kindness and principles.

After much consideration, Qing Ya finally decided to mold this young man into his successor; when the time was right, he would let him take over his position and manage the city’s security.

Initially, this plan progressed smoothly. Grey Pigeon’s improvement was remarkable; he was a one-in-a-million talent. Whether in terms of superpower, martial arts, or strategic learning speed, he far surpassed Qing Ya’s expectations.

Over the long period of time they spent together, Qing Ya grew closer to the young man, even going so far as to take off his mask in front of him, being honest with him, revealing his inner thoughts.

However… things soon took a turn.

On the day Grey Pigeon was officially promoted to a B-rank hero, Qing Ya avoided the celebration ceremony held by the association and went home to have dinner with his child.

Just one hour later, terrible news came from the Superhero Association.

During the ceremony, Grey Pigeon was captured by the supervillain Timekeeper.

Qing Ya searched the entire city but couldn’t find any trace of them.

The next day, Timekeeper posted an hour-long “execution video” on the dark web. Qing Ya watched the video without missing a second, trying to find Timekeeper’s location. The cries and screams of Grey Pigeon in the video almost drove him mad.

Qing Ya watched with his own eyes as Timekeeper used a chainsaw to cut off Grey Pigeon’s hands, watched Grey Pigeon, with head bowed, look at his severed hands on the ground and weep bitterly. The hopeful and vibrant look in the young man’s eyes had been replaced with utter despair and emptiness.

“Save me, save me, save me, Mr. Qing Ya…”

At Timekeeper’s demand, Grey Pigeon almost pleaded to the screen.

Then, on the third day after the incident, Qing Ya stood in front of the Superhero Association building, looking up into the sky, his black cape fluttering wildly in the biting wind.

Beneath the high-rise work platform of the Superhero Association branch building, at that moment, hung various mutilated organs: hands, innards, legs, feet, shoulders, heads…

These bloody organs dangled in the air, neatly arranged, gently swaying in the wind.

As if mocking someone’s helplessness.

His gaze shifted slightly downward to the glass curtain wall of the Association building, where bold letters were written in blood-red paint:

“Qing Ya, this is my gift to you. I’ve cut his body into twenty-three pieces, in celebration of your twenty-third anniversary of debut.”

Later, to commemorate the untimely deceased superhero, many superhero darknet sites adopted the name “Grey Pigeon.”

Ke Youqing had thought many times, if on the first day Grey Pigeon appeared in Huanjing wearing that cheap costume imitating “Qing Ya” as a vigilante, he had gone to him, personally unveiled his mask, and sternly advised him to turn back from his misguided ways instead of ignoring him.

Then, perhaps this young man would not have met such a tragic end.

Grey Pigeon’s death was all his fault. He was too cowardly, so cowardly that for a moment he hesitated, thinking he could find a successor.

And then he could comfortably exit this dark world, putting all matters behind him.

He was wrong.

Profoundly wrong.

Time is a cruel thing; no matter how much one desires to go back, no matter the depths of one’s regret, it only pushes everyone’s silhouette forward, forcing them to keep moving relentlessly. Perhaps only on the day of one’s death will they no longer feel its presence, no longer be compelled to move forward by its force.

From that day on, Ke Youqing’s heart was filled with gloom and fury.

But he knew, if Timekeeper didn’t want to be found, then there were very few in the world who could find him.

Even Zeus couldn’t do it.

At the same time, he also knew that one day, Timekeeper would return to this city–to seek him out and to end the grudge that had lasted for decades since their college days.

And that night, upon seeing this young man called “Blue Owl,” Ke Youqing’s heart suddenly quivered, as if he were back on the day he first met Grey Pigeon.

He quickly realized… that day might be coming soon.

The day Timekeeper would return to this city.

If he let this person known as “Blue Owl” continue his actions unchecked, sooner or later, he would become the target of Timekeeper’s attention, becoming the trigger for that monster’s return to this city.

Yet Ke Youqing was anticipating that day, his hands trembling slightly with excitement; he thought he might have gone mad.

What he couldn’t do years ago, he would do this time.

“The responsibility for the Wanxiang City incident lies in the hands of the Management Bureau. According to the latest report from the Management Bureau, ‘Black Judge’ has taken over the Wanxiang City incident this afternoon and has promptly submitted a report on the incident. The lead and the duty to deal with this situation do not fall to the Superhero Association.”

“The vigilante known as ‘Blue Owl’ currently has an unverified identity. Based on known performances, it is possible that he is a Superpower User or maybe a mutant.”

The unemotional mechanical female voice came from the phone, interrupting Ke Youqing’s chaotic thoughts.

“It seems I’ll have to find time to return early tomorrow…”

Ke Youqing muttered to himself, eyes downcast towards his right hand that was subtly trembling, clenching his fingers slightly as black veins emerged on the back of his hand, foreshadowing his imminent demise.

He leaned on the railing to extinguish his cigarette, casually tossing it into the sea. The flickering cigarette butt drifted in the evening breeze, quickly fading away like dying embers.