Superman Termination Manual - Chapter 323

Chapter 323: Chapter 196: The Orange Sky Before the Storm

July 20, Bai Ke’s home.

The night had deepened, with a sliver of moonlight hiding behind the fish-scale clouds. Cicadas were incessantly chirping in the verdant old trees. As the wind blew and leaves fell, the crisp moonlight filtered through the window into the house.

The birthday party was nearing its end when Yuri finally woke up leisurely, stretched out on the carpet, yawned, and licked its own paws.

Then, just as it thought about moving to a quieter place to sleep, it was suddenly scooped up by Zi Ling and held in an embrace, used as a backboard for her sketchbook.

At the same time, everyone in the living room was planning to cap off the event with Yin Zhi’s singing. But not long after, with a shout from Wenna on the rooftop, everyone became well-behaved and promptly dismissed the idea.

“Seems like it’s fate,”

Yin Zhi said, spreading his hands, placing the microphone back on the table, yawning, and continuing to read his book with downcast eyes.

“You can run for a day but not forever. Next month is Xiao Ling and my birthday. We share the same day, big brother, you absolutely must sing a song,”

Zi Ni said while tilting her head. Once again, Wenna’s scolding voice came from the floor above.

She clicked her tongue, carefully tiptoed toward the television, retrieved the USB for the wireless microphone from the back, then turned around to survey the living room smeared with cream.

Hands on her hips, she declared with an ‘I’m the boss here’ expression, “Whoever loses rock-paper-scissors cleans up the living room, otherwise mom will wake up with the mad monkey virus tomorrow!”

Hearing the decrees of the household’s little tyrant, the other six siblings sitting on the sofa reached a silent agreement. Without lifting their heads, they raised their right hands and soundlessly made their moves.

Right after the fate of who would tidy up the chaotic living room was decided by rock-paper-scissors, besides the unfortunate one still miserably cleaning, the rest were doing their own things on the sofa.

Mingye was slumped over the back of the sofa, bored out of his mind, toying with a clown mask, while asking, “So, what exactly is this thing for?”

At that question, Zi Ling lifted her eyes from beneath her snow-white fringe, glanced at it without much interest, then looked away.

Squatting on the sofa with bare feet, she sketched in a blank notebook and said, “Sister Xiao Ni said that wearing the mask can give Qiuwu a scare, adding a little extra surprise.”

“No way, you guys call this an extra surprise?” Mingye quipped while putting on the mask, “I’d say it’s more like premeditated murder, typical of her mischief.”

After saying that, he turned his head, looking disdainfully at Zi Ni through the mask.

Zi Ni, who was sweeping up traces of cake from the floor, looked up, puffed out her cheeks, turned to the side, and glaring back at Mingye.

She grumbled, “Tch, tch, tch! And I had specifically prepared it, too. In the end, it went unused. I was thinking of making the big brother wear it, but he wouldn’t, as if wearing it would kill him.”

“Wear your ghost,” Mingye glanced at her, “If anyone is to wear it, it should be the big brother. He’s the only one in the family who looks like a clown. How could I convincingly wear this thing?”

“Are you praising me, big thanks for the compliment,”

Yin Zhi said indifferently, his eyes still on his book.

“Heh, it’s the twenty-second century, and there are still people who think ‘clown’ is a term of praise. I advise you surf the internet more to broaden your horizons,”

Mingye said, his tone laced with sarcasm.

“It’s not that I dislike going online, it’s just that there are too many idiots on the internet,” Yin Zhi replied.

Xiao Mo, with her arms crossed, reminded in a neutral voice, “No swearing at home. First offense is a warning, second offense means running errands for a week.”

“How is speaking the truth swearing?”

As he spoke, Yin Zhi yawned and turned a page of his book, adding, “People who lack even basic independent thinking skills only care about ingesting information that they can’t handle, like addicts. If I had to describe it, it’s like spinning a cocoon around oneself, like moths to a flame. Over time, with their shallow knowledge and limited brain capacity, they’ll either become numb under the intense bombardment of these messages or turn into puppets manipulated by the media, much like… a slightly more advanced type of zombie.”

“Perhaps, as the internet becomes increasingly prevalent in the future, it could evolve into a new type of religion,”

He paused, “After all, even the most unreliable information can ignite those without the power of judgment as soon as it reaches their ears. There’s a certain number of fools on the internet who will always fall for it. For instance, Qing Ya is a living example… Done nothing wrong, yet due to the majority of idiots online, he’s subjected to unanimous criticism.”

However, no one in the living room was listening to him. Only Mingye, without lifting his head, flashed the middle finger at him with a ‘what are you on about’ expression.

He said, “Heh, if there really is such a thing as an internet religion in the future, I’ll make sure to become the leader, spread misinformation and incite them to cyberbully you.”

Mingye paused, then added, “For example, ‘Yin Zhi steals pandas,’ ‘Yin Zhi abuses siblings at home, leaving his brother mentally scarred,’ both sound explosive enough.”

“Wow, to be so loved by my own brother, that’s really a lot of pressure. Too bad I don’t go online, so it doesn’t affect me,”

Yin Zhi shrugged, chuckling softly as if recalling something, and taunted, “Hmm… Let’s hope ‘Qing Ya’ doesn’t go online either.”

“How much do you like Qing Ya?” Xiao Mo casually asked.

“Like…?” Yin Zhi pondered, saying distantly, “Can’t say I like him, just defending the underdog?”

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