Superman Termination Manual - Chapter 58

Chapter 58 – 048 On the Overpass
Ke Mingye’s gaze lingered on the #5 Skill “Clockwork Artistry” for a moment then continued to scroll down.

The only Skills he could currently afford to purchase were of E-grade, so he passed over all other grades, no matter how good their effects were.

[#6: Superhero-Style Landing (E-grade Skill) (This Skill can only be used when falling from a height above 8 meters from the ground. It allows you to land gracefully on one knee, immune to damage from the impact of the fall, and causes a violent tremor on the ground beneath your feet.)]

“This one seems awesome. In case I flip over a car with a web slinger from a tall building, I could use this Skill to save myself, or I’d be toast from such a high fall,” Ke Mingye thought.

His finger slid across the phone screen and simultaneously across the corresponding position on the exclusive sale page, bringing several other Skills into view.

[#7: Night Walking Skill (E-grade Skill) (This Skill can only be used at night, rendering your body ’invisible.’) (Cannot be used in combat state.)]

Ke Mingye’s eyes lit up, thinking he was indeed lacking a stealth Skill.

“It’s worth considering, but it can only be used at night; isn’t that too restrictive?” he wondered.

[#8: Ground Fall Expert (E-grade Skill) (The “reserved” Skill from yesterday will disappear after the next refresh, and cannot be “locked” again.)]

[#9: “Lights Out” (E-grade Skill) (Within ten seconds, cause all light within a fifteen-meter radius to temporarily vanish.)]

[#10: Portrait Concealment Skill (E-grade Skill) (Temporarily turns your body into a portrait and seals it inside a frame, which can appear on nearby walls or the ground at your will.)]

“Why are all the Skills I get functionality-related? I’m really lacking an E-grade damage Skill, otherwise I’d just be watching my teammates perform in a group instance fight.”

After scanning today’s Skills for sale, Ke Mingye thought to himself.

“Forget it, right now I only have 3,800 Mall Coins. The cheapest E-grade Skill costs 5,000 coins. After meeting with big sis tonight and getting the node reward, I should have enough to buy an E-grade Skill.”

With that thought, he closed the mall. Just then, the subway stopped at Old Jingmai Street Station, and he tapped Bai Zini’s head with his fingertips to wake her up.

“Are we there?” she asked.

“What else?” Ke Yongzhu said, coming over from the next carriage, where he had gone because it was too crowded and he didn’t want to stand.

“Right, where’s sister?” Bai Ziling asked again.

“She said she’s having dinner out with friends and told us not to wait for her,” Ke Mingye said, showing her his WeChat conversation with Bai Qiuwu on his phone.

“Then let’s go home first,” Ke Xiaomo said.

“Yeah.”

As soon as they got off the subway, Ke Mingye put away his phone and said, “Uhh, I need to take a major dump, you guys go ahead.”

As he spoke, he didn’t forget to pull out a pack of tissues from his pocket, as if to say, this time I didn’t forget my toilet paper, so no bickering.

Ke Yongzhu shoved his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, gave him a disdainful glance, and sneered, “How many times do you have to go to the bathroom in a day?”

“See a doctor if you have a bad stomach,” said Ke Xiaomo indifferently.

“I don’t need you guys to wait for me.” Your next read awaits at empire

Ke Mingye shot up his middle finger, turned around, and walked towards the subway’s restroom without looking back, quietly queuing up for his turn.

“Let’s head back first,” Ke Xiaomo said without another look at him, turning to his younger siblings, “It seems like big brother has come back tonight.”

“Big brother is back?” Bai Zini lifted an eyebrow.

“Really?” Bai Ziling also tilted her head quizzically.

Ke Yongzhu clicked his tongue, “For real? Can’t we just not let him come back? He always knows how to annoy me.”

Deep down, he was really annoyed by Ke Yinzhi, especially the vivid memory of being abandoned by Ke Yinzhi in the zoo as a child and getting lost alone. He couldn’t find his way out and was extremely hungry, so he transformed into a dragon, crawled into the animal enclosure, and had a hearty meal. The last thing he remembered was quietly eating a plump, dark-eyed bear.

He couldn’t recall what that animal looked like anymore, only that he had been really hungry at the time and wasn’t picky about his food. Later that night, he was flying in the sky, following the scent to find his way home.

That evening, he saw a missing report about the plump bear on television.

At the time, he didn’t pay much attention to it, telling himself, what is a bear compared to me? I am a dragon, after all, don’t you know that the Chinese people are descendants of dragons, just like my descendants.

It wasn’t until half a year later, when he started kindergarten and during a lesson about small animals, that he realized that the chubby creature he had eaten at the zoo was a national treasure. He had caused a disaster, and for a time, he was shivering at home, his tears almost rolling down, not attending school for two full days, wondering whether he should turn himself in.

In the end, he spent two yuan at the zoo for a few posthumous photos of the panda and would kneel on the ground every day with the pictures by his bedside, exhaling a small flame from his mouth to light a cigarette, bowing silently to show his remorse.

Years later, having matured quite a bit, he cringed and couldn’t sleep whenever he thought about this embarrassing ordeal, tossing and turning in his bed. He ultimately decided to blame all his conflicted feelings on Ke Yinzhi, cursing him for abandoning him in the zoo, which led him to do such a foolish thing.

“Yes, big brother is coming back tonight,” Ke Xiaomo’s voice broke into Ke Yongzhu’s reverie, continuing, “Mom and Dad even prepared a big meal. Let’s hurry home.”

After speaking, he walked with his arms around their shoulders towards the subway exit, and the silhouettes of the four gradually vanished into the crowd.

After his siblings had left the subway station, Ke Mingye also left from another exit and then turned into an alley in the Old Jingmai District.

He checked the time on his phone; it was now 7:30 in the evening. He still had half an hour before his agreed meeting time with Bai Qiuwu on the Number 7 overpass, enough time to get there.

So, he released a Deception Puppet from the alley, and afterwards, they went in different directions, disappearing into the dark shadows.

Twenty minutes later, as Ke Mingye reached home, the Deception Puppet, using a web shooter, swung to the top of the Number 7 overpass, perched on the railing, quietly waiting for the arrival.

Soon, as a line of moonlight emerged from fish-scale clouds, the first glimpses of moonlight touched down on the city, and an enigmatic figure appeared in the space above the overpass.

He wore a monkey mask on his face and a black hood on his head, clad in a silver and black metallic windcoat that fluttered in the chilling wind above Huanjing. In his right hand, he held a long staff behind him, and beneath his feet was a clump of dark clouds, shimmering like lake water.

At this moment, the eyes behind his mask flashed with a fiery red glint, like a wild beast ready to devour its prey.

The Deception Puppet stood up from the railing and grinned at him, saying,

“You’ve arrived, Black Wukong. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”