Superman Termination Manual

Blue Owl pulled out a spare phone from his pocket and then obtained the Superhero Association's dedicated APP from Che Zhengchen. After clicking download, he turned off the phone and stepped out of the office.

He casually closed the electronic metal door and turned his head, only to see Bai Yi, dressed in a silver-white battlesuit, leaning against the wall with arms folded, waiting for him. The plume mask on his face made his profile clear and sharp.

"It's just me today," Bai Yi said, glancing at him with a half-smile. "Shall we take off our battlesuits and go out for coffee, or maybe visit the nearby art gallery?"

He paused, "It's quite boring staying in the Superhero Association cafeteria every day, and the food isn't that great either."

"Not a bad idea," Blue Owl remarked casually. "But if we go, I'll be in this uniform; it doesn't matter if you wear yours, but I might cause you trouble."

"Just like Commander Che said, you don't want to remove your mask in front of others, do you?" Bai Yi laughed. "I understand that if our true identities were known to the enemy, they could easily target our loved ones. But to still insist on wearing the mask in front of your own teammates... isn't that a bit strange?"

He paused again, "Or perhaps, you don't trust us?"

"That's not it," Blue Owl tilted his head slightly, replying offhandedly, "I have my reasons, which have nothing to do with you. As for what those reasons are... I have no comment."

Having said that, he moved past Bai Yi and headed towards the elevator direction.

To tell the truth, after much deliberation, within the Superhero Association, he still decided he would only reveal his true identity to Qing Ya and Che Zhengchen;

As for the three teammates in his squad, he would wait and see how things went.

After all, Mech Pioneer was a mechanically enhanced being, and an informant sent by the Management Bureau. If he exposed his identity to Bai Yi and the Nun, there was a high chance they might inadvertently inform Mech Pioneer.

This was a scenario Ke Mingye did not want to see.

Even with his older brother watching over the situation at the Management Bureau, Ke Mingye always felt that the Bureau's people were not very reliable, and there were a plethora of indescribable species at his home: a Dragon of Calamity, vampires...

If Ke Mingye's identity were to be exposed, it might implicate Ke Yongzhu and Bai Ziling.

If the Management Bureau found out that he was harboring these two creatures, they might descend upon his home in full force, not to mention that they were already planning to make a move against Bai Qiuwu.

If things got complicated, and it alarmed his mother, he didn't even dare imagine what would happen. The last incident in Wanxiang City was lucky as it coincided with his mother's vacation; next time, he might not be so fortunate.

Ke Mingye certainly did not want to see what a rampage by this alien on Earth would look like. Maybe the identity he had carefully concealed for so long would be blown by his mother in one go, affecting the whole family...

"Well, alright... after all, everyone has their secrets," Bai Yi said as he paused, withdrew his gaze from Blue Owl's retreating back, lowered his eyes, and added, "Did you know, I have a sister who's a Magic Girl."

On hearing this, Blue Owl stopped in his tracks.

He slowly turned his head, his eyes calmly fixed on Bai Yi for several seconds, before he said, "Uh... Magic Girl, I didn't mishear you, did I?"

"No, you didn't," Bai Yi smiled.

"Oh... Having a Magic Girl as a sister at home must be quite an experience, huh?"

While saying this aloud, Blue Owl thought: Could it be true, did I just encounter a fellow compatriot?

Having a Magic Girl for a sister at home is really a nightmare! Especially since her codename is 'Ash'! She's a tough fighter outside, but a little tyrant at home, using flying kicks to settle disputes, and it's like living in hell, right?!

Bai Yi smiled slightly, "It's not really a secret. Magical Girl Rainbow, you've heard of her, haven't you?"

Upon hearing this, Blue Owl froze for a couple of seconds, then slowly nodded.

Oh no, isn't Magical Girl Rainbow a teammate of our friend Xiaohongmao? He thought. Should I tell him his sister seems a bit lesbian? She's always so close to Magical Girl Feng, it looks like her eyes are about to stick on the other Magic Girl...

While thinking, he said, "I have, she's quite active in Huanjing. I often see her in the news on TV. She usually operates together with Ash and Feng, right?"

"Right, Magical Girl Rainbow is my sister. In fact, our parents passed away a long time ago; she and I rely on each other, so she is the only family I have," said Bai Yi, his gaze lowered as he spoke slowly.

"She's really strong, even stronger than me. So what I said earlier about 'wearing a mask to protect my family' is kind of bullshit. It would be more accurate to say she wears a mask to protect me..."

"Dude, seriously, stop feeling inferior," Ke Mingye thought. "My sister, Magic Girl, is still at B-level combat power. Your sister is only at C-level, which is the same rank as yours. With a bit of effort, overtaking her shouldn't be hard."

He didn't quite understand that machismo mentality of "I must be stronger than my sister to protect her." He was the sort who would gladly idle away if he could, regardless of whom he was with, devoid of so much sentimental angst and unnecessary competitive spirit.

Though he thought this, it would be the end of any future collegial relationship if he said it out loud.

So Blue Owl considered it for a while, then said quite considerately, "Uh... dude, I think I can guess what you're thinking. You want to be stronger than your sister so you can protect her, right?"

Bai Yi neither confirmed nor denied but simply continued speaking.

"Actually, I was quite inferior before I awakened my superpower: I was disabled, and in the same car accident that took my parents, my legs were completely paralyzed. My sister had to go to school every day, take care of my daily needs, and then at night, she had to fight dangerous criminals as a Magic Girl. Compared to her, I was like a useless person. Can you understand how I felt?"

"Hmm..." Blue Owl nodded, "That must have been really tough."

"So I'm grateful for this gift called 'superpower.' It restored my legs to how they were before the accident, even made them stronger, and it even gave me a pair of wings."

Bai Yi said this, then laughed self-deprecatingly: "I often used to think how nice it would be if I could fly like a bird. When my sister saw me sitting on the rooftop staring at the sky, she was scared, thinking I was contemplating suicide, and she quickly dragged me back into the house."

As he spoke, he sighed, hugged one shoulder with one hand, and rubbed the tip of his nose with the other, before continuing.

"Now I'm finally qualified to stand up. The wheelchair I'd usually sit in felt like a coffin to me. It wasn't easy to get out of that coffin. I hope I can fly higher and farther, to become someone my sister can be proud of, not... a worthless person who could only rely on her to live."

Blue Owl fell silent for a moment before speaking: "Why are you telling me all this?"

At the question, Bai Yi slowly lifted his eyes and looked at Blue Owl through the feathered mask, smiling faintly as he spoke.

"I just want to say that we all have our unspeakable difficulties. But since we're both in the same team, and I'm the team's captain, it's my responsibility to bring our relationship closer. Since I'm willing to share my story with you, I hope that one day you'll also be willing to share your true identity and background with us so that we can truly trust each other."

Please... If this guy is serious, then he's a bit of a naive idealist, maybe too blunt and simplistic. Is it because he's been out of touch with society for too long due to being disabled and confined to his home?

But if he really is like this, without any pretense, then perhaps forming a deeper bond with him wouldn't lead to a stab in the back.

Thinking thus, Blue Owl bowed his head and touched the beak at his philtrum, and after a long pause, said, "I'll consider it. Thanks for thinking so much about the team."

He paused, then added, "And..."

"What?"

"You are already someone your sister can be proud of."

After dropping this line with a tone neither warm nor cold, Blue Owl immediately turned and entered the open elevator, to avoid the awkwardness of standing there, frozen by his own motivational words.

Behind him, Bai Yi paused for a couple of seconds, his gaze unwavering on Blue Owl's retreating figure. As the elevator doors slowly closed and ascended, the red-and-blue silhouette disappeared from his view.

He slightly bowed his head, then let out a soft chuckle.

.....

......

At this very moment, inside the glass-walled elevator.

Blue Owl gazed down at the city through the glass wall, bowing his head and letting out a long sigh of relief.

He thought, so the captain is trying to do some self-strategy? Are the thoughts of these kids, who hardly interact with society and rush to be superheroes right after getting their powers, really this pure?

Just then, a message bubble popped up in the upper right corner of his field of vision. Explore stories at My Virtual Library Empire

[Cai Bing: Spider Man, you there?]

Ke Mingye raised his eyebrows, leaning against the glass wall, and replied with his mind.

[Failed Man: What's up, have you found Gastella's location yet?]