Superman Termination Manual

On July 4th, 10 a.m., in the living room of the Bai Ke family.

Sunlight, paired with the morning breeze, faintly disturbed the curtains and dragged out a mottled column of light on the floor.

The Black Cat half-closed its eyes, lazily nestling on the carpet beside the window, as if lying in a bathtub filled with just the right temperature of bathwater, soaking in the sunlight that was just perfect.

A few cartoon animal pillows were strewn messily on the light brown couch, and several magazines lay quietly beside the remote control on the TV cabinet.

The living room was so quiet one could almost hear the ticking of the clock, and occasionally, sounds of honking or birds singing squeezed through the gaps in the curtains.

At this time, seeing Bai Qiuwu preparing her backpack, Bai Zini hurried over to her, pacing in place as she said, "Sis, help me bring this."

Having said that, she handed a folding umbrella to Bai Qiuwu, gesturing for her to stuff it into her backpack.

Bai Qiuwu took the umbrella, feigning ignorance, "You need an umbrella with this kind of weather?"

"It's a parasol. I don't want to end up tanned after the holiday and get laughed at by my classmates," Bai Zini answered.

"Please, we're going to have fun at the mall, not walking in the streets. Why would you get sunburnt?" Ke Mingye, sitting on the sofa, casually teased her.

He was dressed in a T-shirt and shorts today, looking quite comfortable.

Bai Zini glared at him, "Don't we have to walk there?"

"Of course we're taking the subway, who would walk with you?" said Ke Mingye.

Bai Zini stood in front of the full-length mirror in the living room, tying her hair into a high ponytail as she spoke, "What if, just what if, it starts raining later on, then what?"

"If it rains in this weather, I'll eat my hat," Ke Mingye quipped, glancing sideways out the window, where the sky was clear and the clouds stretched all the way to the blue horizon.

Bai Zini rolled her eyes at him, then lowered her head to check the weather forecast on her phone, before thrusting the screen forcefully in his face, "The weather forecast says it might actually rain later, big bro, what do you say?" Continue reading at empire

Bai Qiuwu tucked the folding umbrella into her backpack, interrupting the argument that was about to ensue.

"Alright, the umbrella is packed. If you need it, just ask me for it."

"Best sister ever, love you," Bai Zini smiled at her.

Bai Ziling put on sunglasses and a sun hat, tidied her disheveled white hair in front of the mirror, smoothed the wrinkles on her white dress, then turned to look at Ke Xiao Mo, who was coming downstairs.

"Are you guys ready?" Ke Xiao Mo asked, arms crossed.

"Where's big brother?" asked Bai Ziling.

With a look of resignation, Ke Xiao Mo replied, "He just finished showering, blowing his hair, he'll be down in a minute."

"I gotta ask, what kind of American schedule is this? Which Chinese person showers in the morning?"

Ke Mingye said with disdain, thinking that Ke Yinzhi really had picked up quite a few habits from his missions abroad.

"Maybe he's preparing for studying abroad," said Ke Yongzhu, dressed in a set of blue overalls, looking like he hadn't quite woken up yet, leaning on the sofa, half resting.

"You guys couldn't be more right; with his grades, he could really end up as an international student," said Ke Xiao Mo nonchalantly.

"Talking about me?"

Ke Yinzhi said as he descended the staircase. Today, he was still dressed in a black long coat, with shoulder-length black hair tousled behind him, and a new black earring dangling from his right ear.

An earring? Could this be big brother's communication device with the Management Bureau?

Ke Mingye asked, "Big bro, did you pierce your ears?"

"Haven't they always been there? Just didn't wear earrings much," Ke Yinzhi laughed.

Kel Xiao Mo put his arm around Ke Mingye's shoulder, admonishing him, "Don't follow in your big brother's footsteps, focus on your studies."

"As if I could keep up with the two of you; when you were in high school, I saw you out having fun every day, yet your grades were so good, like some kind of sorcery," Ke Mingye shrugged his shoulders.

Bai Qiuwu looked up at them, echoing, "I'd like to know how you did it too. You never help me with homework at home, otherwise, would I need to go to summer tutoring?"

"Your grades are good enough; why would we need to tutor you?"

As Ke Xiao Mo spoke, he walked over to the sofa and ruffled Yongzhu's hair, "Yongzhu, wake up, we're about to head out."

Ke Yongzhu slowly opened his eyelids, rubbed the corners of his eyes, and languidly got up from the sofa, "Annoying, couldn't you guys schedule this for the afternoon?"

"I might have something this afternoon," Ke Xiao Mo replied.

"I have a date lined up too," Ke Yinzhi smiled, resting his hand on Ke Xiao Mo's shoulder.

"It's too hot in the afternoon; I hate the sunlight," Bai Ziling spoke softly.

Hearing the first two responses, Ke Yongzhu still felt like arguing, but when Bai Ziling said the same, he could only purse his lips and say, "Fine then."

After speaking, he moved towards the entrance, twisting the handle to open the door, "Let's go, let's go, off to the movies."

Bai Zini walked to the shoe cabinet, slipped into her athletic shoes, and while tying her laces, she looked up at Ke Yongzhu, "Who wants to watch a movie with you? Later at Wanxiang City, we'll shop; you can watch by yourself."

Ke Yongzhu crossed her arms behind her head, "Then I'll just go watch it by myself, who cares? Last time, who was it that got so scared during the horror movie that she punched me, making it seem like I was so eager to watch it with you?"

"It wasn't on purpose."

After speaking, Bai Zini tied her shoelaces tightly, stood up, her high ponytail bobbing up and down.

"I think it was definitely on purpose," Ke Yongzhu said.

"Then I'll go with my little brother," Bai Qiuwu slung her bag over her shoulder and teased, "He will be so pitiful alone, probably secretly wiping away tears in the cinema later."

"Right, right, right, wiping tears," Ke Yongzhu yawned.

Bai Zini turned her face towards Ke Mingye, staring at him with eyes full of resentful anger, "And big brother, you're not going to abandon me too, are you?"

Ke Mingye avoided her gaze, "Well, I'll see how it goes."

Ke Yinzhi glanced at his phone then slipped it back into his jacket pocket, shrugged, and said, "There's nothing good playing today, I'll later accompany you two to the bookstore near Wanxiang City, you guys come find us after you've had your fun."

Bai Ziling spoke expressionlessly, "Then I'll go shopping with my sister, she's so pitiful."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Bai Zini embraced her shoulder and nuzzled her pallid cheek, "You truly are my good little sister."

"Don't plan so much ahead of time, let's just see when we get there."

After the words left him, Ke Xiaomo led the way out of the house, pressing the button on the elevator panel. Soon, the seven of them took the elevator down and walked to the nearby subway station.

They boarded the subway, crammed into the crowd filled with the smell of disinfectant, each leaning against the walls of the car, playing with their phones, and one by one they left the train at their station.

They split up at the crossroads in front of the "Wanxiang City" mall on Luo Dehua Commercial Street.

Ke Xiaomo and Ke Yinzhi found a quiet coffee shop not far away and sat down, while the other five went into the mall to play.

On the way to Wanxiang City, Bai Zini retrieved the folding umbrella from Bai Qiuwu and, though it was just a short distance, she still made a ostentatious show of using the umbrella, striking a particularly affected pose.

Bai Ziling kept her cap pulled low, glancing at the traffic lights through her sunglasses.

Ke Mingye played with his phone while discreetly scanning the surroundings with his gaze, attentive to any stir in the nearby grass.

The electronic screen on the building played an advertisement for beauty products endorsed by Xizi Yue; the street bustled with people carrying coffee cups, heads buried in their phones, or toting briefcases, their faces numb.

Cars stopped orderly under the traffic light and then departed one by one as the green light turned on.

He wondered if the next second, these people would suddenly rise up, throw off their clothes, and reveal Ninja outfits wrapped in black cloth underneath.

Or perhaps, a car driving by would suddenly roll down its window, and a rain of daggers and shurikens would shoot out, leaving the five of them riddled like a wasp's nest.

Thankfully, the imagined scenario did not happen, and they reached Wanxiang City without incident.

Lamenting the walk, Ke Mingye bought three movie tickets on the fifth floor of Wanxiang City with Ke Yongzhu and Bai Qiuwu. They sat outside the cinema for a while before gradually making their way inside.

Bai Zini and Bai Ziling wandered aimlessly in the mall, occasionally entering a jewelry shop, sometimes a gift store. Looking like child stars, the two sisters often attracted the gaze of passersby.

........

........

Meanwhile, at Luo Dehua Commercial Street, Gibran Bookstore.

In the shadow behind the last row of bookshelves, two figures leaned against the wall, one with crossed arms deep in thought, the other bowed his head flipping through a book, the ornate flower wallpaper behind them paled in comparison to their dazzling appearance.

"The notice you received this morning, it said to begin the operation this afternoon, right?" Ke Yinzhi lowered his eyes, flipping through "Remembrance of Times Past" while asking.

Ke Xiaomo, with his eyelids closed, head resting against the wall, took a long moment before responding, "Yes... The scroll tied to the Bluebird had it written, I'm sure it was the Sect Master's handwriting."

"But is it really okay for me to get involved?" Ke Yinzhi said, "Haven't you said before that the Ninja Sect has strict rules, and outsiders are forbidden to meddle in these matters?"

"Rules are rules, but I need you."

Ke Yinzhi's fingers, which were flipping through the pages, paused briefly, and the corners of his mouth curved up slightly, "You rarely speak like a younger brother should, so I guess I have no choice but to help."

"More importantly, have you felt something off about the pedestrians on the street since a while ago?"

As he spoke, Ke Xiaomo opened his eyes, his gaze drifting towards the floor-to-ceiling windows on the right, through which one could see the figures moving outside the bookstore.

"They are indeed off," Ke Yinzhi kept calmly turning pages, "Even though they act natural, their body movements and expressions all emit a forced and contrived air."

Ke Xiaomo's gaze wandered, and after a silent moment, he said, "It seems like we've been targeted. Most of the customers in the bookstore have disappeared, and that librarian has left as well."

"Ha... whoever dares target us, they really have keen sight," Ke Yinzhi joked, closing the book in his hands and casually slipping it back into the gap on the shelf.

The next moment, a figure walked into the bookstore from outside. He was dressed in a white robe, his form backlit by the sunlight, his solemn face shrouded in shadow.

An A-level hero from the Superhero Association, the Ink Writer.

Simultaneously, a loud explosion and a roar reminiscent of some beast echoed from Wanxiang City not far from Luo Dehua Commercial Street, reverberating through the entire street.