Superman Termination Manual

As dusk fell, a corner of the city. The setting sun slowly descended towards the horizon, its afterglow spilling over a towering expanse of wire fencing. This wire netting separated the city from the wasteland district, with a sign mounted above that read "No Entry." Looking down, the coarse sandy soil, still gathering puddles from last night's rain, rippled, reflecting the figures of two young girls. Bai Zini and You Minglu walked silently along the edge of the wire fence, occasionally peering through the gaps at the riverside and grazing cows on the other side. After a while, the former stopped, leaning her back against the wire net, emitting a light "clang" sound. The desolate, tranquil surroundings subtly suggested that maybe some child might consider this place as a secret base. Bai Zini raised her fair right hand, gently grabbing the gap in the wire fence. She lowered her head and asked softly, "So, what did my master want from you?" Upon hearing this, You Minglu placed her hands behind her back, leaned against the wire net, and said nonchalantly, "Nothing, just wanted to chat heart-to-heart, asked me if I wanted to go to New York." "Did she mention having you leave Huanjing for the time being?" As Bai Zini spoke, she looked down slightly, "You have no reason to stay in Huanjing anyway." She knew that Xiaohongmao was a wandering orphan, unbound and unlike the other magic girls of this city: either they lived in Huanjing, constrained by their families, or studied in Huanjing, or worked in Huanjing--asking them to leave the city suddenly would surely be met with many concerns and inconveniences. Xizi Yue didn't say," "Oh." "But she said the opposite." "The opposite?" "She asked me to stay in Huanjing for the time being, not to leave." When Bai Zini heard this, she froze for a long while, "...why?" she paused, "I don't understand. Isn't it very dangerous for you to stay here?" "Because I feel, senior, you're saying for me to leave, but actually, deep down, you really want me to stay here, right?" "Is that so?" "Yes, you're someone who can't keep secrets." Midway through the conversation, seeing Bai Zini about to speak, You Minglu quickly changed the topic, "Senior, at this moment, you must be thinking, 'How can a girl who grew up with trash understand the thoughts of a girl who grew up with a silver spoon?' I get it, but please don't make your words so final; it hurts our friendship." "You..." In the midst of their talk, the two women turned to face each other, their cheeks enveloped in a golden twilight. They chuckled softly. You Minglu withdrew her gaze, lowered her head, and looked at the knee-high weeds on the ground for a while. The unattended weeds wildly grew over the desolate land, currently swaying gently amidst the heatwaves carrying a rusty scent. "By the way, senior, shouldn't you talk to your brother about the Witch issue?" she suddenly asked. "I don't want to worry him." Bai Zini said. "Why?" "Just because I don't want him worried. What else?" "Is it because he is very weak?" "There's that reason." Bai Zini slowly said, "Even you have noticed. You know his capabilities, right? Despite being good with words, he is utterly hopeless in a fight, and I don't want to see him get hurt." You Minglu fell silent for a while. "But even so, he would still come to save you." "I know, he's just that kind of fool..." Bai Zini spoke softly, "completely lacking self-awareness." Saying this, she turned her cheek and looked up at the flowing river water beyond the fence. "I want to go back and rest, I'm very tired today," You Minglu suddenly said. "Then goodbye." "Goodbye, senior." .... .... Not long afterwards, at Bai Ke's home. Ke Mingye opened his eyes, seeing the yellowed ceiling. He spaced out for a while, then freed an arm from behind his head and picked up the phone by his pillow. "I'll ask Cai Bing if he can dig up any information on the Amemiya family's eldest son, since it's relevant to the madhouse plan in a few days." Thinking this, Ke Mingye opened the chat panel and sent a message to Cai Bing. [Failed Man: Are you free? If you are, help me check out some background info on the Amemiya family's eldest son, the one who was taken down by Ji Feng Warrior before.] Soon, Cai Bing replied. [Cai Bing: His name is Amemiya Ying, based on his birthdate he should be 19 now.] [Cai Bing: I can only find info up to four years ago. From that point, he disappeared from all media like evaporated, and the Amemiya family has been vigorously suppressing any information about him.] [Failed Man: I just got some intel from a magic girl that Amemiya Ying was driven mad by his own family and has been confined in Bedlam Asylum.] [Cai Bing: Wow, no wonder he vanished off the face of the earth, turned out he went crazy and got sent to that awful place.] [Cai Bing: If that's true, You and Fan Quan might actually meet this once heir to the Amemiya family when you go to the asylum in a few days.] [Failed Man: Possibly.] [Cai Bing: I gotta log off now, still busy.] [Failed Man: Oh, and I'd like you to check out something about "Octopus Man" this superhero.] [Cai Bing: Why? Are you that petty, just because he taunted you on camera, so now you want me to dig up some "exclusive news" on him?] [Cai Bing: But makes sense, since you're supposed to fight on the 15th next month. Now revealing something like "Octopus Man is actually gay, secretly in love with Blue Owl trying to get his attention" or "Octopus Man is actually a domestic abuser, often mistreats his wife" would stir up a lot of publicity, beneficial to your hero career, and harmless overall.]