Superman Termination Manual

"Why choose such a godforsaken place?" The Octopus Man with heavy dark circles rubbed his eyes. "Because I want to discuss some private matters with you." "What matters?" Octopus Man paused, then added cautiously, "Just to be clear, I'm not gay." "Come on, buddy, even though there are many gays among the superheroes, and those flirts can't get satisfaction from the opposite sex anymore, it doesn't mean every superhero is gay..." Blue Owl shook his head and sighed while holding his forehead. "I've got things to do later, so just spill it. If you're just embarrassed and want to back out of the match, I don't mind, but I will post about you begging for mercy online for everyone to see the reality of your cowardice." "Okay, you talk a big game, but I'm not here for that... After all, I'm not going to lose to you, it seems I'm the one who'll have everything going for him." Blue Owl yawned, speaking leisurely before quickly changing the subject: "Actually... I wanted to ask about your dad. I've asked around the Association before, and some said that your father died trying to save someone from drowning. Is that true?" Octopus Man slightly furrowed his brow and asked in a deep voice, "Who did you hear that from?" "I heard it from my Commander, and this morning I also casually asked for your name. Don't believe me, you can verify it with him." Blue Owl paused, then said, "So can you answer me... or if the question is too offensive, I apologize in advance and will turn around and leave right now." With that, he raised his arms in surrender and turned his head to glance at Octopus Man's profile. Octopus Man was silent for a moment: "There's nothing to hide, my reason for becoming a superhero... was to make my father's name more known." Blue Owl breathed a sigh of relief and thought to himself that we really have the same core motivation. I started out to clear Qing Ya's name, and you did it to promote your heroic father's name. From the same root we were born; why should we be hasty to fight and let me meet such ruin? "I've looked up that news," he said. "Your dad was a great man." "My father was an ordinary man," Octopus Man said softly. "He was just an ordinary man but died in a lake trying to save a few drowning kids. After that, my brother and I had to depend on each other and went through some really tough times." Blue Owl thought for a moment, "Are you angry that he left you and your brother behind for a few strangers?" "No, I've never blamed my father. What infuriates me is..." At that point, Octopus Man's voice grew heavier, "After my father died, the parents of those saved kids would come to our house with fake sympathy, handing over consolation gifts, shaking my hand and saying insincere words. But soon after, I never saw them again... I thought it didn't matter, even if they were ungrateful, someone else would see the news and remember my father." He paused: "At first, people on the internet were hypocritically praising him, but after a few days, no one cared about what he'd done anymore... Back then, a new superhero who was just starting out got a ton of attention through marketing. His news was everywhere, and nobody paid attention to my father, such a mediocre... such a boring person, who he saved, or the ordinary life he sacrificed." Blue Owl folded his arms and was silent for a moment: "That's pretty normal, everybody loves superheroes." "That's why I think it's unreasonable," Octopus Man said. "Not long after, that hero who got attention through marketing left the Superhero Association quickly after earning some money and popularity, and then started live streaming on the internet. To this day, I can still see his 'Weekly Superhero Star Review Column Videos'... Haha, do you know what's the funniest part?" "Uh... what is it?" "In his review column, he mocked me as an ugly, disgusting hero with dubious morals... He also said that the most fundamental thing for a superhero is their image, yet my costume is designed terribly, and I don't even deign to wear a mask, which only endangers those around me. But what he doesn't know is..." Octopus Man said, scoffing, "the people around me are already dead... all dead, I can go maskless without affecting anyone, putting no one else in danger, except for myself." Blue Owl found himself at a loss for words, rubbing the Tianming Acupoint, thinking you're a bit self-destructive, kid, hoping you wouldn't turn into a villain someday. After a long silence, he exhaled and finally said: "Uh... now I get it. So that's why you have such a grudge against those superheroes who rose to prominence through marketing?" "Even if you put it that way, you can't exclude yourself from that group." "No matter, I'll prove myself on that point sooner or later." Blue Owl shrugged, continuing in an indifferent tone, "Honestly, I still haven't forgiven you. Your malice towards me is petty and narrow-minded. You can't just pin that label on me because you've suffered, but I'm a very, very forgiving person, so I won't hold it against you, get it?" "Hilarious..." Octopus Man responded with disdain. Blue Owl lowered his beak, staring at the floor as he asked slowly, "So, I remember reading in the news that the hero who drowned trying to save others left behind two kids, one is you, the other one is..."