Superman Termination Manual

Near nightfall, on the Huanjing No. 7 elevated bridge. Dice Monster sat on the railing, shoulders slightly hunched, palms propping against the bridge rail. His legs gently swung as he hummed the tune of "London Bridge Is Falling Down." He lifted his empty eyes, silently watching the sunset descend from the horizon. A crimson hue spread between the skyscrapers, the glass curtain walls mirroring the last blush of red in the sky. But in a moment, night cloaked the city. Like a black curtain descending, the glass curtain walls on the buildings slowly dimmed, and shadows crept like the tide toward the streets and alleys. From the clamor of voices to the incessant advertising slogans, everything seemed to be swallowed by darkness, leaving only the rumbling of trains passing over tracks lingering in one's ears. On the deserted elevated bridge, Dice Monster suddenly said, "I always feel a sense of security watching the night come. I don't quite understand why some people like twilight. Uh, I really hate that indecisive state, like an old person sitting on the toilet unable to poop, no matter how much they strain, and ending up with the feces stuck to their butt." It wasn't clear to whom he was speaking, but his tone was cheerful, as if he was teasing an old friend. The odd creature paused, "But seeing nightfall arrive, it's like being constipated for ten days and then suddenly having an eruption that clogs the entire sewer system, instantly making my mood feel exhilarated. What do you think?" "Can we not use such disgusting metaphors?" Black Wukong sat down beside him, placing Jingu Bang aside, and said irritably. She paused for a moment, eyes lowered towards the slowly brightening neon lights amidst the city, "But I also like the night." "Right?" The odd creature slightly curved up the corners of his mouth. "Gazing at the twilight sky always reminds me of myself, someone half-dead." Black Wukong looked at the last streak of red at the edge of the sky, murmuring softly. "Why?" the odd creature asked her. "Because watching the sky gradually darken makes me anxious. But if the sky were dark from the start, always dark, then maybe I wouldn't be so restless…" "You know, many cancer patients think the same way. Not that it makes a difference, but like twilight, night is also a transitional thing," the odd creature said, "You think the sky will always be dark or that it being dark calms you down. But that's wrong. Maybe while you're enduring, enduring, suddenly the day becomes bright." He paused and turned to look at Black Wukong, "My point is, there's no need to jump to conclusions prematurely and arrogantly assume you're already dead, Miss Sun Wukong. Twilight indeed induces anxiety, but night won't last forever, dawn will always come. The world is this constant process of alternating light and dark." Black Wukong was silent for a while, then removed her mask to breathe in some fresh air. Bai Qiuwu spoke faintly, "According to what you say, when you do bad things, have you ever thought about the retribution you'll face?" "Are you asking me as a friend, or as a vigilante?" "A friend." "Of course, I've thought about it," the odd creature shrugged, "but not everything I do is bad, so shouldn't the good and bad cancel each other out?" "Is that so..." Bai Qiuwu pondered for a moment, then finally asked about last night's event, "Why did you interrupt my brother's competition?" The odd creature said nonchalantly, "Wasn't it Miss Ash's birthday yesterday? I thought she'd be happy to see her brother come home early rather than fighting on TV and ending up so battered he can't get out of bed." Bai Qiuwu was startled, "So you showed up there specifically to get him to come home early?" "No, no, no, I also did it partly because I thought it would be fun," the odd creature shook his head. "Heh... I figured." Bai Qiuwu smiled. "You really get me, I don't know why, but I feel somewhat displeased," the odd creature said as he watched her smug smile and scratched his cheek pensively. "At heart, aren't you just a love-starved and mischievous kid? Even when you do something excessive, it's just a neglected child throwing a tantrum." "Aren't you abandoning your quest for enlightenment and your battle against evil to become a psychologist?" "Is that not allowed?" The odd creature curled his lip, then suddenly asked, "Even if life is only this short, can you still distinguish between good and evil?" "If I can't, then I'm not myself." "Is that so? If it were me, knowing I only had one year left, I'd probably cause chaos, turn the whole world upside down, make everyone bury with me, or at least… make them remember that someone like me lived." The odd creature scratched the back of his right hand with his left, and just as Bai Qiuwu was about to speak, he added somberly, "I know, you think I'm doing bad things, but I'm just relieving the bitterness and sorrow in my heart. How pitiable it would be to die alone and uncared for in a corner, right?" "You know, it's not without reason that those people online say you lack love," Bai Qiuwu said thoughtfully. "I don't deny that." "So, you really only have one year to live?" Bai Qiuwu suddenly asked. "No, no, no, I was just thinking about it from your perspective, as an example." "Oh." The odd creature continued, "If given the chance, I would be evil for a lifetime, finding fun among generations of superheroes and magical girls." "I really can't figure you out, sometimes you say things that seem quite reasonable, other times you're like a child."