Superman from the comics: Starting with the Black Robe

Chapter 2 Superhumans

As the other person's face drew closer and closer, Joey felt a little numb. By the way, how many years do people usually get for having sex with a minor in Kansas?

"That's not right, Laurie." Joey casually pushed Laurie's strong hands away, then quickly turned her head away, no longer staring at her.

It's not because he's celibate and doesn't get close to women. Joey is a sixteen-year-old boy now. Even if he's a Kryptonian, he still has puberty and physiological needs, and sometimes he wants to do things that men should do.

His body was indeed a genuine Superman's body, possessing not only unparalleled strength but also all the abilities of a Kryptonian, such as super vision, though it wasn't currently under his control.

His uncontrollable eyes were switching perspective modes layer by layer. One second he was looking at the world from the perspective of a normal human, the next second from the perspective of an MRI scanner, and the next second from an even more exaggerated microscopic perspective.

He could clearly see the mites on the girl's face, the skin debris and bacteria accumulated in every hair pore, just as Joey had heard in his previous life: "Red powder skull, white bone flesh, all phenomena are empty appearances, all are illusions."

At this moment, Joey seemed to understand why Superman, who possessed superhuman perception, always suffered greatly due to some inexplicable sneak attacks.

Like most other humans, Superman chose to only see what he wanted to see and hear what he wanted to hear; otherwise, he would not have been able to maintain his true self—a simple and kind Kansas farmer.

"Why! Why does nobody care about me! The city kids in my class ostracize me, and now even you're rejecting me!"

Laurie's overflowing emotions instantly turned into a raging fire. She swung her arm back, denting the car window. Joey could even feel the pickup truck beneath him trembling, the whole vehicle creaking, and his body feeling slightly weightless.

A telekinetic superpower? This is going to be a bit risky, Joey thought, then tried to control himself, and finally reached out and flicked Laurie on the head with less force.

Bang! Fortunately, it worked wonders, and Laurie fell asleep immediately.

Joey looked at the small bruise on Laurie's forehead, waited for his super vision to refresh again to confirm that it was nothing, then breathed a sigh of relief, and then was at a loss—what should he do next?

Although there are many superhumans in this world, and many others do not act chivalrously even if I do, I am, after all, a visitor from another world, and I only want to live a peaceful life.

Who cares? Joey got in the car, switched seats with Joey, and restarted the pickup truck that had almost taken off, starting to turn around.

My peaceful life probably won't last much longer. Am I really Kal'El from Krypton? If so, am I the only surviving Kryptonian?

The possibility of future Kryptonian visitors is like the Sword of Damocles, often waking him from his dreams. Joey admits he doesn't have the protagonist's halo like Clark Kent, who could defeat a well-trained Kryptonian army with his wild punches without any training.

Based on my memories from my past life, maybe my fellow Kryptonians will be arriving at my doorstep tomorrow in a spaceship powerful enough to destroy Earth's ecosystem, ready to ignite the entire planet with Joey's genes.

Superhuman... On the way back, Joey couldn't help but speculate: what would have happened if Laurie had awakened and used this ability for the first time, and he was just an ordinary person who refused her?

I don't know why I just happened to run into such a superhuman neighbor who has ulterior motives towards me. What is this? Is it mutual attraction between Stand users?

To be honest, he wasn't oblivious to Laurie's subtle feelings for him. This seemingly cheerful and outgoing girl from the countryside was actually from a single-parent family and didn't receive much positive feedback at school.

Few town children would listen to her talk about rats that emerge from the ground like a tide during floods; wild boars that can devour dozens of acres of crops in a single day; or angry cows that can send people flying two meters when they're angry. It's perfectly normal for such people to crave love and to be loved.

But Joey merely listened and responded passively; he had even fewer friends than Laurie and didn't want to get involved in the lives of these high school students.

Those who have frequently gone through puberty know that most teenagers are in the most special stage of their lives, with peak energy, enthusiasm, and high spirits. They are impulsive and may be at their smartest.

However, limited by hormone levels and life experience, all things considered, Joey was a complete idiot. Almost subconsciously, she refused to develop any relationships with her classmates, including Laurie, because she had more important things to care about—such as her Kryptonian origins.

"Is that a bird? Is that an airplane? That's a Homelander!"

The car radio music was interrupted by a GG commercial that was playing. Joey sighed and casually changed the channel.

"The world is facing an unimaginable crisis, one that even the most powerful Homelander cannot handle alone, but heroes are never alone—this summer, Super Seven: A New Era will present to you:"

Darkrai, Queen Maeve, the Lamplighter, A-Train, the Invisible Man, the Deep Sea—the greatest heroes of all time come together to fight side by side. Stay tuned...

Joey thought he had read a lot of Marvel and DC comics in his previous life, but listening to the monotonous chatter on the car radio, which sounded like a menu, still gave him a headache. This world was completely different from the Superman world he knew, and he still didn't understand where these superheroes came from.

This world has the "Super Seven" and other groups like the "Avengers" and "G-Men," perhaps it's a parallel universe variant of the Justice League, the Avengers, or the X-Men?

In that case, maybe if the Kryptonians came, we wouldn't have to worry about them at all. With such an all-star lineup, what in the world could possibly stand against us?!

As Joey fantasized about how the Kryptonian remnants would be wiped out without him lifting a finger, and he could simply focus on improving his GPA in high school, get into a state university to become a journalist, and live a peaceful life, he found himself driving back to Laurie's house.

At that moment, old Arthur, who lived in Laurie's house, was dozing off in a recliner by the door, clutching his rifling flintlock rifle. He then saw himself in the driver's seat and Laurie asleep in the passenger seat: "What's going on here, kid?"

Not wanting to risk getting shot for no reason, Joey jumped out of the car and told Old Arthur the whole story. Laurie would wake up sooner or later, and the details couldn't be kept secret.

Joey had initially thought Arthur wouldn't be able to accept such a bizarre story, but Arthur unexpectedly calmed down. He lowered his head and tugged at his messy, slightly graying hair. When he looked up again, his bloodshot eyes, which had been clouded by long-term alcoholism, were no longer glazed.

Arthur reached for his rifle and pushed it behind his back, sighed, then opened the car door and hugged Laurie, gesturing to Joey, "Kid, help me open the door."

……

Sizzle~ Arthur, having escorted Laurie upstairs, slumped onto the sofa, lit a cigarette with a match, and looked at Joey, who was still there. Joey stared at the flickering cigarette butt, and the two fell into a long silence.

"Do you think your parents love you?" Arthur broke the silence, asking a question that left Joey completely baffled.

Shouldn't we be discussing your daughter's awakening of superpowers?

"Behind every child with superpowers, there are irresponsible parents."

Arthur continued speaking to himself:

"I'm talking about everyone, including me and your parents—superpowers are never a gift; they're a gift obtained through a deal with the devil. It's for Laurie's good, and it's for yours too, child. Don't tell anyone about tonight, including your parents."

"Okay, I think we can keep this a secret from each other." Joey got up and opened the door. The sun was already setting in the west, casting a blood-red light on the wheat field outside.