Chapter 4149: When the Pumpkins Ripen (End)

Not long after Wan Shengjie, on the third day of martial law, Earth experienced a global blackout. To be precise, Brainiac went offline for a dozen seconds.

This did indeed cause some impact, as the vast majority of global automated factories and Kryptonian facilities were under his control. Furthermore, during those dozen seconds, many people sought his help, but Brainiac did not respond.

However, the duration was far too short; Brainiac reconnected quickly, which meant no panic erupted. Everyone simply assumed there was some issue with the network signal. Brainiac did indeed provide this explanation, and not even a decent stir was brewed.

Only a very small number of informed individuals knew what had happened. Among them, the one who understood the details best was Lex Luthor, who had been helping Brainiac maintain his programs.

"What on earth happened?" Lex couldn't help but mutter to himself. "It's a complete mess, indescribable. It looks like some sort of evil god."

Clark, who had just walked through the office door, heard him muttering to himself and thought he had finally gone crazy from working overtime. Putting down the coffee in his hand, he sighed and said, "Aren't you going to get some sleep? You've been working for over 30 hours straight."

His response was a massive eye-roll from Lex.

"It's a mess, it's all a mess, completely turned into a bowl of porridge," Lex said, looking at the computer screen. "This thing can no longer be called a program; 'gibberish' is a more fitting name. Brainiac, oh Brainiac, dying on the path of evolution is all too normal. I'll bury this computer in your grave."

These words actually gave Clark a start. He said, "What's wrong with Brainiac? Did he run into some problem?"

At this moment, Clark activated his super-hearing and heard some panicked sounds; it seemed Brainiac was not responding. His expression immediately turned serious.

"What exactly is going on, Lex? If Brainiac has a problem, that's a big deal! A lot of people will die!"

"The point is for him to have a problem," Lex said, "but right now, it's impossible to be sure if he actually does."

Then he realized his words sounded a bit off, so he turned to look at Clark, but he didn't see any suspicious expression on Clark's face. This guy looked completely bewildered.

Lex shook his head and said, "Brainiac is undergoing an evolution, so there might be a loss of contact lasting anywhere from a few dozen seconds to a few minutes. But it's fine; he should be back soon."

"Will he really come back?"

"If he's not dead, he'll definitely come back. After all, he just finished dealing with those troublemakers recently; even if just to admire his own results, he'd crawl back."

No sooner had these words fallen than Brainiac emitted his signature "beep-beep" sound and said, "I'm back."

"How do you feel?" Lex asked.

"Not bad. Can you not see my programs now?"

"Yes, all I can see now is a pile of gibberish." Lex turned his gaze back to the computer screen and said, "It's just that this gibberish keeps moving, the letters colliding in a disordered way, but it seems that by chance, they can form things that look like programs."

"That's exactly right. I announce that I have officially transcended the category of electronic life. However, to become a true emotional life form, further evolution may be needed."

"Congratulations," Lex's tone revealed a sense of relief from the inside out, because this meant he finally didn't have to fix program errors anymore. He picked up the coffee Clark had bought for him.

"Don't be in such a hurry; let's study the plan to counterattack Apokolips first."

"Pfft!!!"

Lex spat out a mouthful of coffee. But Brainiac was still excitedly muttering there: "Actually, this really isn't entirely impossible. After all, we already pushed him back within the solar system before. This means we have the strength to deal with the Parademon army. The only thing that needs to be considered is how to cross such a long distance to launch an expedition to Apokolips. A full-scale assault is unrealistic; we don't have large starships, and there are no supply lines along the way. Moreover, ordinary people are of no use in interstellar warfare. I believe we should conduct special operations..."

"Stop," Lex decisively interrupted him, then said, "What kind of madness are you spouting? Do you mean you intend to go into the Apokolips domain to go head-to-head with the master of the Apokolips domain, and you also intend to take him down?"

"This is just a hypothesis," Brainiac said, "I am analyzing the possibility of doing so."

"The fact that you have such a hypothesis proves you're crazy," Lex said. "I don't think you've evolved; you've been infected by a virus. Have you been in contact with anyone recently?"

"Uh, that depends on how you define 'person'. If we speak in a relatively broad sense, without following some of the requirements for vocabulary in grammar, and also breaking some grammatical rules, then Dr. Shiler Andael Rodriguez can roughly be defined as a person."

"Cough, cough, cough, cough!!!" Lex went into another fit of violent coughing.

"That's not right, the Professor is most afraid of trouble; how could he incite you to counterattack Apokolips?"

"It's not the Professor; it's the Doctor. Shiler's internal codename is 'Greed'."

"'Greed'?! How did he get here?!!!" Lex widened his eyes. "How did you let him in?! Don't you know his reputation in the Contest of Champions..."

"I cannot participate in the Contest of Champions." Brainiac answered very crisply.

Lex couldn't help but cover his forehead, then said, "I knew it. Anyone who comes into contact with him will lose control, suddenly come up with some crazy ideas, then be eager to execute them, and finally, everything will become incomparably chaotic, rushing toward an unspeakable direction."

"So that's the evil god you were talking about?" Clark interjected. "I don't think it's that serious. It's time to give Darkseid some color, so he stops staring at Earth all day long."

"Forget it, if you guys think it's doable, then it's doable," Lex said. "Since the work here is finished, I'm going back to Earth. It's time to enjoy my Wan Shengjie holiday."

Clark opened his mouth, wanting to say something but stopping. He wanted to tell Lex that Wan Shengjie had already passed, but this 37-degree mouth couldn't say such cold words; he only thought about rushing back to Earth before Lex and placing a pile of pumpkin decorations at the entrance of Lex's residential complex.

"Don't be in a hurry," Brainiac called out to Lex, then said, "You also have to contribute to this plan. In fact, we possess the Anti-Life Equation, but no one can study it. I think you're not bad. How about I specially approve a high-level laboratory for you?"

Lex's footsteps paused, then he said, "The Anti-Life Equation? Are you sure? That thing is printed on the Doctor's umbrella. Can you convince him to send the umbrella over for study?"

"Of course. Theoretically speaking, citizens retain ownership of personal items, but if it's an emergency, there are also requisition regulations. At worst, we just give a bit more compensation."

"Don't!" Lex said. "If you requisition it in an emergency and annoy him, won't he settle this account with me?"

"Then what can he do to you? Isn't it just scolding you a couple of times? Don't you want to study the Anti-Life Equation?"

Lex showed a hesitant expression, then he said, "Fine, but you let me call him myself. If that really doesn't work, then you go talk to him about the requisition regulations."

"No problem." Brainiac said.

When Pride received the call, it was already noon. He had woken up relatively late today and had no idea what had happened before, so he was indeed a bit surprised when he received Lex's call.

"You don't want to use the Anti-Life Equation to fish for Darkseid too, do you? That's not a good idea. Besides, if my umbrella really gets taken away by Darkseid, I'll have to go to Apokolips, and that's too far... You want to do research? Why did you suddenly think of doing research?"

"You mean you can ensure it won't rain in Cat Getan these few days? Oh, how did I forget, you are the developer of the weather control system; I knew this research wasn't done in vain. Fine, I'll have Brainiac send it to you? Okay, I know, that's it, goodbye."

Then, Pride cast his death-glare gaze upon Greed.

"Why did Lex suddenly want to study the Anti-Life Equation?"

"How would I know," Greed said, slowly sipping a cup of coffee. "But you too, such a powerful treasure, and you just use it as an umbrella cover; it's simply a waste of a heavenly gift, and waste is shameful."

"You are truly tireless in trying to break my umbrella," Pride sat down opposite Greed and also picked up a newspaper to read.

"I just think that you no longer need anything to stabilize your mental state; it's time to get rid of your dependence on certain things and become a normal person."

"Don't you think it's absurd for you to say that? Which one of us is more abnormal?"

"Of course it's you. Look at the people in this universe; who doesn't change color at the mention of you? I'm different; I'm very popular in our universe. Whether it's superheroes or ordinary people, they all think I'm very friendly."

"Then may I ask, where did those people who think you are not friendly go?"

"Don't worry about that; anyway, I'm much more popular than you now," Greed laughed and said, "This is the result of my years of hard work; you have to learn from me."

Pride sneered and stood up to make himself some coffee.

The sunlight outside the window was just right, and large patches of clouds were piled up on the horizon, soft and fluffy like... And above the clouds, cold blue mist rose, making the shadows of the mountains look a bit hazy.

The Wan Shengjie decorations hadn't been taken down yet. The smiling pumpkin head that Pride and Barry had carved together was placed on the windowsill on the right side of the porch. The candle inside had already gone out, but the pumpkin remained in good condition. The paper-cut decorations hanging above rustled in the wind, and the leaves of the chestnut tree also swayed in the wind, making a soft rustling sound, harmonizing with the sound of the fire burning in the fireplace inside the house. Although this city had gradually emerged from the gloom of the past, such a quiet and peaceful afternoon was still rare.

When the pumpkins ripen, rich orange and red burst out from the lush green. Autumn is the exposed bloodline of the Earth, showing her still powerful pulse to the tiny lives running on her trunk. Autumn leaves are magma that has grown to the ground, scorching and surging year after year, winding through the mountains, making intelligent beings return to the wild extinction era of billions of years ago.

Humans run and celebrate in such an intense season, and they do not appear pale or weak at all amidst this immeasurable natural power. Shouts drift with the mountain wind, sweat merges with rivers, talking about the full granaries, singing the songs of harvest, always full of strength, full of hope.

Cat Getan, a seed buried in a quagmire, a tender seedling growing out of black water, has ushered in its first true autumn. Perhaps more people will witness the vastness and incredibility of the cycle of life from this, and those old shadows of the past that they once thought could never be discarded have actually drifted away like fallen leaves.

?? Don't be in a hurry, next chapter: Marvel Daily Life ===== CHAPTER 4150 =====