Superman Termination Manual

Ke Yinzhi glanced sideways at Ke Xiaomo's profile while muttering softly, "Kids sure do have vivid imaginations, don't they?"

After Bai Ziling's imagined scene had been displayed, it finally came time for Ke Mingye to don the helmet, and everyone in the cinema turned their attention to him.

"It's time?"

Inside the restroom, Ke Mingye murmured to himself, commanding the Deception Puppet in his mind to put the helmet on its head. It stared ahead with eyes wide open for a while before closing them under the staff's instruction.

"Clear your mind; don't think about anything," Ke Mingye continued to instruct.

The Deception Puppet complied, and the rest of the people in the cinema looked toward the big screen only to see that the image presented was nearly empty, almost a complete blank.

"Brother, are you too nervous?" Bai Zini, sitting beside the puppet, asked.

Ke Yinzhi watched this scene and interjected, "If you really can't come up with anything, maybe consider the key words I just mentioned, how about that?"

He paused, then repeated to the Deception Puppet, "When you hear 'player,' what do you imagine?"

Cold sweat trickled down Ke Mingye's temples, but a smile formed on his lips as he thought, you're still trying to plant suggestions in my mind, but what's sitting in the cinema isn't human at all; how could your words sway its thoughts?

As he thought this, he ordered the puppet in his mind: "Imagine that you are playing a shooter game on the screen, CS:GO will do, holding a gun and blowing the enemy's head off."

As the command was given, the big screen in Cinema Hall Four gradually displayed Ke Mingye's thoughts: He sat in front of a computer, playing a shooter game from a first-person perspective, holding an AK-47 in his hands, the aim of the mouse fixed on an enemy's head popping out from around a corner, ready to shoot. Then, the whole scene froze there.

"Wow, is it that responsive?"

The puppet removed the helmet and looked up at the big screen in the cinema with a tone of surprise.

Bai Zini sighed with her hand on her forehead, unable to help but say disdainfully, "Brother, even with a helmet on, you imagine yourself playing a game—is your internet addiction really that severe?"

Ke Yongzhu snorted derisively, "And he says I have no imagination; he's even worse. It figures for someone who slips out of a movie halfway to play games—his mind is filled with nothing but games."

Ke Xiaomo and Ke Yinzhi looked at the big screen in silence, then turned to exchange a glance.

"It's your turn, second brother!" Bai Zini took the brain imaging helmet from Ke Mingye's hands and ran to Ke Xiaomo's side.

"No, I'll pass," Ke Xiaomo replied, his mind still full of the image Bai Ziling had conjured up, of the disaster dragon's young form crouched in the shadows.

"Ah? You're really not going to try? That's such a letdown," Bai Zini said, looking at him eagerly.

"You guys have fun, I'll just watch," Ke Xiaomo said.

"Alright then," Ke Yinzhi spoke up, "Have all the kids had enough experience? If you want to save the images, please leave your WeChat info, and I'll send them to you on my phone later."

"Hold on, I haven't had my fill," Bai Zini said, then turned to ask a staff member behind her, "Wasn't there another feature you mentioned?"

The staff member explained, "Do you mean the feature that converts your vision into images? The images were already automatically recorded when you put on the helmet."

"Exactly, that's it! Let me see how this 'brain camera' captured everything," Bai Zini said curiously.

Hearing this, the staff member tapped on his phone, and the big screen in the cinema began to display a series of more than a dozen photographs, all scenes they had seen with their eyes while wearing the helmet.

Ke Yinzhi stared at the screen quietly as one photo after another flipped by.

But within these photos, there was not a single scene that included a "player icon," each image's scene was normal—in other words, what everyone saw was normal, and nobody's vision had been subjected to a secondary processing by the "gaming system."

Ke Yinzhi took a few steps closer to Ke Xiaomo and whispered, "It's been confirmed. Luckily, at least for now, none of these little ones have been replaced by 'players.'

"What about Mingye?"

"Yes, even though you said he was a bit odd, his visual scenes didn't exhibit any player characteristics; otherwise, there would be a bunch of strange icons appearing."

Ke Xiaomo also shifted his gaze from the screen, "That's a relief, I was just being paranoid."

"Buddy, you've been looking somewhat odd since a while ago," Ke Yinzhi paused, then asked, "Is it related to the scene Zi Ling imagined?"

"Yes..." Ke Xiaomo hesitated for a second and then whispered in a lower voice, "That was the juvenile form of the disaster dragon; I've seen it once before, so I'm certain of its characteristics."

"You mean to say... Zi Ling has seen the disaster dragon?" Ke Yinzhi raised his eyebrows.

Ke Xiaomo nodded, "That's right, but I don't know when it happened. She must have seen the Catastrophe Dragon at least once, which is why she could sketch out its details in her mind so precisely."

Ke Yinzhi looked at him and reached out to place a hand on his shoulder.

While thinking, he slowly said, "Don't worry, perhaps the Catastrophe Dragon had its eye on her some day earlier, but she was lucky to get away... Anyway, as long as she's alright, that's what matters. Hasn't the Shadow Heir Ninja Sect already started searching for the Catastrophe Dragon in this city? We should have results in a few days."

He shrugged his shoulders, "Besides, you and I are both going to be at home during these days of summer vacation, so she's safe."

"I hope so," Ke Xiaomo said in a low voice, his gaze shifting, "I really haven't been acting as a responsible elder brother, not knowing when my sister encountered the Catastrophe Dragon... Ever since earlier, I've been thinking, what if she was eaten by that dragon? I might never forgive myself in this lifetime."

"When that dragon is dead, she will no longer be in danger," Ke Yinzhi said lightly, "Everyone will be alright, stop worrying."

Ke Xiaomo was silent for a long while, "Who in the family has not yet been confirmed?"

"Qiuwu, she left the cinema earlier than the rest," said Ke Yinzhi with an expressionless face, "So there's a slim chance that she might have been replaced by a 'player.'"

He paused for a moment, "Of course, that's just a possibility. None of us want to see something like that happen to our family, right?"

"What about our parents?" Ke Xiaomo asked again.

"According to the information provided by the two players we caught before, players only possess ordinary humans between the ages of '10 to 35', and since our parents are beyond that age range, there is no risk of them being possessed by players, which means we don't need to have them wear any brain imaging helmets."

Ke Xiaomo thought for a moment, "So, that leaves only Qiuwu?"

"Right, I will confirm it myself, you get some rest," Ke Yinzhi said with a smile, "Stay sharp and wait for the Ninja Sect's information. If I'm free the day you find it, maybe I'll come to lend a hand."

"No need for that, the Shadow Heir Ninja Sect and the Catastrophe Dragon are sworn enemies of generations. Killing them is our generational duty, and per the rules of the Ninja Sect, outsiders are not allowed to interfere."

Ke Yinzhi chuckled, teasingly asking, "So, I'm already considered an 'outsider'?"

"No," Ke Xiaomo shook his head, "but this is different, brother, I hope you understand."

"I get it," Ke Yinzhi said with a smile as he patted his shoulder, then glanced over at the few people in the movie theater, "I'm going to look for Qiuwu now. You take these little guys home."

"Alright, you be careful too," Ke Xiaomo paused before adding, "And, if Qiuwu really is a player..."

Ke Yinzhi cut him off, "If any creature dares to crawl into our home and harm our family, I will make them pay a heavy price."

He spoke calmly, as if stating a fact.

Ke Xiaomo was silent for a while, "I'm not against that, but let me confirm it first before you take any action."

"We'll talk about it then... I'm off."

Ke Yinzhi said in a low voice, retreating his right hand from his shoulder, giving a signal with his eyes to the two staff members. They took back the brain imaging helmets from the children's hands and followed him out of the movie theater.

Before long, Ke Mingye came over, touching Ke Xiaomo on the shoulder, "Let's go, second brother, why stand here doing nothing?"
Continue your saga on empire

"Nothing, let's go," said Ke Xiaomo, shifting his gaze away from Bai Ziling. No sooner had they left the movie theater than Ke Mingye said, "I'm going to hit the restroom, wait for me."

Ke Yongzhu glanced at him, "How many times do you need the restroom for one movie, lazybones? Don't forget to bring paper this time."

Bai Ziling chimed in, "Exactly."

"Two little brats talk too much."

The Deception Puppet grumbled, roughly messing up their hair, then entered the corner restroom. Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, he opened the door to the last stall and went inside.

"At least I got through that..."

Sitting on the toilet, Ke Mingye closed the stall door and exhaled in relief. He commanded the puppet to strip off its clothes and shoes, then put them on himself.

"You just squat here until I leave, then lock the door."

After speaking, Ke Mingye tucked his hands into his jacket pockets and slowly left the stall, leaving behind a grey figure squatting silently inside, watching his retreating back, then closing the stall door.

Half an hour later.

As Ke Mingye and the others left Yandai Cinema City, the grey figure opened the window of the restroom and climbed out.

It found a trashcan in the alley outside the cinema, stuffed the body inside, and immediately exploded, fire consuming everything around it.