novelhk Chapter 161 Finding a Teacher for Superman
Chapter 161 Finding a Teacher for Superman
Chapter 161 Finding a Teacher for Superman
Tony said no more, but turned back to continue selecting the beautiful puppets, still harboring his doubts.
"Has the next Captain America been decided?" Rune asked, and Steve shook his head.
"I'm torn between Falcon and Bucky—"
"If you choose Falcon, I'm afraid many people will disagree," Rune shrugged. "The US government might even intervene, who knows? But since you don't want a custom-made puppet, why did you come to us in the first place?"
"I want a sculpture. Although the photos are realistic enough, many of them have become so old and worn over time that they are difficult to identify."
Rune nodded; that was simple. He reached into Steve's brain and pulled out the small, silvery-white snake, then placed it into the flying clay. Under the influence of magic, the clay automatically "grew" into the person from Steve's memories. She was only one-twelfth the size of a real person, but her entire body was movable, and her material was realistic and lifelike.
"Thank you." Steve hesitated slightly before accepting the perfect item. His knowledge of modern technology was still limited, so he didn't realize that this little object could no longer be considered a sculpture, but rather a figurine. However, he knew it was expensive, so after examining it carefully, he asked softly, "I don't have much money on me. Um, could I pay with something else?"
This was the first time Steve had ever been in such a predicament. When he was Captain America, all his funding came from S.H.I.E.L.D. or the US government. Although he had a habit of saving, he didn't have any reserves of gold or magical materials.
At that moment, Tony turned around, glared at Steve, and said, "Are you blind? I'm still here! Everything's on me tonight!"
"Wait a minute." Rune held out his hand. "I do have a favor for Steve."
"Okay, okay!" Stark pouted. "We've been through so much together, I thought our Team America—oh, I should call him Steve Rogers now, our great hero Steve—might at least treat me like family. But actually, I'm still being looked down upon, right?"
Rune turned to Stark: "Do you know you look like a resentful woman who's passed by her home three times without ever going in?"
One of the things Stark hated most in his life was being described as effeminate. So he snapped, "Who are you calling a whiny woman?!"
If Rune had added a comment like "Hehe, you've broken through my defenses," he might have received a few palm strikes. He didn't care if he got hit, but there were some strange tools in his house that would be a shame if they got damaged, so he didn't continue.
"It's just an adjective, Tony," Rune said. "Please, act like a mature man and don't dwell on such trivial matters, okay?"
Stark, after being teased, could only snort and ignore the annoying guy. He vowed that he wouldn't say a word to Rune for the next twenty-four hours—except for paying him.
Steve asked curiously, "How can I help you?"
He already knew Rune's strength, and with puppets around, Rune was guaranteed to be wealthy. Did he need Rune's help finding someone? Steve had some confidence in his connections.
Rune composed himself before solemnly saying, "I actually have an older cousin. Aside from not knowing magic, his physical strength is about the same as mine, and he also possesses other abilities."
"You have relatives? And he has the same strength as you? Someone as strong as you was mass-produced?" Tony, momentarily shocked, blurted out the question, but immediately wanted to slap himself. He had just been thinking of not talking to Rune, but a few seconds later he spoke again, even involuntarily. But Tony Stark wasn't wrong; Kryptonians really were "mass-produced." Having fully mastered genetic technology, the Kryptonians abandoned natural reproduction and directly used genetic technology to cultivate Kryptonians. They could directly cultivate the talent society needed by controlling the genes of newborns.
In other words, if the Kryptonians needed it, they could actually mass-produce a large number of superhuman warriors who were skilled in combat and had excellent fighting abilities—provided their planet still existed.
However, Rune didn't explain to Tony, but turned to Steve: "He's getting a bit arrogant right now because he gained power. You know, he's at that rebellious age, and under the influence of hormones, he might—"
"He'd do anything stupid to win over a pretty girl." Steve instantly realized the seriousness of the situation. At that moment, his sense of responsibility surged—he felt needed again, and his brief period of confusion found his direction for the future—at least for a while.
"Yes. So I hope you can become his teacher and teach him how to use his powers." Rune said solemnly. You see, in the DC universe, the Superman storyline has been completely disrupted by Rune, but Clark's position in the DC universe is too important. Rune cannot sit idly by and watch Clark go astray, not even for a hint.
However, the problem is that Superman has recently become very close to that bald guy—who is also the future villain Lex Luthor—and has been arguing with his parents frequently lately, displaying an extremely bad attitude. Therefore, Rune needs a hero with sufficiently positive values to teach Clark a lesson.
There are many heroes in Marvel, but they all have their flaws. For example, "Then why didn't you ask me?" Tony asked. "I'm a great hero too! I can teach him how to fight crime, teach him how to build a reactor."
"And teach him how to be arrogant and how to pick up girls?" Before Rune could speak, Steve interrupted Stark.
Yes, Rune was also worried about this issue. Stark was certainly exceptionally intelligent, humorous, approachable, and responsible, and most importantly, although he was a businessman, he wasn't obsessed with money.
However, while he is arrogant, he is also prone to self-doubt. For example, he created Ultron out of fear of alien invasion, which nearly destroyed the world. Moreover, he has a particular fondness for women, and Rune doesn't want to see the world over a decade from now filled with hybrid Kryptonians causing destruction.
As for the other heroes, Spider-Man was too soft-hearted, Thor was too carefree, Hawkeye and Black Widow's fighting styles were completely out of step with Kryptonian habits, and Superman couldn't learn Doctor Strange's magic. Therefore, in the end, Rune still felt Captain America was the most suitable candidate. His choice to shatter Steve's blind trust in the US government was also because of this—he didn't want Superman to become a lackey of the US government.
Superman should be the hope of all humanity, not a tool for rulers to maintain their authority.