Chapter 001: The Dream of Superman

This matter must be traced back to a month ago.

One evening a month ago, Wang Bo, bored with nothing to do, revisited a classic Hollywood blockbuster.

Man of Steel

But what Wang Bo did not expect was that, that very night, he had a dream.

In this bizarre dream, he was an infant born on Krypton, but by then Krypton was on the verge of destruction, so his biological father placed him in a spaceship and sent him to Earth.

After the spaceship landed on Earth, he was picked up by a farming couple.

The couple also gave him a localized name.

Clark Kent!

Then, the dream ended there, and Wang Bo opened his eyes, waking from it.

Originally, Wang Bo thought this was nothing more than a dream.

After all, men are prone to fantasy, and since he happened to watch that movie that very night, it was hardly surprising that, with thoughts by day leading to dreams by night, he dreamed of becoming a superhero.

On the contrary, such things are quite normal.

What was abnormal, however, was that ever since Wang Bo woke up from that dream, he had become utterly obsessed with sunlight.

Wang Bo had originally rather disliked sunlight, because it was now the end of June, and the sun was scorching; shining on a person, it would soon make them break out in sweat, soaking their clothes and sticking uncomfortably to the skin.

But for some unknown reason, from that day on, Wang Bo became extremely fond of the sun, especially the feeling of sunlight shining on his body; far from being hot, it was instead like soaking in a hot spring.

It was warm and very comfortable.

So comfortable that Wang Bo didn't want to move at all; he just wanted to stand in the sunlight and do nothing.

Once exposed to the sun, it lasts an entire day.

Even more interesting was that, despite all this, Wang Bo still didn't get heatstroke.

Of course, this was nothing special—it was just a fondness for sunbathing. Many people enjoy sunbathing; some even tan themselves until they look like Black Africans.

But what was baffling was that after a month of sunbathing, Wang Bo's skin not only hadn't tanned, but had become even fairer than before.

Of course, this was nothing really.

Because this was merely the least noticeable of all the mutations.

What truly astonished Wang Bo was that, as the time spent basking in the sun gradually lengthened, he felt his body constantly improving, brimming with vigorous energy.

In the past, running just a few hundred meters would leave him gasping for breath.

But ever since he started sunbathing, Wang Bo has become increasingly enduring; now running a few hundred meters is no trouble at all, and he doesn't even break a sweat.

Especially a few days ago, Wang Bo left the house a bit late. When he reached the bus stop, he found the bus had already driven off, leaving only its rear in sight. So Wang Bo sprinted after it, and before he knew it, he had overtaken the bus.

The bus driver's look at Wang Bo at that moment was somewhat off; amid the surprise there even seemed to be a hint of horror!

Besides that, Wang Bo felt his strength growing greater and greater; something weighing a hundred or so jin felt light and airy in his hands, like a rag.

What left Wang Bo dumbfounded was that when he went home last night, someone had parked a car at the entrance of his residential complex, making it very inconvenient to get in and out.

Wang Bo was somewhat annoyed at the time and gave the car a vigorous kick.

Bang!

Then he saw the car, which weighed over a ton, fly several meters into the air from his kick, tumble a few times in midair, and then crash to the ground with a thud, dying a miserable death—basically beyond saving.

He figured the engine was already wrecked.

Wang Bo was startled by his own kick and immediately turned around and ran.

Fortunately, the residential compound where he lived was an old one from some years back, without any surveillance facilities. Added to that, he had returned very late that night, and there was no one around, which allowed him to escape unscathed.

At noon today, not long ago, while Wang Bo was cutting vegetables, he recalled what had happened the previous night and accidentally cut his hand.

But what horrified Wang Bo was that the kitchen knife did not cut through his finger. The sharp blade scraped against the skin of his finger, sending out a series of sparks.

Wang Bo: ...

Even as dense as he was, he now knew things had gone seriously wrong.

Before last night, although a series of mutations had occurred in his body, Wang Bo had not taken them to heart.

After all, he was just a bit stronger, a bit faster, and had a bit more endurance.

Just think of it as a second puberty.

After all, everyone hopes for a better body.

It wasn't until last night, when he sent a car flying with a single kick, that Wang Bo realized his mutation was even more terrifying than he had imagined. An ordinary person could never kick a car airborne like that.

Today, even a sharp kitchen knife couldn't cut through his skin, and that made Wang Bo fully understand.

He, Wang Bo, seemed to have become...

Superman!

That's right, the Superman from DC, the Man of Tomorrow, the Man of Power, the Man of Steel, the God among Men!

Although Wang Bo wasn't quite sure why he had become Superman, he suspected it might very well be related to the dream he had a month ago.

In the dream, he became Clark Kent.

After he woke up, he possessed a superhuman ability to absorb yellow sunlight and continuously grow stronger.

In just a month's time, he could catch up to buses, kick cars flying, and be impervious to knives.

What about a year?

What about ten years?

Would he be like the Superman in the movies, able to fly at supersonic speeds, lift tens of thousands of tons, possess skin that even missiles cannot destroy, and easily demolish a military base?

Thinking carefully, Wang Bo seemed... not excited.

Yes, even after becoming a superman, Wang Bo was not as excited as he had imagined.

Of course, it was impossible not to be excited, but Wang Bo was not as excited as one might imagine.

Although Wang Bo had once yearned to become a superman, after actually becoming one, he found that the days of being a superman were not as carefree as he had imagined.

Because he had to suppress himself.

This is not a joke, but a fact.

As he continued to grow stronger, Wang Bo had to live cautiously and could not lose his temper easily, because he was terrified that if he used even a little force, he would kill someone.

Even when walking on the road, Wang Bo had to avoid colliding with others, because his body was becoming increasingly hard, and even an accidental bump was enough to send someone flying.

Even killing someone on the spot by bumping into them was not impossible.

Of course, only a month had passed, and Wang Bo was still very weak, not yet troubled by such worries. At most, he could now send a car flying with a single kick, though in the eyes of others, this was already terrifying.

But compared to a real superman, this was nothing at all. The deadly thing, however, was that he would continue to grow stronger; as time stretched on, he would become more and more powerful.

One day, these worries would become his daily routine.

But Wang Bo truly didn't want such a daily routine; he only wanted to live an ordinary person's life.

An ordinary life: watching movies with friends, finding a girlfriend, having two children, and then living out one's ordinary days.

What magnificent waves and dramatic twists—please allow Wang Bo to refuse with all his might.

Although this is very unambitious, this is Wang Bo's most genuine thought right now.

So Wang Bo has been very troubled lately, wondering why he possesses superhuman abilities.

What the hell is going on here?

Could it be that some passing deity was playing a joke on me?

This left Wang Bo utterly perplexed.

Of course, even in the midst of his distress, life had to go on as usual. To avoid becoming too powerful, Wang Bo quit his job and found a night shift position.

During the day they stayed home, keeping the curtains drawn, going nowhere, and only went to work after the sun had set.

Though the reversal of day and night was grueling, it proved highly effective. Deprived of sunlight, Wang Bo found his strength increasing more and more slowly.

Though it was impossible to come to a complete standstill, it at least effectively prolonged the time it took for Wang Bo to grow stronger.

This pleased Wang Bo greatly.

He really didn't want to become a true superman.

Although to others this statement might seem like pure affectation—countless people dream of becoming a superman—Wang Bo did not want to.

Because he now truly understood that saying of the Superman.

"I have always felt that I live in a world made of paper, constantly careful not to break anything or hurt anyone, never allowing myself to lose control—for even a moment, and someone would die."

This is the true portrayal of the superman.

Wang Bo does not have the self-control of a Superman, able to remind himself at every moment not to lose control.

So all he had to do was to prolong the time he spent growing stronger as much as possible.

Not to expose himself to sunlight for long periods of time.