Chapter 2656: Mayflies World (21)

Clark, true to his profession as a journalist, used an abundance of metaphorical language and emotional expression in articulating his ideas, which would have made for a deeply moving book.

However, the primary reason Shiller made such a judgment was his adeptness at summarization, whether condensing the ramblings of the mentally ill or Clark's eloquent, rich, and ornate language—both are among the essential skills of his trade.

In summary, Clark's journey of thought could be described as initially being a supporter of societal rules, akin to a well-built house that occasionally peels, where he would use his powers to help fix it, feeling a sense of participation.

But after going to Mexico, Clark realized that some of the existing rules were not creating happiness for the human race but rather leading them to starvation.

Perhaps it was because he grew up on a farm, or maybe the scenes he saw in Mexico were too shocking, but either way, Clark simply could not accept the notion of humans going hungry.

Thus, he shifted his goal, which in essence was to prevent human starvation and ensure that the ground beneath their feet produced enough food to feed them.

As for the issue of using violence, although Clark spoke euphemistically, his central idea was that anyone causing starvation deserved a beating.

Since he is a Kryptonian with a super-brain, his way of administering a beating could be elaborate and yet well-controlled.

If we delve deeper, most superhumans are Gods of the World, upholding societal stability from a higher perspective. But standing higher means they are not part of the collective human group.

Therefore, their actions are more like those of a judge in a court—not part of the litigants' group, and because they stand above, they can maintain impartiality.

Some superhumans choose to be like jury members, using their power to influence the outcome of trials—a milder approach.

This choice is natural for them; simply by virtue of their immense strength, they are inherently positioned at a higher level. Without making a conscious effort to correct this, they are born as judges.

If we get into the details, they actually don't share much in common with ordinary humans. It's not enough to look the same and follow the same set of beliefs to be truly aligned—otherwise, the mutant problem wouldn't have escalated to its current state.

The gap in power levels can destroy all commonality.

However, Clark is different; he finds a commonality with ordinary people that couldn't be simpler—they all need to eat.

It may sound laughable, but this impressed Shiller. Clark indeed had a natural sharpness, instinctively grasping the crux of the matter.

They toil on the same land, reap the same crops, cook the same meals, and fill the same bellies—how can anyone say two such people are different?

Shiller knew this was also China's approach to dealing with mutants, and exactly what Europe and America found unfeasible.

Everyone needs to eat. Magneto might be powerful, but now that the Andromeda Galaxy can't produce grain, didn't he come running back? He could turn into a magnetic field and not eat, but what about his subordinates? And their subordinates? Would he opt to emerge from life's battles only to remain in solitude?

If there's no food, you can't work; with food, anyone can work. This is the simplest of truths, and it's precisely by adhering to this principle that mutants have always remained out of sight in the East, vanishing without a trace.

But Europe and America cannot adopt this principle because their very foundation is class segregation and infinite subdivision.

Even if there isn't much difference among ordinary people, they create plenty, forcing people into factions and inciting them to attack each other. With mutants, who are already physically different, how could it be possible to unify them?

Speaking of which, if ordinary people and mutants were unified, even between the two, who would they stand against?

Thus, the Eastern principle of seeking common ground while preserving differences is not viable here. Here, differences are manufactured even in their absence, to the degree that if you don't have anomalies, you are the anomaly.

Coming back to Clark, just a single trip to Mexico led him to discover a theory that could even unite Kryptonians—one that everyone needs to eat.

Kryptonians might not need to eat as frequently as humans, but they have a more critical weakness: their strength comes from the sun, and humans too cannot live without sunlight.

If both have needs essential to their survival, why can't they unite? Why can't he consider himself one of them?

Even if Clark were to claim that he is a member of All Things Green now, All Things Green wouldn't be able to refute it; Kryptonians can bask in the sun to grow, and plants also require sunshine to grow. Who's to say we aren't similar?

After truly regarding himself as a part of the human race, there are many obvious benefits, the first of which is that he will become much more humble.

Although the original Superman couldn't be called arrogant, it all depends on who you compare him with. Compared to Batman, everybody seems extremely humble. However, from the perspective of ordinary people, the very existence of superheroes is a product of arrogance. They fly over our heads without considering the costs their actions might force regular people to pay in their pursuit of justice.

Once Clark chooses to fully integrate with humanity, he will no longer be a superhero but will strive to be a hero—a kind of hero that has appeared countless times throughout human history.

For himself, this will also further enhance his mental stability. This type of super-virtuous being actually fears making mistakes the most, for they always look for reasons within themselves whenever something goes wrong. Once they make an irredeemable mistake, they may step into the abyss out of self-blame.

But if Clark starts to see himself as an ordinary person, when he realizes how vast the world is and how insignificant he is, he will understand that both this land and society leave ample room for someone's mistakes. It doesn't change just because he actually had the power to prevent them.

The final benefit, and perhaps the most useful one, is that Clark will no longer hold himself to an exceedingly high, nearly godlike moral standard. His previous moral standards not only constrained his thinking but also his means.

There is a group of people who have not made mistakes, but their existence leads to one mistake after another. The former Superman would not have intervened.

He would not think about this. He would simply feel that it is within the rules and believe it to be a byproduct of social norms, a part of the ant colony.

But Clark will not. He recognizes that some people's mere existence is a mistake, or rather, their existence is the root of one error after another beneath them. And he will strike at these people with might.

Because he stands from the perspective of ordinary people, such people should not exist. Since he is also a part of the common folk and affected by the mistakes they make, he should, like any ordinary person, actively fight for his interests.

Not simply ignore these mistakes and overlook the existence of these individuals because he has the power to avoid the harm their errors could bring to him.

Shiller and Clark have different approaches to becoming ordinary people; Shiller's is from bottom to top, while Clark's is from top to bottom. It seems like Shiller's path is harder, but that is not necessarily the case.

If one is vastly superior to human beings, it is even more challenging to recognize and change one's circumstances. To blend in with ordinary people requires much more effort.

Because Shiller's ascension is therapeutic in nature, the process of integrating with common people is healing. But for Clark, descending to join the ranks of ordinary people is a sacrifice. If he wants to fight for his rights with the means of ordinary people, then he cannot fully rely on his superpowers -- that would be futile.

Like now, he could fly directly to the Andromeda Galaxy to help Magneto plough the land, but would that be meaningful?

There are still many hungry people in the cosmos's Mexico; this does nothing to improve their situation.

He could even choose to destroy America or threaten them to cease and desist, but without America, would no one else remain? Power never exists in a vacuum.

Therefore, what he can do is to struggle endlessly, to fight and maintain until hunger and poverty are completely eradicated from the human race.

Oliver's experiences have shown that mere fisticuffs definitely won't work. Take the recent incident, for instance. By sending Clark, could he simply use telepathy to find the true mastermind behind the scenes and give them a good beating?

How would he clear his name from the suspicions of drug trafficking, how to convince the public of his own testimony, how to placate those who had their hopes ignited only to be disappointed again, how to unravel and find the real conspirators. These are not things that can be resolved by simply dragging someone out for a beating.

Clark had made suggestions to Oliver. He could have protected Oliver and let him return to Mexico, where under his protection, Oliver would face no danger and have ample space to investigate and gather evidence, but Oliver did not want to go.

The complexities involved in this are beyond Clark's imagination. Although Oliver briefly explained it to him, and while Clark couldn't fully comprehend the various theories regarding the "savior of the Mexicans must be one of their own," he could sense the profound helplessness in it.

Since he chose to stand with ordinary people, he would one day encounter such helplessness, which could not be resolved by violence. Instead, it involves conflicts of consciousness and clashes of ideas.

Therefore, he can only choose to employ his superb brain more, trying to understand things thoroughly before taking any action, and be more restrained when resorting to violence, to avoid spooking the quarry.

Today was clearly one of his attempts. In this conversation, Clark used an impressive array of psychological strategies that astonished Shiller, ultimately dealing a mental blow to Magneto.

Shiller believes this is just the first step in his plan. Once this super-brain, which would don't turn in most Supermen's heads, really starts to whirl in a clever little head, the brilliance it brings will far surpass that of the sun.