Chapter 32: Flight
May 2, 2023 Author: Yue Shang Xintou
Flight, as humanity's primordial dream, also served as a crucial boundary in the *Superman* comic, separating ordinary people from Superheroes.
Throughout history, in various myths and legends, one could more or less discern humanity's yearning for flight.
It's easy to imagine how thrilled readers must have been the moment they saw Superman flying in the newspaper.
Immediately, the Messenger Newspaper office was flooded with letters from New York City readers.
"I strongly suggest you serialize more *Superman* content. Ever since reading *Superman*, I've lost all interest in the comics serialized in other newspapers..."
"Regarding the character 'Luthor,' will he appear again? I don't believe a mere spaceship explosion could kill him so easily. I suspect such an evil fellow will bring great difficulties to Superman in future plots. Perhaps the writer should also try to give 'Luthor' some Powers to counter Superman's Super Strength..."
"It's amazing, simply amazing! I can hardly imagine how thrilling it must have been to witness Superman taking flight..."
"...He's not just Superman; he's a god, the reincarnation of Hercules and Icarus. The cape on Superman's back is Icarus's wings..."
"I love the *Superman* comic so much! I've even collected all the serialized comic storylines from The Messenger Newspaper and read them over a dozen times."
"Why aren't more copies being printed? The Messenger Newspaper isn't even available in my area! To read *Superman*, I've had to buy the newspaper at double the price, but I have to say, I think the comic is worth every penny."
"It's too slow, too slow! Why can't The Messenger Newspaper serialize it daily like other newspapers?"
"Does Invisibility also exist in the Real World, just like with chameleons?"
Judging from the content of the reader letters, *Superman*'s influence was slowly spreading. Many people who weren't even in The Messenger Newspaper's distribution areas had begun to hear stories about Superman.
"Little John, I need you to select some of these reader letters to publish in the next issue of the newspaper, as feedback for the *Superman* serialized story..."
Putting down the letters in his hand, Colin instructed Little John.
As the comic's popularity grew, the portion of The Messenger Newspaper dedicated to news reports became smaller and smaller. The vast majority of the newspaper's page layout had been reallocated to the *Superman* serialized story. Now, opening a copy of The Messenger Newspaper, seventy to eighty percent of its content was dedicated to the serialized *Superman* comic plot.
Because of this, Old John had specifically sought out Colin to remind him that such a practice might draw dissatisfaction and protests from some in the newspaper industry.
Therefore, to silence these people, Colin specifically arranged for Little John to select some reader letters and hand them to Old John to layout into the newspaper.
This way, the serialized *Superman* comic in The Messenger Newspaper remained unaffected, and those so-called professionals were silenced.
After all, they were only protesting the lack of text in the newspaper, and there was no rule stating that the published content had to be news reports.
...
[Powers – Flight (Black Iron)]
[Powers Description: Initially, Superman could only easily leap over a skyscraper. As the comic plot developed, he gained the ability of Flight, able to fly at will.]
[Powers – Invisibility]
[Powers Description: Superman possesses the ability to hide his body, preventing detection.]
The influence of the *Superman* comic wasn't just evident in the newspaper's popularity.
It also had an effect on Colin himself.
With the publication of the latest serialized comic, Superman's Flight and Invisibility Powers were also unlocked on the [Black Iron Mark].
This meant that Colin also acquired the Flight and Invisibility Powers, just like Superman in the comic.
"Sure enough, in this world, all the Superpowers I acquire are weakened."
In the Main World, Colin tried out the newly unlocked Powers, an expression of understanding appearing on his face.
Similar to [Super Strength], the newly unlocked [Flight] and [Invisibility] also suffered a similar degree of weakening. This feeling was as if a thick layer of iron armor had been placed upon Colin, suppressing all his Powers. This sense of suppression wasn't obvious in his daily life, but it became particularly intense when it came to using his Powers.
If, in the Anti-World, Colin could effortlessly lift an automobile using [Super Strength] without any strain, then in the Great Depression World, his [Super Strength] was weakened to merely being able to easily lift a refrigerator. As for the [Flight] Power, it was suppressed to only allow him to jump seven or eight meters high.
Under such suppressive force, although Colin still possessed some of Superman's strength, it was far from the unrestricted use he had in the Anti-World.
"So, what's the reason for this suppression?"
"What kind of connection exists between the Main World and the Anti-World?"
Controlling his body to float two or three meters in mid-air, watching his faintly visible arm, Colin pondered the connection between the two worlds in his mind.
Unfortunately, the lack of clues prevented him from deducing anything further.
He could only vaguely deduce from the disparity in [Faith] and the suppression of his Powers that the existence of the Main World was extremely important.
...
"Woohoo~"
The fierce wind whistled past his body. Feeling the constant roar of the wind in his ears and the rapidly receding scenery around him, Colin couldn't help but cheer, venting the excitement in his heart.
The mere floating in the Main World, after all, couldn't satisfy his craving for Flight.
Therefore, the moment he returned to the Anti-World, Colin, under the cover of night, found a deserted place. Using [Invisibility] to erase his tracks, he then began to try out his [Flight] Power.
At first, he was very cautious, but as his [Flight] height increased, and under the protection of [Invisibility], Colin's courage gradually grew.
The *Superman* comic's description of the principle of Flight stated that Superman was born on Krypton, where the gravity differed from Earth's. Thus, he naturally possessed a different Bio-Field from Earthlings. This led to him becoming more "lightweight" after arriving on Earth, freed from Krypton's gravitational pull and living in Earth's relatively weaker gravity, thereby gaining the ability of Flight.
Previously, this background setting from the comic only existed within the comic's worldview.
However, when Colin unlocked the [Flight] Power within the [Black Iron Mark], the setting that had previously only existed in the comic world seemed to apply to him as well.
With the unlocking of his [Flight] Power, Colin also seemed to have gained part of Superman's Bio-Field, effortlessly achieving flight.
...
"Warning! Unidentified Flying Object detected! Warning! Unidentified Flying Object detected!"
"Radar system activated. Meter-wave radar detected no target, passive radar scanned a suspected target, magnifying..."
"Warning! Target is rapidly ascending, approaching the barrier's alert line..."
Just as Colin was experiencing the thrill of Flight.
Meanwhile, in the bio-tech research Base located beneath the Hydra Tower in New York, a frantic alarm suddenly blared.
(end of chapter)