Trish, wearing a bathrobe, was drying Mike's hair.
How thoughtful.
Whether it was the big head or the small head.
Trish's mood had indeed improved significantly; dopamine was a good thing, bringing joy.
Trish took out a women's cigarette, then put it back, "Where are your cigarettes?"
She wanted a men's cigarette.
Stronger.
But she couldn't find any.
Mike flipped his wrist, pulling a pack of cigarettes from thin air.
"Where did that come from?" Mike's hands had been empty just moments before, and Trish asked curiously, "magic?"
"You can think of it as magic."
That made sense.
Space magic.
"Oh." Trish didn't take it seriously, and as she unwrapped it, she asked, "Cigarettes from the Heavenly Dynasty?"
"Mm."
"You know?"
"I'm a star host who values both beauty and wisdom, so it's not strange for me to recognize a few Heavenly Dynasty characters, is it? Apologize, you must apologize." Trish was in such a good mood that she could joke.
"Not strange, my mistake." Mike chuckled as he lit Trish's cigarette, "Considering how hard I worked just now, how about you forgive me?"
"I'll consider it..." Trish narrowed her eyes, seemingly savoring the recent madness, and the result was more than satisfactory, "Alright, I forgive you. But you need to stay humble and continue to work hard."
Mike also lit one.
Amidst the smoke, he listened to Trish recount the story of her sister, Jessica.
On a trip to Disney, Jessica and her younger brother were arguing in the back seat, causing their father, who was driving, to get distracted and collide with a truck.
Mike knew that this truck was a military vehicle from an organization called "IGH," and it was filled with radioactive chemical agents.
Their father and brother died, but only Jessica survived and gained superpowers.
Humans are emotional creatures, and most people who survive disasters undergo significant changes.
Some cherish life more.
Others feel immense guilt, especially those survivors who lost loved ones and friends in the disaster.
"Why did I survive?"
"Those who were lost were more worthy of living than I am."
—Thoughts like these.
Especially for someone like Jessica. After all, the car accident was caused by her argument with her brother.
Afterward, Trish's family adopted Jessica.
Later, Jessica met Purple Man. Purple Man controlled her, subjecting her to both physical and psychological abuse, and forcing her to kill. That scene, even if it were in an original European and American section, would require a special label: [Heavy Taste].
The key was that Jessica did not lose her memory of what happened while she was controlled.
Who could endure that?
Recently, Jessica had been paranoid, always saying that Purple Man had returned. Jessica reportedly said that Purple Man was hit by a bus and severely injured. Jessica left him to die.
Under normal circumstances, Purple Man would indeed be beyond saving.
"In fact..." Mike interrupted Trish's narration.
"Hmm?" Trish was puzzled.
"I mean, Purple Man is indeed still alive."
"Ah!" Trish didn't react immediately, "He's still alive? Wait, you know him?"
It was laughable.
Jessica wanted to bring herself to justice, but she was still in a position where she needed to prove the real existence of Purple Man and his abilities, rather than them being hallucinations from her PTSD symptoms.
Trying to restrain and punish Purple Man with ordinary human laws was Jessica's biggest mistake. As a result, several more people died at Purple Man's hands before she recognized this error.
So the lives of many superheroes are spent catching their arch-nemeses, and then, after the arch-nemeses escape from prison, catching them again... a never-ending cycle. As for the ordinary people who die during this time... well, since they are "ordinary people," who cares?
"Purple Man's existence might be a mystery, but only within ordinary circles. I know him, and I guess he knows me too. And don't forget, I'm the local boss of Hell's Kitchen." Mike gave a relatively reasonable explanation.
It was better than the reason, "I'm a transmigrator."
Mike continued, "The problem is, once you find Purple Man and catch him, what do you do with him?"
"Hand him over to the Police?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Purple Man would control the Police to open his handcuffs in minutes, and even make him a hot coffee to send him off. Even if Purple Man were brought to court, there would be no physical evidence of his crimes. And even if he were convicted, whether in an ordinary prison or a special prison, an existence like Purple Man cannot be held."
"Then what should we do?" Trish was a bit lost after Mike's explanation.
"How about we just kill him?"
"Oh my God!" Trish was startled, then stared at Mike's eyes for several seconds, "Are you serious?"
"Of course."
Trish was not a social newcomer; her show, "Trish Talks," was a political and social news commentary program, and she had been exposed to many dark sides of U.S. society. The ironic thing was that many news stories were rejected by the TV station and forbidden from broadcast because they were too real.
She could tell that Mike wasn't joking.
After a moment of silence, Trish suddenly asked, "Have you killed anyone?"
"Yes, I have." Mike answered without hesitation, "But they were all scumbags whom I judged. Shouldn't Purple Man die? Or should the innocent people killed by Purple Man be the ones to die?"
"But, but... you are not God, you have no right to decide the life and Death of others." Trish was conflicted.
Her education and beliefs made Trish instinctively deny Mike, while her real-life experiences subtly agreed with Mike's words.
"Purple Man is not God either; he's killing people by his own standards. According to the saying, 'God works in mysterious ways,' maybe God is just using my hand to get rid of Purple Man." Mike chuckled:
"I still prefer the beliefs of the Heavenly Dynasty. Television always says that the Heavenly Dynasty has no beliefs. In fact, the Heavenly Dynasty has beliefs; they believe in their ancestors, they believe that their destiny is in their own hands, not in heaven's, they believe in 'thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river,' meaning they'll develop quietly and then screw you over."
"There's a saying you might not have heard... Gods are also made by humans; whoever can control their own destiny is a God! Ah ha ~ Brother Haonan is mighty and domineering! Uh... I seem to have strayed too far."
Trish stared blankly: "Mike, are you an Angel or a Devil!"
"Of course, I'm a Devil. Devils use physical pleasure to lead people astray."
The philosopher's time ended.
He lifted Trish's legs.
I will lead the charge!
In the afternoon.
Trish met with Jessica. It was clear that Jessica was not in good shape; her hair was greasy, her clothes were sloppy, and she smelled of stale alcohol. She glanced at Mike, "Scumbag!"
Mike: "..."
Hey, hey, you have to be reasonable.
In this battle of words, your sister started it first. I merely counterattacked with my superb stick technique, going straight for the heart.
"I'm sorry." Trish apologized for doubting Jessica earlier.
Jessica didn't blame Trish; she squinted at Mike: "Can you find him?"
"That's right." Mike replied, "Not only can I find him, but I can also make him come to me. The question is, once you find him, what do you want to do?"
Jessica mentioned something: a girl named Hope was controlled by Purple Man and killed her parents. She was now arrested by the Police and facing first-degree murder charges. If it couldn't be proven that she was controlled by Purple Man, Hope would face life imprisonment.
Catching Purple Man to convict him and exonerating Hope was Jessica's goal.