Chapter 23: Such a Half-hearted Scam?

Shen You placed a large, full bag of snacks on the counter. The shopkeeper behind the counter, distracted from his old-fashioned little TV, glanced at the bag filled with chocolate balls and lollipops.

The shopkeeper chuckled, "I heard there's a new kid at your place these past few days?"

The shopkeeper, surnamed Wang, ran a small convenience store nearby and was familiar with Shen You.

Shen You smiled, "A friend's daughter."

Shopkeeper Wang nodded, skillfully picking up the scanner and starting to scan the items one by one.

"Out-of-town friend?"

"Yes. Due to some circumstances, his daughter will stay here for a while."

"Ah, I see. You must take good care of her, especially teach her to protect herself," Shopkeeper Wang advised. "After all, this is Gotham. Girls, in particular, need to learn to protect themselves. Of course, boys do too."

Shen You nodded in agreement, "I will teach her."

Considering she's a Kryptonian girl...

It might be more important to teach her how to protect others from herself in the future.

Hurting her would be a challenge for most, even in a place like Gotham.

"I just saw the news," Shopkeeper Wang continued, "Yesterday they reported an escape attempt at Blackgate Penitentiary."

"Oh?" Shen You was a bit surprised.

He had heard of Blackgate Penitentiary, often mentioned alongside Arkham Asylum as Gotham's two "public restrooms." The security design philosophy of these two institutions seemed to emphasize "welcome all comers," with inmates coming and going as they pleased. Sometimes, Shen You even wondered if their security principles were modeled after the Land of Light, where at least you had to buy a bus ticket.

But logically, that should be a post-Batman era issue, at least according to the original story. Could it be that Gotham's history of Blackgate Penitentiary's negligence extended further back than depicted in the comics?

"Actually, it's not quite what you think," Shopkeeper Wang smiled oddly and started to gossip, "You probably didn't pay attention to the details."

Shen You shook his head, "What happened?"

"Nobody broke out. Instead, some idiot tried to break in and got caught by the night guards."

Shen You was momentarily confused, "Someone tried to break into Blackgate and got caught?"

"Yes, apparently his buddy was serving time there. He was bored and wanted to hang out with his friend, so he got caught. Then they matched his details with their records and found out he was actually a wanted criminal. So, the warden said, 'Since you're here, you might as well stay.' And he did."

Shen You: "..."

"That's not even the best part," Shopkeeper Wang was laughing uncontrollably but managed to continue, "The best part is... do you know why his buddy is in jail?"

"Why?"

"Because he kidnapped over twenty people, illegally detained them, and forced them to listen to his self-written songs for over thirty hours straight, driving them insane... Hahaha..."

Shen You: "..."

Shopkeeper Wang finished scanning all the items, bagged them, and handed them to Shen You, laughing, "See, I always tell people this is Gotham. It's magical yet realistic. You can never guess what bizarre things will happen here."

"Very true."

Shen You bid farewell to the shopkeeper and left the convenience store with a large bag of snacks.

As soon as he stepped outside, he suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck.

A cold sensation as if being targeted.

Aliha was a criminal from the Phantom Zone, a member of an alien species known as the "Parasite Wraiths" by the Kryptonians.

To humans, they were extremely dangerous, not because of their sheer power, but because they were elusive, skilled in infiltration, espionage, and all actions requiring stealth, even killing without leaving a trace.

They were essentially parasitic beings.

Jumping from one host to another, they could seize and transform the host's body. They would usurp the host's identity, take over their entire life, enjoy the process while slowly devouring the host's life, complete specific tasks, and finally leave, seeking the next host.

During this period, they would enjoy the process of consuming the host's life, acquiring needed information, completing specific tasks, and finally leaving, seeking the next host.

Aliha was an elite among his kind, particularly adept at this process, and thoroughly enjoyed it. His most glorious and challenging mission was to infiltrate the high echelons of the eleventh-level civilization, Krypton, to assassinate a key target.

Confidently, he declined the farewell banquet prepared by his kin.

"No need for that," Aliha said disdainfully. "Give me three days. Within three days, you'll hear of that foolish Kryptonian's death. Just prepare the victory banquet for me."

At that moment, he became a hero to his entire race. The whole nation cheered for him as he left.

And then...

Then he was captured and imprisoned in the Phantom Zone by the Kryptonians.

Shortly after, the home planet of the Parasite Wraiths was also obliterated by the Kryptonians.

Now, fortune had turned, and through a series of coincidences, Aliha found a new opportunity. He and other criminals who had also managed to escape from the Phantom Zone formed an alliance, known as the "Phantom League," serving a supreme terror that had once been imprisoned in the Phantom Zone.

Aliha did not know the identity of this entity, but he knew it possessed god-like power. It was said their leader could withstand interstellar weapons, tear apart starships with his bare hands, and shoot annihilating beams from his eyes.

And now, this entity had only one command for them:

Find the Kryptonian girl who had escaped the Phantom Zone just like them.

Kara Zor-El, the last daughter of the House of El.

Recently, a member of the Phantom League, an Ateron named Li-Bagu, who had scythe-like forelimbs, reported he had possibly located the Kryptonian girl. Aliha always looked down on Li-Bagu, but had to admit his species' innate abilities made him quite formidable.

Li-Bagu's last message mentioned suspecting he had found the Kryptonian girl, and then...

Then there was no more.

The League suspected Li-Bagu had met with misfortune, so Aliha was dispatched to investigate.

Upon discovering this planet called "Earth," Aliha was quite excited. He had never been here, nor had he seen the species calling themselves "humans."

Every time he encountered a new species, he enjoyed invading and taking over their bodies, gradually erasing their consciousness while savoring the process of devouring their memories and life.

It was his most pleasurable moment.

After switching hosts twice and digesting their memories, he finally used his species' innate superpowers to sense the scent of a Kryptonian.

But it was not strong, not the Kryptonian itself, but a trace of their presence on someone else.

Following this scent, he quickly identified the young man coming out of the convenience store with a large bag.

It was him!

Aliha showed a cruel smile, silently approaching.

This was his main course for today.

He planned to take over this person's body, digest his memories, and find information related to the Kryptonian. Then, he would consume his life and spirit entirely.

Having made up his mind, Aliha chose a moment when no one was around.

Now!

The parasitic creature left its host, and the now unconscious former host collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. The alien creature, using the shadows as cover, turned into a streak and shot towards Shen You.

Mine, all mine!

Aliha laughed cruelly in his heart, and then the laughter abruptly stopped half a second later.

Replaced by deep shock at the unexpected situation.

Scorching! Scorching! Scorching!

The intense heat, the wave of heat that came with it, felt like an endless source of light and heat hidden within this seemingly human body, ready to evaporate him instantly.

Aliha wanted to scream, but even the ability to make a sound disappeared in the scorching moment.

Great fear and shock instantly consumed the parasitic wraith.

What is this scorching light!?

How could any human—no, any life form in the universe—contain such an exaggerated amount of light and heat?

What exactly did I try to invade?

A humanoid sun?

Almost the instant he touched it, a massive suction force came from the body, as if the blazing sun contained a powerful magnet.

His body had lost his control; the immense gravitational force was like a black hole devouring everything. The enormous pain and burning sensation made him feel like his soul was melting.

In a trance, the surrounding scenery spun. The young man and the entire street disappeared, replaced by a vast, ethereal realm with a sacred atmosphere, stretching infinitely in all directions.

As if a virtual, ethereal, and incredibly grand voice echoed in this sacred space.

"Let there be light."

At first, countless golden light spots, gathering more and more brightly, transformed into a towering giant figure.

A silver giant shrouded in a brilliant holy golden light, with divine golden eyes, a colossal figure blurred in the golden light, and the pressure filling the domain seemed ready to crush him to dust, evoking the image of a giant holding up the heavens and earth at the beginning of chaos...

Aliha could no longer feel his own existence; even the burning pain seemed to vanish, leaving only the immense shock filling his soul.

The crushing sense of a higher life form, the soul's trembling when facing an incomprehensible high being.

A god?

The word involuntarily surfaced

 in his mind.

Followed by deep regret for his earlier reckless attack.

You dared to provoke him?

How could you dare??

In the last moment of his life, he felt like he was filled with light.

Like a moth rushing into the flame, not even leaving ashes behind.

Shen You felt as if he was attacked.

But using the term "attack" might be an overreaction.

It felt more like being hit by something akin to an insect on the neck, a slight but uncertain sensation, like an illusion.

In short, the intensity definitely didn't qualify as an attack.

Then he instinctively turned around.

Immediately, he saw a homeless man collapse to the ground, motionless.

Shen You's pupils contracted at that moment—

—A scam?

But then he reconsidered.

No, that doesn't make sense.

You're at least five meters away from me. Have scammers become so unprofessional nowadays? So half-hearted?