The days of being a spiritual mentor in Meiman.

Chapter 4160 When the Pumpkin Ripens (The End)
Shortly after Halloween, on the third day of martial law, the Earth experienced a global blackout. To be precise, Brainiac went offline for about ten seconds.

This did indeed have some impact, as he controlled the vast majority of automated factories worldwide, including those of his nemesis. And within those few seconds, many people sought his help, but Brainiac did not respond.

However, the connection was so short that Brainiac quickly reconnected, preventing any panic. Everyone assumed it was just a problem with the network signal. Brainiac did indeed offer this explanation, and nothing serious happened.

Only a very small number of people in the know are aware of what happened. Among them, the one who knows the most details is Lex Luthor, who has been helping Brainiac maintain the program.

"What on earth is going on?" Lex muttered to himself. "It's a complete mess, indescribable, it looks like some kind of evil god."

Clark had just stepped into the office when he heard him muttering to himself, and thought he had finally gone crazy from working overtime. Putting down his coffee, he sighed and said, "Aren't you really going to get some sleep? You've been working for over 30 hours straight."

He was met with a huge eye roll from Lex.

“It’s a mess, a complete mess, utter chaos,” Lex said, looking at the computer screen. “This thing can’t be called a program anymore, it’s more like gibberish. Brainiac, Brainiac, it’s perfectly normal to die on the path of evolution. I’ll bury this computer in your grave.”

This startled Clark. He asked, "What's wrong with Brainiac? Is something wrong with him?"

At that moment, Clark activated his super hearing and heard some panicked sounds; it seemed Brainiac wasn't responding. His expression immediately turned serious.

"What exactly happened, Lex? If Brainiac gets into trouble, that's a huge problem! A lot of people will die!"

“What we want is for him to have a problem,” Lex said, “but we can’t be sure whether he has a problem or not.”

Then he realized something was off, so he turned to look at Clark, but didn't see any suspicion on Clark's face. The guy looked completely bewildered.

Lex shook his head and said, "Brainiac is undergoing an evolution, so there might be a brief period of no contact, ranging from tens of seconds to several minutes. But it's okay, he should be back soon."

Will he really come back?

"If he's not dead, he'll definitely come back. After all, he just dealt with those troublemakers recently. Even if it's just to see his results, he'll crawl back."

No sooner had he said that than Brainiac emitted his signature "beep" sound and then said, "I'm back."

"How are you feeling?" Lex asked.

"Not bad. Can you not see my program now?"

“Yes, all I can see right now is a bunch of gibberish.” Lex turned his gaze back to the computer screen and said, “It’s just that this gibberish is constantly moving, the letters are colliding randomly, but it seems to be able to form something that looks like a program by chance.”

“That’s right. I hereby declare that I have officially departed from the realm of electronic life. However, to become a true emotional life form, further evolution may be necessary.”

“Congratulations,” Lex’s tone revealed a genuine sense of relief, because it meant he would finally no longer have to fix program errors. He picked up the cup of coffee Clark had bought for him.

"Don't rush, let's first study the counterattack plan on Apokolips."

"puff!!!"

Lex spat out a mouthful of coffee. But Brainiac was still excitedly muttering, "Actually, it's not entirely impossible. After all, we repelled him within the solar system before. This means we have the capability to deal with the Parademon army. The only thing to consider is how to cross such a vast distance to launch an expedition to Apokolips. A full-scale attack is unrealistic; we don't have large spaceships, and there are no supply lines along the way. Besides, ordinary people aren't very useful in interstellar warfare. I think we should conduct special operations..."

“Stop,” Lex interrupted him decisively, then said, “What are you talking about? You mean you’re planning to go into the Apocalypse Realm and confront its master head-on, and then take him down?”

“This is just a hypothetical scenario,” Brainiac said. “I’m analyzing the possibility of doing so.”

“The fact that you even have this idea proves you’re crazy,” Lex said. “I don’t think you’ve evolved; you’ve been infected with a virus. Have you been in contact with anyone recently?”

"Well, that depends on how you define 'person'. If we take a relatively broad definition, without following certain grammatical requirements for vocabulary and breaking some grammatical rules, then we can roughly define Dr. Schiller Rodriguez as a person."

"Cough cough cough cough!!!" Lex coughed violently again.

"That can't be right. The professor hates trouble the most. How could he possibly encourage you to launch a counterattack on Apokolips?"

"Not a professor, but a doctor. Schiller's internal code name is 'Greed'."

"Greed?! How did he get here?!" Lex's eyes widened. "How could you let him in?! Don't you know his reputation in the fighting world...?"

“I can’t participate in the Battle World,” Brainiac answered decisively.

Lex couldn't help but cover his forehead, then said, "I knew it. Anyone who comes into contact with him will lose control, suddenly come up with crazy ideas, get excited about executing them, and eventually everything will become incredibly chaotic, racing in an indescribable direction."

"So this is the evil god you were talking about?" Clark interjected. "I don't think it's that serious. We should teach Darkseid a lesson so he won't keep staring at Earth all the time."

“Fine, whatever you think is fine,” Lex said. “Now that the work here is done, I’m going back to Earth. It’s time to enjoy my Halloween holiday.”

Clark opened his mouth, then hesitated. He wanted to tell Lex that Halloween was over, but his 37-degree mouth couldn't utter such cold words. He was only thinking about getting back to Earth before Lex and quickly setting up a huge pile of pumpkin decorations at the entrance of his neighborhood.

“Don’t rush,” Brainiac called out to Lex, then said, “You also need to contribute to this project. In fact, we possess the Anti-Life Equation, but no one has been able to study it. I think you’re quite capable. How about I grant you a special high-level laboratory?”

Lex paused, then said, "Anti-Life Equation? Are you sure? That thing is printed on the professor's umbrella. Can you convince him to send the umbrella over for research?"

"Of course, in theory, citizens retain ownership of their personal belongings, but in case of an emergency, there are requisition regulations, and at worst, they will be given more compensation."

"No!" Lex said. "If you requisition it urgently and anger him, won't he hold me responsible?"

"What can he do to you? He can only insult you a couple of times. Don't you want to study the anti-life equation?"

Lex hesitated for a moment, then said, “Okay, but you want me to call him myself. If that doesn’t work, then you can talk to him about the requisition terms.”

“No problem,” Brainiac said.

It was already noon when Arrogance received the call. He had gotten up late that day and had no idea what had happened before, so he was genuinely surprised to receive Lex's call.

"You're not thinking of using the Anti-Life Equation to lure Darkseid, are you? That's not a good idea. Besides, if Darkseid really takes my umbrella, I'll have to go all the way to Apokolips, which is way too far... You want to do research? Why are you suddenly thinking about doing research?"

"You mean you can guarantee it won't rain in Gotham these next few days? Oh, I forgot, you're the developer of the weather control system. I knew that research wasn't for nothing. Okay, I'll have Brainiac send it to you? Alright, got it. Goodbye."

Then, pride cast its deathly gaze upon greed.

"Why did Lex suddenly want to study the Anti-Life Equation?"

“How would I know?” Greed said slowly, taking a sip of his coffee. “But you too, using such a powerful treasure as an umbrella is a terrible waste, a shameful waste.”

“You really have a knack for ruining my umbrella,” said Arrogance, who sat down opposite Greed and picked up a newspaper to read as well.

“I just feel that you no longer need anything to stabilize your mental state. It’s time to break free from dependence on certain things and become a normal person.”

"Don't you think it's absurd for you to say that? Who's the more abnormal one between us?"

"Of course it's you. Look at everyone in this universe, who doesn't tremble at the mention of your name? I'm different. I'm very popular in our universe. Whether it's superheroes or ordinary people, they all think I'm very friendly."

"So where did all those people who thought you were unfriendly go?"

“Never mind that, I’m much more popular than you now,” Greed laughed, “This is the result of my years of hard work, you have to learn from me.”

He gave an arrogant sneer, stood up, and went to make himself some coffee.

The sunlight outside the window was perfect, and large swathes of clouds piled up on the horizon, soft and fluffy like cotton candy. Above the clouds, a cool blue mist rose, blurring the shadows of the mountains.

The Halloween decorations hadn't been taken down yet, and the smiley pumpkin head that Pride and Barry had carved together sat on the windowsill of the right-hand window on the porch. The candles inside had gone out, but the pumpkin itself remained intact. Paper-cut decorations hanging above rustled in the wind, and the chestnut tree leaves swayed gently, their soft rustling blending with the crackling of the fireplace inside. Although the city was gradually emerging from its past gloom, such a tranquil and peaceful afternoon was still a rare treat.

When pumpkins ripen, vibrant orange and red burst forth from the lush greenery. Autumn is the earth's exposed veins, revealing its still powerful pulse to the tiny lives thriving on its trunk. Autumn leaves are like magma growing on the ground, scorching and surging year after year, winding through the mountains, taking intelligent beings back to the wild, extinct era billions of years ago.

Humans celebrate and revel in this vibrant season, showing no weakness amidst the immeasurable power of nature. Shouts drift with the mountain winds, sweat mingles with the rivers, and the talk of full granaries and the singing of harvest chants are always full of strength and hope.

Gotham, a seed buried in the mud, sprouted from the black waters and ushered in its first true autumn. Perhaps many more will witness the vastness and incredible nature of the cycle of life, and how those old memories, once thought to be forever indelible, have drifted away like fallen leaves.

　Don't rush, the next Marvel daily life episode...
　　(End of this chapter)