Confession

"Behind me is Metropolis Underground Mall, where the incident occurred. The crisis has now been resolved—thanks to the unparalleled efficiency of the relevant departments. According to reports, this was an explosion caused by a gas leak. Officials have yet to disclose further details, but all trapped citizens have been rescued."

Sitting on his living room sofa, Jay watched the beautiful reporter on television calmly rattle off that long string of information, none of it believable except for the words "an incident occurred at the Underground Mall." He could not help but sincerely admire the mental fortitude of modern media workers.

Still, he had more or less gotten used to it. Ever since the World Federal Government had been established, talking nonsense had become the media's new job. Though opposition had always existed, after surviving the disaster of the apocalypse, people's unprecedented desire for safety had clearly outweighed every other need. In the end, most had accepted it.

As expected, the report on the Underground Mall incident made no mention whatsoever of the rampaging monster twice the height of a man. Jay was idly watching the utterly pointless follow-up coverage when Mrs. Reynolds's voice came from the study.

"Jay! Come here for a moment," she called.

"Okay, I'll be right there."

Jay set down the remote and rose to enter the study. Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds sat on opposite sides of the sofa, with a chair placed directly in front of them, seemingly prepared for Jay. It involuntarily reminded him of the interrogation rooms from movies, and he could not help feeling uneasy.

Still, this conversation had been within his expectations—considering what they had just gone through. He had already come up with several excuses for returning to the Underground Mall alone, and as he pulled out the chair and sat down, he was deciding which one to use.

After exchanging a glance, Mr. Reynolds spoke first. "Jay, we... we know."

"Know?" Jay froze. "Know what?"

"About... about how you're different." Mr. Reynolds rubbed his nose, seemingly finding the subject difficult to broach. "And Mom and I are both very grateful—we know that it was thanks to you that the two of us came through unhurt."

Jay was stunned. He had considered the possibility that dad and mom might discover his abilities, but he had never expected this conversation to happen in such a strange atmosphere. He felt as though he could no longer sit still and could not help asking, "Are you sure the 'different' you mean is the same thing I'm thinking of? Because neither of you looks... as shocked as you should be."

Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds exchanged another glance. Then Mrs. Reynolds spoke. "That's because we discovered it long ago."

"You discovered it long ago?" Jay was surprised. Until now, he had thought he had done an excellent job keeping it secret. Hearing this left him somewhat discouraged. "When?"

"About a year and a half after we brought you home from the orphanage," Mrs. Reynolds said. "Honestly, it's already quite impressive that you managed to hide it for so long. You'd be surprised how difficult it is for a child to keep secrets from their parents."

Jay sounded disappointed. "All right, then why didn't you say anything? Or tell any relevant organization? Weren't you afraid?"

Mrs. Reynolds smiled faintly. "What a silly thing to say. You're our son. Nothing can ever change that."

"And we chose to believe in you," Mr. Reynolds added. "Mom and I were both born and raised in Metropolis. We saw Superman appear in this city with our own eyes. No one understands better than Metropolis locals what that 'S' means here. He disappeared six years ago, and then you appeared, with the same extraordinary abilities. We're willing to believe that your appearance carries some special meaning."

Jay pointed at himself in disbelief. "You mean you hope I can take his place? Superman's?"

"We don't expect you to do anything, Jay," Mrs. Reynolds said. "We just feel that perhaps your arrival at this particular time was Heaven's deliberate arrangement."

Mr. Reynolds said, "Mom and I want you to become whatever you want to be. As parents, we couldn't be more satisfied. But at the Underground Mall, when you told us you had something you had to do, we guessed that you were going back to help people, to use your abilities to make a difference. At that moment, we both saw the heart of a hero growing rapidly, and we were both very comforted."

Jay was silent for a long while before saying, "I only did it because I could. I just felt like I couldn't walk away like that."

Mr. Reynolds smiled. "That's all a hero really is, kid. I was much the same when I was young. Whenever I saw something wrong, I felt it was my responsibility to expose it. Because of that, I challenged plenty of powerful people and went through quite a few dangerous moments. But look—I think back on it now, and I feel nothing but pride. I clipped out and saved every article I ever wrote. To me, they're medals proving what I accomplished in this life."

Jay smiled. "I remember. I've read them."

"That was all so long ago," Mrs. Reynolds muttered. "Why bring up things from so many years back? Look at the kind of reports you've been writing these years. Pet grooming? Lifestyle tips?"

Mr. Reynolds looked as though she had struck a sore spot. He merely sighed and did not argue.

"Um, I'm very grateful for your advice. I really am," Jay said. "But I truly don't think I can be like Superman."

Mrs. Reynolds smiled gently and reached out to softly stroke his hair. "It's okay. No matter what choice you make in the future, we have faith in you. After all, you're the best. You always have been."

At that moment, elsewhere.

This was a place whose location was impossible to discern, because it was simply too dark—so dark that one could not help wondering how such a shadowed corner could still exist on Earth. Everything around it was pitch-black. Cold gusts of wind blew from the depths, and the only light came from several enormous monitors arranged in a circle, illuminating the black silhouette before the computers—the seemingly only living person in all that darkness.

Every computer before him displayed a frontal photograph of Jay Reynolds.

"You're sure it's this kid?" the black figure asked, resting both hands beneath his chin.

"I'm sure," Huntress's voice came through the communication channel. "I've always had a good memory, you know that."

"Did you tell anyone else?"

"No," she said. "You're the only one I notified."

"The right choice."

Neither of them spoke after that. The communication channel sank into a slightly awkward silence that lasted around twenty or thirty seconds. The Black Figure before the computers merely stared fixedly at Jay's image on the screen, as though trying to read some special information from his eyes.

"So," Huntress broke the silence, "what are you planning to do with him? If he really is a Kryptonian?"

The Black Figure remained silent for a long time, then began tapping the computer desk with his knuckles.

"I'm still thinking," he said.