Chapter 53 I Will Be Watching You

According to Simon, during the five years he traveled alongside the Lord of Fate, they had actually ventured into a parallel universe. In this alternate reality, following the destruction of Krypton, the spacecraft carrying the infant Superman did not land in the United States, but instead flew to the other side of the Earth—Eastern Europe.

It was the mid-twentieth century, amidst the height of the Cold War. The moniker of the Red Son echoed across the globe. Bolstered by this peerless supernatural might, the Soviet Union rose to become the sole superpower on Earth. Consequently, Americans harbored fear and hatred toward Superman, while the media, under official directive, disseminated rumors through various channels to vilify what they perceived as a colossal threat. Dr. Lex Luthor, operating in collaboration with the CIA, personally manufactured or attracted a succession of criminals—including Bizarro, Brainiac, and Parasite—in attempts to assassinate the Man of Steel. Beneath the red banner, the populace established special holidays and museums in Superman’s honor, singing praises of his achievements under the brilliant sunshine... Yet, in the shadows untouched by light, lived another faction of people, trembling and suffering from insomnia as they feared the behemoth residing on the opposite side of the globe.

It was against this backdrop that the past version of Elijah and Simon arrived on the East Coast of that universe's America forty-two years ago.

"I had no idea what was happening at the time," Simon gestured vigorously with his hand, as if swatting away a two-dimensional fly buzzing near his head. "Up until then, I had always been an ordinary person. The most bizarre creature I'd ever encountered was my father, who refused to allow a single book inside our home... And you, Fate, your abilities were simply too unimaginable for me. At first, I acted like an absolute blockhead, and my sole purpose for existence was asking you questions.

"We landed in Metropolis of that parallel universe, and I asked you, 'Where is this?' You replied, 'It's the city next to Gotham.'"

Elijah blinked.

"—Yes, exactly that! You never even bothered to explain that we had actually traveled to another world. Don't tell me you're just a man of few words; that was definitely intentional!"

Cartoonish Simon glared at him with bead-like eyes, attempting to rouse a belated sense of guilt in Elijah. "So for a very long time, I genuinely believed I was merely taking a short trip, even though the Metropolis before me looked nothing like the ones I saw in newspapers... I figured it was just due to my own ignorance, seeing as I hadn't properly read a handful of newspapers in my entire life prior to turning twenty.

"For the entire rest of that day, I was completely bewildered and disoriented, while you dropped me off and single-mindedly scouted Metropolis and the surrounding areas.

"By evening, with nothing to do and nowhere to go, I was idling in a Metropolis café, trying to figure things out by chatting with a local, when you suddenly walked in, grabbed me without explanation, and declared: 'An accident has occurred. We won't waste time here; we are going to the Soviet Union immediately, right now.'"

As Simon recounted these memories, his tone was casual, yet he knew well that his mental state back then had been far more chaotic than it was today. Imagine being a twenty-year-old youth raised in an isolated household, utterly lacking in knowledge and common sense, inexplicably swept away into an unfamiliar environment by a non-human entity, forced to cautiously and awkwardly interact with strangers to gather intelligence... And then, the Lord of Fate sauntered up beside him and brazenly announced upon land steeped in red shadows:

We're in the wrong place; the actual destination was the Soviet Union.

Simon still remembered the strange, probing gazes of the other patrons in the café that evening, and his sole prevailing thought: *Father, your son is setting sail for a distant voyage tonight, because he is about to be branded a capitalist traitor and sanctioned by his compatriots.*

Unaware that Simon's thoughts were veering wildly off course, Elijah asked quite seriously: "'I' was in a rush to see Superman? 'I' wanted to meet him as soon as possible?"

Simon nodded, then shook his head. "How should I put this... You were in a hurry to see him, yet it didn't seem necessary for you to actually meet or know him. 'Seeing' was a unilateral action. According to your own explanations, we had originally planned to merely pass through Moscow and leave."

Elijah tapped his fingers together and remarked, "'I' must have wanted to verify the status of that universe's Superman."

"That's possible," Simon said. "You also bought a vast stack of newspapers. Unfortunately, they didn't serve much positive purpose... Well, you couldn't read English very well, and Russian was even more difficult."

Elijah: "..."

The immersion abruptly snapped back into place.

Simon: "Without translation software, dictionaries, or legal identities, we ran into trouble upon landing. Wonder Woman, the communist warrior of Themyscira, led a group of people to surround us. They suspected you and I were spies sent by America—truthfully, I might have been one without realizing it, but you certainly weren't. You didn't end up fighting; Diana was on the verge of making a move and had already unclasped the Lasso of Truth from her waist... And then, catching wind of the news, Superman arrived in the blink of an eye.

"He wore a dark uniform, and the color of his cape matched the Soviet flag. Upon his chest was the famous hammer and sickle emblem. The moment you laid eyes on it, I noticed your expression grow somewhat complex. Immediately afterward, you pulled a piece of paper from your tunic—the very same paper you had been fussing over all the way from Metropolis to Moscow, scribbling notes and recording phrases upon it. Upon meeting Superman, I finally understood what you had written.

"'A spectre is haunting Europe—the spectre of communism. All the powers of old Europe have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre: Pope and Czar, Metternich and Guizot, French Radicals and German police—and now, not just Europe, but half the world stands in opposition to you.'

"Facing Superman, Wonder Woman, and those KGB agents, you half-recited, half-spoke deliberately, '... It is high time that Communists should openly, in the face of the whole world, publish their views, their aims, their tendencies, and meet this nursery tale of the Spectre of Communism with a Manifesto of the party itself—And you? Superman? What are your views, your aims, your tendencies?'

"'The Earth is not your homeworld, the Soviet Union is not your country, Moscow is not your city. You have assumed the leadership of human society in the guise of an alien; what is it you seek to gain from it?'

"Superman gazed at you for a long time. I believe his features were as unyielding as steel, entirely worthy of the title 'Man of Steel.' And as you met his gaze, it was as though his answer was of paramount importance to you. After about five minutes, Superman finally spoke: 'It is not the first time I have said this to people, especially you Americans—though you never believe me, I am willing to repeat it forever, until my words or actions thoroughly move you—I fight from beginning to end for what is right, to eradicate inequality and immorality in this world, and to strive for the realization of communist ideals.'

"'I will ensure every adult obtains a suitable job, every child pursues their interests, every person has enough to eat, and everyone enjoys sufficient rest... I do not speak as a leader; I am not an orator—even though you often portray me as a lying swindler. I am a worker, a proletarian, doing what I ought to do and what I am capable of doing.'

"Honestly, his presence was extraordinary, and his attitude particularly solemn; he came dangerously close to convincing me. But you merely watched them the way Superman watched you. You observed Superman, Wonder Woman, and those around them who shared the same communist faith. After a long silence, you replied unhurriedly: 'I do not believe in words; I only believe in deeds, Red Son... I will be watching you.'

"Superman smiled. He was unfathomably friendly, especially considering I suspected he still believed we were capitalist spies at the time. Yet he did nothing other than invite you to stroll through Moscow with him.

"'After Diana, you are the first superpower-wielding person I have met who can recite the Communist Manifesto,' he said with a smile. 'She was influenced by me; aside from her, everyone else treats it like a plague, let alone reading it aloud right to my face as if those words could manipulate their minds for me. Frankly, I don't care who you are or where you came from, comrade—that's the KGB's concern. I care about only one thing: Is there a possibility that we might become companions in the future?'"

Upon hearing this, Elijah felt that this Red Son, whether intentionally or not, had posed a rather exquisite question.

—He was asking the Lord of Fate whether they would walk the same path in the future.

And no matter how "Elijah" chose to answer, it seemed bound to leak traces of destiny.

"Yet you remained silent and gave him no reply."

Simon let out a sigh, as if, despite all these years, he remained identical to his past self, yearning incessantly to know the true answer residing within Elijah's heart.

"So what on earth were you thinking back then? Were the events of the future visible in your eyes?"

Elijah put himself in that scenario and pondered for a moment, but realizing countless possibilities existed, he shook his head and said, "I don't know. The only thing I can confirm right now is that observing Superman was a matter of great importance to 'me.' The phrase 'I will be watching you'—that sentiment surely applied to more than just the Superman of a single parallel universe."

This was a conclusion drawn by incorporating the plot of the comic books.

Simon blinked at him mischievously. "So to speak, that Red Son wasn't particularly special to you after all?"

With a deadpan expression, Elijah replied, "I don't know."

Bold since childhood, Simon was entirely unfazed by the cold facade of the Lord of Fate: "Guess what? While we lingered in Moscow, eighty percent of the citizens were convinced the two of you were dating."

Elijah felt a sudden wave of goosebumps ripple across his skin. "...Really or not?!"

"Really!! Rumor has it that the KGB even collected a stack of pamphlets circulating among the populace, and the contents were somewhat... unfit for polite company. The agents urged Superman to crack down on them thoroughly, but he seemed to just collect the pamphlets and pretend he knew nothing about it. Just imagine how difficult it is for someone with super-hearing and super-vision to pretend to be deaf and blind..."

***

Elijah and Simon had conversed about far too many things, their topics branching out far beyond his original intentions. Consequently, they consumed an excessive amount of time on their journey toward Arkham, long missing the agreed-upon rendezvous time with Batman.

Batman's mood had transitioned from *Where are people?* to *Where the hell are people??!* and finally settled on *Where are people...*

Superman sent a message via WhatsApp: [Tomorrow is Monday; he's probably busy putting kids to bed.]