These past few days, Clark felt incredibly drained.
It was bad enough that a sudden external threat had disrupted the peace of the world, but now, there was trouble within the ranks of the superheroes themselves.
Doctor Strange and Jean Grey had both disappeared! Clark only knew that they had left the current parallel universe they were in, which was certainly not the X-Men universe. As for where they had gone or what they were up to, even his nearly omniscient abilities could not discern.
When he focused on this issue, he only saw the duo, the Phoenix Woman and Strange, entering a spatial rift. Trying to learn more, he could only see a void.
The great calamity was coming, the skies in turmoil?
For the situation he was now facing, Clark could only describe it with these decidedly un-Marvel-like terms.
Clark had no complaints about Doctor Strange and Jean's unilateral actions; on the contrary, he felt quite relieved. After all, at the onset of disaster, everyone was thinking about how they could contribute to the safety of Earth and the universe, rather than letting Clark, the most capable among them, bear all the pressure alone.
Clark stopped dwelling on others' actions, or perhaps letting them act freely might have unexpected effects?
Thinking this, he continued to speak to Gannata, who looked obedient in front of him: "On Earth, there are good people and bad people. As Tunxing's descendant, you should also have a clear standard for judging right from wrong. I've shown you those relevant legal documents before; you should try to adhere to them whenever possible."
Gannata, puzzled, asked, "Try to?"
"Of course," Clark replied. "For those who mean you harm or even think about hurting you, you can't just sit idly by, right? So, depending on the situation, it's perfectly fine to either teach them a lesson or even devour them if necessary. I can handle the aftermath."
As Tunxing's daughter, Gannata also inherited Tunxing's multiverse-level voracious appetite. Her seemingly flat stomach, which bulged slightly with a bit of food, was actually almost insatiable. Her appetite was so great that consuming a planet daily barely satisfied her hunger; all the food on Earth combined wasn't enough to fill the gaps between her teeth.
However, unlike Tunxing, who would often faint from hunger and lose his senses, Gannata had a high tolerance for hunger and wouldn't go mad and devour everything around her.
Now under Clark's care, a protector who always took care of his own, of course, he wouldn't let her go hungry. But resolving Gannata's insatiable hunger completely was unrealistic, even with Clark's current powers. Just like Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet could eliminate half or even all life in the universe but couldn't make the remaining half forget their pain.
Currently, Clark, though nearly omnipotent, was not entirely all-powerful. Thus, he could only operate within the cosmic laws, using incredible means without altering the rules themselves.
For example, Tony could use his scientific knowledge to create various flying armors, but he couldn't make one plus one equal three!
Although Clark's situation was infinitely greater than Tony's, he still couldn't alter the cosmic laws.
Blinking her innocent big eyes, Gannata, only a few months old, naturally couldn't comprehend the world's dangers. However, she knew that Clark said these things for her benefit and obediently nodded in agreement.
After a brief pause, Gannata suddenly changed the topic, "Uncle Clark, do you know who killed my father and what their purpose was?"
"This..." Clark replied with a helpless smile, "I can't see any clues about the enemy. The current situation is quite unique. With my present strength, within the rules of this universe, I can instantly understand the cause and effect of everything, except for anything related to this crisis, which remains beyond my comprehension. How can I put it..."
Shaking his head, Clark tried to organize his thoughts: "It means that in the upcoming great disaster, my ability to instantly understand everything will be completely useless."
Hearing this, Gannata's heart tightened, "Uncle Clark, are the enemies really that terrifying?"
Clark gently rubbed her head and reassured her, "Don't worry, no matter how powerful the enemy, justice will eventually triumph over evil. We can win. I promise!"
As he spoke, Clark employed the power of the Mind Stone, instantly calming Gannata's uneasy heart. Looking up at Clark again, she no longer had any doubts. Under the influence of the Mind Stone, she felt utterly at ease, firmly believing that no matter what enemies they faced, Clark could handle everything.
"You stay here for now and learn about Earth," he told her. "If you get tired, Lois can take you out to play. If you get hungry, you can absorb cosmic storms from other dimensions through
that portal there. I need to step out for a while."
With those words, Clark stood up and left the Los Angeles villa.
The first snow of 2018 felt more ethereal to Clark than ever before.
This was one of the side effects of his enhanced powers. The external changes brought about by the seasons had less and less effect on him. At first, it felt good to be resistant to heat and cold, practically invincible. But as this ability grew stronger, even the snowflakes falling on his face could not make him feel the slightest chill.
Clark was increasingly feeling out of place in this world.
Perhaps in a few decades or centuries, when his friends and family on Earth had aged and passed away, he might choose to settle in an extra-dimensional space like the Living Tribunal and the Eternals, avoiding involvement in mundane affairs unless necessary.
Even if he couldn't let go, might he create a life form, like the Celestials, to implement his will?
Suddenly, Clark felt a sensation deep within, and with a wave of his hand, a colorful glowing spatial vortex appeared in front of him.
The next moment, Spider-Man, dressed in a blue spider suit, staggered out of the vortex and collapsed on the ground.
It was one of the stronger members of Clark's vast army of spiders.
Captain Universe Spider-Man!
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