The claw struck directly at Bruce's carotid artery, and blood gushed out. Bruce broke off vulnerably like a tender bud newly sprouted on a tree. Kent was completely stunned.
Superpowers are extremely important to Superman, because they not only grant them super strength and super intelligence but also super senses. Their way of perceiving the world is completely different from the human race; a vast amount of information flows into their brains through almost infinite senses, allowing them to accurately sense everything happening in the world at every moment, with nothing escaping their notice.
So after losing his superpowers, Clark Kent not only lost strength and wisdom but more importantly, his perception of the world was greatly weakened. Viewing the world in the way of ordinary people is like becoming deaf and blind for Superman. His reaction time also greatly diminished, and his perception of the world became very blurred, similar to humans at the extremity of fatigue, always in a half-dreaming, half-awake state.
Therefore, when the zombie approached, he didn't react at all. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken a claw. Even after taking a claw, he still didn't react; otherwise, he would have turned around and pushed the zombie away immediately.
This zombie was much like the previous Joker actor, with very sharp claws that looked terrifying, but in actuality, its weight was not heavy, and its strength was not overwhelming for an ordinary person. Someone of Kent's stature could easily tackle it; if he had reacted, a single kick could have sent it flying. But he didn't.
This led to Bruce, who rushed forward to protect him, taking a fatal blow directly. Every breath Kent took was filled with a heavy scent of blood, and Bruce collapsed in front of him, as if the whole world was covered in a blood-red curtain.
"No!!!!!!!"
Kent let out an anguished roar, pouncing on the zombie, pinning it beneath him with a thud, and smashing its cheekbone with a punch.
He seemed not very adept at this kind of thing, merely swinging his fist chaotically, but this was not an effective attack on the zombie. Those sharp and hard claws continuously scratched blood marks on his back, but Kent seemed not to feel it, furiously venting the anger in his heart until with a mighty tug of his hands, he directly tore the zombie's head off.
But even so, it didn't stop the actions of this corpse. Just as Kent's fury burned brighter and brighter, he suddenly heard a very weak "fire..." from behind.
Kent immediately stood up, fished a lighter out of his pocket, knocked some rotten planks from the abandoned house onto the zombie, lit a paper box of food packaging, and threw it onto the rotten planks and the zombie. The flames rose, the zombie retreated in terror, but Kent circled around and kicked it, sending it directly into the flames. As the raging fire burned, the zombie finally stopped moving.
Kent hurried to check on Bruce's condition, but that claw was too deep, the artery had ruptured, and Bruce's situation was beyond salvation.
"No... no..." Kent shook his head helplessly, trying to bandage the wound in a panic, but saw Bruce use his last strength to shake his head and mouthed: "I won't die..."
Bruce knew that in extreme weakness, he would be sent into the Psychic_Battlefield. Now his consciousness was gradually drawing away, and it wouldn't be long before he'd enter the Psychic_Battlefield without leaving the replica directly, but this matter was a bit complicated, and he no longer had time to explain.
"Are you crazy?!" Kent shouted at him: "You think being Batman means you won't bleed or get hurt?! You're about to die!!!"
Bruce was utterly exasperated, not knowing how to console Kent at all. If the other party hadn't inhaled the stimulant, perhaps he could have calmed down quickly, but now this situation clearly wasn't workable. In the final moments of consciousness depletion, he could only mouth to Kent: "Go find... Shiller..."
After speaking, his body died, and his consciousness entered the Psychic_Battlefield. But Kent, still in the real world, remained utterly clueless. He watched Batman gradually lose life in his arms, unable to do anything.
At this moment, Kent didn't know what he was thinking, like waking up from a long dream.
There are many things in this world that one cannot understand without experiencing them. Superman is a God of the World, possessing a remarkably strong body, almost nothing can kill him. To him, injury and death are vague concepts.
The moral education he received taught him that he should have compassion for the fragile humans, try his best to help the wounded, and mourn for those who died. But this was only the theory he acquired from education. He had almost no experience of the birth, aging, illness, and death that ordinary people go through, and his understanding of the human world was merely a castle in the air.
Moreover, due to his attribute of wish fulfillment, when he earnestly wanted to accomplish something, there was nothing he couldn't achieve. He was the favored child of God, and the rules of the world would open convenient doors for him. Even when weakened severely by Kryptonite, as long as he wished, he still had the strength to resist, and his margin for error was almost infinite.
However, in this version it's different. He lost all his abilities and became as helpless as an ordinary person; the rules of this cosmos won't give him any leniency. Thus, just like the most ordinary of ordinary people, one wrong step led to total defeat.
Did he make any outrageous mistake just now? Actually, no. The attack from the mummies came too suddenly, the opponent weighed very little, almost making no sound with their footsteps; the assault was swift and fierce, making it nearly impossible for anyone without professional training to react. Not to mention Kent, who fell from the clouds to the mortal realm and hasn't adjusted yet, failing to push the mummies away immediately was actually quite normal.
But because of this, his companion suffered fatal injuries, and he could only watch helplessly as they die, unable to do anything. It's his fault, yet not entirely his fault. If one must blame, it's only the human race being too fragile, resembling dried grass in the wind, vulnerable before any superpower-bearing entity.
The brain, carotid artery, pulmonary artery, organs, spine, lower limb arteries—any part injured can cause a person to die, and it's an irreversible situation once damage is done. Even small accidents in daily life can be fatal for them, let alone facing such terrifying monsters?
At this moment, Kent finally realizes why Batman always acts tough, aggressive, relentlessly pushing, never giving anyone a chance to breathe.
Why, when they have disagreements, whenever a Superman wants to talk, whenever Superman holds a completely optimistic attitude towards something, Batman always acts like a cold, indifferent wall, as if nothing in this world can change him.
Because Batman is afraid, because he can see from the perspective of an ordinary person without any superpowers, understanding just how fragile humans truly are. He must be strong enough, fast enough, decisive enough to save everyone, to save himself.
At this moment, Kent understood that ordinary people are always in a survival crisis. They have too many things to guard against, too many things to deal with, so much so that they exhibit excessive stress responses to everything around them. Because complete relaxation at any moment might lead to their dreadful death.
For Batman, his level of concentration must be multiplied by hundreds or thousands compared to ordinary people. Because the survival crises he faces are on the same level as those faced by Superman, the God of the World.
To stand shoulder to shoulder with God in a mortal body, the true greatness does not lie in how strong God is, but in that mortals are overwhelmingly weak. This fragility shapes them in countless ways, striving to gain the ability to withstand the calamities of Gods; Batman can't achieve perfection—he must sacrifice something.
And what deepens Kent's guilt is his understanding that, just moments ago, Batman partially let his guard down, his concentration faltered, much like Kent who hasn't adapted to the environment yet, he failed to notice the approaching mummies.
For Batman, this is a very frightening mistake, and he paid the price for it. But Kent knows that at some moment, the strength and reliability he displayed made Batman feel that it was okay to let down his guard slightly, to ease himself just a bit in front of him.
Reflecting on the crises he has faced since birth, ultimately shaping him into such a vigilant, focused, uncompromising person. This brief relaxation is precious, like an oasis in the desert, a campfire in the snowy night, the warmest and most touching side he could ever show.
Yet this very habit killed him; during his habitual relaxation and distraction, death arrived quietly, claiming his life in a manner as ridiculous as a shallow joke.
Batman, who once appeared invincible and never-bleeding in Kent's eyes, seemed like a fallen autumn leaf when death took him, so crisp and surreal, not quite resembling a hero.
Thinking of those human heroes learned about in textbooks, who also met silent, powerless deaths, Kent feels he's never truly been a hero. Because the courage to face disaster pales in comparison to the courage any fragile human needs when facing injury and death.
If a heroic death is a voluntary choice, like a leaf choosing to fall from the tree first, merging into the soil in such a tragic and silent manner, possibly even forgotten, then it can truly be called heroism. Clark Kent feels undeserving of all the praise he has received in the past.
But Batman, not only jumped off from the branches countless times, he also regrew from the soil over and over, wrestling with fate, battling the God of Death. As many times he died, just as many times he revived, forging a great wall from his fragile bones, condensing blood into clay, ultimately erecting such a magnificent high wall.
This high wall, created by Batman as a fragile ordinary person, stands as the greatest miracle, a monument to humanity's struggle against storms, defiance of fate, transcending pain and death.
Clark Kent must feel ashamed of his previous thoughts of "this wall is to defend oneself, or someone else" and similar notions.
Now, recollecting Batman's slightly relaxed demeanor shown in front of him, he can miraculously view the indifference he used to detest as a towering mountain. Even the strongest bird may face some challenges trying to fly there.