OBS Chapter 4324 Body of Steel (29)
Chapter 4324 Body of Steel (29)
Chapter 4324 Body of Steel (Twenty-Nine)
"Ahem." Under the spotlight, Clark sighed, turned up the microphone, blinked slightly, and said, "Hello everyone, I'm Superman."
"oh--!!!!!!"
A deafening roar of cheers erupted from the crowd. Everyone surrounded the square, and countless cameras were pointed at him. His red and blue uniform shone even brighter in the dazzling early winter sunlight.
“I’m standing here today mainly to address two issues,” Clark said with a soft sigh. “I know everyone is deeply saddened and regretful about the Luther Hotel building accident that happened a couple of days ago. Many people are mourning the deceased and caring for the injured. I completely understand everyone’s feelings. As someone who was directly involved in the accident, when I heard your screams, I felt your pain as well. I couldn’t help myself and took immediate action to save lives. But unfortunately, we couldn’t save everyone.”
"Oh……"
The people below all groaned, but there were also many voices offering words of comfort. This was because the media had already laid the groundwork extensively in the days leading up to it.
First came the horrific images of the accident: buildings collapsing, crowds fleeing, and injured people giving tearful interviews. Then, footage circulated of Lois Lane filming Superman miraculously saving lives. Naturally, this led people to believe that without Superman, even more people would have died.
Of course, it's also because someone intentionally tried to shift the blame onto Lex Luthor, wanting the Luthor Corporation to take the fall. They used some less-than-fair business practices to imply that the construction quality of the Luthor Hotel was poor. Therefore, public criticism was directed at the Luthor Corporation, while Superman became relatively insignificant.
"However, I also want to share some good news with you all. After three days of searching, in cooperation with the military and the federal government, we have found most of the missing persons. The estimated number of casualties has been reduced from tens of thousands to several hundred, most of whom have minor injuries. However, due to the psychological shock and overly intense reactions, which hindered early treatment, the hospitals have assessed the injuries as more severe."
Whispers immediately broke out below. Clark had anticipated this scene, and cleared his throat, saying, "Of course, some people did unfortunately die in this accident. I think they can receive everyone's remembrance in heaven and be happy about it."
The noise below subsided somewhat. Clark sighed inwardly. Sometimes, people prefer to believe what they already believe rather than the truth. If he simply said there were no casualties, no one would believe him; he could only try to reconstruct the facts as accurately as possible.
"And the second thing, which is also the point I want to make during this appearance, is that the collapse of the Luther Hotel was not an accident, nor was it due to any construction quality issues by the Luther Group."
The crowd below erupted in uproar. Clark quickly seized the opportunity to speak, raising his voice, "You can all believe me; I have not been bribed by the Luther Group. I am standing here saying these things because the FBI and the military have found solid evidence. Remember the spaceship that appeared over Metropolis and was destroyed by my punch?"
Upon hearing this, the room fell silent. Most people agreed. What happened that night was quite a big deal: an alien spaceship suddenly appeared over a major American city and was then destroyed by another superhero. How could something this big not be a sensation?
However, since some time has passed and there has been more explosive news recently, people don't mention it much anymore.
"What I'm trying to say is that the spaceship was indeed an alien spaceship, but it was just one of their small escort ships used to scout the surface. That night, when I spotted the spaceship, I immediately realized that the people of Metropolis might be in danger. So I quickly destroyed it instead of letting it land. Otherwise, even if they didn't activate their weapons, it would be troublesome if it carried some alien virus."
The crowd applauded him again. Clark quickly added, "But unfortunately, it wasn't just this small spaceship that came to Earth; a huge mainship is currently in low Earth orbit."
Clark pointed to the projector, where an image of the Kryptonian flagship appeared at just the right moment. Everyone was stunned.
In fact, so far, the fact that aliens have visited is basically known only to high-ranking officials in governments around the world. The general public is unaware; even those who have guessed something based on Egyptian mythology and images of the spaceship that appeared over Metropolis that night still don't know the full picture. And now you're telling me that such a huge spaceship is hovering right above us?!
Panic visibly gripped the crowd. Clark quickly called out, "Don't be afraid, everyone! These aliens aren't that strong. Didn't I already blow up their spaceship?"
"Moreover, to be honest, they didn't just send one spaceship; another spaceship landed near the US military base, but it was also repelled by our brave soldiers!"
The public was skeptical. But thankfully, the US military had excellent video recording equipment, and almost every detail of the battle was recorded—of course, they didn't show the part about being pinned down in the trenches beforehand, but rather the part about the special forces arriving and defeating the aliens.
Once this video was released, most people believed it. It wasn't that they didn't suspect it was fake, but the US military's ability to fabricate evidence has always been questionable; their previous attempts were riddled with flaws. This video is so realistic; it's clearly beyond their capabilities.
Furthermore, this video has received endorsements from governments around the world. Not all governments are as lacking in credibility as the US federal government. Therefore, most people believed it.
Seeing that it was almost time, Clark said, "These are indeed extraordinary times, but throughout history, humanity has experienced many upheavals. The Black Death that killed countless people, wars that claimed countless lives on the battlefield, sacrifices made for the moon landing and space exploration... none of these could break us; instead, they made us stronger."
"If the universe isn't a vast black hole, then third-kind contact is inevitable. External enemies will come one day. All we can do is unite as one. Only in this way can we go further in the universe. Isn't that right?"
On television sets, on building advertising screens, on mobile phone screens, and on computer screens at conference venues, Clark Kent's handsome face and his calm and firm voice were everywhere.
Bruce picked up the remote and changed the channel. Clark threw himself onto the sofa, but then suddenly sprang up, staring intently at Bruce and asking, "Did I do a good job?"
“If you were as insecure back then as you are now, I could only give you a no,” Bruce sighed. “In just two hours, you’ve asked me that question 53 times.”
“This is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this!” Clark said, closing his eyes and collapsing onto the sofa. “Although I’m a journalist, I’m an investigative journalist, not an interviewing journalist. I’ve never been on the big screen before. Good heavens, I can’t believe it, my speech is being broadcast during prime time on every major channel in the world. Ah—”
“You’ve done a great job,” Bruce said. “You’ve successfully united the federal government, the military, and the Luther Group. That’s an achievement no one has ever made before.”
"Did I do this?!" Clark couldn't help but exclaim. "It was clearly that Schiller who did it. I really don't understand why he wouldn't do it himself and insisted on making me do it..."
After grumbling a few times, Clark fell silent again. He was lost in thought when he suddenly realized that the whole scheme wasn't about Luther or the aliens, but about himself.
First, they concocted the artifact scam, fooling both Luthor and Diana. Then, they provoked Luthor, causing him to have a stress response to aliens and make the foolish decision to kidnap Martha. Next, they had him use the Emerald Stone, specifically designed to counter Kryptonians, to defeat Clark, causing him to lose his superpowers. Diana then took Clark back, forcing him to rely solely on his intelligence to overcome the situation, rather than using his superpowers.
He then notified Bruce to rescue Martha, and had Clark chase after her to Wayne Manor. After learning part of the truth, he used the military's sense of urgency to get them to find Louise. He then sent Louise an email, using her to expose the royal scandal, forcing the royal family to hold a public exhibition, and finally getting the Metropolitan Museum of Art to lend the exhibition to them.
Next, by provoking Luther into hospitalization, the military was given an opportunity to obtain the gem, develop new weapons, and then use Clark to lure the aliens to the military base, win a battle, and make everyone realize the gem's importance. Thus, everyone set their sights on the borrowed gem, leading to constant open and covert struggles.
At this critical juncture, they lured aliens to the Luther Hotel, causing it to collapse. They then used the media to exaggerate the severity of the disaster, spreading rumors that the Luther Group's construction quality was substandard, accusing the federal government and military of inaction, thus generating international controversy and undermining their own prestige.
All of this has only one purpose: to have Superman step up and save everything at the crucial moment.
First, he must be able to step up at crucial moments. If he remains in that puffed-up pufferfish state, he won't think rationally, won't know what to do at any given time, won't be able to perceive subtle changes in the situation, and won't be able to handle these complex relationships, so of course he won't step up.
Secondly, he had to be willing to step forward. He had to realize that he was Clark Kent, an Earthling, and as a citizen of Earth, his responsibilities were similar to those of the Luther Group, the federal government, and the military. He had to be willing and capable of shouldering those responsibilities.
Finally, there needs to be a catalyst for him to step forward. If everything goes smoothly—for example, if Luthor successfully finds Kryptonite, defeats Superman first, and then the Kryptonians; or if one of the factions has an overwhelming advantage and doesn't need Superman—they will definitely see him as an enemy, either fabricating charges to arrest him or marginalizing him.
However, through Schiller's series of maneuvers, Clark made significant progress, but he also turned the whole situation into a mess.
Luther, an extreme resistance fighter who resolutely refuses to cooperate with aliens and is determined to eliminate all aliens, has no choice but to ask Clark for help. The military and federal government, whose reputations have been damaged and who are eager to salvage their image and find someone to take the blame, don't have time to care whether Clark is even human.
Clark stepped forward, both clarifying the situation for the Luther Group by pinning the blame on the aliens; he also subtly praised the federal government and military's search and rescue efforts; he then showcased the military's heroic resistance against the aliens; and finally, everyone was happy and satisfied.
In essence, this plan was about creating a god. However, while others create gods by elevating them to great heights, Schiller's approach was to dig three feet into the ground to make the god appear more powerful.
The saying goes that troubled times produce heroes, but what if there are no troubled times? Of course, you create your own.
If things go very well, Clark's importance won't be apparent; but if things descend into chaos, Clark will become the only one capable of stepping forward to lead humanity.
(End of this chapter)