New Era

One week after the great battle in New York.

A third of the city had collapsed in the fierce battle between Jay and Mongor, and the smoke of war had spread throughout the city. This time, even if Mongor was still in power, it would be impossible to cover it up. News of the great battle had traveled to every corner of the Earth through the high-speed channels of fiber optic networks within a single day.

Everyone knew.

But this was just an appetizer before the real bombshell dropped. Just as people were still reeling from the shock of Superman's reappearance after a six-year absence, looking as powerful as ever as he demolished half of an international city, the truly terrifying news exploded like an atomic bomb in the news world. According to verifiable information provided by an anonymous source, the world government had been secretly ruled by an alien tyrant for five years. During this time, all laws enacted and all decisions made by the government had been carried out according to this alien's will.

Furthermore, this anonymous source simultaneously provided a wealth of verifiable evidence, including data records, video information, and written accounts, covering almost everything. Along with this, they exposed the government's secret smuggling of resources and even people to a planet called Warworld over several years. The anger of people worldwide transformed directly into a weapon of public opinion, denouncing the Federal Government. With the tyrant Mongor defeated, the World Federal Government dissolved without suspense within a week.

In an instant, human society had regressed to its starting point. Nations, once bound together by a unified government, disintegrated and re-established their own regimes in the shortest possible time. Of course, more than half of these nations would face various conflicts and power struggles again. The disappearance of the unified government also caused the tense relationships between numerous previously hostile nations to resume, with countries on high alert. Within a week, the air of conflict had once again permeated multiple corners of the Earth.

Humanity had always been this way—constantly fighting. As soon as the external checks and balances disappeared, they wouldn't even maintain the pretense of peace for half a second longer. They fought amongst themselves for power and profit, while simultaneously clashing with their neighbors over resources and land. From a certain perspective, perhaps Mongor had actually done a good deed. At least under the rule of his puppet government, this scarred blue planet had enjoyed five years of peace.

Beyond that, the biggest change was that Superman had returned to the front page of The Daily Planet. Superman had exposed the truth hidden behind the world government and personally taken down the ruler, Mongor. For a time, this became the theme of media worldwide. "He's Back – The Savior Never Left Us," the prominent headline declared in bold print in the most conspicuous position on The Daily Planet's front page, silently but loudly telling everyone.

Six days after the great battle, in the central plaza of Metropolis.

This was probably the largest public gathering in Metropolis in recent years. Almost half of Metropolis's citizens had gathered here, with waves upon waves of people flooding several blocks. Even the most popular celebrity concerts could hardly achieve such a scale. Red and blue balloons filled the sky, almost every one bearing the "S" logo, signifying the sole theme of today's gathering.

Superman, the being who was once the hope and pride of this city, had returned.

The crowd circled the stage erected in the center, and the female host on stage delivered a passionate speech, igniting the enthusiasm of the citizens present. Finally, at the moment when the crowd's emotions reached their peak, she led them in shouting "Superman's" name. The sound spread from one to ten, then to a hundred, like a wildfire igniting a chain reaction, eventually converging into thunderous roars within a few blocks, all resonating with the call of that name.

And the savior they were calling for was currently nervously squeezed within the excited crowd, as hard to find as a grain of sand on a beach.

Mr. Reynolds smiled and patted Jay's shoulder, speaking into his ear amidst the crowd's intense cheers, "Come on, son, they're all calling for you."

Jay looked at the almost earth-shattering commotion and felt a little nervous. It seemed funny, but he had never spoken publicly in front of such a large crowd before. The closest he had come was giving a graduation speech as a student representative in high school, which was nothing like the situation today.

In fact, he had prepared beforehand. Mr. Reynolds had even used his journalistic talent to write a speech for his son, telling him to just read it when he went on stage. But now, he was having second thoughts.

"Uh, I don't think I need to go up," Jay said, wanting to back out. "Look, not every superhero needs to deal with cameras and spotlights, right? Look, Batman never talks to the camera."

"Silly child," Mrs. Reynolds chuckled, "you know that's different."

"Yeah, I know."

Jay sighed, finally giving up the thought of escaping at the last minute. Besides, he knew this might be the beginning of a series of similar events, and he'd better get used to it sooner rather than later.

After more than three minutes of cheers in the plaza, the hero called by the crowd finally made a late appearance. The arrival of the figure with the red cape billowing behind him pushed the already scorching atmosphere to an even higher level, the sound deafening.

The host was a girl with short blonde hair, looking quite lively and attractive. When Jay landed gently in front of her, the girl was also a bit flustered. She opened her mouth, trying to say a simple greeting, but in her nervousness, she couldn't even remember her own name.

Strangely enough, the cheers of the excited crowd, which had been deafening just two seconds ago, gradually quieted down as their "Superman" stood before the stage ready to speak. They became so orderly, as if rehearsed, that Jay couldn't help but suspect that the people in the audience were actors hired specifically to cheer for him.

He mentally counted at super speed. There were about five thousand pairs of eyes focused on him in the plaza, and that didn't even include the people outside the plaza who were too far away to see the stage. He took a deep breath and was incredibly grateful for his super-brain's memory, which prevented him from forgetting his lines due to nervousness. All he had to do now was to recite Mr. Reynolds' speech as expressively as possible.

He gathered his thoughts for a moment and spoke in a voice louder than the microphone: "Citizens of Metropolis, first, I must thank all of you for your support and enthusiasm. It always motivates me to do the right thing. Thank you."

He paused here. If he continued reciting the speech, the next part would involve some empty statements, firm declarations of his stance, and some practically useless but very effective platitudes. But as he scanned the bright, intelligent eyes of everyone present, and the anticipation and trust in their gazes, he hesitated.

Jay pondered for a few seconds, then decided he would deviate from his speech. He looked up, his gaze meeting everyone's eyes directly through his light-gold goggles, and then said, "I haven't had a chance to clarify this before, but I think it's necessary to explain. I am not Superman, at least not the one you know."

A stir began to ripple through the quiet plaza as the news quickly elicited a slight reaction from the crowd. Jay continued, "But as you can see, I am a Kryptonian, just like him. I have inherited his cape, and I hope to inherit what he fought for. If, after hearing what I have to say next, you are still willing to accept me, I would be happy to fill his place."

The voices in the plaza gradually calmed down, and everyone pricked up their ears, waiting for him to continue.

"As we all know, this world has just gone through a long period of darkness, a very long one," Jay said. "But as the old saying goes, no matter how deep the darkness, dawn will eventually come. And darkness itself is not terrifying; what is terrifying is when we lose the belief that dawn will eventually arrive.

This is what happened over the past few years. All of us—whether ordinary people or former heroes—forgot this important part at one point. We blinded ourselves, allowing darkness to grow in the corners we couldn't see, ultimately giving the invaders an opportunity. I also bear responsibility for this part. My narrow perspective had kept me hidden in the shadows, just like everyone else."

He raised his voice and said loudly, "Superman was once the brightest beacon in the world, guiding us toward hope for many years. After his death, it seemed we even forgot what he left us. But that will not be the case from now on. Perhaps I cannot act exactly like him, but I will strive to make a difference in my own way. We must stand up again, we must reclaim the hope we have forgotten, take our destiny into our own hands, and stride confidently into every future day. Today, I stand here, as a member of Earth, and as a Kryptonian who wishes to inherit Superman's spirit, I solemnly call upon every hero who hears this message: it is time to stand up again, it is time to step out of the darkness. They say the age of heroes is over; it is. But a new era is about to begin, and it needs you, it needs me, it needs every one of us."

Having finished speaking in one breath, Jay felt a great sense of relief, as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart. He could hardly believe he had spoken so much on the spot, but every word came from the bottom of his heart. He saw Mr. Reynolds in the crowd start the chant of "Good," followed by the first clap of applause, igniting another wave of cheers from the crowd.

The beautiful short-haired host seemed to have finally regained her composure. She said to Jay, "Thank you, that was a brilliant speech, Sup— Uh, sorry, what should I call you?"

"Huh?"

"Because... you said you're not Superman, right? So what should I call you?"

Jay scratched his head, "Okay, let me think..."

And so, the next day's Daily Planet featured the following headline:

—"New Superman (Superman-Neo) Responds to Public Call, Appears at Metropolis Plaza!"