A New Era

A week after the great battle in New York.

A third of the city had collapsed in the fierce battle between Jay and Mongor. Smoke and dust blanketed the entire city. Even if Mongor still held power, there was no way he could cover this up anymore. Through high-speed fiber-optic networks, reports of the battle spread to every corner of Earth within a single day.

Everyone knew.

But this was only an appetizer before the real bombshell dropped. While people were still busy being shocked that Superman, who had vanished for six years, had reappeared and was as formidable as ever, tearing apart half an international metropolis, truly terrifying news exploded like an atomic bomb in the media. According to verifiable information provided by an anonymous source, the World Federal Government had secretly been ruled by an alien tyrant for five whole years. During that time, every law it issued and every decision it made had followed that alien's will.

The anonymous source also provided a wealth of evidence that could be verified, including data records, video footage, and written documentation—nearly everything imaginable. It also exposed the government's secret trafficking of resources and even people to a planet called Warworld over the past several years. The outrage of people across the globe immediately became a weapon of public opinion against the federal government. Now that the tyrant Mongor had been defeated, the World Federal Government dissolved without suspense within a week.

In an instant, human society regressed to square one. The nations that had been bound together around a unified government broke apart again, restoring their respective regimes in the shortest possible time. Naturally, more than half of those countries would once again face all manner of conflicts over power. The disappearance of centralized rule also restored tense relations between countless nations that had once been hostile. Countries stood at sword's point, and within a single week, the pungent smell of gunpowder once again filled many corners of Earth.

Humanity had always been like this—fighting without end. The moment the external force keeping them in check disappeared, they were unwilling to maintain even that false peace for another second. Their own people fought one another for power and profit while also battling neighboring countries to the point of bloodshed over resources and land. From a certain perspective, perhaps Mongor had actually done something good. At least under his puppet government's rule, this battered blue planet had enjoyed five years of peace.

Beyond that, the greatest 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 brought down its ruler, Mongor. For a time, this became the subject of media outlets around the world. "He has returned—the savior never abandoned us." The striking headline was printed in bold in the most prominent place on The Daily Planet's front page, proclaiming the message to everyone in silent yet resounding fashion.

One week after the battle, on Planet Six, in the central square of Metropolis.

This was probably the largest public gathering Metropolis had seen in recent years. Nearly half the city's residents had gathered here. Layer upon layer of people flooded several blocks, a scale even the hottest celebrity concert could hardly match. Red and blue balloons nearly covered the sky, and almost every one bore the symbol "S," declaring the sole theme of today's gathering.

Superman, the being who had once been this city's hope and pride, had returned.

People crowded around the stage erected at the center in ring after ring. The female host delivered an impassioned speech from the stage, igniting the citizens' enthusiasm with stirring words. Finally, just as the crowd's emotions reached their peak, she took the lead in loudly shouting Superman's name. The cry spread from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred, joining together like a wildfire until it became thunderous across several blocks, all voices calling that name in unison.

And the savior they were calling for was currently nervously wedged among the impassioned crowd, as hard to pick out as a grain of sand tossed onto a beach.

Mr. Reynolds smiled and patted Jay on the shoulder. Raising his voice over the crowd's frenzied shouts, he said into Jay's ear, "Come on, son. They're calling for you."

Jay looked at the nearly earth-shaking spectacle and felt genuinely uncertain. It sounded funny, but he had truly never spoken publicly before a crowd of this size. The closest experience he had ever had was delivering a graduation speech as a student representative in high school, and that was completely different from today.

In fact, he had prepared in advance. Mr. Reynolds had even put his reporter's talents to use and written a speech for his son, telling him that he only needed to memorize it and recite it once he took the stage. But now, Jay was having second thoughts.

"Um, I don't think I need to go up there," Jay said, beginning to back out. "Look, not every superhero has to deal with cameras and spotlights, right? Batman never talks to the cameras."

"Silly child," Mrs. Reynolds said with a smile. "You know that's different."

"Yeah, I know."

Jay sighed and finally gave up the thought of fleeing at the last moment. Besides, he knew this might be the beginning of a whole series of similar obligations. He had better get used to them as soon as possible.

After the cheering in the square continued for more than three minutes, the hero the crowd had called for finally arrived. The appearance of that figure with a red cape fluttering behind him pushed the already blazing atmosphere to yet another height, and the sound shook the heavens.

The host was a pretty girl with short blond hair. When Jay gently landed before her, she could not help becoming flustered. She opened her mouth, trying to offer a simple greeting, but she was so nervous that she could not even remember her own name.

Strangely enough, the crowd's cheers had been deafening two seconds earlier, but when their "Superman" stood before the stage and prepared to speak, they gradually fell silent with remarkable coordination. They were so orderly that it seemed as though they had rehearsed beforehand, making it impossible for Jay not to wonder whether the people below had been hired actors brought in to support him.

Using Super Speed, he counted silently in his head. More than five thousand pairs of eyes in the square were probably focused on him, not including the people outside the square who were too far away to see the stage. He took a deep breath, feeling immensely grateful that his super brain's memory meant he would not forget his lines from nervousness. All he had to do now was recite the speech Mr. Reynolds had written as vividly as possible.

After gathering himself for a moment, he spoke in a voice louder than the microphone. "Citizens of Metropolis, first of all, I must thank all of you. Thank you for your support and enthusiasm. It always gives me greater motivation to do the right thing. Thank you."

He paused there. If he continued reciting the prepared speech, he should have made some hollow declarations next, affirmed his stance, and said a few empty but practical pleasantries. But when he swept his gaze over every pair of bright, lively eyes present, and saw the expectation and trust each person held for him, he hesitated.

Jay pondered for several seconds, then decided to abandon his speech. He raised his head and looked directly into everyone's eyes through his pale gold goggles before speaking. "I have never had the chance to clarify this before, but I think I need to explain something. I am not Superman. At least, not the Superman you know."

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

The noise in the square gradually subsided. 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 frightening. What is frightening is losing faith that dawn will come.

That was exactly what happened over the past several years. All of us—whether ordinary people or the heroes of the past—once forgot this important truth. We blinded our own eyes and allowed darkness to grow in corners we could not see, ultimately giving invaders an opening. I bear responsibility for this as well. Before, my narrow vision kept me hiding in the shadows, just like everyone else."

He raised his voice and shouted, "Superman was once the brightest beacon in the world, showing us the direction of hope for many years. Yet after his death, it seemed that we even forgot what he had left us. But not anymore. Maybe I cannot act exactly as he did, but I will strive to make a difference in my own way. We must stand up again. We must reclaim the hope we forgot, seize our own destiny with our own hands, and face every day ahead with our heads held high. Today, 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 again. They say the age of heroes has ended. It has. But a new era is about to begin, and it needs you. It needs me. It needs every one of us."

After saying all that in one breath, Jay could not help feeling as though a great weight had been lifted from him. His heart felt far lighter. He could hardly believe he had improvised so much, yet every word had truly come from the bottom of his heart. In the crowd, he saw Mr. Reynolds take the lead in shouting, "Good!" Then he clapped first, igniting another wave of cheers from the crowd.

The pretty short-haired host seemed to have finally regained her composure. She said to Jay, "Thank you. That was a wonderful speech, Super—uh. Sorry, what should I call you?"

"Huh?"

"Because... you said you aren't Superman, right? Then what should I call you?"

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

Thus, the next day's The Daily Planet carried the following headline—

—"Superman-Neo Answers the People's Call, Appears in Metropolis Square!"

(Thanks to readers Half a Love Letter, An&Good, and Dawn's Eerie Lamp for their 500 Qidian Coin tips!)