A Chaotic Situation

Nick Fury turned off the TV and said to Level 9 Agent Maria Hill, "See that? Let's move."

On the way, Hill, puzzled, said to the fearsome-looking, even more fearsome-hearted head of the agency, "Sir, why do we have to go ourselves? Agent Natasha is already..."

"Natasha has indeed made covert contact with him, but I have a feeling he won't join us so easily. His ideals are somewhat different from ours..."

"Then?"

The agency head stared at the layers of white clouds outside the plane window. "The world is facing more and more crises, and they're growing larger, Agent Hill."

"But isn't S.H.I.E.L.D. dedicated to combating and handling all kinds of anomalous incidents?" Maria Hill shrugged. "A mere terrorist attack, do we need to..."

Director Fury shook his head. "I'm not worried about that Joker. I'm worried that Batman, Gotham City's golden child, might let this incident drag his mindset toward the darkness..."

The agency head's eyes sharpened. "That Joker is a master of psychological warfare. If we're not careful, our superheroes could be 'contaminated' by him... And S.H.I.E.L.D. needs to gather every resource we can to ensure this world's safety. That's why I won't allow a force like Wayne Enterprises to become an obstacle."

Agent Hill fell silent. After a long moment, she said softly, "Even if he might be another Tony Stark?"

"Even if he's another Tony Stark!" the agency head declared without hesitation.

"..."

At night, Gotham City was much quieter than during the day, even far less lively than its usual neon-lit nightlife. Walking through the desolate streets, a hint of disdain curled at the lips of a youth hidden under a hood.

Ten years! It had been ten years since he arrived on Earth. Aeo had always suspected this world wasn't as simple as he'd imagined. Whether it was the power of the Kryptonians or the absurd setting of the Power Stone, none of it matched the movie and comic world he knew from his past life. So, after arriving on Earth, he spent these ten years secretly stockpiling superhuman abilities (basking in the sun) while analyzing the world's factions, culture, economy, and history, trying to see how this world differed from the one he knew.

Finally, after Fortier spent over a year organizing everything—back in '02, Earth's internet wasn't developed yet—Aeo gained a rough but necessary understanding of this world's Earth.

First, history before World War II was largely the same as his past life. The differences started during the war! On this Earth, WWII not only produced the planet's first superhero but also gave birth to the precursors of S.H.I.E.L.D., Stark Industries, Wayne Enterprises, Pym Technologies, Osborn Group, and other super-agencies and corporations that would later become household names.

That's right. In this world, Iron Man and the Batman family were old family friends, Ant-Man and the Green Goblin were business partners, and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s predecessor was founded by the fathers—or themselves (Dr. Pym)—of all these people!

Pretty crazy, right?

When had these connections, which in his past life had nothing to do with each other, become so seamlessly and harmoniously intertwined? How irresponsible were the editors and directors of his past life, leaving so many things unexplained...

Or maybe, this was what a real world should look like? Every character was alive, not just popping up for screen time when needed in a movie or comic?

But what made Aeo's brow twitch was that, on top of all this, the Shadow Warriors, Cobra Commander, and the Dragon Group (this world's rabbit country's superpower agency—wait, what about the Divine Spear Bureau?)—names that sounded like trash from third-rate novels in his past life—what the hell were they? When did Cobra become the U.S. government's special forces? Wasn't that...

In short, in the real world, Earth was far more dangerous than in the movies about the Avengers, Captain America, or Iron Man! And that wasn't even counting the Nine Realms, Odin... He really didn't understand how Tony Stark, Bruce Wayne, and the others managed to fight crime and repel alien forces. Just from internal strife, they could wipe themselves out first, right?

So, for these ten years, the little Kryptonian had kept his head down, basking in the sun and training his senses. At the same time, he studied Kryptonian technology and other knowledge. When tired, he'd find a place to crash. When short on cash, he'd have Fortier skim some from ATMs. This world's internet and programs were still too immature for a highly advanced AI from Kryptonian civilization. Besides, even at just five years old, as a awakened Fortierian who could absorb solar radiation, he wasn't something ordinary Earthlings could resist. No need to worry about shady people targeting him. And since he was careful, even after ten years of wandering across America, he was still alive and well.

Until recently, when the news was flooded with reports of Stark Industries' young CEO, billionaire playboy Tony Stark, revealing himself as Iron Man. Aeo finally understood: the 'plot' had officially begun!

But just as he was about to act, the Joker's terrifying manifesto spread across the world like a plague.

Aeo frowned. Well, it's all mixed together now... Rushing to Gotham City as fast as he could, he found things far worse than he'd imagined. Streets that used to be bustling with traffic were now deserted. Young thrill-seekers gathered in small groups, drag racing and fighting. Gangs and drugs ran rampant in the shadows, as if all the monsters had crawled out at once.

As for ordinary citizens, faced with that madman on TV, fear and panic erupted into discontent. The people loudly protested the government's indulgence of Batman, blaming him for the disaster now upon them—conveniently forgetting who had hailed him as a hero before. The streets were littered with protest signs and scraps of paper from daytime marches demanding Batman leave Gotham, claiming he brought them danger. Meanwhile, drag racers and punk enthusiasts sped by, burning cars and oil drums at street corners. In the alleys, thugs and ruffians seized the chance to rob and extort, making it all look like the end of the world—decadent and chaotic.

The Joker was indeed a master of psychological warfare. With a single video, he had thrown Gotham into panic and disarray before a single blow was struck. Those who once acted so noble and sanctimonious were now cursing and blaming Batman for not coming out to save them. The trouble he caused, they had to bear...

Watching all this, Aeo couldn't help but think: maybe this so-called civilized world really was just a ridiculous joke, just as the Joker said.