You Are the Real Heroes

"Superman..."

"He's Superman!"

"He saved us!!"

A child's cry from the crowd ignited everyone.

"Superman!!!"

"Superman!!!"

"Superman!!!"

The cheers crashed like landslides and tsunamis.

Wu Yanzu seemed to feel his system panel being flooded by an enormous stream of numbers.

Global popularity points were exploding...

Ding! Popularity points gained +2450!

Ding! Popularity points gained +3832!

Ding! Popularity points gained +1109!

...

Current popularity points: 2215232!

Template enhancement in progress... Enhancing "Steel Body"!

Template enhancement in progress... Enhancing "Super Speed"!

Template enhancement in progress... Enhancing "Heat Vision"!

...

Mission complete! Obtained Homelander's exclusive set!

The Avengers descended beside him as well.

Captain America looked at him, his expression complicated but full of gratitude. "...Mr. Superman?"

Wu Yanzu did not answer.

He walked over to the life-support pod and, beneath the eyes of the entire world, slowly tore open the container's shell with both hands.

Hiss—!

Inside, more than a hundred human children of twelve or thirteen, their faces filled with confusion, rubbed their eyes and walked out.

"Where's my mommy...?" a little girl asked timidly.

All of New York fell silent.

Tony Stark's faceplate opened with a clank. His mouth hung open, but he could not say a word.

The shield in Steve Rogers's hand slipped to the ground.

Thor's eyes widened as he murmured, "By Odin..."

The next second—

"Whoa—!!!!!!!"

Overwhelming cheers erupted from every corner of the city!

Screams, sobs, shouts!

Ding! Popularity points gained +3011

Ding! Popularity points gained +4840

Ding! Popularity points gained +5526

Ding! Popularity points gained +7789

...

Global popularity level: Making a Name!

Wu Yanzu vaguely felt his strength, speed, and defense surge severalfold at that instant!

The bare blue fabric over his chest began to glow gold.

A moment later, a majestic and domineering eagle emblem appeared out of nowhere, complementing the golden epaulets on his shoulders!

"Hero!!"

"Superman!"

"Hero!!!"

"Superman! Hero—!!!"

The crowd began shouting "hero" and that name which symbolized "hope" in the comics of their own accord.

Homelander stood there, bathed in the thunderous acclaim.

He spread his arms and savored it all.

A moment later, he slowly raised a hand, signaling for the crowd to quiet down.

Miraculously, noisy New York City truly gradually fell silent.

Everyone looked up at him, waiting for him to speak.

He cleared his throat, flashed a brilliant smile at the nearest news helicopter camera, and said—

"Thank you, but..." He raised his index finger and gently shook it along with his head. His slicked-back golden hair did not move in the wind.

"I'm not Superman."

He paused, savoring the way everyone held their breath.

"I am... Homelander, just an ordinary person with a few special abilities."

"And you..." His smile became warmer, more neighborly, as though the alien-slaying god of death from moments ago no longer existed. "...are the real heroes!"

"Homelander."

That name spread clearly across Central Station Square from Wu Yanzu's lips.

Through countless microphones and cameras, it spread across the globe in a tenth of a second.

The crowd fell silent for a moment.

Then came an earthshaking roar.

"Homelander!!!"

"Homelander!!"

"Homelander—!!!"

The word seemed to possess a kind of magic.

After enduring the terror of an alien invasion, people needed a symbol.

And at that moment, Wu Yanzu gave them the perfect one.

Bathed in the cheers, he spread his arms. The holiness and humility on his face were flawless.

"Fuck..." Tony Stark stood several meters behind him, opening his faceplate as he muttered, "This guy... he stole all the spotlight, didn't he?"

"Tony!" Steve Rogers frowned, but he had to admit Stark had voiced exactly what he felt.

This guy... reminded him of himself during those World War II touring shows.

After what felt like forever, the interviews finally ended.

"...So, have any of you eaten shawarma before?" Tony Stark broke the silence as he struggled to take off his battered armor. "I'm starving. I know a place nearby. No idea whether it's still open."

Dr. Bruce Banner had returned to normal and was sitting weakly nearby. At that, he gave a wry smile.

Before long, Earth's mightiest heroes experienced what it meant to eat without saying a word.

Ten minutes later, they sat around together, silently eating... shawarma.

"So," Tony could not stand the silence. After swallowing a mouthful of meat, he spoke first. "Homelander? Seriously? Did you come up with that name yourself, or did your agent?"

Wu Yanzu slowly revealed a perfect smile.

"It's only a codename, Mr. Stark. Like Iron Man, people need a symbol."

"Wow." Tony raised an eyebrow. "That sounded just like a PR statement. I like it."

"Tony." Steve set down his wrap. "This isn't the time for that."

He looked toward Thor.

"Thor." Steve's tone was grave. "That... Tesseract."

Thor nodded and wiped his mouth. "That's right. The Tesseract. My father Odin placed it on Earth centuries ago, intending to protect it. Now it seems it must be taken back to Asgard."

"Hey, hold on, thunder-boy," Tony cut in. "That thing nearly destroyed my city. You're just taking it away? Without even filing a report?"

Thor said solemnly, "It does not belong here, Tony."

"He's right, Tony." Steve stopped Stark before he could continue. "Getting it off Earth is the best choice. Better than leaving it with S.H.I.E.L.D."

Black Widow and Hawkeye silently chewed without speaking, while Banner expressed his agreement.

"Fine, Captain Popsicle, you're the boss." Stark smiled dismissively.

After the meal, it was time to deal with Loki, the god of mischief.

At the moment, he was "enjoying" special treatment. A custom-made Asgardian muzzle had completely sealed that mouth of his, so skilled at bewitching people.

And after Wu Yanzu had "planted" him into the floor, Hulk had later pulled him out and treated him to a round of "puny god" mockery. Now he sat slumped on the ground, glaring hatefully at everyone present.