"Superman..."
"He's Superman!"
"He saved us!!"
A child's cry from the crowd ignited everyone.
"Superman!!!"
"Superman!!!"
"Superman!!!"
The cheers crashed like a landslide and tsunami.
Wu Yanzu seemed to feel his system panel being flooded by an enormous stream of numbers.
Global Popularity Points increasing explosively... Ding! Gained Popularity Points +2450! Ding! Gained Popularity Points +3832! Ding! Gained Popularity Points +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! Received Homelander exclusive set!
The Avengers also landed beside him.
Captain America looked at him with a complicated yet grateful expression. "...Mr. Superman?"
Wu Yanzu did not answer.
He walked over to the life-support pod and, under the gaze of the entire world, slowly tore open the container's shell with his bare hands.
Hiss—!
Inside, more than a hundred bewildered human children, twelve or thirteen years old, rubbed their eyes and walked out.
"Where's my mom...?" a little girl asked timidly.
All of New York fell silent.
Tony Stark's faceplate sprang open with a clank. His mouth hung open, but he could not say a word.
Steve Rogers's shield slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.
Thor's eyes widened as he murmured, "By Odin..."
The next second—
"Woohoo—!!!!!!!"
Overwhelming cheers erupted from every corner of the city!
Screams, sobs, and shouts!
Ding! Gained Popularity Points +3011 Ding! Gained Popularity Points +4840 Ding! Gained Popularity Points +5526 Ding! Gained Popularity Points +7789 ... Global Popularity Level: Rising Star!
Wu Yanzu vaguely felt his strength, speed, and defense surge several times over in that instant!
The plain blue fabric over his chest began to glow with golden light.
Moments later, a majestic and domineering eagle emblem materialized out of thin air, complementing the golden epaulets on his shoulders!
"Hero!!"
"Superman!"
"Hero!!!"
"Superman! Hero—!!!"
The crowd began shouting "hero" and the name that symbolized "hope" in the comics of their own accord.
Homelander stood there, bathed in thunderous applause.
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 began to fall silent.
Everyone looked up at him, waiting for him to speak.
He cleared his throat and gave the nearest news helicopter camera a dazzling smile.
"Thank you, but..." He raised his index finger and gently shook both it and his head, his golden slicked-back hair unmoved by the wind.
"I'm not Superman."
He paused, savoring everyone's bated breath.
"I am... Homelander, just an ordinary person with somewhat unusual abilities."
"And you..." His smile became warmer and more neighborly, as though the alien-slaying god of death from earlier had never existed. "...are the real heroes!"
"Homelander."
The name traveled clearly across Central Station Square through Wu Yanzu's mouth.
Through countless microphones and cameras, it spread across the globe in one-tenth of a second.
The crowd fell silent for a moment.
Then came a tidal wave of shouts.
"Homelander!!!"
"Homelander!!"
"Homelander—!!!"
The word seemed to possess a kind of magic.
After experiencing 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 flawless beyond reproach.
"Fuck..." Tony Stark stood several meters behind him, opened his faceplate, and muttered. "This guy... He stole all the spotlight, didn't he?"
"Tony!" Steve Rogers frowned, but he had to admit that Stark had voiced exactly what he felt.
This guy... reminded him of himself during his World War II touring performances.
...After finally enduring the end of the interviews.
"...So, have you guys ever had shawarma?" Tony Stark broke the silence as he struggled to remove his battered armor. "I'm starving. I know a place nearby, though I don't know if it's still open."
Dr. Bruce Banner had returned to normal and sat weakly to one side. Hearing that, he gave a wry smile.
Very soon, Earth's mightiest heroes learned what it meant to eat in utter silence.
Ten minutes later, they sat gathered around together, silently eating... shawarma.
"So," Tony could not stand the silence any longer. 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.
"Just a codename, Mr. Stark. Like Iron Man, the people need a symbol."
"Wow." Tony raised his brows. "Sounds just like a press release. I like it."
"Tony." Steve set down his wrap. "This isn't the time for that."
He looked toward Thor.
"Thor," Steve said gravely, "that... Tesseract."
Thor nodded and wiped his mouth. "That's right. The Tesseract. My father Odin placed it on Earth centuries ago with the intention of protecting it. Now, it seems it must be returned to Asgard."
"Hey, hold on, Mr. Action Hero," Tony cut in. "That thing nearly destroyed my city. You're just taking it away like that? Not even filing a report?"
Thor said sternly, "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 chewed quietly without speaking, while Banner expressed his agreement.
"Fine, Captain Popsicle, you're the boss." Stark smiled indifferently.
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 silver tongue of his.
After Wu Yanzu had "planted" him into the floor, Hulk had pulled him out and treated him to a round of mockery about being a "puny god." Now he sat slumped on the ground, glaring resentfully at everyone present.
Before you continue