The Key to the City of Tomorrow!

Metropolis, the plaza in front of City Hall.

The place was packed with people, more crowded than any New Year's celebration.

Countless citizens had gathered of their own accord, holding all kinds of signs—"Thank you, Mr. Link!" "Chaos Guidance, the conscience of the city!" "Link, our true guardian!"

Every camera, every media lens, was aimed at the temporary platform erected before City Hall.

A man in a black suit stood there, his figure tall and straight.

Link.

His face wore just the right trace of exhaustion, as though he had yet to fully recover from that earth-shaking rescue. Yet that weariness made him seem more genuine, more like a true hero.

Beside him, the mayor of Metropolis was flushed with excitement, holding a key made of pure gold, a symbol of the city's highest honor.

"...At the city's darkest hour, it was Mr. Link and Chaos Guidance Company who stepped forward without regard for cost or reward!"

"He not only saved our hero, Superman, but also the lives and families of every one of us!"

"Lex Luthor, the son of the city whom we once trusted, brought us endless pain with his madness and betrayal. Mr. Link, meanwhile, has brought us new life with his courage and selflessness!"

The mayor's voice spread across the entire plaza through the loudspeakers. He raised the golden key high and shouted hoarsely:

"Today, on behalf of all the citizens of Metropolis, I present the city's highest honor—the City Key—to Mr. Link!"

"From this day forward, he will be Metropolis's eternal friend and eternal guardian!"

Boom—!

Thunderous cheers and applause erupted across the plaza. The waves of sound nearly seemed to overturn the sky.

Amid the crowd, Daily Planet's star reporter, Lois Lane, stared at the man onstage with a complicated expression. As a veteran