The moment of touch!
A metallic, tangible feedback wafted through her senses.
Even the unique damping sensation when opening the cap was exactly the same as the fountain pen she had just clipped to her notebook.
If it weren't for the unnatural green sheen, she would have truly believed it was a real fountain pen.
"Alright."
With a "click," John snapped his the Snap.
The heavy fountain pen between Lois's fingers instantly disintegrated into millions of tiny green particles.
Like fine sand flowing backwards, it silently returned to the ring.
"What... what is this?"
Lois remained frozen in place, still holding the pen.
She lowered her head, looking at her empty palms, and fell into a speechless daze.
Light, surprisingly, was given mass and form.
She is the daughter of an Army lieutenant general and has had access to the Pentagon's most advanced physics labs.
However, the current level of human technology is far from sufficient to create this "inconceivable" technology.
"Oh, alien artifacts... Didn't you just say you didn't believe it?"
John looked at Lois with a leisurely air, his eyes full of amusement:
"What, you still think I'm spouting nonsense about third-rate science fiction?"
Lois's brain isn't quite working properly.
This man can not only lift iron pipes weighing tens of tons with his bare hands.
They even possess "alien technology" that cannot be explained by current science.
Although she really didn't want to believe this "absurd" scene.
But the facts are there, leaving her no room for doubt.
Since the ring is real...
Is that alien fleet approaching the Solar System real?
Lois seemed to sense something, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
"But that doesn't make any sense! Even if it were true..."
Even if I actually wrote the report, who would believe such a thing?!
You're lying to me, aren't you?
Lois looked up and stared intently at John.
"You do possess what appears to be 'alien technology,' but you lack truly reliable sources."
"If I just submit the report like this, Perry (the editor-in-chief) won't even let me into the internal review system."
Seeing the woman's growing anxiety, John, leaning against the hood of the pickup truck, shrugged helplessly.
"Then let's try another method..."
Don't the tabloids in the Metropolis publish all sorts of slapstick stories about Bigfoot, Bermuda, or reptilians all day long?
You can write it in the corner of the special issue, print it next to the Gypsy astrology column, or a missing person notice.
"No, that won't work... I won the Pulitzer Prize; they only recognize my name on the paper."
Lois and John stared at each other, wide-eyed.
"Oh... that's even better, the fan effect will make it spread even faster."
That's all I have to say, big reporter. Anyway, I've given you the news exactly as it is.
Whether you believe it or not, and how you want to handle it... that's your business.
The camera slowly pans to the morning of the following day.
"Bang!"
Editor-in-Chief Perry slammed the heavy wooden door to his office shut.
His face flushed red, and he ran to his messy desk, slamming a still-wet morning newspaper onto the table.
"Smack!"
The bottom half of the newspaper's front page prominently featured a full-page feature article that Lois had worked through the night to produce:
Wandering: The Alien Expeditionary Fleet
Indeed, after a night of deliberation, Lois ultimately chose the main publication.
"Can anyone tell me what the hell this is, Lois?"
Perry braced his hands on the table, his cigar bobbing wildly with his heavy breathing, spittle flying everywhere.
"You spent your three-day holiday running off to some unknown rural area, and then handed me this piece of utter nonsense?"
A wandering alien warlord? A commander? And what else... a ' World Engine ' capable of increasing Earth's gravity dozens of times over?
Perry paced back and forth in his office in a fit of rage, frantically pulling at his thinning hair.
" My God, Lois! You're a Pulitzer Prize- nominated, top-tier journalist!"
Not some cheap B-grade science fiction magazine writer hawking their work for two cents a copy on a supermarket shelf!
We are the Daily Planet!
One of the most serious news organizations in the United States!
"When did our front page start serializing third-rate space opera novels?"
" Perry, my source..."
Lois rubbed her forehead, somewhat helplessly trying to explain.
"Your source is a complete idiot who eats hallucinogens like they're candy!"
Perry abruptly interrupted her, grabbing the telephone receiver from the table and slamming it back down.
"Did you know... this morning, as soon as the market opened, the mayor's office secretary and the duty officer from the press office..."
Even several of my long-term subscribers in Gotham all called my transfer line!
They all kept asking me if the newspaper's printing presses had been hacked, or if the editorial staff had all inhaled nitrous oxide!
Perry stopped in front of Lois, his eyes filled with exasperated frustration.
" Lois! Any other intern would have submitted such a piece of garbage."
I threw his employee ID card down the toilet five minutes ago!
I know you've been under a lot of pressure lately...
But if next time they're planning to put something like 'Martians riding dinosaurs attack the White House ' on the front page again...
I swear, I'll personally demote you to the pet adoption section to write those damn cat food reviews!
A brief silence fell over the office.
Lois sat numbly at her workstation, letting Perry vent his anger recklessly.
What could she say?
Should I tell Perry that the man who made up the story played with tons of steel pipes like firecrackers in front of her last night?
If that's really the case, Perry would probably call 911 immediately and get her to the hospital.
"I know this sounds outrageous, Perry."
Lois adjusted her black-rimmed glasses.
"The manuscript has already been printed... I will personally bear all the responsibility for public opinion."
You can deduct all of your performance bonus and performance pay for next quarter.
Perry paused, then looked into Lois's earnest eyes, and his anger subsided.
He looked at his "prized lieutenant" suspiciously, and finally could only grit his teeth in frustration and wave his hand:
"Get to work... Don't let me see you doing this kind of attention-grabbing nonsense again!"
Lois nodded silently.
The column continues to generate buzz...
This seemingly absurd column is nothing more than a source of amusement for the residents of the Metropolis.
When commuters on the early morning subway turn to this page, most just curl their lip in disdain.
Or you can simply fold up a newspaper and place it under your coffee cup.
A well-known journalist who was used to reporting on municipal corruption suddenly published a clichéd story about an "alien invasion".
To most outsiders, it was nothing more than a clumsy publicity stunt.
However.
This "story" is utter nonsense in the eyes of ordinary people.
But it was like a pebble accidentally thrown into the water, creating invisible ripples.