It has to be said, Boeing still has something going for it.
Just the name of the company alone completely shattered all the doubts and conspiracy theories in Ian's mind. Globally, few companies probably possess such brand power.
A brand image so deeply ingrained that even superheroes have become accustomed to it. Even with Ian's experience, he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe, thinking that the company had really gone to great lengths for the sake of the superheroes' performance!
"BOOM! BOOM!"
A ten-meter-long tongue of flame erupted from the right wing of the Boeing 747 airliner, metal fragments spraying out like fireworks. Inside the cabin, the screams of desperate passengers almost drowned out the plane's alarms.
"Hold on!"
Kara accelerated.
The flight trajectory changed drastically.
Ian, on her back, hurriedly tightened his grip around her neck. The two of them dove down like a silver meteor, approaching the underside of the plane in the instant before it was about to crash into the wilderness.
The fuselage tilted dangerously; through the portholes, they could see the passengers' terrified faces. She adjusted her angle, flew under the plane, and raised her hands high to steadily support its belly.
"Whoosh~"
Kara's biological force field(aka tactile telekinesis) wrapped around the 300-ton steel behemoth like an invisible film of water, gradually altering the direction of the plane's nose along its downward trajectory.
She was clearly very experienced at rescuing this model of aircraft. Holding the plane and carrying Ian, she slowly adjusted her posture and finally landed steadily on the ground.
"Thud!"
Kara's feet sank deep into the asphalt road, cracks spreading out like a spiderweb from where she stood. However, she didn't transmit the force to the plane; it remained stable, and not a single person was thrown from their seats.
This was probably a scene most physicists would puzzle over for a lifetime.
"Tsk tsk, this is the version of himself that Homelander fantasizes about," Ian remarked with undisguised envy. As the emergency escape slides inflated and deployed, the shaken passengers tumbled out of the cabin door.
The crisis was successfully resolved.
In high spirits, Kara rested her hands on her hips, catching her breath.
Her outfit had somehow changed into her superhero costume.
Instant costume change.
This was a required course many superheroes had to master.
"It's Supergirl!" A little boy wearing a baseball cap was the first to recognize Kara, tugging excitedly at his mother's hand. "Mom, Supergirl saved us!"
"God, thank you, thank you for sending your savior to rescue us," a white-haired Christian knelt on the ground, crossing himself as he thanked his faith.
"I swear I'll never complain about my mom's cooking being bad again! As long as I'm alive, I'll eat anything!" A girl in her early twenties burst into tears after the near-death experience.
A wave of weak laughter rippled through the crowd.
At that moment.
A woman with wine-red hair wearing a beige trench coat in the crowd also calmed down. Compared to the others expressing gratitude and relief, her reporter's instincts made her want to seize this firsthand news opportunity.
"My name is Iris West, a reporter for the Central City Citizen," Iris said, holding up her phone to record. Her voice was emotional and strained. "Supergirl, thank you so much for your help. Without it, perhaps we all would have..."
She trailed off, still feeling shaken and unwilling to think about that possibility.
"You're welcome, Ms. West. This is my job, isn't it? As long as everyone is safe, that's what matters," Kara's reply was professional; she was well-versed in handling such interviews.
"We're close to Metropolis. Are you temporarily assisting Superman? I heard he's having some problems. Could you clarify or confirm that for the public?" Iris knew exactly what kind of news she needed. Since yesterday's plane crash, both in Metropolis and online, there had been much discussion about why Superman had failed.
"Regarding that, I believe he himself will respond later. His response will likely be more convincing than mine," Kara answered, her heart tightening at Iris's question, though she remained outwardly calm, giving a perfect reply. She wasn't a rookie; she had received training related to interviews, and her day job was also doing similar things.
"Thank you."
The reporter Iris was white, not the CW version, so she had a strong sense of boundaries and didn't press her savior further. Glancing at the other passengers, she changed tack.
"I noticed you seemed to be escorting a criminal earlier?" Iris already had a draft in mind; now she just needed to sort out Supergirl's usual vigilante activities.
Readers loved this stuff, like fans obsessed with peeking into their idols' lives.
"Escorting a criminal?"
Kara, still somewhat stunned by the possibility that Superman really might be having problems, visibly paused for a moment at the reporter Iris's follow-up question.
"Gasp!"
Kara, as if suddenly remembering something, looked sharply beside her with her usual scatterbrain. Seeing that Ian, whom she had set down during her costume change, was gone, she turned around in alarm, looking behind her.
There.
Ian had somehow climbed off Kara's back and was now surrounded by a few brave passengers taking selfies with him. Worse, the guy had a translucent, flesh-colored stocking pulled over his head!
The kind with holes poked out for the eyes and mouth!
Looking exactly like a seasoned criminal!
Kara felt a vein throb at her temple. She quickly ran over to Ian, who was posing for paid photos, ignoring the passengers' compliments. Flustered, she grabbed Ian and shot straight up into the sky.
As if afraid that even a second's delay would allow Ian to cause more trouble.
The other passengers hadn't even reacted yet.
Click, click, click~
Reporter Iris whipped out her camera and started snapping pictures furiously at the sky, pressing the shutter like it was on fire. After all, every one of these firsthand photos could be turned into Franklins (money).
Whoosh~
Just then.
A bolt of lightning suddenly streaked in from the distance, causing gasps and commotion among the passengers. A man clad in armor of intertwined gold and red came to a stop before them.
His face was covered by a metal cowl, revealing only a relatively small mouth.
"The Flash! It's The Flash!"
A passenger shouted in delighted surprise, pulling out their phone too. One busty girl, in particular, had been trying to livestream but was disappointed when Supergirl left.
She hadn't expected to capture another superhero.
"Oh! My gosh! Guys, look, it's The Flash! My luck is so good today!" The girl wanted to gain followers from her livestream, but her audience wasn't entirely receptive.
The chat was filled with accusations like "Thirst Trap, get back to your real job!"
"Everyone... okay?" The Flash scanned the surroundings, his gaze lingering on his childhood sweetheart, though he masked it slightly to avoid revealing his identity.
"Flash! Are you in Metropolis too?"
Iris clearly hadn't yet received the big reveal from her boyfriend, Barry Allen. She quickly pointed her camera at The Flash and started snapping pictures furiously, wanting to make money for herself.
"Uh..."
Barry Allen wanted to say he had come because he'd received Iris's "goodbye" call, pulling himself away from a big fight. But looking around, he felt it wasn't the right place to confess because of personal feelings.
"Yes, that's right. You know, superheroes have regular meetups. I was just..." Barry was rambling, trying to be vague, when—
Hiss~
An intense wave of weakness suddenly washed over him.
It cut his words short.
He couldn't help but drop to one knee.
"What's wrong?" Iris hurried forward to support The Flash. Though she didn't know his identity, she was an old acquaintance of The Flash.
He had contributed quite a bit to the BMW Mini she'd bought this year with his news popularity.
"Nothing... just..."
Feeling the weakness in his body,
Barry Allen initially tried to brush it off. However, he realized his connection to the Speed Force was also weakening, causing a flicker of panic. He quickly removed part of the armor from his arm.
"Savitar... what did he do to me."
There.
On Barry Allen's arm was also a vicious wound, from a battle not long ago.
It now glowed with a faint blue light. If Ian hadn't been taken away so early, he would have recognized the shape of this wound.
Apart from the color.
It was extremely identical to the wound on Superman's arm!
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