Tony and Pepper arrived at the front entrance of Stark Tower.
But the scene before them left both completely stunned.
The massive crowd that had gathered there earlier—students, parents, reporters
had vanished. Completely.
Not a single trace remained.
Neither Tony nor Pepper could make sense of what happened.
So, they decided to land and ask the security team.
"Thud!"
Tony touched down, the faceplate of his armor sliding open to reveal his face.
『Security Guard A』: "Mr. Stark!"
『Security Guard B』: "Boss!"
Before Tony could even speak, the surrounding guards greeted him in unison.
『Tony』: "Mm."
He gave a brief nod before asking,
『Tony』: "Did you see Mr. Superman? And where did all those people go?"
『Security Guard A』: "We saw Mr. Superman earlier, sir. He came out, said a few words… and then took everyone away."
『Tony』: "Took them away?"
Tony froze, confused.
『Tony』: "What do you mean, took them away?"
『Security Guard A』: "Well… I'm not really sure. He just said something from up in the sky, and then… they were gone."
『Pepper』: "???"
Tony and Pepper exchanged puzzled looks.
A few minutes earlier…
Carl had a hunch that something—or someone—was orchestrating the chaos from behind the scenes.
So he came to the front of Stark Tower.
The moment he appeared, the crowd erupted.
『Random Bystander』: "Look! It's Superman!"
『Parent A』: "That's really him!"
『Parent B』: "Superman! Why did you attack my son?!"
『Parent C』: "Apologize to him! Or I swear, we won't let this go!"
『Parent D』: "Yeah, apologize—and compensate us for emotional and financial damages!"
『Crowd』: "Apologize! Apologize!"
The moment Carl showed up, the shouting began.
Reporters rushed forward, microphones thrust toward him.
『Reporter A』: "Mr. Superman, what's your take on this incident?"
『Reporter B』: "As a superhero, why would you assault high school students?"
『Reporter C』: "Mr. Superman—please give a statement!"
The crowd of journalists included TV crews, newspaper reporters, and online media.
As soon as they saw Carl, all their cameras turned toward him.
After all, this was Superman—a guaranteed headline.
But Carl didn't respond.
Instead, he activated his telepathy, reading the minds of those present.
He quickly discerned that some people—students, parents, a few reporters—truly had no idea what was going on.
They'd simply been provoked into coming, chasing sympathy or compensation.
But others…
They weren't victims at all.
They were agitators—people who had deliberately stirred up the outrage for ulterior motives.
And Carl immediately knew who they were, and what they were after.
Someone was clearly targeting him.
What he hadn't expected, however, was who was behind it.
『Reporter A』: "Mr. Superman, may we ask—how do you explain what happened?"
『Carl』: "Explain?"
Carl gave a small, calm nod.
『Carl』: "There's nothing to explain. I only slapped those students once. A few ended up with broken legs, yes—but that was their punishment."
『Carl』: "After all, they weren't exactly kind to their classmates either."
Then Carl recounted the events that had taken place earlier that day.
When he finished, several Midtown High students who had been in the crowd looked visibly uneasy.
Everything Carl said was true.
They really had been mocking and jeering at their classmates at the time.
And Carl really had only struck them once.
It had hurt then, sure—but now, they were completely fine.
Not even a bruise left.
They were all young, impulsive, and easily swayed.
Most hadn't even wanted to come today—but their parents had pressured them into it.
Now, hearing Carl speak the truth out loud, some of them actually felt… ashamed.
They realized they'd been no better than bullies themselves.
『Reporter B』: "So that's how it really was?"
The reporter looked stunned, then glanced around at the students' faces.
He could tell from their reactions—Carl was telling the truth.
『Reporter B』: "But… that doesn't match the information we received earlier."
He turned toward one of the parents.
『Reporter B』: "Sir, what do you think about Superman's statement?"
『Angry Parent』: "Nonsense! He's lying to cover himself!"
『Carl』: "Oh? Then why don't you tell us what really happened?"
『Reporter B』: "Yes, sir. Please, share your version."
Everyone turned to look at the middle-aged man.
The man cleared his throat.
『Mysterious Middle-Aged Man』: "Ahem. The truth… is exactly what Superman said."
『Mysterious Middle-Aged Man』: "Those students brought this upon themselves."
The parents around him froze in disbelief.
They hadn't expected him, of all people, to say that.
After all, this was the same man who had approached them days ago
promising $300 if they came to Stark Tower to "protest."
If they brought their children, he'd even add another hundred.
He had even paid an advance of $100 right away.
It sounded easy enough—so they agreed.
They'd show up, shout a bit, and leave with some quick cash.
And now, that very same man was admitting everything.
『Reporter B』: "Wait, what?!"
Even the reporters were stunned.
Up until now, the entire group had been united in blaming Superman.
But suddenly, both students and parents were contradicting their earlier claims.
『Reporter B』: "What's going on here?"
The man straightened up, voice lowering into something darker.
『Mysterious Middle-Aged Man』: "Those students deserved it, yes. But our organization… saw an opportunity in this. So we acted."
『Reporter B』: "Your organization? What organization are you with?"
The man's expression shifted. He stood tall, looked directly into the camera, and said with a chilling calm
『Mysterious Middle-Aged Man』: "HYDRA."
End of chapter...
WORLDWIDE SUPERMAN STRENGTH
🔹 Dimension Walker – 15 chapters ahead
📍 patreon.com/MrBehringer