Outskirts of New York City
In the quiet, green expanse of the countryside
amid birdsong and the scent of wildflowers
an impossible scene suddenly unfolded.
Helicopters.
Tanks.
Armored vehicles.
Fully armed soldiers.
All appearing out of nowhere.
These things should never have been here.
This was a remote, wooded valley—miles away from any military installation.
The soldiers, startled by the abrupt change of scenery, looked around in confusion.
『Soldier A』: "Where… where is this place?"
『Soldier B』: "Weren't we just at Stark Tower? How did we end up here?"
『Soldier C』: "No idea…"
But
they were soldiers, not civilians.
Unlike reporters or office workers, they regained composure quickly, fanning out to assess their surroundings.
Soon, a lieutenant jogged up to a man wearing general's insignia.
『Lieutenant』: "Reporting, General! According to the map, this is the outskirts of New York City—though a very remote area."
『General Jason』: "Hmm."
General Jason nodded calmly, though unease flickered in his eyes.
Because—he shouldn't even be here.
Just moments ago, he'd been comfortably watching television at home.
He hadn't gone anywhere with his troops.
So why was he suddenly standing here… with them?
A cold premonition crept up his spine.
And then
A calm, resonant voice broke the silence.
『Carl』: "How else could you be here? I brought you."
Everyone turned toward the sound.
Hovering a few feet above the ground, dressed casually in a simple shirt and jeans
was Superman.
『Soldier A』: "Enemy sighted! All units, prepare to engage!"
Weapons were raised.
Engines hummed.
Carl didn't even glance at them.
He slowly descended, landing directly in front of General Jason.
『Carl』: "General Jason, isn't it?"
The older man's composure cracked.
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead as he forced a smile.
『General Jason』: "S–Superman… sir, what seems to be the problem?"
He struggled to sound calm, praying the tremor in his voice wasn't obvious.
Because if this being—this god—knew that Jason had ordered the siege on Stark Tower,
then not even ashes of him would remain.
『Carl』: "Problem?"
Carl tilted his head slightly, his tone eerily calm.
『Carl』: "Oh, I don't really have one."
『Carl』: "But there's something I wanted to tell you."
『General Jason』: "S-something to tell me?"
Jason blinked, confused.
Could it be that Superman didn't know?
Maybe this wasn't about the failed ambush.
He let out a silent sigh of relief
only for that relief to freeze mid-breath.
『Carl』: "S.H.I.E.L.D. might hesitate to move against me for now…"
Carl's eyes narrowed, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
『Carl』: "…but you? You're nothing but bottom-feeding trash."
『General Jason』: "Wait!"
The last thing Jason saw was a flash of crimson light.
Then—nothing.
His body disintegrated completely, erased without a sound.
After relocating the troops to the outskirts, Carl had used his telepathy to read their minds.
They were following orders—orders from above.
So he brought their commanding officer—General Jason—straight to them.
Jason's mind revealed fragments of the truth:
he had been promised promotion and reward in exchange for attacking Superman.
No loyalty. No conviction.
Just greed.
Carl didn't bother wasting more words.
The general died instantly, and Carl didn't spare the soldiers another glance.
『Carl』: "This doesn't concern you anymore. Go back."
With that, his figure blurred
and vanished into thin air.
The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances.
Then, one by one, they began to leave.
They were lucky—unlike the reporters, they still had vehicles and aircraft.
It wouldn't take long for them to make it back to civilization.
Moments later—
Carl reappeared in a dimly lit operations room.
There was only one person inside.
An elderly man sat in a leather chair, phone in hand.
『Elderly Man』: "Yes, rest assured. Everything has been arranged."
『Elderly Man』: "Understood."
A cold smile crossed his lips.
『Elderly Man』: "Hail Hydra."
Carl watched silently from the shadows, smiling faintly.
The old man hung up—then suddenly froze.
Something was wrong.
He looked up
and his face drained of color when he saw Carl standing just a few steps away.
『Carl』: "Done making your little report?"
The old man's expression twitched.
He tried to speak, but
A blinding red beam erupted from Carl's eyes, engulfing him entirely.
Not even ashes remained.
『Carl』: "So that's how it is…"
Through his telepathy, Carl had pieced it all together.
Everything—the riots, the false reports, the military siege
traced back to one man.
Alexander Pierce.
Hydra's highest-ranking infiltrator within S.H.I.E.L.D.
He wanted to rule the world.
And for that, he needed Superman's blood.
Or better yet—Superman himself.
Pierce had orchestrated the entire "Stark Tower Incident,"
sending Hydra agents disguised as parents and students
to trap Superman in a public relations nightmare.
At the same time, he'd mobilized Hydra's hidden operatives within the military
including the very old man Carl had just vaporized.
『Carl』: "Alexander Pierce…"
He already knew Pierce's identity.
Hydra had always been S.H.I.E.L.D.'s rot.
But since they never crossed his path before, Carl had ignored them.
Now, though
they had dared to provoke him.
『Carl』: "You brought this on yourself."
His figure shimmered
and disappeared once again.
Inside Pierce's private office
『Alexander Pierce』: "Let's hope this goes according to plan…"
He leaned back in his chair, murmuring to himself.
A moment ago, his associate had called to report success.
But he wasn't fully at ease.
Even Hydra feared Superman's strength.
『Alexander Pierce』: "If this works, though…"
He smirked.
『Alexander Pierce』: "…then we'll finally be able to control him. Or better yet—use him to kill Nick Fury."
『Unknown Voice』: "Killing Nick Fury wouldn't be difficult."
『Unknown Voice』: "But I'm not in the habit of taking orders."
Pierce froze.
That voice—so familiar, so cold
came from right behind him.
He turned sharply
and his heart nearly stopped.
『Alexander Pierce』: "Y-you—Superman…?!"
Carl stood before him, hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable.
『Alexander Pierce』: "W–what brings you here, Superman? Is there something I can help with?"
『Carl』: "Of course."
Carl's smile was faint—almost polite.
『Carl』: "I need your help… to die."
『Alexander Pierce』: "Wait, no!"
A brilliant red light filled the room.
And then—silence.
End of chapter...
WORLDWIDE SUPERMAN STRENGTH
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