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*****
Under normal circumstances, no matter how great one's physical strength, it is impossible to catch an out-of-control airplane with bare hands. Doing so would usually cause the aircraft to snap under its own concentrated weight.
Superman can hold up a plane because of his bio-electric field, which allows his strength to be distributed evenly across the entire fuselage. George, on the other hand, can support a plane because he possesses a "Cosmo," which allows him to precisely control and distribute force across the vessel.
The moment the plane touched down, and before the police could even arrive, countless reporters swarmed George like a cloud of flies. Their main concern wasn't the fact that George had saved the plane—that had happened many times before. Instead, they were fixated on the recent rumors regarding Superman allegedly massacring a large number of villagers.
"Super Cat, what are your thoughts on what happened with Superman in the Middle East?"
"Meow, meow-meow, meow-meow-meow..."
George paused and let out a series of meows, appearing to give a detailed answer to the reporters' questions.
The journalists looked at one another in confusion. They suddenly realized that since they couldn't understand a word of "Cat," the interview was utterly futile. George shook his head with an air of feigned helplessness and then kicked off the ground, flying away.
He deliberately chose not to respond in human language to save himself the trouble.
Regarding the incident in the Middle East, George knew the truth.
Lois Lane had gone there as a reporter to interview a local warlord. Because there was an undercover CIA agent embedded in her group, the situation turned sour, and she was nearly killed. Superman had rushed there to save her.
However, George knew that the subsequent slaughter of the warlord's men was not Superman's doing. It was the work of a group of mercenaries hired by Lex Luthor. The entire event was a trap Luthor had set specifically for the Man of Steel.
Lex Luthor, the chairman of the unimaginably wealthy LexCorp, was one of the smartest humans on Earth. Driven by jealousy toward Superman and Batman, he had designed a scheme to provoke conflict between the two, which would eventually lead to their famous confrontation.
In reality, even without Luthor's interference, superheroes like Superman and Batman were bound to be controversial in human society. It was inevitable. Superman, in particular, possessed a level of power that humanity as a whole could not resist; any person in power would naturally feel uneasy about such a variable.
Furthermore, a large portion of humanity is easily swayed by public opinion and misinformation. With just a little bit of external manipulation, even a saint can be painted as a villain.
None of this mattered much to George, though. He was simply passing the time here. As long as the Presence did not personally intervene, no one could truly threaten him. Thus, he was perfectly happy to brush everyone off with a few meows.
A week later, fueled by media manipulation, the controversy surrounding Superman reached a fever pitch.
Some believed Superman was a god who saved humanity and that human laws should not apply to a deity—after all, how can a man judge God? Others felt that since Superman lived on Earth, he should be subject to human laws and government oversight. Many others began spreading "Superman Threat" theories.
Interestingly, most of the criticism was directed at Superman; George faced very little backlash. In the eyes of the public, George—being a cat—was likely just Superman's pet. Therefore, Superman was the one held responsible. Besides, the "Super Cat" couldn't even speak; he just meowed. Since communication was impossible, he was seen as a secondary figure with little influence on policy.
That evening, a troubled Superman visited George's room.
"George, do you think I should attend the hearing tomorrow?"
Due to the public outcry, the government had organized a hearing specifically for Superman, hoping he would explain the Middle East incident and clarify his stance on human law.
Superman's desires were simple: he wanted to live his life with Lois and use his abilities to help those in need. He couldn't understand why so many people were slandering and vilifying him. He wondered if he should have let General Zod destroy the Earth after all—was that the outcome they preferred?
"I think you already have the answer in your heart," George replied, opening his eyes. He could read Superman's mind; despite the confusion, there was a core of resolve.
"Yes... I think I should go. I need to tell them where I stand," Superman said after a five-second silence, nodding firmly.
George scratched his whiskers with a paw. "I'll go with you tomorrow."
If he remembered correctly, this hearing was another of Luthor's traps.
"Thank you," Superman said, his expression visibly relaxing. With George by his side, he felt like he wasn't fighting this battle alone.
George waved a paw dismissively. "Neither of us are from Earth, and our situations are the same. Helping you is helping myself."
The next afternoon at 5:00 PM, the Capitol Building was swarmed.
Massive crowds were held back behind police cordons, most of them fans of Clark and George. Despite the negative media, the fact that the duo saved lives almost daily meant that popular support was still largely on their side. However, if Luthor's plan succeeded today, that sentiment would likely flip. Aside from those they had personally saved, the general public would likely turn against them.
"Meow!"
As Superman landed, George floated beside him and waved a paw at the crowd. This triggered a wave of ecstatic screams. The cheers for the heroes instantly drowned out the rest of the noise surrounding the Capitol.
"Don't worry, this hearing won't be a problem," George sent a telepathic message to soothe the nervous Superman, taking full advantage of his "cute cat" status to win over the crowd.
Superman squared his shoulders and strode into the Capitol with the police, entering the hearing room.
"First, I would like to thank our witness for coming before us today..."
The congresswoman sitting on the panel took a deep breath as she began her opening statement. Seeing Superman standing respectfully in the witness area was not easy for her. Originally, she had opposed his presence on Earth, but after learning more about his innocence, she had become conflicted. Luthor had been constantly egging her on, leaving her unsure if she could remain truly impartial.
"Only by working together can we... can we..."
As she spoke, her voice trailed off. Her eyes fell on the cup to her right. A label had been stuck to it that read: "Granny's Peach Tea."
This was a direct reference to a previous conversation she'd had with Luthor. She had told him that even if he called a jar of urine "Granny's Peach Tea," she wouldn't be fooled. Finding that label on her desk at a government hearing meant that Luthor had already compromised the security of the building.
She remembered another phrase from their talk: "Calling an assassination weapon a deterrent."
If Luthor had planted that label here, did it mean he intended to turn the hearing into an assassination? She frantically looked toward Luthor's reserved seat, only to find it empty. He had long since vanished.
Terror filled her eyes. At the same moment, Superman sensed something was wrong. He turned his head toward Luthor's empty chair, picking up a faint, abnormal vibration coming from within the seat itself.
BOOM!
The chair exploded with violent force.
However, a half-second before the blast could expand, George had already unleashed a signature move of the Aries Gold Saint:
"Crystal Wall!"
(End of Chapter)