Clark Kent watched the situation in Bialya getting worse. The leaders of both sides were already at each other's throats. "Sigh." But sighing didn't help at all.
"Superman, what are you thinking about?" Liu A'dou looked at Clark sitting alone in the empty office, curiosity all over his face.
Superman was startled. He turned around and saw it was Kaitou Kid. "What are you doing here? How do you know I'm Superman?" He thought, How did my identity get exposed again?
"That's not important. I have my own special sources." Liu A'dou turned his gaze to the screen.
On the screen, countless Bialya citizens were marching in the streets with signs supporting the Elite. Below the footage were comments from American netizens praising them with things like "Light of Freedom" and "Blade of Democracy." Right now, everyone was worshipping violence and decisive killings.
Some even showed open dissatisfaction with Superman, calling him a hypocrite. It reminded Liu A'dou of his own experiences when people called him a fraud. But Superman's situation was much worse: the people cheering on the Elite weren't just greedy, they had twisted views.
These people didn't trust the law, only brute force. And with blind passion, they tried to force Superman to do what they themselves wouldn't dare. The worst kind—demanding Superman kill for them, while on the other hand clamoring to abolish the death penalty.
"The Elite, huh? They're not easy to deal with. They're good at using public opinion to make people miserable—like a toad jumping onto your shoe: can't really hurt you, but disgusts you to death," Liu A'dou said. "Especially to someone like you, Superman, who cares so much about everyone else."
If you tried to arrest them, they'd cry out they were fighting for the people, and the masses would swarm government offices every day. But you couldn't kill them either. It was like having power with nowhere to use it, forced to watch them cause chaos.
"You know them?" Superman asked when he saw how confidently Kid spoke.
"Of course I do. Don't underestimate my information network," Liu A'dou said, even though it was all from anime he watched before. But roughly, he was right. "They're a bunch of people convinced they're righteous, exploiting public opinion with their powers."
"Breaking the law and acting self-righteous isn't justice," Superman said firmly. His bottom line was never becoming an executioner above the law. If he had to do that, he'd rather give up being Superman.
"The best way to deal with people like them is to ignore them."
"But if I ignore them, Bialya will be destroyed," Clark said. After speaking with the hijackers before, he knew the country's situation well. Now, the stalemate was turning into full-on war, and innocent civilians would suffer most.
"That's their nation's choice. They chose the Elite, so they'll have to live with the consequences—good or bad," Kid said. "Superman, you're not their babysitter."
But Superman couldn't help himself. His heart always went out to the helpless. That was why he so often fell for traps by villains pretending to be victims. Being too kind wasn't always a good thing.
"The Elite killed so many government soldiers that the Bialya president is now openly planning an airstrike on the rebels. When that happens, more innocent people will get hurt. The people need guidance, and that's why I'm here."
Superman was determined to act as humanity's guide.
No matter how much people insulted him, Superman never got angry. No matter how many times he got hit, he wouldn't get mad. But seeing innocent people hurt—that was the one thing that truly enraged him. That's also why he trusted Kaitou Kid: because Kid always made sure innocent bystanders never got caught in the crossfire.
"Then are you willing to become the enemy of all people?" Kid asked seriously.
"?" What did that mean? Did Kid have an idea?
"It's actually simple. You just need to go all out and beat the crap out of those four The Elite guys," Kid said. "Show everyone how terrifying your power really is when you don't hold back. Let them see that crossing the moral line is easy. Killing someone? That's nothing."
"…??" Superman looked at Kid in shock. "Are you joking?"
"Yes, I'm joking. But I'm not joking about beating them up," Kid said. "It's just that after this, a lot of people might be afraid of you. You won't have the same popularity as now. You'll have to show a furious side of yourself."
Superman was silent for a long time, then understood. "You want me to use The Elite's own methods against them. Fight fire with fire."
Kid nodded.
Superman finally realized why some people feared him. If he suddenly dropped his usual gentleness and showed his rage, people would see he could level a skyscraper with a wave of his hand. Then they'd fear his power. Actually, maybe this wasn't a bad thing. Batman always said they needed to make people feel fear. That way, when people had demands, they'd hesitate before trying to use public opinion to control superheroes.
"Alright," Superman stood up. "But I'll need some help." If he was going to unleash his power, someone had to protect the crowd so innocent people wouldn't get hurt.
But before they could put the plan into action, the Elite's influence had already spread from the small Middle Eastern country to Metropolis.
A vicious criminal had just broken out of Metropolis' Lescot Prison: Atomic Skull. He was a skeleton with his entire body wrapped in purple flames. He used to be a scientist, but after an accident in a radiation experiment, his cells started constantly splitting, giving him endless power. His ability was radiation energy, which he used to evaporate the water inside his enemies, turning them into brittle husks at a touch.
After his head was engulfed in flames, Atomic Skull's brain stopped working properly. All he thought about was defeating Superman, even if it meant killing innocents to lure Superman out. Superman had beaten Atomic Skull before, but the judge didn't sentence him to death. Instead, he was locked up in prison to be used as a living power generator, with three good meals a day.
Superman was like the number one martial artist on Earth, always attracting challengers—just like a tall tree catches the wind. Atomic Skull was one of the most stubborn among them. Once he escaped, he did nothing but start killing people in Metropolis to bait Superman.
Once again, innocents were dying. Superman was furious.
Kid quickly arrived at the scene, too. He had nothing to say about scum like this. If someone like Atomic Skull could escape the death penalty, it was just bad luck for his victims. The blame shouldn't fall on Superman, but on the justice system and the people who supported abolishing the death penalty.
As Superman fought Atomic Skull, the Elite finally showed up. The four young people with down-to-earth looks instantly teleported onto the battlefield.
Kid narrowed his eyes. These four weren't going to be easy. They had both brains and power. Since he planned to deal with them, it was time to observe exactly how strong they really were.