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In an instant, the entire base kicked into high gear.
Aside from the necessary military personnel, there were still dozens of scientists working there.
After all, the base had originally been built for the purpose of researching a special kind of technology.
But now, they had no choice but to abandon all the progress they'd made and evacuate as fast as possible.
Ten minutes—it's not that short, but when it comes to evacuating an entire base, it's way too rushed.
Luckily, the commanding officer had already issued a clear order: forget the equipment and data, just get the people out.
Whup-whup-whup…
Several helicopters took off in quick succession, escorting the research staff away from the base as fast as possible.
"General, we don't have enough helicopters. Even if we request backup now, it'll be too late. What should we do?"
As the scientists and some of the soldiers left via helicopter, a chunk of the military personnel were still stuck at the base—there simply weren't enough helicopters left.
"Relay my order: starting now, everyone is to evacuate the base on foot. Other than weapons and communication gear, no one is allowed to carry anything else."
"We have seven minutes left. Everyone needs to be at least a kilometer away from the base by then!"
The general kept glancing at the figure floating in the sky—Superman.
He was hoping, just maybe, Superman would smile and say it was all just a joke.
But reality was brutal.
He knew this wasn't a joke. Superman wasn't here for fun—he was here because of the secret research they were conducting.
At this point, their only chance of survival was to rely on themselves. Even if they informed higher-ups, it wouldn't make a difference.
Even if Superman had wiped them out in an instant without giving them time to run, their superiors probably wouldn't dare say a word against him.
In fact, to protect Superman's image, they might even accuse the base of conducting horrific, unethical experiments—or worse, of treason.
"Damn it, Ross… you've really screwed me this time!"
The general couldn't help but regret listening to that guy Ross and getting involved in this so-called post-disaster recovery project—especially coming to this place to do secret research.
He took one last look at the now-empty base, then gave up on everything and left with the remaining soldiers on foot.
Soon, the ten minutes Peter had given them were up.
Without hesitation, Peter activated the small star embedded in his chest, releasing a dazzling flow of golden energy throughout his entire body.
The golden light surrounding him grew even more blinding.
In just a few seconds, it was like a brand-new star had risen above the military base.
"General! Look—what is that?!"
Roughly two kilometers away, the retreating soldiers were still sprinting for their lives when someone suddenly shouted in alarm.
Everyone instinctively turned to look back.
"Shit! Everybody get down!"
Just one glance at that brilliant light—shining like a miniature sun—and the general immediately shouted the order.
Fwoosh!
As the soldiers dove to the ground…
That star-like brilliance suddenly exploded to its peak intensity.
It was like a small nuclear bomb had gone off above the base.
Alongside the flash, a searing wave of heat swept across the area.
The base—right below—was instantly roasted by temperatures soaring past tens of thousands of degrees, melting away in seconds.
But that wasn't the worst of it. A terrifying particle storm erupted with the light, sweeping through and obliterating what was left.
Seconds passed.
The light in the sky slowly faded.
The massive military base that had once sprawled across the land was gone—completely erased.
All that was left was a giant crater, nearly a kilometer in diameter.
Inside, molten iron and liquefied sand mixed together, forming a bizarre, shimmering lake that glowed in all colors like some surreal scene from a dream.
At the same time, the soldiers who had been buried under sand slowly began to crawl out.
Even though they had been far enough away, the intense heat from that sudden flash had still scorched their uniforms black.
Their backs were probably badly burned.
"General! We've lost contact with the outside world. That flash disrupted all the electromagnetic signals in the area and even fried our comms."
One of the comms guys, clearly shaken, ran over and reported after checking the equipment.
"Was that… a solar flare?"
The general didn't respond to the soldier. He just stared off into the distance and murmured to himself.
Apparently, he'd read Superman comics and knew that Superman could trigger small-scale solar flares.
"Relax. This is… normal."
"I'm sure the higher-ups will notice something happened and send someone to pick us up."
Soon, the general calmed himself and tried to reassure the others.
But there was one thing he didn't say out loud:
Whatever's coming next for them… probably isn't going to be good.
After Peter triggered a solar flare and destroyed the military base,he flew straight back to the Antarctic base.
"Everyone, please stop what you're doing for a moment. I've got something to say."
As soon as he arrived, Peter didn't hesitate. His voice echoed through the entire base, reaching everyone instantly.
Inside one of the labs, Reed and Dr. Pym were deep in discussion about Pym Particles and portal technology.
They had a gut feeling—maybe these two technologies could be combined to create something even greater.
"Huh? What does Superman want to tell us now?"
The sudden announcement made the two of them glance at each other in confusion.
"No point overthinking it. We'll find out soon enough."
Though Dr. Pym had been more or less forced here by Superman earlier today—and had some complaints about that—this unexpected opportunity had introduced him to many brilliant minds and all sorts of incredible black tech.
He had slowly started accepting the situation and the reality of the base.Any resentment toward Superman had pretty much faded.
Soon, everyone put down their ongoing experiments and gathered in the makeshift lounge at the heart of the base.
"Everyone, the reason I gathered you here is that I need your honest opinions about something."
Peter spoke calmly and kindly to the crowd.
"First, let me apologize. Most of you were basically kidnapped by me—pulled away from your homes and loved ones, and thrown into this sunless place to do research."
"So today, I'm giving each of you a choice. If you want, I can send you back."
As Peter finished, a wave of excitement swept through the room.
"This is amazing! We can finally get out of this godforsaken place!"
"Thank you, Mr. Superman!"
They were so thrilled that they completely forgot it was Peter who had dragged them here in the first place.Now they were actually thanking him.
Only Dr. Pym had a weird expression on his face—he had barely been here for a day! This felt like a prank on a temp worker.
"But... there's also another option," Peter said, smiling as he watched the excitement turn into curiosity.
"You could choose to join a company I'm about to create."
"Of course, I won't be running this company myself. Dr. Octavius—Otto—I'd like you to lead it."
Peter ignored the shocked expressions around him and looked calmly at Otto.
"....."