Chương 261: Shattered Trust

The officer's finger nervously tightened around the trigger after hearing the command.

He swallowed hard and communicated with his colleague, "The Avengers are on their way. We just need to hold out a little longer. Make sure not to fire at Superman first, and avoid escalating the situation. This still needs investigation."

His colleague nodded solemnly.

But on the other side, Superman ignored the police warnings, striding toward Homelander, who lay among the rubble.

All the guns were cocked at once.

The bullets in the chambers felt heavy, primed and ready.

If all those bullets were fired at once… it might be like a storm of iron raining down on the chest of the god among men.

Amidst the debris, Homelander trembled as he struggled to get up.

Supporting himself with his right arm, he shouted toward Superman, "Stop slandering me! It was you who released the parasite! Aren't they all your followers? Didn't you order them to attack your opponents' protest? You're too tyrannical, Superman, you can't even tolerate others defaming you!"

Clark didn't care what he was saying.

To him, it was irrelevant.

...The Superman who had experienced the events of Injustice was no longer the same as before.

The old him might have patiently explained everything to everyone.

He would have shown them evidence or waited for the police to arrest Homelander, watching as he was tried and thrown into an underwater prison.

But now, he would kill Homelander directly.

Because no one could guarantee that someone as powerful as Homelander wouldn't harm others without proper oversight—

He knew exactly what Homelander was trying to do.

No one understood the madness and ambition in Homelander's eyes better than him.

He would never allow Homelander to succeed. No one could be the ruler of Earth—only humanity itself. No one could be humanity's savior—he would never let Homelander become another version of him.

Enduring the searing pain from the reactor—the kryptonite reactor that was running at high speed and could kill him at any moment—Clark advanced toward Homelander.

At that moment, a red, white, and blue shield spun through the air, heading straight for Clark's back.

The whirling blades of a helicopter approaching from the east stirred the air, the engine roaring loudly.

America's golden boy, Captain Steve Rogers, leaped from the helicopter's open door. At the same time, a flash of gold and red streaked across the sky—Iron Man had arrived.

Using his impressive combat skills, Steve landed on the ground without a parachute, rolled forward, and quickly rose to catch the star-spangled shield as Clark dodged it.

His brows furrowed, face tense as he looked at Clark.

"Superman, what are you doing?"

Tony Stark, who had just arrived, had far less patience than Steve. He wasn't going to ask Clark questions first.

After all, the message Stark had received was that Superman was rampaging through Manhattan, attacking civilians.

The moment he arrived on the scene, Tony immediately raised his palm, aiming at Clark, and fired three repulsor blasts.

The blasts cut through the air like arrows, howling as they shot toward Clark.

Clark was struck, sent flying by the repulsor blasts, which caused small explosions. His body slammed into the ground, creating yet another crater amidst the wreckage.

Inside his suit, Tony Stark conversed with his AI assistant, "JARVIS, check the status of the kryptonite reactor."

"Right away, sir. Running diagnostics."

"Sir, the kryptonite reactor is functioning normally and remains operational."

Tony glanced at Superman, who was trying to pull himself out of the crater after being hit by the repulsor blasts, and gave a warning, "I don't know what he's planning now, but be ready to activate the final command for the kryptonite reactor. We need to stop Superman at all costs."

"Understood, Sir."

The flames from Iron Man's suit thrusters dimmed as Tony Stark, clad in his iconic gold-and-red armor, touched down on the ground.

He was already feeling irritable—anyone would be if they were dragged out of bed to save the world first thing in the morning. To make matters worse, with Pepper away on a business trip in Europe, he still had to get back in time to make lunch for Morgan.

Tony kept his eyes warily on Superman's position before glancing over at Steve. "You better be careful, Cap. The reactor I implanted in him is active."

Steve nodded, frowning as he raised his shield in front of him, cautiously moving toward Superman.

In the crater, Clark was struggling, clutching his chest in immense pain.

He was trying to find a way to contact Bruce.

If he didn't kill Homelander today, more lives would soon be at risk. He needed to tell Bruce what he had figured out before the reactor detonated—Homelander had to be stopped, no matter the cost…

But his communicator was already destroyed. He had to earn Iron Man and Captain America's trust first.

Yet he knew they wouldn't trust him easily.

Clark understood that after everything he had done in those five years, the Avengers still held deep resentment toward him.

He had killed countless S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, federal soldiers, and even Avengers members…

—And he had broken every bone in Tony Stark's and Steve Rogers' bodies.

How could they ever forgive such a deep, blood-soaked grudge?

Clark wheezed softly, breathing with difficulty, his chest rising and falling in agony.

Manhattan.

...Such an appropriate location.

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters was established in New York, so if something went wrong here, the first responders would undoubtedly be the Avengers.

And then there were the civilians stirred up for the protest.

...Such appropriate victims.

The people attacked by the parasite just so happened to be his opponents. Anyone capable of logical reasoning would inevitably wonder if he was somehow involved behind the scenes.

This elaborate chain of schemes, like a carefully arranged line of dominoes, pointed toward the worst possible outcome.

—All of it was aimed at him.

In front of so many eyes, he was being stripped of the trust and reliance the world had once placed in him.

—What Homelander wanted was clear: to replace him, to become the new and rising protector of Earth.

And after today, Clark might carry even more disgrace on his shoulders.

Clark lifted his head and looked at Iron Man.

"I think you need to calm down first, Superman," Tony Stark said, his palms raised and aimed at him. "Don't forget you've got a kryptonite reactor in you. If you don't want to be blown to bits, now would be a good time to surrender."

Steve Rogers, meanwhile, had his eyes on Homelander.

Despite looking badly injured, Homelander's wounds weren't fatal. He still had enough strength to stand up, smiling as he reassured the medical staff checking on him, "I'm fine, don't worry. Thank you so much..."

He gave Tony a subtle, silent signal with his eyes.

But Tony didn't seem to catch it. He was still focused on Clark. "I hope you realize things aren't the same as before, Superman. You can't just go around killing anyone—"

Clark, clutching his reactor, staggered to his feet, barely holding back the pain as he spoke through gritted teeth, "Do you know how many people he killed today?"

Tony raised an eyebrow. "He?"

Clark shot forward like a missile, aiming straight for Homelander, who was about to be lifted onto a stretcher!

"Tony, stop him!" Steve shouted.

But Tony didn't need Steve's command. He was already in pursuit. Flames burst from the thrusters under his red-and-gold armor as he sped toward Clark. Just before Clark could reach Homelander's stretcher, Tony intercepted him, landing a punch that forced Superman back into the ground! His shoulder-mounted micro-missiles were about to fire—

A single shot broke through the chaos, striking Iron Man's shoulder.

Out of the ambulance came a figure Tony Stark immediately recognized.

"Stop, Tony!"

It was Soren, dressed in medical gear borrowed from a local medical school, wearing a mask. Just before Tony could launch his attack on Clark, Soren activated the adamantium bracelet Tony had once given him and stood in front of Superman, shielding him.

Soren had snuck into the inner perimeter by blending in with the medical team, hiding in the ambulance until the right moment. And now, he stood in Tony's way, blocking his assault just in time.

He removed his mask, lifted Iron Man's gauntlet with his own, and pressed his fingers together, standing between Tony and the weakened Superman.

"Don't hurt him… He looks so weak... Something's definitely wrong, Uncle Tony."

Soren was sweating, his face full of concern.

Tony deactivated his micro-missiles, staring at him in disbelief. "—What are you doing here? Kid, tell me why you're here!"

Soren crouched down, trying to lift Clark from the ground, but could only manage to hold half of Superman's massive frame.

He cradled Clark in his arms, tears welling up in his Kryptonian blue eyes, his voice breaking with sorrow. "What happened to you? How did it come to this..."

Soren turned toward Tony, pleading, "—I was just passing by, and I saw it! Superman—he was being attacked by Homelander! Something's really wrong with him, Tony. Didn't you notice how weak Superman looks?"

Tony, both shocked and angry, clenched his teeth and snapped, "Have you been seeing him again? Do you have any idea what you're doing? You're repeating the same mistakes!"

His eyes glared so fiercely that it seemed like they could burn two holes through Clark, who was still cradled in Soren's arms.

Clark, pale and weak, gently patted Soren's arm, forcing a smile to reassure him, "I'm fine, don't worry about me. It's just… a small issue."

"There's no way this is a small issue," Soren's voice trembled. He stared at the wounds on Clark's face and body, distressed. "You look like… you look like you're about to die!"

He turned to Tony with a desperate expression, "I don't know what you're talking about, Tony, about repeating mistakes or whatever. I don't understand! But what I do know is that Superman wouldn't attack Homelander without a reason. He's the most selfless superhero! I—I believe in him."

Tony scoffed at that. "Selfless?"

He looked at Clark, and Clark's gaze darkened upon hearing Soren's words. Clark knew deep down how wrong Soren's impression of him was—Soren, who had no memory of what had happened in the past, had no idea who Superman truly was now.

How could he ever be considered the most selfless person?

—Because of his selfishness, he had nearly destroyed the Earth.

—And because of his selfish love, he had driven the one he loved most into hell.

Tony took a step forward. "Listen, kid, you don't know who he really is. You don't understand Superman at all. Stop defending him. The only thing I know for sure is that he's attacking another superhero, and that's a fact!"