"Yesterday, a strange creature attacked Bialya, causing massive civilian casualties. Thankfully, Superman arrived in time to stop the monster and prevent further destruction. Reports say the attack took place in a city controlled by the rebel forces. The rebels claim the Bialya government orchestrated the attack, and the president's approval rating has hit a new low."
…?
Liu A'dou thought, 'I've only been home for a few days, and now giant monsters are popping up? The times are changing too fast—I can't keep up. Especially after going to Metropolis, it feels like this world's script has flipped.'
On the screen, Superman was fighting a giant blue spider, three or four stories tall. Where did a creature like that even come from?
But during the fight, four other people suddenly jumped in.
"The Elite?" Those four ruthless individuals called themselves the Elite—a radical group that believed in an eye for an eye, blood for blood.
At the moment, Superman was still grateful they'd stepped in to help against the monster.
These four were exactly what some people wanted. There were those trying to hijack public opinion, wanting Superman to become a new god ruling over the world. The Church of Superman—a grassroots cult—had formed with Superman as their deity. Their goal was to push Superman past humanity's morals and laws and mold him into a god who could deliver divine punishment.
They wished Superman could act like the Elite: ruthless, merciless, unbound by human law.
At first, The Church of Superman was just a small group of a dozen or so. But now they had over 10 million members worldwide. They regularly published manifestos about what kind of Superman the 21st century needed—someone as lofty as God himself, holding life and death in his hands. They were willing to sacrifice themselves if it meant turning Superman into a true god.
The arrival of the Elite caught the attention of The Church of Superman instantly. Superman had always hesitated because he didn't know where eye-for-an-eye justice would lead. But if the Elite ended up with a good outcome, maybe Superman could take that path too?
So, thanks to The Church of Superman's subtle manipulation, the Elite was suddenly boosted online by an army of trolls, instantly hailed as top-tier superheroes. Many people who'd lost loved ones to criminals also voiced support. Governments often had endless excuses not to sentence villains to death, so they wanted superheroes to act as judges and execute those murderous scum themselves. Even though many supported heroes, the constant escapes and repeated crimes of villains captured by heroes were unbearable for victims' families.
They might forgive a first-time incident, but after a villain broke out and hurt them again, people couldn't accept it anymore. They didn't blame the superheroes—they just desperately wished those heinous, murderous criminals could be executed on the spot.
So when the Elite appeared, it felt like a breath of fresh air. Unlike other heroes, they didn't follow any "no-kill" rule.
Liu A'dou scrolled through the comments—public support was overwhelmingly one-sided. Sometimes public opinion was downright disgusting, practically forcing Superman to kill.
It wasn't that Superman couldn't kill. He just didn't want to. Forcing him would never end well.
Liu A'dou knew things in Metropolis were bound to blow up if this kept up. And if something big was about to happen, he couldn't miss it. He loved a good show, and this time he'd pay a visit to Metropolis as Kaitou Kid.
Residents of Metropolis were protected by Superman, but constant jailbreaks by villains had them exhausted.
Liu A'dou piloted his Owl airship into Metropolis—just in time to catch the Elite's performance.
Their base was an alien ship hidden in an interdimensional space—a living relic with emotions, combining silicon-based and carbon-based cells in perfect harmony. The ship allowed them to appear anywhere on Earth in an instant. They called it Bunny.
The ship looked like a giant moth cocoon, as big as four football fields. Layers of armor shaped like lobster tails covered it, and antennae extended from its sides, brushing against the air.
Because of Bunny, the Elite had erased all their past records and fully devoted themselves to violent, eye-for-an-eye heroics.
The group's leader was Manchester Black, a mutant with telekinesis. He could move heavy objects, create forcefields, or fire psychic lasers. When he used his powers, his eyes glowed black.
Then there was Coldcast, a hulking mutant who could absorb and release energy.
Next was the scrawny Asian man, Hat, a magician who could conjure anything from his hat.
Last was Pamela, the only female member. Her body hosted many alien creatures—massive, vicious worms with steel-cutting jaws. She also had a pair of fleshy wings grafted onto her back, making her the most outrageous-looking of the four.
Together, these four made up the Elite. They roamed around killing villains, quickly gaining a lot of public support. People with extreme views were easy to stir up; they just cheered them on without thinking about the harmful consequences.
"When we talk about society, we're really talking about people. And I believe people are basically good." That summed up what Superman felt deep down. But lately, public opinion had shifted in a disturbing direction. Everywhere he looked, people demanded he kill, and it troubled him deeply.
The Church of Superman was incredibly influential and had taken total control of the narrative. But their obsession with turning Superman into a god was all for themselves—they never asked what Superman wanted.
Meanwhile, the situation in Bialya was spiraling out of control. After the strange creature attack, the rebels began plotting an offensive against government-controlled areas. But they fell into a government ambush and suffered massive casualties. That's when the Elite appeared, brutally wiping out the government forces in a sudden, overwhelming strike.
This ruthless action won them the support of many people in Bialya and was praised by Western media, who framed the government as an evil dictatorship that deserved to be crushed.
Hearing the news, Clark felt a heavy weight on his chest. Just like Batman warned, superheroes getting involved in conflicts would turn them into butchers. Even if Bialya citizens cheered for the Elite, they had no right to act this way. No one should meddle in the civil war of a sovereign nation.
Superman intervened only because of the monster. Once it was dead, he left. But the Elite kept meddling in Bialya' internal affairs, escalating the conflict between the government and rebels. It was clear the government's retaliation was coming soon.
Superman was deeply worried. He knew he needed to talk to the four members of the Elite before things got even worse.
And right then, Liu A'dou showed up to watch the show.