99: Nuclear Explosion

"No effective means of lethal force? Are we just going to stand here and watch him haul all three carriers into space?"

"Then we've lost!"

"The war's only just begun, and we've already lost to this so-called Superman!"

Pierce paced around the conference room as the representatives from various nations watched him, smirking at his frustration.

Suddenly, he stopped, eyes piercing. "We still have nukes! Rumlow, you're authorized to detonate all onboard hydrogen bombs. Blow that bastard to pieces!"

"But, sir, we're still on the Helicarrier. A nuclear detonation would kill us too," Rumlow's face went pale, realizing he was being ordered to sacrifice himself.

"Your death will be an honorable one!" Pierce's tone softened, as if he'd thought of a solution. "Rumlow, remember that slogan you've been shouting all this time? Say it again!"

Rumlow opened his mouth slowly. "…Hail Hydra!"

"You've chanted this slogan for a century. Cut off one head, and two grow in its place. Your sacrifice today will spawn countless new Rumlows for Hydra!"

Pierce issued the order without hesitation. "Detonate! Set off every carrier nuke! Soldiers, rejoice—because even an enemy like Superman will fall by your hand!"

Rumlow stared blankly at Pierce, unsure of what to think.

"Yes, sir!" He cut the communication directly.

Pierce looked at the remaining two screens in front of him, letting out a few mocking laughs. "Heh… trying to resist, huh? Too bad, you won't succeed."

…

On the Helicarrier.

After disconnecting, Rumlow turned to his teammates with a strained smile. "Everyone, Superman isn't someone we can take on. The command is to retreat."

In the next instant, dozens of gun barrels aimed directly at his head.

"Shit… I knew it." He shook his head in resignation before suddenly lunging at the nearest person.

Ta-Ta-Ta-Ta!

After a series of gunshots, seven bodies lay on the floor, including Rumlow.

Rumlow, not being Captain America, ultimately fell short fighting against so many at once.

With the internal dissent cleared, the highest-ranking Hydra member present took over command.

"All nuclear weapons ready. Detonation in one minute!"

He gave the order decisively and without hesitation, his eyes vacant and devoid of emotion, as if he was entirely unfazed by the imminent death approaching.

However, just as he finished speaking, Lyon, wearing his Superman suit, suddenly appeared in the command room.

"Go ahead, don't mind me. I'm just here to pick up some experimental materials." Lyon lifted two Skrull corpses and disappeared from the command room.

"M, bring a few people over to receive the Skrulls, and make it quick."

Lyon's words still echoed in the room, but he was already gone, as if his appearance had been a fleeting illusion.

The Hydra soldiers looked at each other, then resumed the process of preparing the nuclear detonation in silence.

…

When Agent K, "carrying" the live broadcast camera, caught up with Lyon again, he had resumed his position of lifting the Helicarrier with both hands.

The Skrull corpses had already been transferred to the airborne fortress.

As soon as the live feed captured Lyon again, the comments exploded.

"Superman! He's really our Superman!"

"He's almost at the Kármán line by now. It's unbelievable! His speed is insane!"

"Fast, resilient, and missile-proof—he's the real Superman!"

"I wonder if he's afraid of kryptonite. There shouldn't be any kryptonite on Earth, right?"

"Heh, no need for kryptonite. Once that nuke goes off, he's dead!"

"Yeah, as heroic as his sacrifice is, the fact remains he's about to get blown up. Damn Hydra!"

The high-altitude wind howled.

As it swept past Agent K's armor, the sound was picked up by the camera equipment and transmitted into the live broadcast.

In the broadcast, people from around the world listened to the sound of the wind, as if they could feel the cold and silence of deep, uninhabited space.

Watching Superman, alone, carrying the carrier away from Earth as if he was preparing to sacrifice himself, even those who doubted him fell silent.

This scene was unforgettable.

Perhaps even if Superman truly perished in the nuclear blast, one day, when those who witnessed this moment are old and faded like yellowed newspapers, they will remember this day.

In the deep sky, a hundred thousand meters above Warsaw, they'll recall the figure in the Superman suit carrying the hope of millions below, surrounded by sunlight and clouds, walking alone toward his final destiny.

The live stream's chat feed had almost come to a complete stop.

The video was silent.

Everyone fell quiet.

Suddenly, the massive sky carrier exploded like a raging beast.

A flash of white light burst out, then expanded, devouring the sky and Earth alike!

The hydrogen bomb had detonated!

The blazing light instantly swallowed Superman's figure, surging up into the stratosphere, nearly a hundred kilometers high.

Waves of extreme heat expanded, and nearby satellites were hit by radiation and electromagnetic pulses, causing malfunctions.

The live stream's feed began to glitch, then abruptly cut out.

Agent K's armor had been specially modified by Tony.

Even within five kilometers of the blast, it was still able to capture footage and transmit signals.

But even with those modifications, some short-circuiting occurred.

Fortunately, the recording equipment was still operational, and the footage could be uploaded later after editing.

But Agent K had no time to worry about equipment issues.

She watched anxiously at the sky filled with swirling smoke and flames, a mix of fear and worry in her heart.

Fortunately, Lyon didn't make her wait long.

Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind burst out from the center of the explosion, like a tornado rising from the ground to the high sky.

The smoke and clouds were swept upward by the fierce wind, dispersing into the higher atmosphere.

At the heart of the explosion, Lyon stood completely unharmed.

...

Online, following a brief blackout in the darkened live stream, the chat feed quickly filled up.

"Is he okay?"

"He's definitely fine, right?"

"God bless, Superman has to be safe."

"Look at him—he's one of us, he's our hero!"

"Damn! You heartless people, still saying nonsense at a time like this!"

"I told you, he'll die, he shouldn't have gone..."

"Superman, you are the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, a divine incarnation. You will not die; you are destined to lead us into the future!"

"Can you followers of the Superman cult stop preaching at a time like this?"

The live stream remained offline, and then suddenly, the entire live feed disappeared from the homepage.

For a moment, people thought Superman was truly gone, and sorrow flooded the internet.

Even at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Pierce, who had been watching the stream, felt a flicker of sadness before bursting into triumphant laughter.

However, just a few minutes later, an edited video hit the homepage.

[Tide Rising: Superman Returns!]

People flooded the link.

In the next moment, cheers erupted from billions of screens worldwide!

"He's alive! Not a scratch!"

"Superman! Our Superman!!"

People couldn't contain themselves online. They began stepping out of their homes, catching each other's eyes with shared excitement, then embracing with joy.

In Warsaw, the city transformed into a sea of hands raised in celebration.

Countless hands—some slender, some rough, adorned with fine jewelry or smeared with black grease—rose high into the air, all cheering and shouting in unison, throwing everything they could into the sky.

"Superman! Superman!" The cries of celebration surged like an ocean.

People, overwhelmed with joy after the catastrophe, ran, jumped, shouted, wept, or fell to their knees, burying their faces in their hands as they sobbed.

All were releasing their emotions, pouring out their joy and gratitude.

_________

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