High above the city, two figures darted through the sky, one chasing the other as they headed toward the ocean.
"Tony, you're a bit slow. Are you already at full speed?" Lynch estimated the speed in his mind and frowned.
In truth, he hadn't even needed to fully engage his enhanced super brain...
The Iron Monger ahead was already battered and barely holding together. It was wobbling through the air, struggling to stay aloft. At this speed, it might not even outrun a bus!
Meanwhile, Tony's Mark III was in much better condition, even while carrying an extra person... Yet, despite its speed, they still hadn't caught up after several minutes?
Tony, are you slacking? This is your boss fight! I've done so much damage already, and now you're stalling—what's your deal?
"Come on, the Mark III is damaged and carrying someone. This speed is pretty good under the circumstances!" Tony responded, exasperated.
Seriously? Damaged? You think I haven't seen Iron Man? Your suit can still function even when it's falling apart into pieces! And it's only slightly damaged now!
Something's off. Tony Stark, you're definitely up to something!
Lynch narrowed his eyes, mentally grumbling but didn't call Tony out. Instead, he asked, "How long until we catch up?"
"Five to ten minutes!" Tony glanced at a message in front of him and replied.
The message was from his military friend, Rhodey: Armed helicopters will arrive at the target location in five minutes.
Shortly after taking off, Tony realized things were getting out of control, so he secretly contacted Rhodey for firepower support.
Why call for backup?
Because of the fleeing Iron Monger?
Please, even if they just let it go, how much farther could it fly?
The real reason... was the guy riding on his suit!
Up until now, Tony couldn't figure out who this guy really was. He'd looked into it himself—no results. Even military searches turned up nothing.
So who is he? How does he know my identity? Why was he conveniently at the battle site?
What's his goal?
Logically, could he be a superpowered kidnapper? After all, the whole world knows I'm rich. Or maybe he's after my Mark III? Or the arc reactor? It's a small thing, but it might be the key to the new energy era.
Whatever the case, it's too much of a coincidence that he's just passing by!
Sure, we're on the same side for now, with a common enemy…
But what about afterward?
When Obadiah's finished, will he smash my suit and take me away with it?
Better stay cautious—I've already survived life-threatening chases and almost got killed by Obadiah's betrayal!
Thinking all this, Tony felt a dull ache in his chest again.
This time, I won't be slacking off!
Whether this guy is good or bad, today I have to keep him in check!
"Okay, but hurry up. If it takes too long, I'm leaving," Lynch said calmly, eyes fixed on the wobbling figure ahead.
"Leaving? Kid, we're miles off the coast!"
"I'm not a kid. Call me Lynch. Swimming a few dozen kilometers... you don't think I can manage that?"
Tony was momentarily at a loss for words.
Considering what this guy's already done, swimming that distance probably wouldn't be a big deal for him.
Curiosity finally got the better of Tony, so he cautiously asked, "Lynch, who exactly are you?"
"Are you serious, Tony?" Lynch chuckled. "Is this really the time and place to ask that?"
"Fair point." Tony seemed to realize it was a bad time and fell silent.
Lynch stared intently at Iron Monger, almost as if he wanted to glare it to death.
In fact, he really did want to kill it—preferably with heat vision.
But obviously, that failed.
"That's strange…"
Lynch muttered to himself.
He suddenly remembered that in some old TV show or movie, young Superman could already use X-ray vision and heat vision.
Could it be a different version? Or is it because I've had these powers for too short a time? Or maybe I haven't soaked up enough sunlight yet?
Unable to figure it out, Lynch closed his eyes and accessed the system.
"Superman System
Current Template: Child Superman 100%, Teen Superman 0%
Template Exchange List: Teen Superman, Superman, Silver age Superman, Golden Superman, Superboy prime…
Justice Points: 139."
After a quick glance, Lynch thought to himself, "System, why can't this child Superman template use powers? I can't even use heat vision. Is this a defective version?"
"The Child Superman template is fully loaded. In theory, it possesses all of Superman's abilities, but at a weaker level. Abilities need to be developed through training. Keep it up, host."
"..."
Well, what can I say to that? The system is basically saying it's not the template, it's just me being bad!
Since he had some downtime, Lynch browsed the exchange prices for other Superman templates with growing frustration.
Teen Superman: 990,000 points; Superman: 99,999,999 points; Silver age Superman: 199,999,999 points…
He glanced at his own Justice Points and didn't dare look further.
Didn't want to break his spirit.
Justice Points: 139.
These were earned earlier while fighting Iron Monger.
"How do I earn Justice Points?" Lynch had a rough idea but wanted the system's official explanation.
"Justice Points are obtained through righteous actions, including but not limited to, fighting crime, helping others, and promoting justice…"
What?
A Justice Ambassador?
Lynch felt conflicted.
Sure, Superman looks cool when beating up villains, but it's frustrating to see him constantly outsmarted and betrayed by regular people.
A god among men, yet he's played like a fool!
What an insult.
If Lynch were still a regular person, maybe he'd be moved by Superman's big heart.
But now, with the Superman system and godlike powers in his grasp, how does he feel?
Weak. Naive. A pushover!
You have godlike power, yet you let ordinary people trick and humiliate you!
Lynch couldn't understand it.
Sure, he considered himself a good, honest, kind, and responsible person.
But he could never tolerate the kind of treatment Superman puts up with!
Fighting evil? Fine! Helping others? Fine! Even sacrificing yourself? Sure!
But being blamed and betrayed for your strength? Absolutely unacceptable!
That kind of superhero—whoever wants to be one, go ahead! Lynch won't be that kind of Superman!
He doesn't see himself as perfect and believes in paying evil back with evil.
If great power is a crime, then what's the point of having it? To protect those who fear it?
Power should be used to uphold your ideals and live the life you want, not as some ridiculous burden!
Lynch could never accept that kind of disgrace!
After reflecting, Lynch's thoughts became clear, and the worries he'd had since arriving in this world seemed to fade away.
Since I'm here, let's see how I can change this world!
One thing's for sure—I won't admit to being Superman!
Because I really don't want to be that kind of Superman!
[AN - I hope he doesn't become Homelander]