"I have a superhero friend, and I believe you all know him. He's the guy who appeared with me that day. Some of you call him 'Wonder Boy.'"
Tony was getting more excited as he spoke, his eyebrows dancing with enthusiasm.
"In fact, he's a lot like Superman—strong, can fly, and his eyes can shoot beams..."
"Superman?"
"Are you joking, Mr. Stark?"
"But so far, the only information we have is that he's very strong and fast..."
The reporters couldn't wait to interrupt.
"I'm not joking. He has almost the exact same abilities as Superman, and I can vouch for that with my reputation."
Tony patted his chest and continued to reveal more about Lyn:
"Of course, he doesn't like being called 'Superman.' Maybe it's because he's so young, and 'Superman' is a bit too old."
Many reporters cooperatively laughed.
"So, I think maybe we should call him—"
Tony pronounced the name with the same ceremony others used when saying 'Iron Man.'
"Superboy."
"Mr. Stark, where is this 'Superboy' from? He seems to be Asian in the video..."
"Where did this superhero go afterward?"
"How old is he?"
"Does he have a girlfriend?"
…
The reporters on-site scrambled to ask Tony questions. Tony, in a rare moment of amiability, answered several before the questions started getting more personal...
"Okay, there are many questions I can't answer for him, but..." Tony dragged out the last word, then glanced at Lyn.
Lyn was sitting with his head down, feeling very uneasy.
Tony's tricky move made Lyn wish he could jump out the window and fly away.
Damn you, Tony Stark, I came to support your debut as a hero, and now you're planning to make me perform?
I treated you as my idol, helped you fight Iron Monger, brought you home, and even just gave you a pep talk to boost your morale—this is how you repay me?
Seriously?
You were wary of me when we first met, and now you want to drag me into the spotlight as a superhero?
Unbelievable!
One day, I'll knock that smirk off your face!
As Lyn simmered with resentment, he kept an eye on Tony's movements, silently preparing to slip away.
Don't look this way!
You're still looking?
Lyn met Tony's gaze with a murderous glare.
"In fact, he's here today!"
Tony knew how to stir up a crowd. As soon as he said that, the reporters exploded with chatter, looking around and continuing to ask where he was.
Lyn had already shuffled close to the exit.
Don't say it, don't...
Tony indeed didn't say it outright but just smiled smugly, saying, "I won't point him out, or he might blame me. He doesn't like being known..."
However, even as he said that, Tony's gaze subtly indicated Lyn's direction.
The New York reporters were no amateurs; a sharp-eyed one followed the hint and came right up to Lyn.
"Hey, are you 'Superboy'? Can I interview you?"
"He's here! I found him!"
…
The door was blocked.
Lyn was utterly bewildered, completely at a loss as a group of reporters, as excited as if they'd won a $5 million lottery, carried him all the way from the door to the podium.
If this had been a bunch of villains, Lyn would have started throwing punches long ago.
But with this crowd of fervent, excited reporters, how could he do that?
This was an entirely new experience for him.
Growing up, he had never faced so many, such fervent people before.
The largest crowd he'd ever spoken to was when he ran for student council in college.
But even though there were a lot of people then, it didn't have the overwhelming focus and the feeling of being treated like a treasure that he was experiencing now.
Even though these gazes weren't entirely pure—there was admiration, curiosity, greed, and doubt.
It was already enough to make Lyn feel overwhelmed.
Standing on the stage, facing the reporters' relentless questions, Lyn was so nervous he was even cautious about swallowing.
At that moment, he really wanted to just pull out the system.
I'm done.
I can't handle this.
Please, let me go! Look, I'm still just a kid!
Let me go fight crime; this kind of occasion is more suited for Tony!
…
As the silence dragged on for several minutes, the reporters below gradually quieted down, waiting for a response.
"Say something."
Tony's somewhat gleeful voice came from the side.
Lyn shot him a terrifying death glare...
Tony immediately fell silent, knowing that this guy could really glare someone to death.
Raising his head and straightening his back, Lyn finally started to speak.
"I honestly don't know what to say."
But as soon as he spoke, Lyn unexpectedly calmed down.
"Tony was telling the truth. I do have powers similar to Superman's, but I'm not like him."
"I can't promise what I'll do for this city, for this world, because I'm not ready yet. That's why I don't want to be discovered, and I don't want anyone calling me 'Superman.'"
"Maybe one day, I'll wear Superman's suit and save the world, but not today."
"Okay, now I want to be alone. Goodbye."
As Lyn spoke, he became more and more fluent, so he finished in one breath, then quickly ran out of the venue before anyone could react.
By the time the reporters chased after him, all they could do was raise their cameras and snap a few shots of Lyn flying away.
"My God, he really can fly? Superman?" one reporter marveled as he reviewed the photos he'd taken.
"'Superman'? Didn't you hear Stark say he's called 'Superboy'? Make sure tomorrow's headline gets it right!" an older reporter reminded.
…
Why was I so scared?
In the air, Lyn silently asked himself.
Why was I so scared of being seen as Superman? Of being seen as a superhero?
Was it just because I hate Superman's weakness and compromises?
Or...
Was it also because I admire and aspire to Superman's greatness and nobility?
That's the character Lyn knew he could never match.
Lyn had always thought of himself as just an ordinary person.
He had a sense of justice, but it wasn't very strong.
He had a dark side, but it didn't show often.
Sometimes he was self-centered, but most of the time, he avoided hurting others.
That was Lyn.
He admired the godlike qualities in Superman, yet despised Superman's tendency to compromise.
He was somewhere between Superman and Homelander.
So he couldn't accept that title; he couldn't bear the weight of what it stood for.
He couldn't, and wouldn't do what Superman was meant to do.
…
Tony was handling the various troubles brought on by his public confession as Iron Man with a clear mind.
Even though he was incredibly busy, he was happy because he knew that someone else was definitely not handling it as smoothly.
Sometimes, happiness really does come from someone else's misery.
As he hummed a cheerful tune, Tony suddenly heard a rhythmic knocking behind him.
Knock knock knock.
He turned around, the smile gradually fading from his face.
Outside his luxurious mansion, Lyn was hovering in midair, his expression dark, tapping the glass of Tony's floor-to-ceiling window one knock at a time.
It was as if he were ringing Tony's death knell.
"Pepper, is my jet ready for takeoff?"
"Tony! We need to talk!"
"Maybe later, Lyn, I've really got something urgent to do!"
…
At a certain university, a young professor in a blue outfit had just finished his class. He walked to the foot of the teaching building.
"Excuse me, Dr. Sterns?"
He heard a voice and looked up.
A woman quickly approached him.
"My name is Elizabeth Ross."
He remembered this scholar.
"Dr. Ross?"
"Someone wants to meet you."
"Okay."
A man wearing a hat came over and looked up at him.
"Mr. Blue?" the man said.
Sterns looked at him in surprise:
"Mr. Green?"