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Faced with Henryâs cold indifference, Wanda didnât overreact. She simply said calmly:
"I actually agree with your view.
"But how much tolerance do you think those politicians have?
"When they decide to launch a nuclear strike to solve the problem, whether it actually works or notâwhether we intervene or notâwe all lose.
"You agree with that, donât you?"
Would U.S. politicians really dare to launch a nuclear weapon at a densely populated area within their own country?
The Avengers already answered that question.
Sure, that was a movieâbut this was reality.
And who would dare gamble on the integrity of those people?
If it really came to that point, even if the X-Men or other superheroes stepped in afterward to clean up the messâ
Would they receive gratitude?
More likely, resentment would deepen.
People would blame those who had the powerâ
Why didnât you act before the nukes were launched?
Even Superman from the DC side often faced this same dilemma.
People didnât care how much others sacrificed or how much they endured.
They only cared about what they themselves had lostâand whether that loss could have been avoided.
And from their perspectiveâ
It wasnât entirely unreasonable.
What use was justice that came too late?
Those who sacrificed might feel fulfilled in their heroismâ
But the losses others suffered were real.
Who would compensate them?
In the end, they were the ones left to swallow it all.
If the Voidâs destruction would eventually spread across the entire planet, then unless Henry planned to leave Earth altogetherâ
The earlier he intervened, the less resentment he would ultimately face.
It was almost ironic.
An act of immeasurable virtue could be reduced to a calculation of optimal timing based on self-interest.
Because human nature leaned toward selfishnessâ
Few people ever saw things in terms of principles.
When doing good required paying an additional priceâ
Then perhaps society wasnât worth saving at all.
Henry stepping in wasnât about saving the world.
It was about protecting himselfâmore effectively.
Having reached his conclusion, Henry no longer hesitated.
"Iâll go say goodbye to the people inside, then Iâll leave with you.
"Wait here a moment."
Wanda nodded and stepped back slightly, signaling she would wait.
Returning inside, Henry naturally went to inform the elderly lady he had brought along.
"Katharine, I need to leave.
"Some troublesome friends have brought me a troublesome situation.
"Feels like I donât really have a choice."
"Youâre leaving so soon? I just had someone prepare a guest room for you."
Katharine Hepburn asked in surprise:
"What are you going to do?"
"Iâm going to save the world."
Henry said it lightlyâso lightly it sounded completely fake.
Katharine played along with a chuckle.
She beckoned him closer, had him lean down, then gently cupped his face and kissed his forehead.
"Go on, child.
"Kick that bad guyâs butt for me."
"Maybe Iâll be the one getting my face smashed in."
Henry gave a wry smile.
After saying goodbye to the others, he left the house.
Where Wanda had been waiting, Pietro stood nearby as well.
The two were talkingâ
Or rather, one of them was being lectured.
Though they were siblings, the sister clearly held the dominant position.
It was hard to imagine what kind of experiences this non-movie version of Scarlet Witch had gone through to become who she was now.
Henry stepped forward.
"Alright, letâs go.
"How are we getting there?
"Do we need to meet up with others?
"And can I get a little prep time?
"Youâre not expecting me to fight in this suit, are you?"
Instead of answering directly, Wanda narrowed her eyes and stared at him for a long moment before speaking:
"The Sorcerer Supreme gave specific instructions.
"The one we actually needâ
Isnât you."
As she spoke, Wanda raised her hands, weaving Chaos Magic.
From empty air, she pulled something out and presented it to Henry.
It was a cloth suit.
Red and blue.
Folded neatly on top was a large diamond-shaped emblemâ
With a bold S in the center.
Though it wasnât unfolded, with Henryâs vision and spatial awareness, he could easily reconstruct what the suit looked like.
He stared, dumbfounded.
"You probably donât know this, but not long ago I told some idiot, thereâs no Superman in this world.
"And now you bring me this?
"Whatâs the meaning of this?"
"Isnât it obvious?
"The world needs Superman right nowâ
Not Henry Brown."
Though Henry had zero desire to take it, Wanda stuffed the suit into his hands anyway.
He could only hold it with a resigned expression, staring at the glaring S symbol, wondering if he should add a "B" after it.
At that moment, Quicksilver zipped over and placed something on top of the suit.
"A little hair gel.
"I figured youâd need it. My gift."
"Wow. Thanks so much."
Henryâs voice dripped with undisguised disgust.
Quicksilver, apparently too oblivious to notice, urged:
"Hurry up and change.
"Weâve got a big problem to deal with.
"Finish early, get home early, sleep early."
Faced with their expectant gazes, Henry shot them a look.
No response.
He shot another.
Still blank stares.
Finally, he said:
"Turn around.
"Iâm changing clothes. Why are you staring?"
Quicksilver said:
"Donât you have super speed too?
"Shouldnât it just be whooshâdone?"
Henry rolled his eyes.
"You also have super speed.
"You should know that when we operate at similar speeds, time perception becomes synchronized.
"From a normal personâs perspective, I change instantly.
"But from yours, itâs basically the same speed as anyone else changing clothes.
"Iâm not used to a guy seeing my bare ass.
"So pleaseâturn around."
Quicksilver blinked, then nodded.
"Oh. Right. Okay, go ahead."
He turned around instantly with super speed, back facing Henry.
But while the brother turnedâ
The sister didnât.
Wanda kept staring at him.
And unlike her earlier calm demeanor, this gaze was... far more intense.
With no other choice, Henry said:
"Miss, would you mind turning around as well?"
"I donât have super speed.
"What do you think I can see?"
"Maybe not.
"But I donât know if there are magic spells for peeking either.
"So for everyoneâs sakeâplease turn around."
"Tch. Stingy."
Wanda muttered, finally turning away.
Henry didnât actually change clothes on the spot.
Instead, he dashed off to a nearby secluded area, changed into the suit, and stored his original clothes safely.
When he returnedâ
His hair was slicked back neatly with gel.
A single curl hanging at his forehead.
Supermanâ
Ready.
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