The emergence of ShowMe changed the news landscape of the world.
Previously, people could only occasionally hear about urban vigilantes on local radio, knowing nothing about their identities, motives, or principles.
Now, it's different. As soon as a vigilante appears in a city, the news is posted the next day in ShowMe's superhero column.
Young people are enthusiastic about discussing these elusive, anonymous heroes who use various abilities to fight crime. Some even revere them, believing they are the future of the world.
This is unavoidable. In an era where disasters are rampant, cults are everywhere, and crime rates are soaring, only justice-upholding superheroes can provide ordinary people with a sense of security.
Superhero became a hot topic, and then, new heroes emerged.
A fisherman, shipwrecked at sea, was rescued by a strong man riding a shark. He posted a photo of the strong man and the shark leaping out of the water on his private space, and a new character called 'Shark Rider' appeared in the column.
A convenience store in Central City was robbed. A red electric light, too fast to discern a figure, flashed in, and then the two robbers fell to the ground, completely stripped except for their small underwear. The citizens of Central City affectionately called the lightning-fast individual 'Electro Boy'.
A sexy woman wearing a crop top and riding a golden pole left the leader of a cult organization at the police station entrance before walking away. This wasn't the first time such a scene had occurred. When the police uploaded the woman's photo to ShowMe, 'Pole Dance Girl' instantly became famous.
Compared to burly and strong male superheroes, people naturally prefer hot and sexy female superheroes. This is human nature; there's no way around it.
As time went on, similar incidents became more frequent. With Luke's intentional promotion, the hero column became a must-visit place for young people every day, and it was also one of ShowMe's distinguishing features.
However, the increasingly popular superheroes also brought some negative consequences.
Some began to imitate them, fighting crime in the dark wearing makeshift costumes. The results were disastrous. Drug dealers and gangsters didn't care if you were a real hero; if you dared to show up, they'd open fire immediately.
Every day, young people were injured, and some even died as a result.
This kind of incident was most prevalent in Gotham City. Other heroes, like Superman, Electro Boy, and Shark Rider, couldn't be imitated, as their powers were in the realm of superpowers. Batman was an exception.
Professionals analyzed Batman's videos and concluded that he was just an ordinary person with extraordinary combat skills. With effort, anyone could become a hunter of the night.
Consequently, Batman's influence and fan base soared. More and more young people aimed to emulate him, hoping to become urban vigilantes who fought crime and maintained peace. This also led to young people being injured or killed every night in Gotham City.
Bruce Wayne was clearly aware of this and, to prevent the situation from escalating further, had to issue a statement urging young people to cherish their lives and not imitate him. The effect was poor; young hearts are not so easily convinced.
He couldn't do anything about the young people, so he had to tackle the problem at its source.
This was also why Wayne Enterprises was so eager to invest in ShowMe.
Luke more or less guessed Bruce Wayne's intentions, but he would never agree, even if the other party's intentions were good.
ShowMe held an important position in Luke's future plans and was an indispensable part of it. It could never fall into the hands of others.
Funding is fine, but control is not!
After a few busy days, the backlog of work was finally dealt with. It was time to go home.
Luke returned to his residence, tidying his things while saying to the Kryptonian girl lounging on the sofa, doing nothing,
"All you do now is eat, eat, eat. If this continues, you'll become useless."
Linda glanced over, not saying a word, holding the remote control and flipping through various TV channels, unsure of what to watch.
Luke walked up to her and suggested,
"Perhaps you should set a life goal for yourself."
"A goal?"
The girl grimaced, her expression tinged with mockery, "Like my cousin, wearing a cape and fighting crime? Don't make me laugh. I'm a Kryptonian. What do Earthlings' struggles have to do with me?"
"In principle, nothing, but don't forget, you're living on Earth now." He paused, then added, "And you're staying at my place."
"Do I need to pay rent?"
"No, you don't."
Luke took off his clothes and put on a T-shirt. "I'm a generous person; I don't care about a little money. Oh, there's something I need to tell you: I'm going home to Coast City, and I might be there for a while. While I'm gone, I'm entrusting the house to you."
Upon hearing this, the girl was instantly startled,
"You're going back?"
"Yes."
"Why are you going back?"
Luke spread his hands, speechless, "Does that even need a reason?"
The girl was dumbfounded. Yes, going home doesn't need a reason.
Luke went into the basement and emerged wearing the Ghost Armor. He decided to fly from Metropolis to Coast City tonight, both to experience the joy of soaring through the sky and to test the armor's performance.
Seeing Luke put on his backpack and prepare for takeoff, Linda finally couldn't sit still and stammered,
"Um, can I go back with you? If you leave, I'll be too bored by myself."
"I'm afraid not. My grandfather has arranged a marriage for me. If you come back with me, he might get angry."
Linda's mouth dropped open. "Mar-marriage? How old are you, and you're already thinking about marriage!"
Luke shrugged, "It's the old man's arrangement; I can't do anything about it. Anyway, you stay home, protect the things in the basement, and don't let anyone steal them."
With that, he leaped, blue flames erupting from his palms and soles. Under the powerful thrust, he shot straight into the sky.
"Ava!"
"Yes, Young Master!"
"Activate AI assistance program!"
"Adjust internal structure!"
"Initiate energy field!"
The armor began to contract, taking on the most streamlined shape, and an invisible force field enveloped his body, significantly reducing air resistance.
"Full speed ahead!"
Bang!
A sonic boom ripped through the air, and the Ghost Armor transformed into a streak of light, darting through the clouds at an incredibly fast speed.
The fierce wind howled in his ears, the familiar ground became tiny stars, and Luke, piercing through cloud after cloud, couldn't help but cheer.
Flying feels damn good!
Free and unrestrained, soaring into the sky, like a bird above the clouds – it was exhilarating.
Luke cut the power, and the armor went into freefall, picking up speed. Its surface even glowed red, which was the heat generated by the friction between the armor and the atmosphere.
The Ghost Armor plummeted like a meteor from the sky.