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Chapter 442: The Daily Planet's New Employee
Daily Planet Headquarters.
On this day, a new applicant arrived. He was a tall young man with black-rimmed glasses, who appeared quite refined.
"Clark Kent, this will be your desk from now on. Lois, I'm leaving this newcomer with you," a Daily Planet executive said, leading Clark to an empty desk and addressing Lois at the one next to it.
Lois acknowledged him, looking at the young man with confusion. It wasn't until Clark took off his glasses that her expression turned to one of pleasant surprise.
"It's really you, Clark! What are you doing here..."
"It's these glasses. I created them to alter perception. As you know, Superman never wears a cowl, so a lot of people recognize my face. Without a disguise, I'd be recognized immediately." Clark put his glasses back on, looking at Lois with a fiery gaze.
Lois was a bit flustered, unable to hide the joy on her face. She nervously looked at the big man before her, fidgeting—first placing her hands on her lap, then picking up some files, only to helplessly set them aside again.
Filled with the joy of seeing each other after a long time, the excitement of reunion, and a thread of affection planted at some unknown time, the two naturally hit it off.
"Where have you been all this time?" Lois asked, mustering her courage and meeting Clark's ardent gaze.
"I was in a coma for a few days... I also have to thank you, Lois. Thank you for taking that risk for me."
As he said this, a hint of confusion crossed Clark's face. He subconsciously raised a hand to the back of his head, where there seemed to be... a dull ache?
"I feel like I've been having a terrible nightmare."
Clark mused, his eyes incredibly serious.
He kept dreaming that someone was brutally beating him. In the dream, whenever his dream-self was about to awaken, a mysterious figure would slam a fist down, forcing him back into a deep sleep.
The nightmare felt incredibly real, leaving Clark with lingering fear. It even seemed to cause the back of his head to ache.
"It's okay, it's all in the past now..." Lois comforted him. As they talked, the distance between them closed, both emotionally and physically.
A few minutes later, their chairs were right next to each other. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought Lois was diligently training the new rookie.
"Lucky guy."
Some of the men occasionally glanced over, murmuring and looking at Clark with envy. Lois was the prized flower of the Daily Planet, one that everyone wanted to pick, but no one had yet succeeded.
"Everyone, stop what you're doing! I have an announcement!"
The head of the Daily Planet, Perry White—a tall, heavyset man weighing over two hundred pounds—stood in the middle of the aisle with a grim expression. He picked up a remote and turned on the large screen in the main hall.
On the screen, a man was ranting, his sharp-tongued mouth spewing venom wildly.
"The Daily Bugle's success today is all thanks to my brilliant leadership. I, Jameson, as the leader of a world-class newspaper, champion the people's cause with a highly strategic vision."
"Unlike that red-clad bug who flits about New York City, I am a law-abiding citizen! He is a shameful criminal, a despicable thief who excels at deceiving the public with his disguises."
"Every newspaper in the United States, aside from the Daily Bugle, is trash, filled with nothing but despicable liars."
"Especially the Daily Planet in Metropolis! They want to expand into New York? Impossible! New Yorkers will never accept a newspaper so full of lies..."
On the screen, Jameson spoke eloquently to the camera, looking incredibly majestic and solemn as spit flew from his mouth. With such a stern expression, anyone who didn't know him might mistake the old codger for a top expert commenting on global affairs.
In the process, Mr. Jameson launched a broadside attack, slinging mud at all his competitors.
The head of the Daily Planet, Perry, looked as disgusted as if he'd swallowed a fly, his chubby face turning dark.
"Someone has declared war on us! Are we just going to take this lying down?!" Perry roared, shouting at the surrounding employees, whose expressions were varied but mostly filled with indignation.
Perry hit the mute button on the remote, then pointed at the screen and denounced the Daily Bugle's despicable actions.
"That's the kind of people they are, especially their boss, Jameson—he's a complete scumbag! He loves to run his big mouth, spewing bullshit to trick readers into buying their worthless news!"
"As everyone knows, the Daily Bugle gets worse every year! Their most diligent and capable employee, Peter Parker, went off to college two years ago! A third-rate paper like them, one that can barely scrape together funding, actually hired someone like Eddie Brock!"
Perry was extremely agitated, waving a clenched newspaper in his hand like an officer rallying his troops.
Clark chuckled and turned to Lois. "Is the atmosphere here normally like this?"
"More or less. Perry's actually a great guy, he just can't stand being provoked. The Daily Bugle has antagonized him more than a few times, and this time they've really pushed him over the edge," Lois said, suppressing a laugh as she leaned in to whisper in Clark's ear.
The warm, ticklish breath on his ear made a strange expression flash across Clark's face, and he stared intently at Lois.
"Later... are you busy? Do you want to go get a drink?"
"Sure!"
And just like that, another couple was formed.
What greeted Clark were the furious glares of the male employees around them, as if their own precious flower had just been claimed by a pile of cow dung. That's right—in the eyes of the enraged men, the tall and handsome Clark was nothing but a pile of cow dung.
Perry didn't notice the shift in his employees' mood and continued his impassioned speech, vowing to teach the Daily Bugle a lesson. They couldn't let this slander continue; it would damage the Daily Planet's reputation.
...
On an island somewhere on Earth, a massive Kryptonian spaceship was parked.
Inside the Genesis Chamber, someone was conducting an experiment.
"Another failure..." Tony's brow furrowed slightly as he looked at the special cell within the drop of test solution in his hand, a cell invisible to the naked eye.
This was the one hundred and ninetieth experiment, and the one hundred and ninetieth failure.
All the experimental cells had died.
"Does such a creature, one that defies all logic... truly exist?" the medic, Knock Out, asked in confusion.
No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't comprehend how a lifeform capable of infinite enhancement could possibly exist.
"Doomsday is real. There must be a flaw somewhere in our experimental procedure."
Tony clenched his fist. When he opened it again, the test solution and the dead cell had already disintegrated into minuscule particles, vanishing completely.
(end of chapter)
Daily Planet Headquarters.
On this day, a new applicant arrived. He was a tall young man with black-rimmed glasses, who appeared quite refined.
"Clark Kent, this will be your desk from now on. Lois, I'm leaving this newcomer with you," a Daily Planet executive said, leading Clark to an empty desk and addressing Lois at the one next to it.
Lois acknowledged him, looking at the young man with confusion. It wasn't until Clark took off his glasses that her expression turned to one of pleasant surprise.
"It's really you, Clark! What are you doing here..."
"It's these glasses. I created them to alter perception. As you know, Superman never wears a cowl, so a lot of people recognize my face. Without a disguise, I'd be recognized immediately." Clark put his glasses back on, looking at Lois with a fiery gaze.
Lois was a bit flustered, unable to hide the joy on her face. She nervously looked at the big man before her, fidgeting—first placing her hands on her lap, then picking up some files, only to helplessly set them aside again.
Filled with the joy of seeing each other after a long time, the excitement of reunion, and a thread of affection planted at some unknown time, the two naturally hit it off.
"Where have you been all this time?" Lois asked, mustering her courage and meeting Clark's ardent gaze.
"I was in a coma for a few days... I also have to thank you, Lois. Thank you for taking that risk for me."
As he said this, a hint of confusion crossed Clark's face. He subconsciously raised a hand to the back of his head, where there seemed to be... a dull ache?
"I feel like I've been having a terrible nightmare."
Clark mused, his eyes incredibly serious.
He kept dreaming that someone was brutally beating him. In the dream, whenever his dream-self was about to awaken, a mysterious figure would slam a fist down, forcing him back into a deep sleep.
The nightmare felt incredibly real, leaving Clark with lingering fear. It even seemed to cause the back of his head to ache.
"It's okay, it's all in the past now..." Lois comforted him. As they talked, the distance between them closed, both emotionally and physically.
A few minutes later, their chairs were right next to each other. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought Lois was diligently training the new rookie.
"Lucky guy."
Some of the men occasionally glanced over, murmuring and looking at Clark with envy. Lois was the prized flower of the Daily Planet, one that everyone wanted to pick, but no one had yet succeeded.
"Everyone, stop what you're doing! I have an announcement!"
The head of the Daily Planet, Perry White—a tall, heavyset man weighing over two hundred pounds—stood in the middle of the aisle with a grim expression. He picked up a remote and turned on the large screen in the main hall.
On the screen, a man was ranting, his sharp-tongued mouth spewing venom wildly.
"The Daily Bugle's success today is all thanks to my brilliant leadership. I, Jameson, as the leader of a world-class newspaper, champion the people's cause with a highly strategic vision."
"Unlike that red-clad bug who flits about New York City, I am a law-abiding citizen! He is a shameful criminal, a despicable thief who excels at deceiving the public with his disguises."
"Every newspaper in the United States, aside from the Daily Bugle, is trash, filled with nothing but despicable liars."
"Especially the Daily Planet in Metropolis! They want to expand into New York? Impossible! New Yorkers will never accept a newspaper so full of lies..."
On the screen, Jameson spoke eloquently to the camera, looking incredibly majestic and solemn as spit flew from his mouth. With such a stern expression, anyone who didn't know him might mistake the old codger for a top expert commenting on global affairs.
In the process, Mr. Jameson launched a broadside attack, slinging mud at all his competitors.
The head of the Daily Planet, Perry, looked as disgusted as if he'd swallowed a fly, his chubby face turning dark.
"Someone has declared war on us! Are we just going to take this lying down?!" Perry roared, shouting at the surrounding employees, whose expressions were varied but mostly filled with indignation.
Perry hit the mute button on the remote, then pointed at the screen and denounced the Daily Bugle's despicable actions.
"That's the kind of people they are, especially their boss, Jameson—he's a complete scumbag! He loves to run his big mouth, spewing bullshit to trick readers into buying their worthless news!"
"As everyone knows, the Daily Bugle gets worse every year! Their most diligent and capable employee, Peter Parker, went off to college two years ago! A third-rate paper like them, one that can barely scrape together funding, actually hired someone like Eddie Brock!"
Perry was extremely agitated, waving a clenched newspaper in his hand like an officer rallying his troops.
Clark chuckled and turned to Lois. "Is the atmosphere here normally like this?"
"More or less. Perry's actually a great guy, he just can't stand being provoked. The Daily Bugle has antagonized him more than a few times, and this time they've really pushed him over the edge," Lois said, suppressing a laugh as she leaned in to whisper in Clark's ear.
The warm, ticklish breath on his ear made a strange expression flash across Clark's face, and he stared intently at Lois.
"Later... are you busy? Do you want to go get a drink?"
"Sure!"
And just like that, another couple was formed.
What greeted Clark were the furious glares of the male employees around them, as if their own precious flower had just been claimed by a pile of cow dung. That's right—in the eyes of the enraged men, the tall and handsome Clark was nothing but a pile of cow dung.
Perry didn't notice the shift in his employees' mood and continued his impassioned speech, vowing to teach the Daily Bugle a lesson. They couldn't let this slander continue; it would damage the Daily Planet's reputation.
...
On an island somewhere on Earth, a massive Kryptonian spaceship was parked.
Inside the Genesis Chamber, someone was conducting an experiment.
"Another failure..." Tony's brow furrowed slightly as he looked at the special cell within the drop of test solution in his hand, a cell invisible to the naked eye.
This was the one hundred and ninetieth experiment, and the one hundred and ninetieth failure.
All the experimental cells had died.
"Does such a creature, one that defies all logic... truly exist?" the medic, Knock Out, asked in confusion.
No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't comprehend how a lifeform capable of infinite enhancement could possibly exist.
"Doomsday is real. There must be a flaw somewhere in our experimental procedure."
Tony clenched his fist. When he opened it again, the test solution and the dead cell had already disintegrated into minuscule particles, vanishing completely.
(end of chapter)
