At this moment, Nick Fury's aggressive approach was beyond what the Avengers had anticipated. Previously, Nick Fury would never have dared to confront the Avengers so directly. In their previous encounters, the Avengers had always held the upper hand in their ongoing power struggle. However, the situation was now different. Although the Avengers firmly believed in Clark and suspected that he was being framed, they couldn't simply ignore public opinion. After all, the Avengers had not yet risen completely above human society. They still had to be mindful of public perception and couldn't allow themselves to become an enemy of humanity.
This was something Tony Stark and Steve had agreed upon when the Avengers were first formed. The Avengers already had powers that surpassed humanity and held a rather lofty position. They were bound by very few rules and laws, and if they didn't establish clear limits, the Avengers could indeed risk losing control.
As a result, the Avengers found themselves in a passive position. They couldn't just forcibly take Clark away, especially since many people were watching. If they did so, it would deal a serious blow to both Clark's and the Avengers' reputations. At the very least, Clark needed to provide an explanation about what had happened before the explosion at the Capitol.
But the issue was that Clark had been silent ever since he emerged from the ruins. He hadn't spoken a word, whether it was when the official aircraft and mechs surrounded him or when the Avengers arrived. Clark remained silent, his face grim and expressionless.
Seeing Clark in this state, even the Avengers felt uneasy. After all, Clark's behavior was highly unusual. No matter what kind of enemy he had faced before, Clark had never displayed much emotional fluctuation. He was always filled with a sense of invincibility, radiating confidence and strength like the sun. But now, that feeling of invincibility seemed to have vanished.
This wasn't a mere illusion on the Avengers' part. It was because Clark had begun to doubt himself.
Clark had always believed in his own invincibility, or at least he had been very confident in his strength. His body was perfect, without any physical flaws. Although his powers came from the sun, Clark had grown strong enough that destroying the sun was within his capabilities. He had even tested leaving the solar system, and his strength wasn't affected by being away from the sun.
However, this sudden loss of power had thrown Clark into confusion. His super brain had been running non-stop, replaying every moment inside the Capitol, trying to identify the culprit behind his loss of power. But he hadn't succeeded.
Since Clark had lost his powers during that time, he couldn't fully recall the events. He could only rely on his super brain to analyze and reimagine what had happened, trying to reconstruct the missing information.
Unfortunately, how could Clark analyze something that wasn't in his memory? Even with his super brain, it was impossible unless he could achieve a level of power where he could reverse time itself, circling the Earth in the opposite direction to uncover what he had missed...
"Clark..." Steve finally couldn't hold back. He softly called out to Clark, hoping to hear his thoughts.
Clark exhaled deeply at Steve's words, finally snapping back to reality. A trace of regret flickered in his eyes. He hadn't gained any new insights, but now wasn't the time to dwell on it. His gaze swept over the surrounding government forces before he spoke.
"The explosion wasn't my doing. Everyone knows my powers. I can't cause explosions, especially not something as simple as this…"
"Don't you have heat vision that can burn things?" Nick Fury immediately shot back.
"I would need an explosive source for that. Haven't you already deployed plenty of technology to investigate? Haven't you found the source of the explosion?" Clark interrupted, his tone calm yet imposing. Once he regained his composure, Clark's presence returned to that of a god among men, making Nick Fury feel pressured.
"We did," Tony Stark's voice suddenly chimed in. "There's no trace of supernatural power here. It was pure explosives, not even a modern energy bomb. To smuggle that much into the Capitol requires more than an ordinary person. It definitely wasn't Superman because he didn't have the time or opportunity to do it…"
"And you expect me to believe it was just explosives?" Nick Fury countered, still unwilling to give up.
"Why? Don't you trust your own SHIELD detection systems? The results are obvious. Or are you implying that SHIELD planted the explosives to frame Superman?" Tony Stark sneered, pointing toward some of the sampling robots in the distance.
When Tony first heard about the explosion, he had been extremely nervous, especially seeing how strange Clark was acting. That had made Tony even more anxious.
Before the Avengers were formed, Tony had been suspicious of Clark, wondering if this "god among men" had a hidden agenda. But after working with Clark on several occasions, Tony began to trust him more. He realized that even after becoming Iron Man, he couldn't consistently live up to the responsibilities of a superhero every single day. While Tony knew that the world faced countless crises, he didn't feel personally obligated to save everyone. It was simply impossible, even for a superhero.
But Clark had done just that. In non-supernatural situations, Clark had saved at least 80% of the people in distress, rescuing families one after another.
Because Tony had seen Clark's actions with his own eyes, he had gradually come to believe that Clark was genuinely that pure of heart.
Now that the source of the explosion had been identified, Tony felt more at ease. Although he still wondered why Clark hadn't saved those people, it wasn't the time to focus on that. The priority was to clear Clark of suspicion!
"That's nonsense! SHIELD had no personnel involved in this hearing!" Nick Fury quickly denied the accusation. He didn't know who had framed Clark, but he wasn't going to let this opportunity slip away.
"Besides, even if there was an explosive device, why didn't Superman save anyone? Why did you stand there and watch as so many lives were lost?"
Nick Fury had swiftly shifted tactics to moral blackmail. While this approach might not work well on others and could even backfire, it was a different story with Clark. His persona didn't allow him to easily refute Nick Fury's challenge.
"When I noticed the bomb, I immediately tried to act. I was preparing to cut out the surrounding area and take the bombs away," Clark shook his head slowly, his voice heavy.
"But maybe because the event was being broadcast, or perhaps someone was monitoring my actions, the bombs were detonated the moment I saw them. I had no time to save anyone."
"This was a carefully orchestrated plot. Those behind it spared no effort to frame me, even at the cost of innocent lives. Even now, after figuring out what happened, I still mourn for those who died."
If this had been another version of Superman, he might have struggled to respond to such moral blackmail and accusations. But this Clark was different. He was willing to craft his words carefully to absolve himself. After all, the incident wasn't his fault—it was a setup. Even if Clark stretched the truth a bit, he felt no guilt.
"That explains why Superman was silent for so long after he came out. He was praying for the victims," one person in the crowd murmured.
"How despicable! They set up such a terrible trap just to drag Superman down, killing so many people! These people are monsters!"
As Clark finished speaking, those who already supported him quickly rallied to his defense, causing chaos around the Capitol as his supporters and detractors nearly came to blows.
"The Avengers will continue investigating this matter. Superman will continue investigating it as well. We will make sure those who died in this tragedy receive justice!" Steve said, seizing the opportunity and directing his words at Nick Fury.
"I also hope that if any of you in the government have information, you'll come forward. Today it was them, but next time, it could be you who's sacrificed without even knowing it."
Nick Fury's pupils contracted at Steve's words. He couldn't deny the truth behind them, even if Steve's words had an element of provocation.
No one had known about this plot to frame Clark in advance!
Indeed, even with no solid evidence, and despite being on the opposite side of Clark, Nick Fury and the other government agencies didn't believe Clark would have caused the explosion that killed so many. Clark didn't need to go to such lengths to kill, nor would he do it in front of so many witnesses. The framing was obvious.
But at the very least, they could have given SHIELD a heads-up. Even if not all government agencies were informed, they could have warned their allies to evacuate. This disaster had taken the lives of many top officials and military leaders, resulting in significant losses.
And yet, these heavy sacrifices hadn't been enough to bring Clark down.
It wasn't that Clark had emerged completely unscathed, or that his speech had entirely cleared his name. But for those who believed in Clark, they now had a reason to keep believing in him, and that made it impossible to topple him completely.
Soon, the investigation into the Capitol explosion began, and Clark returned to the Avengers' base with the team. The Avengers were still concerned about Clark's earlier behavior.
"What really happened? Did you not have time to save those people?" Tony Stark asked Clark, who had remained silent on the way back.
"No. This was a long-planned frame-up. The enemy seems to know me very well. Not only do they understand some of my weaknesses, but they also seem to have a way to neutralize my powers," Clark replied after a brief pause, glancing at his concerned teammates.
"A way to neutralize you?" The Avengers' eyes widened in shock as they stared at
Clark in disbelief.
To them, the title "god among men" fit Clark perfectly. His strength was godlike, perhaps even approaching that of a God-King! The Earth had faced countless supernatural crises, and aside from the still-unrevealed true powers of Lucifer and the Dark Dimension, there had never been a foe Clark couldn't single-handedly overpower.
As long as Clark was around, the Avengers didn't have to worry about being outmatched at the highest levels of combat!
But now, hearing that someone could restrain Clark came as a huge shock, causing the Avengers to grow anxious.
If they faced another supernatural crisis and Clark was neutralized, Earth's combat strength would plummet. This was a terrifying thought for the Avengers.
"I can't see through lead. Tony, you know this. And whoever set this up knows it too…" Clark continued, seeing their alarmed expressions. "But even now, I still can't figure out why I lost my powers…"
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