The entire airport fell silent in an instant—then chaos erupted.
Screams and pounding footsteps intertwined as everyone sprinted toward the exits with all their strength. Without someone to restore order, it was only a matter of time before the panic turned into a deadly stampede.
At that moment, Cyborg's voice came through again:
"Sorry, Lois. I acted too hastily. The crisis is over. The original seismic wave would have triggered a magnitude 11–12 mega-earthquake when it reached Britain—but someone stopped it."
"12? Did you misplace a decimal point, Cyborg?"
Lois Lane felt like he was talking nonsense. Earthquake magnitudes didn't increase linearly—each level up meant an exponential increase in destructive power.
The strongest earthquake humanity had ever recorded was only 9.5. A magnitude 12 quake would, without exaggeration, be enough to tear the entire British Isles apart! There would've been no point in warning her to run at all.
But Lois didn't have time to argue about seismic scales. While talking to Cyborg, she failed to notice the crowd surging toward her—and was knocked to the ground.
Jimmy rushed over, trying to shield her, but he too was trapped in the crush, unable to move. He shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Lois! Curl up—protect your head!"
It was the most effective way to survive a stampede. Lois tried to follow his advice, but in the overwhelming tide of bodies, it was nearly impossible.
Pulitzer Prize winner. Star reporter of the Daily Planet. Daughter of decorated hero Sam Lane.
Lois Lane—dead in a stampede.
She had already begun wondering how her obituary would be written.
Then suddenly, a sharp pain pierced her ears, followed by a long ringing—because a voice like thunder crashed down from above:
"Quiet!!!"
The entire airport froze under that deafening roar. Some people with sharper senses even staggered, nauseated from the shock.
A man in a red cape descended from the sky and extended a hand to Lois through the temporarily stunned crowd.
It was Superman—a name people had given him because of the 'S' emblem on his chest.
"You… are much younger than I imagined."
It was Lois's first time seeing Superman up close, and for a moment, she was dazed.
She was certain she had never seen his face before—but somehow, this first meeting felt like a reunion long overdue.
"Ma'am, could you let go of my hand?"
Joey had stopped the chaos and pulled her up from what could have been her death—but she held onto his hand tightly. With a casual glance, Joey realized she was, in a sense, a familiar face:
"Lois Lane of the Daily Planet?"
"You know me, Mr. Superman?"
"No, I don't know you. I just know how to read—your badge says it. Now let go of my hand. If you want an interview, go ask Kara."
Joey had never expected that after stopping a catastrophic earthquake, he would also have to stop dozens of stampedes. Fortunately, Kara had acted faster than he did—otherwise, the earthquake might have caused no casualties, only for hundreds to die in crowd crushes instead.
Some genius with a metal head had hijacked all of Europe's communication channels to broadcast the earthquake warning. Joey understood the good intention—but that person really should've stayed put.
This was Joey's final stop. Once this was handled, he was going to settle accounts with Aquaman.
The Atlantean doomsday weapon was shielded by magic, making it impossible for Joey to locate directly. But their regular military units weren't protected the same way—and from his observations, they were all gathering in one direction.
That direction also matched the trajectory of the seismic wave—the likely location of the weapon.
"Wait, Superman!"
Lois tried to stop him, even for a moment—but he had already shaken off her hand and flown out through the airport's framework.
Joey had no time to deal with someone who was, in a way, his 'colleague.' People like them always wanted a big story—asking sharp, tricky questions—but rarely had the freedom to report the truth.
Talking to them was usually a waste of time.
Once everything was over, he would have all the time in the world to explain the future he intended to create.
Just as Joey was about to dive into the ocean, another uninvited guest blocked his path.
"Wait!"
Fully armed, Wonder Woman flew in from the north. Since Amazons couldn't breathe underwater like Kryptonians, she even wore an oxygen mask.
"You can't face tens of thousands of Atlantean troops alone. Let me help you!"
"No. I can handle it myself."
After some thought, Joey refused her help.
"It's too dangerous for you. You won't be able to fight at full strength underwater."
In truth, Joey wanted to keep things under control. Letting Wonder Woman—a volatile factor—join the battle would be more of a liability than an advantage.
The superheroes of this world were very different from those in a normal universe. Just because Aquaman was a ruthless bastard didn't mean Wonder Woman was some kind, gentle hero.
She had once tried to conquer all of Europe to sustain her war against Atlantis. And now Aquaman was willing to sink half of Western Europe just to eliminate the Amazons.
Unlike Joey, who still held some restraint, these two demigods viewed humans as little more than insects or livestock.
Joey wasn't ready to become like them. He believed he could do better.
Even the Amazons and Atlanteans, compared to Kryptonians, were nothing more than slightly stronger ants.
Most versions of Clark Joseph Kent in the comics were saint-like saviors.
But Joey knew he could never be a saint—he couldn't turn the other cheek and show love to his enemies the way Superman would.
Still, being a savior? That, he could manage.
At this moment, he genuinely wanted to vent his anger through a simple massacre—but staining the ocean red with blood would do nothing to achieve lasting peace.
Better to use this opportunity to teach the Atlanteans a lesson they would never forget.
Their greatest flaw was believing their cities, hidden deep beneath the sea, were beyond the reach of surface dwellers—that they could strike at will without ever fearing retaliation.
Joey intended to show them that this belief was nothing more than a naive illusion.