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[Superman] Chapter 183: Justice League, Assemble!
🕑 Added 2024-08-01 04:02:24 +0000 UTCA few days later, the theft of Doomsday's body, while causing significant upheaval in some ways, did not seem to capture the attention of the higher-ups beyond the military base’s highest commander, who was court-martialed for failing to follow orders.
Though the Doomsday corpse was important to them, it was overshadowed by the shock caused by Peter's sudden appearance.
Therefore, the focus was not on recovering the lost body but on secretly investigating and discovering the origins and secrets of this new, terrifyingly powerful individual who seemed like another Superman.
Was Earth losing one Superman only to have another one emerge so quickly?
Of course, the search for Peter was conducted in secrecy. Peter's existence was not publicly known, even though the world was in desperate need of a new Superman.
At the same time, the search for Peter was not limited to government high-ups.
In the outskirts of a city, beneath an old factory, within a secret underground facility:
Thud, thud, thud…
The sound of heavy footsteps echoed clearly in the silent night.
The entire underground facility seemed to be vibrating slightly.
A massive metal machine, weighing hundreds of tons, was moving with a biological grace in a spacious underground chamber, taking slow, deliberate steps.
Suddenly, the huge mechanical device came to a halt, its glowing lights dimming as it stopped its power output, leaving the imposing, cold machine in silence.
Soon, a door at the top of the machine opened, and a figure clad in a tight vest with imposing muscles slowly emerged.
“Does this modified giant really work?”
A figure approached from the dimly lit underground room, looking at the massive machine with a hint of skepticism.
“If what you say about the future is true, and we don't need to deal with the new Superman, then this should be sufficient,” Batman responded, standing next to the Flash.
“I only encountered him in the future. His identity is still a mystery to me,” the Flash admitted.
Even the Flash, coming from the future, had little understanding of Peter’s true nature. However, he sensed that despite Peter's recklessness, he did not seem intent on destroying or ruling Earth.
For now, the imminent alien invasion was a more pressing concern.
“Fine, if the crisis you mentioned has nothing to do with that individual, we’ll address the upcoming crisis first and then deal with that troublesome figure,” Batman said with a grave expression.
Through his conversation with the Flash, Batman realized that the enemy he would face was not only himself but everyone on Earth.
From beyond the cosmos, a distant tyrant from Apokolips known as Darkseid was preparing to invade. Although Darkseid had not yet personally arrived on Earth, his powerful subordinate, a being known as the Desaad, would soon come guided by the Apokoliptian Mother Box to collect three Mother Boxes and open a portal to Apokolips.
“Now that everything is ready, it’s time to find the future allies you spoke of,” Batman said, turning to the excited Flash.
“Justice League, prepare to assemble!”
After years of apocalypse, the Flash had almost forgotten the feeling of fighting alongside his teammates. Yet, at this moment, he could hardly contain his excitement and felt a surge of adrenaline.
...
On the coast, in a secluded tavern in a small town:
A middle-aged man dressed in an elegant black suit, exuding an air of nobility and grace, stood out starkly in this remote seaside town.
“Bartender, a beer, please!”
He placed a Franklin on the counter and spoke slowly.
As the bartender prepared the drink, his eyes scanned the now silent patrons of the small tavern.
His gaze settled on a muscular figure with an exposed upper body and tattoo-like markings.
The visitor was none other than Bruce Wayne, Batman.
He had come to this town searching for one of the future Justice League members mentioned by the Flash.
The one he sought was Aquaman, the powerful offspring of Atlantis and humanity.
---
Meanwhile, in a museum in the city:
A lightning-fast figure darted through the hall, creating a small whirlwind, and vanished before anyone could react.
“What just happened? Why did a gust of wind suddenly blow through the room?”
The ordinary people couldn't identify the source of the wind, their faces showing confusion.
Only a beautiful woman working on the restoration of an artifact looked seriously toward the door. She stopped her work and disappeared from the museum in the blink of an eye.
Clack!
On a deserted street:
A streak of lightning came to a halt at the end of the street and slowly turned around. It was the future Flash.
Moments after the Flash stopped, a voice suddenly called out.
“Who are you? Why did you bring me here?”
In less than ten seconds, the woman had changed her attire, now wearing a golden mini skirt with her long, sexy legs exposed.
She leaped from a building several dozen meters high.
Boom!
With a loud crash, she landed on one knee in front of the Flash.
“I’m sorry, Diana Prince, or rather Wonder Woman. I had to meet you this way…”
“But we urgently need your help with something very important!”
The Flash had come to invite Wonder Woman to join the Justice League to prevent the upcoming crisis.
“We? Who are you referring to?”
Diana didn’t immediately ask what the issue was but questioned who the "we" included.
“Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman!”
The Flash answered directly without any concealment.
“Hm? Bruce? He sent you to find me? What’s going on?”
Wonder Woman was surprised to hear Batman's name, considering they had fought alongside each other not long ago, including Superman who was now deceased.
“No, that event hasn’t happened yet, but it will soon, and it will devastate our world!”
The Flash didn’t waste time with suspense and revealed the true reason for seeking Diana.
“Destroy the world? How is that possible? Even a god can be defeated by me!”
Diana’s eyes showed skepticism, but her expression was filled with confidence.
And it was indeed true; she had defeated gods, including the strongest war god.
“Sorry, Ms. Diana, I share your confidence, but times have changed!”
“We’re about to face a terrifying force that was only barely repelled by the combined might of the gods on Earth.”
The Flash spoke gravely.
Perhaps sensing Diana’s skepticism, the Flash continued with words that would deeply move her.
“And the origin of this crisis will be on your true homeland, the Amazonian territory, Themyscira!”
“What? Themyscira? That’s absolutely impossible!”
Diana, who had been calm until now, was instantly filled with intense agitation.
---
Not long after, the Flash and Batman successfully completed their respective tasks.
They had recruited two new members for the forthcoming Justice League.
Of course, this was not the end; they still needed to recruit more members.
To combat a threat capable of destroying the world, they naturally needed more help.
Soon, Cyborg, who had recently been revived but was struggling to accept his transformation into a half-cyborg, was successfully persuaded by Diana to join the Justice League.
At this moment, the five of them were gathered in Batman's secret Batcave.
They were discussing their next plan of action.
“Barry Allen, do we really not need to recruit the Flash from this timeline?”
Time can sometimes be quite peculiar.
In this timeline, there were two Flashes existing simultaneously.
One from the future and one who originally belonged to this world.
“Let’s not. Meeting my past self might create a time paradox.”
“Besides, compared to the other me from the past, I have much greater power now.”
The Flash shook his head slowly. The version of himself in this timeline had not yet fully mastered the Speed Force’s applications.
He could only use the Speed Force to achieve extreme speeds, unable to perform more extraordinary feats.
Had he fully controlled the Speed Force and used it to reverse time in the past, things might have turned out differently.
“Alright, the team is temporarily assembled. It’s time for us to devise a plan to stop the impending crisis!”
Batman spoke, highlighting the most crucial issue at hand.
“That thing called a Mother Box? Does it really possess such immense power? Capable of destroying the world and even opening a portal to another planet?”
Despite knowing from Batman about what they were facing, Aquaman still found it hard to believe that a mere box could have such terrifying power.
“That box indeed possesses incredibly powerful capabilities. It can reshape and destroy all matter at the molecular level, and it contains boundless knowledge and technology from Apokolips…”
Before anyone else could speak, the usually silent Cyborg finally spoke up.
“How do you know this?”
“Because my new life was given to me by that box!”
Cyborg’s expression was calm, but there was no joy on his face about his new life.
If given the choice, he would have preferred not to have received it.
“Alright, now that we’ve gathered, we need to focus on planning. Barry, you mentioned that the Mother Box’s disturbance will summon that alien creature called Darkseid, correct?”
Batman interrupted the pointless chatter and spoke slowly, as if pondering the plan.
“Exactly. Darkseid, a powerful alien from Apokolips, with immense strength.”
The Flash’s eyes reflected a hint of recollection. Darkseid’s power might far exceed their expectations.
Even if all of them united, it might only be barely enough to hold their ground.
“Since we already know what will happen in the future, there’s no reason to be afraid. We just need to prepare thoroughly and wait for the threat to appear, then defeat it together.”
Aquaman, though rugged and straightforward, was only thinking of fighting head-on.
“No, our combined strength might only barely hold off Darkseid, and that’s if he hasn’t obtained the Mother Box. If he finds it and summons an army of Parademons, we won’t be able to stop their devastation of Earth with just us.”
Recalling the horrific Parademon army, the Flash was reminded of the future devastation on Earth.
With Darkseid’s invasion and the transformation of Earth, almost the entire human world became a hive for the Parademons.
Earth was nearly lost, and countless humans fell into hellish conditions, turning into new Parademons.
This was why the number of resistors dwindled.
He couldn’t even imagine how dire things would become after Earth was completely transformed into a new Apokolips.
“Exactly. Since we failed in the future, we must not take this lightly. We need to plan meticulously.”
Batman agreed with the Flash.
Being from the future, he understood the stakes better.
Even though they had gathered earlier than in the future and were better prepared, they still couldn’t afford to be careless at the expense of Earth’s future.
“Since just us isn’t enough, why not continue searching for other new allies with special abilities?”
The usually silent Cyborg suggested a feasible plan.
More help meant more strength.
“This plan is indeed feasible. Around the world, besides us, there are many others with special abilities.”
“However, we don’t have much time and need a lot of time to screen and invite them.”
Wonder Woman was also contemplating the feasibility of this plan.
Though it was indeed feasible, it required a long time.
And what they lacked most was time.
In less than a month, Darkseid would be summoned by the Mother Box and descend upon Earth!
“Perhaps, more allies might not be as effective as a single powerful companion.”
“In fact, Barry and I already have a special plan!”
Batman exchanged a mysterious look with the Flash and spoke slowly.
---
(End of Chapter)
