Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics-Chapter 4423 - 3511: Study of Cats and Dogs (22)

The sunlight over Metropolis was unusually bright. Kara's golden hair danced in the wind, like a shimmering river of gold spread across the blue sky. As her chest rose and fell, tiny red sparks flared from her blue eyes.

A sharp "Zzzzap" echoed as a beam of red laser shot out, carving a deep scar into the pavement, speeding directly toward a red-and-blue figure in the distance. The laser narrowly grazed the edge of his cape, nearly striking Injustice Superman.

Injustice Superman wasn't one to back down and retaliated with a laser beam of his own. But Kara had already seized the opportunity; with a nimble twist in midair, she surged upward and closed the distance between herself and Injustice Superman at an incredible speed.

Injustice Superman seemed to anticipate her move, breaking away with a sharp aerial lunge before delivering a blast of icy breath. Kara sidestepped to avoid it, only to be met with a fist aiming straight for her.

Kara raised her arms to block, but the force propelled her backward through the air. She remained calm, stabilized herself quickly midflight, and then surged upward again with determination.

She had successfully drawn Injustice Superman's attention. Her next priority was clear: to lead him as far away from the ground as possible. Although this wasn't the city center of Metropolis, nearby suburban residential neighborhoods were still at risk. Ensuring their battle wouldn't cause civilian casualties was Kara's primary concern.

Once she ascended to a sufficiently high altitude, Kara went all out. The deafening sonic boom that resulted from her charge reverberated through the skies over Metropolis as she landed a solid punch squarely on Injustice Superman's face.

Injustice Superman was sent hurtling back. Barry seized the moment—delicate golden streaks, like willow branches swaying in the wind, surged forward but exploded into a boundless, pitch-black maelstrom just as they reached their target.

Injustice Superman sensed Barry's rapid approach, but Barry's speed outpaced even his super brain's ability to react. When Barry's hand touched Injustice Superman's shoulder, the entire world froze.

Kara's flowing strands of hair, Injustice Superman's chaotic gaze, Barry's focused expression—all of it was suspended in time at that precise moment. At the point of contact between hand and shoulder, a black storm surged out and engulfed them both.

Time began rewinding rapidly, returning to the moment when Injustice Superman flew toward them. Then everything played out again—laser beams clashing, Kara's swift ascent, fists colliding in midair, the appearance of golden lightning, and a hand landing on Injustice Superman's shoulder...

Time rewound once more.

From Kara's perspective, she could only see a faint streak of golden light approaching from the distance. As the sky dimmed and the light was devoured in an instant, both Barry and Injustice Superman disappeared without a trace.

Approximately a second later, the two reappeared on the ground. However, there was something different—Injustice Superman's figure seemed faint, almost ghostly, and frozen in his prior combat stance.

Kara descended slowly and asked Barry, "What have you done to him?"

Barry shook his head and replied, "He's no longer here. I've trapped him within a time loop constructed with Divine Speed. What you're seeing now is merely a projection I've pulled from countless points in time."

Kara didn't fully grasp the situation, but at that moment, Charles spoke up, "The brainwave sorting is complete. His brain is entirely different from a human's, requiring more time to reboot—roughly half an hour. Also, I uncovered some anomalies in his memory."

"You looked into his memories?" Kara asked.

Charles adjusted his glasses, nodded, and responded, "It's a necessary part of sorting brainwaves. Besides, I don't believe there's anything in your memories worth keeping secret from me."

Barry, knowing the extent of Charles's abilities, quickly interjected, "The priority now is to find the culprit disrupting this Superman's brainwave."

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Pamela, recalling Kara's earlier words, stepped forward and said, "He came flying out of Metropolis's urban area, so plenty of people must have seen him. If the other party aims to tarnish Superman's reputation, they'll ensure both reporters and the police are drawn to the scene."

A glimmer of worry flashed through Kara's eyes, but it was soon replaced by a contemplative expression. Harley emerged from behind the car and said, "Well, since he's out cold, we might as well take him into Metropolis and ask the Justice League for help—they'll definitely have a solution."

"It's far too dangerous to bring an out-of-control Superman into the city center," Kara said, frowning. "If we lose control of him, the consequences will be catastrophic."

At that moment, Kara seemed to hear something. She turned her head toward the horizon and quickly gestured for everyone to get into the car. "A convoy of police vehicles is heading this way. Hurry, let's get moving."

A glimmer of gold flashed in Barry's eyes as the real Injustice Superman was swapped into place. The group hurriedly loaded him into the back of a pickup truck before climbing aboard and driving off in the opposite direction.

Barry, driving, picked up his phone. Before he could dial, a familiar number appeared on his screen.

"Hello? Barry? Have you left Gotham yet?"

"Yes, and we've run into some trouble. We encountered a Superman who's gone berserk. Do you know who he is, Oliver?"

"You've already subdued him? Thank God. About twenty minutes ago, he burst out of Luthor Group's safehouse, destroyed two streets in Metropolis, and injured over a dozen people..."

"Good Lord," Barry muttered. "We've managed to contain him. Charles said his brainwaves were interfered with. Do you know anything about that?"

"We're still investigating. By Charles, you don't mean Charles Xavier, do you?"

"Exactly. Professor Shearer enlisted him to help us."

"A fantastic choice," Oliver replied. "Now, there's a squad of police heading toward your location. Don't worry; it's Luthor's advance team, sent to secure the scene and manage the fallout. Ignore them and take the eastern highway into the city outskirts."

"Got it. But Superman will wake up in less than thirty minutes. You'd better have countermeasures ready for him."

"Of course. We've got someone here who specializes in that. Batman's with us—everything else can wait until you arrive."

With Oliver's assurance, Barry promptly messaged Pamela in the truck behind them.

As they merged onto the highway leading into Metropolis, a swarm of police cars and helicopters rushed past them heading toward the city limits. Barry's convoy managed to slip by unnoticed, the real culprit sleeping soundly in the truck bed behind them.

"Superman came from Luthor Group's safehouse," Harley remarked. "Whoever did this must want to sow mistrust between the Justice League and Luthor Group."

"Oliver won't be that easily fooled," Barry said, gripping the steering wheel. "It's basic logic. Metropolis is Luthor's turf. Even if he wanted to release a berserk Superman to tarnish his reputation, he wouldn't let him destroy two of his streets."

"I know. Oliver has always been pragmatic about these things. They're natural allies—it's not that simple to break them apart. But I worry that if there's internal turmoil within Luthor Group, no matter what happens next, the Justice League might have to steer clear, leaving us without support."

"Don't be so pessimistic," Barry replied. "Remember, the people backing them aren't easy to deal with either. They're probably close to uncovering the truth by now."

The two pickup trucks slowly entered Metropolis. Just as they passed the city outskirts, Oliver called again:

"Don't head to Luthor Group. Change course for Luthor Manor—we'll rendezvous there."

Hearing his voice over the phone, Harley smirked and said, "The Soviets really don't waste time. They've already caught the scent. Whoever orchestrated this probably didn't expect that the agents stationed at Luthor Group wouldn't be your run-of-the-mill KGB, but rather elite operatives from the Eleventh Bureau."

Barry breathed a sigh of relief, steering toward Luthor's Half-Mountain Manor.

The estate was clearly on high alert, with a faint Magical Shield flickering above its roofs. The cars climbed the winding path and eventually came to a halt in front of the main gate.

To Barry's surprise, Lex Luthor himself stood at the entrance to greet them, though Barry figured his presence was more likely for Charles Xavier.

Any player who's participated in Battleworld would instantly recognize the eminent Professor X. Even if Lex pretended to be uninterested, someone of such renown clearly warranted a certain level of respect.

Barry and Harley were the first to step out of the car. Lex approached, shaking hands with Barry, followed by Pamela and Kara.

"This is Professor Charles Xavier," Barry introduced, gesturing behind him.

There was nothing there. However, Lex blinked, and suddenly, a young man with blue eyes and black-frame glasses appeared before him.

Realizing what had happened, Lex refrained from attempting any physical greeting with Charles. Instead, he nodded and said, "Hello, Professor. I've heard a lot about you."

Charles nodded back.

Leading the group into the manor, Lex guided them to a large hall where the Justice League had mostly gathered. Alongside the Justice League from this universe was the Injustice Batman.

Injustice Superman had been carried inside and laid on a central sofa. Injustice Batman walked over to inspect him—it had been a long time since he'd seen the Superman from his universe look this relaxed while asleep.

Suddenly, a voice from Lex drew his attention. He turned, noticing that Lex seemed to be speaking to someone who wasn't there.

"Alright, everyone," Lex announced. "Professor Xavier has identified some anomalies in this Superman's memories. Let's hear what he has to say."

Everyone focused intently on the empty space beside Lex, their expressions suggesting they were truly listening—Clark nodded repeatedly, Oliver appeared deep in thought, Diana furrowed her brows, and even Bruce stopped yawning and focused.

Injustice Batman suddenly felt like one of the courtiers in the story of "The Emperor's New Clothes."

"How do you like my new clothes?"

"Where are these clothes exactly?"

What are they listening to?

Injustice Batman confirmed once again—there was nothing to hear, nothing to see. There was absolutely nothing there, so it couldn't have been his imagination.

As he stared, practically boring a hole into the spot, Oliver finally noticed something was off.

He quickly walked over and said, "Excuse me, Professor Xavier, sorry to interrupt. This is our new ally, the Batman from another universe, and he's from the same universe as this Superman. I think he has the right to know about his companion's condition. Could you repeat what you just said?"

As soon as Oliver finished, a figure suddenly became visible on that previously empty spot to Injustice Batman.

When those blue eyes stared directly at him, he couldn't help but wonder if someone had been standing there all along.