hotmtlnovel Chapter 4354 The Justice League Assembles (2)
Chapter 4354 The Justice League Assembles (2)
Chapter 4354 Justice League: Assemble (Part Two)
The lawmakers quickly retreated.
The council chamber may be cold, but it's not as cold as their hearts. Were they waiting for them here?
That's right. Before they even arrived at Capitol Hill, reporters had already stormed into the base that Clark had moved to, the one Amanda used for dissecting aliens. It wasn't a Sky Eye base, but a medical facility specifically for human experimentation. There are many such buildings across the United States, where various factions can send their acquired resources for dissection and research. Therefore, it's filled with a large number of corpses.
Of course, if the bodies were legally obtained, there would be no need for a dedicated base. These places are specifically for conducting secret, wicked research, so the bodies naturally wouldn't have a plausible origin.
If it were just that, it wouldn't be so bad. After all, there are many unidentified bodies on the streets every year, and it's not unreasonable for someone to take them home. However, recently it was reported that homeless people in Los Angeles have disappeared without a trace. And renowned journalist Louise Lane was almost silenced by the military because of her investigative report. Aren't these two things connected?
Although the bodies in this base are likely "old corpses," and the Los Angeles batch of bodies probably haven't even arrived yet, the reporters don't care about that. They were just worried about not having anything to use for their next round of sob stories, and now, with the military's attacks nearly over, the federal government has delivered itself to their doorstep. Now, the research base is less than 100 meters from the Capitol; they need to give an explanation, right?
The lawmakers retreated, not out of fear of the reporters, but because their questions reminded them of something: they were currently less than a hundred meters away from what was likely a research facility studying viruses and bacteria. They were sharing the same air with corpses that had undergone unknown modifications. It seemed they truly had no choice but to live to see what happened.
The lawmakers were desperate. They were starting to empathize with Superman from the past. They didn't know what they had done to offend him so badly. From their perspective, with no past grudges or recent conflicts, they genuinely couldn't understand why Superman would do such a thing.
They felt this was the most wronged they had ever been. In the past, they had at least done some bad things, but this time they were only busy tallying the vote results and no one had interfered with the aliens' affairs. In the end, the retribution fell entirely on them. Of course, they couldn't help but curse loudly.
Clark hovered above the Capitol. He could hear the shouts and wails in the meeting hall clearly. But what he was thinking was that these people, in what wasn't even the coldest night, in a sheltered house that offered some protection from the wind and rain, had been freezing for less than two hours and were already crying and wailing; what about those living in tents? How many more snowy nights would they have to endure like this, and how would they eventually die silently, becoming nameless corpses in the research base?
Theft is a crime, robbery is a crime. So why isn't allowing people to live their lives in this way a crime, but rather a matter of politics and power?
Clark realized that the Federation was like a person: with a brain that gives orders, limbs that carry them out, a stomach that digests food, and a liver that filters toxins, and that person was the biggest criminal on this land.
Those so-called thieves, robbers, and even murderers are nothing more than pathogens within this massive body. He can act as a white blood cell to kill these pathogens, or as an immune system to prevent further diseases.
However, the cells in a person's body cannot judge that person. White blood cells cannot refuse to save you when you are sick just because you have committed a crime, because they are a part of you.
If he becomes a vigilante-like superhero, then he has joined this society, like a newly formed cell in the human body, whose only task is to defeat germs.
However, what truly destroys a person and the society they live in is not some minor illness or pain originating from the body, but rather their entire criminal behavior. This is something that cannot be stopped from within.
To save a criminal, you shouldn't try to save his heart, liver, spleen, and lungs. On the contrary, the healthier his organs are, the less disease-prone he is, and the stronger his body is, the greater the crimes he can commit. This is irresponsible to all of human civilization.
Throughout history, punishing criminals has always required sufficiently strong external forces. They must be threatened in order to regulate their behavior. This is also true for the entire federation.
Therefore, if Clark had chosen to be an American vigilante, or even just an ordinary human, he probably wouldn't have been able to externally enforce and regulate the giant's behavior.
To relight the beacon, he could only choose the more solitary path: to withdraw himself from human society and, as an individual, prevent society from going astray.
But how could he extricate himself? He had grown up on Earth and had almost forgotten that he was an alien. The only way was to rediscover his alien identity. Perhaps, he would have to go to Krypton.
He needed to know what he would be like if he grew up on Krypton. What were the advantages and disadvantages of Krypton compared to Earth? Did it hold the ultimate answers about society?
Flying over the metropolis, Clark took one last look at the vast city before turning away. It was a snowy Christmas Eve, and every house was brightly lit. When he was a naive small-town boy, he had been awestruck by such magnificent night views countless times. Perhaps his home planet Krypton once had such a myriad of lights. But now, only an old ship, stranded far from home, remained.
Perhaps Louise is right; the significance of seeking historical truth does not lie in the truth itself. It is the sense of social and self-identity built up in the process of seeking that is the gold leaf found among the silt carried by the river of history to this day.
With that in mind, Clark flew toward a building in Metropolis. He landed on the balcony of Louise's apartment, but he knew Louise had already moved out and was probably in the hospital.
But he couldn't resist coming to see. Just as he landed on the balcony, a figure flashed inside, and then the curtains were drawn back. Louise Lane met his eyes, and both of them froze.
“I thought you’d come here,” Louise said. “Luckily, I get along well with the landlord. I told him I’d left something here, and he let me in.”
Clark reached out to her, but didn't hug her. He simply stroked her hair and said, "You reminded me who I am. I am Clark Kent. But Clark Kent can do so little."
Louise stepped forward, touched Clark's profile, which was shrouded in darkness and only a faint glow remained, and said, "Are you leaving?"
“I need to go back to Krypton. I need to know what really happened back then.” Clark stroked Louise’s hand and said, “Maybe I won’t come back.”
Louise gently stroked his cheek with her thumb and said, “When Jesus died, he warned his followers, ‘I will return in three days.’ And he did indeed rise from the dead. Then he ascended to heaven and returned to his kingdom, and Christians believe that Jesus will come again to bring peace and eternal life to all.”
"Unfortunately, Krypton is not heaven, so you will definitely come back. Because the paradise you desire can only be created by yourself here. Your homeland will only make you understand what you truly want... I'll wait for you to return."
Clark, now airborne, glanced back at Louise. Her eyes were illuminated by the moonlight beneath the snow-covered landscape, and her breath seemed exceptionally thin in the cold night. Perhaps she was right again; Krypton wouldn't be the answer he sought, but he had to go see it anyway.
Bruce watched Clark's retreating figure as he flew away from near-Earth orbit on the monitor screen. He sighed again, but still turned and walked towards the door.
A short while later, a figure pushed open the door. Diana, dressed in thick winter clothes, walked in, shook hands with Bruce, and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Diana Prince."
"Bruce Wayne. Please have a seat, Ms. Prince. How was your journey through the Battle Realm?"
“Actually, it was terrible,” Diana said, frowning. “Of course, my sisters are all very kind; they tried their best to help me and told me a lot about the multiverse. But I got there too late. In the complaints and suggestions section of the Battle Realm System, I strongly condemned them for making the invitation look like a sales pitch trap, but I don’t know if it will do any good.”
“Being vigilant is a good thing,” Bruce said. “Of course, their invitation does look like a trap.”
"So you didn't go right away either, right?"
"Yes, everyone in our entire universe arrived relatively late. We also missed the previous multiverse war. But that's alright, let nature take its course."
Diana sighed and said, "I'm more worried about Clark. He seems different from all the other Supermen. The other Supermen are very... I don't know how to say it. Naïve and lively, but silly."
“I’m different from the other Batmen,” Bruce said, standing up to make coffee. “I’m older than most of them, nearing the end of my vigilante career. The good news is, Clark is still young.”
“Don’t talk about being old in front of me. You’re still young.” Diana took off her scarf, tidied her hair, and then said, “However, regarding your advanced age and short lifespan, I consulted the Hesbury Sisters. If I do them a favor, maybe I can get a golden apple, let you take a bite, and the matter will be resolved.”
Bruce paused for a moment, then said, "Is this the golden apple I've heard of before?"
"That's it. Of course, you don't need to fight Troy first, and the amount you can use is very small, just a small piece. You can use the rest for other things."
Bruce walked back to the sofa, handed Diana a hot coffee, and said, "Is the effect really that magical?"
"For humans, yes. It can restore your youth and greatly extend your lifespan. But for the gods, it mainly serves a cosmetic purpose."
Bruce had barely opened his mouth when Diana interrupted him, saying, "It only works on the living. Even the gods cannot interfere with life and death. The gods of the underworld, as you know them, can only accept the souls of a portion of their followers. If anyone tells you they can resurrect your loved ones, you should be careful."