Encounter

Catching a plane that had fallen from a kilometer in the sky, Jay felt he had broken a personal record and couldn't help but feel a bit proud of his accomplishment. But he quickly realized he shouldn't linger, as he hadn't figured out how to meet the shaken passengers. In fact, he felt he might be the more nervous one if he had to face a crowd of reporters and cameras.

So, he chose to leave the scene before the first person exited the aircraft.

His mind was still buzzing, not yet calmed from the recent tension and excitement. He told himself that more experiences like this would get him used to it; for Superman, this was practically routine. His thoughts were jumbled, and as he subconsciously flew hundreds of meters above the city, another "S" symbol suddenly appeared in his vision.

With golden long hair, skin as white and supple as jade, and flawlessly perfect features, coupled with long legs clad in knee-high boots, Supergirl appeared as if out of thin air, blocking his path. Raising her golden eyebrows, she asked, "Who are you? Why are you wearing my family crest?"

Meanwhile.

"Leaving already?" Helena asked casually, watching the plane land safely with Jay's help on the screen.

Batman, who was silently exiting the room, stopped. "I've said what I needed to say. I've observed the kid; he's young and needs to grow, but he has all the necessary good qualities. He'll figure it out."

"I suppose he will, but I'm not talking about him right now," Helena said, crossing her arms. "Aren't you even going to say goodbye? Considering how long it's been since we last saw each other."

Batman turned half his face, his expression hidden by shadow and mask—though he rarely showed emotion anyway. "You chose a different path. I think it's time you reported back to your unit."

"I think we both know whose fault that is," Helena said, a hint of anger in her voice. "You just told Jay he's been locked in his own little world, ignoring everything else, but what about you? After the invasion, you turned Gotham into your own prison, locking yourself away. You pushed away everyone close to you—except Alfred, because you couldn't get rid of him. Thank goodness he's there to keep you grounded."

Batman remained silent, standing still in the shadows, almost blending into the darkness if one didn't look closely.

Helena's tone softened slightly. "I don't blame you for Mom's situation anymore, Dad. I know you made the right choice back then. What I'm doing now is just the new way of life I've chosen. Life goes on, and I've chosen to keep moving forward. I think it's time you did too."

Batman gave her a meaningful glance before remaining silent. The shadows held no sound for a long time. Helena sighed, knowing he had left.

Faced with the sudden appearance of Supergirl, Jay was stunned for a good while until she impatiently repeated her question for the second time.

"Kara? You don't remember me?"

Kara frowned in confusion. "Do we... do we know each other?"

Jay blinked, then suddenly remembered something. He took off his goggles, and Kara's eyes widened in realization. "Jay?"

No wonder Batman said these things would be useful. Jay couldn't help but think of Superman's "perfect disguise" with just a pair of glasses, feeling a bit speechless.

He had actually underestimated the goggles he held. They were a high-tech product, incorporating built-in hypnotic technology developed by a certain intelligence agency. They could cause recognition impairments in the visual system, making it impossible for even the closest people to identify you while wearing them. Furthermore, they possessed the special ability to transmit and amplify heat vision power, truly a rather expensive little gadget.

"Oh my god," Kara gasped, covering her mouth. "You—you're a Kryptonian too?"

"Seems so," Jay replied. He wanted to say he had only recently confirmed this himself, as Helena had told him the uniform he was wearing would only activate upon recognizing Kryptonian DNA.

"By Rao!" Kara exclaimed, her eyes shining with surprise. "I thought... I thought I was the last one. You're wearing my family crest. Are you House of El too? What's your name? And how did you escape Krypton's destruction? Do you have a ship too?"

"Hmm, it seems we have a lot to talk about. Why don't we find a place to sit down and chat?"

"You're right," Kara took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I guess I just got a little overexcited. You know, I haven't seen another Kryptonian in six years. I thought... I thought I was the last one."

They flew to the Daily Planet building and sat shoulder-to-shoulder on the base of the golden globe atop the skyscraper. Jay felt a bit nervous. He had wanted a chance to talk with Kara for a long time, but now that the opportunity had arrived, he didn't know where to begin. He felt he should probably start by answering Kara's questions, but unfortunately, he couldn't answer any of them.

"So, you don't remember anything about what happened six years ago?" Kara asked.

Jay nodded. "Yeah. I think it might be related to something during the invasion, but no matter how hard I try, I can't recall."

Kara nodded understandingly, then her face fell. "That invasion took so much from us, so many people. For so long, I thought I was all alone on Earth... You can't imagine what your appearance means to me."

"Actually, me too," Jay said. "I heard about you through rumors. I knew you were real, and I always wanted a chance to meet you. I wanted to ask you—how did you do it? How have you blended in with ordinary people all these years, becoming one of them without any gaps? The more I try, the harder it feels. I can't pretend to be the same as everyone else; it feels like something is standing between me and the entire world. Sometimes everything seems so distant."

Kara nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry if this answer disappoints you—I don't know, and I've never managed it either. I can pretend to be clumsy, pretend to be an ordinary person, but I can't lie to myself. In the past, Clark could often keep me company, he'd text me often, and sometimes invite me to his family dinners—his family is truly wonderful. But now he's gone too, and I feel like I've become alone, stranded in this corner far from home, a home that's nothing but ruins."

Jay looked down at the busy streets below, the cars flowing like a river. "So, you're saying this loneliness never goes away?"

"Not entirely," Kara smiled faintly. The pale golden sunlight illuminated her smiling face, making it exceptionally beautiful. "Now, we have each other, don't we?"

Jay chuckled, feeling a wave of relief. "Yeah, I guess we're pretty lucky."

They sat there, shoulder to shoulder, in comfortable silence for a long while. A gentle breeze, carrying the unique scent of Metropolis, blew, causing their red capes to flutter. Kara's brilliant blonde hair danced in the wind. Soft sunlight poured silently onto the golden globe of the Daily Planet, making it shimmer.

Suddenly, Kara's expression changed drastically. "Oh no!"

"What?"

She stared blankly for a moment, a pained expression on her face. "I... I told Ms. Grant I was going to get some documents for her. It's been almost two hours now. Oh god, Ms. Grant is going to kill me!"

Jay couldn't help but laugh. "She doesn't have any Kryptonite, how can she kill you?"

"I really have to go," Kara said, jumping off the platform she was sitting on, hovering in the air. She tilted her head, thinking, then asked, "Oh, and about the ball, you didn't forget, right?"

Jay slapped his forehead. "Completely forgot." Then, before Kara could give him a reproachful look, he quickly added with a smile, "Just kidding, how could I forget? Don't worry, I'll be there on time."

"Really?" she smiled. "Then I'm really counting on you."

"You absolutely can."

"Then I'll be looking forward to it."

Kara waved, then suddenly flew downwards. Jay watched the direction her figure disappeared, feeling as if the entire city had become brighter under the sunlight. Bright light filled every corner of his vision, making him suddenly feel that life had never been so good.