Encounter

Catching a plane falling from a thousand meters up, Jay felt he had broken a personal record. Looking at the result before him, he could not help feeling a little proud. But he quickly realized he should not stay for long, because he had not figured out how to meet the still-shaken passengers. In fact, he felt that if he had to face a crowd of reporters and cameras, he might be the more nervous one.

So he chose to leave before the first person stepped out of the cabin.

His head was still a little hot, and he had not yet calmed down from the tense excitement of moments ago. He told himself that he would get used to experiences like this after a few more times. For Superman, this was routine. His thoughts were in disarray, and when he unconsciously flew several hundred meters above the city, another "S" emblem suddenly entered his field of vision.

Golden hair, snow-white yet supple skin, flawless features, long legs clad in thigh-high boots—Supergirl seemed to appear out of thin air before him. Raising her golden brows, she asked, "Who are you? Why are you wearing my family crest?"

Meanwhile.

"Leaving already?" Helena suddenly asked after watching the plane land safely with Jay's help through the screen.

Batman, who had been silently exiting the room, stopped in his tracks. "I've said what needed to be said. I've observed that kid. He's still young and needs to grow, but he has all the right qualities. He'll figure it out."

"I'm sure he will, but I'm not talking about him." Helena crossed her arms. "You're not even going to say goodbye? Considering how long it's been since we last saw each other."

Batman turned half his face toward her. Shadows and his cowl concealed his expression—though he had never had much of one to begin with. "You chose a different path. I think it's time for you to return to your unit and report in."

"I think we both know whose fault that is." Helena sounded angry. "You just told Jay that he'd been locked away in his own little world, indifferent to everything else happening out there. But what about you? After Doomsday, didn't you turn Gotham into your own prison too? You locked yourself inside and cut yourself off from the world. You pushed away everyone close to you—except Alfred, because you couldn't drive him away. Thank God he was there to keep you grounded."

Batman fell silent. He stood motionless in the shadows, so still that if one did not look carefully, one might have thought he had melted into the darkness.

Helena's tone softened slightly. "I stopped blaming you for mom a long time ago, dad. I know you had no choice and made the right decision then. What I'm doing now is simply the new way of life I chose. Life goes on. I chose to keep moving forward, and I think it's time you did the same."

Batman gave her one last meaningful glance, still saying nothing. No sound came from the shadows for a long while. Helena sighed softly, knowing he had already left.

Facing the suddenly appeared Supergirl, Jay stood frozen for quite a while. He only came back to himself when she warily repeated her question a second time.

"Kara? You don't remember me?"

Kara furrowed her brows in confusion. "Do we... know each other?"

Jay paused, then suddenly thought of something. He took off his goggles, and Kara instantly understood. "Jay?"

No wonder Batman said this thing would be useful. It really was impressive. Jay could not help thinking of how Superman only needed a pair of glasses for a "perfect disguise," and he found himself speechless.

In truth, he had underestimated the goggles in his hands. They were a high-tech product using built-in hypnotic technology developed by some intelligence agency. They could interfere with people's visual recognition, making it impossible for even those closest to him to recognize him while he wore them. On top of that, they could transmit and amplify the power of Heat Vision. They were truly an expensive little gadget.

"Oh my God." Kara covered her mouth in astonishment. "Y-you're a Kryptonian too?"

"Looks like it." Jay wanted to say that he had only confirmed it himself not long ago, because Helena had said the uniform he was wearing could only activate after detecting Kryptonian DNA.

"Rao above!" Kara said delightedly. "I thought... I thought I was the last one. You're wearing my family crest. Are you from House of El too? What's your name? And how did you escape Krypton's destruction? Did you have a ship too?"

"Uh, it looks like we have a lot to talk about. Why don't we find somewhere to sit down and talk properly?"

"You're right." Kara took a deep breath. "Sorry, I guess I just got a little too excited. 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 side by side on the base of the golden globe at its summit. Jay was a little nervous. He had long wanted a chance to talk to Kara, but now that the opportunity had actually arrived, he did not know where to begin. He thought perhaps he should start by answering some of Kara's questions, but unfortunately, he could not answer a single one.

"So you don't remember anything from six years ago?" Kara asked.

Jay nodded. "Yeah. I think it might have something to do with something that happened during the invasion, but no matter how hard I try, I can't remember."

Kara nodded understandingly, then said sadly, "That invasion took many things from us. And many people. For so long, I thought I was alone on Earth. You can't imagine what your appearance means to me."

"Actually, it's the same for me," Jay said. "I heard about you through some rumors. I knew you were real, and I'd always wanted the chance to meet you. I want to ask you—how did you do it? Over all these years, how did you blend in with ordinary people and become one of them so seamlessly? The more I try, the harder it feels. I can't pretend I'm exactly the same as everyone else. It feels like something stands between me and the whole world. Sometimes, everything feels so far away."

Kara nodded deeply in agreement. "Sorry if this answer disappoints you—I don't know. I've never managed it either. I can act clumsy and pretend to be an ordinary person, but I can't fool myself. In the past, Clark could often talk with me. He texted me a lot, and sometimes invited me to his family dinners—his family was really wonderful. But now he's gone too. I feel like I've become someone alone, abandoned in this distant corner far from home, and home itself is nothing but ruins now."

Jay looked down at the streets below, thick with rushing traffic. "So you're saying this loneliness never goes away?"

"Not entirely." Kara smiled faintly. The pale golden sunlight fell across her smiling face, making her look especially beautiful. "Now, we have each other, don't we?"

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

The two sat side by side, silent as they looked at each other for quite some time. A breeze carrying Metropolis's distinctive scent drifted past, making both their red capes flap loudly and sending Kara's radiant golden hair dancing in the wind. Gentle sunlight poured silently over The Daily Planet's golden globe, making it gleam.

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

"What is it?"

She froze for a moment, then said miserably, "I... I lied to Ms. Grant and told her I was going to get some documents for her. By now, I've been gone for almost two hours. Oh God, Ms. Grant is going to kill me!"

Jay could not help laughing. "She doesn't have kryptonite. How could she kill you?"

"I really have to go back." Kara jumped down from the platform where she had been sitting, her feet hovering in midair. Tilting her head in thought, she asked, "Oh, right, about the dance—you haven't forgotten, have you?"

Jay smacked his forehead. "I completely forgot." Before Kara could give him a reproachful look, he quickly smiled. "Just kidding. How could I forget? Don't worry, I'll definitely be there on time."

"Really?" she asked with a smile. "Then I'm counting on you completely."

"Of course."

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

Kara waved, then shot downward in an instant. Jay watched the direction in which she disappeared, feeling as though the entire city had become more dazzling under the sunlight. Bright light filled nearly every corner of his vision, and suddenly, he felt that life had never been so wonderful.