Midnight

Metropolis, nearing midnight.

It was the hour when normal people counted sheep and fell into deep slumber. Even in a brightly lit city like Metropolis, not many people were still wandering the streets. The streets had fallen asleep, the streetlights along the way lonely releasing their dim yellow light, and the traffic lights blinked forlornly. For a long time, not a single car passed by.

This was, of course, partly because this street was quite far from the main road. Moreover, it wasn't entirely deserted. On a long bench illuminated by the dim yellow light, a man in a crumpled jacket leaned back, a cigarette dangling from his lips. The light cast a yellowish hue on the layers of smoke he exhaled, stretching his shadow and the bench long, long across the ground.

As he tossed another cigarette butt into a nearby trash can, Mr. Reynolds appeared at the first corner ahead. Charles Reynolds, clad in his brown trench coat, had his collar turned up so high it almost covered half his face. He walked briskly into the illuminated area and sat down on the back of the bench, his back to the man in the jacket.

"You're really late today," the man said, pulling out a yellowish file bag from his inside pocket. "Everything you wanted is in here."

Mr. Reynolds took it from his shoulder, unfastened the string wrapped around the file bag, and pulled out a few pages to examine. He seemed to confirm it was what he wanted. He re-tied the bag, handed the cash to the man over his shoulder, and stood up to leave without a word.

"Charles," the man called out abruptly. Mr. Reynolds paused, turning his head halfway, as if signaling with his eyes to speak quickly.

The man deliberated for a moment before saying, "I know, business is business, but now that the business is done, I still want to remind you as a friend. After all, we've worked together for so long – I provide you with leads, and you use your pen to attack those you dislike."

Mr. Reynolds crossed his arms, waiting for him to continue.

"It's not that I'm unhappy you've come back to cooperate with me, because it has indeed been quite a while since our last deal. But I think you should think carefully. What you're trying to investigate now is very dangerous, and the people involved... my intuition tells me they are not simple. I heard about the plane crash, do you really think it was just a coincidence?"

Mr. Reynolds fell silent. He didn't answer, simply tucked the file bag into his pocket and walked out of the streetlight's glow without a word, heading towards the empty end of the street.

It would take about twenty minutes to walk back from here, and at this late hour, not even a taxi could be seen. Mr. Reynolds walked along the inner side of the sidewalk. The phone in his coat pocket suddenly rang, and the melody of an old song echoed through the empty street, sounding exceptionally loud.

It was Mrs. Reynolds calling: "Hello, where are you? Why aren't you back yet?"

"I, uh, had some things to take care of outside."

"Jay hasn't come back yet either," Mrs. Reynolds said worriedly. "I can't help but worry a little."

"Haha, don't worry, he's a big boy now, and you know what he's capable of," Mr. Reynolds chuckled. "Besides, it's rare for him to be this enthusiastic, so let him be."

"I know. I just can't help but worry."

"There's no need. You know he can't be bound by us forever. He's different, and one day he'll fly away from the nest we've built for him. You have to get used to it," Mr. Reynolds said casually. "Alright, I'll hang up now, I'm on my way and will be back soon."

He hung up the phone, put it back in his pocket, and looked up, only to stop abruptly.

Less than five steps ahead, by the streetlight, a man with a chiseled face was leaning against the lamppost. He wore a black suit and polished leather shoes, their surfaces gleaming under the lamplight, reminiscent of the traditional image of a spy.

Mr. Reynolds instinctively sensed trouble. He subconsciously took two steps back and turned around, only to find that the path behind him had also been blocked by a man in a black suit, dressed identically to the one in front. The two men, one behind and one in front, formed a pincer movement, like jackals cornering their prey.

Metropolis, two in the morning.

Although the Reynoldses had never set a curfew for Jay, he rarely stayed out this late in previous years. The main reason was that he had never found such a good companion before.

Kara was clearly an impeccable companion, and it wasn't just because they were likely the last two endangered species left in the universe. She maintained an interest in almost everything, as if the entire world was new to her. Moreover, like Jay, she possessed nearly inexhaustible energy – thanks to the generous gift of sunlight.

They went to a private room and sang for a while, and both discovered they had a knack for music. Afterward, they flew around Metropolis under the night sky for half the night, and finally sat back down under the giant golden sphere of The Daily Planet to chat. Jay told her about the trivialities of his life after being adopted by the Reynoldses. No matter how insignificant the details were, Kara listened with great interest and giggled. However, her stories were much more exciting. She told Jay how she met her cousin, Superman, when she first arrived on Earth, what supervillains they had fought together, and how she had interacted with other heroes of the Justice League. Jay felt her stories were endless, as if every page of her life was filled with exciting chapters that could be told for three days and three nights without end.

She said that when she first arrived on Earth, she once lost control of her Heat Vision in the Batcave and accidentally blew up Batman's priceless Batcomputer. Batman was quite angry, but Superman, being very magnanimous at the time, said it could be put on his tab.

"Superman said that?" Jay asked, surprised. "Then what? Did he buy Batman a new one in the end?"

"No, it's still outstanding," Kara said, still unable to stop laughing as she recalled the scene. "It's been seven or eight years now, and with Clark's salary, I think he'll never be able to pay it off in his lifetime."

Jay couldn't help but laugh too, their cheerful laughter echoing lightly in the vast night sky.

"I was just a little girl when I first came to Earth, I couldn't even speak the Earth languages. Kal really took care of me in every aspect."

As Kara spoke, she couldn't help but become melancholic again. Jay knew she was missing her deceased cousin and didn't know what to say, so he remained silent.

"Alright," she shook off the momentary unhappiness. "It's getting late, I should go back and prepare the things Ms. Grant assigned, so she doesn't fly into a rage at me tomorrow. Good heavens, I'm not even afraid of intercontinental missiles hitting me, but the thought of Ms. Grant getting angry makes my scalp tingle."

"Haha, I can understand that."

"You should go back early too, don't make your parents worry too much," she said, standing up and floating in the air. "It was great talking to you."

"Me too," Jay said, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Are you going back to National City soon?"

"Mhm," Kara nodded. "CatCo's private jet should pick us up tomorrow night."

"So... will we see each other again in the future?"

Kara chuckled lightly. "If I'm free on the weekend, I can come over anytime. Look, National City isn't that far from Metropolis."

"Ah, that's true, it's not that far."

After saying goodbye to Kara, Jay was in a great mood, as if even the sunlight was more dazzling than usual. Well, perhaps it should be said moonlight, because it was still the middle of the night, but that just showed his elated mood.

Until Mrs. Reynolds' call came.

Jay answered the phone: "Hello? Sorry Mom, I did play a bit too late today, but I'm heading back now. Can you wait a little longer... Wait, what? Dad's missing!?"