Justice League

Here, the argument between the two hadn't reached a conclusion when Eiffel chimed in twice, saying, "Sorry, Mr. Bruce, Mr. Stark is online. He's asking where you are?"

Because Aeo was speeding at full throttle, Stark lost him. He had to fly back to Wayne Tower, but naturally, it was a wasted trip. Helpless, he had to find Aeo's whereabouts through Bruce.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., help me call Bruce. Tell him I lost Aeo and see if he knows where Aeo is now?"

The master, who had just urgently notified Stark to rescue the Son of Krypton, suddenly remembered he had forgotten about Tony. He couldn't help but press the communicator on his earlobe. "Hey, Tony, it's okay now. Zod is back on my side. Yes, we'll be back at Wayne Tower later."

Finished, he looked at the still indignant youth and chose his words carefully. "Listen, Aeo, I don't object to you investigating the ins and outs of this incident. I just hope your anger doesn't affect too many innocent civilians. You know, the soldiers were just following orders..."

Aeo scoffed, "When they pick up a rifle, they should understand that they will face not flowers and milk, but iron and blood, fire and death. This can't be excused with a single order!"

"Listen, Bruce." Interrupting what Bruce was about to say, Aeo's eyes flashed. "I don't want to be your enemy, but that doesn't mean I can't be. Don't force me..."

Bruce fell silent.

The atmosphere became very tense for a moment. Neither of them spoke, letting the humming sound of the main engine running fill the air.

"OK." After a long pause, Bruce broke the silence. "I'll help you investigate General Wicks' matter."

He took a step back and said, "Listen, in war, you have to distinguish between friend and foe. I don't think Director Fury and the others are likely to be the masterminds behind this. After all, if they really wanted to turn against you, they would have done so long ago. After the battle in Gotham City, although he's still wary of you, he won't directly use force again unless he's sure. So, it can't be him."

"Also, as you said, S.H.I.E.L.D. is definitely involved. It's too much of a coincidence that after they left Tony's place, you were attacked. There must be some unknown connection between the two. Therefore, the only possibility is that this organization has planted a mole within S.H.I.E.L.D., and someone in a high position! Otherwise, they wouldn't know so much about you. Your importance is probably a top-level secret that ordinary people definitely wouldn't have access to."

"..."

Is this what they call the Batman? His analysis was not only logical and well-founded, but he even thought of Hydra possibly infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D. This made Aeo, who had originally wanted to remind him, shut his mouth.

"You're saying someone infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D.?" If Aeo had initially only intended to secretly accumulate strength and wait for an opportunity, after the Hydra incident, he finally understood that instead of passively taking hits, it was better to take the initiative. Thus, he guided the conversation, "Some other force?"

"Exactly." Bruce nodded fiercely. "Otherwise, there's no explanation for how your information was leaked so quickly! You know, I estimate even the military doesn't know about you temporarily, right?"

Aeo thought for a moment and slowly nodded.

"So, who wants to deal with you? Not S.H.I.E.L.D., not the military..." To prove he was genuinely thinking of him, Batman stepped forward and pressed a few keys on a certain keyboard.

"As far as I know, S.H.I.E.L.D. was established in the later stages of World War II. It was initially just a loose organization founded by Dr. Stark, yes, Tony's father, and Dr. Pym, Agent Carter, and others, with the theme of researching science and equipping soldiers with technology. But in '91, this organization was changed to the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate, with Alexander Pierce as one of the leaders at the time. In the new millennium, to deal with more complex international security issues and supernatural and alien events, it was changed to the current Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division, with Nick Fury taking over as director, continuing to this day..."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. gradually developed from a loose civilian organization into the behemoth it is today. In addition to the foresight of Dr. Howard, Dr. Pym, and others at the time, a top-secret operation signed by President Roosevelt after World War II was the reason for its rapid development..."

Aeo had to admit that Bruce, who seemed indifferent to everything, had secretly made countless preparations. Look at this, he even dug up the roots of S.H.I.E.L.D. This top-secret operation was Operation Paperclip. After World War II, President Roosevelt, in order to absorb the influence of the Nazis and Hydra, actually allowed their elite members and scientists to rejoin S.H.I.E.L.D. after they 'turned over a new leaf,' which allowed Hydra to seize this opportunity and rise again.

Bruce clearly hadn't found this out yet. He just said, "Given the top-secret nature of this operation, I can't find out what happened at the time for now, but..."

A chilling glint erupted in Bruce's eyes.

"From some top-secret documents from decades ago, we can see that Captain America, namely Captain Steven Rogers, and the Howling Commandos he led had a terrorist organization called Hydra as their greatest enemy..."

"Is it possible that this organization was never destroyed? Or, somewhere in the world, at some unknown time, a new terrorist organization that wants to destroy the world has emerged. After learning about your origin, they saw it as a golden opportunity, and thus..."

"...So, we can't rely solely on S.H.I.E.L.D. We need a team! A team that can contend with S.H.I.E.L.D. and even the organization behind it!" At this moment, Bruce voiced an idea he had long planned.

"This way, we can truly save this country and this world when S.H.I.E.L.D., or some organization, gets out of control..."

"Zod, are you willing to join this team?"

"..."

Aeo almost wanted to applaud Bruce and give him a thumbs-up. With just this little bit of information, he had guessed Hydra, and even some other conspiracy and terrorist organizations, with remarkable accuracy. Not only that, but he had even started forming the Justice League with explosive action (although he hadn't named the team yet, but...), intending to restrain and suppress the development and power of S.H.I.E.L.D. and even Hydra, so that they wouldn't threaten public safety and personal freedom...

It seems that S.H.I.E.L.D. bombing his home last time had quite an impact on him, Aeo thought to himself.

However...

Should I join or not...

When faced with the decision, Aeo hesitated.