Have You Ever Caught Fish?

The night of Gotham had not yet fully faded when Shane set off for Boston with Rachel.

He rose into the air, one arm around Rachel's waist, and swept past towering Gothic architecture as the night wind whipped past their ears.

However, considering that Rachel's constitution was not all that tough, Shane did not dare fly too fast.

The two quietly enjoyed the night scenery of Gotham for a time.

Actually, there was not much to see; it was pitch black, and occasionally some crude cursing would drift out from the darkness.

"Slower than your Magic, but pretty steady, right?"

Shane tilted his head and smiled.

Rachel wrapped her hood tighter, her purple eyes shining startlingly in the night, and a hint of impatience colored her tone.

"Childish, and the wind up here is quite cold."

"Then how about I fly a bit slower?"

"No need."

Chanting a few fuzzy spells under her breath, a layer of transparently thin purple light covered her entire body, and then Rachel simply let Shane carry her through the air for nearly an hour.

"Switch to my way."

Rachel suddenly spoke, signaling Shane to stop.

After landing, she walked briskly to the center of an empty, barren field, light purple Magic radiance welling up on her fingertips, and a Magic circle far more intricate than any before slowly unfolded on the ground.

"Long-distance teleportation takes a minute to prepare, don't move around."

Shane obediently stood in the center of the Magic circle.

Rachel's hand gestures grew increasingly hurried, and the light of the Magic circle grew more intense as well. Just as it was about to complete, the entire Magic circle suddenly trembled violently, and immediately shattered like broken glass.

The light purple Magic smoke instantly dissipated into the air, leaving behind only a few residual traces of energy on the ground.

"It failed."

Rachel withdrew her hand, her expression calm.

"Failed? Are you not hurt? Wasn't there a Magic backlash?"

Shane suddenly realized it might be due to his special constitution, and his expression carried apology.

Rachel shook her head.

"I'm different from ordinary mages, it's just a drain of some Magic power."

Shane walked forward, looking at the lingering runes on the ground, his brow slightly furrowed.

"Is it my problem?"

Rachel nodded, her tone carrying a trace of helplessness.

"Teleportation Magic works by targeting the soul. An ordinary person's soul is fixed within their flesh, and its position remains constant—but you're different now."

She paused, then added.

"The moment your body moves, the positioning Magic is directly torn apart by your body. You probably have to remain quite still."

A thought stirred in Shane's heart, and he subconsciously reined in all the power throughout his body.

The contractions of every inch of muscle and the surging of blood within his vessels that once required deliberate control now slowed down, as responsive as an arm to the hand.

The evolution brought by the irradiation of the emotional spectrum not only unified his soul and flesh, but further allowed him to completely master his own strength.

It even far exceeded the goal of inner-concentrated mind and body that Diana had pursued when she originally taught him.

"I'll try to maintain a relative stillness."

He stood firmly again, his muscles tense but not rigid, adjusting even his breathing to the slowest frequency, remaining motionless as a sculpture.

Rachel's deadpan eyes still held little expression, and after waving her hands simply a few times, she re-deployed the Magic circle.

This time, the runes of the Magic circle rotated steadily without the slightest tremor, and the light purple radiance enveloped the two of them along with the surrounding space.

Shane only felt the light and shadow before his eyes flash, and the air around him instantly transitioned from the coldness of the barren field to a warmth carrying a salty, damp breath.

This single long-distance teleportation Magic directly crossed the distance of two states.

Shane flew high into the altitude, then pulled out the communicator given by Batman. Groping with it for a moment, he opened the positioning to determine their current location—this little gadget looked just like an MP3 player, yet its functions were quite rich.

Then the two alternated once more, arriving directly at their destination in Boston.

"You managed to hold steady better than I expected."

Rachel leaned against the rooftop chimney, her hood hiding most of her face, and looked down at the street below listlessly. An elusive Magic aura lingered around her body, and she routinely laid down a layer of invisible barrier.

After flipping away the yellowish waterproof canvas, Shane squatted down and let his fingertips brush against the thin frost condensed on the surface of the hull.

The hull forged from Luo Star alloy emitted a cold, hard matte finish in the morning light.

"Just pack some essentials. This thing doesn't have much space, and it won't hold much if you bring too much."

Shane raised a hand to press the hatch switch, the hydraulic device emitted a faint hum, and the hatch slowly opened upward, revealing the concise control panel and storage area inside.

As he bent down to rummage through, his fingertips brushed against several cylindrical containers. Picking one up, he discovered it was actually a few cans of Luo Star nutrient supplement.

Only at that moment did he suddenly remember that when he was heavily injured and muddle-headed, he had subconsciously grabbed some supplies and stuffed them into the escape pod, only for subsequent crises on Earth to make him forget all about these things.

Shane suddenly felt a bit curious, his gaze sweeping carefully across the interior of the cabin.

Bruce Wayne had repaired this escape pod, yet had not touched the items inside; perhaps he had put them back untouched after completing his inspection.

"Could there still be some things I don't know about?"

Driven by curiosity, he reached out to grope and tap various parts of the cabin until a slight hollow sensation transmitted to his fingertips.

Following the tactile feedback all the way, he found a hidden button.

A metal plate slowly popped open, exposing the hidden storage compartment within.

A set of black-and-gray emergency space suits lay quietly inside the storage compartment, light in texture and familiar to the touch.

Shane picked it up to examine it for a moment, and memories rushed back in a flash.

Back on Luo Star, after he killed the first Viltrumite, the surviving Luo Star people dragged the corpse away. He had a lot on his mind at the time and couldn't be bothered to care.

Now it seemed the Luo Star people had long since made thorough preparations, and this space suit was also temporarily modified from the white battle suit of a Viltrumite.

A sealed interface at the neck and a life-support helmet were added, and the entire body was sprayed in black-and-gray, completely opposite to the Viltrumite battle suit.

It exuded the resolute determination to draw a clear line against the genocidal enemy.

A trace of complexity welled up in Shane's heart. He packed the space suit away again and closed the hidden storage compartment.

"I'm going to say goodbye to Teacher Prince, I'll be right back."

He spoke toward the direction where Rachel was before she turned invisible.

Rachel's voice drifted from the air, her tone bland.

"Remember dinner, don't make me gnaw on cold bread again."

With that, the sound of footsteps slipped into the escape pod, and the invisibility Magic was still maintained.

Shane waited for a moment until pedestrians in the street below grew more numerous, then gently opened the rooftop's stair door and walked down the steps.

Just as he reached the second-floor corner, he ran into Vanessa, who had just woken up. She wore loose cotton pajamas, and surprise flashed in her eyes when she saw Shane.

"Shane? You're finally back! Where have you been these past few days?"

Shane's steps paused, and returning a smile, he asked in the same breath.

"Isn't Diana around? I wanted to say hello to her."

The smile on Vanessa's face faded a bit, her tone carrying a hint of regret.

"The night you didn't come back, she returned very late and her mood was consistently low. Early the next morning, she said she was going back to Themyscira to clear her mind, and it's been several days now without any news."

Vanessa seemed somewhat annoyed, yet also worried.

"I thought the two of you left together."

Shane nodded in understanding and fell silent for a moment.

"I came to get some things, I'm preparing to leave Boston."

He nodded slightly toward Vanessa, his tone sincere.

"Thank you for helping look after the escape pod during this time."

Vanessa was obviously somewhat reluctant.

"Come visit me in Boston often if you have nothing to do. When I finish this period of my studies, I'll take you around the city properly—the sunrise by the sea is so pretty."

After bidding farewell to Vanessa, Shane returned to the rooftop and directly activated the escape pod.

Rachel raised a hand to cast invisibility Magic, shrouding the entire escape pod.

The next stop was that cabin in the outskirts of Metropolis—Shane wanted to visit Tom again, and there was plenty of open space over there with very few people, so finding a place to place the escape pod would be considered safe.

After a silent ten-plus-minute flight, the escape pod landed precisely on the beach beside the cabin.

Shane walked out of the escape pod first and headed toward the cabin.

The wooden door was ajar. He pushed it gently open; the interior was as neat as ever, yet it permeated a desolate, uninhabited chill.

There was no dust on the tables and chairs, obviously having been carefully cleaned before departure, but there was no hearth fire on the stove, the food in the cupboards had been emptied, and the farm tools in the corner were neatly arranged, yet draped in a thin-gauze-like stillness.

Shane was stunned for a few seconds, walking to the window to gaze at the rolling waves in the distance, his fingertips brushing the cold window sill.

He hadn't gone out to sea to fish.

The cabin's latch was not locked, and all the fishing gear was stored inside the house. Obviously, Tom had left of his own accord, and had no intention of returning.

Rachel walked up to his side, looking at the empty cabin without speaking, and simply accompanied him quietly for a moment.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing... Have you ever fished in the sea?"