He Is a Child

As Shane carried Aquaman towards the edge of the atmosphere, Aquaman, his face pale, instinctively clutched Trident tighter.

Shane found it amusing.

"Your muscles are tougher than seabed reefs; you shouldn't die from a fall at this altitude, right?"

Aquaman snorted indignantly. High in the sky, he had lost his earlier joviality, deliberately avoiding looking at the rapidly shrinking sea below.

He hugged Trident even tighter and instructed, "Speed up a bit after we break through the atmosphere. Holding your breath in space is very uncomfortable."

Shane grinned, looked up at the sky, accelerated, and pierced through the white clouds. After a brief chill, the vast, star-studded cosmos unfolded before them.

Before long, a satellite station, constructed entirely from a blue-black special alloy and shaped like a soaring eagle, surrounded by a honeycomb energy shield, appeared before them.

As they approached, a wide metal walkway extended from a hexagonal entrance emitting a blue glow.

Having been here once before, Shane skillfully guided them onto the walkway and gently set Aquaman down.

The latter quickly gestured, then jogged into the hexagonal Watchtower entrance.

Shane landed on the walkway but didn't rush inside.

He had been in too much of a hurry last time. This time, he paused and looked back at Earth. The light refracted outside the atmosphere, making the half-visible Earth seem to emit a soft, white glow.

However, Rachel wouldn't be here this time.

Firstly, Rachel wasn't keen on places with too many strangers. Secondly, places like Olympus or the Divine Realm might cause more trouble if she went. Her demonic aura might not be easily concealed from the gods.

After a few moments of concentration, Shane stepped into the Watchtower with a slight sigh.

This time, most of the main members of the Justice League seemed to be present.

In the conference room, Superman and Hawkman were seated in their respective positions. Batman and Cyborg stood by a smart computer. Green Lantern leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, nodding a greeting as Shane entered.

There was also a blob of red backside swaying not far from Shane.

Taking a couple of steps to the side, he realized whose red backside it was.

Shazam was pressed against the conference room's outer viewport, hands cupped over his eyes like binoculars, marveling at the stars outside, his backside swaying.

Where was Aquaman?

Just as Shane felt something was missing, a crackling sound erupted behind him.

A figure in a red and gold suit stumbled forward, appearing behind Shane.

"Whoa! I didn't mean to be late. Two seconds before I got the comms, I was in the restroom at the Central City police station, but then I suddenly remembered Iris asked me to prepare a special gift for her birthday. So I rushed to Tennessee because during our last picnic, Iris mentioned there's a... Then I got the comms, but I saw on a highway... Finally, I remembered Watchtower was in space, so I called Batman's channel. He told me there was a transporter in Gotham that could identify me!"

After the rapid-fire, lengthy explanation, the other Justice League members showed no reaction, not even turning their heads, as if accustomed to it.

Only Shane, encountering this person for the first time, turned back, stunned, his brain struggling to process half of the torrent of words.

Seeing Shane's blank, frozen expression, Superman reminded him helplessly, "Next time Flash talks, you need to learn to filter out the useful information. He did the same thing last time, spewing tens of thousands of words in a few milliseconds. I didn't have time to activate my super-brain's processing power then and was also frozen for a few seconds by the sheer volume of information."

At this moment, Flash noticed Shane's presence, turned his head, quickly said "Hi," and then looked at the others with a horrified expression.

"Hello—why is there a child in the Watchtower?!"

As soon as he said this, Shazam's backside visibly stiffened. He turned his head slightly, a minuscule movement, and upon seeing Shane, realized Flash wasn't talking about him. He coughed, straightened up, and casually walked towards his seat.

Green Lantern walked over and put an arm around Flash's shoulder. "This isn't just any child. He's from a very mysterious planet..."

The two moved aside and began whispering. Shane shivered and snapped back to reality, his mind having just processed Superman's helpful reminder.

He rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on, and asked, "Thanks for the reminder. By the way, where did Aquaman go? Didn't he come in before me?"

Batman's voice sounded faintly. "The restroom. He went to throw up."

Only after Aquaman returned to his seat, wiping water from his face, did Batman turn around and sit in the main seat of the conference room.

"Based on the clues provided by Queen Hippolyta, the current information suggests the kidnapper is most likely the God of War, Ares. However, Zeus likely has a hand in this, as Ares alone couldn't have taken Wonder Woman without a trace."

Shane quickly glanced around, noticing Cyborg, Green Lantern, and Flash were still standing. He casually put his hands in his pockets and stood still, listening to Batman speak.

Batman tapped the table, and a picture appeared on the screen behind him: a piece of parchment with a line of golden, unknown script. However, it was evident the photographer wasn't very accustomed to electronic devices, as the angle was slightly skewed.

"This parchment, along with the Vulcan Sword, was left at the location where Wonder Woman was last seen. Queen Hippolyta helped us translate the text, which is in ancient Greek."

Cyborg picked up the conversation, confirming Batman's statement. His voice had a simulated electronic tone. "I've cross-referenced the language database. The content of this clue is essentially consistent with Queen Hippolyta's translation. It states that Zeus is angered by the thief who stole the Golden Apple and demands the thief go to the Divine Realm alone to atone, otherwise Zeus's wrath will descend upon the mortal world once more."

There was a brief silence. A visible worry crossed Superman's face, and the others grew serious as they got into the situation. Shazam, however, seemed carefree as he turned to look at Shane.

"Is this the kid who stole the Golden Apple?"

Before Shane could respond, Shazam spread his hands to the people in the conference room, his face filled with pity and righteous indignation.

"Guys, there's no way we can let a kid go to the Divine Realm alone. My proposal is, let's find the entrance to the Divine Realm directly and storm in together to rescue Wonder Woman!"

Most people didn't take Shazam's words seriously. Green Lantern, however, began to nod thoughtfully, but before he could speak, Flash elbowed him with speed too fast to see, cutting off his breath with a few chuckles, preventing him from saying anything.

Cyborg's electronic eyes flickered blue for a few seconds before picking up where Shazam left off.

"We currently lack sufficient information about the gods in Olympus, so we can't be so reckless."

"The only one we can find clear information on in historical records is Ares, the God of War, but Wonder Woman said that the Ares of the Divine Realm is different from the Ares of the mortal world."

Superman's blue eyes were filled with worry.

"When I was chatting with Wonder Woman before, I asked her. She said that even I might not be able to win against Zeus. Zeus is different from the other gods of Olympus. The King of Gods possesses power that surpasses all other deities, unfathomable."

Aquaman, having finally recovered, looked directly at Batman, who had remained silent since the beginning of the briefing.

"I have a feeling you already have an idea, don't you?"

Batman spoke hoarsely, his calm tone like a thunderclap in the conference room.

"Shane will enter the Divine Realm alone. We will provide support at any time."

As soon as he said this, several people present objected.

Aquaman looked incredulous, and Shazam jumped up directly.

"You want him to charge into the Divine Realm alone? Batman, he's just a kid!"

Shazam then began shaking Superman, who was deep in thought with his head bowed.

"You definitely can't agree to this crazy idea, right? What's gotten into Batman today?"

Hawkman glanced disdainfully at Shazam before turning to Batman.

"So they don't even look at the data you upload normally."

Hearing Hawkman's words, Flash frowned, his figure flickering as if dropping frames. Then, his face turned ashen, as if all the blood had drained from it, and he looked at Shane in disbelief.

Shane raised a hand.

"I have no problem. It's just that I don't know how to get to the entrance of the Divine Realm."