Bat Domain

Superman was the first to step forward, his blue eyes filled with genuine concern as his gaze swept over Shane's still blood-stained battle suit.

"I'll take you to the Fortress of Solitude for treatment in the medical bay. The equipment there will help you recover faster."

"Huh? There's no need to trouble yourself for such a minor injury."

Shane quickly waved his hand.

Superman didn't insist further, but a more solemn expectation appeared in his eyes, and his tone suddenly shifted in an unexpected direction.

"So, are you willing to consider joining the Justice League?"

"Whoa!"

Shazam immediately responded, throwing an arm around Shane's shoulders, as if he had been expecting this for a long time.

"That's a fantastic idea, really, and you were certainly brave, buddy."

Diana also walked over slowly, the Vulcan Sword and Divine Power shield in her hands now quietly sheathed, leaving only unconcealed guilt and gentleness in her expression.

She looked Shane in the eyes and said softly.

"I was too harsh on you before. I only realized later that, under those circumstances and that kind of upbringing, you really had no other choice."

The Flash's face was still a bit pale. He had initially been the most skeptical of the Justice League's information on Shane.

But after he had recently seen the Divine Realm in ruins, and Shane covered in blood with two dead gods at his feet, he had believed it by more than half.

"I, I've thought about it dozens of times in my head just now."

Barry's speech was still rapid, but with clear hesitation, his eyes occasionally flicking to the still-wet bloodstains on Shane's body before quickly looking away.

"Today, whether it was your courage, your responsibility, or your quick thinking on the spot, it was all very surprising... But in the future, for some criminals, it's best if we focus on capture... I welcome you, on behalf of myself."

As he spoke the last sentence, his voice grew weaker, and he forced himself to appear calm, waving his hand.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not scared. It's just my metabolism is too fast, and I get uncomfortable if I don't fidget."

Green Lantern didn't speak, merely casting a wistful glance at his Green Lantern ring.

"I swear I'm going to be doing a lot of intergalactic duty from now on."

Everyone's gaze fell on Shane, filled with anticipation, friendliness, and curiosity. However, Shane looked towards the black figure standing at the edge of the cliff.

Batman's black cape billowed in the mountain wind. The tactical display on his left forearm glowed with a faint blue light, dense data scrolling rapidly across the screen. His right fingertips tapped with precision and speed, as if everything around him was irrelevant.

"Batman, you say something too!"

Shazam shouted at Batman's back.

"This is an important invitation moment, don't just get lost analyzing that data!"

Batman's movements paused, and he slowly turned around.

His eyes, hidden beneath the Bat-mask, swept past everyone and locked directly onto Shane. His voice was low and hoarse, but the content was completely unrelated to everyone's expectations.

"That ring, it should still have about eight seconds left."

Shane's body stiffened slightly. He slowly pulled away from Shazam's hand on his shoulder and took two steps back.

His gaze swept over the Justice League members before him, and he shrugged.

"Thank you all for your warm invitation, but I can't join. I said it before, I'm not suited to be a hero."

As soon as he finished speaking, he didn't linger. His feet lifted slightly off the ground, and his figure instantly turned into a black blur, streaking towards the distance, quickly disappearing at the edge of the horizon.

The mountain wind continued to howl, leaving everyone looking at each other in bewilderment. Only Batman slowly withdrew his gaze, returning his attention to the tactical display, the sound of his fingertips tapping resuming.

Returning to before they departed.

On the bridge of the Watchtower, Batman watched Shane quietly. The corners of his usually tense mouth suddenly pulled into a cold, distant smile.

As if he had finally seen through everything.

"Ever since you interacted with that girl who uses magic, some of your external emotional expressions have become more youthful."

"And you've finally shown some of the eagerness that young people have, you're in a hurry to gain further trust."

Shane's gaze instantly became complicated, his face filled with incomprehension.

"You..."

"You don't need to pretend anymore."

Batman interrupted him without hesitation.

"From the moment you set foot on Earth, I've been constantly trying to perfect your psychological personality model."

"You've always been so 'sincere', peeling back your past bloody experiences piece by piece, presenting them to different people in categories, while also honestly stating that you will never repent."

"But this has instead quickly dispelled the doubts of everyone who has come into contact with you. They are all too kind, only imagining how severe the trauma you suffered in the past was, and developing more pity and trust for you based on their imaginations."

"But you've always overlooked one person—the one who saved you from space that night."

A hint of unexpected stiffness finally appeared on Shane's face.

Batman, however, simply continued speaking quietly.

"His power is beyond anything you can imagine. From the moment you were in a frozen coma, drifting closer to the Solar System, you were already within his range of perception."

"And that night, he also told me that the first emotion you felt upon waking and seeing Earth was indeed surprise, but the second was a greedy malice."

Shane's expression finally changed noticeably, his pupils contracting sharply.

The power of the black-robed Superman was indeed far beyond his expectations.

"After you discovered him, discovered how incomparably powerful he was, you changed completely."

"Humble, gentle, polite, showing utmost sincerity towards everyone."

Batman's speech began to quicken.

"You may truly despise Viltrum's culture and spirit, but you have always guided all your actions by the survival principles you learned from Viltrum. The person who saved you became a new 'standard'."

"You adapted to Viltrum's rules in the past and excelled; now, you have perfectly implemented a plan for how to live within the 'rules' of an absolute powerhouse with a clear stance on justice."

"Your mind has been insane for a long time, and unfortunately for you, you've encountered my specialty."

Shane rubbed his temples, sighed deeply, and finally shed all pretense, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness and acceptance.

"Alright, Mr. Batman, since you've seen through it all, then tell me, do you have a backup plan for me going to the Divine Realm alone to save Teacher Prince? At least so I won't be in a desperate situation."

Upon hearing this, Batman raised his hand and tossed over a black ring box.

Shane instinctively caught it, his heart filled with surprise.

The other party should know that the significance of him obtaining a Lantern ring is completely different from an ordinary person acquiring one.

Batman saw through his confusion and explained calmly.

"This isn't the Yellow Lantern ring you got that night. It's an old one I acquired. Originally, the energy inside could support a Yellow Lantern for at least three minutes. But since you already have a new, fully charged ring, I had the leeway to study and dismantle it. Now, the residual energy inside can only last for ten seconds at most."

"This is also the limit of emotional energy I calculated for your Viltrum physique, from severe injury and near-death to initial recovery."

Shane cautiously opened the box and took a quick look. The Yellow Lantern ring inside emitted a faint glow. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he looked up at Batman.

"Instead of using these ten seconds to heal me, it would be better to use this ring to summon the Sinestro Corps to the Divine Realm, causing chaos in Olympus. Rescuing Teacher Prince would be much easier, and it would solve two problems at once. How long have those Green Lantern Corps warriors been waiting in the Solar System?"

A barely perceptible seriousness flashed in Batman's eyes, and he slowly shook his head.

"Inciting a war between the Sinestro Corps and the gods of Olympus would result in countless unnecessary casualties. The Justice League would not agree to this decision. However, if you find yourself in a desperate situation in the Divine Realm, you can adapt as the situation dictates. This is your choice, and it has nothing to do with the League."