Kara Descends

The Justice League rarely enjoyed more than half a month of uninterrupted leisure. But after the Watchtower officially went into operation, its Level Four alarm sounded again after a full month of peace following the Olympus incident.

Cyborg, who happened to be on shift, stood before the main control console. His mechanical body extended several metal data cables, which seamlessly connected to the interfaces built into the console.

Pale-blue streams of data flowed between his body and the screens as he stared gravely at the chaotic ripples jumping across the central display.

"Half an hour ago, we picked up a Negative Space Anomaly Frequency Band. It flashed again a minute ago. It appears to be an alien spaceship, and the signal source should still be approaching. However, less than one-tenth of the transmission is reaching Earth."

Cyborg immediately contacted Batman first.

"The signal is too weak. We have no idea when we'll be able to capture a third frequency band, and each one is severely incomplete. We can't analyze its origin or obtain any further information."

Batman listened in silence. Only after a moment did he speak slowly.

"Notify all members currently without assignments and have them assemble at the Watchtower."

Since the Batcave had a teleportation device installed inside, Batman took only five seconds to arrive at the Watchtower first.

By then, Cyborg had only just finished notifying the idle League members he had selected.

Apparently accustomed to Batman being the first to arrive every time, Cyborg immediately filled him in on all the available information.

"Our preliminary estimate puts it about three billion kilometers from Earth. The Negative Space Signal's transmission speed is essentially zero. At its current speed, it will take at least seven days to enter the inner Solar System."

Cyborg shook his head, the faint light in his mechanical eye flickering.

"We can't determine whether it's hostile. It isn't carrying any attack commands or warning bands, but we can't rule out the possibility that it's a trap."

Batman knew that, since Sinestro's Sinestro Corps had not appeared for a month, Oa had begun to judge the danger level as lower. Even those Green Lanterns had withdrawn yesterday.

But on Earth, aside from him, Cyborg at least had never relaxed his vigilance.

Batman did not look at the signal ripples on the screen. This was pure astronomical computation, and running through it again with his human brain would be a waste of time.

"Notify all available League members. Have them gather on the Watchtower's bridge in ten minutes for an emergency meeting."

Cyborg nodded, then remembered something else.

"Should we notify Hal Jordan to return? The Green Lantern Corps is more sensitive to cosmic signals than we are."

Indeed, although Shane had declined the invitation to join the Justice League, Hal Jordan had still gone on an official assignment in space.

"Sinestro wouldn't be this timid. Don't notify Hal for now. Send him one of the two Negative Space Signals we've captured."

Cyborg acknowledged the order and carried it out. Responses soon came through the communicator one after another.

Flash was handling a series of robberies in Central City, while Aquaman had to remain in Atlantis to deal with abnormal geological activity beneath the sea.

Superman was suppressing a volcano on the verge of erupting in the Hawaiian Islands. Aside from Wonder Woman, who had responded accordingly, only Shazam and Green Arrow could make it. Green Arrow happened to be on vacation in New York and had ditched a date with a beautiful woman.

The Hall of Justice in New York also had a teleporter leading to the Watchtower.

Ten minutes later, the bridge's hatch slowly opened, and Shazam, who could fly, arrived first.

Next came Green Arrow, wiping the lipstick mark from his neck with a white handkerchief. He had clearly been in a hurry; even his eye mask was slightly crooked.

Yet he showed no awareness of it, looking completely at ease, as if he were used to this sort of thing.

But when Wonder Woman entered the Watchtower, Batman's eyes immediately narrowed.

Because someone he did not want to see was following behind Diana.

Shane followed behind Wonder Woman with a calm expression. When he met Batman's gaze, he deliberately offered a polite yet faintly playful smile, making no attempt to speak first.

Batman's fingertips curled slightly. He clearly had not expected Shane to shamelessly follow Diana inside.

Before Batman could object, Wonder Woman stepped forward and explained.

"When I received the communication, Shane happened to be training beside me. Considering that he has genuinely encountered more alien civilizations in his lifetime than all of us combined, I thought bringing him here might prove useful."

Diana paused and swept her gaze across the group.

"Whether the visitor entering the Solar System is friend or foe, his experience in this area should allow him to make a more accurate judgment than most of us."

Batman remained silent.

He had nearly finished constructing his psychological model of Shane, reaching almost seventy percent.

That kid had clearly held a grudge over the mockery about the pink pearl last time. He had deliberately followed Diana here in her name, probably just to annoy him.

Cyborg broke the silence at the appropriate moment.

"There are only five of us here at the moment. Superman and Flash can't get away, while Green Lantern is in space and temporarily unreachable."

"The source of the mysterious signal is still at the edge of the Solar System. We need someone to investigate ahead of time and obtain firsthand information before we can determine how to respond."

Shazam was just about to raise his hand when he realized that everyone's gaze had passed over him and landed on Shane.

Even Green Arrow, who should have been meeting Shane for the first time, was doing the same.

And the guy was even standing right beside him.

This was far too disrespectful to the Six Godly Powers within him.

Shazam could barely hold himself together. Gritting his teeth, he lightly slapped Green Arrow on the shoulder.

"You. You know him too?"

"I've read the files."

Green Arrow replied nonchalantly.

Shane merely shrugged and smiled, indicating that he had no objection.

"Investigating the edge of the Solar System won't be difficult for me."

Then his tone shifted, taking on a blunt frankness.

"However, my life on Earth is currently a little tight. I also came here hoping to negotiate a deal with the League—help you complete a mission you don't have enough manpower for in exchange for suitable compensation."

A flicker of interest passed through Green Arrow's eyes.

He had never held any rigid preconceptions about the moral views of extraterrestrial civilizations. He neither pitied them like Superman nor remained constantly wary of them like Batman, maintaining only a neutral attitude of observation.

Besides, ever since this kid had walked in, Batman's expression seemed even more sour than usual.

He had not even responded to the man.

Now that was a rare sight.

As if he had discovered something interesting, Green Arrow immediately agreed.

"Our technology is far more advanced than that of ordinary government agencies. Sending one of the League's spaceships to the edge of the Solar System and back would cost roughly four million dollars. As a non-League member willing to help, I can pay you three million dollars out of my own pocket."

"Deal."

Batman frowned and tried to stop him, but he also knew there was no more suitable candidate than Shane at present. In the end, he merely tossed over a palm-sized device.

"Signal Reflection Radar. It can amplify weak signals and help narrow down your search area."

A moment later, the hatch opened, and the frigid environment of space rushed in. Shane lightly leaped forward, his figure vanishing into the distance.

He activated the atoms within his body and entered the initial Intra-Galactic Jump speed. In just three minutes, he crossed billions of kilometers and arrived near Neptune's orbit.

As though a frame had been cut from a film, Shane appeared out of nowhere in the dark vacuum. He switched to ordinary spaceflight speed and activated the Signal Reflection Radar at his waist.

The radar emitted a faint hum as it scanned the surrounding area in the pitch-blackness of space.

The place was barren. Only distant stars gave off a faint glow, while countless asteroids slowly revolved in their orbits. It was so silent that he could hear only the blood flowing through his own body.

Shane patiently searched through this vast space of approximately 3.93×10¹⁷ cubic miles. The radar screen showed nothing but chaotic interference ripples.

Three hours passed quietly. Shane's expression remained calm, without the slightest trace of impatience.

He had once spent several days lying in wait on a barren planet. This amount of search time was nothing to him.

Only after another half hour had passed did the radar at his waist suddenly give off a faint vibration. A clear signal peak appeared on the screen.

After searching for more than ten minutes, he finally discovered a faintly glowing silver speck within an Asteroid Belt.

Shane heightened his vigilance and slowly approached. As the distance narrowed, the outline of the silver speck gradually became clear.

It was a crude, escape-pod-like Spaceship. Its volume was no larger than an ordinary Earthling's room, indicating that the civilization behind it possessed extremely advanced technology.

The outer shell was covered in scratches, clearly showing that it had drifted through space for a long time.

Shane slowly floated before the ship's side hatch and peered inside through the transparent wall.

A Blonde Girl lay quietly inside the cabin. Her skin was as fair as snow, and traces of undried tears remained at the corners of her eyes.

Even in sleep, her brows held an expression of fragility and fear.

"This... couldn't be Superman's cousin, could it?"