Viltrumite, Is Your Mightiest Chat Group Fake? Chapter 42

Batman glanced at Leon again.

He still couldn't read anything from the other man's composed expression.

If Leon's abilities were comparable to Superman's, he would be much more troublesome to deal with. Of course, he would also be a very comfortable ally to work with.

He gave an affirmative reply.

"After I send Bane back to prison."

After a few taps on his wrist computer, the roar of tires scraping against the road echoed through the rainy night.

The headlights appeared first around the street corner, followed by a steel behemoth drifting elegantly toward them.

It was the Batmobile.

As it approached, Batman leaped high into the air, his cape spreading as he smoothly slipped through the door above.

Bane, meanwhile, was stowed in the compartment at the rear of the vehicle.

Just as he was about to leave, Leon knocked on the window.

"Batman, can I get in?"

Batman raised an eyebrow. Though his high-tech alloy helmet couldn't effectively convey his emotions.

That look was one of disapproval.

"You know, even though we can fly at Mach 10 on the surface, some things are different."

Leon's eyes lit up.

"Any man would be captivated by a roaring beast like this, even if it's slow."

Batman gave him another disapproving look and crossed out the word "possibly" from his personality analysis of Leon.

He felt this guy would fit right in at Arkham.

On the way, Leon finally got his wish and sat inside the Batmobile.

Unfortunately, Batman sternly refused his further request to drive it himself for a while.

One day...

Leon silently made up his mind to press every button in the Batmobile.

After handing Pointy-Head over to the Gotham police, the busiest people of the night gathered beneath the Bat-Signal on a rooftop.

"Superman, I've heard my former classmates talk about you."

Seeing Superman, Gordon pulled his hand from the pocket of his trench coat and adjusted his glasses.

"They said that because of you lately, the police departments have so many practical combat opportunities that they're planning to send people here for training."

As they chatted and laughed, there was a whoosh.

A grappling hook caught onto the edge, and Batman followed close behind, leaping onto the rooftop.

Leon, Nightwing, and Robin Tim arrived one after another.

Walking over to pat his old comrade on the shoulder, Gordon sighed.

"Ha, what a sleepless night. This place goes through something like this several times every year."

"But we always make it through."

"You're right. It's over for now, but why is Superman here?"

Batman did not answer. The police commissioner's heart skipped a beat.

"Don't tell me something else big is about to happen?"

In the end, Batman did not let Gordon know about it.

The man still had several sleepless nights of cleanup ahead of him. There was no need to add more pressure.

This time, Superman was the one who rushed to get into the Batmobile. They arrived at the finest Batcave beneath Wayne Manor.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

As the lights came on, the base converted from an enormous cavern appeared before them.

Countless bats swept past the waterfall, the bridge, the dinosaur statue, and the Batmobile...

Leon descended on the lift, paying particular attention to the parking area and the display cases. There, he saw different versions of suits and vehicles.

He had already checked off one iconic DC tourist spot.

"Clark Kent."

Standing before the Batcomputer, Batman immediately exposed his identity.

Looking at the stunned Clark, he said, "This place hasn't been modified in time. I can't block your Superman senses, so I brought you all directly here."

Clark refused to be outdone, his gaze passing through Batman's unlined helmet.

Then he fell into another daze.

"Bruce Wayne..."

Who would have thought?

Gotham's richest man, a billionaire ranked among the wealthiest in the world, a famous playboy—he had built himself a pile of high-tech gadgets to fight crime at night.

As a journalist, the wildest guess anyone had made was that he funded Batman.

"Now that introductions are over, let's get straight to the point."

Batman did not give him time to dwell on the huge discovery. With a casual flick of his hand, he sent a Kryptonite dart flying toward him.

How Could Bruce Hurt Me?

In the eyes of the two superhumans, the dart moved through the air as slowly as a snail.

What was this?

Clark studied the green-glowing stone carved into the shape of a bat. He was quite curious, though after staring at it for too long, he felt a little dizzy.

Of course, he did not think it was an attack.

Batman brought me to his secret base. How could he possibly hurt me?

This might be a test!

With that thought, Clark puffed out his chest, preparing to take it head-on and see what happened.

Then Leon, who was closer, caught the dart before him.

"What is this, some limited-edition merchandise? You shouldn't have, Bruce."

He tossed the dart in his hand, playing with it.

Batman was indeed Batman. He started by exposing his identity, then followed up with a Kryptonite dart—a dirty little combo.

Now he even had the leisure to make Batarangs out of Kryptonite. Just how much had he prepared to take Superman down?

Batman watched Leon's calm demeanor and the cold sweat beginning to form on Clark's forehead.

He had never intended to hit Superman. He had calculated that Leon would catch it.

Still, Leon truly was different from Superman. He would have to find new weaknesses.

His eyes narrowed slightly. As he recorded this in the database, he explained, "Clark, this is Kryptonite. We found it among several meteor fragments. Based on the information we have, it may have come from your homeworld."

He watched Clark's condition worsen.

"According to my intelligence, it can greatly affect you, weakening you and even temporarily stripping you of your superpowers."

"Uh..."

Clark clutched his forehead, his legs beginning to weaken.

He first tried his heat vision. His eyes flickered as though they had a bad connection. Then he tried to fly, but after wobbling into the air for only a short distance, he fell back down.

He was worse than a toddler learning to walk.

Seeing this, Leon immediately threw the thing back.

"Tell us in advance next time you want to test something. Clark still has a battle to face soon."

He did not hold back his strength. The dart shot past Batman, whipping up his cape before smashing into the wall and shattering.

Only a trailing streak of green light remained, slowly fading away.

Only then did Batman react, reaching out and grabbing empty air.

Catching the dilation of Batman's pupils and the acceleration of his heartbeat, Leon knew his warning had worked.

Though he had a favorable impression of this Arkham Batman, there still had to be give and take.

Compared to cowards who only defended and dodged, opponents who traded punches were more worthy of respect and companionship.

That was what it meant to be a Viltrumite. Surely Batman had developed a newfound appreciation for his strength.

The old master said nothing, merely pulling up camera footage for analysis and archiving.

Superman, freed from the Kryptonite radiation, perked up again.

He was still interpreting everything with the mindset of a little sunshine.

"I get it, Bruce. You're trying to tell me that someone else got hold of this, just like you did, right?"

"That's right. My tracking indicates that a batch of Kryptonite ultimately fell into Lex Luthor's hands."

Clark knew that name.

When he worked as a reporter, he and Lois had been responsible for the Superman beat. He knew Luthor and his theory about superhuman threats inside and out.

Every time he did something good, the man would pop up to criticize him.

He even suspected that the bald man had been behind some of the villains he had encountered recently.

"You mean he's planning to use this chance to deal with me?"

"This is the best opportunity."

Clark frowned. The weakness he had just experienced was still vivid in his mind, and he even felt a lingering fear.

And now Luthor had already gotten his hands on this stuff.

In this matter, he had never considered hostility from humanity.

In the Fortress of Solitude, his father's AI had already explained the origin of that ship to him—a ship used to exile prisoners.

And the person aboard was most likely General Zod.

He had thought all he needed to do was persuade, or perhaps fight, Kryptonians and protect Earth.

Why was someone stabbing him in the back too?

But his trial was not over. After pondering for a moment, Batman asked, "Clark, do you know whether any other members of your species have come to Earth?"

"No. I only truly learned about my origins after becoming an adult. Bruce, did you find something?"

Batman swiped his right hand, projecting a photograph onto the holographic screen.

"After confirming your identity, I found another record similar to yours in astronomical observation records from the past twenty years."

"That means there are others like me on Earth?"

Clark's eyes lit up, though the shadow on his face remained.

It was unclear whether he realized what it meant for Batman to bring this up at this particular moment.

"Actually, Clark, I found corroboration about Kryptonite and your superpowers in some classified government files."

Leon understood what he meant.

Was it Krypto, or the Supergirl I saw in that movie? This universe is strange enough already.