Global Strategy and a Lightning-Fast Search for Allies

The cold wind atop Wayne Tower seemed to grow heavier because of the meeting between these three legendary figures. Clark's candid words had revealed the cruelest truth behind the coming war—this was not a battle between criminals and heroes, but a war for the survival of two races. Compromise and retreat had never been options.

Facing the looks of trust and expectation from Clark and Barry, Bruce did not hesitate in the slightest. His mind, like a precision war machine, constructed an enormous, intricate, multithreaded battle plan the instant Clark finished speaking.

"A direct confrontation is inevitable, but it cannot be a mindless charge." Bruce's voice broke the brief silence. His tone was cold and clear, as though he were stating an established fact. "Zod has an entire well-trained Kryptonian army, as well as warships far beyond Earth's technology. With just the three of us, even if you"—he pointed at Clark—"possess the power of a god, our chances are still slim. We can't put all our eggs in one basket."

His deep gaze swept over the two of them as he began laying out his global strategy in detail.

"Our strength is limited, but we can leverage the strength of the entire world. This war is not just a war for the three of us. It is a defense of human civilization itself."

Step One: [Securing the Rear and Evacuating Civilians]

Bruce looked at Clark first, his eyes showing a rare trace of human concern that belonged to "Bruce Wayne," rather than Batman.

"Clark, your weakness is not merely Kryptonite. It is also your emotions. Zod knows that very well. Before you openly turn against him, you must ensure that your family is safe."

He paused before issuing an arrangement that allowed no argument. "Alfred has already made preparations at Wayne Manor. It has the most advanced security system on Earth, enough to withstand a direct assault by a small army. Go back immediately and bring your adoptive mother, Martha Kent, to Gotham. Tell her she is Bruce Wayne's most important guest. There, she will be absolutely safe."

Hearing the name "Martha" come from Batman's mouth, a flash of shock appeared in Clark's eyes, only to be replaced by deep gratitude. He had not expected this seemingly cold man to have investigated even his deepest concern so thoroughly, much less made arrangements for it at once. Such meticulous consideration earned his trust far more effectively than any grand declaration could.

"Thank you... Bruce," Clark said sincerely.

"This is only one part of the plan." Bruce waved a hand and continued assigning tasks. "Once your family is settled, your second task will be evacuating civilians. Zod's ultimatum gives us a little over twenty hours, but we cannot wait until the last moment. As 'Superman,' you have already built a certain amount of prestige among Metropolis's citizens. Use your abilities to evacuate as many people as possible from the city's central districts. Tell them an unprecedented storm is coming. Save as many as you can."

"I understand." Clark nodded heavily. Protecting civilians was a nature engraved into his very bones.

Step Two: [Contacting the Military and Establishing a United Front]

After assigning Clark his task, Bruce turned his gaze toward empty space, as though speaking with an unseen enemy.

"Human armies may be no match for Kryptonians, but they possess advantages we do not—vast numbers, global deployment, and... nuclear weapons. They are the best cannon fodder. They can create critical tactical windows for our core strike."

Barry looked somewhat dazed. "But... will they listen to you? You're Batman."

"I will not command them as Batman." Beneath his mask, Bruce's lips curled into a cold smile. "I will 'persuade' them as a 'partner.'"

Before his words had even faded, Bruce raised his left wrist. The miniature computer screen on his armored gauntlet lit up, countless strings of code streaming across it like a waterfall.

"Alfred, connect me to Amanda Waller, the head of Sky Eye Society, through a secure line."

"Breaking in... firewall bypassed... line connected, sir," Alfred's voice replied.

Almost simultaneously, a holographic screen unfolded before Bruce. On it appeared the face of a short, heavyset Black woman with a cold expression. She was the iron-fisted leader of Sky Eye Society, a woman notorious for doing whatever it took and showing no mercy—Amanda Waller.

There was not the slightest hint of surprise on Waller's face, as if she had expected a mysterious figure to infiltrate her most classified communication line. Her knife-sharp gaze fixed firmly on Bruce's masked face.

"Batman." Waller's voice was hoarse and low, carrying the authority of power. "I knew you'd come to me sooner or later. Speak. What do you want?"

"I am not here to ask you for anything, Ms. Waller." Bruce's voice, distorted by his modulator, became even deeper and less human. "I am here to offer you an opportunity—an opportunity for you and the U.S. government behind you not to be wiped out like fools in this disaster."

"General Zod's target is not Superman. It is the entire Earth. He intends to turn this place into a new Krypton. Surrender is suicide. Resistance gives us a chance."

Bruce gave her no opportunity to interrupt and went straight to the core of his plan.

"I need you to mobilize all the resources of Sky Eye Society and the U.S. military. First, immediately activate the global missile defense system and target the Kryptonian ship above Metropolis. Maintain deterrence, but do not fire without my order. Second, deploy every conventional force you can mobilize. After Superman evacuates the civilians, seal every entrance and exit to Metropolis and establish defensive positions. Their task is not to destroy the enemy, but to delay them—to buy us time with lives and steel."

"Why should I believe you? And why should I send my people to die?" Waller asked coldly.

"Because you have no other choice." Bruce's voice was as cold as a Siberian gale. "You can choose not to cooperate, then watch helplessly as Zod activates his World Engine and completely reshapes Earth's atmosphere and surface. By then, neither you nor your soldiers will even qualify to serve as cannon fodder."

"Besides..." Bruce shifted his tone and dangled bait Waller could not refuse. "...Don't you want to know the Kryptonians' weakness? Don't you want to obtain their technology, their ships, even... their corpses after the war? Work with me, and you may have a chance to get all of it. Refuse me, and you will get nothing."

Amanda Waller fell silent on the other side of the screen. Greed and calculation flickered in her shrewd eyes. Batman's words had struck precisely at the deepest desires in her heart. As a thoroughgoing pragmatist and an ambitious woman, she instantly understood what was at stake.

"...I need time to consider it," Waller finally said.

"I'll give you ten minutes," Bruce replied coldly. "If your people have not moved within ten minutes, I will consider you a traitor to Earth. And then my list of enemies will have one more name on it."

With that, Bruce cut off the communication directly, and the holographic screen vanished in an instant.

He knew Waller would agree. For someone like her, risk and opportunity had always gone hand in hand.

Step Three: [Seeking Outside Help, a Lightning-Fast Search for Allies]

Having finished all that, Bruce finally turned his attention to the final key link—and the most important trump card in his plan.

He looked at Barry. "Now it is our turn. Barry, I need you to serve as transportation one more time."

"Where to?" Barry had already gone numb from Bruce's swift, decisive manner and asked only out of instinct.

"Washington, D.C., National Museum of Natural History." Bruce named a location that seemed completely unrelated.

"Go... go to a museum for what?" Barry looked utterly confused.

Bruce did not answer directly. Instead, he pulled up a top-secret file he had long stored in his suit's computer. The file came from one of his "friendly visits" to Sky Eye Society's database.

On the cover was a black-and-white photograph. It showed a striking woman posing with several soldiers during World War I. The woman was breathtakingly beautiful, her eyes resolute, and she wore armor in the style of ancient Greece.

On another page was a modern surveillance screenshot. The location was the antiquities restoration room of the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. A woman equally beautiful and elegant was restoring a piece of ancient Greek pottery with her head lowered. Her name was Diana Prince.

The two women looked almost identical, apart from the different eras in which they appeared.

"We are going to find a 'god.'" A faint, nearly imperceptible anticipation entered Bruce's voice. "A true demigod from the age of myth."

"The Amazon princess of Paradise Island, daughter of Zeus, king of the gods—Diana."

Bruce knew that Gal Gadot's version of Wonder Woman had become disheartened after Steve's death in World War I. She had chosen to withdraw from human society, living under the alias Diana Prince and working as a quiet antiquities restorer in a museum. But Zod's arrival, this global crisis, was enough to become the perfect opportunity to pull her back onto the battlefield.

"Let's go." Bruce said no more and placed a hand on Barry's shoulder.

Golden lightning erupted again, brighter than before. This time, Barry seemed to have adapted to the rhythm of running with someone else. He was faster and more stable.

Light and shadow flowed as time and space shifted.

When Bruce opened his eyes again, they were already standing atop the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Below them lay the brightly lit American capital. The United States Capitol and Washington Monument in the distance appeared solemn and majestic beneath the night sky.

Bruce activated the thermal imaging and X-ray scanning functions of his suit. His gaze pierced the museum walls like a blade, swiftly locking onto the lone figure in the antiquities restoration room.

"Found her."

He turned to Barry. "Wait here. Remember, suppress your presence. Do not let her notice you."

With that, Bruce melted into the night without making a sound. He slipped down from the rooftop like a ghost and silently infiltrated the quiet museum.

The person he was about to meet was the strongest combat force in this world besides Superman.

She was also the final—and most important—piece of the Justice League he was assembling.