Inside the restaurant, bamboo skewers and empty plates were piled up haphazardly, forming small mountains.
The owner stood behind the oven, his towel dripping wet as he wiped away sweat; he was completely exhausted.
This post-war dinner finally came to an end after Barry swallowed the last bite of his kebab.
The superheroes, who had just reached an agreement, put away their communicators and prepared to leave.
Hal moved his wrist, and the fluorescence on the ring flickered.
"I need to go back to Oa to check in and report back to those green-skinned bigwigs about what's going on on Earth."
He glanced at Chen Mo, his tone tinged with relief.
"I hope I never see you on the Cosmic Court's wanted list in this lifetime; I don't want to come here to die."
Hal raised his hand and drew a circle above his head. He then soared into the air, transforming into a green streak of light that shot into the sky and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Diana adjusted the Godkiller to the most comfortable angle, glanced at the people present, and nodded slightly.
"Until we meet again, everyone."
Without uttering a single unnecessary word, she strode across the ruins, her figure quickly disappearing around the street corner.
Clark walked to the streetlight and looked at the several Kryptonian Krypton on the ground, their faces covered in dust.
Although Faora had woken up, she was limp and powerless, and could only look at him with an almost resigned gaze.
Clark sighed, picked up one in each hand, and carried the Krypton People, who had lost their superpowers, on his shoulders like sacks.
"Mr. Chen, thank you so much for today."
He turned to look at Chen Mo, his expression full of sincerity.
"Although you were a bit ruthless, I know you're a good person."
Chen Mo rolled her eyes at him. "Come on, hurry up and carry your fellow villager and go do what you need to do. Don't give me the 'nice guy' card here."
Clark chuckled, waved to everyone, and with a leap, lifted off the ground carrying the heavy package, flying straight towards the Metropolis Police Department.
Only Chen Mo, Barry, and Bruce, who was walking towards the Batplane, remained on the street.
Barry rubbed his bulging belly and let out a burp that smelled of cumin.
"Hiccup... I'm too full. I feel like I'd throw up everywhere if I ran right now."
He glanced at the worn-out watch on his wrist, which had long since stopped working, and his brows furrowed immediately.
"Oh no, I'm going to be late for the afternoon attendance check. If I'm late again, the director will definitely dock all my perfect attendance bonus for the month."
Barry muttered a complaint under his breath as he reached out and pulled Chen Mo, who was picking his teeth with a bamboo skewer, to his side.
"Brother Chen, since you're free right now, how about we go for a stroll around Central City?"
He enthusiastically promoted his territory.
"There's a coffee shop near me that's incredibly delicious, and a fantastic pizza place. The owner is my high school classmate's uncle, and they give you a 20% discount!"
Chen Mo raised an eyebrow and glanced sideways at the helpful errand boy.
"20% off pizza? Do you think I'm a beggar on the street?"
He unceremoniously shook off Barry's hand.
What would I do there? Watch you race against petty thieves all day?
Barry scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Actually, the public security in our Central City is quite good..."
"Stop kidding, get back to your test tubes and start cleaning them."
Chen Mo was too lazy to listen to his nagging, so he turned his gaze to the dark figure silently walking towards the fighter jet.
Bruce walked quickly, his black Cloak billowing slightly in the wind, clearly not wanting to linger for even a second longer in this smoky ruin.
However, just as Bruce stepped onto the fighter jet's boarding stairs, a hand landed on his shoulder.
Bruce froze, standing still.
He didn't turn around, but spoke in his hoarse voice filtered through a voice changer.
Is there anything else?
Chen Mo chuckled and put his arm around Bruce's shoulder, as if the two were old comrades-in-arms who had known each other for twenty years.
"Hey Batman, why are you leaving in such a hurry? You didn't even say goodbye. That's so inconsiderate."
Bruce's profile was obscured by the shadow of his helmet, making his expression impossible to discern.
" Gotham still has a lot of things waiting for me to deal with."
" Gotham, that's a wonderful place."
Chen Mo's eyes lit up, and his tone was filled with longing.
"I've heard of Gotham's reputation for a long time; it's known for its honest and kind people and its abundance of talented individuals."
"I've heard that the people there have incredibly pleasant voices, and all the patients at Arkham are skilled in some kind of magic. Even the sewers are inhabited by storytelling crocodile friends."
Bruce:...
The guardian of Gotham's brow furrowed slightly.
He had never heard anyone use such outrageous language to describe Gotham in his entire life.
Simple and honest folk customs? I think it's more like a demonic wind!
"If the people of Gotham knew you were praising Gotham like that..."
Bruce chuckled coldly and continued, "They'll definitely get you an appointment in Arkham."
"What a coincidence! Making appointments is exactly what I do best!"
Chen Mo patted Bruce's sturdy breastplate, making a crisp sound.
"Look, Superman carried his family back to his hometown, Green Lantern went back to outer space to report on his work, Flash went back to the lab to clock in, leaving me all alone."
"As the saying goes, since we're already here, why not hitch a ride to Gotham for a site visit? It's not too much to ask, is it?"
Bruce turned his head, his deep gaze beneath the mask settling on Chen Mo's face, which wore a roguish smile.
My fighter jet is a single-seat design.
"It's okay, I'm not picky. I can lie on the wing and enjoy the breeze, or you can sit on my lap."
Chen Mo grinned broadly.
Barry, standing there sweating profusely, stood frozen in place, unsure of who to advise.
Send Chen Mo to Gotham?
Do those Gotham still robbing banks with crowbars and submachine guns know what's coming to them?
Barry even felt a little sorry for those lunatics in Arkham.
Bruce's eye twitched slightly.
He knew perfectly well that letting this extremely dangerous guy into Gotham was tantamount to inviting a Tyrannosaurus Rex into the house.
But he couldn't refuse Chen Mo. Even if he didn't give him a ride, would Chen Mo refuse on his own?
Inviting a god is easy, but sending him away is difficult.
Rather than letting this guy infiltrate Gotham in the shadows, it's better to keep him under our noses.
Bruce took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging, complex emotions within him.
He looked away and pressed a button on the fighter jet's control panel.
With a hissing sound as the air valves released pressure, the fighter jet's canopy slowly slid open, revealing the spare space at the rear that was originally used to store equipment.
"Come up."
Bruce's voice was cold and crisp, devoid of any warmth.
"Alright, Batman is personally delivering it, this trip was worth it."
Chen Mo chuckled, unceremoniously flipped over and climbed into the fighter jet cockpit, casually grabbing a pair of tactical night vision goggles from the side and playing with them in his hand.
Barry waved his hand from below, and golden arcs of electricity began to crackle at his feet.
"Brother Chen, Batman, I'll head back to Central City now. Keep in touch if anything comes up!"
Before the words were even finished, a golden-red arc of electricity ripped through the street, and in the blink of an eye, only a gentle breeze carrying away scraps of paper remained.
The fighter jet's cockpit canopy was closed perfectly.
The engine roared with a deep, powerful sound, and the strong airflow swept away all the gravel on the ground.
The jet-black Batplane rose vertically into the air, then its wings swerved, tearing through the night sky, carrying the rambling monster in the back seat, and roared towards the perpetually rainy, sinful city on the East Coast.