Chapter 351: Baldy: I'm Afraid I'll Kill Superman!
After leaving their previous location—
The group relocated to somewhere beneath the central city.
Seeing the spacious new base, Barry Allen exclaimed, "Bruce, just how many of these underground bases do you even have?"
Wayne answered honestly, "Over a hundred nationwide. If you include the entire globe, I've lost count."
"That's so cool!" Barry Allen, clearly a chatterbox, added, "I always knew money had its perks, but Bruce, your money power still blows me away every time."
Deathstroke scoffed from the side, "More like a mole that digs everywhere."
Wayne ignored Deathstroke's jab. He was used to interacting with his former nemesis. Glancing at Cyborg, who was scanning the area, he said:
"Victor, don't worry. This place is also radiation-shielded. You can safely activate the Mother Box."
Cyborg didn't respond. He simply pulled the Mother Box from a sealed container and resumed his work.
Wayne then gave Barry Allen a look, and Barry got the message. Grabbing a few cans of instant food, he headed outside to stand guard.
As the Flash, he had the fastest speed—making him perfect for sentry duty.
This alone showed how cautious Wayne was.
Even when hiding underground, he still had the Flash on watch. If anything went wrong, they would immediately retreat and relocate.
That's how they had survived over the past year—constantly moving, constantly hiding.
After Barry left, Wayne pointed to a stack of crates beside them and said to Chen Ye, "This food will last us about three months. But it's all instant meals."
Chen Ye nodded.
Wayne clearly offered this explanation because Chen Ye was a new member.
…
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, a month and a half went by.
That day—
After finishing his training, Chen Ye opened his stats panel:
Name: Chen Ye
Physique: 33,080
Spirit: 4,860
Strength: 33,080
Agility: 33,080
Talent: Saitama Physique
Assignable Potential: 0
That was his current stat sheet.
It was explosive!
Clenching his fist, Chen Ye smiled with satisfaction.
He wondered if that blackened Superman could even survive one serious punch from him now.
"Hey! Bald kid!"
Suddenly, Mera's voice rang out from the side. "What's the point of training for such a short time each day? Are you just deluding yourself?"
Chen Ye merely glanced at her and didn't respond.
Aside from Wayne and Barry, he didn't bother with the others.
In the past month or so, he hadn't said more than a few words to the rest of them.
Though Mera was attractive, after over a year on the run, everyone was filthy. No matter how pretty the woman, if she reeked, she was hard to appreciate…
Mera grew annoyed at being ignored.
Just as she was about to teach this bald kid a lesson, a sudden noise came from inside the room.
Buzz buzz buzz…
The Mother Box suddenly lit up as if activated. Its glow surged erratically like a living thing.
Everyone turned to look.
Cyborg, who had been working on the Mother Box, let out a relieved smile.
"It's activated."
At those words—
The group's expressions didn't brighten. Instead, they grew heavier.
Because they knew the most difficult part of the plan was about to begin.
Wayne checked the time, then turned to Cyborg and asked, "Victor, do you need to rest?"
Cyborg shook his head. "The Mother Box has already provided me with enough energy."
Wayne said, "Then pack up. We move out!"
It was daytime.
No one was dumb enough to ask why they weren't waiting for nightfall.
Because Parademons were far more agile at night.
Acting at night would only increase the difficulty!
"Where are we going?" Chen Ye asked.
"Metropolis," Wayne answered. "There's a Kryptonian ship there. It holds a miraculous restorative fluid. It's the best resurrection chamber we've got."
At this, Chen Ye immediately remembered—wasn't Doomsday in the movies born there? And Superman was resurrected there too.
But when everyone heard "Metropolis," their faces turned grim.
Darkseid and his Parademon army were currently stationed in Metropolis.
The blackened Superman was likely there too…
In short, Metropolis was the most dangerous place on Earth.
Trying to resurrect someone in such a place—silently, discreetly—was practically impossible.
Yet even knowing that, no one backed out.
Because they had no other choice.
Reviving Lois and recruiting Superman to fight Darkseid was their only hope.
Only Chen Ye remained completely dismissive of the absurd plan.
…
Metropolis.
Once one of the most prosperous cities in the United States.
Compared to the crime-ridden Gotham, Metropolis had been a paradise—an ideal place to live.
That was because Superman had always been stationed there.
With his terrifying super-hearing and unmatched strength, evil found little room to grow in Metropolis.
But now, the city had become hell.
The entire metropolis lay in ruins, its destruction no less than that of Gotham.
Most terrifying of all—several massive alien ships hovered above the city. They belonged to the Dark Lord—Darkseid!
Besides the colossal motherships—
Countless smaller patrol craft buzzed through the skies.
Just seeing this scene was enough to crush hope.
At this moment—
Batman and the others had arrived at a highway just outside Metropolis, preparing to enter.
"Bruce…"
Barry Allen looked at the city, visibly uncertain. "Do you really think our plan can work?"
Wayne stared at the enormous, monstrous ships, silent for a while, then said in a low voice, "We have no choice."
Everyone fell silent at that.
Yes.
This was a do-or-die mission.
If they failed, they would be obliterated.
They had all mentally prepared for that.
Soon, the group began advancing toward Metropolis.
Along the way—
They evaded wave after wave of Parademon patrols and finally reached the outskirts of the city.
But seeing the sky filled with flying Parademons, everyone's faith in the plan wavered…
Then—
After dodging yet another patrol, tensions erupted.
"We need to hurry. The longer we stay out here, the more likely the Mother Box's energy will be detected!" said Cyborg.
"Don't you get it, you tin can?" Mera snapped coldly. "This plan is a suicide mission. We should just fight that bastard head-on."
Wayne quickly responded, "I understand how you feel, Mera, but sticking to the plan is our only chance."
"Arthur died to cover my retreat." Mera glared coldly at Batman. "Wayne, have you ever loved someone? Do you know what it's like to watch your lover die in front of you?"
Wayne was silent.
Suddenly, Joker chuckled. "Oh, he knows. Like… a father. And a mother."
That line instantly changed Wayne's expression.
Even Chen Ye furrowed his brow.
He knew the story. He knew Bruce's parents had been killed by someone inspired by the Joker.
Though Joker wasn't the killer, he was still connected to their deaths.
Now he was bringing it up on purpose—rubbing salt into Bruce's wounds.
"Shut up, Arthur!" Wayne shouted.
Joker just grinned smugly.
Chen Ye shook his head and said, "Wayne, it's clear—working with this trash was your biggest mistake."
That was a pretty sweeping insult.
Before Joker could react, Mera and Deathstroke were already riled up.
"Watch your mouth, baldy!" Deathstroke snapped.
Mera sneered, just about to mock Chen Ye when suddenly—
Boom!
From the sky—
A deafening sonic boom tore through the air.
Everyone present (except Chen Ye) turned pale.
That sound—
Only one person could've made it.
Superman!
Clark Kent.
"He's found us!!"
Cyborg roared, immediately taking a combat stance.
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, a powerful figure dropped from the sky.
Boom!
Dust exploded from the ground as the figure landed.
It was none other than the caped Superman.
Everyone turned to look at him—including Chen Ye.
Superman lifted his head, eyes locked on the group.
His eyes glowed completely red.
This wasn't just a prelude to heat vision—his eyes had remained in this crimson state continuously.
Originally, Superman's eyes weren't red. This change was a result of his corruption, the influence of Darkseid.
And truth be told—
The blackened Superman carried an overwhelming sense of oppression!
The moment he appeared, the atmosphere grew suffocating.
He was undeniably a despair-inducing foe.
Everyone present wore expressions of grim resolve.
"Barry," Batman spoke slowly, his tone low. "In a moment, you run first. Then look for an opportunity to execute Plan B."
"Bruce…"
Barry Allen looked conflicted but eventually nodded.
At that moment—
Chen Ye suddenly spoke.
"Wayne, your plan is to revive Lois and make Superman come to his senses, right? Then if I accidentally kill this guy, wouldn't your plan fail?"
Everyone turned to him in disbelief.
Batman was stunned.
The others looked just as baffled, like they were hearing nonsense.
"Are you kidding me?" Deathstroke growled, gripping his long blade. "That joke's not funny at all."
Chen Ye ignored him, eyes fixed on Superman, who was walking toward them step by step.
"This guy's pretty strong. I guess I'll need to get a little serious. If I accidentally kill him, don't blame me, Wayne."
With those words, Chen Ye started walking toward Superman.
The others looked on, shocked that the bald young man didn't seem to be joking.
Could he really be stronger than Superman?
Impossible…
…
When Chen Ye was just a few steps from Superman—
The corrupted Superman's eyes flared even brighter. Then, twin beams of heat vision shot out from his eyes.
Zzzzz—
The searing rays tore through the air and struck straight toward Chen Ye.
But Chen Ye didn't dodge. He simply raised an arm to block.
Instantly—
His sleeve was vaporized, the fabric scorched black.
Yet Chen Ye remained expressionless. He casually shook his hand and kept walking forward.
With his current defense, Superman's heat vision couldn't even hope to penetrate.
As for the extreme heat it carried…
Please!
Chen Ye had fire-based abilities and an incredibly high spirit stat. His fire resistance had reached terrifying levels.
Silence!
Everyone was stunned to see Chen Ye block Superman's heat vision so effortlessly.
They saw it clearly—Chen Ye had no protective gear on, just a shirt, and that had already been burned through…
Suddenly—
Chen Ye stopped walking.
He was now standing face to face with the blackened Superman.
The two were nearly the same height.
But compared to Superman's muscular build, Chen Ye appeared lean—even a little thin.
Next moment—
Superman raised a fist and swung straight at Chen Ye's face.
Still, Chen Ye didn't dodge. He just stood there dumbly.
Not because he wanted to get hit.
But because he wanted to test Superman's strength against his own defense—so he could compare it with the true final boss, Darkseid.
Although Superman wasn't quite as strong as Darkseid, the gap wasn't enormous. Otherwise, Batman wouldn't be so desperate to revive Lois and bring Superman back to their side.
As long as Chen Ye could confirm he could crush Superman, then defeating Darkseid was entirely possible.
That punch—
Wasn't even Superman's full power.
Even so, the force behind it was monstrous!
As Superman's fist struck Chen Ye's face, a violent shockwave exploded outward, sweeping up dust and sand in every direction.
The others instinctively raised their arms to shield themselves.
When the dust cleared, they looked toward the center and saw a scene that defied belief.
The bald man, having taken a direct punch from Superman, stood completely unscathed—right where he had been. He hadn't even moved a step.
He looked less like a human being and more like a towering mountain!
"Clark, did you skip breakfast before coming here?"
Chen Ye looked at Superman calmly. "Put some force into it. My shoulder's been sore lately. Give it a massage."
Such arrogant words—
Left everyone completely dumbfounded!
It was only now that they realized—someone this powerful had been hiding in their team all along?
At that moment—
The corrupted Superman appeared enraged by Chen Ye.
He raised his fist again and threw another punch at Chen Ye.
This time—
He used his full strength.
The punch howled through the air.
Chen Ye's heightened spiritual senses instantly detected danger.
He quickly raised both arms, crossing them in front of his face—
Boom!
Superman's fist collided with Chen Ye's arms, unleashing a blast like a missile explosion.
The ground around them was instantly ripped apart.
If Batman and the others had been any closer, the shockwave alone would have sent them flying and seriously injured them.
As for Chen Ye, he was forced back, sliding across the ground like a plow for more than ten meters, gouging deep lines into the asphalt.
It was clear that even Chen Ye's bio-force field couldn't completely absorb that punch.
But—
Chen Ye hadn't been knocked down, nor sent flying.
He lowered his arms, glanced at the reddened skin, and furrowed his brows slightly. Then, he locked eyes with the corrupted Superman.
"That punch was decent."
"I've let you have three moves. Now… it's my turn."
As the words fell—
Chen Ye finally attacked.
And the moment he moved, the entire world seemed to shift—
(To be continued)
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