The soft orange glow of the setting sun spilled through the windows of Tony Stark's uptown villa, casting long, warm shadows across the polished floors. Lin Feng sat beside Susan on the velvet sofa, his arm wrapped gently around her shoulders. She leaned into him instinctively, her head nestled against his chest, savoring the quiet moment of peace between them.
But peace, as always, was fleeting.
Lin Feng exhaled slowly, eyes distant. A storm was coming—one not of this world. He had been summoned for a task that would take him far beyond the bounds of Earth… or at least the version of Earth they knew.
He turned slightly, brushing a strand of hair from Susan's cheek. "Susan," he said softly, "I might have to leave for a while."
Susan blinked and sat up slightly, concern already flickering in her eyes. "How long?"
"Ten days. Maybe a bit longer, but no more than half a month."
Her brows knitted with confusion. "Where are you going?"
There was a note of worry beneath her calm voice, and Lin Feng felt a pang of guilt. He wasn't used to explaining himself—not like this. But things had changed.
He was no longer alone.
"Oh, baby," Lin said with a small, reassuring smile. "You know I'm… well, I'm Superman now. There are things out there that only I can take care of."
He tried to keep his tone light, but she saw through it. Her fingers tightened around his hand.
"It's nothing dangerous," he added quickly, patting his chest with mock bravado. "Come on, what in the world could actually threaten me?"
Despite herself, Susan chuckled softly, her fingers brushing against the firm wall of his chest. "Still… I don't like you going off alone. Can you stay in touch?"
"That's the tricky part," Lin admitted. From his coat pocket, he pulled out a sleek metal card etched with Tony Stark's contact information. "If anything happens, or you need anything at all, call this number. Tony promised to keep an eye on you while I'm gone. You can trust him."
Susan took the card, her lips tightening. "So it's really that serious…"
Lin placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Hey. Don't overthink it. It's just something I need to handle, and I'll be back before you know it. I'll even bring you a present."
Susan tried to smile, but worry still lingered in her eyes. "Just… be careful, okay? You might be Superman, but even you can't fight the whole universe."
He nodded with a soft smile. "That's why I'm counting on you to hold down the fort."
The clock ticked louder in his mind. His time was nearly up.
Lin stood, his form already beginning to glow with solar energy. He stepped outside into the villa's private garden, the air crackling around him. The Superman suit shimmered in the fading light—sleek, black with a silver emblem glowing on his chest.
Turning back to her one last time, he called out, "Remember—anything happens, go straight to Iron Man. Don't be polite—he owes me."
Before she could reply, Lin leaned down, pressed one last kiss to her forehead, and then launched into the sky with a thunderous sonic boom.
Boom!
He was gone—soaring into the heavens, a streak of black and silver vanishing into the clouds.
Susan stood frozen at the door, her heart heavy. Lin's words echoed in her ears, but she knew better than to believe him entirely. He had told her not to worry, but Superman—her Superman—was flying into a situation that even he couldn't fully explain.
She clutched the small silver pendant he'd once given her, holding it close to her chest as she whispered a silent wish to the sky.
Stay safe, Lin…
---
Meanwhile, High Above the Earth
Lin Feng pierced the stratosphere, rocketing toward space at breakneck speed. The stars stretched around him like glittering whispers of other worlds.
The system's voice chimed in his mind with a grumble. "You know, you didn't need to fly so high. The portal works just fine from ground level."
Lin snorted. "What do you know, you dog system? Susan was watching—I didn't want her to see the portal. The less she knows, the better. It's safer for her."
The system sighed. "You hopeless romantic…"
"Spoken like a single AI," Lin replied with a smirk. "Now send me in."
A deep hum rippled through space, and a swirling portal of crimson energy tore open before him. The gateway shimmered, connecting two worlds, two realities—the Marvel Universe and the DC Universe.
Lin took a deep breath.
Then he stepped through.
---
Elsewhere—DC Universe: Metropolis Airspace
Lin emerged from the portal high above a crumbling skyline. The sun burned overhead, but the city below looked war-torn and bruised. Smoke curled into the air from distant fires. Something was wrong.
The system's voice returned. "Mission begins. Countdown: 10 days. Objective: Stabilize the DC Universe timeline. Prevent complete collapse."
The portal sealed behind him with a hiss.
No time to waste.
Lin Feng closed his eyes and activated his super hearing. A tidal wave of sound slammed into his senses—millions of voices, heartbeats, machines, and whispers all across the continent. He filtered through them rapidly, locking on to a familiar name.
"Found them…"
He heard Diana's voice—low, urgent. Victor Stone's mechanical modulation. And behind them, a slow, labored breathing…
Bruce Wayne.
With a thunderclap, Lin shot forward.
---
Gotham City – Private Medical Facility
In a quiet, dimly-lit hospital room, four figures gathered in silence.
Bruce Wayne lay unconscious on the bed, his chest heavily bandaged, the damage from Superman's heat vision still visible beneath the gauze. His once-unbreakable frame looked small and fragile beneath the sterile lights.
Diana sat at his bedside, her brow furrowed. Arthur Curry—Aquaman—stood by the door, silent and tense, his trident leaning against the wall. Victor Stone adjusted the cybernetic components on his shoulder, trying to repair the damage sustained in their last battle.
Alfred Pennyworth, the faithful butler, stood closest to Bruce, quietly placing a warm cloth across his forehead. His old eyes shimmered with grief.
"I've watched Master Bruce rise after every fall," Alfred murmured, voice cracking. "But this… this may be the last time he gets back up."
No one spoke.
The food Alfred had brought sat untouched. In the face of a world on the edge of destruction, hunger felt irrelevant.
"It's my fault," Diana said softly.
Victor turned. "No, it's not. You saved him from the killing blow."
"If I'd moved sooner, he wouldn't be lying here now," she said, her voice trembling.
"There's no time for regrets," Arthur interrupted. "Clark is still out there. Worse—he's not himself anymore."
Everyone flinched at the mention of Superman.
Black suit. Red glowing eyes. A corrupted soul, no longer the symbol of hope but an instrument of destruction.
Alfred stepped forward. "Master Clark is being controlled. His movements were unnatural. His eyes… his rage…"
"I suspect dark magic—possibly from Steppenwolf."
Victor's red eye gleamed. "We're not ready to face Steppenwolf, let alone Superman."
Alfred opened a small silver case, revealing several jagged green crystals—Kryptonite.
"If we want to stop him, this is our best chance."
No one reached for the crystals. No one wanted to.
Alfred continued, voice firm. "We find Steppenwolf, sever his control, and maybe… just maybe… we save Superman."
"But Steppenwolf won't appear until the last Mother Box is activated," Diana said grimly. "And the last box is with Barry."
"And Clark's looking for him," Arthur added. "If he finds Barry, it's over."
A dark silence fell over the room again.
Then, a thunderous boom echoed outside the facility.
Victor's sensors lit up. "What was that?"
Diana stood abruptly. "Something's coming."
---
Outside the Hospital
Lin Feng landed in a controlled burst of energy, cape billowing in the wind.
He looked toward the building and felt the weight of a universe on his shoulders.
"I made it," he whispered, staring at the fractured skyline.
The war for this world had already begun.
And he was now a part of it.