Chapter 696: Cheetah Appears (1)
Reflections on the Underworld
Unable to withstand Barry's relentless questioning, Diana had no choice but to briefly recount her experiences in the Underworld: the vengeful spirits, the ferocious ghosts, the specters, the stitched-up monsters, the Dragons, the Death Gods, the tentacles, and so on.
Barry was stunned by the narrative, instinctively clasping his hands together at the critical moments, clearly very nervous.
Linda couldn't help but ask,
"You killed a Dragon?"
Diana answered matter-of-factly, "Clark delivered the fatal blow."
"Weren't you scared? That was a Dragon of the Underworld with the power of the Death Gods!"
Clark interjected, "We were certainly worried at the time, but we later found it wasn't as strong as we'd thought. Besides, it was chasing us; we were only acting in self-defense."
Barry suddenly clutched his chest, his face flushed.
"So, that meatball in the glass case is the Dragon's Heart? Oh my goodness, we actually have a legendary Dragon Heart!"
"Besides the Dragon Heart, there's a pile of artifacts," Diana said, looking at Linda. "Where are those things?"
Linda walked into the living room and carried in a box. Inside were the spoils the group had gathered in the Underworld: a highly poisonous dagger, a bracer, armor, a ring, and the Soul-Devouring Bow. In addition, there was a stack of super-magical metals that Luke had collected.
Looking at these items, Diana's gaze was slightly unfocused, and Clark's face was complex. If they could turn back time, they would rather give up all these things than travel to the Underworld.
"These six pieces of gear are all artifact-level. The bracer can withstand my Sword of Hephaestus, the armor has extremely high magical resistance, the purpose of the ring is currently unknown, and the remaining two..." Diana picked up the poisonous dagger. After a moment's thought, she placed it in front of Barry.
"The dagger is exceptionally sharp, and its blade possesses a toxin that even a God cannot withstand. Perhaps you might need it someday. Be careful not to hurt yourself."
Barry awkwardly waved his hands. "I... I'm not the right fit. I'm fine as I am."
Diana didn't insist, smiling instead. "It doesn't matter. Luke said this item will be placed in the base armory, and anyone can take it out anytime. As for the Soul-Devouring Bow..."
"The bow is imbued with a powerful Death Curse. Once used, you become entangled with death. The more you use it, the faster you die."
The air suddenly grew heavy. Linda hesitated.
"I remember you just said..."
"Yes, we all used it. J'onn, Clark, and I each used it twice. Luke used it more. We're all cursed. The consequences are still unclear."
"Is there a way to break the curse?"
Diana shrugged.
"That's a question you should ask Luke. That's his area of expertise."
"Right, how long were we gone?"
"Counting today, almost a month."
"That short! I thought ten years had passed."
Clark said with a wry smile, "I thought it was thirty years and worried that Lois might not still be alive when I got out."
The Chaotic Space had no concept of time. One minute there was infinitely stretched, feeling like a year.
Linda said solemnly, "You should go see Lois. She has been waiting for news of you."
Clark couldn't sit still. The suppressed emotions in his heart erupted like a volcano. He couldn't stop for a moment. He quickly got up and flew toward Metropolis.
Waiting on Luke
After watching him leave, Diana suddenly asked,
"What about J'onn? Is he awake yet?"
Barry shook his head. "His body is in great shape, but the strange thing is, we can't wake him up no matter what we do."
Diana gave an expression that said, I knew it.
"His injuries are trickier than ours. We can only wait for Luke. Only Luke can figure out how to wake him."
Over the next few days, Luke remained asleep, showing no sign of waking up. To help him recover faster, Linda summoned the Apostles scattered across the world to the base.
Thirteen souls simultaneously injected their soul power, but it had no effect.
After examining his body, Number One shook his head silently.
"This is something only the main body can resolve. We can't help, and he doesn't need our power."
Linda was confused. "What do you mean?"
Number Eight took over. "Although the main body is not conscious, his awareness is still present. He is rejecting us. We don't know why, but he certainly has his own plan."
"Then when will he wake up?"
"We don't know."
The Thirteen Apostles all shook their heads. No one could guess the main body's thoughts. Perhaps he was looking for a catalyst.
Barbara Minerva's Transformation
After confirming that Luke was out of immediate danger, Diana left the base and returned to her home in Washington. Looking at the familiar room, she felt a momentary illusion that she had returned from another life.
The month-long trip to the Underworld felt like a lifetime.
She checked her phone and found dozens of missed calls, most of them from Barbara.
It's nice to have a friend like that.
Diana smiled, dialed the number, and then placed the phone far away. Sure enough, as soon as the call connected, the sound of rapid chatter filled the room. Barbara Minerva was chirping non-stop like a cicada.
Only after Barbara stopped talking did Diana put the phone back to her ear.
"Are you free tonight? Want to grab dinner?"
On the other end of the phone, Barbara set down a folder and spoke in an unusually serious tone.
"Miss Prince, I'm informing you, as your best friend, to stay home and go nowhere."
With that, she hung up, sweeping out of the room under the admiring gaze of her male colleagues.
Diana smiled helplessly, turned off her phone, and began to clean. Before long, she heard a knock at the door. Opening it, she saw a stylish girl with a graceful figure and delicate features standing outside. Diana was stunned.
"You... you... who are you?"
Barbara crossed her arms, highlighting her unusually full curves.
"What? You haven't seen me for only a month and you don't recognize me?"
Her voice was full of displeasure, yet with a hint of undetectable pride. Diana examined her carefully, finally retrieving the image from her memory.
"Barbara?"
"Your... your change is too dramatic!"
The freckles on her face were gone. Her skin had changed from grayish-white to rosy pink. Her chubby cheeks were replaced by defined angles, and her figure was exaggerated. The old Barbara was a slightly plump, messy woman. The new one was a hot, sexy, vibrant, and incredibly beautiful young woman.
Her bust, waist, and hips—everything was perfectly sculpted. Any man who saw her would be unable to resist.
Barbara forcefully pulled Diana into a hug, crying and laughing at the same time.
"I was worried sick about you, Diana! It's been a month! I called you so many times, and you never answered! I thought something terrible had happened to you."
"Where did you go? Why didn't you return my calls for so long?"
"I had some business to take care of. But I'm back now, aren't I?"
Diana patted her friend's back, then tried to push her away. After trying twice without success, she sighed helplessly.
"Alright, let go of me! I can't breathe!"
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