Earth, Metropolis.
Though the sunlight shone once more, the oppressive feeling permeating the air hadn't dissipated in the slightest.
The final countdown to Darkseid's arrival had begun.
They all knew: twenty-four hours.
This was the final countdown left for Earth.
The heroes of the Justice League had no time to celebrate the newly regained sunlight and water; they immediately threw themselves into intense preparations for war.
Although Darkseid might have been lured away by Homelander, his Apokolips Legion wouldn't necessarily stop their invasion.
"Sector Five! Raise the elevation of those Plasma Cannons another fifteen degrees! Green Lantern says the hyperspace exit is right above Metropolis!" Bruce barked into the communicator. "Cyborg! Is the energy circuit for the protective field connected yet?"
"Five more minutes, Batman!"
"Barry," Bruce turned to The Flash. "You're the fastest. Go notify the Resistance leaders everywhere to immediately organize their elite forces and gather in Metropolis. Ordinary civilians are to stay in the underground air-raid shelters; do not come out."
"Leave it to me!" Barry Allen's expression was solemn as blue electrical arcs erupted around him.
Queen Mera arrived at the bay harbor of Metropolis, her trident held high as she activated her magic.
At her call, seawater flooded into the city's waterways and sewers, forming networks of aqueous defensive lines that would turn into lethal weapons once the Apokolips Legion appeared.
Amazon General Philippus led hundreds of Amazon warriors, lining up at the very front of the square. They held their swords and shields high, longbows on their backs, their eyes burning with a resolve to fight to the death.
Deathstroke Slade bit down on a cigar, leisurely wiping his longsword while looking up at the sky with a cold sneer.
Green Lantern fired a Green Lantern symbol into the sky that pierced the atmosphere; it was a signal amplifier for the Universe, as he attempted to summon the surviving Green Lantern Corps to provide support.
Under Batman's command, the entire Earth Human Federation operated like a precision War Machine, running at high speed.
However, amidst this tense atmosphere of preparation, one person was doing something completely unrelated to the war.
Harley Quinn.
Once the Crime Queen of Gotham and now the designated First Lady of the Human Federation, she was currently waving a baseball bat in one hand and holding a megaphone in the other, shouting and carrying on in the square.
"Hey! You! Yes, you! Lower that bunch of white roses a bit! You're blocking the camera behind you!"
"Hurry up! Move faster! You bunch of slow-moving turtles!"
"And you idiots! Flatten that red carpet over there! Can't you see that corner is curled up?!"
Under her direction, a group of bewildered Resistance soldiers were miserably hauling flowers, ribbons, and red carpets salvaged from the ruins.
One second they were writing suicide notes for the upcoming doomsday battle, and the next they were conscripted by this crazy woman, forced to set up some damn wedding venue.
Pink balloons were hung on broken lampposts.
Countless flowers scavenged from everywhere were forcibly pieced together into a giant heart-shaped archway.
Dozens of high-definition cameras and drones repaired by Cyborg were placed in various corners of the square, their red indicator lights blinking, already connected to the global simultaneous live broadcast network.
All these cameras were in a state of real-time broadcasting.
On screens worldwide that had just regained signal, half showed the tense mobilization of various national armies, while the other half displayed the absurd scene of Harley Quinn setting up a wedding venue amidst the ruins.
She knew Homelander liked grand spectacles and being the center of attention.
Coincidentally, as the former Crime Queen of Gotham who loved showing off most, she liked it too.
She wanted to broadcast the entire wedding process of herself and Homelander live to the whole World.
She wanted the people of the World to witness with their own eyes how she, wearing a wedding dress, would marry the most powerful man in the World.
"Oh my god, when he comes back and sees all this, he'll definitely praise me for doing a beautiful job."
Harley cupped her cheeks with both hands, her eyes full of stars, imagining Homelander returning in triumph from Apokolips, bathed in the glow of victory, landing on this red carpet. He would see everything she had meticulously arranged, then gently pat her head and praise her: 'Well done, my Little Pumpkin.'
"Hehehe..."
"Alright! You bunch of guys moving as slow as sloths, keep working! I'm going to change my clothes!"
Harley put down the bat, picked up the wedding dress Homelander had given her, and ran into the building closest to the square.
She found a relatively clean room and closed the door.
"Wow..."
Harley carefully unfolded the pure white haute couture wedding dress and couldn't help but let out a gasp of admiration.
"So beautiful... my Mr. Milk Candy's taste is really good."
Just as she was about to take off her dirty clothes and put on the wedding dress...
Clatter.
Something slid out from the lining of the wedding dress and dropped onto the floor.
Harley looked down.
It was a wooden mask, dark green all over, with a woody texture on the surface. Its shape was peculiar and its features exaggerated, looking like an ancient totem.
"What's this?"
Curiously, Harley picked up the mask and turned it over in her hands.
"Could this be a wedding gift Mr. Milk Candy prepared for me?"
Harley's train of thought had always been different from normal people's; looking at this green mask, instead of finding it eerie, she burst out laughing.
"Haha, so interesting! Having the bride wear a green wooden mask to the wedding? Great! The perfect match!"
Without thinking much, she quickly stripped off her dirty clothes and carefully put on the magnificent pure white wedding dress.
The fit was perfect, as if it were custom-made.
The intricate lace, sparkling diamonds, and long train made her look like a real princess.
Finally, she picked up the green mask.
So as not to ruin her newly styled hair, she didn't put the mask directly on her face. Instead, she found a thin string, threaded it through the holes on both sides of the mask, and tied it to the top of her head like a hair accessory.
"Perfect."
Harley looked at herself in a piece of cracked glass, very satisfied with her current look.
By the time she stepped out of the building humming a song while carrying her long train, evening had arrived.
The Sun had already dropped below the horizon, and countless spotlights lit up Metropolis.
The wedding venue in the square was mostly set up, with the red indicator lights of dozens of cameras blinking, already connected to the global broadcast network.
"Everyone, stop what you're doing! See if this princess is beautiful!"
Standing on the building's steps, Harley loudly showed off to the people in the square.
However, no one was looking at her.
Everyone's gaze was fixed tensely on the sky.
A green rift was torn into the dim sky by an unknown force.