Inside Arkham Asylum in Gotham City, the tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. Barbara's voice broke the uneasy silence as she glanced at the dashboard clock. "It's been half an hour!" she called out anxiously, her fingers drumming on the steering wheel. The waiting had clearly worn on her nerves, and her patience was running thin.
Catwoman, standing beside the vehicle, remained outwardly calm but no less alert. Her sharp eyes scanned the dark structure ahead while she reminded Barbara of the plan. "Once we go inside, stay behind me and don't wander off," she said firmly. "That's exactly what I told you before."
Barbara nodded quickly. "I know, I know. That's what you said earlier." Without wasting another second, she started the engine and drove straight toward the massive iron gates of Arkham Asylum.
Inside, the abandoned asylum felt colder and more oppressive than usual. The two women moved carefully through the building, eliminating every zombie they encountered. Their movements were efficient and practiced, and the silence that followed each skirmish only deepened the eerie atmosphere.
By the time they finished clearing the building, every hallway and room had been searched. Yet despite their thorough sweep, there was still no trace of the person they had come looking for.
Eventually they made their way up to the fourth floor, the same location where Casillas had died earlier.
Barbara crouched near the scene, examining the floor and the surrounding walls like a trained investigator. Growing up as Commissioner Gordon's daughter meant she had been exposed to crime-scene analysis from a very young age. Even now, those lessons guided her instincts as she studied the clues left behind.
"It looks like he disappeared after killing the zombies here," Barbara said thoughtfully while tracing a scuff mark on the ground. "But where could he possibly have gone?"
Catwoman didn't answer right away. Something about the situation bothered her deeply, and she could feel that something didn't add up. The two of them had stayed outside the entire time, watching the exits. If Li had left the building normally, they would have seen him.
Yet somehow he had vanished completely.
While the two of them were analyzing the strange situation upstairs, a sudden flash of golden light appeared on the ground floor.
A circular portal materialized in the empty hall, glowing softly for a moment before stabilizing. A figure stepped through it from the other side.
It was Li.
As soon as he walked out of the portal and saw the Batmobile parked in front of Arkham Asylum, his expression changed.
"Oh no," he muttered to himself.
"I completely forgot about those two."
Exhaling slowly, Li activated the thrusters on his Black Dragon mech armor and flew upward. Moments later he reached the fourth-floor window and peered inside.
Seeing that Catwoman and Barbara were both safe, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. At the same time, irritation crept into his voice.
"Didn't I tell you to wait for me outside and leave if I didn't come back?" he said.
His sudden appearance shocked both women. Barbara looked relieved, but Catwoman's expression immediately hardened.
"We were worried about you," Catwoman replied coldly. "Apparently that was a mistake."
Her tone turned sharp as she continued. "Barbara, whether this guy lives or dies has nothing to do with us. Let's go."
Before Barbara could respond, Catwoman leapt out the window in one smooth motion. She landed gracefully on a ledge, bounced off a wall, and after a few agile maneuvers reached the Batmobile within seconds.
Li blinked in confusion. Why was she angry? He hadn't said anything particularly offensive.
Barbara sighed and shook her head. "Li, now I finally understand why Catwoman gets irritated with you."
Then she tilted her head curiously. "But I'm still wondering… where exactly did you go just now?"
Li hesitated briefly before answering. "That's a secret."
Barbara stared at him in disbelief.
"Anyway," Li continued casually, "you two should head back first. We'll meet at the Batcave."
After saying that, he turned and shot into the sky.
"Li!" Barbara shouted in frustration.
But by the time she looked up again, he had already disappeared into the distance.
She stomped her foot in annoyance. "That guy has absolutely no sense of romance."
Later, back at the Batman Hotel, Catwoman resumed her usual aloof demeanor and completely ignored Li's presence. Barbara, on the other hand, kept pestering him with questions about what had happened inside Arkham Asylum.
Li deliberately avoided mentioning that he had acquired Casillas's magical abilities. Instead, he explained the rest of the encounter in detail.
When Barbara heard that Casillas had been a magician, her eyes widened in shock.
"My god… so magicians actually exist in this world?" she exclaimed. "I always thought that stuff was just fake TV nonsense."
A magician—especially a zombie magician—was definitely something worth talking about.
Li shrugged modestly. "If he hadn't already turned into a zombie, his magic probably would've been far stronger. In that case, I doubt I could've defeated him so easily."
Catwoman, who had been listening from the side, scoffed.
"What's so impressive about that?" she said dismissively. "There are magicians in this world. I personally know two."
Barbara immediately perked up. "Selena, you actually know magicians?"
"Of course," Catwoman replied. "One of them is a legitimate academy-trained magician named Zatanna. She's incredibly talented."
Barbara interrupted eagerly before she could continue. "Wait… did you say academy? Are there actually schools that teach magic?"
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
Catwoman sighed. "Naturally. Otherwise where would magicians learn their craft?"
Then she added bluntly, "But don't get your hopes up. If you had any magical talent, the magic academies would have found you a long time ago. The fact that they haven't means you're like me—no magical talent at all."
Barbara's enthusiasm deflated immediately.
Still, she hesitated before asking, "Selena… could you introduce me to Zatanna sometime?"
Catwoman looked slightly awkward. "I'm afraid that won't work."
She crossed her arms thoughtfully. "Zatanna hasn't contacted me in a long time. Honestly, I think she might be dealing with the same kind of trouble we are and can't get away."
After a pause, she added, "If she comes to Gotham again, I'll introduce you."
Barbara nodded reluctantly. "Alright."
Then she brightened again. "Selena, what about the other magician you mentioned?"
Catwoman deliberately glanced at Li before answering.
"The other guy is a complete jerk," she said with a snort. "I don't even want to say his name."
Barbara leaned forward expectantly.
"All you need to know is that his name is Constantine," Catwoman continued. "Even demons find that guy troublesome."
Barbara opened her mouth to ask another question.
But Catwoman immediately cut her off.
"No," she said firmly. "Barbara, weren't you listening? Constantine is a total bastard. Knowing him won't bring you anything good."
She added with emphasis, "Even if he shows up in Gotham someday, you should stay as far away from him as possible."
Barbara sighed in disappointment. "Okay… I understand."
While listening to the conversation, Li couldn't help wondering whether Zatanna and Constantine were still alive.
Zatanna surviving seemed unlikely.
Constantine, on the other hand, probably was.
After all, people like him had a habit of surviving anything.
The conversation about magicians gradually faded away, and Barbara soon shifted her attention to something else entirely.
After learning that Li had once impersonated Batman, the self-proclaimed apprentice of the Dark Knight immediately challenged him to a sparring match.
Li accepted without hesitation.
The two fought for nearly an hour until Barbara collapsed from exhaustion, barely able to stand.
Early the next morning, Bruce Wayne approached Li with important news.
"It's time," Bruce said calmly. "We can leave now."
For their trip to New York, Bruce personally piloted the Batplane. He also brought along his heavy combat armor—the same equipment he had once used in his battle against Superman.
During the flight, Bruce and Li discussed recent developments.
Bruce had already heard about the incident with Casillas. While Li's actions had effectively eliminated the threat, Bruce still intended to investigate further.
A sorcerer suddenly appearing in Gotham was too unusual to ignore. If something like that happened once, it could easily happen again.
New York.
Lex Luthor and his team had already infiltrated the city and were quietly maintaining contact with both Coulson and General Zod.
It was unclear whether Zod had been injured during his previous battle with Superman or affected by some kind of magic, but he hadn't appeared in New York for two days.
As soon as Li and Bruce arrived, they secretly met with Coulson and Lex Luthor.
"Batman," Lex Luthor said warmly, extending a hand. "I've heard about you for a long time. It's a pleasure to finally meet."
After all, Batman was famous for defeating Superman once before. Naturally, Lex was curious to see how he would perform this time.
Coulson introduced himself next.
"My name is Coulson. I'm the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D.," he said with a polite smile. "By the way, you've heard of the Avengers, right? Would you be interested in learning more about it?"
He clearly hadn't given up his old habit of recruiting people.
Bruce shook his head politely. "Sorry. Leaving Gotham this time is already an exception. My focus will remain there."
Coulson looked slightly disappointed but quickly changed the subject.
"Alright. Let's talk about the battle plan."
Lex leaned forward. "The question is simple. Do we deal with Superman first, or General Zod?"
Coulson answered immediately.
"General Zod, of course."
He folded his arms and explained, "Superman is already a zombie and completely uncontrollable. Zod is different. Lex can lure him into a trap."
Li and Bruce exchanged a quiet glance.
It was obvious that Coulson and Lex had already discussed this plan beforehand.
Bruce eventually spoke. "Last time, General Zod and Superman appeared together. What if that happens again?"
The room fell silent for a moment.
Although the chances were low, it was still a possibility that had to be considered.
The meeting lasted five full hours.
Every possible scenario was discussed, and every detail was carefully planned. In the end, everyone agreed on a strategy.
The battlefield would be near the Statue of Liberty.
It was close to the ocean, wide open, and far from populated areas—ideal for minimizing casualties.
S.H.I.E.L.D. would mainly handle logistics and equipment support.
One example was the antitoxin fog grenade designed to deal with Superman. S.H.I.E.L.D. had rushed to create an extremely powerful version.
Coulson even considered mass-producing the grenades to wipe out all zombies in New York.
But the idea had a major flaw.
The fog would spread uncontrollably through the air, killing every zombie in the city—including infected superheroes.
Since Coulson still hoped to find a way to revive them someday, he ultimately abandoned the large-scale deployment plan.
The actual combat team consisted of Li, Bruce Wayne, and Lex Luthor.
They jokingly referred to themselves as the "cannon-fodder trio."
Once everything was ready, Lex Luthor contacted General Zod and lured him to New York.
Soon after, Coulson's voice came through the communicator.
"Everyone, get ready. Our radar has detected an unidentified flying object approaching at high speed."
"Based on the speed, it's likely General Zod."
Lex stood beneath the Statue of Liberty and looked up at the sky.
"Stay calm," he said. "Follow my signals."
A moment later, Coulson spoke again—this time sounding nervous.
"Wait… another unidentified flying object is approaching rapidly!"
Li frowned. "Another one?"
"Coulson, what exactly is happening?"
Coulson replied quickly. "According to the data, one target is General Zod. The other… appears to be Superman."
Bruce's voice turned serious. "So our worst-case scenario just happened."
Two sonic booms erupted in the sky.
A figure descended and hovered in front of Lex Luthor.
"General," Lex said respectfully with a bow.
Zod ignored him and instead looked upward.
Another sonic boom split the sky.
A streak of light shot past the Statue of Liberty like a meteor.
It was Superman.
But he didn't stop.
He simply flew past New York and disappeared into the distance.
For Li and the others, that was pure luck.
Zod didn't pursue him either. Their last battle had ended in a stalemate, and he had no interest in wasting time on it again.
Instead, he turned his attention back to Lex Luthor.
In an instant, Zod appeared in front of him and punched him away.
Lex's powered armor shattered instantly under the immense force, scattering across the ground.
Before Lex could react, Zod grabbed him by the throat and lifted him a hundred meters into the air.
"General… why?" Lex gasped.
Zod sneered.
"Why?" he repeated coldly. "Luthor, what do you think happens when someone betrays me?"
He hurled Lex down toward the ground.
The impact left Lex sprawled on the pavement like a bloody rag.
Zod hovered in the air and let out a chilling laugh.
"Batman… and that tin man Li," he shouted.
"You planned to lure me here and kill me, didn't you?"
"Come out."
"Let me see what you're made of."
As he spoke, heat vision burst from his eyes and began blasting the ground.
Coulson's shocked voice crackled through the communicator.
"How did he know?"
"Did someone betray us?"
But there was no time to investigate.
If Zod stayed in the air, most of their traps would be useless.
"Bat," Li said through the comms. "I'll lure him down."
Before anyone could stop him, Li blasted into the sky.
His mech's missile pods opened, launching a volley of small Sidewinder missiles toward General Zod.
A chain of explosions erupted in the air.
For a moment, Zod's figure vanished inside the raging fireball.
....
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