Seeing the large group of children start crying and making noise again, Superman handed the locator back to Viktor.
"Before the old world disappeared completely, I managed to bring out quite a few small things."
Superman pulled out something that looked like a snow globe from who knows where.
"There's a tiny city inside. I'll take them with me. There are also some of my people in there, and they'll help look after these children."
"You really did bring out a lot of stuff."
After spending several years with Tom, Viktor had grown very familiar with his personality.
He gave him a cold stare and muttered dryly.
The sound of elegant high heels clicked into the room.
Viktor turned his head and saw Lois who frequently appeared during prime-time television, walk out.
This Lois was clearly older than the one from Viktor's world, but she looked no different apart from a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes.
Lois gave him a warm greeting.
Superman pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the forehead.
"My dear, I've found a place where we can stay."
"How are the two of you getting out of here?"
Viktor asked in a mild tone.
Superman smiled at him slightly and didn't answer.
'Fair enough. This guy had more than just a few mysterious secrets.'
Viktor rolled his shoulders, walked out of the room, and headed toward Reverse-Flash, who still knew nothing of what had happened and stood frozen.
The sound of crying behind him cut off abruptly. Reverse-Flash's fingers began slowly moving against his chin again.
"We need to move quickly. . I think I might need your help modifying this Speed Force extractor."
Reverse-Flash spoke while turning around, and froze the moment he laid eyes on him.
"You..."
"What about me?"
"Your presence feels a lot... softer somehow."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Viktor looked down at the colorful buttons on the control panel and suddenly drove his fist into one of them.
The deep, heavy humming sound gradually fell silent.
Reverse-Flash had no time to be shocked and quickly rushed over to catch the Flash, who was almost thrown out.
He turned around, and Viktor was somehow already standing right beside him, casually taking the Flash from his arms, and with a click, the locator was fastened onto the Flash's wrist.
"I assume you wouldn't enjoy holding your arch-nemesis for too long?"
But Reverse-Flash ignored Viktor's words.
Instead, he was staring at the shutter door with a strange expression. The one that had just moments ago been filled with the sound of children crying.
The next instant, the world-ending white light that had been surging and expanding finally swallowed the underground safehouse whole.
A portal opened.
Viktor stepped through with the Flash in his arms and was immediately met with a wave of enthusiastic applause.
A streak of red lightning flashed past him and shot straight out of the Batcave.
Reverse-Flash was clearly not comfortable being surrounded by a crowd of superheroes.
Viktor looked up and realized there were now quite a few more people in the Batcave.
There were so many that it almost felt like they could throw a party.
A strange middle-aged man he had never met wore a red half-bodysuit and sunglasses, stretched his neck out through the crowd all the way to Viktor's face.
Plastic Man first looked down at the unconscious Flash with sympathy.
"You poor sweetheart to have suffered such cruel treatment."
Then Plastic Man looked at Viktor's empty expression.
"Oh! Sorry if that's a bit rude, but the name's Patrick, also known as Plastic Man. I've heard all about you. You really turned over a new leaf and became a little hero~."
As he spoke, Plastic Man twisted his sunglasses, which warped along with his body into two heart shapes.
Viktortilted his head slightly, walked around this strange guy, and handed the Flash over to Cyborg.
"There's still a mind-control device attached to his head. Removing it might take a little work."
Cyborg nodded, thought for a moment, and gave him a stiff smile.
"Leave it to me."
Viktor said nothing more and looked over toward Rachel, who was standing in a dark corner.
The people around him kept moving past one after another, with all of them deeply concerned about the Flash.
The quieter ones simply patted him on the shoulder.
Green Arrow couldn't squeeze through the circle of superhumans that had formed around the Flash, and could only give Viktor a helpless smile.
"I have a feeling the payment for this particular job is going to be difficult to measure in money."
"No need. I still haven't even managed to spend all the money from last time."
He originally wanted to quickly go over to Rachel, but he suddenly realized that something was off with the people present.
At least four people who should have been there were missing, while Wonder Woman and Aquaman, who should not have been there, were actually in the Batcave now.
After catching Rachel's glance, Viktor reached into the crowd and pulled Aquaman out instead.
"Hey, hey, hey?!"
Aquaman stumbled out of the crowd, shook Viktor's hand off with displeasure, and rubbed his wrist.
"I'm here solely as a king now, could you show a little more respect to the ruler of a nation... and since when is your grip this strong?"
"You formally resigned from the Justice League and even put out an official press statement about it, didn't you?"
Viktor looked at Aquaman with some surprise.
"And you have the nerve to come into the Batcave? You're not worried about going home with pounds of tracking devices?"
Aquaman glanced around quickly, then threw a thick arm around Viktor's shoulders and steered him a few steps away from the crowd.
The two of them stood head to head.
"I joined the Justice League before I became King of Atlantis. This resignation was something I owed to my people, and besides, coming surface this time was officially to visit the Flash."
Then Aquaman released him and let out a somewhat troubled sigh.
"And no matter how angry I personally was. It should be behind us now. Nightwing came and apologized to each of us on Batman's behalf."
He blinked, and the empty eyes finally showed a flicker of life.
"Why would Batman have Nightwing deliver an apology for him? As long as he's breathing, there's no way he'd let Nightwing do something like— oh. Oh my god. No way."
Just as Viktor was about to say something rather offensive with great enthusiasm, Oracle, unable to squeeze into the crowd, rolled her wheelchair over to him.
"Batman is in a coma."
Oracle then narrowed her eyes and watched Viktor's visible excitement drain away.
"You don't have to make your disappointment quite so obvious."
Viktor raised his right fist and held it up in front of Oracle.
"Don't think you can slander me without any evidence just because you're in that chair."
Then Viktor frowned slightly.
"When did this happen? How did he end up in a coma?"
"When you crushed your mask. By the way, why didn't Martha want to come back with you? Also, did you end up running into Mr. Thomas?"
Viktor had a rough idea of what had caused Batman to lose consciousness.
He also thought of that woman who had briefly returned to herself before being swallowed back by madness.
He shook his head with a sigh.
"They really were a tragic couple, but I didn't meet Mr. Thomas at the very end. He probably got killed early by that world's Lex Luthor."
He glanced back at Wonder Woman, who had just stepped away from the group, and gave her a polite nod.
"I won't stick around any longer, Ms. Prince."
She looked back at him with relief and gratitude in her eyes.
"Thank you for everything you did."
Viktor finally made his way through the crowd and walked over to Rachel.
Before he could say a word, Rachel leaned in toward his chest, her nose tip gently trembling.
"Why has your scent come back? Did something happen to you again?"
Then Rachel suddenly stretched out both arms and tightly hugged one of Viktor's arms.
"Let's go home and rest properly for a day."
He opened his mouth and then looked at Rachel with the softest smile.
"The house still isn't being built, but I do feel like I've picked up quite a bit about how to build one."
...
600 POWER STONES = 1 BONUS CHAPTER
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