Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics-Chapter 4411 - 3500: Research on Cats and Dogs (11)

But this was far from over.

By around four or five in the afternoon, the few people who hadn't eaten lunch began to feel hungry. They were discussing who should go get food.

"Same rules as always, Rock Paper Scissors," Clark said. "The winner decides what to eat, the loser goes to buy it."

Meanwhile, Superman shook his head. "The Justice League in this universe still seems too young. Never think you can beat Batman in a game of psychological warfare like Rock Paper Scissors."

But the outcome was unexpected. Bruce lost three times in a row and had no choice but to go fetch the food.

"I want pizza from that shop on Museum Street. The classic Naples style, add basil leaves, a goat cheese vegetable salad, and a cup of hot orange red wine. That's all," Diana said.

"I want seafood pizza. No squid tentacles, more tilapia and clams, double cheese. Plus an Orlean chicken wrap, no spicy sauce, a box of popcorn chicken, a cup of extra ice lemon soda, and half-shot syrup," Clark said.

Bruce nodded, repeating their orders, then looked at Batman and Superman.

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"The two of us just need a large pizza," Batman, glancing at his half-finished cola, nodded and said.

One might have expected Bruce to have his butler or secretary pick up the food, or at worst to drive over to get it himself. Instead, he didn't even head for the door but walked to the window and jumped out.

Superman was shocked, but before he could react, Bruce was already airborne, gliding like a nimble bird over the building toward the street beyond.

Superman turned back to look at Batman, scrutinizing him as if meeting him for the first time.

"I don't fly, Clark," Batman said to him. "I'm human. Humans don't fly."

But Superman's expression clearly said, "That's not entirely true."

Even Batman seemed curious about Bruce's flying ability. He remembered that the day they arrived, Bruce and Clark had descended from mid-air.

"Yes, ordinary people don't fly," Diana said. "We worked together to create a battlesuit for Bruce, fortified by Mount Olympus and infused with energy to give him the ability to fly."

Batman watched as Superman's eyes lit up beside him, looking as if he had discovered a new world. But this was one door better left unopened.

"How safe is it?" Batman asked.

"Pretty decent. It's been fine so far," Diana said. "Even if something happens, it's not a problem. He won't die from falling, and if he does, he'll revive quickly."

Before Batman could figure out what Diana meant, Clark looked up from his phone and said, "Hal just texted. His men stationed near Earth detected traces of unidentified flying objects' fuel residue on the Solar System's outskirts. Suspected invaders."

"Have they eaten?" Diana asked.

"Who? The invaders? They left in a rush—it doesn't look like they did."

"I meant Hal and Arthur. Should we call Bruce and ask him to bring two extra portions?"

"Good idea." Clark pulled out his phone to message Bruce, realized he hadn't responded, then made a call.

"Hey Bruce, are you at the shop yet? Add one spicy chicken pizza—extra chili, no black olives—and one meat-loaded pizza with extra cheese. Also, two iced drinks—to send to Hal and Arthur."

"Uh..."

"Oh, wait. I think that shop doesn't sell meat-loaded pizza. I mixed it up. Just get a meat-heavy pizza, whatever you think fits."

"Wait, Clark..."

"What? Have you already placed the order?"

"I mean... I've been kidnapped."

"What?" Clark spun around with the phone, startled. "You what?"

"Kidnapped. By another Superman. The one with really awful fashion sense. He took me to... I'm not really sure where this is. Somewhere near Metropolis, probably a mountain."

Superman heard the voice through the phone, immediately widening his eyes. Batman, who had also heard, glanced at him, and the two shared a tense look.

But Clark asked, "Did you get the pizza? Were you kidnapped along with it?"

"No, I hadn't flown to the shop yet. He suddenly appeared, rambled a bunch of nonsense, and then grabbed me."

Clark sighed in relief. "That's good. If you'd gotten the pizza, I'd have to save the pizza."

Clark then hung up and turned to Diana, saying, "Since you lost two rounds earlier, it's your turn to go get the pizza."

Diana rubbed her forehead, saying, "Spare me. I don't have a super brain—I can't even remember what you want. You go."

Clark reluctantly put down his phone and started heading for the window. Batman quickly stepped forward to block him. "Are you going to save Bruce? We'll go with you."

"No, I'm going to fetch pizza," Clark turned around, looking at him. "I don't care if we eat or not, but we can't let Hal and Arthur go hungry. They might be busy all night."

"What about Bruce? Not rescuing him?"

"We can, but it's not necessary," Diana remarked from where she was leaning against the wall. "Let him stay with that Evil Superman for a while. At least that otherworldly friend contributed something to this operation."

Batman and Superman exchanged glances. Superman clearly suspected that Clark wouldn't let Bruce be. So, when Clark flew off, Superman quietly followed him.

Clark landed at the pizza shop, ordered everything they wanted, then sat on a chair nearby playing with his phone, showing no sign of leaving.

Superman had no choice and began concentrating on listening to all the sounds in Metropolis, trying to locate Bruce amidst the chaos.

Bruce was tied up in a mountain bunker. Sitting on a chair, his arms were strapped to the backrests. Injustice Superman stood before him.

"You don't understand. You can't comprehend the kind of world we come from. That world is governed by me. I hold absolute authority."

"Then why not stay there as the petty Emperor you are? Why come here?"

Injustice Superman spun abruptly, staring at Bruce. "You're so young. When I was your age, I was just as naïve. I thought Superman and Batman would be lifelong partners."

"First of all, I'm not Batman."

"Even now? You're still pretending to be nothing but a clueless billionaire? Batman's sponsor?"

"What I mean is, I used to be Batman for a while, but that's long over."

Injustice Superman narrowed his eyes.

"Do you really think—if I were Batman—I'd waste time talking to you? Since when did any Batman have patience for you, idiot?"

Injustice Superman's gaze suddenly turned icy as he stared at Bruce. "It seems you haven't grasped the situation. Should I give this universe's Superman a harsh lesson?"

"If you really want to teach him a lesson, you should've waited until I got the pizza, kidnapped me along with it, and put squid tentacles on his pizza when he came to rescue it."

Injustice Superman seemed to catch onto something, staring into Bruce's blue eyes with an uncharacteristic curiosity, as if trying to see directly into his brain.

Yet that was impossible—even if he could, he wouldn't understand the cerebral folds where secrets lay hidden. Ordinary people often chalk up such differences to mental illness or personality flaws; Injustice Superman was no exception.

But thought processes have inertia, and he responded like a proper villain: "Do you think your Superman will come save you?"

"Do you hope he'll come to save me?" Bruce replied, staring back at Injustice Superman. "Are you afraid he'll come?"

"Why should I fear him? How could I fear a fool who possesses great power yet doesn't know how to wield it correctly?"

Bruce slowly shook his head. "Do you know why I call you a fool? Because, in my view, that's exactly what you are."

"But I've conquered the world. Now, from this moment on, nothing and no one can threaten me. Batman? Sooner or later, he'll become my defeated adversary."

"I think you know better than I do. There's no 'sooner or later.'"

"What?"

"If you've truly decided to beat him, destroy him, kill him—you'd have done it already. The fact that he's alive proves you haven't wanted to."

"But that's Batman! He's developed countless contingency plans against me, including using Kryptonite to restrain my powers—I have to be absolutely prepared..."

"Is defeating him harder than conquering the world?"

Injustice Superman hesitated. "No one can deny that."

"When will you act?" Bruce asked again. "After your universe's crisis finishes? After everyone sides with you? After you resolve the Kryptonite issue? After he shows weakness?"

"Yes. All these problems must be resolved."

"Then go resolve them. What are you doing here?"

Injustice Superman said nothing. Bruce remarked, "Coming here doesn't help with any of that. Bringing him into a new universe is like putting a fish back into the ocean. The original universe can no longer confine him, and all those problems will only get worse."

"We need to deal with Brainiac."

"Him or Brainiac—choose?"

"It's not a choice! I'll eliminate them both!" Injustice Superman raised his voice.

"Then go eliminate them—why kidnap me?"

Injustice Superman fell silent again.

"Oh, I see now," Bruce suddenly said. "You're here for my interpreting skills, huh? Well then, spill. What did your universe's Batman try to express to you? What did he do that you couldn't understand?"

Batman and Superman's eyes are usually blue like the sky or sea. Injustice Superman's eyes are a much paler shade, almost white, more like polar icebergs and storms.

During encounters with any opponent, these eyes almost never lose dominance—but this encounter felt different. Bruce's young blue eyes seemed like rain capable of dragging the world back in time.

"During our last meeting, he managed to find our Justice League conference table. It had a crack left from... a long time ago. I asked him why he kept it. He said he'd forgotten."

"And you believed him?"

Injustice Superman was momentarily silenced.

"He said he wanted to stop you—you believed it. He said he'd given up on you—you believed that too. He said he forgot why he kept the cracked table—you bought it again. You trust him so much, why not take him to church?"

"Enough!"