After Christmas, the weather turned cold again. The previous warmth seemed like an illusion. Snow fell the night before last, and when the sun came out in the morning, it melted into water, which then froze into ice after the temperature plummeted. There were dozens of car accidents in Metropolis's city center in just one morning, with four or five insurance company cars arriving on the scene.
Clark was sitting in the President's Office, watching the tow trucks working below. He was a bit lost in thought, pondering the issues surrounding the hidden adversary.
He was already aware of Diana's arm injury. Since the symptoms were almost identical to Hal's, it must have been another act by that God of Death. His aim was to turn everyone into puppets of death, to invade the Multiverse under his manipulation.
Good thieves can evade capture for a thousand days, but there's no guarding against them for a thousand days. The hidden adversary was like this, scheming here and there, sometimes plotting, sometimes attacking by surprise. Sooner or later, they would all be infected by that terrifying Death Force. Clark couldn't imagine himself turning into a corpse, then being manipulated to attack his counterpart. He would never allow such a thing to happen.
So, he was contemplating how to thwart the hidden adversary's plot. This was, of course, not easy, but he had been President for just a few days, and the homeless in Metropolis had all been sheltered; no one would die this winter. This proved that where there's a will, there's a way.
Clark believed that to deal with the God of Death, he must first find the power that can restrain his strength. This Death Force was truly terrifying, capable of turning a person into a corpse in an instant, and even a demigod like Diana was powerless to resist. If they couldn't find a way to counteract it, they would surely be picked off one by one.
While Clark was thinking, Hal suddenly sent a message. Clark lowered his gaze, frowned, and then dialed Bruce, saying, "Is there anything unusual at my farm lately?"
"Unusual? No, nothing unusual," Bruce replied. "If someone were spying there, I'd tell you."
"Hal said my father might have been resurrected. I'm a little worried about this, too. There's no reason their relatives would be revived, and mine wouldn't."
"If he really is resurrected, what do you plan to do?"
"Of course, I'd monitor him; that's not my father." Clark expressed his aversion very clearly, stating, "If the God of Death invited him to be resurrected, my real father would decisively refuse."
"What if he's in Hell?"
"Then he would definitely refuse even more, thinking it must be the Temptation of the Devils," Clark said firmly. He knew that resurrection was an event that the public couldn't accept and that his return would surely trouble his closest loved ones. Moreover, everything comes with a price; there's no such thing as something for nothing. It's by holding onto this belief that the Kent family's farm could continue.
"Alright, but I haven't seen him resurrected. It's also possible he's gone elsewhere. However, his grave is in the town, and if he were resurrected, it would be easily noticed. In the current situation, he would be reported."
"Let me know as soon as you have news," Clark said. "Now, I need to speak with Hal and Diana about the Death Force."
After hanging up the phone, Clark went to the fast-food restaurant where Hal and Diana were. As soon as he entered, he saw the two of them sneaking fries in the kitchen. He tapped on the counter and said, "A large cheese burger combo, with extra ketchup."
The two turned their heads simultaneously, and upon seeing Clark, they both rolled their eyes, albeit subtly. Hal came over to take the order while Diana prepared the burger in the kitchen.
"Just one layer of cheese, Mr. President?"
"Yes, and no pepper, please."
"Alright, please wait a moment. Diana, make me a leg burger, whole wheat bun, skinless chicken leg, mild, no sauce, and no salt or pepper, but with a lethal amount of vegetables. Thank you!"
"What's this?" Clark remarked, "No sauce and the chicken leg skin removed? What kind of eating style is this?"
"I always strictly control my sodium intake," Hal said. "Chicken skin has too much fat, so I never eat it. Actually, I love chicken breast the most, but fast-food places don't serve it."
"You're crazy," Clark said, "No one strictly working out is mentally normal."
Diana quickly finished everything and brought it to a nearby table. This fast-food restaurant had very few customers because of its poor location, and there was currently no one else in the store. They sat at the customers' seating area and started digging in.
Hal took a bite of his burger and raised his eyebrows in slight surprise. Diana asked him, "What is it? Not to your taste?"
"No, you made it so perfectly; it's second only to the whole-wheat sandwich I make myself."
"Steve loved this too," Diana said, "Pilots have to control their diet. He used to train intensely, so he needed to maintain clean eating while ensuring adequate calories. I often made sandwiches for him."
Hal gave her a thumbs up. They continued chatting while eating fast food. Hal looked at Clark and asked, "Have you been back to your family farm?"
"No. But Bruce told me that my father never went back. I don't think he'd lie to me about this."
Hal nodded and said, "Indeed, there's no need. Maybe because you haven't joined the Justice League, they don't consider you a target?"
"How is that possible? He's the president now, the direct superior of the Justice League, the hope of the entire Human race. Taking him down would mean half the plan is successful," Diana shook her head and said.
"Then it means they're holding back for something big," Hal continued to analyze, "something that can defeat you in one strike."
"I won't let them succeed," Clark said, taking a bite of his burger, "I'm here today to figure out what kind of power could counter this Death Force."
"An interesting topic," Hal pondered and said, "Logically, Death corresponds to rebirth. We need to find a Life Force to counter the power of Death. But considering all the Batmans in the cosmos are searching and haven't found it, it's unlikely we will either."
"I don't think we need to completely counter it," Diana said, "Just something on the same level as this Death Force and with some counteracting effect would do. Anyway, my Divine Power doesn't work, it's far inferior to that Death Force, otherwise, my arm wouldn't be like this."
Clark reached out and grabbed her injured wrist. The condition of the arm was getting worse, the red death spots covered the upper arm, the muscles were starting to lose their vitality, and were a bit atrophic.
He then turned to look at Hal. Hal wasn't as bad, although his neck also showed some patches of death spots, the skin and muscle vitality remained quite good.
"Why is this?" Clark asked, puzzled, "You got injured earlier than Diana and had issues all over your body, but your symptoms are lighter."
At this point, Hal had finished his meal, he wiped his mouth vigorously with a napkin and said, "Sinestro told me the Green Lantern Power is a power of imagination. As long as you have enough imagination, anything can be achieved. As long as I feel within me that it's no big deal, there really won't be any big deal."
Clark widened his eyes slightly, then said, "That powerful? Isn't this the power that counters the Death Force?"
"In fact, the Green Lantern's Power hasn't completely healed me, and I'm quite surprised. Because it's a very advanced power, although it can't achieve instant recovery, as long as I always believe I'm fine, no illness can trouble me. Yet it still can't completely dispel this force. It shows it's at least on par with the Green Lantern Power."
"But you're the only one who can use it, right?" Clark asked.
"I can use the Green Lantern Power on you, but it would require me to stay with you every moment, and it consumes much more power than protecting myself. For now, my power is only enough to watch over one person. Since Diana is injured, staying by her side is the best choice."
Clark nodded. He knew Hal's choice was right. Diana was the second one injured, and her condition would be very valuable for reference. The fact proved that Divine Power couldn't contend with the Death Force.
Clark kept holding Diana's wrist, he held his breath and focused his attention. Magic energy began to flow from his body into Diana's. Diana was shocked to find that the muscles on her arm actually started to gradually recover.
But shortly after, Clark stopped and said, "Seems I've reached some kind of limit, it no longer has any effect."
Diana looked down at her arm. Actually, the effect was quite significant, recovered to be similar to Hal's, with only death spots, but the skin and muscles weren't affected. Diana moved her arm and shoulder a bit, finding no issues.
"Looks like Magic energy also has a certain relieving effect, that puts me at ease," Clark said, "Even if he attacks me, I have some defensive capability."
"That's right," Hal said, "I was completely unprepared at the time, and he took advantage of the opening. You are different, keep your guard up, and they definitely can't ambush you. Clark, you must be careful. If you fall, it would be disastrous for Earth and the Justice League."
Clark nodded solemnly, then said, "Aside from me, the other members of the Justice League also need to be careful. What are they all doing now?"
"Arthur is still exploring the Tomb of Atlas, Victor is helping Bruce with his work, Barry is running errands for them, and Ron is, of course, busy playing the Mars people, collecting information all over Mars."
Clark thought for a moment and ranked the members of the Justice League according to his understanding. He considered Barry and Ron the most important because both could help the Justice League with real-time communication, with one using Psychic Ability to send messages, and the other running physically.
In battle, communication is the most important. Once communication breaks down, it could be catastrophic for the front line. He pondered and said, "Do you think the Divine Speed can counter the Death Force?"
Diana and Hal exchanged glances, Diana thought and said, "Actually, I still don't know what Divine Speed is."
"Neither do I," Hal said, "It's such a profound concept, probably no one but Bruce can understand it. But precisely because of this, Bruce should protect Barry."
Clark nodded, then thought and said, "What about Ron, does he have any means of self-defense?"