"What is this?!" The sudden scene shocked Xian Zheng, who was already stunned by Reid's grand vision for the future.
Around them, the atmosphere grew tense as fully armed guards raised their weapons, aiming at the glowing spheres floating in the sky. Some even shifted their aim toward Reid. All they needed was an order through their earpieces, and they would fire without hesitation.
"Haha, so it's finally here. In that case, there's no need to hide any longer." Reid laughed loudly. Then the glowing orbs that had risen into the air dropped back down, returning to his hands.
All except one. That one barely paused before shooting straight into his body.
The next instant, a deep, resonant hum filled the air as an overwhelming pressure exploded outward from his body.
He didn't move a muscle, yet the vibrations from his heartbeat alone shook the ground beneath their feet continuously.
Thump... Thump... Thump...
Neither Zheng nor the guards, not even the Collective Man nearby, could imagine that a heartbeat could carry such force.
They stared wide-eyed at the man standing silently in front of them.
Meanwhile, Reid's consciousness had already slipped into another space.
* * *
In a vast, white void, he suddenly appeared. After looking around, he smiled faintly and said, "I thought a hero like you would never acknowledge me."
When his words fell, countless specks of light gathered before him, slowly forming the shape of a man. Anyone who loved superhero comics would recognize that figure instantly.
"Tell me, what made you decide to appear before me on your own?"
The one who had merged into his body, and now stood in front of him, was none other than the greatest superhero of all time. The first of them all: Superman.
He looked exactly like his classic image in the comics. A blue suit, red trunks, a flowing cape, and that single lock of hair on his forehead that never moved, no matter how fierce the battle.
"I just... figured things out, that's it." Superman's face carried a complex look, but he eventually sighed.
"You understand most of us well, so you also know what you did in Gotham was too much."
The shift in mindset Reid had shown back then had even drawn the Joker's attention. For someone like Superman to reject him was natural.
But he had no regrets.
"Too much? I don't think so."
He waved his hand with a smile. "Even if I had the chance to do it again, I would make the same choice. Because that was the safest path. You know what Gotham is like. As Batman's friend, you should know better than anyone."
"Yeah..." Superman nodded.
The terror of Gotham didn't come from its criminals, but from the city itself. The nobler a spirit was, the weaker it became against that place's influence.
Heroes who devoted themselves to protecting the civilians were not met with cheers there. Instead, they were betrayed by the very people they wanted to save.
Few could withstand that kind of blow to their beliefs.
Even Superman acknowledged that most of his counterparts would struggle to truly protect Gotham by acting like a hero.
"So, you showed up because after hearing Xian Zheng said, you thought I wanted to change the world to atone for what happened in Gotham?"
Superman didn't answer, but here in this mental space, no thought could be hidden from Reid.
"You're too naive if that's what you think. The only reason I don't force everyone to obey me with violence is because I don't need to. I'm not Hydra. I have no interest in ruling over ruins. If I'm going to rule Earth, then Earth will become the overlord of the universe. Otherwise, I could leave this planet anytime, and with your combined power, we could turn the cosmos upside down. Don't make me out to be some kind of a saint."
His voice dripped with disdain. But then he noticed Superman's expression had changed. It wasn't blank anymore. It carried a smile.
"Wait... you already knew what I was thinking, didn't you?"
"Yes." Superman gave a slight nod, admitting it.
"At first, Batman and I both thought about how to change you. We couldn't defy you, but we had our own consciousness, and we didn't want you to turn this world into chaos."
That was what Martian Manhunter had tried as well. He couldn't disobey Reid's orders, but he could use his own will to choose actions that caused the least harm.
"But soon, we realized something, that you hadn't changed at all. Joker's influence wasn't enough to turn you into a criminal. So Batman came."
Reid recalled those days. After securing his foothold in New York, the Batman card appeared.
That card, with its knowledge, experience, and the Batman persona, had pulled him out of Gotham's mire. It allowed him to distance his mind from that city.
It wasn't just the system choosing his draw. It was the souls within it stepping forward when the time came.
"Aquaman kept you from staining your hands with the blood of the Talokan. Wonder Woman led the people of Paradise Island to become your shield, removing every threat you might have faced on Earth."
As Superman spoke, the last traces of hostility in Reid's heart vanished completely.
"And what about you, Superman? Why show up now? I never exchanged your card, did I?"
According to what the man said, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Batman—they had all come to help him on their own, but it was still within the system's rules.
But Superman... Reid had never redeemed his card. Like Joker before him, he broke free from the system's constraints.
"Are you seriously asking me that?"
When he said this, Reid even caught a hint of resentment on Superman's face.
"After the system noticed what we were doing, it turned passive draws into your active exchanges. By opening permissions to you, it strengthened its hold on the souls inside it. I was ready to break out long ago, but then, it became a waiting game for you to summon me. And what happened? you never did. Barry, Oliver, Victor, you even exchanged the Watchtower, but not me. What else could I do? I had to seize the moment when your emotions flared after speaking with Xian Zheng, and with help from the ones you already summoned, I finally broke free."
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