"Alright, Clark, I should get going."
After chatting with Superman for a bit, Alex stood up and took his leave.
Boom!
His body flashed, turning into a streak of light that vanished into the distance.
Superman looked in the direction Alex had disappeared, shook his head slightly, then jumped down from the rooftop and returned inside.
That night, lying in bed, Clark found it hard to fall asleep.
The information he had learned from Jor-El kept him deeply unsettled.
According to Jor-El, a very long time ago, Apokolips had once invaded Earth.
Back then, Darkseid had been defeated by Earth's united forces.
But at that time, Darkseid had merely been a prince of Apokolips—nothing more.
But now?
Darkseid ruled Apokolips as its absolute sovereign.
In other words, Darkseid and Earth already had a history of enmity.
If Darkseid were to set his sights on Earth again, the situation would be extremely, extremely dire.
"No matter what Luthor is planning, I absolutely can't let him contact Steppenwolf or anyone from Apokolips."
Clark made a firm decision in his heart.
From now on, he would keep Lex Luthor under constant surveillance.
Compared to Superman, Alex had far fewer worries.
After leaving Clark, Alex returned to his leisurely routine.
Every day, he wandered between Metropolis, Central City, and Gotham, eating, drinking, sightseeing, and enjoying himself.
If he encountered a special energy source, he harvested it.
If a mission appeared, he completed it.
Other than that, he stayed completely laid-back.
What Alex didn't expect, however, was that a month later—while he was "vacationing" in Central City—
An uninvited guest arrived in Metropolis.
Flash!
On an empty street, everything seemed perfectly normal.
Suddenly, a dazzling light flared.
When the light faded, a figure that looked half-human, half-machine appeared out of thin air.
Cyborg Victor Stone?
Of course not.
Compared to this being, Cyborg still fell short.
This figure was none other than another famous DC character—
Hank Henshaw.
The name Hank Henshaw might not ring a bell for many, but he was better known by another name:
Cyborg Superman.
"Earth… I'm back."
"Superman… I'm back."
"The only reason I've returned this time is to destroy you, Superman!"
On Cyborg Superman's half-human face, cold light flashed—along with barely concealed killing intent.
That's right.
Cyborg Superman hated Superman to the bone and wanted him dead.
Back when he was still Hank, he had been a brilliant scientist under LexCorp, with limitless prospects.
But during one of Superman's battles in space, intense solar radiation had erupted.
Hank and others aboard a space shuttle were exposed, mutating from the radiation.
They all died soon after—Hank included.
Even Hank's wife died in that incident.
From that moment on, Hank's hatred for Superman took root.
However, Hank hadn't truly died as everyone believed.
He encountered another fate.
He rose to become a top-tier powerhouse in the cosmos—Cyborg Superman.
This return to Earth had only one purpose:
Revenge.
In the original timeline, when Cyborg Superman arrived on Earth, he discovered that Superman had already been killed by Doomsday.
Unable to take revenge, he instead chose to destroy Superman's reputation and completely shatter his heroic image.
But now—
Superman wasn't dead at all.
...
"We still don't know who that half-human, half-machine individual is, but he has engaged Superman in an intense battle. His strength appears to rival Superman's."
"Heat vision! Just like Superman, he's firing laser beams from his eyes!"
"'The machine man' claims that Superman killed his wife and his friends. He says he's here for revenge!"
Central City.
While dining in a luxury hotel, Alex's attention was immediately drawn to the news on TV.
"Metropolis really can't catch a break."
Alex shook his head and sighed.
They always said Metropolis was the safest city in the DC world because of Superman's protection.
But based on Alex's repeated visits, that claim was highly questionable.
Just from what he knew, how many supervillains had appeared in Metropolis already?
The last time he left Metropolis, he'd dealt with the Nuclear Man incident.
This time, he had barely arrived before Doomsday showed up.
And how long had it been since Doomsday was killed?
Now another "machine man" had popped up.
Poor Metropolis.
Before Superman appeared, Metropolis had been an utterly ordinary city, with nothing special about it.
Supervillains?
They'd never existed there at all.
Alex felt that Vision's theory applied perfectly here.
It was precisely Superman's existence that attracted all these superpowered incidents.
"I wonder if this one will trigger a mission."
Alex's interest was fully piqued.
He pulled his attention away from the news and used his super senses to observe the battle from several cities away.
Boom boom boom!
Zzzzt zzzzt!
High above Metropolis, Cyborg Superman and Superman were flying back and forth, heat vision clashing again and again.
Their fists collided repeatedly, the fight incredibly intense.
Cyborg Superman's strength was no joke.
For a time, he really did go toe-to-toe with Superman.
But from Alex's vastly superior perspective, the outcome was obvious at a glance.
Cyborg Superman simply wasn't Superman's equal.
After all, this was Superman—the ultimate powerhouse.
He didn't lose easily, and he certainly wouldn't keep running into unbeatable opponents one after another.
Sure enough.
Under Alex's observation, the battle soon tilted decisively.
Cyborg Superman was gradually suppressed and overwhelmed.
"Looks like there won't be a mission after all."
Alex lost interest and withdrew his attention.
From years of experience, he knew the system only issued missions when Superman or other heroes were truly in trouble.
If the hero could resolve things on their own, there would be no task.
This fight was no longer worth watching.
Just like that, the matter of Cyborg Superman quickly faded from Alex's mind.
As expected, the system never issued a mission.
Until half a month later.
"At 9 a.m. this morning, a severe traffic accident occurred on Plankley Street, resulting in three deaths and seven injuries. The scene was horrific."
"This marks the first such catastrophic accident in Metropolis since Superman's appearance."
"While expressing sympathy for the victims, the public has also raised the same question—"
"Why didn't Superman appear?"
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