The vast, boundless depths of outer space.
As far as the eye could see, everything was engulfed in blazing, incandescent flames.
Light so dazzling it could blind, heat so intense it could melt anything.
This place was one of the most dangerous regions in the entire universe.
Anyone who could approach it was without exception a top-tier cosmic powerhouse—
At the very least, a super-level existence.
Because this place was none other than the vicinity of the Sun.
And yet, at this very moment, two people were floating there as if nothing were wrong.
One of them was, without question, Alex.
"In this lifetime, I've never really observed the Sun from this angle."
"The view really is something else."
After solemnly admiring the Sun for a while, Alex, struck by sudden inspiration, actually pulled out his phone.
Click click click!
Click click click!
A rapid burst of photos was taken.
Of course.
Under normal circumstances, Alex's phone—let alone his clothes—would never be able to withstand such terrifying heat.
But Alex had long since isolated himself from the extreme temperature with a telekinetic barrier, so he was completely unaffected.
"Mm, not bad."
"Perfect for flexing later."
Flipping through the photos he had just taken, Alex nodded in satisfaction.
He glanced at Superman, who was floating nearby, and saw endless solar energy continuously pouring into Superman's body.
Like throwing a sponge into the ocean—an absolutely ravenous absorption.
And as Superman absorbed more and more solar energy, his body—whose functions had nearly shut down—began to recover at a speed visible to the naked eye!
In just a few short minutes.
The Superman who had been on the brink of death now had a ruddy complexion and steady breathing.
He had recovered to about seventy or eighty percent.
Whoosh!
At that moment.
Bathed in sunlight, Superman suddenly opened his eyes.
There was a hint of confusion at first as he took in his surroundings.
But once he saw Alex beside him, he immediately understood what had happened.
"Homelander—it was you who saved me!"
Superman looked at Alex with genuine gratitude.
"How are you feeling now?"
Alex put his phone away and smiled as he asked.
"Really good. It feels amazing."
Superman savored his current state, a look of enjoyment on his face.
"I've never been this close to the Sun before."
Superman felt that once he finished absorbing this wave of solar energy, not only would all his injuries be healed, his strength would increase as well.
Honestly, Superman's setup really was absurdly overpowered.
Getting stronger just by sunbathing—how was that any different from getting stronger just by breathing?
"That's because you've never been injured this badly before."
Alex said, then grew curious.
"By the way, how did you end up in such a state this time?"
"Oh right—what about Hank?"
At Alex's question, Superman immediately realized something and stared straight at him.
"When you found me, did you see a half-man, half-machine guy?"
It seemed that during their battle, Superman had indeed recognized the true identity of Mechanical Superman.
"Hank? The guy who injured you?"
Alex was speechless.
"He nearly killed you, and you're still worried about him?"
Being kind was one thing, but this was a bit much, Superman.
"He's a pitiful person too."
Superman shook his head, a trace of melancholy on his face.
"And besides, what happened to him was also my fault."
With a sigh, Superman briefly told Alex about Mechanical Superman's past.
"He became like that because of me. Coming back to seek revenge… maybe I deserve it."
Then he looked at Alex again.
"But you still haven't told me—did you find him?"
"No."
Alex shook his head.
"I only found you drifting unconscious in space. I didn't see anyone else."
"Homelander, I need to find him!"
After a moment's thought, Superman made his decision.
He then briefly described the battle to Alex.
Back then, Mechanical Superman really hadn't been a match for him.
But during the fight, Superman recognized who Mechanical Superman was.
His emotions wavered.
Mechanical Superman seized that critical instant and unleashed a powerful finishing move.
A terrifying wave of cosmic radiation erupted.
Alex didn't know the specifics, but that blast nearly killed Superman.
What's more—
Mechanical Superman himself was also engulfed by the explosion.
As for his fate, no one knew.
However, Alex guessed that given Mechanical Superman's hatred for Superman, the fact that he didn't kill Superman while he was unconscious meant only one thing.
Either Mechanical Superman had died—or he had been severely injured as well.
Which one it was, Alex couldn't be bothered to care.
"Homelander, thank you for everything you've done. I'll come find you again."
"But for now, I want to look for Hank."
After saying this, Superman gave Alex a nod and then shot off into the distance.
Alex sighed and shook his head, saying nothing, before flying off as well.
When they returned to Metropolis, it was already evening by the time Superman appeared before Alex again.
"I was unconscious for a month and a half?"
Superman was clearly shocked by this.
"Yeah. Martha and Lois must have been worried sick. Aren't you going to see them?"
Alex chatted casually.
"I just came back from seeing them."
Superman sat down across from Alex in a relaxed manner.
"Did you find Hank?" Alex glanced at him.
Superman shook his head.
He had searched that region of space thoroughly and even paid a visit to General Lane—nothing.
Mechanical Superman had vanished completely, just like Superman himself had before.
"In the month I was gone, it seems like something big happened on Earth."
"Homelander, tell me about it."
Naturally, Superman was asking about Steppenwolf.
Alex had no reason to hide anything and told him everything—Mother Boxes, Steppenwolf, all of it.
"So… Steppenwolf really invaded Earth?"
Superman's expression darkened.
Did Luthor really manage to pull this off?
But he had asked General Lane—Luthor had been securely locked up in prison the entire time!
Logically speaking, he shouldn't have been able to do anything.
Superman voiced his doubts.
"It had nothing to do with Luthor. The Justice League's conclusion was that the Mother Boxes sent out the signal on their own and summoned Steppenwolf."
Alex explained.
"The Justice League?"
"A bunch of freaks running around in spandex."
"…Seems like I'm wearing spandex too, Homelander."
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