"God… does God really exist?"
Several people stared with wide eyes in astonishment.
"Is it still too late for me to go to church and pray every week?"
Flash subtly glanced upwards, stuttering slightly as he struck a praying pose.
Batman frowned, unsure if he doubted the truth of David's statement or was questioning something else entirely.
David's expression remained as usual; he was speaking the truth.
"In the DC world, God truly exists. Not only does He exist, but He truly possesses omniscient, omnipotent, and supreme power."
There was no being more powerful than God in the entire multiverse. However, He rarely appeared before humanity. Even many of the angels He created had never truly seen Him, only hearing His voice.
"There was even a rebellion stirred up by a choir of angels that fought their way to the highest level of heaven, only to find an empty throne where God's chair should be."
"If I were a god, I don't think I'd be interested in meticulously arranging the fate of every mortal."
Batman's brows relaxed as he spoke, causing a hint of resentment on Cyborg's face to change as he fell silent.
"Similarly, if God is as powerful as the Bible claims..."
He looked at the projected image of Jarrod Joseph.
"Then if He wanted to redeem someone, He shouldn't need the help of angels."
The implication of these words was naturally that Batman did not believe Jarrod was an angel sent by God.
"He's most likely just a powerful metahuman."
David, who was not particularly interested in Jarrod's identity, agreed with this viewpoint.
God rarely showed himself, rarely interfered with cosmic affairs, and didn't even care about the universe, let alone a small handful of suffering people on Earth.
"In fact, I found some terrifying things about him in some secret military documents."
Cyborg looked up.
A photograph was released, showing a vast expanse of scorched earth emitting heat.
From the surviving remnants of fortress-like structures and the charred remains of armored vehicles reduced to mere iron frames at the distant edge, one could barely discern that this had once been a military base.
"This is…?"
Like scorched earth after a war, Flash asked in disbelief, "Was this place carpet-bombed?"
"What's depicted in this photo happened two days ago in a small African country called Yasir."
"Jarrod did this?"
Batman's expression changed slightly.
"Yes, it was him."
Cyborg's expression was serious, tinged with unease.
"Yasir has an ancient indigenous deity cult. Local law prohibits the worship of other religious deities. A church family entered the country to proselytize and was hanged as heretics for violating the law. Jarrod, also known as 'Redemption,' flew to Yasir in a fit of rage to question them about this. During the confrontation, soldiers opened fire on him. He retaliated, and a dazzling blue light enveloped the entire military base. When the light dissipated, the base, which covered tens of acres, had thirty-six buildings, and housed an entire unit, was annihilated in a single strike!"
This terrifying event, which would have absolutely caused a global uproar, was likely classified as top secret and sealed by various countries, perhaps to prevent public panic.
"How did he act afterward?"
Batman asked with a heavy voice, "Apart from nuclear weapons, humanity has no other weapon that can replicate such an effect in a single blow. Were there any signs of weakness?"
If it were a bustling city, this 'Redemption' could have wiped out a city block with a single uncontrolled outburst.
David looked at the horrifying photo, rubbing his lips.
'Redemption' not only possessed super-speed, but his energy projection ability even surpassed Clark's. Clark, at his current age, couldn't vaporize an entire military base, including steel and concrete, with his heat vision in one blow. This might not even be Jarrod's limit.
Cyborg shook his head.
"Military satellites from various countries captured him after he unleashed the attack. He looked at his hands, seemingly a bit startled by his own power, and quickly left the country. His speed was still as impossibly fast as when he arrived, and it was impossible to tell how much power that attack consumed."
A silence fell over the conference room.
This proved that Redemption had the ability to unleash a second, or even more, attacks.
If Redemption hadn't concentrated his power so intensely that he vaporized even the steel and concrete, could he have killed half the city's population in one blow?
"However, after half a day, Redemption seemed to have received some guidance and was no longer panicked. He returned to Yasir with a calm and rational demeanor. The Yasirian government was terrified. Facing someone akin to a humanoid nuclear weapon, they made various concessions and rapidly amended their national laws to allow religious freedom. Subsequently, the First Redemption Church also allocated a large sum of funds, stating they would cooperate with the Yasirian government to establish a series of facilities in Yasir, including hospitals, schools, orphanages, and churches."
Cyborg continued reading the subsequent developments of the incident.
"If not for the events preceding it, what followed wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing."
Flash's sensible evaluation.
Simply for the difference in faith, they hanged an entire family. Yasir, this small African nation, is truly too ignorant and bloody, like an uncivilized primitive.
It's also a good thing to help poor, small nations build social welfare facilities like hospitals, schools, and orphanages.
But it was precisely because Redemption had destroyed a military base and killed all the soldiers inside that the usually kind Barry Allen couldn't agree with such actions.
Batman frowned.
"Redemption not only has the potential to bring danger, but he also used the excuse of his followers being killed to break into another country and destroy a military base, forcing its government to change its laws according to his will.
If there's a first time for something like this, there will be a second.
Next time, will it be followers being persecuted, proselytizing being obstructed, or even developing into a refusal to believe in God?"
However, he only considered these extreme possibilities in his mind and didn't say them directly.
Batman secretly scanned everyone. He knew that many League members would not agree with his dark view.
"Something's not right."
David rubbed his chin.
Redemption's strength, if not surpassing the Son of Krypton, was at least very close. By all rights, he should be very famous, especially as a character from Earth.
Why had he never heard of this person?
He should have only been a fleeting appearance in the comics. David suspected that Redemption's power might have some huge limitation.
"This concludes the full account of the Yasir incident.
There are also some military investigations targeting 'Redemption'."
Cyborg looked at the last few lines of information, his tone slightly hesitant.
Sitting up straight, Batman's eyes sharpened. He wanted to hear if the US military, which had always been highly wary of superhumans, had collected any important information about Redemption.
"The founder of the First Redemption Church is a priest named Haituo Hua. He's very old, looking sixty or seventy. It was he who recruited Jarrod into the church. This person's identity is a mystery, and Haituo Hua should be an alias.
Every time 'Redemption' goes to places where faith is not free to rescue and help oppressed followers, he will call upon the church members through the internet to pray for 'Redemption', and he has repeatedly told them to believe in the Lord, believe in Redemption, and their faith can transform into 'Redemption's' power."
"Faith transforms into power?"
Everyone present keenly captured the key point in the top-secret information at the end from Cyborg.
"Is this his limitation?
Without others' faith in him, he has no power."
David raised an eyebrow.
After seeing that Jarrod's strength was not weaker than Clark's at this moment, he still hadn't heard of him. He was already a little interested in this person.
"Not good!"
While Cyborg and Flash were still thinking, Batman's expression changed drastically after flipping through other detailed information about 'Redemption', as if he had realized some impending danger.
"What's wrong?"
Flash turned his head in confusion.
"Redemption is twenty-six years old this year, and it's been two years since he discovered his abilities.
Who would be scared of a power they've controlled for two years?
Unless his power has surged dramatically in a short period, becoming so strong that it's unfamiliar to him."
Batman's expression was solemn as he stood up and manipulated the holographic projection, pulling out several key pieces of information and displaying them for everyone.
"When 'Redemption' went to Yasir, it was precisely when he had previously displayed his power in other countries to help his followers, and the First Redemption Church had recruited a new wave of members."
"Faith is power.
Without faith, there is no power. Conversely, the more thoughts of belief in 'Redemption' there are, the greater the power!"
Facing the still-confused two, David said slowly.
"'Redemption' displayed god-like power in Yasir. The faith that has been restricted by local laws in this country has likely exploded like a tide. The First Redemption Church must have recruited even more followers.
His power should have grown again."
"It's not just that."
Standing up and walking to the window, looking out at the deep, dark sea, Batman shook his head solemnly.
"Followers were persecuted, a family was hanged, 'Redemption' appeared to avenge them, defend freedom of faith, and force the ignorant country to amend its laws so that everyone can freely choose their faith.
This is excellent propaganda material."
As long as there was enough money, public opinion on the internet was just a toy to be manipulated.
Cyborg realized something and quickly closed his eyes, searching the headlines of major news media worldwide. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"For now, the international news headlines in various countries are still dominated by us."
Batman and Flash also took out their phones to check, still uneasy.
The Justice League's first mission had brought peace back to the Middle East, which had been engulfed in war again. This was international news that had attracted worldwide attention. In the comments below the news, no one was talking about 'Redemption's' existence; they were all discussing the significance of the Justice League's appearance.
Some people rejoiced, saying that with the Justice League around, there would be no more worries about the Earth descending into war.
"We should all be grateful to the Justice League for watching over the world's safety in silence."
But others questioned the Justice League's authority to intervene in other countries' wars without permission.
"The Justice League apprehended foreign political leaders to stop a war. Does their power supersede the political systems of all countries on Earth?"
"Surely no one would sympathize with a warlord dictator who wages war against the will of his people?"
"Power must be caged.
Unrestricted power is a flood and a fierce beast; it will eventually harm people.
Are we going to entrust our safety to the moral compass of a few members of the Justice League?
All countries must unite to restrict the Justice League!"
"This point isn't entirely wrong..."
Opinions about the Justice League were being expressed online. Superheroes had only recently appeared, and laws regarding them were not yet established. National governments were also undecided on how to proceed, let alone organizations of superheroes like the Justice League.
"I heard that this person named Black Adam is incredibly powerful, his body impervious to blades and bullets."
"He can apparently control lightning. If he weren't powerful, he couldn't have conquered a country in such a short time, suppressing all resistance within it. But ultimately, he's no match for the Justice League."
"Didn't the Justice League almost lose this time? Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were all brutally defeated by Black Adam. If the Transcendent hadn't appeared to turn the tide, who knows what might have happened in the end."
"Speaking of which, it was the Transcendent who once again shouldered the main responsibility to resolve the crisis. It was like this before, and it's still like this now."
Among the individual members of the Justice League, the ones people were most enthusiastic about discussing were the Transcendent and Superman. Especially the Transcendent, his overwhelming power that provided an infinite sense of security shocked everyone. Most discussions, over sixty percent, were about him alone, speculating about his real identity.
The Flash scratched his head nonchalantly and smiled as he put his phone away. He felt no resentment; David had genuinely saved them more than once.
"It's not like that now, but that doesn't mean it won't be in the future."
After glancing at the comments for a moment, Batman silently put down his phone.
"Think about it, right now it's just a part of Britain and a few small countries that promote 'Redemption.' He's already this powerful. If the whole world knew about him, how much stronger would he become!"
Currently, 'Redemption' only forced one country to yield. Would he later develop to the point of changing the entire world according to his will? Even though Batman was worth billions and the richest man in Gotham, he couldn't control global public opinion. He didn't have any good ideas. He looked at Cyborg, wondering if he could block all news about 'Redemption' from the global network.
"I can't do that," Cyborg shook his head decisively.
For him, major global secret websites and databases were like an open courtyard; he could walk in and browse freely. But even a god couldn't silence the entire world instantaneously. Even if he could, the Justice League would likely be immediately thrust into the spotlight, facing universal condemnation.
"This is precisely the problem. He hasn't done anything, so we have no valid reason to act against him. So, let's wait until he shows behavior that harms the world."
After thinking for a moment, David stood up, spread his hands, and prepared to leave after touring the League's base. In fact, 'Redemption' hadn't done anything too outrageous yet. As for killing all the soldiers at a military base, he had done that before.
"Aren't you afraid his power will grow to a point where even you can't deal with him?" Batman looked at David's retreating back.
"Perhaps," David paused his steps and chuckled, not denying the possibility.
"But I believe everyone has their limits."
Turning the faith others placed in oneself into power was, undeniably, a peculiar ability. It reminded him of the Marvel universe's Gladiator, one of the four strongest beings, whose power increased with his self-confidence.
"'Redemption' cannot endlessly convert belief into power. Otherwise, at the current conversion rate, if 'Redemption' conquered a few life-bearing planets, he could then stomp the Dark Lord under his foot and make him devoutly pray to God for mercy at dawn and dusk."
Cyborg's eyes lit up, finding David's words very reasonable. The Flash had a strange expression, unable to imagine what it would be like for the father of the monstrous humanoid named Kalibak to hold a cross and piously call out to the merciful Lord.
"Cyborg, investigate that priest named Haituo Hua. He might play a very important role in this."
After David left, Batman's brow remained furrowed. He paused, then said in a low voice, "Don't forget, even if he maintains his current power, he is already a terrifying potential threat to the world."
Cyborg, who had felt much more relaxed after hearing David's words, suddenly realized this and fell silent. Right, not everyone was the Transcendent with such immense power. 'Redemption's' current strength was already frightening enough.
Clark's super-hearing monitored the entire city, and he heard a bank robbery in progress.
Police cars, with their lights flashing, served as cover as officers, guns drawn, cautiously aimed from behind them into the bank.
"Superman! Superman's here!"
Seeing Superman arrive, the police and the crowd behind the police tape cheered like they'd seen a savior, greeting him.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
I hope the sunny weather today hasn't dampened your enthusiasm for work."
Clark chuckled and nodded, then flew into the bank, assuming it was just another routine bank robbery he'd handled countless times.
"You're finally here."
A voice that surprised him, accompanied by a low chuckle, echoed from within the bank.
"Superman, I've been waiting for you for a long time."
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