Washington, Smithsonian Museum.
Diana was carefully restoring a marble statue. This statue was over a thousand years old, with a strong Greek artistic style.
It was the type she liked.
Just as she was concentrating on her work, a notification sound from her computer indicated an email.
Diana continued working for another hour before putting down her tools and walking to the computer to read it.
But she quickly frowned beautifully.
The email contained a photograph, the one she had taken with her comrades back then.
Diana didn't know how it had gotten out.
Below the photograph was a message:
"Dear Your Highness Diana Prince, we mean no harm, and only wish to meet with you for a discussion."
"Tomorrow at this time, we will come to meet you. We hope you will spare some time to see us."
"Your future good friends — Shazam and Clark Kent."
Diana's brows unfurrowed, and she suddenly smiled softly.
"Future good friends, huh..."
She shifted her gaze back to the photograph, a hint of nostalgia flashing in her eyes.
The next day, Diana deliberately arrived at her studio early and instructed her assistant not to disturb her.
She then sat quietly in the studio, passing the time by reading the latest archaeological journal.
She didn't have to wait long. Soon, a gentle breeze swept through the studio, and Diana detected the aura of magic.
At this moment, there was a knock on the studio door.
"Please come in."
Diana knew that it couldn't possibly be a colleague outside the door.
Sure enough, as the door opened, the view opposite was completely unfamiliar.
It was the Rock of Eternity, and two tall, handsome men stood outside the door.
It was Dane and Clark, dressed in appropriate attire, neither too formal nor too casual.
Diana recognized Dane at a glance, and her expression was somewhat subtle.
As the CEO of Vanguard Technology, Dane had always been low-key, but in today's hot Kuaishou, it was impossible for him to completely hide himself.
Some media publicity, coupled with his name high on the rich list, made it easy for interested people to remember him.
Diana also had her own account on Kuaishou. Although she was almost a thousand years old, Your Highness considered herself a young person and was very much in tune with trends.
"Forgive our intrusion, Amazon Princess Diana Prince, or should I say, Wonder Woman?"
As usual, Dane started the conversation, while Clark stood by, simply smiling.
Diana stood up and shook hands with Dane.
"I never expected the famous Vanguard Technology CEO Dane Davis to be a wizard... Hmm? This is impossible!"
The moment their hands met, Diana felt a vast divine power emanating from him.
Among it, there was even the aura of her deceased father, Zeus!
Diana's relaxed expression vanished, instantly becoming solemn.
Dane felt it clearly; this Amazon warrior had officially entered a combat-ready state, and if the next words weren't chosen carefully, she might immediately attack.
He first praised her combat readiness, then calmly explained:
"Please temporarily put aside your hostility and let me explain, if you would?"
It must be said that being good-looking had its advantages. Diana saw Dane's extraordinarily handsome face, and it was hard to associate him with evil, so after a moment of hesitation, she relaxed.
"Thank you."
Then Dane explained the origin of the Shazam Force to her, which was also the first time Clark had learned about it.
He stared at Dane with wide eyes: "Why didn't you tell me about this before?"
"You never asked me," Dane said dismissively.
Initially, it was because they weren't close yet, and Dane, being cautious, habitually kept some things to himself.
Later, it was because they were too close, and he wanted to find an opportunity to tell him but never did. He couldn't just idly seek out Clark for a heart-to-heart, revealing his secrets, could he?
This wasn't a confession; how disgusting!
So, he kept putting it off and eventually forgot.
Clark remained silent, sulking on the side; he wasn't the first to know about such a big thing!
Dane ignored him and continued speaking to Diana:
"The 'Shazam Force' is a magic contract signed with six deities. I only need to utter the incantation to simultaneously gain the power of six gods."
"As the price or responsibility for gaining this power, I must become the Guardian of magic and the Guardian of the Human world."
He did not conceal this information, because Diana possessed a Lasso of Truth. Rather than risking inadvertently revealing the truth during future actions and causing a rift, it was better to be clear from the start.
Diana did not easily believe Dane's words. Having mingled in the Human world for nearly a century, Diana was no longer the naive girl who had just left the island.
As Dane expected, she spread her hands, and at some point, produced a bundle of Lasso of Truth radiating golden light.
"Presumably, this is the 'Lasso of Truth,'" Dane said, smiling at the rope.
Diana's eyes flashed: "You know a lot."
Dane humbly replied: "I only know what I should know."
"Then you must also know that the power of the Lasso of Truth cannot be resisted even by gods."
He certainly knew. In the animated film "Flashpoint Paradox," Wonder Woman even used the Lasso of Truth to make Shazam shout "Shazam" to transform back, ultimately leading to the slaughter of the Shazam family.
This was why he had insured the word "Shazam" in the first place. Were Black Adam and Billy Batson really that foolish?
Why didn't they try to fix such a major weakness?
Dane voluntarily wrapped the Lasso of Truth around his own hand a few times, to show his sincerity.
Diana received his sincerity, and her guard was largely lowered, but she still cautiously asked a few questions.
The focus was on the future great disaster of Earth and the Justice League. Dane had already hinted at some future situations, but she needed to confirm it again.
"What you just said, that a series of disasters will happen in the future, is it true?"
"It is true, and it may be far more serious than you imagine."
"What specifically might happen?"
"First, Coast City. There, the first Earthling to join the Green Lantern Corps will be born, and his first formidable enemy will be Parallax."
"This is an enemy that even the Green Lantern Corps fears. If he truly descends, destroying Earth would be effortless."
"Next is General Zod. He is a Kryptonian leader, with a group of incredibly strong Kryptonian Soldiers under him, possessing the same abilities as Superman."
"Coupled with their Kryptonian technology, which far surpasses Earth's, destroying human civilization would also be very easy."
Diana didn't know Superman's level, but for a demigod like Shazam to praise him as "incredibly strong," he must be extraordinary.
"Next up is Steppenwolf, he is Darkseid's subordinate..."
Diana's body trembled. She didn't recognize the previous enemies, but Darkseid was someone she knew very well!
Since childhood, she had often heard her mother, Hippolyta, recount stories of the ancient heroic era, where various races united to repel the Dark Lord Darkseid.
"However, it's not Darkseid himself coming, which is a blessing in disguise..."
She had just thought that when Dane shattered her illusion.
"Steppenwolf will discover that Earth holds information about the anti-life equation. He will report it to Darkseid, drawing his attention to Earth..."
There's no need to say what happens next; Darkseid will definitely make a trip to Earth himself.
Given the current disarray of Earth, can it still repel the Dark Lord as it did before?
Diana didn't ask further. The future was too grim, and asking would only add to her distress. She had completely believed Dane's words.
She solemnly put away her Lasso of Truth and gravely said:
"You just said you formed a team? I'm in!"
As expected, Wonder Woman was indeed someone who considered the bigger picture.
But then she made a request.
"You two look very strong, would you be willing to spar with me?"
When Diana said this, Dane was sure he saw it clearly: excitement.
That's right, she probably hadn't had a good fight in a long time. It was rare to meet two guys who looked so powerful; how could she let them go easily?
"This... is it necessary?"
Clark scratched his head, what was with this sense of déjà vu?
"Alright, you go first then!"
Who knew Diana wouldn't listen at all? She pointed at Clark, who had spoken first, and directly decided on the first opponent.
Clark was dumbfounded.