NOVEL NEXT 284. Why Not?
Shazam moved quickly. Although he passed by several Parademon nests along the way, he had plenty of experience dealing with them, so his journey was dangerous but manageable.
By the third afternoon of his departure, Gotham City finally appeared on the horizon. During this time, Alex had been communicating with Barbara and the others about the developments in this world while organizing the remnants of the Batcave's resources.
When Barbara and Kate first discovered the real Batcave, it had already been completely overrun by Parademons. Some Doomsday-like Parademons were even preparing to claim it as their nest.
In the end, it was the Riddler, sacrificing his life, who detonated the bombs Bruce had long prepared beneath the Batcave, preventing those monsters from establishing a foothold inside Gotham City.
However, although the explosion wiped out many Parademons, it also destroyed much of the Bat-Family's resources. Most of the Bat-Tech was obliterated in the blast, except for some Kryptonite buried under the rubble.
"I once worked with Black Mask. He sent people here to excavate a lot of weapons and tech, but it still wasn't enough against the Parademons. With no resources left, the Kryptonite was used up little by little. You saw what happened to him—Black Mask's forces were wiped out at the Gotham docks," Kate explained as she showed the remaining supplies in the warehouse to Alex and the others.
"Now, this is all that's left. Gotham isn't fit for habitation anymore. There used to be more than a dozen shelters here, but now most of them are gone. The Parademons' attacks were sudden—sometimes a fully equipped shelter would disappear overnight."
Looking quietly at the few crates of Kryptonite, Alex could imagine the horrors the people faced back then. Against enemies even the superheroes couldn't defeat, ordinary people stood no chance.
"Hearing you say that, it sounds like the Parademons' attacks on Gotham were well-coordinated. Unless they had someone who knew Gotham inside out, how else would they know to directly target the Batcave?" Kara pondered for a moment before voicing her suspicion.
"I understand what you mean. We've had similar thoughts," Kate said, folding her arms, a hint of anxiety in her expression.
"No one knew there was so much synthetic Kryptonite in the Batcave until the Riddler blew it up, exposing its presence. We had no idea Bruce had stockpiled that much Kryptonite."
Barbara chimed in. "Clark once said that Batman might not be dead. That might explain it—who else but Batman would know Gotham that well and intentionally destroy the Batcave?"
Batman wasn't dead, and Alex knew that. Not only Batman, but most of the Justice League, except for Aquaman and Hal Jordan, were still alive.
After Darkseid defeated them, he transformed their bodies into semi-mechanical beings. Cyborg was modified into something resembling the "Source Wall," and Batman had been brainwashed, becoming Darkseid's most loyal servant, strategizing for him.
As for why Aquaman and Hal Jordan weren't transformed, it was because they had died on the spot—one was dismembered by Parademons, and the other was pierced by the Omega Beam. The others suffered terribly but survived, even Martian Manhunter, who was consumed by fire, managed to cling to life.
"Did you have any plans before this?" Alex asked as he picked up a Batman mask.
Barbara and Kate mostly communicated with Lois, so any plans Superman had were relayed to them through her.
"Apokolips deployed massive engines toward Earth. Over the past two years, two have been placed, and a third was deployed a few days ago."
Barbara sighed. Every time she talked about this world, she felt powerless.
"These engines are designed to drain the Earth's core. If we can't destroy them, in a few months, the Earth will be completely hollowed out, turning it into a dead planet. That's why Superman wants to launch a counterattack on Apokolips."
"A counterattack on Apokolips? Just with you guys?" Pietro raised an eyebrow.
It wasn't that Pietro looked down on them. It was just that even the mighty Justice League had failed. Now, these few survivors were planning to fight on Darkseid's home turf—it seemed like nothing more than a death wish.
"This is unavoidable," Kate said, biting her lip, her expression filled with anxiety. "We've done everything we can. You have no idea what we've been through these past two years. Honestly, I'm exhausted. Living in a world without hope is unbearable."
"No one can guarantee that this mission will succeed. Even we aren't confident about this decision, but we have no choice. We can't come up with a better plan," Barbara said as she approached Kate and gently embraced her.
Alex understood that they were essentially going on a suicide mission. As Kate had said, they lived in a world devoid of hope, a world far worse than anything they had ever faced. This wasn't just about supervillains; it was a world of pure despair.
"Don't be so pessimistic. Maybe I have a way to fix things," Alex said calmly.
Hearing this, Barbara and Kate's defeated expressions changed slightly. They looked up at Alex, who had maintained a calm and steady demeanor throughout, full of confusion and disbelief.
"Mr. Alex, I truly appreciate that you and your friends came here, but..." Kate stepped forward, forcing a pale smile. "I'm genuinely glad that you're willing to help us, but I have to say, you're too late."
If Alex and the others had arrived two years earlier, there might have been hope for saving this world. Back then, there were still countless forces on Earth resisting. But now, those people had died, and the Earth's core had been drained for two years, making it uninhabitable for humanity.
In Kate's eyes, this planet was beyond saving. Its rivers were polluted, the land was no longer fertile, countless species had gone extinct, and even without Apokolips or Darkseid, the Earth was already ruined.
"It's not too late. As long as you're alive, it's not too late," Alex said firmly, standing in front of Kate.
Kate froze, unsure where Alex got the confidence to say such things.
"Don't you understand?" she asked, taking a deep breath, her voice trembling.
"Even if you have the power to kill Darkseid, it wouldn't matter. This planet has lost its vitality. Even in the one-in-a-million chance that we defeat Darkseid and blow up Apokolips, then what?"
Kate took another step forward, almost pressing up against Alex.
"Tell me, where would the survivors live? Can you give us a planet?" she asked, her voice filled with desperation.
Swallowing hard, Alex remained calm, maintaining eye contact with Kate, without flinching or avoiding her gaze. Then, Alex's voice quietly reached Kate's ear.
"Why not?"
For a moment, there was complete silence.
The entire Batcave seemed to freeze as if a cold wind swept through it. Everyone fell silent, even Barbara stood motionless, staring at Alex in bewilderment.
Kate stared blankly into Alex's eyes, her pupils trembling. She couldn't believe what she had just heard.
After a moment of hesitation, seeing that Alex wasn't joking, Kate felt a chill run down her spine. She feared she might have misheard, so she couldn't help but ask again.
"What did you just say?"
"I said, I have a way to give you a habitable planet," Alex repeated calmly. Kara and Pietro, standing nearby, already knew what Alex meant. Alex continued.
"I don't know what conversations you've had with Dinah or Jason, but in truth, there's another wasteland world out there that's in dire need of people like you to rebuild."
Kate took two steps back, blinking in disbelief, feeling as though the weight of this revelation could crush her. Her head spun with the news. "Dinah mentioned it before. That world is overrun by supervillains, right?"
"It's much worse than that," Alex shook his head. "That world has been ruled by supervillains for over forty years. It's on the verge of civilizational collapse. Morality has degenerated to a level worse than prehistoric times. Changing everything about that world is far beyond my power alone."
"So..."
Alex's expression grew serious as he spoke with determination.
"I need you to change it."
.....
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285: An Offer You Can't Refuse!
286. Magical Lightning.
287. Superman's Coordinates.
288. Lady Shiva.
289. Finally Reunited!