Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics-Chapter 4409 - 3498: Research on Cats and Dogs (9)

Sitting in the passenger seat, Bruce adjusted the seat backward, reclined it, and slouched in it while playing on his phone.

The car turned a corner. Bruce glanced at the rearview mirror and then turned his head to look at Clark.

"We're being watched," Clark said. "I noticed three minutes ago. Since I didn't say anything, I planned to pretend I hadn't seen it. Stop hinting at me for a reaction."

"Fine." Bruce tilted his head slightly and said, "But I bet he'll soon find an opportunity to make you stop."

"He won't get that chance."

Just as Clark finished speaking, a car up ahead spun out of control and hurtled toward them, seemingly due to failed brakes causing the vehicle to lose balance. Through the windshield, the driver's panicked face was visible.

Without any expression, Clark stepped on the gas, showing no intention of stopping. When the vehicle was just two meters away from crashing into them, a black car suddenly swerved from the side, slammed its accelerator into the rear left of the out-of-control car, and shoved it onto the roadside of the opposing lane. Clark's car narrowly avoided it.

Bruce straightened up and looked over, at which point the driver of the black car also glanced their way, offering them a reassuring look.

"Lex is getting more and more ostentatious," Bruce said with a yawn. "How many people has he sent?"

"The cars you see in the rearview mirror now, they're all his people," Clark said while concentrating on driving. "Even most of the cars in the oncoming lane are his people."

"Born to lead spies, that man," Bruce commented, then suddenly gritted his teeth. "He's surely spent some of my money on this. Wayne Enterprises is practically being squeezed out of the market by him!"

"Didn't you already poach that executive back?"

"But reclaiming the market takes time." Bruce rubbed his temple, holding his phone in one hand, its screen filled with various industrial planning diagrams.

"Why doesn't he seem as strapped for cash as you?" Clark asked earnestly. He genuinely didn't understand these matters.

"There are many reasons." Bruce flipped his hand over, palm up resting on his leg, and said, "The primary one is he colludes, and secondly, America knows he colludes."

"So?"

"Both sides give him money to ensure he doesn't spill the beans."

"The Soviet Union I can understand, but why America too...?"

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"Because they don't want to ruin relations." Bruce shook his head and said, "Or perhaps, in areas they haven't noticed, Luther Group already has enough leverage that they dare not confront him directly. Wayne Enterprises is no different in this regard. Besides, Lex doesn't actually intend to do anything."

"Controlling Metropolis doesn't count as doing anything?"

"He's merely controlling it; he doesn't plan to sell it, nor export anything from it. A king can never become a pure warrior, so they might think his threat is even lesser than mine."

As the two chatted, Clark noticed more shadows looming ahead. A utility pole inexplicably snapped, dangling its wires precariously as it swayed and seemed about to crash down toward their car.

Clark slammed on the brakes, stopping just short of the pole. The cars following behind seemed prepared and also gradually came to a halt.

As luck would have it, the roadside happened to have a construction site. An excavator drove over, followed by several helmeted workers who worked together to shift the pole aside.

Clark resumed driving. Bruce, continuing to play on his phone, remarked, "Any bets on when he'll be unable to resist showing up?"

"I only know that if he doesn't show up soon, we'll be there," Clark said, eyeing the distant Luthor Building.

Bruce glanced at the rearview mirror, spotting a dot rapidly approaching. A suit of red-and-blue armor gleamed under the sun, its metallic sheen radiating brilliantly.

Clark's phone suddenly chimed. Holding the wheel with both hands, he signaled Bruce to pick it up with his gaze.

Bruce took the phone, initially expecting a message from Lex, but instead Hal's name popped up on the screen:

"I've reached the atmosphere. Where are you guys? I'll head over now."

Bruce took a photo of the rearview mirror and sent it to him. Hal responded with an exclamation mark, and moments later, a green light appeared far in the sky.

A sharp sound sliced through the air as another dark figure overtook their car. Then, the green light enveloped the entire vehicle. Clark finally released his grip on the steering wheel because their car had lifted into the air.

Hovering mid-air, Hal looked less like a Green Lantern. Instead of a bodysuit, he wore a layer of snug armor beneath dark golden plates covering his shoulders, waist, and legs. A long green cape flowed behind him, and his head was adorned not with the Green Lantern mask but with a golden Babutash Helmet.

One of his hands extended Green Lantern energy to lift the car, while his other was surrounded by the spectral image of an Ion Shark. Floating in the air, he eyed the figure that had stopped before him.

"Clark, you didn't tell me you had a relative visiting," Hal said. "Though, his outfit is definitely more stylish than yours."

Clark flew out of the car, hovering beside Hal. Before he could speak, Bruce stuck his head out of the car window and retorted, "What kind of aesthetic do you have? This outdated and tacky metal armor is what you call stylish?!"

Clark promptly shoved him back into the car.

"Clark, we need to talk," said Injustice Superman, glaring at Clark as he floated mid-air. "Ditch your useless and weak partner. We'd certainly have more in common."

"Now, that's just offensive," Bruce popped his head back out again, saying, "Who are you calling useless and weak?"

Clark shoved him back in again. Growing impatient, Hal turned to Clark and said, "Get rid of him. Leave that guy for me to handle."

Clark accepted the car from Hal, then carried it toward the nearby Luthor Group Building.

Inside, Bruce attempted to open the door to get out. However, Clark swiftly pressed the door shut, saying, "We're almost there. Don't lose it. Do you really want to fight him?"

"Then why don't you go talk to him and see if you two really have more in common?"

Unable to hold back, Clark rolled his eyes and asked, "And who do you think's responsible for me having no common ground with most versions of Superman?"

"Certainly not me," Bruce denied. "You could always go build yourself a Fortress of Solitude at the North Pole."

"Only for you to hassle me three times a week, dragging along your cat, bird, and Aisha to strip the glaciers bare, then blaming me for the mess."

Clark landed the car on the rooftop of the Luthor Group Building. Bruce stepped out, gazing into the distance.

A fierce battle broke out in the sky. Bruce, watching the commotion, remarked, "Do you think that fool is waiting for Hal to run out of power?"

"He'll be waiting a long time for that," Clark said, turning Bruce around and ushering him through the rooftop door.

Guided by the secretary, the two walked into the office, which already had several people inside.

"Got your message, so Hal brought me over," Arthur said while rubbing his eyes. "Oliver's taking a different route, probably won't make it for a while."

"He's always the slowest one," Bruce said.

"Well, he doesn't have superpowers. Show him some sympathy," Diana said. "I assume these two need no introduction?"

Clark and Bruce simultaneously turned to look at the Superman and Batman sitting by the table. The duo was also staring back at them.

Confirming these Superman and Batman seemed normal, Clark dropped much of his hostility and approached to shake Batman's hand. He said, "That day, I thought you guys were invaders, which is why I took action. Sorry—I hope I didn't hurt you."

"We weren't injured," Batman said. But his eyes shifted to Bruce behind Clark—after all, the first thing they saw that day upon landing was Clark pummeling Bruce.

"My neck hurts," Bruce said, twisting his head slightly.

Diana held up her phone and said, "Oliver might honestly show up tomorrow morning. Let's call it a day."

Clark nodded, having no objections. Turning to Bruce, he asked, "Do you plan to head to the lab? I might need to go to the newsroom and submit an article, so I'll be late."

"Wait a minute," Batman at the table suddenly spoke up. "I think we can discuss now. When Green Arrow arrives, we'll fill him in. As for Green Lantern, if they can't make it anytime soon, there's no need to waste time waiting."

"But we won't get anywhere in the discussion," Clark said.

Batman glanced at him, then at Bruce, then hesitantly glanced at Lex before saying, "What makes you think you can't discuss anything?"

Diana shook her head, sighed, and said, "If this crisis is really about an alien invasion, this isn't just one city's problem—it's not even a single nation's problem."

"That alien general's ship appeared boldly over Earth. Every country will act. We'll need to observe the situation and analyze the scenario in order to respond promptly."

"You make a good point. But what's that got to do with Oliver?"

"Oliver is an American who once led Mexico's revolution, was invited to the Soviet Union capital, and recently conducted research in China. Without him, we can't effectively communicate with those major countries."

Batman's thinking icon visibly loaded above his head.

"Hal is even more crucial," Clark said. "He manages the Green Lantern Corps. Without him, we can't mobilize the Lantern forces nor arrange extraterrestrial defense."

The thinking icon above Batman froze.

Just then, a green light flashed by the window. Hal landed and immediately removed his helmet, cursing:

"What the hell?! A nutjob Superman shows up on Earth, and no one even bothers to tell me?!"

Hal's gaze shifted to Diana, then to Clark. Clark quickly raised both hands and said, "He didn't fly to Earth; he came through the Battleworld portal. We couldn't stop him!"

"I mean notification! It's so hard to send word?!" Hal raised his voice, "When alien life arrives in the Solar System, I should be notified immediately. If I'm not, that's your fault!"

"Apologies," Clark quickly offered. "I was preoccupied at the time."

Hal's intense glare fell on Bruce. Faced with Hal's Death Stare, Bruce averted his gaze, saying softy, "I was drunk. I don't remember what happened."

Diana tried to mediate, "Hal, Bruce didn't mean to, it just happened. Besides, we received word that he came through Battleworld. No need to check extraterrestrial defenses."

"How do you know they landed on Earth? Did the report say so? What if they landed on Mercury? Or near the Sun and broke it?"

"But shouldn't you have received the notification too?" Bruce asked quietly.

"How dare you mention that?!" Hal exploded at Bruce, his voice nearly a roar. "If you hadn't ruined months of my work, would I be buried in endless overtime?! Do you think I had time to check messages?!"

Bruce shrank back, saying no more.

Neither Superman nor Batman could process further.