DC: A New Beginning-Chapter 44: Newcomer

The Justice League rarely had more than two weeks of peace.

But after the Watchtower officially operated and the Olympus incident was over, they went a full month without trouble until a Level Four alert suddenly sounded. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Cyborg, who happened to be on duty, stood at the control console with his mechanical body extending several metal data cables that plugged seamlessly into the ports built into the console.

He studied the strange wave patterns with a serious look.

"Half an hour ago, we detected an anomaly in a space frequency signal, and a minute ago, it showed up again. It looks like an alien spacecraft, and the signal is getting closer, but it’s so weak we almost can’t pick it up."

Cyborg immediately contacted Batman.

"The signal is too weak. We have no idea when we’ll catch the signal again, and every signal we’ve gotten so far has been broken up, making it impossible to analyze the source or any additional details."

Batman listened quietly, then said, "Alert everyone available and tell them assemble at the Watchtower."

Since the Batcave has a teleportation device, Batman arrived at the Watchtower within just five seconds.

It seemed like Cyborg had grown accustomed to Batman always being the first to arrive, and he directly provided all the information.

"We estimate the object is about 3 billion kilometers from Earth. The negative space signal transmission speed is nearly zero. At its current speed, the object will take at least seven days to enter our part of the solar system."

Cyborg shook his head, and his mechanical eye flickered.

"We can’t tell if it’s dangerous. There’s no attack signal or warning, but it can’t be ruled out as a trap."

Batman knew the situation all too well.

After the Yellow Lantern Corps hadn’t appeared for a month, Oa had lowered the threat level, and the Green Lanterns had left just yesterday.

However, Batman and at least Cyborg didn’t relax their vigilance.

Batman didn’t look at the signal on the screen. He knew that recalculating those numbers would take too long for him to do.

"Notify all available League members. The emergency meeting will happen in ten minutes at the Watchtower."

Cyborg nodded but then remembered something.

"Should we notify Hal Jordan to return? The Green Lantern Corps can detect cosmic signals much better than we can."

Even though Viktor declined the Justice League’s invitation, Green Lantern still went on his intergalactic assignment.

"Sinestro’s Corps wouldn’t hide. There’s no need to call him for now, but just send him a copy of the two negative space signals we’ve captured so far."

Cyborg quickly followed the orders, and the communicator started getting responses.

The Flash was handling armed robberies in Central City, and Aquaman needed to remain in Atlantis to monitor unusual underwater seismic activity.

Superman was busy suppressing a coming volcanic eruption on the Hawaiian Islands.

Wonder Woman responded, and the only ones who could come immediately were Shazam and Green Arrow, who were on vacation in New York and skipped a date with a pretty girl.

Ten minutes later, the door to the bridge slowly opened, and Shazam arrived first.

Next came Green Arrow, hurriedly wiping lipstick marks off his neck with a handkerchief. He seemed in a hurry, and his eye mask was a little crooked.

However, Green Arrow didn’t seem to care at all.

Then Wonder Woman stepped in, and Batman’s eyes narrowed. He saw behind her someone he didn’t want to see.

Viktor followed Wonder Woman, looking completely relaxed.

After their eyes met, Viktor deliberately flashed a polite yet slightly playful smile without saying anything.

Batman’s fingers subtly curled, clearly not expecting him to follow Wonder Woman into the Watchtower.

Before Batman could say anything, Wonder Woman stepped forward to explain.

"Viktor was training with me when I received the alert. He has encountered more alien civilizations than all of us combined. I thought his experience might be helpful."

Diana paused and looked around at everyone.

"Whether the visitor to the solar system is a friend or foe, Viktor’s experience in this area should allow him to make a more accurate judgment than most of us."

Batman stayed quiet and didn’t say anything. He nearly completed his psychological profile of Viktor, now about seventy percent finished.

The kid was clearly holding a grudge over the pink pearl last time, intentionally tagging along under Wonder Woman’s name to annoy him.

Cyborg broke the tension at the right moment.

"We only have five people here for now. Superman, Flash, and the others are all too busy, and the Green Lantern is out in space and can’t be reached."

"The mysterious signal is still at the edge of our solar system. We need someone to go out there and investigate, get first-hand information before we decide how to respond."

Shazam was about to raise his hand when he noticed that everyone’s gaze passed over him and landed on Viktor.

Even Green Arrow, who was likely seeing Viktor for the first time, looked at him.

The funny part was that Viktor was even standing right next to Shazam and was somehow completely ignored.

Shazam couldn’t hold back any longer. He gritted his teeth and lightly slapped Green Arrow’s shoulder.

"You... Do you even know who he is?"

"I’ve read his files."

Green Arrow responded nonchalantly.

Viktor simply shrugged with a smile to signal that he had no issues with the situation.

"Exploring the edge of the solar system isn’t difficult for me."

Then Viktor changed the topic and spoke more directly.

"However, I’m currently a little short on funds here on Earth. I came here to make a deal with the League—help you complete a task that no one else can manage in exchange for fair compensation."

Green Arrow’s eyes flashed with interest upon hearing this. He didn’t hold any strong assumptions about the moral perspectives of alien civilizations.

Unlike Superman’s natural compassion or Batman, who remained constantly on guard, Green Arrow maintained a neutral stance without picking a side.

Moreover, since the moment Viktor walked in, Batman’s face looked even more annoyed.

Green Arrow seemed to have noticed something interesting and spoke up.

"Our technology is far more advanced than most government agencies, and using a spacecraft to fly to the edge of the solar system and back costs around four million dollars. Since you’re not a member but are willing to help, I can pay you three million dollars out of my own pocket."

"Deal."

Viktor replied without hesitation.

Batman frowned, clearly wanting to stop the transaction, but he also knew there was no better candidate than Viktor.

In the end, Batman just coldly tossed a device the size of a palm.

"It’s a signal-reflection radar. It can amplify weak signals and help you narrow down your search."

After a moment, the hatch opened, and the cold, empty space outside rushed in.

Viktor jumped lightly and quickly disappeared into the distance. In just three minutes, he traveled billions of kilometers and reached the area near Neptune’s orbit.

He switched to normal space flight speed and turned on the signal-reflection radar on his waist.

The radar made a soft buzzing sound as it scanned the area around him in the pitch-black space.

The space around him was quiet, with only distant stars emitting weak light and countless asteroids slowly rotating in their orbits.

The silence was so deep that the only sound he could hear was the flow of blood within his own body.

He patiently searched through the vast space, and the radar screen continued to display only chaotic waves of interference.

Three hours quietly passed, but Viktor’s expression remained calm without any sign of impatience.

He once experienced days of waiting on empty planets, and this amount of search time was nothing to him.

Then, about thirty minutes later, the radar at Viktor’s waist suddenly vibrated lightly, and a clear signal spike appeared on the screen.

After searching for another ten or so minutes, he finally spotted a tiny, faintly glowing silver dot in an asteroid belt.

Viktor became more alert and slowly moved closer. As the distance narrowed, the outline of the silver dot became clearer.

It was a small spacecraft the size of a regular room on Earth, which showed that the people who built it must have extremely advanced technology.

The hull was covered in scratches, showing it had been drifting through space for a long time.

He stopped in front of a small window and looked inside.

Inside, a blonde young woman lay quietly, her skin as white as snow with dried tears still visible at the corners of her eyes.

Even though she was asleep, her expression showed vulnerability and fear.

’This... could it be Superman’s cousin?’