DC: A New Beginning-Chapter 45: Family

By the time Viktor was pushing the small spacecraft back up to speed near Jupiter’s orbital path, Cyborg’s electronic eyes flickered to life again.

"Viktor’s transmitter signal has synchronized with the frequency emitted by the ship. It looks like it’s not an enemy."

The Justice League members all sighed in relief for a moment.

Then, Cyborg instinctively compared the negative space frequency coming from the spaceship against every known signal signature in the database.

Five minutes later, Viktor felt like his earpiece was buzzing with noise.

Since signals lose over such a huge distance in space, the sound in his earpiece was distorted by static and frequency interference.

"Damn! That’s from Krypton—"

"Krypton?—Did he run into a bunch of Superman?"

"What if he’s already been captured—"

"Contact Superman quickly!"

Batman frowned as he watched the noise in front of him.

Since Viktor flew toward the edge of the solar system for about four hours, a few members who had finished their tasks had arrived at the Watchtower.

This caused a bit of chaos.

They knew how powerful Superman was, but Superman’s personality didn’t decide whether Krypton was good or bad.

They still clearly remembered General Zod’s arrival.

Batman approached Cyborg and quietly instructed him to activate the quantum communication signal.

"Viktor, are you okay? Answer me."

He slowed his flight speed slightly, removing one hand from the ship to activate the communicator hanging from his waist.

"What’s going on? I still need about half an hour to get back. The spaceship’s material is heavy, but judging by the scratches on the exterior, the internal structure might be damaged. I don’t want to go too fast and risk it breaking apart."

Viktor’s clear voice seemed to reassure the Justice League members.

After Batman asked him some questions, Viktor briefly described the appearance of the ship and the unconscious girl inside.

"I’m starting to really believe there are more alien refugees on Earth. This frequency is so high that it’s like Earth is constantly emitting signals that attract other races. I heard someone mention Krypton. Is Superman still busy?"

As Viktor asked, Cyborg quickly brought up a live news broadcast on the screen showing Superman suppressing the volcanic eruption.

Superman, who had previously appeared calm and in control, now looked visibly anxious after receiving Cyborg’s message.

Superman took a deep breath, his cheeks puffing up, then released a long stream of freezing air without worrying about the environment, leaving a massive artificial ice mountain in Hawaii, then shot off into space with a loud crash.

He didn’t even glance at the Watchtower as he passed by.

Before reaching Mars’ orbit, Viktor felt a flash in front of him, and then a large, familiar hand rested on his shoulder.

Superman’s other hand carefully touched the outer shell of the ship, staring blankly at the girl inside the cabin, her face stained with tears.

This time, she wasn’t an enemy, and it was one of his own people. The loneliness he had hidden deep in his heart for decades burst out.

"Thank you, Viktor."

Superma’s suppressed emotion echoed in Viktor’s ears.

"Oh, it was nothing..."

Before Vikto could finish, the same stars in front of him blurred just like last time.

In the blink of an eye, Superman gently set both him and the little spacecraft down on the bridge just outside the Watchtower.

The acceleration and deceleration were so intense, but as someone being flown, Viktor didn’t feel the slightest bit dizzy.

Viktor had never been so envious of Superman’s bio-field before.

"That ability is unbelievably useful."

The Watchtower was protected by an energy shield that kept the air breathable, and everyone simply stepped outside and gathered around Superman.

They crowded behind him with a mix of curiosity and concern on their faces, whispering to each other and guessing who the girl in the ship might be.

Diana placed a hand on Superman’s arm.

Even Batman, rarely distracted, completely ignored Viktor and went over to the spaceship, pulling out his tools to carefully examine the ship with Cyborg and the young girl’s condition inside.

Superman seemed to notice a symbol inside the spaceship through his x-ray vision.

"It’s the same family crest. She... she’s part of my family?"

The Flash was the first to react, quietly offering his congratulations to Superman, then quickly adding a long explanation, assuring everyone that the girl was harmless if she was really from Krypton.

Green Arrow suddenly looked up from the crowd and spotted Viktor.

Viktor stood quietly with his face showing no expression.

Green Arrow silently slipped away from the group and walked up to him.

"If this turns out to be as important as it looks, I’d like to personally add another two million dollars to your payment."

Viktor stayed silent for a moment.

He rubbed his chin and looked at Batman’s back as he carefully checked the girl’s vital signs. A slow smile appeared on his face.

"There’s no need for the extra... If I completely refuse this payment, wouldn’t that mean Superman owes me a huge favor? And wouldn’t that make him more likely to support me when Batman decides to make things difficult?"

Green Arrow paused for a moment.

Even though he didn’t fully understand the conflict between him and Batman, Green Arrow seemed interested in how things would play out.

He also glanced at Batman, who was focused more than when the Justice League had faced previous powerful enemies.

Then Green Arrow smirked mischievously.

"You don’t need to worry about it. Knowing Superman’s personality, whether you accept this payment or not, he’ll always remember that you safely brought his ’family’ back from the edge of the solar system. That’s just who he is."

"Alright, deal. How do we settle the five million?"

"You’re really that broke...?"

"Do you know how I’ve been surviving on Earth? The source of getting food was diving into the ocean and catching fish with my bare hands."

Green Arrow almost wanted to slap himself in the face.

Even though money wasn’t a problem for him, why did he have to add that extra comment earlier?

"I won’t go back on my word. When you get the time, go to Queen Industries in Star City and find Oliver Queen. He’s a very wealthy, handsome guy, just mention my name and call him ’handsome’, and you’ll get the seven million from him."

Viktor n actually looked startled for a moment.

"If I mention you more, will it go up to ten million?"

Green Arrow didn’t answer.

He leaned his head back and looked at the stars beyond the Watchtower’s energy shield, with a hint of nostalgia on his face as he patted Viktor’s shoulder.

"I’ve also eaten fish from the sea for a few years, and life was tough back then. After that time, I couldn’t even get a date for a while. The women hated how my mouth always smelled like fish."

"Really?"

Viktor found it hard to relate.

It was true that after escaping to Earth, Vikttor hadn’t lived the rich and comfortable life he once imagined.

Sometimes, when he thought about it, he did feel a small sense of disappointment, but living by the sea and catching fish had felt like paradise to him.

The psychological degradation on Viltrum had been far worse.

However, Viktor genuinely didn’t care much about the money.

The reason he’d brought up payment with the League at all was mainly that Rachel had been looking strangely at him lately.

She kept muttering that he was a liar who had tricked her into coming here only to live a harder life than being a petty thief in Gotham.

If he didn’t find a way to make some money, Viktor’s dignity as a man was not going to survive much longer.

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