"Where do you think the Assassin's Union went?" Clark and Captain America were walking forward together, and his face clearly showed worry. "With everything going on, was having the wedding really the right decision?"
"When we decided to be a model for the Multiverse, it was destined to usher in the longest season of trouble." Captain America from the Prime Universe was much more mature than this young Clark, he said, "I hope you understand, we're not looking for trouble; there are too many things in this universe that need to be confronted. If we can't unite, we might face something scarier than destruction."
Clark paused in his steps, watching Captain America's back. He actually couldn't understand, at least not yet, but he felt that Captain America's words had deep meaning, and he had a very strong sadness in his aura.
There's no doubt that Captain America is a tough guy; he's not one to get sentimental. What makes him sad isn't personal affairs but something much grander.
"Hey, Clark." Carter poked his head in and called out, "Another Superman has arrived, just landed at the airport, can you go greet him?"
Clark was taken aback, then said, "Oh, okay, I'll go right away."
"Wait." Carter called him back, and then said, "Are your parents okay? They were really scared that day, please make sure to convey our apologies..."
Clark paused his steps and then said, "They feel quite guilty and asked me to apologize to you all, saying if they'd known about such an important event, they wouldn't have gone out aimlessly and caused trouble."
Carter said nothing, just patted Clark's shoulder. Clark instinctively rubbed his chest, though his injury had healed, he wasn't willing to let his parents leave, and so he kept saying he was still feeling a bit unwell.
The Kents surely noticed, but they also weren't willing to leave their son, especially after realizing how dangerous Forward York City is, they just wanted to be there to support him through tough times. Therefore, they tacitly didn't bring up the matter and continued living happily together.
Clark was considering getting a bigger house, so during the slow farming season every year, his parents could come and stay for a while. Clark had to admit, he was like a home-loving bird, days with family were always comforting.
"Oh, Clark, are you going patrolling again?" Diana asked, having just returned from patrol.
"No, I'm going to the airport to pick up the new Superman." Clark paused for a moment and then asked, "Do you know which universe's Superman is coming?"
"I'm not really sure about that." Diana said, "If they're in uniform, perhaps we can deduce from the colors, but if they're in plain clothes, then it's impossible to tell you apart, just like you can't distinguish us either."
Clark sheepishly smiled. Among the Multiverse guests, there were other Dianas, and he often got them mixed up. Some Dianas looked different, but because their aura was so similar, it was hard for anyone unfamiliar to tell them apart.
Clark hadn't met other Supermen yet; the Rebirth Alliance had told him that the Supermen were involved in Batman's plan and were very busy, they'd only arrive right before the wedding, it was unknown why today's Superman had come early.
Clark drove to the airport, although the Rebirth Alliance's convoy was waiting, the security level wasn't very high. Someone like Superman, in the Multiverse, had maximum credibility, people defaulted that Superman wouldn't pose any danger, so there wasn't a massive show of security.
Clark got out of the car, the Agents nodded at him, Clark adjusted his black-framed glasses and walked towards the shiny new airport. There had been another rain recently, the weather wasn't yet completely sunny, but it was much better than before.
Soon, a figure walked over from the exit, Clark hurried to greet him. Appearing in his view was a particularly young Superman, seeming to be around his age.
Clark felt happy because he knew in the Multiverse, young Supermen were rare, most Clark Kents at least outwardly were middle-aged men, their conversations and behaviors were mature, making them feel like his parents' generation, and Clark found it difficult to converse with them, not expecting to meet someone similarly young today.
"Oh, hello." The other came up to shake his hand, "I didn't expect you to come to pick me up, I thought it would be Batman."
"Apologies, but if you're a superfan of Batman, then you might be disappointed." Clark smiled, "There's no Batman in our universe."
Clark could clearly feel the other person's hand pausing while holding his, and Clark said somewhat curiously, "Do you really like Batman?"
"Kind of." he said, "Batman's publications sell well, if I could get a photo or autograph from him, tons of fans would envy me."
"Sorry, what?" Clark was a bit confused.
"Nothing." The young Superman smiled, "But you don't need to be jealous of him, your publications rank third."
Clark blinked and said, "In your universe are there exclusive comics for Superheroes? Are they drawn by fans?"
The young Superman just gave him a smile, said nothing, and walked out of the airport. Clark just took it as a little joke and didn't dwell on it.
Driving down the road, the young Superman looked at Forward York City, expressing genuine admiration, "Artists really should be paid more, let me see, they could restore Notre Dame Cathedral too, the classical carvings here are incredibly detailed."
"Indeed, the designers put a lot of effort into it." Clark nodded, "We also have to thank the students from the original Gotham University School of Art and Design, they contributed many ideas, you know, Gothamites are the best at art."
Then Clark began to talk about the schedule: "I was supposed to take you to the hotel, but my parents heard that a Clark Kent from another universe was coming and wanted to invite you to dinner, so we're going to my place first."
The young Superman didn't say anything, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Clark assumed he was just shy, and drove to the apartment building, bringing the young Superman inside.
"Do you have a dog?" he suddenly asked.
"You mean in the apartment? Pets are not allowed in the apartment," Clark said. "But I did have one back home. Don't you like dogs?"
The young Superman shook his head. The elevator arrived, and Clark led him into the apartment. As soon as the door opened, the rich aroma of food wafted over. Clark took a deep breath, smiled, and said, "You really should try Martha's cooking… Oh, wait, I forgot; you must be used to it, right?"
"Not really," the young Superman said, "Let's go in."
They entered, and the Kents immediately showed great enthusiasm upon seeing the young Superman, as they realized he was about the same age as their son and would likely become good friends.
"Dinner will be ready in a while, you guys watch some TV first," Martha said, as if comforting a young Clark. "The city's meat isn't as fresh as in the countryside, so it takes longer to stew. Don't be impatient; good things come to those who wait."
Clark grabbed two cans of chilled drinks, handed one to the young Superman, and pulled him to sit at the table on the balcony: "You're the first young Superman I've ever met. Which universe are you from? How are things in your universe?"
"Not bad," the young Superman said.
Clark felt that his peer was a bit introverted, but seemed not unwilling to talk, just often distracted. For example, now he held the drink can without drinking, just looking at the packaging, or even trying to crush the can.
Clark sighed, took the can from his hand, opened it, and put it back in front of him: "Have you ever left your universe? Never been to Battleworld?"
"What's Battleworld?" The new term finally piqued his interest, "Sounds like an arena."
"Something like that," Clark said. "It's a multiverse communication platform spanning two Great Worlds, also like a game library, where you can meet all kinds of people and play many games. You'd better check your trash can at home to see if there's an invitation."
"You're confusing me. How could an invitation be in a trash can?" The other finally focused on the conversation.
"Because at first, I thought it was a scam letter and tossed it out," Clark admitted, a bit embarrassed. "They designed it to look like the letters kings in the Middle Ages would send challenging each other. I thought some heresy had targeted me. If Spider Man hadn't reminded me, I might have been locked out for losing the invitation."
"…Who's Spider Man?" The other asked again.
Since Clark realized the other might be a poor soul who had never encountered the multiverse, he felt a strong sense of compassion and patiently explained, "You know Bruce Wayne, right? He didn't become Batman but became Spider Man instead."
"Of course, Spider Man isn't a name from our world; it's from the neighboring world. Apparently, Bruce gained the powers of the Spider Totem after meeting Spider Man from another world."
Seeing the other's confused expression, Clark slapped his forehead and said, "Sorry, I might've said too much. But I don't know what you don't know. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask."
"What's the neighboring world?" The other asked a key question.
"It's another Great World," Clark replied. "You know our multiverse is part of something bigger, right? I don't know the exact name, but you can think of it as Microsoft's computer system, and outside that system is Apple's system. They're different."
"These two systems were completely incompatible before, but then with Battleworld, they adapted each other's parameters. So now, files can be transferred between the two systems, and some programs have been directly fused, resulting in our universe, officially named 'Fusion Universe' by both Great Worlds."
"Does the other Great World have superheroes too?"
"Of course," Clark didn't understand why he asked, "We have Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman; they have Captain America, Spider Man, Iron Man…"
"What the heck is Iron Man?" The other questioned first, confused by the name, since "Iron" in English is also used to refer to a flat iron.
"No, it's 'iron'," Clark paused, unsure how to explain Iron Man's abilities. "He made a mecha suit to wear, to fight enemies, and he does research. He's a pretty brilliant scientist."
The other seemed startled into thought, pondering something. Clark figured he was overwhelmed because, upon learning there were greater worlds, he too needed time to process.
"It might not mean much this way, but tomorrow I'll take you to meet the Rebirth Alliance, then you'll understand. Also, we can go to Battleworld to play games together. You'll encounter many superheroes from the neighboring universe there; play a few rounds, and you'll get familiar."