Kino tossed the compass toward Superman.Superman caught it steadily, a confused look appearing on his face.
"This is a family-seeking compass," Kino explained."In this universe, you're lucky. You still have a relative alive.Just follow the direction the needle points, and you'll find them."
Superman's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the delicate compass in his hand.
He had a living relative in this world?His tall figure trembled slightly with emotion.
"Thank you, Kino… Really, thank you so much!"Superman's eyes turned red, and his voice became choked.He carefully placed the compass close to his chest under his clothes.
"You're welcome. Now it's time for you all to fulfill what you promised me."Kino's face flashed a cunning smile as he looked around at the group.
Only then did the superheroes remember the agreement they'd made.Batman's face changed instantly and asked urgently,
"What did you promise him?"
"Nothing much," Flash shrugged. "Just that we'd fulfill any of his requests, as long as they didn't cross any of our bottom lines."
Batman's face turned ugly. "That's too vague and open to manipulation."Luckily, neither he nor Superman had agreed to such terms—maybe there was still a way to fix this.
"And also," Wonder Woman added, "to persuade you and Superman to agree too."
"I have no objections," Superman said at once, too moved by the thought of a living relative to care about anything else.
Batman opened his mouth to protest, but before he could say anything, a portal opened beneath his feet—and he fell through it.
The same type of portal appeared beneath the others as well.
Superman recognized the design as identical to Kino's and didn't resist.
"Eh? Where did everyone go?" Shazam scratched his head in confusion.
"They have something to do. Here, you can have this—take it and play."Kino conjured a steel battle suit and tossed it to Shazam.
"Mark III! Thanks, Kino bro!"Shazam couldn't wait to put it on.
In the blink of an eye, Kino vanished without a trace too.Since Shazam was still a child, Kino decided to spare him.
— — —
When the superheroes opened their eyes again, they found themselves in a room, all seated in a circle on chairs.
"Kino bro, where is this?" asked the Flash.
Wonder Woman instinctively tried to stand up but was immediately yanked back down by chains around her limbs. Her entire body felt unusually weak.
"My powers… Why can't I use them?"
The others also tried to break free, but no matter how hard they tried, it felt like their strength had vanished into thin air.
"Stop trying," Kino said with a smile. "This is my Hell. Without my permission, you won't be able to use your powers."
Batman's face turned grim. He could tell—a new crisis was at hand.
"What exactly are you trying to do?" he asked coldly.
"Don't be so serious. Smile, won't you? It'll make your meat taste better."As Kino spoke, he bared his fangs.
The others looked at him with deadpan expressions.
Had they not helped Superman find his family, they might've believed that.
"Tch, no fun. Just answer a few questions for me."
Kino dropped the illusion and returned to his original form.
"Why did you tie us up?" asked Zatanna, rattling her chains.
"To keep you from running away, of course."
Kino pulled out two items from behind him, and everyone's faces turned pale.
The Lasso of Truth—and a video camera.
"No! No! NO!"
"You can't do this! I promise I'll tell the truth!"
"Please! I'm a girl—have mercy!"
Superman and Batman looked bewildered, unable to understand why everyone was reacting so strongly.
"We'll go in order. You're up first, Zatanna."
Kino placed the camera in front of her and tied the Lasso of Truth to her wrist.
Zatanna bit her lip hard. At that moment, she wished she was mute.
"First question: At what age did you discover the 'Do Not Offend' tag?"
The lasso glowed, and Zatanna began speaking uncontrollably.
"Fifteen. I saw some information while browsing a website and learned about it gradually."
"Did you enjoy it?"
"Yes. I really liked... the creator's work. I even went to Japan to meet them in person."
Kino released the lasso.
Zatanna instantly snapped out of it. She looked up—only to meet the teasing gazes of everyone around her.
She wanted to crawl into a hole.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Zatanna slammed her forehead against the table repeatedly, trying to erase the memory.
"Alright, next one."
Everyone's faces changed drastically—even Superman and Batman weren't exceptions anymore.
"I used to go to my neighbor's house a lot as a kid," said Doctor Fate.
"You liked the older sister?"
"No, I liked her mom. Then we moved."
"Decent taste," Kino nodded, and asked, "Did you ever succeed?"
"Almost. But her husband came back at the worst time."
"You got beat up?"
"No. Actually, her husband almost got me instead. He invited me to join their family."
"…You've had it rough."
The psychological trauma could probably last a lifetime. Kino's mouth twitched.
Zatanna also stopped head-banging and perked up her ears—curiosity now outweighed her embarrassment.
Doctor Fate looked calm. At his age, nothing could really shame him anymore—and it wasn't like he was the only one.
"Batman was actually my idol," said Green Lantern. "I mocked him at first, but it was because I envied him. He has no powers but still achieves so much. He's brave. Not like me…"
"A man being tsundere is just gross."
"I always loved my dad. Everything I did was to get his attention." —Cyborg.
"Mid."
"Hwbhzkandbsj…" —Martian Manhunter.
"…You win."
"I have no dark history." Wonder Woman looked supremely confident. "There is not a single stain on my life."
"How old are you?"
"5268!" she shouted. "Everyone, plug your ears! If anyone spreads this, I swear we're enemies for life!"
Everyone looked at her in shock.That age—she was basically their ancestor.
Green Lantern had originally wanted to flirt with her, but he completely gave up now.
"I heard you can reincarnate," Kino said to Hawkman. "In any of your past lives… have you ever picked cotton?"
"No." Hawkman's expression remained flat.
"Disappointing. I was curious what it felt like."
Hawkman's face darkened.
Next was Flash.
"Kino bro, please…"
Kino shook his head. "This is for your own good. If I let you off today, they'll torture you tomorrow for your secrets."
The others who had already confessed looked expressionlessly at the Flash.They wouldn't kill him, but interrogating him later was almost guaranteed.
"…Fine."
"Tell me your black history after you got the Speed Force."
"When I first got my powers, I was so excited I ran outside. My clothes caught fire… and a bunch of people saw me. I didn't dare go out for a week."
Flash's voice got softer and redder as he spoke.
Kino untied the lasso. One confession was enough.
Next, Superman.
"When I first got my powers, I couldn't control them. I accidentally saw a female classmate changing clothes… and my heat vision burned the bedroom."
He said it directly.Better to reveal something mild than get dragged into something worse.
"You pass."
Kino didn't mind. Batman was his real target.
Batman copied Superman's approach and volunteered:
"My first time fighting crime, I failed. I almost fell off a tall building."
He closed his mouth, waiting for Kino to untie the lasso.
"Have you ever cried in your life?"
Batman's face twitched, but the lasso made him speak:"Twice. Once when I was ten, after my parents were killed. The second when my adoptive son was murdered by the Joker."
"How many women have you had? Who's your favorite?"
"Too many to count. My favorite is Catwoman."
"Have you ever done anything truly embarrassing?"
"One time, I…"
Quote of the Chapter:"Everyone has skeletons in their closet—it's just a matter of how loud the bones rattle."
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