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In the remaining time,
Norin flipped through the student handbook, searching for suitable candidates.
But after careful consideration, he found it hard to pick the right ones.
The school had hundreds of mutants with all kinds of abilities.
Some could change TV channels by blinking, some could emit ultrasonic waves, some could spit acid but weren't immune to it, and some could clone themselves but remained as weak as ordinary humans.
Most were useless.
Take the girl who could emit ultrasonic waves. Her ability was decent, but she was under twelve—completely unsuitable.
As for Sunspot and Bishop, who appeared in Days of the Future Past, they weren't on the list. They likely joined the academy later.
At this stage, the only notable mutants, aside from the X-Men, were Iceman, Pyro, Colossus, and... well, that was about it.
Disappointing.
How could he form a team of seven with this?
Norin marked Iceman, Pyro, and Colossus with a question mark.
They were all Level 3 mutants with decent strength but lacked training. Only Colossus was close to being X-Men material. The other two weren't ready.
At best, they could handle jobs like firefighting to gain visibility.
As for the others...
Norin was at a loss. He even considered delaying the team's formation and focusing on training Kitty, Rogue, and Jubilee.
Kitty, after her secondary mutation, had become significantly stronger.
In terms of survivability, she even surpassed Wolverine.
Even if Pyro, Iceman, and Colossus teamed up, they couldn't touch her.
In a prolonged fight, Kitty could take all three down alone!
While Pyro and Iceman had elemental abilities, their physical strength was no better than an average human's. A well-placed dagger could end them.
Colossus, though durable, couldn't be harmed by Kitty's human-level strength. She'd have to strike when he wasn't hardened.
This was one of Kitty's remaining weaknesses.
But for Norin, it wasn't a flaw.
His Kryptonian physique surpassed Colossus's, even if it wasn't on par with Zod or Henry.
Kitty's molecular phasing enhancement had also greatly benefited Norin.
With his other abilities, he could now take on Homelander and match Zod.
Neither Homelander nor Zod had effective ways to attack non-material beings except for heat vision.
But Norin had tested it—heat vision didn't work on molecular phasing.
Yet Norin's attacks could harm both.
If only he could break Zod's defenses, he'd return to the Flash universe and wait for Zod's arrival.
Norin had also experimented with stopping his phasing mid-object.
Could he destroy a target from the inside?
Norin discovered that the method worked.
But your physical strength had to exceed the object you were phasing through.
Otherwise, you'd be torn apart by the material.
Kryptonians' internal defenses were nearly as strong as their external ones.
The bioelectric field even worked inside the body.
Molecular phasing had little effect on Kryptonians. Their physiology was just too overpowered.
---
Norin had a theory: kill Zod instantly before he adapted to Earth's environment.
In that state, Kryptonians hadn't mastered their bioelectric field, leaving them vulnerable.
If time was short, this might be the only way.
Then, use molecular phasing to destroy the World Engine.
The World Engine contained kryptonite, giving it incredible defenses and self-preservation mechanisms.
Its main defenses were two-fold: nano-metal weapons that transformed into tentacles to bind or kill intruders, and gravitational waves that made it nearly impossible for Henry to resist.
The closer you got to the core, the stronger the gravity. Combined with kryptonite, it could fatally harm Norin and Kara.
But with molecular phasing, you could ignore gravitational waves and even resist kryptonite to some extent.
The World Engine might no longer be the biggest threat.
---
With Flash and Kara's help, the odds of defeating Zod and the World Engine were about 50-50.
One step closer to success.
Thinking of this,
Norin missed Kara.
He checked the time. Almost three days had passed since he left the DC universe.
In the Flash universe, only 7 or 8 hours had gone by.
It was time to return and spend some quality time with her.
After locking the door,
he closed his eyes and reopened them, finding himself in Gotham.
---
It was still the familiar manor.
Dusk was settling in.
Next to the manor, a new two-story house had appeared.
The house used a special type of glass, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.
"You're back. Seven hours, 40 minutes, and 48 seconds have passed since you left. That means you've been in that world for three days, four hours, and 48 minutes?"
Bruce's voice came from behind.
Norin raised an eyebrow. Bruce had calculated the time perfectly.
After checking, Norin confirmed Bruce's numbers were spot-on.
---
"Did someone build this in just 7 hours? Is the quality okay?"
"Don't worry. The house is made of the world's best metal and advanced glass."
"The glass is a Wayne Group innovation. It's one-way, soundproof, and can withstand large-caliber weapons and artillery."
"I can also modify it to gather sunlight, making the interior warmer and brighter. All furniture and appliances are heat-resistant."
"This means only superhumans like you can stay inside during the day. Ordinary people wouldn't last more than a day."
"I've also added shock absorbers. Unless someone creates an earthquake, the manor won't be affected."
Bruce's tone grew serious at the last point.
When they did... that, the noise was loud enough. But earthquakes?
He was too old for this.
---
"Ahem, I made a lot of progress this time. Even against Zod, my odds have improved by five times."
Norin awkwardly changed the subject.
Though the transition was clumsy, it shifted Bruce's focus to the impending crisis.
"Five times... that's good."
Bruce didn't think the odds were low. Facing a group of overpowered Kryptonians, a five-level improvement was significant.
Given their dire situation, a fivefold increase in their chances was nothing to scoff at.
During this time, Bruce had been monitoring Barry Allen in Central City. Barry was still the carefree, slightly rebellious young man.
Though Bruce despised such people, he hoped Barry would stay that way until the end of the year—or forever.
This would give them more time to prepare.
---
"We still have time. If we work harder, our chances might improve."
Whether comforting himself or Norin, Bruce patted Norin's shoulder encouragingly.
Just as Norin was about to continue, Bruce gently pushed him forward.
"By the way, Kara's in that room. Go. Don't waste time."
"Huh?" Norin looked back, surprised.
Bruce glared at him, his tone dripping with disdain. "Kid, don't tell me you can't handle it now? A man doesn't say no."
"If you really can't, just say the word. I'll give you a push."
The clicking sound and contemptuous look were devastating.
---
"No? You're not talking about yourself, are you? Oh, right, someone's already given up."
Before Bruce could retort, Norin vanished at supersonic speed.
Bruce smiled helplessly, gazing at the warm sun, lost in thought.
Then he noticed clouds approaching in the distance and frowned.
He pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Everyone, stay sharp! Target those clouds at XXX·XXX. Take them out! If they reach Gotham, no one gets their three-million bonus today! Don't hold back on Ammo—it's unlimited!"
Seconds later,
Boom!
Distant artillery fire echoed as a dozen fighter jets took off.
The clouds were dispersed before they reached Gotham.
Bruce sighed in relief, only to feel a slight tremor.
Looking at the newly built house shaking in the distance, he rolled his eyes, ordered his men to keep monitoring the weather, and headed back to the manor for some recovery exercises.
Meanwhile, under his direction, Wayne Enterprises was developing new weapons.
They'd even launched defense satellites, each armed with missiles.
Bruce had also used his connections to deploy troops near New York for patrols and drills, all funded by Wayne Enterprises.
When the Kryptonian ship arrived, it would face satellite missiles, carrier strikes, fighter jets, and a siege by U.S. soldiers and superhuman teams.
Bruce would spare no effort to increase their chances of victory.
Everything for victory.