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"Let me fight Superman if necessary..."
In a private room within the Fortress of Solitude, Clark sat alone on his bed, lost in thought. A few days had passed since his communication with Lucian. After being granted access to the underground base, he and Lucian had returned to the Fortress to continue their heroic work.
As the plan unfolded smoothly, Black Adam was subdued, and most of the infected people on land were transported to the Dark World through Lucian's plan. This period brought a sense of relief to everyone. The remaining survivors, totaling about 15 million, had all been rescued and relocated to Gotham Forest and Paradise Island, just as they had hoped.
With the heroes freed from tedious duties, they, under the leadership of Lucian and Cyborg, began developing an antidote for the virus. But it quickly became clear that a virus born from the self-reflexive Anti-Life Equation would not be so easily defeated.
Cyborg and Lucian dedicated themselves to the research, but progress was slow. In any other situation, they would have persevered, certain that an antidote would be found eventually.
However, Black Adam's defeat didn't mean the crisis was over. A massive threat still lurked beneath the sea. Aquaman, Arthur Curry, had not been defeated. Instead, he was hiding in the ocean depths, spreading a deadly virus that was polluting the vast waters.
More and more of the planet's water resources were becoming contaminated, making them undrinkable until an antidote could be successfully created. The Atlanteans, who were tasked with keeping parts of the sea unpolluted, were no match for Arthur.
In their battles for control of the ocean, more and more Atlanteans were defeated and became infected.
While the threat on land was resolved, giving humans a chance to expand and reclaim lost territory, Arthur's existence threatened to make Earth uninhabitable. If food ran out, it could be grown again, as many of the survivors were skilled farmers.
But with the oceans thoroughly polluted and the Earth's water cycle breaking down, the end for humanity on this planet was becoming a foreseeable reality.
"Are you arguing again..."
A new argument had erupted in the main hall of the Fortress of Solitude between Lucian and Superman. Clark sighed, pushing his complex thoughts aside, and opened his door to join them.
In the hall, Lucian was once again presenting his plan. "Superman, it's time for you to face reality. Yes, we have gained temporary god-like power, and the survivors are safe for now, but no one can handle the infected Aquaman in the sea.
As long as he's out there, time is not on our side." Lucian's statement was already a conservative one; the moment the infected fell into the sea, the water was contaminated. Arthur was simply using his abilities to speed up the process.
"But this is our home. How can we just run away like this? We still have hope. We will survive this disaster," Superman insisted. This argument was a repeat of one from two weeks prior.
Shortly after the virus first broke out, Lucian had proposed his "Ark Project"—a plan to build a massive spaceship, a modern-day Noah's Ark, to transport the survivors to a new, uninfected planet to start over.
At the time, Superman had rejected the plan for the same reasons he was giving now, and he had been backed by nearly all the other heroes. Even those who weren't as idealistic had sided with Superman, and Lucian's plan was abandoned.
But this time, as Superman spoke the same words, hoping to rally everyone, he found very few people supporting him. In fact, Cyborg was the first to take Lucian's side.
"Superman, we can hold on. As you can see, I'm a cyborg; I can go without water for a year or two. But it's not the same for ordinary people. They need both food and clean water," Cyborg explained calmly.
They had considered plans to lure Arthur out of the sea and defeat him. While that wouldn't reverse the pollution, it would at least buy them more time. However, every plan he and Lucian had devised had failed.
The infected Arthur was clever; he wouldn't actively attack humans. He would only use his abilities to pollute the oceans, slowly forcing humanity toward extinction. Without Arthur taking the initiative, they couldn't risk entering the virus-filled waters to fight him, as even Superman couldn't guarantee he wouldn't be infected.
Cyborg's tone was much calmer than Lucian's. He understood that Superman's resistance wasn't just stubbornness. It was because Superman had already lost one home planet.
Although he was just a baby when he was sent to Earth, he knew the truth about Krypton's destruction. His parents loved him, and he identified Krypton as his home, grieving its loss. He had already lost his home once, and he couldn't bear to abandon Earth, his second home.
"Superman, we have to leave Earth because ordinary people can't hold on much longer," Cyborg continued. "Even if 15 million people are extremely frugal, the amount of water they need is still immense.
With Arthur actively polluting the oceans, we're reaching our limit. But this doesn't mean we're giving up on Earth. We're just leaving temporarily. When Lucian develops an antidote, we'll come back."
Behind Cyborg, Lucian let out a cold snort, expressing his disdain for Superman's sentimental behavior, but he didn't say much. Cyborg's thoughts were essentially his own; he had never intended to abandon Earth permanently. The resources on the planet were simply no longer sufficient to support their survival.
"I see..." Superman finally relented. He wasn't being unreasonable, just momentarily blinded by his emotions. Under the collective persuasion of all the heroes, he agreed to Lucian's plan.
The Ark Project had officially begun.