Barry dodged the question, implying he was abstaining and wouldn't get involved.
Batman had no choice but to give up as well.
But Qingshui suspected the guy was still plotting something devious.
"If everything's done, I'll head back and get some rest."
After such a major battle, Qingshui was thoroughly exhausted.
Those Kryptonians truly weren't easy to handle.
As he spoke, Qingshui also pulled a small device from inside the White Knight armor and pressed a button.
This was a small item Barry had brought from S.T.A.R. Labs, made by Cisco, capable of temporarily jamming all signal channels except for a designated frequency.
Qingshui mainly worried that Lex Luthor would use this opportunity to seize control of the White Knight and cause trouble.
Given Luthor's abilities, he could certainly crack this signal jammer, but it would take some time at least.
Now that the battle was over, it could be turned off.
Less than a second later, Lex Luthor sent a communication request.
"Hello, Luthor, things are resolved here."
"You're too optimistic, Watt. I won't bother you about jamming my signal for now, but there's something I need to tell you."
From a helicopter about twenty kilometers outside Metropolis, Luthor spoke into the intercom.
"While you were fighting, Congress passed an order to launch a one-megaton strategic nuclear missile towards Metropolis. It's expected to arrive over Metropolis in about a minute."
"Understood."
Qingshui hung up the phone with a grim expression, then called out to Superman, Batman, and The Flash, informing them of the situation.
"Are they crazy? Metropolis has tens of millions of people! If that nuclear missile hits, the death toll could rival World War I!" Barry exclaimed.
With his and Superman's speed, they could certainly carry some people out of the nuclear blast radius.
But Metropolis had tens of millions of people; even they couldn't evacuate everyone in one minute.
"To them, perhaps we, like the aliens, are a huge threat. If we leave, the deaths of tens of millions of people will be used by those people as a weapon against us through public opinion. If not..."
Batman's expression was just as grim.
Superman had already flown into the sky, searching for the nuclear missile's location.
Batman's right hand quickly tapped another touchscreen on his left arm, using Wayne Enterprises' satellite to broadcast the captured footage.
With his red cape fluttering, Superman, flying in the air, had already located the nuclear missile. He flew beneath it, holding the missile as he flew towards the outer atmosphere.
Then, at a certain moment, a brilliant yet fleeting star appeared in the clear blue sky.
"Is Superman... okay?" Barry looked up at the sky and asked.
To prevent the various secondary phenomena caused by a nuclear explosion within the atmosphere, Superman had carried the nuclear missile into space for detonation.
Batman didn't answer, simply looking up at the sky.
Soon, a figure in a red cape slowly descended from the heavens, appearing like a god among men under the sunlight.
"Whew..."
Barry let out a sigh of relief, then an awkward sound came from his stomach.
"Interested in grabbing a bite together? War Warrior, The Flash, and... Mr. Wayne? I know a good barbecue place."
Superman landed, a slight smile on his face.
Batman's face darkened.
His face under the mask had been seen through, and he, Bruce Wayne, was a celebrity often on TV.
As a news media professional, Clark Kent couldn't possibly fail to recognize his identity.
The group disguised themselves in their own ways and headed to the barbecue restaurant Superman mentioned.
Actually, the one who mainly disguised himself was Superman; he simply put on glasses and transformed into Clark Kent, farmer's son, Daily Planet reporter.
Qingshui found it somewhat incredible, because just wearing glasses, with no obvious change in appearance, made him look completely different. Subconsciously, people would believe he was a different person from Superman!
It was absurd!
As for Qingshui, Batman, and Barry, they appeared at the barbecue restaurant in their normal capacities.
Qingshui himself was the CEO of Watt Group and the major boss of TSL Company, so his presence in Metropolis was perfectly normal.
Bruce Wayne had flown to Metropolis the night before to represent Wayne Enterprises and discuss business with Qingshui. Barry represented S.T.A.R. Labs—he was an honorary holder of S.T.A.R. Labs, and S.T.A.R. Labs was Watt Group's designated technology partner, so his presence here as Qingshui's consultant was also very reasonable.
"Unbelievable, two billionaires came to my restaurant for barbecue in such a dangerous situation!" The Turkish owner, surprised, opened the door for them.
"It's alright, we're all safe now, sir. Superman, The Flash from Central City, and Batman and War Warrior from Gotham defeated the aliens, that's why we dared to come to your restaurant to eat."
Clark Kent, a warm, sunny smile on his face, spoke to the shop owner.
"Oh, thank goodness for that!" the owner exclaimed.
"I'm Clark Kent, a reporter for the Daily Planet," Clark said. "Before the conflict with the alien, I was interviewing two billionaires and their consultants about a business collaboration. However, the place we were just interviewing at was destroyed, so we were hoping to use your establishment. It's a nice place here, and we'll order some grilled meat too."
Clark Kent leveraged his high affinity to chat with the owner.
"Oh, yes, of course, you can! What would you like? Doner kebab and beef doner? Or a grilled meat wrap? After you finish eating, could I ask Mr. Wayne and Mr. Watt to take a photo with me? Then I can put the picture in the most prominent spot in my shop and tell everyone that our grilled meat is loved by more than one billionaire." The owner rubbed his hands, chuckling.
"Certainly. We'll have three portions of everything you just mentioned," Qingshui said, smiling as well.
His Chakra was excessively depleted, and he needed to replenish his nutrients and energy, while also enjoying a good meal.
"No, make that five portions!" Barry interjected.
His energy consumption was also significant.
The grilled meat tasted pretty good.
After all, Clark lived and worked in Metropolis, so he naturally knew where to find cheap and delicious food.
After eating his fill and parting ways with everyone, Qingshui found a secluded corner, took out his phone, and made a call.
"Mr. Luthor."
"Hmm?"
"I want to know who exactly on Capitol Hill demanded that nuclear bombs be dropped."
At the Metropolis airport, having just received news that the danger had passed, Luthor, returning from his helicopter, answered the phone, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.
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