Even though they were also victims of Lex Luthor's schemes, things began with them, which allowed Lex Luthor to exploit the situation.
They couldn't escape responsibility for this.
...
Meanwhile, near Gotham's harbor.
Under the gloomy sky, large raindrops pattered on the water, creating countless ripples.
A submarine marked with a bat symbol dove into the water, continuously scanning with its sonar.
According to the clues Batman had uncovered, Lex Luthor had already dumped the container holding the Kryptonian creature embryo into the waters adjacent to Gotham.
"Master Bruce, we've checked several kilometers around the entire harbor, and we still haven't found any suspicious targets."
Alfred sat in front of the computer, sipping coffee, reporting to Batman via radio.
Batman, meanwhile, was placing a smoke bomb filled with Kryptonite powder into a projector, installing it on a rooftop.
"Then there are only two possibilities. One is that Lex Luthor has more powerful technological jamming methods, and the other is that it's not here.
If it's the latter, it means the clues we found were intentionally left by Lex Luthor to mislead us. He wants to deliberately direct our attention here to conceal his true objective."
Batman paused, his voice low. "Alfred, change the sonar frequency. Import both frequencies' sonar signals into the underwater environmental model. In this situation, we can only deduce its location through environmental acoustics, by analyzing the water flow and underwater fluctuations.
Additionally, check all records of large cargo entering Gotham today. They might have disguised their entry through other means."
"Master Bruce, why are you so certain that thing would be in Gotham?" Alfred asked, tilting his head, while operating the computer according to Batman's instructions.
"It's meaningless. Lex Luthor's primary goal is definitely to destroy Superman. Since he's doing this, he must believe this Kryptonian biological weapon possesses power that would render Superman helpless.
Given that its power is even greater than Superman's, the only way to defeat this Kryptonian creature must be the same as defeating Superman, because Lex Luthor's target is Superman, not all of humanity.
And with his intelligence, he would surely deduce that Watt and I still have a certain amount of Kryptonite in stock. Only we have the ability to resolve this problem, or even eliminate Superman. He would definitely arrange the battlefield in Gotham."
Batman's sharp gaze swept over the area. After camouflaging the projector, he grappled to another building.
He intended to set up multiple Kryptonite traps in Gotham.
Once the crisis erupted, no matter where it occurred, he could quickly lead the enemy to the nearest trap.
"Alright, Master Bruce. Should I contact Mr. Watt? Should danger arise, he would be a great help." Alfred asked again.
"It seems so, but I'm concerned his suit might be controlled by Lex Luthor. So, before I left, I already sent him a message, telling him to cut off the Speed Force supply to his suit as soon as possible."
Lex Luthor's entire plan wasn't very complex; Batman had largely figured it out.
But understanding it didn't mean he could crack it.
If Lex Luthor could remotely disable Qingshui's combat capability, then defeating the enemy would undoubtedly be extremely difficult.
Even if other variables emerged, by then, the city would have already suffered immense casualties and property damage.
The core of solving the problem with minimal cost lay with Qingshui.
Qingshui's strongest combat state relied on the White Knight's Promethium shell and the Speed Force Dagger. This state, combined with a Kryptonite weapon, and with Superman and Batman distracting the enemy, would be fully capable of killing the Kryptonian biological weapon.
If Qingshui were to create another suit to avoid Lex Luthor's interference, without the Promethium, his combat power would significantly decline.
If there was no Promethium for protection, and the enemy possessed combat power at Superman's level or even higher, resolving the enemy without losses—whether it was Qingshui or Superman—would require taking an almost certain-death risk to achieve victory.
Because to kill the Kryptonian biological weapon, only Kryptonite could be used. If Superman were to do it, it would be a mutual destruction.
If it were Qingshui, without Promethium protection, one hit could be fatal, and the chance of success would be much lower than Superman's desperate attempt.
Lex Luthor could accept any outcome, whether it be a major victory, a minor victory, or a draw.
Lex Luthor's plan was actually quite good. From a normal perspective, he had over ninety percent chance of success.
However, he overlooked one thing.
The Speed Force might seem to only grant super speed, but in reality, it violates all laws of physics. It can separate the White Knight and the Promethium shell through high-frequency vibrations—a method that sounds absurd and truly is.
...
Switching back to Batman.
Not long after, Alfred found the relevant information.
As early as the night before last, before Lex Luthor made the news public, a container from a freighter had been unknowingly transported to Gotham's logistics center.
However, all related information had been blocked, and the entire process was done without a trace, only being discovered just now.
Alfred reported to Batman while frowning, looking at the surveillance footage.
A one-eyed man in yellow and black armor gestured a two-finger salute by sweeping two fingers forward from his temple.
There weren't many people capable of keeping an item off Batman's intelligence network for so long, but Deathstroke, a fellow tactical master, was definitely one of them.
"Master Bruce, he knows we've discovered them. I think they might believe the time is right and intentionally allowed us to find them." Alfred said gravely into the radio.
"Contact Gordon and Watt immediately. Have the police department and Hogg United evacuate the area. Send messages to Superman and The Flash at once, requesting their immediate assistance."
Batman gave his instructions while moving towards the location Alfred indicated.
At the same time, in front of the plaza at the logistics center, the sound of propellers filled the air.
Deathstroke and several recruited mercenaries immediately boarded a helicopter.
According to the life detector Lex Luthor left in the container, the Kryptonian biological weapon, initially forty-eight hours away from hatching, now had just over two minutes left.
Their helicopter's engine had been personally modified by Lex Luthor to be very fast. This amount of time was enough for them to fly far away, escaping the battle's blast radius.
Two minutes later.
Batman's cape, which had formed wings, retracted, and he slowly descended here, opening the large door.
The first thing that caught his eye was a giant egg, nearly three meters tall, placed in the center of the warehouse, along with an instrument displaying the hatching countdown and a television screen beside it.
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