Chapter 104 Steppenwolf, Polaris
Somewhere on Earth, inside a massive abandoned factory building, not even the bright noontime sunlight outside could penetrate within.
It was dark, damp, and filled with a strange, growing evil.
Countless alien creatures—each half a head taller than humans, their backs sprouting black insect-like wings—swarmed about the vast structure as if it were their hive. Their buzzing wings filled the place with a droning cacophony.
Until—
An ancient, gravelly voice echoed out, and silence fell over the building.
"Desaad, I call upon you!"
The one who spoke was a towering figure, nearly three meters tall, broad and powerfully built. It held a massive double-bladed axe in one hand. Two cruel horns jutted from its head, while its body was encased in living steel armor that seemed to breathe and shift, the metal scales glinting coldly under the dim light.
Before this being's summons—
A strange monolith before him, attached to a machine that looked like twisted roots of an ancient tree, began to boil like molten lava. The stone shifted and reshaped until it revealed a cloaked figure in black and gray.
"Steppenwolf. So you've begun conquering this world?" The figure known as Desaad spoke calmly.
Steppenwolf lowered his head slightly, his voice hoarse and reverent. "Yes. This world is crumbling. Its rulers are primitive species, their free will destined to be stripped away. As with countless other worlds, only by following a single glorious faith—by surrendering to the greatest existence in the universe—can they find salvation…
Loyalty to him!"
At the end, Steppenwolf's scarred face, half-exposed from under his shifting armor, shone with fanatical devotion.
"The Mother Boxes?" Desaad asked.
"I have already secured one of the three—the one that called out to me," Steppenwolf replied quickly. "The other two still slumber. The Parademons have sensed their locations and are searching across the globe. Soon, I will unite the three into one!"
"Steppenwolf," Desaad's projection said with a hint of pity, "you could have stood at the side of the Lord of Darkness. But your arrogance earned you exile…"
Steppenwolf suddenly let the axe fall with a heavy clang, dropping to both knees in supplication.
"Desaad, I kneel before you. Let me beg for his forgiveness. When I conquer this world in his name—please, let me return home!"
"There is no Green Lantern Corps here. No Kryptonians. No Binary Captain (Captain Marvel)."
"Odin sits old and weary in Asgard. The Old Gods of Earth's pantheon are but faded echoes. This world will fall, just as all the others did."
"For Darkseid!!"
…
Night.
Xi Nian returned home after school, sprawling on the sofa to watch TV. A girl younger than him busied herself around the house.
"Master, would you like some fruit first?"
"Uh… lift your feet a bit, I need to mop here!"
"Dinner is cooking. Oh, Miss Diana called earlier—she won't be home tonight."
Xi Nian sighed.
Lying on the sofa, watching TV, yet his gaze often drifted to the crimson figure moving about the house. Deep down, he always felt guilty, like he was exploiting child labor.
He had once offered to help Wanda, but she rejected him flatly—or rather, dismissed him entirely.
After all, Wanda could clean, cook, slice fruit, and even do laundry simultaneously. Xi Nian, meanwhile, was hopeless if tasked with more than half a chore.
Since Wanda moved in, Xi Nian felt his own life skills rapidly deteriorating. Without her, he wasn't sure he'd even survive.
Just as this thought crossed his mind—
A small piece of metal suddenly flew in from the balcony outside, cutting through the night sky.
Before it even reached the sofa, Xiao Huang, who had been sleeping beside Xi Nian, leapt forward and pinned it to the floor with her little claws.
"That thing came from the rooftop… and it carries a psychic shield. Strange, and powerful," Starro murmured telepathically from its glass jar on the balcony, its eye opening warily.
"Xiao Huang, let me see it!"
Just as Xiao Huang was about to swallow the shard, Xi Nian quickly scooped her up, pried it from her paw, and looked it over.
Engraved on the piece were a few letters: "roof."
A figure flashed through Xi Nian's mind. He clenched the shard in his hand, then called toward the kitchen.
"Wanda, I'm heading out for a bit."
"Dinner's almost ready. Where are you going?" her puzzled voice called back.
"Just downstairs to buy something. I'll be back soon!"
Xi Nian slipped on his shoes, grabbed his keys, and rushed out the door.
But once in the elevator, he pressed the button for the top floor instead.
…
Pushing open the already unlocked iron door, he stepped onto the rooftop of the building.
There, against the railing and night wind, stood a girl in a black athletic outfit. Green hair spilled from under a white baseball cap, fluttering faintly.
"Polaris, boss… what brings you here?" Xi Nian smiled as he approached.
"I'm your boss. Do I need to notify you before coming?" the girl replied proudly, turning her head.
Xi Nian paused slightly. Of course—it was Lorna.
But this time, she wasn't wearing her usual smoky makeup. Beneath the brim of her cap was a pale, delicate face, doll-like features faintly resembling Wanda's.
"What are you staring at? Never seen a face before?" Lorna snapped, glaring at him.
"Why no makeup today?" Xi Nian asked, leaning casually against the railing.
"Seeing you doesn't require makeup," Lorna answered with cool arrogance.
At that moment, Xi Nian suddenly understood. The makeup was a mask—Lorna used it to appear older, to maintain authority over the gangsters who followed her.
Sensing the softer look in Xi Nian's eyes, Lorna crossed her arms and warned, "Don't touch my head. If you do, I'll be furious!"
"Yes, Boss Polaris," Xi Nian chuckled.
Looking at the strong, green-haired girl before him, who seemed tougher than her delicate looks suggested, his heart was shaken.
Under the endless dark night, standing on the rooftop—she was the brightest star in the sky.
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