Chapter 6 Awakening
When the battlefield calmed down, Ares had already disappeared from the midst of it, leaving behind only a complete mess.
Seeing that the battlefield had turned into ruins, Dianafroze for a moment.
"What should we do with this place?"
Having just arrived in the human world, Diana was still somewhat naive and felt somewhat at a loss looking at the surrounding battlefield reduced to ruins.
"Leave this place for humans to handle themselves. You helped them solve Ares, after all; they can bear this little loss."
Diana paused for a moment, thinking that seemed to be indeed the case.
"Ares is dead, so the human war should be over as well."
Diana was in a good mood at the moment, but Kal-El and Steve knew this was unrealistic.
Kal-El and Steve exchanged glances and decided they still needed to bring Diana to the front lines.
"Although you have dealt with Ares, we had better go to the front lines and take a look."
Although puzzled, Diana still agreed.
Steve ultimately decided to bring along several of his partners.
Although the combat power of Kal-El and Diana was very strong, Steve did not have the idea of relying entirely on the two of them for everything.
"Then let us make preparations and set off for the front lines of the battlefield!"
"I might need to bring a few friends along; they can give us some help."
It seemed Steve still intended to bring along those talented friends of his!
Under Steve's lead, they came to a small tavern, and as soon as they sat down, they saw a sturdy-looking man chasing after a scrawny man and beating him savagely.
Kal-El looked at the figures of the two and asked.
"Are those your friends?"
"Of course!"
Diana also nodded in approval and praise.
"He is very strong!"
Steve looked at Diana in astonishment, unable to believe this was the evaluation of his friend.
He spoke up to explain again.
"I was talking about the one who is getting beaten up."
Diana was slightly taken aback, while Kal-El let out a soft chuckle.
He knew it!
"Aren't you going to help? Your friend's situation looks bad."
Kal-El glanced at the scrawny figure still screaming nearby and reminded Steve.
Steve, however, waved his hand indifferently, pouring drinks for Kal-El and Diana as he did so.
"Never mind him for now; he is already used to it, and nothing major will happen."
Kal-El and Diana exchanged glances, somewhat unable to understand this friend of Steve's.
Do humans nowadays have such strange hobbies?
Although they did not understand, Kal-El fully respected it, drinking while chatting with the two.
After some twists and turns, Steve successfully persuaded them to go to the battlefield together to destroy the German Army poison gas bombs.
Even though the composition of these few friends was somewhat complicated!
The group headed toward the battlefield all the way, seeing many ragged civilians along the road.
"I have already killed Ares, why haven't humans stopped the war yet?"
Diana did not understand why humans slaughtered each other.
Her beliefs seemed to have collapsed, and she was filled with anger toward human actions.
"Humans are complex; they have a good side, and likewise a terrible side.
This world is not always as wonderful as you imagine. In the human world, you need to have your own thoughts, Diana."
Kal-El transformed into a life mentor at this moment, counseling Diana who had drilled into a dead end.
Diana's eyes were red, and a few crystalline teardrops appeared at the corners of her eyes.
"Mother was right; humans are not worth saving, and they are full of lies and deception."
Steve hurried forward to explain; he certainly did not want his few friends to view him that way as well.
"I am sorry, I admit that humans are not all that wonderful, but believe me, the majority of humans are sincere and kind, and they are worth saving."
Steve's expression was very serious.
Diana raised a soul-searching question once again.
"How do I know you are not lying to me right now? You are a human too."
Seeing this, Kal-El spoke up.
"Diana, if you do not believe other people's views, you should verify it yourself instead of getting the answer from other people's mouths."
Diana thought about it and nodded slightly.
"I believe you, Kal-El. I want to go and see for myself, to personally verify whether humans are worth saving."
The group continued forward, encountering many civilians suffering from the ravages of war along the way.
They lost their homes due to the flames of war, or were affected by the war and subjected to bombings.
Corpses by the roadside could be seen everywhere.
Elderly, children, able-bodied young men.
The war did not show mercy to them because of their civilian status.
Diana kept helping them, but this was merely a drop in the bucket.
Along this journey, guided by Kal-El, Diana also saw the beautiful side of human nature.
"I have decided to stop this war, for the sake of these people who have lost their homes."
Diana looked at the ragged people in the distance and made up her mind.
Diana no longer pinned her hopes on humans stopping the war themselves; that was a matter for the human upper echelons.
She wanted to stop this war, purely for the sake of those suffering because of the war.
"You finally understand!"
Seeing that Diana had figured it out, Kal-El also breathed a sigh of relief.
This life mentor gig wasn't easy to do.
The group accelerated their pace and finally arrived at the front lines of the battlefield.
Smoke filled the air here, with the pungent smell of gunpowder everywhere, and dense barrages of bullets whistled continuously over the battlefield.
German Army soldiers in the distant trenches frantically poured bullets toward the Allied Forces soldiers, pinning them down so they could not lift their heads.
Diana saw ordinary people stranded in the battlefield, their eyes hollow, like walking corpses.
Diana decided to step in and end this damned war.
"What are you going to do? It is dangerous outside."
Steve instinctively stopped Diana.
He suddenly remembered Diana's terrifying combat power.
"Are you sure those bullets cannot threaten you?"
The companion beside him, Sameer, found it incredible when he saw Diana preparing to leave the trench; he picked up his weapon and looked at Diana.
"We certainly won't let a woman go onto the battlefield."
Diana casually took off the headband on her head.
"This is my mission."
Saying this, she took off her outer coat, restoring the attire of the Amazon Warriors.
She jumped up onto the trench, stepping closer and closer to the opposing German Army.
Bang!
A bullet cut through the air, and Diana immediately raised her arm to block the bullet away.
Clang!
The bullet collided with her bracers, producing sparks and a crisp sound.
The bullets fired by the German Army soldiers were thus dramatically parried one by one by Diana, without causing her the slightest bit of damage.
At this moment, an officer among the German Army saw Diana walking out of the trench unscathed and felt somewhat puzzled.
Had the marksmanship of his subordinate soldiers become this poor already?
He immediately ordered the soldiers to concentrate their firepower.
"Someone has appeared over there, take her down."
Rat-tat-tat, rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!
Clang-clang-clang, clang-clang-clang-clang-clang—!
Dense machine-gun bullets were fired toward Diana, and Diana quickly parried in front of her with both hands. The collision between the bullets and the bracers formed a piece of music with a unique rhythm.
She began to speed up, rushing toward the German Armyahead, and the violent wind stirred up by her body cutting through the air blew up the loose dirt of the trench behind her.
The dense bullets could not harm her in the slightest; her arm guards could always precisely appear at the inevitable path of the bullets.
Although shocked, the German Army soldiers still raised their cannon tubes.
"Bullets can't kill you, then taste this!"
Swish~
The shell cut through the air, whistling as it flew toward Diana.
Diana took out her shield and blocked it in front of her just in time.
Bang!
A huge explosion sounded, and Diana was still completely unharmed.
Diana took out the lasso of truth and swung it hard toward the distance.
The lasso of truth wrapped around a tall building in the distance a few times, and Diana immediately leveraged the force to leap up, rushing to a tall tower at the rear of the enemy forces.
"Charge!"
Seeing that Diana had already rushed into the German Army and started a massive slaughter, Steve also led the other soldiers to charge up.
Kal-El merely observed the battle situation quietly amidst the battlefield.
Clang-clang-clang—!
Hm?
What hit me in the face?
Kal-El turned his head and casually grabbed a few incoming bullets.
The look in his eyes toward those German Army soldiers instantly changed.
Chapter 7 Hero
Kal-El's figure flashed past, and when he reappeared, he was already among the German Army soldiers.
The powerful pressure wave brought by his passage scattered the German Army soldiers in all directions.
"He's here, ah!"
Bang! Bang! Bang——!
Kal-El ignored the incoming bullets; he was simply immersed in his own combat.
With a light leap, he instantly appeared in front of a soldier.
"Oh, damn it!"
The soldier nervously raised his rifle and aimed at Kal-El.
Kal-El just smiled slightly at him.
"To die gloriously is to die a worthy death!"
With that, Kal-El casually grabbed the soldier and threw him toward the soldiers ahead.
Bang!
Ahhhhh——!
This powerful force instantly knocked several soldiers flying.
Kal-El continued forward, and with every flash of his figure, a group of soldiers would be sent flying backward.
The German Army soldiers gradually lacked the strength to sustain their defense.
Looking at Kal-El and Diana, who resembled battlefield weapons of mass destruction, the morale of the German Army soldiers instantly plummeted to rock bottom.
With the addition of the two, the Allied Forces soldiers were filled with courage once again.
Seeing that the German Army soldiers were on the verge of collapse, Diana leaped high into the air and slammed her arms together fiercely.
Bang——!
Boom boom——!
Divine power swept away all obstacles ahead, instantly destroying the German Army command post.
The battlefield gradually quieted down, and the remaining German Army soldiers surrendered one after another.
The Allied Forces soldiers gathered around, excitedly cheering for the victory.
Kal-El and Diana became well-deserved heroes.
In the end, Kal-El and Diana could not resist everyone's enthusiasm, and at the invitation of Steve and the others, they took a photo with everyone.
Snap!
With a crisp sound, an old photograph was thus frozen in time.
Although the battle was won, the war was not yet over.
Steve unexpectedly learned the news that Ludendorff, the leader of the German Army hardliners, was about to host a banquet.
"I think we should deal with him."
Diana still decided to eliminate Ludendorff, the German Army general who hindered the armistice.
Steve called Samir and the others, and after plotting together, they finalized a plan.
Utilizing a German Army officer's uniform, Stevesuccessfully sneaked into the banquet. Upon seeing Doctor Poison, he immediately took a goblet and walked over to strike up a conversation.
Pretending to be a German Army officer, Steve expressed his admiration for Doctor Poison's charm, successfully closing the distance with her.
"I think no matter where it is, a woman like you is always the focus of the crowd, and no one can ignore your charm."
Doctor Poison smoothed the hair behind her ear and smiled.
This was the first time a man had ever told her she had charm.
Just as she was about to speak, she noticed that Steve had already shifted his gaze to a woman who had just entered the banquet hall, and her impression of Steve instantly plummeted to rock bottom.
Men! Heh! Truly promiscuous!
Steve was just about to use his honey trap on Doctor Poison to extract intelligence about the poison gas bombs when he discovered that Diana had also sneaked in wearing an evening gown.
At this moment, he could no longer care about Doctor Poison's thoughts and hurriedly walked up to Diana.
"Why are you here too?"
Diana smiled.
"I came in to take a look at Ludendorff. Once I leave the banquet, I'm going to cut off his head."
"You can't do that; I haven't gotten the clues about the poison gas bombs yet."
For the sake of the clues regarding the poison gas bombs, Diana had no choice but to forcibly suppress the impulse to strike.
Steve successfully persuaded Diana, but as soon as they came out of the banquet hall, they noticed a turret not far away fire a shell.
Diana instantly felt that something was wrong, immediately vaulted onto horseback, and rushed quickly toward the village she had previously saved.
She hoped Kal-El would be able to intercept this shell.
Before reaching the village, Diana and Steve saw Kal-El standing in mid-air, holding a military-green shell in his hand.
The shell suddenly exploded, and a dark green gas spread outward with Kal-El at the center.
This was a poison gas bomb!
"Mr. Kal-El should be fine, right?"
Steve's tone was filled with uncertainty.
"He is far more powerful than we can imagine."
Diana stared at the smoke in mid-air and stated firmly.
Before she finished speaking, the poison gas spreading in mid-air decreased at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Hiss~
Whoosh~
As the last wisps of poison gas were inhaled into Kal-El's lungs, the surrounding green gas vanished.
Kal-El gently exhaled, and a tiny puff of pale green gas was softly blown out.
"Hey, how's this cigarette? The kick should be strong enough."
Seeing that the poison gas had all been dealt with by Kal-El, Steve cracked a joke.
Kal-El shook his head slightly.
"It looks intimidating, but it doesn't feel like anything!"
Kal-El didn't want to play along with the minor villains anymore at this point.
Knowing the plot, Kal-El brought Diana and pursued them to the airfield.
"You go deal with Ludendorff, leave the poison gas bombs to me."
"Alright!"
Diana agreed and immediately chased after Ludendorff.
Arriving at a two-story small tower at the airfield, Dianasuccessfully found Ludendorff.
Ludendorff wasn't all that panicked.
He took out a small vial, uncorked it, and inhaled the gas stored inside into his body.
Ah——!
At this moment, he felt his body brimming with strength.
Feeling the enhancement of his body, he rushed toward Diana with full confidence.
Bang!
Ah!
As soon as his body got close, he was quickly sent flying backward.
He crashed through the tower and slammed heavily onto the ground.
Pfft!
He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and lay on the ground, powerless to fight again.
He didn't understand!
Clearly he had already received enhancements, and the advantage was his!
Why couldn't he still withstand an ordinary woman?
Squelch!
Diana finally plunged the Godkiller sword into Ludendorff's chest.
On the other side, the German Army soldiers also loaded all the poison gas bombs into the transport plane.
Watching the transport plane that had already taken off, Kal-El stamped heavily on the ground beneath his feet.
Bang!
The ground shattered, and Kal-El shot out like a newly fired cannonball, charging toward the transport plane moving away from the airfield.
Bang——!
Boom——!
Kal-El's body penetrated the transport plane, slamming it in half at the waist.
The violent impact detonated the plane, exploding together with the poison gas bombs in mid-air.
Bang!
The huge flash of fire lit up the night sky.
Turning to look, Diana had also finished her battle long ago.
Kal-El stood quietly above the battlefield, his cloak fluttering in the wind behind him.
...
The war was won, and the world welcomed long-lost peace.
Kal-El, Diana, and the others boarded a train.
The moment they got off at the train station, the station was packed with people.
People were cheering and jumping with joy.
Kal-El looked at Diana and asked.
"Now, do you think humanity is worth saving?"
Diana smiled slightly at Kal-El.
"This is my mission."
With that, she proactively placed her hand in Kal-El's palm.
"They match each other very well, don't they?"
Steve said with a smile as he looked at Kal-El and Dianaahead.
The group who returned from the station gathered once again at that small tavern.
"Cheers! For peace!"
"Cheers!"
No longer having to go to the battlefield, no longer having to fall asleep smelling the scent of gunpowder and blood.
No longer having to risk life and death.
At this moment, they greedily enjoyed this unfamiliar peace.
Taking a sip of wine, Kal-El raised his head and looked at the others.
"What are your plans?"
Steve smiled.
"I plan to retire; I hate war.
I think I'll open a small tavern nearby."
Samir immediately became excited.
"As brothers, can I drink for free in your tavern?"
Steve's expression changed instantly.
"My dear friend, you're like a rat that can never eat its fill; I certainly don't want to go bankrupt that fast."
After saying that, he added another sentence.
"If you're not afraid of getting beaten up, you can go sponge off the customers."
"Hey, Steve, you're still as stingy as ever."
Charlie patted Samir's shoulder from the side.
"No one can endure your bottomless iron stomach."
Steve looked at Diana and Kal-El.
"What are your plans?"
"Are you going on a sweet honeymoon trip together, or going to the streets to uphold justice?"
"Uh, things like subduing thieves and robbers to uphold justice."
"In my impression, heroes are probably like that."
Charlie gesticulated wildly, fully exercising his imagination.
Kal-El took a sip of wine.
"I plan to travel all over the world and do some things that should be done."
"I'll accompany you!"
Diana immediately chimed in.
The others were already used to Diana's reaction.
"No matter what we do in the future, we have done a great thing."
"We are all heroes!"
Samir raised his wine glass.
"Cheers, to the heroes!"
The transparent wine glasses clinked together, producing a crisp and pleasant sound.
Chapter 8 Cheetah
1984, New York, United States.
At this time, Diana had already become an anthropologist and historian at the Smithsonian Institution.
Meanwhile, Kal-El had founded Amazon Group, with its subsidiaries involving the telecommunications, automotive, and media industries.
The Amazon Beyond Type 7 car launched by the company swept a massive number of orders in the automotive market, relying on the aesthetic appeal and performance of a luxury car alongside an affordable, user-friendly price.
Kal-El leaped to become a well-known up-and-coming billionaire in the United States.
However, Kal-El was not keen on attending various banquets to show his face, leaving more of the group's affairs to his subordinates to manage.
Kal-El mostly regarded the company as a means to achieve his own financial freedom, and did not demand to develop it into a massive scale.
Among the companies under his banner, the one Kal-Elcared about the most was Daily Planet.
This company had been bought out by Kal-El with money before it had even grown and developed.
This would be his channel for speaking to the outside world; Kal-El certainly did not want to stand before a human court.
Although he wanted to live on Earth, he absolutely could not tolerate humans using his kindness to coerce him.
If it truly reached the final moment, Kal-El would only be able to choose not to eat beef.
In just a few short decades, past companions like Stevepassed away one by one.
Thinking of Steve, who had just passed away, Kal-El could not help but feel a bit emotional.
As the boyfriend of Wonder Woman, who was very popular in the original work, the fact that Steve wasn't heavily criticized by the vast majority of fans already spoke volumes.
Even though he was just an ordinary human, an undercover pilot.
Yet the qualities of fearing no danger and daring to sacrifice within him were not inferior in the slightest to the captain from Marvel next door.
Fans held a very high recognition for Steve.
Yet in this world, he ultimately failed to walk together with Wonder Woman, and Kal-El did not feel any sense of owing a debt.
After all, with Kal-El's interference, Steve did not sacrifice himself in 1918.
Instead, he returned to Britain to open a small tavern, living a plain and happy life with his wife.
Kal-El and Diana attended Steve's funeral together.
As one of Kal-El's few friends, his passing still left Kal-Elfeeling somewhat emotional, and Diana's eyes even turned red.
"Steve, may you also open a tavern of your own in heaven."
...
Screech——
Following a harsh screech of brakes, Kal-El's car drifted precisely outside an office building.
A traffic police officer in uniform was issuing a ticket to an orange Chevrolet car. Seeing Kal-El act so brazenly, he quickly blocked Kal-El's path.
"Hey, mister, parking is not allowed here."
Kal-El took out his wallet from the inner pocket of his suit and pulled out a thick stack of banknotes from inside.
He pressed the banknotes in his hand against the officer's chest, yet his footsteps did not stop.
"Help me park the car; it's your tip."
The officer hastily took the banknotes, didn't argue any further, straightened his body, and saluted Kal-El.
"Sir, serving the citizens is our due mission."
Kal-El entered the building and found the Smithsonian Institution.
By this time, it was already 3:30 in the afternoon, which was the time to get off work.
Employees inside the research institute walked out of the company in twos and threes, and Kal-El came to the reception area to wait.
Not long after, Kal-El saw Diana walking out together with a woman.
"Diana!"
Kal-El, who was sitting in the sofa reception area, walked over.
Diana turned her head in pleasant surprise, raising her eyebrows slightly after seeing Kal-El.
"Kal-El, why did you come here?"
"To pick you up from work."
Diana smiled.
"Oh, fine! Although I don't need it, you really are thoughtful."
The woman beside them looked at Diana with puzzlement.
"Who is this?"
Diana smiled and explained their relationship.
"This is my boyfriend, Kal-El, currently the boss of a small company."
As she spoke, Diana looked toward Kal-El to introduce him.
"This is Barbara, a friend of mine, a very interesting person."
"Hello, Barbara."
Kal-El nodded in greeting.
"Hello, Mr. El."
Barbara revealed a sincere smile, filled with envy toward Diana.
Diana was sexy, charming, popular, and possessed such a handsome, strong boyfriend with a great physique.
In her imagination, this was the most perfect life.
Several people came outside the building, and that traffic officer had already parked Kal-El's car in a roadside parking space.
He got out of the car and returned the keys to Kal-El.
"I have to say, sir, your car is very handsome. I hope I can buy one in the future too."
Kal-El smiled and didn't crush his enthusiasm either.
"You definitely will."
Kal-El pulled open the car door, but Diana didn't make a move.
"Kal-El, Barbara and I have made plans for dinner tonight. Sorry to trouble you to drop us off at the restaurant."
Diana looked at Kal-El and explained.
Barbara hurriedly waved her hand.
"No need, Diana, let's make plans another day. I don't want to disturb your date."
Diana stared into Barbara's eyes, very earnestly.
"Barbara, Kal-El is a magnanimous person; he won't mind a gathering between me and my friends."
Kal-El also had no objection.
"Of course, I don't mind at all. A friend's date is very important."
Seeing the sincere invitation from Kal-El and Diana, Barbara ultimately agreed.
The two of them got into the car, and Kal-El started the vehicle, speeding toward a nearby restaurant.
Barbara felt somewhat awkward, tugging at the hair beside her ear and looking at Diana sheepishly.
"You know, I don't like causing trouble for others."
Diana nodded and smiled, quietly looking at Barbara.
"I understand, you should relax a bit."
Diana sincerely consoled Barbara, but the effect was clearly not ideal.
Barbara merely smiled reluctantly.
Kal-El did not disturb their conversation, simply driving silently.
Dropping the two of them off at the destination, Kal-Elparked the car.
Finding an empty corner, he took off his suit, replacing it with a set of black Superman suit.
Swish——!
His body carved a wave of air in the air, rushing into the high altitude as if completely escaping gravity.
At this moment, he didn't answer to Newton; Earth's laws of physics couldn't possibly manage someone like him, a Kryptonian.
This was entirely reasonable!
He quickly broke away from Earth and flew into space, carrying a harsh sonic boom.
He didn't stop until he approached the sun.
Sunlight shone upon Kal-El, and the cells within Kal-El's body constantly divided and strengthened.
"I feel great right now!"
Just basking in the sun makes one stronger; is there any easier way to get stronger than this?
But Kal-El also knew that now was not the time to slack off, as Earth still faced many threats.
For instance, the ultimate boss Darkseid; opinions on his strength varied, but he was universally acknowledged to be powerful.
Fortunately, this wasn't the comic universe, otherwise he, a Superman with mediocre combat power, really wouldn't know how to cope.
——
At this time, Diana was still chatting with Barbara in the restaurant.
"Why are you so interesting?"
Diana said with a smile.
But Barbara shook her head in denial.
"Actually, I am not a popular person. No one is willing to be my friend, and no men strike up a conversation with me."
She drank down the wine in her cup in one gulp.
"Perhaps the first one to strike up a conversation with me will be a homeless person on the street."
She smiled bitterly.
"I know I have no charm, and I'm not very good at speaking..."
Diana did not rush to say anything, simply listening quietly.
Like someone who had been suppressed for a long time, Barbara swallowed the wine in her cup mixed with bitterness down into her stomach.
She suddenly raised her head and looked at Diana.
"To be honest, I really envy you, Diana."
"You are sexy, charming, and popular with everyone."
"You have a boyfriend who loves you dearly, and you possess the most wonderful things in this world."
"You are so perfect; you should have had zero intersection with a tiny nobody like me."
Barbara smiled self-deprecatingly.
Diana reached out and grabbed Barbara's hand.
"Barbara, trust me, you are not a terrible person."
"You are humorous and kind, you look pretty, you just care too much about other people's perceptions."
"Living like that is very exhausting!"
Barbara seemed to have listened, no longer discussing such a heavy topic.
The subsequent chat was relaxed and pleasant.
Barbara indeed possessed a humorous talent, always able to make Diana laugh.
Around eight o'clock in the evening, the sky had already grown dark as the two of them walked out of the restaurant to part ways.
On the surface, Diana parted ways with Barbara, but in reality, she secretly followed behind Barbara.
After all, it was already eight o'clock on the streets of New York, and the streets at night were not all that safe.
Chapter 9 Wish Stone
Diana saw Barbara hand a bag of food she was carrying to a homeless person on the roadside, and from this small matter, Barbara's kind nature could be clearly seen.
Yet, just as they crossed the street, Diana saw a drunkard on the roadside step forward to strike up a conversation, grabbing Barbara's arm and persistently harassing her.
"Let me go."
Barbara struggled with all her might, but could not break free from the drunkard's large hands.
"Play with me."
The drunkard still held onto Barbara's arm and refused to let go.
Bang!
Ah!
Just as Barbara felt despair, she suddenly heard a muffled thud, followed by the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground.
In the blink of an eye, the drunkard was lying on the roadside in the distance, clutching his chest and screaming miserably.
Barbara opened her eyes to look and discovered it was Diana wearing a long trench coat.
Diana explained casually.
"I just happened to have something to pick up."
Barbara's focus was not on this.
She looked at the drunkard lying seven or eight meters away, and looked at Diana in surprise, bewildered and shocked.
Diana had no choice but to provide a seemingly reasonable excuse.
"This is a form of self-defense that requires a lot of practice."
Barbara's eyes were filled with disbelief, but Dianaobviously had no intention of explaining further.
"Go home, goodbye."
Diana instructed Barbara like this.
Barbara thus returned home with bewilderment and curiosity about Diana.
Diana had just stretched out her hand to hail a taxi, only to find that the car stopped next to another man.
"Sorry, I didn't notice you were hailing a cab. If you don't mind, we can share a ride."
The man saw Diana and wanted to get closer to her.
Diana smiled indifferently.
"No need, I'll wait for the next one."
Vroom——
At this moment, Kal-El drove his own ride and stopped precisely beside Diana.
"Ma'am, I think you need someone to drive you home."
Diana smiled, and was also willing to play along with Kal-El.
"Your car is very handsome, I like it very much."
With that, she opened the passenger door and got in.
The rear of the luxury car emitted a violent roar, and in the blink of an eye, it catapulted forward and disappeared into the streets of New York.
The man in the taxi behind gnashed his teeth at this sight.
"I hate these rich people."
The fat taxi driver nodded in strong agreement.
"I hate them too."
"Why?"
The man in the back seat pressed further.
"Driving the same cars, they pick up those sexy, hot chicks, while our cars always seem to have endless streams of sloppy men to haul around."
The man in the back seat looked at his own attire.
What he said was obviously not about himself.
...
Diana in the car was chatting with Kal-El about what happened today, focusing on Barbara.
"She is a very kind and interesting person, but she doesn't seem to have many friends. She thinks she is an unpopular person."
"I originally planned to go home early, but Barbaraobviously needed help, and she hardly has any friends."
Diana mentioned the reason she agreed to have a meal date with Barbara today.
"She invited me twice, and I don't want to reject someone with no friends again."
Kal-El smiled helplessly.
"Diana, you still like to consider others so much, but this is not your responsibility."
Diana looked at Kal-El and smiled indifferently.
"Maybe, but I can't refuse anyone who needs help, not to mention she is still my colleague."
Kal-El nodded, and didn't have any intention of interfering with Diana's thoughts.
Perhaps this was the charm of Wonder Woman!
Justice, kindness, patience, gentleness, inclusion.
These were the traits of DC's number one female hero.
"By the way, our research institute received something interesting today."
Kal-El turned the steering wheel to make a turn.
"What is it?"
Diana smiled.
"A stone with a rather strange shape, and a text written in Latin on it."
"Hold this object and make a wish, and one wish can be granted."
The Wish Stone!
This was obviously the plot of Wonder Woman's second movie.
The world chaos caused by a stone; the plot was a bit far-fetched.
In the movie, Kal-El hadn't seen how powerful this stone really was.
In the original show, this stone fulfilled Diana's wish to resurrect Steve, while taking away Diana's most precious divine power.
However, although Diana became weaker, her divine power was obviously still there.
And Cheetah wanted to be as powerful as Diana, but her strength was still far inferior to Diana's.
Of course, thinking about it carefully made it understandable.
If the ability of the Wish Stone could really grant all wishes, then the ancient war between Earth and Darkseidprobably wouldn't have required the gods to intervene.
Wouldn't it be over just by wishing for Darkseid's Apokolips army to disappear?
What Kal-El found most absurd were the wish-granting rules of the Wish Stone.
As long as one chose to renounce the wish, the lost things could be recovered.
Unexpectedly, the God of Deception actually had quite a bit of contract spirit!
Although the Wish Stone didn't pose much of a threat to Diana, Kal-El still had to confirm it with Diana.
"Did you make a wish then?"
Kal-El asked Diana seriously.
Diana found Kal-El's serious look a bit strange.
"Of course I didn't make a wish, I don't seem to lack anything."
"What's more, that might just be a counterfeit artifact or a toy."
"Kal-El, why are you so serious?"
Kal-El parked the car in the villa's garage, and the two took the elevator upstairs.
Kal-El stood up and went to the wine cabinet, pouring Diana a glass of red wine.
"That thing is very dangerous; it is a divine artifact with divine power."
Diana was somewhat incredulous.
"That stone?"
"That is the divine artifact of the God of Deception from ancient times. I can be certain that it has some magic."
"It can grant people's wishes to a certain extent, but while granting the wish, it will also take away the most precious thing of the person making the wish."
Diana thought back for a moment.
"On Paradise Island, my mother also told me about this legend, but I didn't expect that ordinary-looking stone to actually be an artifact of an ancient god."
"This thing must absolutely not fall into the human world. I think it's better for us to keep it in our own custody."
Kal-El knew how much chaos this thing caused in the original show.
Diana nodded.
"But this thing doesn't belong to our research institute. You need to be prepared to help me compensate for it after it's lost."
"I will buy your research institute and compensate its original owner in the name of the research institute."
Kal-El's tone was very casual.
Diana was somewhat speechless.
"You are more and more like a capitalist."
"On this planet, my ability can solve ninety-nine percent of the problems, and having money allows me to solve one hundred percent of them."
Kal-El chuckled slightly.
"Although my own power is already omnipotent on this planet, adding money makes it a true royal flush."
Whoever dared to question the justice of him, Superman, Kal-El would definitely let him experience what cyberbullying was.
The scene in the original show where Superman Clark was swept up by public opinion would never happen to him.
"Sometimes you are not as righteous and kind as you appear, but I know this will make you more flawless."
"Sometimes being too kind is also easily exploited by ambitious people and hurt by humans. This is what you taught me."
Diana's words made Kal-El look at her with new respect.
In fact, it could already be seen from the original show that Wonder Woman was more decisive than Clark.
Chapter 10 A Worthwhile Trade
Clark only proactively went for the kill against General Zodof Krypton, and that was the consequence of Zodexploiting the human threat.
Later, when facing Steppenwolf, Clark only used Heat Vision to destroy one of Steppenwolf's horns, whereas Diana decisively used her sword to sever Steppenwolf's head.
From this perspective, Diana is a true warrior, while Clark is far too kind and soft-handed.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been beaten into such a miserable state by Batman later on, coerced by human public opinion into standing trial to face human accusations.
Seeing Kal-El's reaction, Diana raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong?"
"You surprise me. To think you could say such things; I thought you always adhered to absolute justice and kindness."
Kal-El was indeed surprised. Although he knew she was more decisive than Clark, he never expected her to say these things.
Diana looked at Kal-El earnestly.
"Not all humans are good people, and we must learn to protect ourselves from harm; that's what you said."
"Likewise, I don't want you to get hurt."
Kal-El put down his wine glass, came before Diana, and brushed a lock of hair from behind Diana's ear.
"You're even more charming like this, and I like it even more."
Diana raised her head, closed her eyes, and leaned in.
"Now, do what you want to do."
...
Early the next morning, when Kal-El woke up, Diana had already prepared breakfast.
After washing up, Kal-El sat at the dining table.
Diana brought out two plates from the kitchen, containing fried eggs and prepared ham.
Diana's face was rosy, and her complexion looked exceptionally good.
Diana poured Kal-El a glass of warm milk and couldn't help laughing out loud.
"I still can't believe that ordinary-looking stone is the legendary Dreamstone; I feel like it's more like a toy meant to scam fools out of their money."
Kal-El took a sip of milk, put down the cup, and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"Then perhaps I am that fool."
After finishing breakfast and dropping Diana off at the research institute, Kal-El immediately arranged for Amazon Group to begin acquiring the Smithsonian Institution.
"Handle the procedures at top speed, and then send that stone over to me."
"Alright, boss."
Two days later, the institute delivered the Dreamstone to Kal-El's estate.
Kal-El was sitting on the sofa observing the stone when Diana walked over with her brow tightly knitted.
"Kal-El, recently I've noticed that Barbara is a bit abnormal; I feel like something has changed about her."
Diana was somewhat worried about Barbara.
"What's wrong with her?"
Diana brushed the hair from her temples to the back of her head, frowning tightly.
"Lately, she has stopped being as full of goodwill toward people as she used to be; she seems to have become a bit irritable?"
"I'm not sure if my description is accurate enough."
Kal-El knew that Barbara having such changes must mean she had already used the Dreamstone.
The Dreamstone made her powerful and sexy.
But at the same time, the Dreamstone also took away her kindness.
In the original series, Barbara's wish was considered by Kal-El to be the most cost-effective.
After all, although she was kind and witty, she was obviously not very popular in life and not happy.
Using kindness as a price to become powerful, Kal-El believed that if such an opportunity truly existed, countless people would be willing to make the trade.
Furthermore, Barbara's first wish didn't turn her into a monster like Cheetah.
Therefore, Kal-El had no intention of interfering with her thoughts.
Kal-El tilted his head.
"What do you think could make a person change so much?"
Diana fell silent for a moment, then abruptly turned her head.
"The Dreamstone."
"So this is her own choice; this is what she wanted."
Hearing Kal-El's words, Diana had no choice but to helplessly accept reality.
But she was still somewhat unwilling to let it go, wanting to have an open and honest talk with Barbara.
That night, a bright moon hung high in the sky, casting a silvery glow.
Diana after get off work secretly followed behind Barbara.
Very unluckily, she encountered that drunkard from last time once again.
But the difference was that this time, Barbara showed not a hint of fear in the face of the drunkard's harassment.
Barbara walked straight toward the drunkard.
"Scum!"
Just as Diana was about to step in to stop the drunkard, she saw Barbara cleanly and decisively slap the drunkard flying away.
Bang!
The drunkard fell to the ground with zero ability to fight back, but Barbara did not let up.
Stepping forward again, she kicked hard, and that heavy body slid sideways like a worn-out ball.
Barbara wildly vented her resentment, her fists and kicks never stopping until the drunkard was bruised, bleeding, and unconscious before she ceased her actions.
Diana found it somewhat hard to believe that the kind and frail Barbara had actually become so crazy and violent.
At this moment, an obese man happened to pass by the intersection ahead—it was the homeless man Barbarafrequently helped.
"Barbara, what are you doing?"
Seeing the man lying on the ground with a bloody head, the homeless man was also very shocked, unable to believe this was done by Barbara.
Barbara's change was far too shocking!
"Mind your own business."
Barbara didn't say anything more, nor did she have the leisure to explain to the homeless man.
She turned and left, leaving behind the bewildered homeless man in place.
Barbara walked alone under the quiet night sky, completely devoid of fear and inferiority.
"Is this what you wanted? Did you use the Dreamstone?"
A familiar voice suddenly came from behind; Barbara took a deep breath and turned around.
"I knew you would find out sooner or later. That's right, I used it."
Diana was somewhat worried about Barbara.
"You may not know that the price of having a wish granted will cause you to lose precious things."
"You've changed; you've lost your kindness and wit, you've lost your most precious qualities."
"Kindness is the most worthless thing of all. Should kindness be bullied by drunkards? Should kindness be ignored by everyone?"
Barbara angrily interrupted Diana.
Diana hurriedly explained.
"Barbara, you know I didn't mean that."
Barbara calmed down.
"Surviving in this world doesn't require kindness. Only by making myself powerful can I avoid being bullied by anyone, and only then can I have the life I want."
"It's not every time I encounter scum that you'll be there to help me; I can only grow strong on my own."
"Nor am I as lucky as you; you possess immense power, a beautiful appearance, and a wealthy, perfect boyfriend."
"That's why you have the qualification to be kind, and you can live very well."
"Whereas I am different; I don't have that qualification. To me, kindness is the most extravagant yet worthless thing."
Her gaze turned toward Diana.
"If you still consider me a friend, don't interfere with me, otherwise I won't hold back."
Diana looked at this once-kind friend with a somewhat complex expression.
"If this is what you want, I won't interfere with your choice anymore."
Barbara gave Diana a deep look, then turned and left without a shred of reluctance.
Returning home, Diana was somewhat absent-minded. After today's conversation, her friendship with Barbaraseemed as though it could never return to the past.
Sensing that something was amiss with Diana, Kal-El immediately guessed that it must be related to Barbara, seeing as she was currently one of Diana's few friends.
"What's wrong?"
Under Kal-El's repeated questioning, Diana recounted Barbara's situation.
"I may have lost a friend."
Kal-El was not surprised.
"Diana, you must respect other people's destinies; this is her own choice and the life she wants."
"You must learn to respect other people's destinies, after all, you have already put in effort for it."