The atmosphere at the kent family's dining table was somewhat strange.
On one side, Tel-Rol was wolfing down Aunt Martha's cookies as if they were a meal.
On the other side were the founding members of the Justice League.
They sat upright, their gazes like knives, flying at Tel-Rol.
The scene was like some silent execution ritual.
Bruce Wayne had his hands clasped on the table, silent, but the eyes hidden behind his billionaire mask had analyzed Tel-Rol from head to toe eight hundred times.
Diana Prince was so angry her chest was heaving.
Her sisters on Themyscira were still wailing, their homes destroyed, the mother box stolen. How could someone who knew the situation be sitting here drinking orange juice and eating cookies as if nothing had happened?
Aquaman Arthur Curry had crushed his fork out of shape. If Bruce hadn't been holding him back with his eyes, he would have flipped the table long ago.
Flash Barry Allen was hunched, trying to minimize his presence, silently eating a piece of apple pie, his eyes darting around.
Cyborg Victor had his head down, data streams scrolling wildly in his electronic eyes, trying to analyze Tel-Rol's exact composition.
Only Clark looked troubled. He looked at Bruce and spoke with worry.
"Bruce, can we track Steppenwolf's whereabouts?"
"If he came once, he will definitely come a second time."
Bruce finally shifted his gaze from Tel-Rol to Clark.
"I've already had Alfred adjust the global satellite's energy sensors. As soon as a similar spatial fluctuation appears again, we'll be able to pinpoint his location immediately."
Clark nodded, his expression slightly eased.
Just then, his phone suddenly rang.
He picked it up, a gentle smile appearing on his face. It was his girlfriend, Lois Lane.
"Lois?"
He answered the call.
"Mm... I'm home, yes, Kansas."
Tel-Rol, who was in the middle of stuffing his third cookie into his mouth, paused. He turned to Kara next to him and asked indistinctly,
"He has a girlfriend?"
Kara was sipping her milk in small sips. At his words, she looked at him with an expression like he was an alien.
"Yes, is that strange?"
"Of course, it's strange."
Tel-Rol swallowed the cookie, righteous.
"Shouldn't he be dedicated to his career and then die alone?"
Kara: "..."
She felt that her thought process and his were sometimes truly not on the same wavelength.
Tel-Rol ignored her speechlessness and instead grinned, leaning towards her.
He lowered his voice, his warm breath tickling Kara's ear.
"So, what do you think of me?"
Kara's hairs instantly stood on end!
She abruptly moved a significant distance away, her cheeks flushed, glaring at him angrily.
"Are you crazy?!"
Tel-Rol looked at her flustered expression, his smile growing even brighter, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.
He was about to tease Kara again when Clark, on the other end of the phone, suddenly stood up, his face changing drastically.
"Lois!"
"Lois!!"
He shouted into the phone, his voice filled with panic.
However, what came from the phone was not Lois's reply.
Instead, it was a sharp, frantic, hysterical cackle.
"Hehehehehe—"
"Surprised, Superman?"
A mocking, twisted voice spoke, filled with chilling malice.
"Your little girlfriend is my guest now, oh."
Bruce Wayne suddenly stood up, his face so dark it could drip water.
That laugh!
That voice!
He would never forget it in this life!
Joker!
"Want her to live?"
On the phone, Joker's voice was full of pleasure.
"Come find me at the chemical plant in Gotham City."
"Remember, only you can come, Superman."
"If you bring any other little friends, especially that big dark bat..."
"I'll twist off this pretty lady's head and have some fun, hehehehe!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the call was disconnected.
"Lois!"
Clark's eyes were bloodshot, his fingers clutching the phone white from the force.
The next second, his farm work clothes changed into his classic red and blue battle suit, the red cape billowing behind him without wind.
He didn't greet anyone, his figure flashed, he rushed out of the house, and soared into the sky.
Several violent sonic booms exploded in the sky, and he had already disappeared over the horizon.
The entire house was deathly silent.
Everyone was stunned by the sudden turn of events.
Tel-Rol blinked, then turned to Kara again, looking confused.
"Joker? That's a male name, right?"
He stroked his chin, analyzing seriously.
"Could my cousin... like men?"
"Pfft—"
Barry Allen, who was drinking water, spat out a mouthful directly, coughing repeatedly.
Diana and Arthur also looked stunned, completely unable to follow this guy's train of thought.
Kara held her forehead, feeling her blood pressure about to rise again.
She explained helplessly.
"No! Someone kidnapped Lois, Clark's girlfriend!"
"Oh—"
Tel-Rol drew out the sound, looking as if he had just realized something.
"The old trope of a hero saving the beauty."
He licked his lips, his eyes not showing worry, but rather excitement at watching a spectacle unfold.
He grabbed Kara's wrist, who was still in a daze next to him.
"Let's go!"
"What for?" Kara was startled, held by his greasy hand.
"To watch the show!"
Tel-Rol grinned, pulling her out without explanation.
"My cousin is fighting; as relatives, shouldn't we go cheer him on?"
Kara was dragged along, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"It's to help! Not to watch a show! And your hands are greasy! Wash them!"
"It's all the same, it's all the same, no washing. I'll wash them when we pass over the ocean."
Arthur heard this and wished he could stab Tel-Rol with his trident.
Tel-Rol waved dismissively, pulling Kara and rushing out of Kent Farm, transforming into a streak of light, flying in the direction Clark had departed.
In the empty dining room, only the Justice League's big shots remained, along with Aunt Martha, who held a plate of freshly baked apple pie and wore a kind smile on her face.
Martha looked at the guests exchanging glances around the dining table, her expression still calm and unruffled.
"Don't just stand there, children."
She placed the apple pie on the table.
"Eat pie, eat pie."
Bruce: "..."
Diana: "..."
Arthur: "..."
Barry: "..."
Victor: "..."
This family, it seemed, was all a bit off.