Just as Clark was rejoicing over Heisenberg's emergence and the fact that he could lead and restrain their people, while also feeling genuine happiness and excitement at the prospect of reclaiming his race and finally having the chance to belong among them…
Inside the Kryptonian ship, after Clark had gone, Heisenberg's face took on a deeply meaningful smile.
He casually patted the tentacle beside him.
"Continue dismantling the Source Chamber, Gene Cultivation Room, Planet Transformation Room, and any other sections I've marked as non-essential. Break them down into materials for the modifications."
With that, he stood and watched the tentacles and robots work industriously, all the while contemplating his next steps.
By now, he had perfectly executed the first phase of his plan for returning to the DC universe.
In a DC universe teeming with Kryptonians, Heisenberg undoubtedly saw this place as an even more crucial stronghold than Marvel.
This was the true origin of his bloodline, and the Kryptonian trait of growing stronger under a yellow sun meant they were destined to become his most important, most central power base.
So when he decided to return to DC, Heisenberg's first consideration was: how to integrate himself into the DC universe.
And integration here did not mean making endless enemies. The whole "stir up trouble everywhere" approach he'd used in Marvel wasn't exactly suitable here.
After all, DC's film universe was far too short-lived, so short that almost nothing had time to be properly established.
Without the same clarity as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Heisenberg wasn't even sure if God was present on Earth.
At the same time, this universe was also his second home.
Heisenberg had no desire to casually break Earth for fun.
So, how to get the heroes of DC—people far more guarded than their Marvel counterparts—to accept him without wrecking the planet?
He had a method: create a persona. In other words, craft an identity that every key figure in DC could accept.
That step had now succeeded.
The identity he'd shaped for himself was that of an ancient Earth god, awakening from slumber.
As long as he continued, just as he had tonight, to act in ways that maintained that persona, he would inevitably be accepted by everyone.
Whether they were wary of him, worried about him, fearful of him, or scheming about how to deal with him—none of that would matter.
It was inevitable that someone as powerful as Heisenberg would provoke those thoughts in some people.
But if his power was rooted in his being an ancient Earth god…
Then the hostility coming from all sides would inevitably shrink to a negligible degree, just as it was now.
So, moving forward, he could freely gather and train his people, and develop his race, all under the protective umbrella of his crafted identity.
Batman?
He wasn't the enemy, because Heisenberg could see it clearly: Batman was gradually spiraling into his own unique brand of master-strategist over-analysis.
He could hear Batman sitting in the Batcave, talking with Alfred.
"Incredible, Alfred. His power terrifies me.
I've imagined the forms of gods from countless myths, and he matches those images perfectly. In fact, the reality even surpasses my imagination."
At that, Batman frowned, recording a series of psychological profiles onto his computer.
"Eager to display his divine might, eager to announce his return.
He harbors goodwill toward present-day Earth, even if that goodwill stems from a desire for human attention and worship.
In any case, as long as he still needs something from humanity, he will not become humanity's destroyer.
What we need to do is guide him—guide him to make more decisions beneficial to humanity.
And his suggestion to form a Justice League happens to perfectly satisfy the prerequisite for guidance.
I need to select sufficiently excellent and powerful members to surround him. It's necessary that we ensure this god who has walked out of ancient times continues to protect Earth just as he did tens of thousands of years ago.
His divine power is the sun, it is light itself, and his personality is of a piece with his godly station. He seems to disdain all that is underhanded and wicked, and his conduct, just like tonight, is utterly open and dignified."
At this point, Batman turned to look at Alfred and managed a faint smile.
"I consider myself fortunate that, although he wields Gungnir, he is neither the war-hungry Odin, nor the Norse god of lies and mischief.
And although he is Kryptonian, he is not Zod, who invaded Earth before, nor is he a naive man like Clark, easily exploited.
An ancient Earth god from Krypton, whose patterns of behavior more closely resemble a human's. A perfect combination, isn't it?"
His words fell, and Alfred did not respond. He knew that right now, Bruce didn't need a response.
Sure enough, Bruce continued talking to himself. He was just sorting out his thoughts, not actually needing the butler's affirmation.
Batman followed his own path; he required no one's approval.
…
Meanwhile, over on Diana's end, after seeing Lois safely home, she quietly retrieved her luggage from the alley where she had stashed it.
She had been about to catch a flight to Milan for this year's art expo, but now she had obviously missed her plane. She would just have to fly there herself.
Italy was also far closer to her homeland than America. Before bringing Heisenberg and Bruce to Themyscira to look into the records on Darkseid, she needed to explain everything to her mother and her people first.
Heisenberg was indeed a true god, but not one of the Olympian pantheon.
She feared her mother might come into conflict with Heisenberg.
Additionally, she needed to check on the Mother Box's status in advance, to ensure the invasion didn't happen before they were fully prepared.
…
Someone else who shared similar thoughts was a young woman floating on the surface of the sea.
Princess Mera of the Kingdom of Xebel was gazing worriedly toward the light beyond the sky—a light that did not come from the sun, because there was no sun above her at all.
The radiance of a new god had illuminated the entire world, and this would have an extraordinarily severe impact on a traditional kingdom like Atlantis.
Because they, just like the Amazons, had once been driven away by the divine.
Mera knew what she had to do. At a time when the Sea King had not appeared in millennia, and the sea gods had not blessed them in just as long,
she had to ensure her people maintained sufficient respect for this new deity.
Their long isolation had long since made the Atlanteans forget the might of the gods, and the hawkish ideology that Orm continuously preached had stirred most sea-dwellers into a rising desire to attack the surface.
Mera didn't have the power to turn the hawkish faction back, but she could at least make her people take the new god's opinion seriously.
Besides, she herself wanted to understand the situation with this new god. She wanted to go to the surface, and indeed, she had to go.
A being who had manifested such a divine miracle surely wouldn't care if its location was known.
If He was still on Earth, then perhaps she might get the chance to glimpse Him from afar.
But she had to be careful. Gods were ever capricious.
…
Heisenberg, of course, had no idea he was being watched by others. Right now, he was still busy repairing his ship.
After dismantling three functional rooms, Heisenberg finally managed to patch up the hole that Doomsday had smashed through the ship's dome.
Once the ship was patched, the remaining materials inside were only enough to remodel a few rooms.
But Heisenberg wasn't in a rush. Once his people returned, materials would naturally follow. There was no need to waste Genesis matter on this.
So, after fixing the ceiling, he lay down in the rest chamber and went to sleep.
This time, he didn't oversleep. He woke up just after seven the next morning.
Not because he'd suddenly become hardworking, but because Batman and Superman were already at the ship's entrance yelling for him (╯°Д°)╯!!!
Climbing out of the particle bed that conformed perfectly to every inch of his skin, Heisenberg irritably looked at the particle projection in front of him.
In the midst of countless onlookers, Batman and Superman were slowly approaching the ship's defensive perimeter.
At the same time, outside the ship…
Bruce's frustration was beyond words.
"I really should have insisted he rest at my place last night. Then I wouldn't have had to appear in front of all these people!"
Saying this, Bruce looked up at the sun that had finally appeared in the sky and let out a deep sigh.
Hearing Bruce's complaint, Clark, who was carrying a load of materials as heavy as a small mountain, smiled.
"Buddy, you'd better get used to it. You're not the lone wolf you used to be.
Look at me, I got used to people's stares ages ago."
"That's because you're Superman. You enjoy appearing in front of huge crowds.
Me, I'm a bat. A bat that only loves the night.
Though I really do have to thank Heisenberg. That night of light he gifted the Earth last night made my sleep infinitely better.
Sure enough, the brighter the sunlight, the sounder the sleep."
"That's because you've adapted, Batman."
Clark chuckled and shook his head, then turned to look at the wide-open door ahead.
"Let's go. Our great-grandfather has already seen us."
"Hm, he sure gets up early. A moment ago I was seriously thinking we'd have to store these materials nearby first."
Chatting, the two men strode into the Kryptonian ship under countless unblinking stares.
Seeing both Superman and Batman walk inside, the crowd of Metropolis citizens gathered nearby instantly reached a fever pitch of excitement.
"Superheroes have the right to enter that place. It is the link between the divine realm and the mortal world, a hall for heroes!"
"Oh Lord, I never knew Your name had always been Heisenberg. I shall chant Your name every night!"
"He is the Sun, not God. I've never seen an angel; I've only witnessed the holy light He has revealed!"
"Anyone want to join the Church of the Solar God? All you need is to tattoo this same pattern on your forehead, and Heisenberg shall watch over you!"
"I'm going to be a hero too. Tonight, I'm catching criminals. To hell with it, I'll become Spider-Man, or even Kick-Ass if I have to. I just want to walk into that place with my head held high!"
When a god manifests in the mortal realm, some love, some fear, some go mad, and some…
Bruce walked while recalling the expressions on the faces of those people outside.
"I truly hope Jesus's saints weren't as crazed as these folks. It would make me never able to look at the Bible straight again."
"Heh, I don't believe in any Jesus. I only believe in myself, Bruce."
As Clark spoke, the doors in front of him opened automatically, until they arrived at the work site.
Hundreds of tentacles and robots were continuously extracting various materials, remodeling the ship's interior.
Gazing at those particle-composed tentacles and small robots, Bruce's eyes lit up slightly.
He glanced at Clark and asked, "If I wanted to study the technology here, do you think he'd agree?"
"I'd agree of course, buddy."
Rounding the corner, Heisenberg answered Bruce's question from afar. He walked up to Bruce's side, and while the old friend squirmed with visible awkwardness, Heisenberg gave the big bat a light hug.
Then he took the mountain of materials from Clark's hands and set them aside.
"You two sure came early… and brought quite a lot of stuff.
Clark, you sure this is what you and Lois bought, in just one night?"
"That was me."
Before Clark could answer, Bruce explained to Heisenberg from the side.
"A little after six in the morning, Clark came to see me, and I happened to have quite a lot of suitable materials on hand."
As he spoke, Batman glanced around at their surroundings.
"I agree with you both. This place is perfect. I won't need to buy another piece of land for the Justice League."
/-\
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