Having said this, Bruce glanced down at the materials on the ground.
"What I've brought so far are just the more valuable metals—and not in large quantities. I'll supplement the rest of what we need later. Of course, for elements that don't exist on Earth, as long as I have samples, I can attempt to synthesize some of them. But I can't guarantee I'll be able to synthesize every type."
"It's fine, you've already done more than enough, Bruce!" Heisenberg laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "Setting that aside for now, have you two had breakfast?"
"We ate, Great-grandfather, and we brought you some!" Clark answered as he reached behind Batman's shoulder, retrieving a breakfast bag from beneath the cape. "It's nothing fancy, just a few burgers. Hope you don't mind, Great-grandfather."
"Hahaha, you two are really thoughtful, and it must have been a hassle for you spandex-wearers to carry things for me—actually hiding them under the cape! Why not just carry it in your hands? Hahaha!!!" The sight made Heisenberg laugh uncontrollably. Who would've guessed Batman's cape could hide food?
His laughter made Bruce press his lips together in speechless resignation.
"In any case, we need to maintain an air of mystery before the citizens. That earns us greater respect, and also makes those with criminal intent fear us all the more." As he spoke, Batman strode past Heisenberg, walking briskly toward the robots at work in the distance. "Since there are no other troublesome matters at hand right now, we'd best get to work as soon as possible and get the base's framework up first."
He made his way straight to the construction robots, picked up the design plans, and glanced over them. With just those two glances, he nodded in satisfaction.
"Did you design this? Excellent style. Functionality and defensiveness are perfectly integrated. I couldn't come up with a better design than this. So go ahead and finish your meal—Clark and I will get started!"
Watching Batman immediately throw himself into the construction work, Superman nodded in admiration. "Great-grandfather, he's really serious, isn't he?"
"Yeah, his execution is remarkable!" Heisenberg marveled, accepting the burgers and veal pizza from Clark's hands and starting to eat. He polished off breakfast in just a few bites, then caught up to Clark, and together with Batman, plunged into the work of remodeling the Kryptonian ship.
Robots weren't omnipotent, especially compared to three exceptionally outstanding beings like themselves. Their involvement greatly accelerated the ship's conversion. And through this kind of daily grind, the relationship between the three of them grew increasingly familiar.
Of course, Clark was always the busiest of the three. Over the course of a single day's work, he'd have to leave thirty-some times—and that was on a light day! It couldn't be helped; he was Superman. Too many people needed him to be their savior.
…
While work on the Kryptonian ship was in full swing, Diana, according to plan, awoke at the Milan International Hotel and attended the International Art Expo in full dress. After brushing off the usual mortals who flocked to curry her favor, she changed into her battle armor and flew all the way back to the Amazons' territory.
Paradise Island!
The moment she passed through the veil of truth enchantments that cloaked the island, that incomparably beautiful island came into view. Hovering in the sky, she paused, her heart suddenly awash with a surge of mixed emotions.
It had been over seventy years since she'd last come home! For long-lived Amazons, that span of time was hardly anything at all. But for a child leaving home for the very first time…
A sudden sadness seized Diana. Why hadn't she returned sooner? Mother must have missed her, right? Surely she must have!
…
Moments later, the lookouts spotted Diana's figure. The sentries raised their right hands.
"Intruder!!!"
"Light the beacon!!!"
"Inform Her Majesty the Queen—there's an intruder!!!"
Diana, still in the sky, was dumbfounded. Her own people were raising bows and aiming at her!!! It only took an instant for her to realize—her vision far surpassed her kin's, so they simply couldn't make out her face yet! She pursed her lips in exasperation, then abruptly accelerated toward the watchtower. Seconds later, she landed forcefully among her people. Before their shock could even register, Diana muttered, "It's me, Diana. I'm home!"
"Huh…?"
"It's Diana!!!"
"Haha, Diana, she's a newborn—she wouldn't recognize you!"
"Inform the Queen at once! The hero who slew Ares has returned!!!"
"Our Diana is back!!!"
Amid countless cheers and a throng of escorts, Diana came before her mother, her heart brimming with emotion. Looking at Diana, whose eyes still held the same pure light as before, Hippolyta gritted her teeth and suppressed the impulse to embrace her daughter. She composed herself into a dignified smile and asked softly, "A daughter of the Amazons who leaves does not casually return to her homeland. Do you believe you have already achieved deeds worthy of glorifying the Amazons, or have you encountered trouble on your journey, child?"
"Mother, I have yet to accomplish any feat worthy of renown. But I have a reason I must come home! Surely you felt that all-pervading radiance last night as well. An ancient god has awakened from his slumber, and he brought word that Darkseid will soon return to Earth!!!"
As Diana's words fell, Hippolyta's brow tightened. She waved her right hand. "Leave us. Let this mother and her returned child speak in private!" At that, the surrounding Amazons, growing increasingly stirred by Diana's words, dispersed in all directions. Diana followed her mother back to the temple where she had lived since childhood.
Once inside, only Diana and Hippolyta remained. Hippolyta took Diana's hand and asked softly, "Apollo has returned? Did you see him? Did you ask where His Majesty the King of the Gods is?"
"Uh… Mother…" Diana felt a wave of embarrassment. Could you not rush to ask about men? Darkseid is the real issue here! Still, she answered quietly. "Mother, the ancient god who has returned is not Apollo!"
"How can that be? It was clearly the sun. Who else could it be besides Apollo? Surely not Hephaestus?"
"Uh, it's Heisenberg!" At that, Diana held Hippolyta's hand and asked with keen interest, "Mother, have you ever heard the name Heisenberg? Why don't I remember reading any stories about a god named Heisenberg?"
"That's because the Amazons have no books that record Heisenberg, and I don't know who he is, either!" Hippolyta said, shaking her head as she pondered. "My records even contain minor deities from tiny, insignificant lands like Amaterasu, but I have never known of a sun like Heisenberg in the past. Just look at the miracle he performed last night—that is not the kind of power a weak deity like Amaterasu could possess. But Heisenberg…"
Hippolyta suddenly looked into Diana's eyes, which were practically sparkling with little stars, and her heart jolted. "Why are you so concerned about his identity? It seems you think rather well of him?"
"Very well, Mother! Completely unlike Ares, Heisenberg fulfills every expectation I ever had of a god. Powerful, easygoing, witty, tolerant. If Ares had been like him, Earth would never have known so many wars!"
"Haha, you—you're letting me see my own past self. The way I used to look at Zeus was exactly the same as you look now. But Diana, you are a daughter of the Amazons. Do not cheapen yourself!" At this, Hippolyta grew stern. Unlike the earlier mother-daughter conversation, she was now the Queen of the Amazons. She looked at Diana seriously and asked, "About this Darkseid you just mentioned—who is he…?"
"The very same Darkseid you once told me stories about! The one who forced the Twelve Olympians, us Amazons, the Atlanteans of the sea, and humanity's King Arthur to fight together! That was a story you told me—how could you have forgotten it yourself?"
"Uh…" Hippolyta hesitated, then suddenly caught on. "You mean Uxas? His invasion occurred twenty-eight thousand years ago!"
"Uxas?"
"Yes. When he invaded Earth, his name was still Uxas. But that name changed to Darkseid fifteen thousand years ago—it signified that he had overthrown his father's rule and become the new lord of Apokolips! Ever since the ancient war, His Majesty Zeus had always kept an eye on Apokolips. He had his own sources of intelligence, and I learned this from him!"
As she said this, Hippolyta nervously seized Diana's wrist. "His Eminence Heisenberg believes that Darkseid is about to return? Damn it, before His Majesty Zeus departed, he was constantly worried about exactly that! But the Mother Boxes were never reclaimed by Darkseid even up to the War of the Gods three thousand years ago, so I had practically forgotten him! If he returns now, how could the Earth as it is possibly hold him back?!!"
Hippolyta's grip on Diana's wrist tightened as she pressed her daughter further. "Are you certain this information is true? Did he give a specific time for the invasion? We must dispatch more troops to guard the Mother Boxes with the utmost vigilance! Wait—His Eminence Heisenberg wouldn't happen to be a child of Apollo, would he? If so, you two had best keep your distance. He could be your nephew!"
"No!!!" Diana was absolutely out of patience. Her own mother was truly giving her a headache. "Mother, let's talk more about Darkseid. As for Heisenberg, I'll bring him to Paradise Island in a few days!"
"Hm? So soon?"
"Mother, I want to show them the historical records on Paradise Island that relate to Darkseid. I believe Heisenberg—Darkseid's return is destined, and we must seize every opportunity for victory!"
"Uh… them?" Hippolyta had caught the flaw in her daughter's words and looked at Diana with a face full of confusion. "You… more than one?"
"What are you thinking?! We're friends. Comrades who have formed the Justice League together. We will stand on the front line against Darkseid. War is coming—can you please be serious!!!"
Listening to Diana's irritated growl, Hippolyta paused, then burst into hearty laughter. She patted her daughter's arm and declared grandly, "Why should I be more serious? Do you know, daughter, the reason I exist, the reason the Amazons exist, is entirely to stand against the enemy from afar! We have sharpened our weapons and readied our horses for tens of thousands of years, always awaiting that very day! I have seen Darkseid with my own eyes—I know what a brutal New God he is—and I am always prepared to lead the charge against him! The Amazons have never feared death, the Amazons have never been afraid of sacrifice, the Amazons stand ever ready! So, my dear daughter, would you care to explain to me just who 'they' are?"
/-\
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