After personally locking the door of the abandoned factory, Diana turned back and said, "Let's return to headquarters. Maybe we should listen to Bruce's plan."
Everyone remained silent. Barry was obviously still a bit indignant, following behind the group as they walked back, he said, "They're so shameless, actually threatening us with ordinary people. If they've got the guts, they should face us with real weapons..."
"Barry," Ron interrupted him and said, "War is always the worst choice. You can't stand from the perspective of a superpower user who won't die and say that bloodshed and sacrifice are necessary, then attempt to resolve everything by starting a war. That's too arrogant."
Barry sighed deeply, looking very frustrated. Hal went over and patted his shoulder, then said, "It's okay, Batman will definitely have a way. He's the best at dealing with these guys, we just need to listen to him."
As soon as he finished speaking, several cars drove up from the end of the street they were on. The law enforcers got out of the cars and surrounded them, with a few people in suits stepping out of the car in the center.
The person leading them made Diana widen her eyes. She shouted, "Shiller? How did you..."
"Naog Sokhup, head of A.R.G.U.S." Shiller stepped forward to shake hands and said, "Sorry to see you all here. Things aren't going smoothly, right?"
Diana closed her eyes tightly. She felt that the Curse of the Pharaoh might not be over yet; she had developed a headache whenever she saw Shiller but still had to mask her irritation and play along with him.
"You're certainly diligent, Mr. Director." Diana took a deep breath and said, "Then are you here to watch us make fools of ourselves?"
"Of course not." Shiller chuckled and said, "I'm here to help you. I know you want to help the homeless, but you keep getting hassled. You're all big heroes with the people at heart, and they move against ordinary people, you can only step back. But let me say, the reason they're so bold is that you all lack support."
"You should know that every welfare institution needs official backing to smoothly carry out its work. A.R.G.U.S. is a specialized organization managing superpower users under the National Security Agency, and as long as you're willing to join, we'll wholeheartedly support your plans..."
Diana clenched her fists, suppressing the anger in her heart, and said, "We don't need it, thank you."
Having said that, she was about to leave. Other than Hal, none of them had a good impression of this organization, and they all followed Diana to go. But as Diana passed by Shiller, Shiller reached out and pressed her shoulder, whispering, "We've recently recruited a powerful superpower user, codenamed Doomsday. Want to meet him?"
Diana had a bad premonition. The next second, she saw a huge monster leap out from behind the factory's premises. She gasped, realizing it was the alien monster that fought with Superman in Metropolis!
"Get out of the way!" Diana shouts.
But the group is unprepared. The next second, a giant fist sends everyone flying. As Diana adjusts mid-air, she sees Shiller mouth the words to her: "Have fun."
Furious, Diana wants to fly down and attack Shiller, but the massive monster blocks her path. Diana draws the Fire God Sword and strikes at Doomsday's arm, but only leaves a shallow white mark on the hard surface.
"Damn it!" Diana curses.
A sizzling sound follows as a laser beam shoots out, but Ron's eyes can only push Doomsday back two steps, and the charred flesh on its chest heals almost instantly.
Ron's face darkens as he realizes the monster has become stronger; more importantly, it seems to have regained its sanity and isn't just a mindless beast attacking blindly.
Doomsday lunges again. This time, Hal uses the Green Lantern Shield to block it, but watching his ring dim significantly, he widens his eyes and says, "This guy is ridiculously strong!"
Arthur feels like swearing at him, do you really need to say? The news of this monster battling Superman in Metropolis for three hundred rounds stayed as a headline for a whole week. It's Superman, after all!
Barry runs in circles around Doomsday but doesn't find any weaknesses on the monster. He wants to harass it, but the opponent seems to have eyes on its back, catching Barry off guard every time he disengages from Divine Speed.
"Come back, Barry!" Diana shouts in distress. Even though Barry is protected by Divine Speed, he is still just an ordinary person; if caught, it'd be disastrous.
Victor arrives, but his hacking skills are useless on the monster. He opens fire with a hand cannon, but even his firearms can't match Ron's Heat Beam. If the Heat Beam is ineffective, he stands even less chance.
Arthur takes a deep breath, raises the golden trident, and shouts, "Clear out!"
"No!!!" Diana turns her head to shout, "Don't do it, Arthur!!!"
But it's too late. The closest coastline to the factory yard surges with giant waves, the water leaps up to the clouds, then falls like celestial curtains, powerfully sweeping through the entire street. The abandoned factory buildings crumble like paper, nearly destroyed instantly. Doomsday is also swept to the other end of the street.
The seawater binds its massive body, firmly entangling it, preventing movement. Diana watches the scene with some surprise. But the next moment, she realizes the sea water binding Doomsday is becoming scarcer.
"He's absorbing the seawater!" Victor yelled, amplifying the images from his mechanical eyes while hovering in mid-air.
Arthur frowned as well, sensing something competing with him for control over this portion of seawater. In the next moment, endless seawater spewed from Doomsday's mouth.
Quick to react, Diana grabbed Barry and flew skywards. Ron rapidly took off as well. Hal was slower, got washed away by the seawater, but fortunately managed to fly up in time to avoid being trapped by the water prison.
With gritted teeth, Diana swung her shield from above down towards Doomsday. Unyielding, Doomsday punched Diana's shield with explosive force. With a loud bang, the Divine Power flared with intense light, driving Doomsday into the ground, though he quickly leaped back up, grabbed Diana by the leg mid-air, spun her around twice, and tossed her out.
Diana, flung like a cannonball, smashed into the nearby building, collapsing it. Ron swiftly flew to her aid, propping her up, but Doomsday leaped over, landing a massive punch on Ron's back.
Roaring furiously, Ron's body instantaneously turned into nothingness before delivering a kick to Doomsday's neck, toppling the vast figure to the ground. Barry seized the opportunity to rush forward while Diana shouted, tossing the Lasso of Truth to him. With blue electric light flickering, Barry rapidly bound Doomsday with the lasso.
The team breathed a sigh of relief; fortunately, their comrades were strong and they worked well together. Facing this monster alone would likely leave anyone overwhelmed.
At this moment, Diana, as if recalling something, angrily rushed onto the street, shocked to find Shiller not only hadn't left but was leaning against a car, watching her.
Before Diana could rush over, Shiller approached, flashed his credentials, and said, "Release him. He is an A.R.G.U.S. employee, here on regular duty, and you have no authority to unlawfully detain him..."
Diana's mouth hung open. She was at a loss for how to respond to such audacious words; the superhero defeats the monster and then you're coming to bail out the monster?!
"Didn't understand me? Let me say it again: you have no authority to detain a formal staff member of the National Security Agency of the United States. Now, release him immediately, or we'll resort to special measures."
"I'm not letting him go, what can you do?!" Diana retorted, seething, "He's a monster, if I release him, he'll destroy Metropolis!!!"
"Who told you he's a monster? I clarified from the start, he's a newly recruited employee of A.R.G.U.S."
Before Shiller finished speaking, numerous vehicles drove up to both sides of the street. On the right came police cars, likely from the Metropolitan Police Department; on the left were safety vehicles from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The police exited their vehicles, pointing their firearms at Diana. Shiller looked at Diana and said, "Mr. Doomsday is a formal employee of A.R.G.U.S. and also a Law Enforcer with the National Security Agency. You attacked him, which constitutes assaulting Law Enforcement. You need to come with us."
Diana was about to speak when Ron, with a cold expression, pulled her back and said to Shiller, "Fine, we'll release him."
Diana turned angrily to Ron, saying, "Are you crazy?! If we release him, he'll destroy Metropolis!"
Ron ignored her but gave Hal an instructive glance. After hesitating briefly, Hal complied with Ron's instruction, removing the Lasso of Truth, allowing Doomsday to stand once more.
But to Diana's surprise, Doomsday did not attack them as before. Instead, he rubbed his arm and walked heavily towards them. One look into his eyes revealed to Diana that this monster was rational.
Yet she couldn't fathom why Shiller pulled such a stunt, just to drag them all into the police station?
However, they were unlikely to be sentenced or even prosecuted since Bruce Wayne backed them. Despite the formidable reputation of the National Security Agency, federal agencies have always struggled against local agencies. Wayne rescuing them would be simple.
As expected, though they rode the police cars to the station, they were soon informed they could leave. As Diana exited the police station, she saw Shiller again.
Logic would dictate he might mock them, but for unknown reasons, Diana felt foreboding. Descending the steps, she confronted Shiller and asked, "What exactly are you up to?"
"This was just a warning, ma'am." Shiller responded, meeting her eyes, "Soon, you'll understand you're saving more than just those vagrants. A long and demanding road lies ahead."
Watching Shiller drive away, Diana felt her heart sink. Ron approached, and Diana asked, "What did he mean by that?"
"I can't read his mind," Ron replied, "He has special mental defense mechanisms, and I can't discern his thoughts."
"He said it was just a warning." Diana mused. Just then, snowflakes fell on her forehead; she looked up to see a blanket of silver white. Metropolis was snowing again, and soon the city would be wrapped in tranquility as if nothing had ever happened.
The foreboding of disaster always creeps silently in the cold wind, beneath the snowy surface. Warmth and reason seem to unravel like silken thread, while the footsteps of crisis grow ever closer.