Clark was in the middle of speaking when he noticed that Robert wasn't paying attention to him. Instead, Robert's eyes were fixed on the direction where the police cars had just driven off. This gave Clark a feeling of unease, prompting him to look at Robert with hesitation, a vague sense that something wasn't right.
"Robert, could it be that the child is really a demon? I just took a close look at him, and physically, he's no different from an ordinary person," Clark said awkwardly, casting a glance at Robert.
It would be quite embarrassing if Clark had misjudged the situation, especially since he had spoken so confidently earlier. Now, it seemed like he might be proven wrong.
"The child doesn't seem to have any issues, but that woman definitely does!" Robert shook his head slowly, staring at the direction where the police cars had disappeared. "Such madness, yet carefully hidden. Even if she has no supernatural abilities, she's definitely not normal."
"Do you remember the Joker? The aura of madness she exudes is second only to his. How could someone like her be considered normal? Besides, the way she dotes on that boy makes her seem more like the kind of person who would shoot him, as you suggested."
"Huh?" Clark furrowed his brows and directed his gaze toward Bellock, but he still couldn't see anything wrong with her. There was no visible madness in Bellock, only her constant gaze on the child Damian, which seemed a bit odd.
Though Clark couldn't detect anything unusual, he didn't doubt Robert's perception. When it came to abilities like this, Robert was far superior. Someone with a hidden agenda might evade Robert's scrutiny, but if Robert said there was something off, he was never wrong.
"So, what do we do now?" Clark asked Robert hesitantly after coming back to his senses.
"Let's wait and see," Robert said after thinking for a moment. "For now, the battle in Africa has stopped because of my sudden appearance, and the deathly aura has ceased gathering. Let's see what's going on here first."
"If that woman has issues, the person who shares my name might not be your criminal after all. Who knows, you might've really misjudged, and the boy could indeed be a demon. But if that's true, he's hiding it incredibly well, since even I didn't notice anything wrong with him."
Robert chuckled at the thought, though he wasn't surprised. The world was filled with mysterious supernatural powers, and it wasn't uncommon for him to be unable to see through some of them. After all, even some of the tricks used by hell lords and demons had been hard for him to discern, yet they had all ultimately fallen before him.
"Let's wait and see," Clark agreed, glancing back at the African battlefield. Indeed, the fighting had ceased, so he nodded in agreement with Robert's plan. He then hesitated and asked, "Do you think they might be the ones responsible for stirring up that deathly aura?"
"Unlikely," Robert shook his head after sensing for a moment. "Even if the person manipulating that aura is using secretive means, if they were here in front of me, I would sense the aura they gathered. But neither the woman nor the child carries that aura. Of course, it's possible there's someone else behind them."
"So, does that mean Soren might be innocent?" Clark asked, frowning. Soren had been arrested while unconscious, and it looked like the police were preparing to torture him.
"Didn't the officer say Soren was an American diplomat? If you don't want him tortured, I can have Jarvis contact the embassy and let them argue over jurisdiction. That should buy us time to investigate," Robert suggested, seeing Clark's conflicted expression.
"Fine, have Jarvis reach out," Clark responded before flying toward the police station, with Robert following behind. Meanwhile, Jarvis began setting things in motion.
Upon learning of Soren's arrest, the American embassy was shocked and immediately began working to secure his release.
Regardless of Soren's actions, as an American diplomat, he couldn't be subjected to trial by the British authorities. Allowing such a thing would be a blow to America's reputation, causing alarm among all its diplomats. After all, many American diplomats didn't exactly follow local rules strictly, and if Britain was allowed to act first, other countries might follow suit, leading to trouble.
"Damn it! Do you know what Soren did? He tried to shoot his own son! If we hadn't intervened, he would've succeeded! Now you're telling me we should release him? He kept insisting Damian is a demon. I think he's the real demon!" The officer preparing to torture Soren was stopped by his superior, and he was furious, shouting at his boss without care for rank.
This case involved a child, a highly sensitive issue in the West. If word got out, not even Soren's status as a diplomat would save him. Public outrage would be unavoidable, as his position wasn't high enough to suppress international discussion.
"I know, but we managed to stop him in time, didn't we? The child wasn't harmed," the chief sighed. He had been just as angry with his superiors earlier, but under pressure, he had to compromise. "Don't worry. They only asked us not to torture Soren. They'll investigate the truth. If they try to cover for him, we'll leak the story."
"An American diplomat shoots his own son, and the British police, aided by Superman, stop him. Do you think America can still cover this up?"
"I'm not saying we'll let him off the hook. We want Soren punished, and the Americans want to save face. Our goals aren't mutually exclusive, and we don't need to escalate this unnecessarily. We've got the evidence."
"Do you really think people will believe us?" The officer hesitated.
"Don't you have the bodycam footage? Leak it anonymously. We'll punish someone lightly to placate the Americans," the chief said, rolling his eyes.
"Wait… you're not talking about me, are you?" the officer asked cautiously.
"What do you think?" The chief smirked.
"Chief, I admit I was loud earlier, but…" The officer panicked, quickly explaining himself.
"Relax. You'll get a paid suspension at most. Now go keep an eye on Soren. Don't let anything happen to him!" the chief ordered.
"Got it!" The officer was relieved and hurried to carry out his orders.
As he left the office, the officer soon reached the room where Soren was being held. Soren was still unconscious from the drugs, and the sight of him infuriated the officer. He wanted to kick Soren but remembered the chief's warning and held back.
"Get in here!" he called to his colleagues. Two officers entered, and the officer said, "Tie him up and throw him in the dark room to wake him up. Even if he's leaving, he should suffer a bit."
"Are you sure about this?" The other officers exchanged uneasy glances.
"Don't worry. I'll take responsibility. You don't want him to get off easy, do you? He deserves worse than death!" the officer replied with disdain.
"Alright," the others agreed, quickly moving Soren to a pitch-black room where they tied him up and woke him.
"Ugh… What?!" Soren awoke in darkness, bound, and panicked. "Damian! Is this your doing? You demon! Is this hell? Damn it! Why won't Superman believe me? You're the demon!"
His voice echoed in the room, but no one responded. The fear of Damian and the helplessness of his current situation began to overwhelm him, making his voice grow quieter as terror took hold.
"If you harm Damian, you will be bound to the gallows and burned by invisible flames!" Meanwhile, in another room at the police station, Bellock held Damian, her eyes closed, muttering under her breath. As she spoke, it was as if she could see Soren's current predicament. "You will burn on the gallows if you harm Damian…"
"What's happening? Why is it so hot? Am I in hell? Am I dying? Wait, I'm already dead! Why won't you let me go, Damian? You demon!" Soren screamed, his body feeling as though it was being scorched, though there were no flames visible on his body.
"Something's definitely wrong," Robert and Clark immediately noticed the anomaly. Robert acted quickly, surrounding Soren with an invisible force, and the sensation of burning disappeared.
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