"Whoa!"
Barry exclaimed in surprise.
The three stepped onto the platform and slowly descended. For Barry and Victor—first-time visitors—the sight below was stunning: a huge underground cavern filled with futuristic technology—the Batcave.
On the giant Batcomputer's screen wall, countless streams of complex data flickered. The Batmobile, with its violent aesthetics and heavy armor, sat quietly on the adjacent platform. In the distance were rows of Batsuit mannequins, a giant realistic T-Rex model, and an oversized Joker playing card on display.
"Okay, I take back what I said before,"
Barry muttered in awe.
"This… this is a million times cooler than a high-tech lab!"
Victor didn't speak, but the blue light in his cybernetic eye flickered rapidly, indicating his inner anxiety. His body's systems quickly scanned and analyzed everything, concluding that the tech level here even surpassed his father's lab at STAR Labs.
But soon, he remembered their purpose today and looked at Batman.
"What about this Lucci you mentioned? Can he be trusted?"
Victor had seen too many uncontrollable powers—his own body was one example, and the power of the Mother Box scared him even more. Instinctively, he was suspicious of another powerful being who suddenly appeared and claimed to be a god.
Bruce called up several surveillance feeds and satellite channels.
"You've all seen what he did during the Alien invasion. His power is undeniably strong… to a degree we can't even comprehend."
Seeing the miracles on the screen, Barry and Victor unconsciously held their breath.
"But the question is…" Bruce turned off the video, his voice dropping lower. "What kind of person is he? Is he friend or foe? And if so… will he join us to protect the world together?"
No one could answer that question. Someone with such power, motives, and thoughts was utterly beyond the guessing of ordinary people.
At that moment, an older man in a sharp tuxedo—white-haired but in good spirits—entered, carrying a tray.
"Welcome home, Master Wayne. And… guests."
Alfred said with his standard British accent.
Bruce nodded lightly, looking at Alfred with a hint of expectation in his eyes.
"Alfred, has Lucci—or anyone on his side—tried to contact us recently?"
"I'm sorry, sir. No, there's been no word from them."
"Nothing?"
Bruce frowned, surprised by the answer.
He had already sent a message through his channels to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, hinting at the Apokolips threat. He'd thought the other side would take the initiative to reach out, but nothing had happened!
"Why is that? Is he just not interested in us? Or… does he know nothing about the threat from Apokolips?"
"So… what do we do now?"
Barry scratched his head, a bit overwhelmed.
"But if you need errands run or super-speed reconnaissance, I'm your guy!"
Bruce looked at his two young teammates: powerful, but obviously inexperienced. His original intention to form an alliance now weighed even more heavily in his heart. If they tried to stop an Apokolips invasion with just the three of them, it would be a fool's dream. They needed Lucci—in other words, Earth needed Lucci.
But he was truly worried about leaving such an important "first contact" to young Barry. If this "god" was annoyed, the consequences would be unimaginable.
After thinking for a while, Bruce finally made a decision. He looked at Victor.
"Victor, your cyber abilities can link directly to the global network. Stay at base, track the stolen Mother Box, and try to locate the enemy."
Victor nodded. "Understood."
Bruce then turned to Barry, who was looking at him hopefully.
"Flash, take me to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. I want to meet him face to face."
"No problem!" Barry immediately said excitedly.
"Wait a sec, Mr. Wayne! With my speed, we'll get there in a jiffy… uh… you might feel a little sick."
As he spoke, he grabbed Bruce by the arm. The next moment, countless golden lightning bolts shot from Barry's body, enveloping the two of them.
"Ugh—"
Before Alfred and Victor could react, the two had vanished on the spot. Only afterimages, fading in the air and the crackle of static electricity, remained—proof of Barry's speed.
…
At Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, the space shimmered like ripples on a calm lake after a stone was tossed in. At the center, a flash of light appeared and Lucci's figure materialized from thin air. Beside him appeared Diana and Arthur.
From the sunless depths of the ocean to this sunny campus filled with birds and flowers, the stark contrast in environment took Diana and Arthur by surprise. Warm sunlight shone on their faces, blowing away the last chill of the deep sea. The air was thick with the scent of grass and earth, and in the distance came the innocent laughter of teenagers—a scene so peaceful, quiet, and full of life.
"It's… beautiful,"
Diana sighed from the heart. Themyscira was beautiful too, but here the laughter of students filled the air, making it lively rather than silent.
Arthur looked around in amazement. Having lived all his life in the grand and dangerous ocean, used to the majesty and severity of Atlantis, he had never seen such a vibrant, peaceful place.
At that moment, a beautiful figure with a burning, powerful aura swept toward them like a flaming phoenix. It was Jean Grey, who'd sensed Lucci's presence.
"You're back?"
Jean called out happily, landing lightly in front of Lucci. She wanted to jump into his arms but noticed Diana nearby the next moment. Jean was a bit startled. What a beautiful woman! And… not weak at all! Through the Phoenix Force, she could sense the black-haired woman before her was like a volcano about to erupt—holy, noble, and filled with astonishing power. No one she'd ever met had given her such a feeling.
"Who is she?"
A hint of wariness flashed in Jean's eyes as she instinctively stepped forward and gently hugged Lucci's arm, as if declaring her sovereignty.
Lucci felt the soft embrace and Jean's undisguisable jealousy. Smiling helplessly, he introduced them.
"Jean, this is Diana Prince, Princess of the Amazons from Themyscira. And this is Arthur Curry, King of Atlantis."
"Diana, Arthur, this is Jean Grey."
Hearing the introduction, Jean's eyes widened slightly. An Amazon Princess? The King of Atlantis? These mythic, legendary beings… were alive and standing before her?
Meanwhile, Diana was amused by Jean's girlish possessiveness. She nodded gracefully in greeting, unfazed by the "hostility."
Lucci knew that if Jean were with them, things would get more low-key. So, his thoughts moved, and he called through the magical network:
"Hulk!"
Nearby, Hulk, who was supervising construction, turned his head suspiciously. Seeing Lucci, he immediately put down his blueprints and walked over.
"Teacher, you were looking for me?"
"Please take these two new friends to tour the school," Lucci said, pointing to Diana and Arthur.
"No problem! You two, please come with me!"
Hulk smiled, gesturing to Diana and Arthur.
Looking at the huge green giant, simply standing there and radiating pressure, Diana and Arthur gained a fresh understanding of the "hidden dragons and crouching tigers" at this magical school.
Led by Hulk, the two began their tour. They saw children cleaning with telekinesis, students practicing energy blasts on the playground, and a gentle teacher instructing them. Everything felt fresh and new.
Passing the construction area, Arthur was so shocked by the scene before him that his eyes almost fell out. He saw a man in soft green armor, carrying bricks with a sullen face, complaining non-stop to a tall blue-haired mutant beside him.
"Listen, blue hair! I'll say it for the last time!"
Loki slammed a pile of bricks onto the wall, his face full of hurt pride.
"I am a god! Loki, the God of Mischief! Prince of Asgard! My wisdom can topple kingdoms, my magic can bend hearts and I'm burden with glorious purpose!"
"And you have me… doing this… manual labor? This is an insult to art—a blasphemy against divinity!"
But the supervisor Hank just pushed his glasses up and replied lazily without even looking at him, "Cut the nonsense, Loki. You'd better hurry up and finish moving those bricks—there are still some toilets to clean."
Loki's protest was cut off. At the thought of cleaning toilets, his face collapsed, and he nearly burst into tears.
He just glared at the beastly supervisor, speeding up his brick-moving in grievance.
Arthur, seeing this, pointed at the "hard-working" Loki in disbelief, rubbing his eyes.
"Diana… am I seeing things?"
"I felt the breath of a god coming from him…"
Diana's expression was equally astonished and odd. She nodded.
"You're not mistaken, Arthur. I feel it too."
The two turned simultaneously to look at Hulk with questioning eyes.
A god moving bricks and… cleaning toilets?
What kind of place was this?
Hulk followed their gaze, glanced at Loki who was sighing, and said naturally,
"Oh, he is indeed a god. But… very weak!"
So… weak?
Arthur and Diana looked at each other as if thunderstruck, instantly understanding how "strength and weakness" were defined here. In this place, even gods could only be called "weak"!
…
Meanwhile, outside the school's ornate iron gates, a dazzling flash of golden lightning appeared, and two men materialized. One staggered a few steps, clinging to a tree, face pale and vomiting uncontrollably.
It was Bruce Wayne—just having experienced the "Flash Special."
"Urgh… next time, let's just take my Batplane…"
Bruce finally caught his breath, straightened up, and regained his composure, as if the man vomiting by the tree moments before wasn't him.
Barry Allen scratched his head awkwardly.
"Uh… I did warn you, Mr. Wayne. I'm fast, so you might get a little queasy."
He swore he'd tried to slow down as much as possible.
After a few deep breaths, Bruce suppressed the nausea brought by the super-speed trip, straightened his clothes, and looked at the closed school gate.
"Okay," he said, glancing at Barry. "Go ring the doorbell."
"Leave it to me!" Barry's figure instantly appeared before the guard's room.
Inside, a young mutant was sitting. Seeing Barry suddenly appear outside the window, he was startled, but politely asked,
"Hello, can I help you?"
Barry smiled and introduced himself,
"Hi! We're Batman and Flash, here to visit Prince Lucci!"
The mutant repeated, expressionless and a bit nervous,
"Batman? Flash? Sorry, never heard of them."
"…?"
Barry froze, glancing at Bruce in disbelief.
"Aren't we… famous at all?"
Bruce Wayne frowned slightly. Shouldn't they be?
Seeing their surprised faces, the mutant at the door realized the issue and quickly explained with a smile,
"Oh, don't misunderstand, you two. It's not your fault—it's mine. I was locked up in a lab before, only recently released. So I don't know much about the outside world."
Bruce and Barry suddenly understood.
Barry even looked at the mutant with a hint of sympathy.
But the mutant smiled and shook his head, his expression filled with sincere gratitude, not self-pity.
"No need to look at me like that," he said seriously. "I'm doing great now. Here, nobody looks at me funny. I can learn, make friends. Plus, thanks to Prince Lucci, the 'Mutant Rights and Interests Protection Act' was passed. My life now is like heaven. All of this was brought by Prince Lucci."
Hearing this, Barry nodded gently, showing heartfelt respect. Bruce Wayne's gaze deepened. Seeing the pure gratitude on the mutant's face, he felt a bit relieved.
He could see the whole picture in an instant.
What he'd feared most was that Lucci might be a reckless god who abused his power. But the mutant before him told a very different story. Regardless of his methods, anyone who could grant others dignity and win loyalty must have some belief and principle.
Thinking of this, Bruce stepped forward to ask,
"Could you please let us in? Just tell them: Bruce Wayne and Barry Allen have come to see Prince Lucci."
…