"Yes, please wait a moment."
The mutant nodded, immediately picked up the phone, and reported the situation. After a short while, the school gates opened, and a bald elder in a wheelchair came out to greet them.
"Welcome to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Mr. Wayne, Mr. Allen."
Professor X smiled, "Prince Lucci is waiting for you. Please, come with me."
Under Professor X's guidance, Bruce and Barry officially stepped into this sanctuary for mutants. However, just as they entered the school, crossing through the woods, Bruce Wayne was stunned by the sight of three figures ahead.
"Bruce, what's wrong?"
Barry followed his gaze and saw the trio. One was a massive green man (Hulk), one a heroic beauty (Diana), and the last a strong, wild man with a bare upper body (Arthur/Aquaman). Ahead, Diana and Arthur, who had been listening to a school introduction from Hulk, also noticed their arrival. Diana nodded politely, and when Arthur saw Bruce Wayne, his expression became slightly awkward and unnatural. After all, he had recently refused Bruce's invitation to form an alliance, only to be promptly defeated by Lucci and brought here as a subordinate. Now, meeting his original "boss" again in public—this was more embarrassing than being slapped in the face!
Sure enough, the next moment—
Bruce Wayne had already walked up to Arthur, frowning.
"Arthur, I remember you said you weren't interested in forming an alliance."
"So, why are you here?"
Arthur gave a dry cough, clutching his chest with guilt, "I'm not in the alliance! I'm... now a subordinate of Prince Lucci!"
"..."
For a moment, the air felt frozen. Bruce Wayne was stunned. A subordinate? The once-unruly, arrogant king of Atlantis was now someone else's "subordinate"? How was this possible? Bruce even wondered if he was hallucinating from oxygen deprivation during his last superspeed run.
Barry, too, opened his mouth wide in shock. He hadn't known Arthur before, but had heard Bruce speak of him—the King of Atlantis! Now, seeing Arthur's proud-yet-awkward expression, Barry was left with only a huge question mark in his mind.
What kind of operation is this?
Barry grumbled inwardly: "You didn't join the alliance, only to end up as someone else's subordinate? That makes no sense!"
And looking at Arthur's face, instead of humiliation, there was still a bit of pride... Is being a subordinate of Prince Lucci really such an honor?
The atmosphere grew awkward and silent. Just then, Professor X's gentle voice broke the stalemate.
"Mr. Wayne, Mr. Allen," he smiled, "Prince Lucci is still waiting. Best not to keep him waiting too long."
Professor X's words brought Bruce Wayne back to his senses. He stared at Arthur, forcibly suppressing the doubts and shock in his heart.
"Yes, Professor. Please, lead the way."
Bruce nodded lightly to Arthur and Diana, then followed Professor X across the green campus toward the principal's office.
In the center of the room, behind a huge desk, a man sat casually. His black hair was as dark as ink, and his eyes were deep as a starry sea. He sat there calmly, yet exuded a naturally supreme majesty, as if he ruled the world. Next to him stood a stunning red-haired woman—none other than Jean Grey.
As soon as Bruce Wayne entered, his gaze was firmly fixed on Lucci. The man looked even younger and more unfathomable than any video data. Bruce prided himself on reading countless people, seeing through the craftiest criminals and the most complex plots. But at this moment, looking at Lucci, he felt like he was staring into the vast cosmos, unable to find its edges or fathom its depths.
Just as Bruce was about to introduce himself, Lucci smiled and spoke first.
"The Dark Knight of Gotham, Bruce Wayne. And... the Flash of Midtown, Barry Allen. Welcome to Xavier's."
Bruce and Barry were both surprised. They'd assumed the other party wouldn't know them, but this Prince Lucci clearly wasn't a stranger to them! Bruce suppressed his shock and asked in a low voice, "Have we met before, Prince Lucci? Did you receive the letter I sent?"
"Yes." Lucci nodded.
"So, then why..." Bruce's eyes filled with suspicion, "Do you not know the significance of the Mother Boxes mentioned in my letter?"
Bruce believed Lucci hadn't contacted him because he didn't know the gravity of the Mother Boxes. But Lucci's next move shattered that assumption. Lucci raised his hand, and with a flash of light, two metallic cubes—radiating waves of energy—appeared out of thin air.
"These two Mother Boxes?"
"???"
Seeing the two legendary artifacts, only known from archives, Bruce Wayne was utterly confused. His eyes widened, and his voice was hoarse with shock.
"These are... the Mother Boxes?"
"How did you get them?"
"It was simple," Lucci said lightly. "After receiving your letter, I realized the people from Apokolips had already arrived. So, I went to Themyscira and Atlantis, and collected their Mother Boxes. That way, no matter what Apokolips tries, the initiative remains with us."
Lucci spoke with such relaxation, as if "Themyscira" and "Atlantis" were not mystical, isolated nations hidden for millennia, but merely two convenience stores nearby. And as if "collecting" the boxes was no more difficult than buying a can of Coke.
Yet, for Bruce and Barry, these words were nothing short of a magnitude ten earthquake!
"Wait... wait a minute!"
Barry felt his scalp burn, unable to resist interrupting, "You mean... you visited both Themyscira and Atlantis in such a short time?"
"Yes." Lucci nodded.
"And then you... took away their sacred relics?" Barry asked cautiously.
"You could say that," Lucci replied.
Hearing this confirmation, Barry was utterly stunned. He looked at Bruce, the billionaire famed for his calculation, only to see the same ridiculous, bewildered expression on his face.
"How... how is this possible?" Bruce murmured, unable to comprehend. He'd mobilized all of Wayne Group's resources just to find Arthur's whereabouts, only to be turned away in the arctic seas. Yet, Prince Lucci, after receiving a single letter, had located both hidden nations and even...
"Were they... easy to talk to?" Bruce asked, holding his biggest doubt, "As far as I know, the Mother Boxes are sacred relics guarded by their clans for generations. How could they just hand them over to you?"
It made no logical sense!
Upon hearing this, Lucci smiled indifferently. He casually raised his hand, clenched his fist, and glanced at Bruce.
"Mr. Wayne, you must understand the truth. In this universe, many times, you need more than just language for communication. As long as your fists are strong enough, everyone becomes... very easy to talk to."
"!!!"
This line, though plain, was like a battering ram, smashing through Bruce's defenses and instantly clarifying everything. He glanced at the two Mother Boxes on the desk, then recalled seeing Arthur and Diana outside...
So that's it!
The so-called "visit" was just "rational, persuasive force"!
Bruce and Barry exchanged glances, seeing bitter smiles and speechless expressions in each other's eyes. They finally understood why Diana and Arthur were here—they weren't "persuaded"; they'd been thoroughly "convinced"!
But then a new doubt arose in Bruce's heart. No, if Lucci had taken the Mother Boxes by pure force, logically, Diana and Arthur should bear hostility towards him. Yet, judging by their expressions, both Diana's calmness and Arthur's surrendered pride were genuine, not faked. It was a kind of heartfelt respect and willingness to follow the strong.
How did this happen?
After pure "physical persuasion," what else made these two proud royals so convinced? Just how did Lucci do it?
Once again, Bruce felt his understanding of Lucci shrouded in mist. The man before him was far more complex and unfathomable than he'd ever imagined.
Before Bruce could ask, there came a knock at the office door.
"Come in!" Lucci ordered. Magneto entered respectfully.
"Prince Lucci. On my latest expedition for fellow mutants, I discovered... something strange."
"Oh? What kind of phenomenon?" Lucci gestured for him to continue.
Magneto's expression turned serious, "During my search, I encountered a group of monsters—like a mix between flies and dried corpses. They were swarming, desperately digging up the ground as if searching for something special."
"Monsters with fly wings?" Barry repeated unconsciously. But the moment Bruce Wayne heard that description, his face changed drastically! He immediately said in a low voice, "Those are Parademons! Apokolips' cannon fodder army!"
"Parademons?" Magneto looked at Bruce, puzzled. "What are those?"
Bruce explained, "One of the classified files I obtained described these creatures. They are called Parademons, the vanguard of Apokolips, mere cannon fodder. The archives only have detailed records of their appearance and their origin from Apokolips... but little else is known."
Hearing this, Lucci smiled indifferently.
"Parademons are nothing but trash that Darkseid uses to reshape the universe. Their raw material is intelligent beings captured from various planets conquered by Apokolips. Through Apokolips' cruel, evil biotechnology, they are forcibly transformed, losing their original consciousness and forms, finally becoming monsters that know only how to kill and obey."
"They are born in endless pain and despair, feeding on the fear of intelligent life. The greater the fear, the more excited and combative they become."
"The strength of an individual is not remarkable—perhaps on par with a well-trained special forces soldier on Earth. But their advantage lies in their innumerable numbers and absolute, fearless obedience to death. It's a nightmare scenario for any civilization."
Lucci's explanation unfolded before everyone like a bloody, horrific scene. Even Magneto, himself once a radical who sought to "purify" humanity, could not hide a trace of shock in his eyes upon hearing about this process of turning intelligent life into tools of slaughter. Barry felt a chill run up his spine—this was beyond anything he'd ever imagined.
"Heavens... just what kind of place is Apokolips? How could they create such horror?" Barry stammered, shivering just at the thought.
Bruce Wayne looked at Lucci in astonishment. In this moment, his evaluation of Lucci was once again overturned and reshaped. As expected... the Crown Prince of the Divine Realm! He knew too much—everything about Parademons, their origin, strength, and combat characteristics! Bruce had worried Lucci might not understand the threat of Apokolips; now, he realized how foolishly he had underestimated this god!
At that moment, Magneto asked suspiciously,
"But Prince Lucci, why are these Parademons so frantically digging up the ground?"
This was also Bruce's biggest doubt. His eyes flashed, and he looked at Lucci.
"Prince Lucci! With Wayne Group's intelligence channels and Cyborg's abilities, I can collect relevant information. I believe we'll find something!"
Lucci nodded and made a simple hand gesture. Bruce immediately raised his left hand; his ordinary Patek Philippe watch instantly lit up, projecting a virtual operation interface.
"Cyborg, it's me."
"I'm here, Bruce," came Cyborg's voice over the comm.
"Mobilize Wayne Group's intelligence network and your own abilities to collect all visual data on Parademon activity worldwide. Send me any critical intel you find. Mark and classify their excavation sites, analyze the data for commonalities. Get me results as quickly as possible!"
"Understood, I'm on it." Cyborg replied, immediately getting to work. His efficiency was astounding. In just a few seconds, a preliminary report was transmitted directly to Bruce's virtual screen.
[Analysis of Parademon Activity: Over 90% of excavation sites are closely focused on regions related to 'Superman's death,' including the battle ruins in Metropolis... and the cemetery near Kent Farm.]
"Does this have something to do with Superman's death?"
Seeing this, Bruce's heart sank!
Superman—Clark Kent. That name was a complicated knot in Bruce's heart. They'd been both enemies and comrades. Superman's death was a huge loss for Earth, and the initial motivation for Bruce to form the Justice League.
But now, the monsters from Apokolips were desperately excavating places connected to Superman's death! What exactly were they after?
Bruce had a faint, ominous premonition. Yet with so little information, even he couldn't figure it out on the spot.
But Lucci, seeing Cyborg's analysis, instantly recalled the original plot: after Superman's resurrection, he temporarily lost his memory and attacked the entire Justice League.
Suddenly, he understood and spoke lightly.
"I think I know what Steppenwolf wants to do."
"Huh?"
Bruce, Barry, and Magneto all turned to Lucci in shock.
"You really know?"
"Prince Lucci, do you know what the enemy is planning?"
…