Ding ding~
Ding ding ding ding ding~
Ding~
Holding the phone tightly against his ear, Pietro's body swayed to the ringtone.
It was his first time hearing this tune, and he couldn't help but hum along to the beat.
The others around him waited in silence, but as time passed slowly, impatience began to show on their faces.
"Stop humming already. This is your fourth call. Can you get in touch with that Batman or not?" Tony Stark asked, exasperated, looking at Pietro.
"There's nothing I can do if he's not picking up. Besides, I couldn't get through at first. It took several tries. You know, the Batcave is underground, so the signal's probably not great," Pietro responded helplessly, glancing at the sky where the sun was shining brightly. "Maybe old Bat's still not up at this hour."
"Okay," Tony Stark waved his hand.
"Let's call it a day. I'm not going to stand here like a fool. We've come to a new world, and we've done nothing but stand around. I'll just figure something out on my own," he said.
"Yeah, Pietro, maybe we should just go find Bruce ourselves. You guys are familiar with the way to Wayne Manor, right?" Ashley also spoke up.
Pietro rubbed his nose, unsure of what to do.
On one hand, this mission was extremely important, and it was his first time leading the team. He didn't want to give his teammates the impression that he was unreliable.
On the other hand, the trade between the two universes needed to be kept secret, which was of utmost importance. Pietro took this responsibility seriously, not wanting his mistakes to compromise the interests and safety of both worlds.
With that in mind, Pietro instinctively looked toward Kara.
Kara, however, was absorbing the sun's rays and hadn't noticed Pietro's gaze.
After returning from the Wasteland Universe, Kara's body had begun to regain vitality under the influence of the yellow sun.
The immense power surged from her bones, and her bio-field was once again under her control. As she felt the energy flow through her veins, Kara felt warm all over.
Though Kara hadn't offered any suggestions, Tony Stark could tell what Pietro was thinking.
"I know what you're worried about, Speedster," Tony said, pausing to think for a moment.
"Here's what we'll do: I'll use an illusion to change our appearances. That way, ordinary people won't see us for who we really are. Then, we can take a cab. How does that sound?"
Pietro nodded, realizing that this was probably the best option for now.
Just as he was about to speak, his phone suddenly made a 'click' sound, followed by a hoarse voice.
("Alex, is that you?")
The sudden occurrence caught everyone's attention.
Even Pietro stopped mid-sentence, his words caught in his throat.
"Finally got through," Tony Stark muttered, shaking his head.
He had thought that he was unreliable, but it seemed the superheroes from this alternate world were even more so.
Pietro didn't waste time thinking about that. He quickly put the phone on speaker and spoke up. "Bruce, it's me, Pietro. Do you remember me?"
("Of course—Boom!!—Cough cough.")
First, Bruce's voice sounded over the line, followed by a loud explosion that drowned out all other sounds.
The strange noise silenced everyone, and the group exchanged looks. Pietro's face grew serious, and instead of interrupting Bruce, he leaned in to listen carefully.
The sound of a violent explosion continued, with the roar of some unknown creature mixed in.
Now, everyone's expressions turned grim.
"Batman, where are you right now?" Pietro placed the phone close to his mouth and asked urgently.
At this point, there was no time to ask what had happened. From the sounds alone, it was clear Batman was in danger. Even if he wanted to explain the situation, there probably wouldn't be enough time to do so.
Thus, Pietro asked for Batman's location first. No matter what Batman was facing, rescuing him was the most important thing.
("I'm—Ugh!—Boom!—Beep beep beep.")
As soon as Bruce's voice came through, another loud explosion followed, and the call abruptly ended with the sound of the line disconnecting.
This time, the roar of the unknown creature was unmistakable, as if it was right next to the phone's microphone.
Listening to the busy signal, Pietro's face darkened.
This unexpected turn of events shattered Pietro's plans. He wasn't prepared for such a situation.
"What should we do?"
"What should we do? We save him!" Tony Stark waved his hands, and green light flashed around him. His green suit appeared, encasing him.
With a magical cape draped behind him, Tony Stark looked at Kara, who had just opened her eyes. "Can you see his location?"
"I'll try," Kara replied, knowing how urgent the situation was. She quickly focused on Wayne Manor's location, relying on her memory.
The X-ray vision cut through layers of trees and skyscrapers, extending over dozens of kilometers.
Before, Kara's vision couldn't reach this far due to not having been exposed to the yellow sun for long, but after a brief period of recovery, most of her power had returned.
In just two breaths, the scene of Wayne Manor appeared in Kara's sight. However, when she actually saw what was happening there, she froze in place.
Countless parademons filled the sky, each armed with laser weapons and firing down below. Every shot left a deep mark on the ground.
On the ground, a few individuals in battle armor were struggling to fight back, but compared to the number of the parademons, they were nothing more than a drop in the ocean.
Kara recognized the place. It was one of the exits of the Batcave, not far from Wayne Manor.
She couldn't imagine how the Batcave could withstand such a terrifying assault. With Batman's combat strength, how could he possibly resist such a massive number of parademons?
Seeing the cold expression on Kara's face, Tony Stark frowned and asked, "Kara, what did you see?"
"parademons."
Without any hesitation, Kara revealed the answer.
Upon hearing the name, both Pietro and Ashley's pupils shrank.
The parademons from the Apokolips War had left a lasting impression on them. If it hadn't been for Alex summoning the illusions of numerous heroes, they likely would never have been able to fend off those biological weapons.
But now, there was no time for them to be surprised.
Without hesitation, Kara issued a command. "I'll take Tony Stark with me. Pietro, you take Ashley. We'll meet at Wayne Manor."
Since both Tony Stark and Ashley were visiting this universe for the first time, to prevent them from getting lost, Kara chose the fastest method.
She grabbed Tony Stark by the back of his collar, and in a flash, she soared into the air with a loud sonic boom, turning into a small black dot in the sky.
Pietro didn't hesitate either. At this point, it wasn't about who would lead the team. Under Kara's orders, he immediately picked up Ashley.
"Hold on tight," he whispered to Ashley, then, like a silver streak, he sped through the forest park, heading straight for Wayne Manor.
Pietro's speed, of course, couldn't match Kara's.
Even if it was a race, he wouldn't be able to catch up with Kara, let alone the fact that one was flying and the other was running.
It didn't take long before Kara could already see the battlefield at Wayne Manor from afar.
"Don't worry about me, you go save them first!"
Having spotted the battlefield, Tony Stark hurriedly spoke.
Kara didn't refuse. While dragging Iron Man along, she was unable to reach her full speed.
After hearing Tony Stark's words, Kara let go, allowing him to fly at his own pace. She then suddenly accelerated and shot forward like a meteor toward the battlefield.
Under the combined pressure of Black Adam, Shazam, and Hippolyta, the Steppenwolf hadn't found an opportunity to counterattack.
"It's useless. I admit you have some strength, but your defeat is already decided."
With a cold smile, the Steppenwolf grabbed Shazam's fist and tossed it toward Hippolyta. The two collided and crashed heavily to the ground. But the next second, the Steppenwolf received a punch to the face from Black Adam.
Feeling the pain in his body, the Steppenwolf didn't get angry. Instead, he grinned savagely, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and spoke.
"Haven't you noticed yet? Those ants can't stop the parademonic army. Once the parademons kill those guys, you'll follow in their footsteps."
As his words fell, the Steppenwolf expected to see fear on Black Adam's face, but to his disappointment, all he got in response was a punch full of power.
As time passed, the overwhelming number of parademons gradually suppressed the efforts of heroes like Hourman and Doctor Fate.
This point, though, was clear to Black Adam, Shazam, and the others, and it was why they were so anxious to eliminate the Steppenwolf.
Though Hourman, Hawkman, Green Lantern, and others wielded extraordinary abilities, Wildcat and Doctor Mid-Nite were still ordinary humans.
They might hold their own in a one-on-one battle with the parademons, but facing an army of thousands, they stood little chance.
Even Doctor Fate, the agent of the god Nabu, struggled to handle the suicidal attacks from the parademons.
As more than a dozen parademons grabbed onto Hawkman and dragged him down to the ground, the situation on the battlefield took a rapid turn for the worse.
Spitting out blood, Wildcat struggled to stand. He knew he had reached his limit.
"It seems like this is our end," he sighed heavily, glancing at Green Lantern Alan Scott, who was struggling to maintain a protective shield.
"Alan, open the shield. Even if we die, I'll take a few down with me."
Upon hearing this, Green Lantern Alan Scott nodded heavily.
In fact, he had already reached his limit, and his ability to continue holding the shield, protecting Wildcat and Doctor Mid-Nite, was only possible through his sheer willpower.
"We go together!"
Green Lantern gasped for air, then raised his lantern ring high, staring at the parademons above, aiming their laser weapons at him.
"In brightest day, in blackest night."
As Alan Scott whispered the oath, the green light representing vitality grew brighter.
At that moment, suddenly, the parademons in the sky seemed to sense something.
They simultaneously raised their laser guns, rapidly pointing their barrels at the distant sky.
"Evil…"
Seeing this, Green Lantern's oath stopped mid-sentence.
It wasn't just him—Doctor Mid-Nite also noticed the strange movement.
"What's happening?"
Wildcat looked up at the parademons in the sky with confusion.
"Who are they aiming at?"
.....
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