Chapter 313: Feeling the Heartbeat, Girlfriend Escapes Late at Night
Clark stood across the street, and his recovered super-hearing sent the lingering conversation inside the restaurant into his ears.
He heard Lois say that she lived in another World, and he also heard Lin Nuo accurately point out the deepest rift between them.
The nano-pulse on his chest had been mostly burned away by the solar wind.
Clark should have breathed a sigh of relief for this, but at this moment, he only felt that the foreign object was still hidden near his heart.
Lois saw him first.
She took the coat off her shoulders and handed it back to Lin Nuo.
"Thank you for the dinner, and thank you for pausing the integration.
Before the review results come out, I will still continue to investigate Star Umbrella."
"This is your job."
Lin Nuo took the coat, his gaze sweeping over Clark.
"Mr. Kent just came back, you two should have a lot to talk about."
He did not stay to explain, nor did he take the opportunity to provoke Clark.
That restraint instead made Clark's vigilance appear abrupt.
On the way back to the apartment, Lois sat in the passenger seat without asking where he had gone.
Clark tried to speak several times, only to be suppressed by her overly polite silence.
Until the door closed, he took off his glasses.
"I cleared most of the foreign object, Lin Nuo did tamper with the drink."
Clark opened his palm, revealing a black fragment scorched by heat.
"It is reading my bio-field."
Lois put away the fragment with an evidence bag, her expression finally fluctuating.
"Hand it over to the Daily Planet laboratory.
As long as the source can be proven, I will personally deliver the investigative report to the front page."
"It has already lost its activity, and there are no manufacturing marks."
Clark shook his head.
"Lin Nuo will not leave evidence that can point to himself.
Acting rashly to make it public will only expose more information about me."
The turning point that had just appeared was blocked dead by this sentence.
Lois put the evidence bag on the table.
She did not doubt the danger Clark felt, but she could not accept that all evidence could only exist in his judgment.
"So the conclusion hasn't changed."
Lois looked at him.
"You know the truth, I am responsible for believing.
You decide what information can be made public, and I am responsible for bearing the consequences caused by concealment."
"I am protecting our lives."
Clark lowered his voice.
"Once someone knows how to invade my body, they will move the battlefield to your side.
Tonight you dined alone with Lin Nuo, and he could use you to approach me at any time."
Lois's gaze turned cold.
"Tonight, after he listened to the placement issues of the photography team, he withdrew the transfer on the spot.
The first thing you did after coming back was to interrogate me about why I had dinner with him."
Clark walked up to her, trying to hold her hand.
Lois took half a step back, leaving his movement frozen in place.
"Have you always regarded me as a vase that needs protection?"
She stared into Clark's eyes.
"Able to be carried away from danger, able to be hidden in a safe house, but unable to participate in real decisions."
"I have never looked down on you."
Clark's tone grew urgent.
"I have seen you charge into gunfire, and I have seen you offend the entire city for the truth.
Precisely because I know you won't back down, I am afraid that someone will use this point."
"Then tell me where the danger comes from and let me judge for myself."
Lois picked up the fragment.
"You can hear my heartbeat, you can see through walls, and you can judge whether I am lying before I open my mouth.
But intimate relationships cannot be built on unilateral omniscience."
Clark subconsciously turned off his super-hearing.
Countless cries for help in Metropolis receded accordingly, leaving only Lois's suppressed breathing.
"I am not eavesdropping on you."
He explained with difficulty.
"Many sounds enter my ears on their own.
Every day I am learning to ignore them, and also learning how to be an ordinary person."
"But when you encounter a problem, you always revert to Superman's way."
Lois pointed outside the window.
"Fly away, solve the danger, and then come back to tell me it's safe.
You say this is love, but all I receive are results."
Clark recalled the restraint his adoptive parents taught him, and also remembered the ruins he saw during every rescue.
He could prop up a falling building, but he could not guarantee that the next time an enemy wouldn't trace him through Lois.
The more he loved her, the clearer those worst-case possibilities became.
"If honesty puts you in danger, I'd rather you hate me temporarily."
Clark regretted it as soon as he finished speaking.
"When I find the other devices Lin Nuo left behind, I will give you a complete answer."
Lois smiled slightly, but there was no smile in her eyes.
"You see, you are making choices for me again."
The communicator on the table lit up.
Perry sent the latest notice that the photography team's transfer had been completely revoked, and the group also agreed to establish a position review committee controlled by the editorial department.
Lin Nuo fulfilled his decision made at dinner.
The complete answer promised by Clark still remained in an uncertain future.
Clark also saw the notice.
He knew that Lin Nuo was using every verifiable action to consume Lois's trust in him.
"He is catering to you."
Clark picked up the communicator.
"Lin Nuo knows what you care about, so he deliberately handed the decision over to you.
He wants to make you feel understood."
"At least he is willing to listen."
Lois took the communicator back from his hand.
"You worry about me being used, yet you fail to realize that you are using fear to control me."
This sentence pierced the part of Clark that he was most reluctant to face.
Bruce had also formulated all contingency plans in the name of protection.
Now Clark, knowing clearly that path would harm companions, was still doing the same thing to the person he loved most.
"I need some time."
Lois walked towards the bedroom and took out a travel backpack.
"Tonight I won't stay here.
When you are willing to treat me as someone who can share risks together, we will talk again."
"Where are you going?"
Clark stood by the door, not blocking the exit.
"The rifts in Metropolis are not completely stable yet, I can send you over."
"Don't listen to my heartbeat to find answers, and don't follow me."
Lois pulled open the door.
"If you respect me, let me walk this path by myself."
The door closed heavily.
Clark raised his hand, ultimately not chasing after her.
Lois demanded space; if he relied on his speed to stop her again, it would only prove every accusation in that argument.
He turned off his hearing that covered the city, and put the charred fragment into the Kryptonian analysis device.
The scanning beam swept across the surface, detecting a relay signal from Gotham's old industrial area.
Meanwhile, Lois opened an anonymous email in the car.
The sender claimed to possess footage of Star Umbrellasecretly transporting contraband equipment, and the meeting place was located at an abandoned chemical warehouse in Gotham.
She checked the attachments and found no common tracking programs.
The photo of the cargo container in the email also carried the shipping code used internally by Star Umbrella.
Lois dialed Perry's phone, only to find that the communicator had no signal.
The countdown attached to the anonymous email was decreasing, and the other party only gave her one chance tonight.
She sent her location and timing to the editorial department, started the car, and drove out of Metropolis.
Clark was still standing in the apartment.
He respected Lois's request and did not cross the door that had already closed.
And Lois's car had already driven onto the cross-city highway leading to Gotham's old chemical district.
Chapter 314: Whispers by the Ear, Pressing Close to the Chest
The old chemical district of Gotham had no normal streetlights; only the warning lights inside the abandoned factory were still flashing.
Lois parked her car outside the warehouse and first photographed the surrounding exits.
Instead of entering directly, she checked the tire tracks and blind spots of the surveillance cameras along the wall.
The tracks left by the truck were very fresh.
Beside the side door of the warehouse were torn Star Umbrella seals, and some kind of equipment had indeed been transferred inside.
"I have arrived." Lois said into the hidden recorder.
"If you want to expose the evidence, come out now.
In a little while, I will hand the location over to the GothamPolice."
The sound of metal crashing came from deep within the warehouse.
A projector with a smiley face sticker lit up, casting her investigative photos in Metropolis onto the wall.
The photos started from the affordable housing project and extended all the way to the North District Hospital.
The photographer had clearly been tracking her for a long time.
"Pulitzer reporter, truly more punctual than the Police."
A man wearing a cheap Joker mask walked out from behind the shelves.
Several armed accomplices followed behind him, their clothes retaining old gang symbols.
Lois did not turn and run away.
A second batch of footsteps had already appeared outside the door, and the only chance she could fight for was right in front of her.
"The cargo boxes of Star Umbrella were stolen by you." She raised the recorder.
"You forged clues to lure me here, and your target is not reporting.
You want to use me to call Superman to Gotham."
The masked man clapped his hands, his laughter transmitted through a voice changer.
"Heroes will always descend for Miss Lane.
When he enters this warehouse covered in lead plates, we will send the prepared gift to Metropolis."
Two gang members pounced on Lois.
She smashed the recorder into one person's mask and kicked over a shelf to block the passageway on the other side.
She rushed toward the fire door, but her wrist was entangled by a pop-up steel cable.
Electric current surged through her body along the steel cable, making her lose her balance.
The masked man snatched the communicator and crushed it right in front of her.
"Don't worry, we will notify him for you.
Mr. Joker has left behind many ways to play, and tonight we are only borrowing the simplest one."
Lois was secured next to the support column.
She did not continue struggling, but instead hooked the steel cable joint with her fingernails, searching for a lock piece that could be loosened.
The periphery of the warehouse activated a sonic jammer.
The lead plates blocked X-ray vision and also trapped her distress signal inside the factory area.
On the other side of Metropolis, the elevated energy tower experienced a chain collapse.
Clark propped up the leaning tower body, and his heat vision cut off the out-of-control lines.
There were still trapped maintenance personnel under the tower; he could not leave before the structure stabilized.
The city sounds in his ears merged into one.
When Lois's heartbeat disappeared from its familiar location, he paused for a moment, and the entire energy tower sank along with it.
"Hang on, I will take you out." Clark suppressed his anxiety and slowly pushed the tower body back onto the fixing frame.
"Everyone evacuate along the west platform, do not approach the broken lines."
He called Batman, but the channel only had an auto-reply.
Gotham's surveillance network was also covered by an abnormal interference, making it impossible to confirm Lois's location.
Inside the Star Umbrella Metropolis headquarters, a transportation seal triggered an abnormal alarm.
Selina tracked it to the Gotham warehouse and sent the image into Lin Nuo's private terminal.
"That batch of empty cargo boxes was originally a bait I put out for the black market." Selina leaned against the edge of the communication screen.
"The small fry left behind by Joker swallowed the hook and even caught your reporter lady.
Do you want me to handle it?"
"No need." Lin Nuo stood up and buttoned his cuffs.
"Turn off the public access permissions of nearby satellites and send me the internal structure of the warehouse."
Selina narrowed her eyes and quickly guessed his intentions.
"If Superman arrives and sees you holding his girlfriend and leaving, this show will be better-looking than Gotham's fireworks."
"He won't make it in time." Lin Nuo looked at the real-time image of the energy tower.
"Clark will save the trapped people first, because he can never choose the latter between the majority and a single person."
A spatial passage opened above the warehouse.
The masked man was tuning the gas device.
He was prepared to lure Superman into the lead plate area and then release the Kryptonite dust dug out from the old laboratory.
A piece of the warehouse ceiling suddenly collapsed.
The debris did not fall to the ground; they were all fixed in mid-air by an invisible barrier.
Lin Nuo dropped from the gap, wearing only a dark vest over his white shirt.
His gold-rimmed glasses reflected the warning lights, and he held no weapons in his hands.
"You borrowing Star Umbrella's cargo boxes, I can treat it as ordinary theft." Lin Nuo glanced over the steel cable on Lois's wrist.
"Touching my person, the nature of it changes."
The masked man pressed the detonator.
Weapons hidden on the crossbeams fired simultaneously, but the bullet heads stopped in front of Lin Nuo.
Lin Nuo raised his finger.
All the bullet heads reversed direction, brushed past the gang members' ears, and nailed into the weapon boxes behind them.
As soon as the few people wanted to scatter, the space beneath their feet was folded.
They took a step out, only to crash back into their original positions.
Lois saw that the scarlet trace on Lin Nuo's chest was expanding.
Every time he used his power, that mark would erode more of his flesh and blood.
"There is a gas device behind the left shelf!" She tore open the already loosened lock piece.
"The controller is in the masked man's hands, don't break the tank."
The masked man grabbed her shoulder, pressing a short blade against the side of her neck.
"Move any further forward, and I'll make Miss Lane laugh along with this warehouse!"
Lin Nuo stopped his footsteps and actively put away the spatial barrier.
The masked man thought the threat worked and hid the detonator behind his back.
He did not notice that Lois had already pulled out one hand, pressing toward the fire valve on the support column.
Water gushed out from the pipe.
Taking advantage of the other party turning their head, Loisshoved the short blade away with her elbow and then pounced toward the ground.
Lin Nuo crossed the distance between the two and blocked the bullets shooting toward her.
Golden blood spread across his shoulder, while the spatial power wrapped around the gas tank, sending the entire set of devices into an empty isolation chamber.
The masked man wanted to escape, but Lin Nuo grabbed his collar and pressed him against the cargo box.
"You bet that Superman would come, so you prepared Kryptonite." Lin Nuo removed his mask.
"But you forgot, outside of Metropolis, there are also people who can dismantle your toys."
Gotham Police sirens came from afar.
Selina had already sent the warehouse evidence and gang identities into the Police system, sealing off all evacuation routes.
Lin Nuo did not continue pursuing the gang members who had fallen to the ground.
He snapped the steel cable on Lois's wrist and wrapped his own coat around her shoulders.
Until the danger ended, Lois realized that her hands had been trembling all along.
She tried to stand steady, but her knees lost strength, and her whole body crashed into Lin Nuo's arms.
Lin Nuo did not take the opportunity to tighten his arms, only supporting her back so that she could choose the distance herself.
"How did you know I was here?" Lois gripped his shirt, her breathing not yet recovered.
"My location was blocked, and not even the Gotham Policereceived the news."
"They used Star Umbrella's seal, and satellites identified abnormal transportation." Lin Nuo looked down at her.
"You can suspect that surveillance overstepped its bounds, and you can write it into your report tomorrow. For tonight, allow yourself to be scared first."
Lois saw the wound on his shoulder.
The bullet that should have hit her was still embedded at the edge of the damaged vest.
"You clearly could have used a barrier to block it, why did you still come over?"
"Because barriers have a possibility of failing." Lin Nuoraised his hand to block the falling dust of the warehouse for her.
"I won't use your life to verify probabilities."
This sentence pierced through Lois's forced composure.
She leaned against Lin Nuo's chest, no longer pushing away the hand protecting her.
The red cape finally swept across the skies of Gotham.
Clark stopped outside the damaged warehouse, seeing Lois protected in Lin Nuo's arms, and also seeing her gripping that blood-stained white shirt.
Lin Nuo met his gaze, his voice falling only into Lois's ear.
"Clark saves the whole World, but the person who saves you tonight is me."
[Target has established protective dependency, interception progress increased to 50%.]
Chapter 315: Inducement with Injuries, Stepping into an Ambiguous Situation at the Doorstep
Clark landed outside the warehouse, his red cape kicking up the pooled water on the ground.
He did not rush in, only making out the scars on Lois's wrists through the damaged wall.
Lin Nuo was supporting her, a blood-stained White shirt clinging to his shoulder.
That bullet casing was still embedded in the fabric, with crimson cracks flickering around the wound.
Lois felt Lin Nuo's arm tighten and turned her head to see Clark outside the door.
She steadied herself against a cargo crate, yet did not immediately walk toward her lover.
Gotham police officers poured into the warehouse, sealing off the gas device and Kryptonite dust.
The detective in charge of the scene recognized Lois and requested that she go to the ambulance for a checkup first.
"I can cooperate with the investigation, but the cargo crates, projector, and communication equipment must be sealed separately."
Lois pointed at the fallen masked man.
"Their target is Superman, and there might be someone behind the scenes providing the technology."
Lin Nuo brought up the shipping codes used by the gang and handed them directly to the detective.
"Star Umbrella accepts police scrutiny."
"The seal comes from the stolen cargo crate, and internal tracking records will also be made public, lest anyone think the corporation is taking the opportunity to destroy evidence."
Clark walked into the warehouse, his gaze falling on Lin Nuo's shoulder.
He could already tell that the bullet hadn't penetrated the bone, yet Lin Nuo had deliberately kept the most conspicuous injury.
"Lois, I'll take you back."
Clark suppressed the stinging pain in his heart.
"Kryptonite has appeared here, and staying any longer is not safe."
Lois looked toward the dust isolation chamber in the center of the warehouse.
Clark had clearly just arrived, yet he already knew what was inside it.
"The danger was already over before you came."
Lois pulled her jacket tighter.
"The police still need my testimony; I won't leave right now."
Clark heard the distance in her words.
He wanted to explain that the energy tower had trapped him, but those rescued workers could not erase everything Lois had encountered tonight.
The detective had unauthorized personnel withdraw from the cordon.
Without revealing his identity, Clark could only retreat outside the warehouse, waiting through the rain curtain for her to finish the questioning.
Selina watched the scene from a nearby high-rise, sending the police dispatch footage to Lin Nuo.
"Your reporter lady didn't expose the abnormal surveillance."
"She's starting to actively reserve room for your explanation; that's worth more than a thank you."
Lin Nuo turned off his in-ear communicator and didn't respond.
Just as Lois walked out of the warehouse, he held a black umbrella over her head.
"The ambulance confirmed you have no fractures, but the electric shock might leave delayed reactions."
Lin Nuo pulled open the car door.
"I'll drive you back to Metropolis, and any discomfort along the way can be handled."
Clark stepped forward, blocking the side of the car door.
"She doesn't need to ride in Star Umbrella's car."
"Those people could steal the cargo crates, and they might also control your vehicle permissions; taking her back myself is faster."
Lois accepted neither of their arrangements.
She took out the car keys returned by the police, only to find that her own car's control system had been fried by the electrical device.
Lin Nuo handed the umbrella handle to her and proactively stepped back.
"The choice is yours."
"Star Umbrella's car, a police escort, or waiting for Mr. Kent's arrangement—I won't make the decision for you."
This concession left Clark's prepared questioning with nowhere to go.
Lois was silent for a moment before finally getting into the Star Umbrella vehicle inspected by the police.
"I need to contact Perry along the way and sort out the on-site records."
Lois closed the car door.
"Clark, you go back first, we'll talk later."
The vehicle drove out of the old chemical industrial zone.
Clark stood in place, rainwater dripping down his hair tips, yet unable to quench the pent-up irritability in his chest.
He could force himself to follow, and he could hear every single conversation clearly from the roof of the car.
But Lois had already accused him of being controlling, and he dared not cross that boundary again.
There was no partition inside the car.
Lois sat in the back row processing recordings, while Lin Nuo sat on the other side, never once peeking at her communicator the entire time.
"Tonight's email bypassed the Daily's server; the other party is very familiar with my investigative habits."
Lois put down her terminal.
"If you had monitored the cargo crates long ago, why didn't you stop them beforehand?"
Lin Nuo pulled the shrapnel out of his shoulder and casually tossed it into the medical box.
Golden blood dripped down his knuckles, only to be swallowed by the crimson mark.
"I can track items, but I cannot predict who will be lured over."
Lin Nuo looked straight into her eyes.
"Tonight was a security loophole on my end; you can write the responsibility into your report."
Lois originally wanted to press further on why his power had gone out of control again.
But seeing the cracks spreading toward the side of Lin Nuo's neck, her words involuntarily paused for a moment.
"You get hurt when you use your abilities, why did you still block that bullet casing for me?"
Her voice was very soft.
"Don't answer me with probabilities anymore, I want to hear the real reason."
Lin Nuo did not take the opportunity to get closer, only pressing gauze against the wound.
"Because you won't keep yourself in a safe zone."
"If I cannot stop you from pursuing the truth, I should at least give you a chance to live and write the truth out."
Lois gripped her recorder, the audio track from the warehouse still pulsing on the screen.
She was able to recognize lies, yet could find no exchange of interests in those words.
When the car arrived at the apartment, Gotham's rain had also chased it all the way to Metropolis.
Lois got out of the car too hastily, rainwater dampening the hair across her forehead.
Lin Nuo held the umbrella to escort her up the steps, keeping the canopy tilted toward her the entire time.
His own shoulder was exposed to the rain, and the bandages quickly stained with golden traces.
"You've already escorted me to the doorstep."
Lois stopped in front of her apartment door.
"Thank you for tonight, but this won't make me stop investigating Star Umbrella."
"I look forward to you digging deeper."
Lin Nuo brushed the wet hair stuck to the side of her face away for her, his fingers only grazing the tips of her hair.
"At least next time, don't accept anonymous invitations alone again."
Lois didn't dodge away.
She gazed at the gold-rimmed glasses right before her, recalling that line in the warehouse about not using her life to verify probabilities.
"If there hadn't been that seal tonight, would you still have come?"
Lois's gaze turned complex.
"If you were asked to choose between more people and me, how would you choose?"
Lin Nuo lowered his hand, his voice dropping very low.
"I won't let you become the one waiting for a choice."
"As for the reason, Lois, I thought tonight was already obvious enough."
These words had crossed the line of ordinary concern.
Lois's breath hitched, but she did not press for the answer that was about to be laid bare.
A red figure dropped from high above.
When Clark stepped onto the steps, Lois instinctively took half a step back.
The distance between her and Lin Nuo widened accordingly, yet the movement felt as though someone had caught them in some sort of secret.
Seeing her reaction, Clark felt his chest heavier than when he endured Kryptonite.
"I waited for a long time."
His voice carried suppression.
"You didn't reply to my messages, and I was worried they were still tracking you."
"She was undergoing remote police questioning in the car, and her communicator also needs to be sealed as evidence."
After Lin Nuo finished explaining for Lois, he pulled back his umbrella.
"Since Mr. Kent has arrived, there is no need for me to stay any longer."
Clark stared at Lin Nuo's blood-stained shoulder.
"You saved her, and I'll remember that."
"But the timing of your approach to Lois is too coincidental; I won't give up investigating you just because of tonight."
Lin Nuo did not argue, simply placing the umbrella into Lois's hands.
"It seems I've interrupted. Miss Lane, good night."
He turned and walked into the rain, without looking back and without leaving any demands.
Watching the figure in the White shirt disappear behind the car door, Lois realized she was still holding his umbrella.
Clark reached to take the umbrella, but Lois avoided his hand.
"There were many people under the energy tower, I know you had to save them."
She looked at Clark, the disappointment in her eyes not as intense as anger, yet harder to bear.
"I also know you came in the end."
Clark opened his mouth.
Explanations were already on the tip of his tongue, but no reason could change who the person standing in front of Lois in the warehouse was.
Lois gripped the umbrella handle tightly, finally asking the question suppressed at the bottom of her heart.
"Clark, why are you always so late?"
Chapter 316: Touching the Red Marks, Stealing Home While Turning Around
Clark did not answer.
He followed Lois into the apartment, but stopped at the entryway, not checking the windows and door locks for her as he usually did.
Any protective action tonight could become a new form of control.
Lois placed Lin Nuo's umbrella by the wall and took out the first aid kit to treat the scars on her wrists.
The red marks left by the steel cable were deep, and there were traces of current burns on the edges.
Clark squatted half down in front of her, his outstretched hand stopping in mid-air.
"I should have told you about Bruce's warning earlier and let you participate in the investigation."
He took off his glasses, leaving only fatigue in his eyes.
"I've always been afraid of losing you, and in the end, I turned fear into restriction."
Lois did not forgive him immediately.
She handed over the disinfection cotton, allowing Clark to treat the wound for her, but she did not shorten the distance between the two of them.
"Apologies cannot solve information asymmetry."
Lois watched his movements.
"I need to know what I am facing, and I need you to believe that I can bear the answers."
Clark eased the strength in his hands.
"Give me a chance to start over.
Tomorrow night there will be no rescue, no Superman, and no investigation; we will go to the restaurant of our first date, and I will tell you what can be made public."
Lois heard the reservations in his words.
"What can be made public" was still defined by Clark, but at least it was his first active attempt to change.
"What if a disaster hits the city again?"
She asked.
Clark tied the gauze, his gaze falling on her wrist.
"I cannot promise not to hear cries for help.
But I will tell you in advance instead of flying away with just a glance.
You can also decide whether to keep waiting for me."
Lois did not give a clear reply, only letting him sleep in the living room tonight.
Yet Clark treated this reservation as a faint opportunity.
The next afternoon, Clark booked a restaurant in advance.
He dug out the suit he rarely wore and asked the restaurant to reserve the seat from when the two of them first argued about news ethics.
At the same time, a formal invitation was sent to Lois's office terminal.
The Star Umbrella Global Charity Gala would be held in Metropolis.
The UN Secretary-General and multiple theater rescue organizations would attend, and the invitation came with exclusive interview access.
Perry walked over to her desk and glanced at the list.
"Other media only got joint interviews, but the Daily Planethas a separate questioning time.
This opportunity is of high value, and it is enough to make people wonder why Lin Nuo gave it to you."
Lois opened the interview terms.
No forbidden zones, no pre-censorship, and the final manuscript would not be interfered with by Star Umbrella's PR department.
"That's why I should go even more."
She pulled up the data on the theater medical project.
"If there are problems with those anonymous data, I can verify them face-to-face with the Secretary-General."
Perry placed an old-style press pass on the desk.
"Don't let professional opportunities make personal judgments for you.
If you want to interview, go, but you must distinguish whether he is respecting journalists or precisely meeting your needs."
Lois looked at the time.
The gala completely overlapped with the date arranged by Clark, yet the Secretary-General's itinerary only had this one time slot.
She dialed Clark's phone.
"There is a temporary interview tonight, and I might not be able to go to the restaurant."
Lois did not hide the source of the invitation.
"Star Umbrella gave the Daily Planet exclusive access, and I need to confirm whether the global medical project is true."
The other end of the phone fell silent for a moment.
Clark stood outside the restaurant door, watching the staff place the reserved flowers.
"This is Lin Nuo's deliberate arrangement."
He suppressed his resistance.
"As long as you are willing, I can wait for you after the interview, and I will handle the restaurant side."
Lois heard that reluctance.
"The Secretary-General will leave before midnight, and the interview duration is uncertain.
You don't have to wait; I don't want tonight to turn into another debt of gratitude."
After the call ended, Clark did not cancel the reservation.
He walked into the restaurant alone, sat in the spot the two of them shared back then, and still kept the opposite seat reserved.
The charity gala gathered global media.
When Lois entered the venue, she found that her interview seat was not close to Star Umbrella's management.
Lin Nuo did not take the opportunity to keep her by his side.
He let the UN team independently arrange the interview order, and only met with her briefly before the opening.
"The interview materials have been handed over to Mr. Perry, and the raw data can be taken away."
Lin Nuo was wearing a simply tailored black formal suit, the injury on his shoulder covered by the fabric.
"Tonight you represent the Daily Planet, and you do not need to represent the stance of Star Umbrella."
Lois opened the materials, which included third-party audit reports of multiple theater medical stations.
Some records even exposed the management flaws of Star Umbrella's project.
"Aren't you afraid I'll seize upon these issues?"
She asked, raising her eyes.
"If charity only allows praise, it will soon become expensive advertising."
Lin Nuo turned sideways to clear the passage.
"Your questions should be left for the Secretary-General; I won't steal his interview time."
After the interview began, Lois did not waste the opportunity.
She pressed whether the medical stations were used for political exchanges, and also requested the other party to explain the risks of Star Umbrella controlling global health data.
The official answers prepared by the Secretary-General were interrupted repeatedly, and he could only promise to promote an independent regulatory mechanism.
Other reporters at the venue turned to Lois one after another, and the live broadcast cameras followed as well.
Lin Nuo remained seated in the distance without interfering.
He even motioned to the PR staff to withdraw a cue card that they wanted to pass to Lois.
Emma saw the live broadcast through the communication device, her tone carrying a hint of amusement.
"You turned the entire gala into her home court, and even Star Umbrella became the target of her interrogation.
She will think this attention comes from her own ability."
"She has this ability to begin with."
Lin Nuo picked up his water cup.
"I am only responsible for making others unable to ignore it."
After the interview, the Secretary-General took the initiative to exchange private contact information with Loisand agreed to let her join the next batch of medical station monitoring groups.
When the applause sounded, Lois stood in the center of all the cameras.
What she gained was not expensive gifts, but the public discourse power that journalists found hardest to obtain.
Only then did Lin Nuo walk up to her and hand over a supplementary document.
"This is a list of Doctors in the project who refused to disclose their names.
You can contact them through a third party without going through the group."
Lois took the document, a thinly veiled brilliance filling her eyes.
"You knew long ago that I would question regulatory issues in public, so you prepared the flaw report as well.
What on earth are you trying to prove?"
Lin Nuo did not get close, only blocking the PR director who tried to cut in for her.
"Proving that you don't need anyone's approval to become the focus of the whole audience.
Tonight's opportunity belongs to the Daily Planet, and both the questions and applause belong to you."
At the same time, Clark was sitting in the restaurant.
The candle opposite had burned more than half, and Lois's seat remained empty.
The waiter asked for the third time whether to serve the food.
Clark glanced at his communicator and finally had the restaurant send the reserved meals to nearby night-shift emergency personnel.
The television on the wall was broadcasting the gala live.
Lois in the footage was bright-spirited, with not a shred of hesitation when pressing questions.
Lin Nuo stood behind her, yet yielded all the cameras and applause to her.
Clark could not accuse her of choosing work.
That was precisely the Lois he had always admired, and also the person he had repeatedly asked to stay in the safety zone.
He could hear the sounds of the entire city, yet could not tell from the live broadcast whether Lois remembered this date at this moment.
An encrypted email popped up, sourced from Bruce.
Inside the attachment were Lin Nuo's movement trajectories in Gotham, Central City, and Metropolis.
After every crisis, he obtained new corporate control, and by his side would be one more person who trusted him unconditionally.
Clark quickly read through the materials and found that core evidence capable of conviction was still missing.
Bruce obviously realized this as well, and only left a warning at the end.
"Clark, you are losing her."
Chapter 317: Red Eyes and Bittersweet Sorrow, Accompanying Her Closely for the Rest of Her Life
Clark closed the email, but the applause on the television did not stop.
He saw through the venue walls that Lois was organizing her interview notes.
Lin Nuo did not touch her, standing aside only to block the investors who kept approaching her.
This well-judged distance made Clark more uneasy than any public declaration of love.
After the banquet ended, Lois followed the United Nationsteam into the lounge area.
Lin Nuo alone took the elevator to the top floor of the Star Umbrella building.
Clark did not wait any longer.
The red cape swept across the sky above Metropolis and landed in the center of the rooftop.
When Lin Nuo stepped out of the elevator, the strong wind was blowing the hem of his clothes backward.
"Mr. Kent did not accompany Lois back, but instead came to find me."
Lin Nuo took off his gold-rimmed glasses and slowly wiped away the moisture on the lenses.
"It seems that date tonight did not go smoothly."
Clark blocked the path leading to the elevator.
"You investigated her work habits, created the opportunities she needed, and then appeared when I couldn't make it in time."
"You approached Lois with a purpose from the very beginning."
Lin Nuo put his glasses back on, his expression unchanged.
"She chose to investigate Star Umbrella and also chose to attend the banquet."
"I did not forge the United Nations itinerary, nor did I raise those questions on her behalf. Which of these are you prepared to define as manipulation?"
Clark's gaze passed through Lin Nuo's body, seeing crimson marks entangling the outside of the energy core.
There were signs of decay there, concealing multiple powers that did not belong to this Universe.
"You implanted a device in the drink and are collecting my blood and respiratory particles."
Clark closed in.
"Lois is merely your channel to approach me; she has no idea what she has gotten herself involved in."
Lin Nuo did not deny the sample collection, but instead projected his terminal between the two of them.
The image showed public records of hospital emergency equipment and disaster scenes.
"You were injured above the city, and the samples left behind would be acquired by countless organizations."
"Star Umbrella analyzes them in order to deal with the next rift."
Clark shattered the projection with a single palm, controlling his power so it wouldn't affect the building structure.
"Stop covering up your actions with public safety."
"You know my identity, and you know what Lois means to me, which is why you keep appearing by her side time and time again."
Lin Nuo looked at the scattered projection light spots, a trace of coldness finally appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"You finally admit that the problem is not with the evidence."
"You are afraid she will discover that there is still someone by her side willing to listen to her finish talking."
Clark suppressed his surging anger.
"She is not a prize you use to prove victory or defeat."
"If you truly respect her, you should tell her everything about your origins, your injuries, and your true purpose."
Lin Nuo walked slowly to the edge of the rooftop.
"It is very interesting for you to say these words."
"You have been in love with her for years, yet you even filter the reasons for each of your departures."
"You demand honesty from others, yet you are only willing to give safe answers yourself."
Clark clenched his fists, and fine cracks split open on the ground beneath the soles of his shoes.
"I conceal my identity to protect her."
"She has already answered that sentence."
Lin Nuo turned to face him.
"Have you ever given her the companionship she wanted? Or do you only drop from the sky when she is in danger, and then continue to disappear?"
The warehouse, the rainy night, and that empty dining chair simultaneously surfaced in Clark's mind.
Knowing full well that Lin Nuo was deliberately attacking his psychological defenses, his body still leaked out-of-control solar energy.
Inside Lin Nuo's terminal, a line of prompts visible only to him quietly emerged.
[Target emotional fluctuations intensify, Kryptoniancellular resonance is active.]
Clark's super hearing captured Lois's footsteps below the rooftop.
She was still inside the building, hadn't approached here, and didn't know the two of them were confronting each other.
"Don't drag her into whatever is between us."
Clark raised his head.
"Hand over the technology implanted in my body, and I will have the police investigate your corporation."
"The police need evidence, but you are prepared to take the answer by force."
Lin Nuo raised his hand to unbutton his cuffs.
"Is this the respect you speak of?"
Clark rushed in front of Lin Nuo, his fist stopping at the side of his face.
A wave of air swept across the rooftop, and the guardrail was pressed outward and bent.
In the end, he didn't strike down.
However, Lin Nuo raised a finger, and the blue light of the Space Stone spread along the ground.
The distance under Clark's feet was folded, and the person who was close at hand suddenly retreated to the edge of the rooftop.
Clark accelerated again.
Whenever he crossed that section of space, his body would return from the origin, as if the entire rooftop had turned into a closed corridor connected end-to-end.
"You cannot trap me."
Clark rose into the air, preparing to break away from above the spatial structure.
Lin Nuo clenched his palm.
The sky was folded into another floor, and after Clarkrushed out of the rooftop, he fell again from behind Lin Nuo.
He adjusted his body, and his heat vision swept toward the spatial node.
The red beam tore open a gap, and the crimson mark also suddenly spread across Lin Nuo's chest.
Clark saw the flaw.
Braving the distorted space, he rushed toward the crack, his palm already touching the real night wind.
Just one more step forward, and the spatial cage would be shattered by Kryptonian power.
Yet Lin Nuo did not repair the crack.
He let Clark erupt with power, and all the nanoparticles hidden in the spatial interlayer lit up.
Those particles did not attack Clark; they merely recorded the resonance produced when solar energy passed through cells, nerves, and the biological field.
[Kryptonian cell data collection 80% complete.]
Seeing the prompt, the coldness in the depths of Lin Nuo's eyes dissipated accordingly.
The spatial crack closed, and Clark landed back in the center of the rooftop.
This time, the folded space squeezed in from all sides.
Clark could hold up a collapsing building, but he could find no solid entity to bear his force.
"You deliberately let me attack."
Clark finally understood what Lin Nuo had been waiting for.
"The device in the hospital wasn't completely cleared out; it's still reading my power."
Lin Nuo walked up to him, looking across the distorted space into those reddened eyes.
"If you had remained calm, it could only obtain static data."
"But you actively erupted for Lois, letting me see how Kryptonian cells respond to anger and possessiveness."
Clark exerted force abruptly, and the folded space emitted dense cracking sounds.
The decay mark on Lin Nuo's chest also cracked accordingly, and golden blood seeped through his clothing.
"You cannot bear this power."
Clark stared at his wound.
"If this continues, the first person to fall will be you."
Lin Nuo wiped away the blood at the corner of his mouth, but the spatial pressure did not weaken.
"So you are prepared to save me again? Or are you prepared to wait until I lose my power, and then use safety as an excuse to decide for Lois who can stay by her side?"
Clark's movements paused, stung by those words.
Lin Nuo leaned in close, his voice falling only into his ear.
"You love her, but you never respect her choices."
"When she needs companionship, you are always saving someone else."
"I will not abandon those crying out for help for the sake of personal feelings."
Clark propped up the contracting space.
"The me that Lois fell in love with is also this kind of person."
"Then accept that she might not be willing to wait forever."
Lin Nuo straightened his body.
"You have the right to save the World, and she also has the right to choose someone who will stay."
The spatial cage suddenly dispersed.
Clark landed on the ground, not taking the opportunity to attack.
Seeing Lin Nuo voluntarily put away the power of the stone, he became even more vigilant than when he was trapped.
"Why let me go?"
Clark asked in a deep voice.
"Because Lois is still downstairs."
Lin Nuo buttoned his cuffs again.
"If she sees you destroy this building for the sake of emotions, your last remaining advantage will also disappear."
Clark looked into the building.
Lois was hugging her interview documents and walking toward the exit, her face bearing a satisfaction that hadn't been seen in a long time.
He did not make another move, only staring fixedly at Lin Nuo before leaving.
"You are definitely not an ordinary person."
"One day, she will see clearly that every bit of tenderness you give is marked with a price."
Lin Nuo stood at the edge of the rooftop, watching the red cape rise into the sky again, calmly delivering the final blow.
"She deserves better, like someone who will grow old with her."
Chapter 318: Hospital Vigil, Kryptonian Authority Belongs to Me
When Lin Nuo returned to the banquet hall, Lois had already finished her interview.
She walked toward the elevator holding her materials, the radiance on her face not yet fading, when her communicator suddenly vibrated.
"Colonel Lane collapsed at home, and it's preliminarily judged to be a cerebral vascular rupture caused by an old injury. He is currently being sent to the Military hospital." The speaking speed in the communicator was very fast. "His condition is unstable, and the surgical consent form needs to be signed by an immediate family member. Please hurry over as soon as possible."
The documents in Lois's hands scattered all over the floor.
She dialed Clark at the first instance, but there was only the sound of violent wind in the communicator.
At this moment, Clark was holding up an out-of-orbit energy platform. The platform's core had entered an overload state, and right below it was the eastern urban area of Metropolis. As long as he let go, tens of thousands of tons of debris would fall along with the high-energy fuel.
"I heard you, Lois." Clark tried hard to stabilize the platform, his voice cut intermittently by the airflow. "I will finish dealing with the trouble here as soon as possible and then rush to the hospital. Trust the Doctor, and trust your father; he has survived many dangers."
Lois gripped the communicator tightly.
She did not blame him, nor did she urge him. She knew that there were hundreds of thousands of lives beneath that platform, and Clark could not leave alone just for her.
Yet knowing could not lessen the helplessness of this moment.
Lin Nuo walked out of the elevator, his gaze sweeping across her pale face. He did not ask about her privacy, only bending down to pick up the scattered materials.
"The Star Umbrella car is downstairs. If you are unwilling to use the group's resources, I can contact the Militaryhospital and have them send someone to pick you up."
Lois forced herself to calm down.
"My father is in critical condition, and the hospital needs me to sign. Lin Nuo, I don't have the energy right now to judge whether every step of yours has an ulterior motive, so don't make choices for me."
"Then you decide the route, and I am only responsible for driving."
Lin Nuo placed the car keys into her palm and smoothly took away the stack of materials.
Forty minutes later, the two rushed to the Military hospital.
Colonel Lane had already been pushed into the operating room. The Doctor in charge of the surgery came from the neurological medical center aided by Star Umbrella, and the other party did not conceal the risks.
"The rupture location is close to the brainstem, and the success rate of conventional hemostasis plans is very low. We have a coagulation material that has not yet completed full promotion. The Military has already approved emergency use, but family authorization is required."
Lois finished flipping through the agreement and looked up at Lin Nuo.
"This hospital uses your technology, and you happened to be able to bring me over in the shortest time. I want to know if this was arranged by you in advance."
Lin Nuo sat on the other side of the corridor and never touched that authorization form.
"Colonel Lane underwent Star Umbrella's battlefield old injury screening three years ago, and his medical record has always been on the high-risk list. The Doctor on duty tonight saw the alert and activated the emergency plan according to protocol."
Facing her scrutinizing gaze, Lin Nuo spoke in a steady tone.
"You can refuse, or you can ask the Military to transfer another team. I will not use your father's life to urge you to sign, nor will I ask for any reward."
Lois stared at him for a few seconds and finally wrote her name on the authorization form.
The surgical light remained lit for a full six hours.
At two in the morning, Clark finally pushed the energy platform out of the atmosphere. The high temperature burned through his uniform, and the platform's core was still continuously leaking energy in the Universe. He could only continue to send it to an orbit far away from Earth.
He dialed Lois's communicator, but no one answered.
In the hospital corridor, Lois leaned against the seat, her hands clasped tightly. Every few minutes, she would look up at the surgical light, her shoulders already stiff and aching.
Lin Nuo did not urge her to rest, nor did he interrupt the wait with empty comfort.
He bought two cups of coffee and placed one of them by her hand.
Lois looked at the heat rising from the rim of the cup and suddenly said in a low voice, "Clark also wanted to accompany me, but every time a moment truly requiring him arrived, there would always be more people waiting for him. I can't even complain, because those people's lives are equally important."
Lin Nuo did not take the opportunity to attack Clark.
"Your understanding of his responsibility does not mean you must ignore your own feelings. A person capable of saving the World might also fail to manage an ordinary relationship; these two things do not conflict."
Lois raised her head, her eyes bloodshot.
"If I asked him to stay, I would feel very selfish. If I always let him leave, sooner or later, I wouldn't even have the strength to open my mouth to ask him to stay."
"You have never asked him to give up anyone."
Lin Nuo took off his glasses and gently rubbed the space between his brows.
"You only hope that you can occasionally rank at the front of the waiting list, which is not asking too much."
This sentence struck Lois's last line of defense.
When the operating room door opened, she suddenly stood up. The chief Doctor took off his mask and told her that the hemostasis was successful, and Colonel Lane was temporarily out of danger, but still needed to be observed for forty-eight hours.
Lois nodded and wanted to thank him, but her throat felt blocked by something.
After the Doctor left, her emotions that she had forced herself to sustain for a whole night finally lost their fulcrum.
"I'm tired."
Lois's voice trembled, and tears fell along her cheeks.
"Lin Nuo, I have really waited too long. I understand every departure of his, but no one told me why understanding someone could be so tiring."
Lin Nuo reached out his hand without forcibly pulling her closer.
Yet Lois took a proactive step forward, resting her forehead against his chest. She grabbed his lapels, and her suppressed crying finally leaked out from between her fingers.
Lin Nuo closed his arms and protected her in his embrace.
"Tonight you don't need to understand anyone, nor do you need to continue being strong." His palm fell on her back without crossing the boundary. "You can just be Colonel Lane's daughter, and you can also admit that you need someone to stay."
Lois raised her tear-stained face.
"Then will you stay? Even if I continue to investigate you after waking up, continue to suspect Star Umbrella, or even discover that you are far from as good as you appear."
Lin Nuo lowered his head and kissed her forehead.
"I am staying, regardless of whether you believe me or not."
A crisp prompt sound resounded deep within Lin Nuo's consciousness.
[Interception progress has reached one hundred percent.]
[Ultimate possession critical hit triggered.]
[Obtained perfect Kryptonian cell resonance.]
The morning light outside the hospital passed through the glass and fell on Lin Nuo's shoulders.
The warm solar energy was rapidly captured by the cells. The scarlet mark was like being washed by a tide, and the cracks winding around the core gradually closed. The golden blood flowed back again, and the long-decayed laws showed signs of stability for the first time.
Lin Nuo felt the constantly growing power within his body, suppressing a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.
Far away in low Earth orbit, Clark heard Lois's crying.
He heard her say she was tired, and he also heard Lin Nuopromise to stay, yet he could not see whose embrace she was leaning in.
And in the rain curtain opposite the hospital, a telephoto lens had already sent the picture of the two embracing to various media outlets in Metropolis.
Chapter 319: Front-Page Official Announcement, The Red Cape Wanders Far into the Starry Sea
The next morning, that photo made the front page of the Daily Planet.
In the photo, Lois's eyes were red-rimmed, Lin Nuo draped his jacket over her shoulders, and the two walked out of the hospital side by side.
The report didn't use any ambiguous titles, only attaching Lois's personal response when facing reporters.
"Colonel Lane is out of danger, and thank you everyone for your concern. As for the relationship between Mr. Lin Nuoand me, I won't avoid it with lies; we are indeed trying to date."
Clark sat in the empty office of the Daily Planet and read that sentence three times.
When he hurried back to the hospital, Lois had already entered the intensive care zone. She didn't refuse to see him, but only left a message through the communicator.
She needed time and also hoped Clark would respect this decision.
Perry pushed open the office door, saw the cup of coffee in front of Clark that had long since gone cold, and a complex emotion arose in his heart.
"If you're ready to rush over and pick a fight with Lin Nuo, put your cape away first. This is a newspaper office, not responsible for solving anyone's emotional disputes."
Clark raised his head, with no anger in his eyes.
"I heard her cry last night. I knew she needed me, but once that energy platform fell, it would have destroyed half the city district. I made the choice I had to make, and yet I still lost her."
Perry pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Your problem was never last night. Lois can accept you going to save people; she can't accept that she can only ever know where you went from the news. Lin Nuo seized upon this point, but the decision was still made by her."
Clark looked toward Lois's empty desk.
By the desk still lay an old voice recorder left over from their first cooperative investigation. She once said that the truth was worth the risk, but Clark later used protection as an excuse to exclude her from his own truth.
"Maybe all she needed was a person," Clark folded the newspaper neatly, "someone who would sit outside her ward and accompany her until dawn, someone who wouldn't hear cries for help from every corner of the World."
Perry didn't comfort him.
"If you really think like that, don't push the blame onto your own abilities. The reason you lost her is much more complex than the identity of Superman."
Clark got up and left the newspaper office.
The red cape swept across the skies of Metropolis, and people in the city were still waving at him. Police car chases, rooftop fires, out-of-control construction machinery—all sounds remained clear.
He saved a child who was nearly falling from a building, handed the other party over to the mother, and did not accept interviews from reporters.
A few minutes later, Clark crossed the North Pole ice sheet and entered the long-dormant Fortress of Solitude.
The Kryptonian spaceship sensed his bloodline, and the frozen passages opened in sequence. Jor-El's projection appeared before the console, his gaze still maintaining the calmness set by the program.
"Karl, your energy fluctuations show obvious abnormalities. The Earth environment has not changed; the influence comes from your psychological state."
Clark stood beneath the Kryptonian star chart, remaining silent for a long time before speaking.
"Father, if I hadn't come to Earth, many people's lives might have been simpler. Rex wouldn't treat me as a threat to humanity, Bruce wouldn't need to prepare contingency plans to kill me, and Lois wouldn't have to wait for someone who can never come home on time."
Jor-El's projection flickered slightly.
"Your arrival changed Earth, and it also changed yourself. Programs cannot calculate how a relationship should choose, but Karl-El's life shouldn't be defined by just a single loss."
"I'm just starting to doubt whether what they need is Superman or Clark."
Outside the fortress, an engine roar came.
A Batman fighter camouflaged for polar conditions landed on the ice. Bruce walked into the tunnel wearing thickened armor, his handheld terminal projecting multiple sets of data from Gotham, Central City, and Metropolis.
He saw the exhaustion in Clark's eyes, and his anger grew even heavier instead.
"Lin Nuo took over the underground network in Gothamand subsequently controlled a large amount of old industrial assets. After the abnormality occurred in Central City, he acquired the medical supply chain around S.T.A.R. Labs. Now he has obtained samples from you; Lois is merely one of his paths to approach you."
Clark scanned the data.
"These only prove he is expanding. Lois knew I suspected Lin Nuo, and she still made her choice. If you intend to tell me she was manipulated, bring out the evidence, and don't include her willpower in your contingency plans."
Bruce took off his mask, his icy gaze pressing down on him.
"You're just giving up like this? This isn't like you. That man studies your cells, masters power that does not belong to Earth, and deliberately puts every clue in a place where we can see it—he is waiting for us to make a mistake."
"I haven't given up the investigation."
Clark walked toward the Kryptonian star chart and pulled up a flight path extending deep into space.
"Lin Nuo's power spans multiple systems, and Earth data cannot explain it. I will go look for surviving Kryptonianoutposts, and I will also visit civilizations in the Universethat understand the laws of space and life."
Bruce blocked the console.
"You leaving now is equivalent to handing both Earth and Lois over to him. You negate yourself because of a single failure, and this is precisely the result Lin Nuo hopes most to see."
Clark didn't push him away.
"If I continue to stay here, every action will revolve around Lois. Anger will make him collect more data, and it will also turn me into the person in his mouth who cannot accept choices."
He placed a Kryptonian authority crystal into Bruce's hand.
"The fortress's basic database is open to you. If I have already lost my judgment when I return, you know how to stop me."
Bruce clenched the crystal tightly.
"I formulate contingency plans to avoid the worst-case result, never thinking of using it to send away a friend. Clark, what you need right now is to stop, rather than flying toward the Universe to escape."
Clark looked toward the distant Metropolis.
He could still hear that city's heartbeat, but he no longer searched for Lois's voice.
"I will come back, but until I find a way to counter Lin Nuo, Earth temporarily has no Clark Kent."
The top of the fortress opened, and sunlight pierced through the ice.
Clark rushed into the clouds, his speed continuously increasing. The red cape turned into a tiny speck of light outside the atmosphere, finally disappearing deep into the starry sea.
Bruce stood alone before the console, opening the procurement records left by Lin Nuo.
Hundreds of complex transactions ultimately converged on Central City. The route was excessively clear, almost as if someone had deliberately set up guideposts for the World's greatest detective.
Knowing full well that danger or a trap might lie ahead, Bruce still entered S.T.A.R. Labs into the Batman fighter's navigation.
Chapter 320: Following the Trail into the Trap, BatmanTrapped in Central City
The Batwing entered stealth mode on the outskirts of Central City.
Bruce did not land directly near S.T.A.R. Labs.
He circled three times, first inspecting the city power grid, then hacking into the logistics system, and finally locking onto seven shell companies that supplied special materials to the laboratory.
Those companies respectively procured neuro-inhibitors, quantum batteries, and high-speed particle sensors, and their payment accounts had gone through multi-layered splits, yet all of them had previously engaged in transactions with a fund under Star Umbrella.
Bruce changed into his full anti-Superman armor.
The interior of the armor stored Kryptonite aerosol, a red Sun radiation module, and high-frequency sonic weapons.
Clark had already left Earth, but this equipment was now going to be used to guard against someone who might possess Kryptonian abilities.
When he sneaked into the underground maintenance tunnel, he did not trigger any alarms.
It went smoothly enough to make Bruce even more vigilant.
On another high-rise building, Selina lay prone in the shadow behind a billboard.
Her cat-eye goggles continuously adjusted their focal length, synchronously transmitting Bruce's actions back to Metropolis.
Seeing that familiar armor, her fingers paused for a moment.
The Bruce of the past always thought contingency plans could solve all problems.
He investigated companions, tested weaknesses, and would put Selina in dangerous positions when necessary, yet rarely explained what exactly he was afraid of.
Now, he walked alone into an unfamiliar laboratory once again.
Selina said in a low voice, "He discovered the peripheral procurement chain and also saw that the route was excessively clear. Yet he did not retreat; Clark's departure has made him lose his patience."
Lin Nuo's voice came through the earpiece.
"Keep your distance. Bruce is good at judging positions from an observer's breathing frequency; do not let past habits ruin tonight."
"You certainly know him well."
Selina looked at the tunnel entrance where Bruce had disappeared, her tone carrying a trace of unexplainable mockery.
"Do not underestimate that old Batman. His most dangerous moments are often when all plans seem to be failing."
Inside the underground laboratory, Bruce bypassed three biometric identification systems and entered the medical area.
Cisco was standing in front of the main console debugging particle models, while Caitlin was observing a set of neural imaging data.
Both of them wore Star Umbrella's access rings on their wrists, and the access controls and equipment would only respond after recognizing the permissions.
Bruce walked out from the shadows and stuck a scrambler underneath the console.
All monitoring screens froze at the same time.
Cisco was startled by the voice behind him and turned around, just about to trigger the alarm when Bruce had already locked onto his wrist.
"The access rings are connected to heart rate monitoring and positioning modules, and every move you make is within the Star Umbrella system. Tell me what happened to Barry Allen, and I can take you away."
After Cisco saw the mask clearly, his expression turned ugly.
"You are that guy from Gotham who likes to drop from the ceiling? No one is imprisoned here, and the access rings belong to the laboratory security protocol. You choking me while asking about freedom really lacks persuasiveness."
Bruce let go of his hand, but did not put away the scrambler.
"Before Barry was hospitalized, an abnormal Speed Forcereading appeared in the laboratory. The record was subsequently deleted, yet you accepted Star Umbrella's capital restructuring in the same week. Such coincidences are something I usually only see when fabricating evidence."
Caitlin turned off the imaging equipment and blocked in front of Cisco.
"Barry's nervous system suffered a backlash from unknown energy, and he can no longer establish a connection with his original energy field. Star Umbrella provides equipment to maintain his cellular metabolism; remove these equipment, and he might not even be able to recover normal walking."
Bruce pulled up a fragmented waveform chart.
"Backlash leaves burns and energy turbulence, but a complete fault appeared in this chart. His connection was precisely stripped away by some force, and the process is closer to a transplantation."
Cisco's expression finally changed.
Even he had never seen that original waveform.
After Star Umbrella took over the servers, the data from the night of the accident was classified under highest authority.
Catching his hesitation, Bruce continued to press.
"Did Lin Nuo appear at the scene of the accident? Did he touch Barry's body, or take away any particle samples?"
"When Barry woke up, Lin Nuo was indeed at the hospital."
Cisco lowered his voice.
"He told us that Barry lost his abilities in the secondary explosion of the laboratory. Caitlin checked the injuries, and all results at that time matched energy backlash."
However, Caitlin stared at the waveform chart, her face turning paler and paler.
"Unless the testing data we obtained was reconstructed. Star Umbrella's equipment can simulate neural signals; if someone knew in advance what state a normal backlash should present, they could indeed fabricate a complete report."
Bruce put away the waveform chart.
"Take me to see Barry."
The three entered the medical quarantine zone.
Barry lay in the recovery pod, with his legs connected to neural stimulation devices.
He was much thinner than in the video footage, and upon seeing Batman, his first reaction was actually to reach for his glasses.
"Gotham is far from here. If you came all this way to visit a speedster who cannot run, I am afraid I have no way to buy you coffee."
Bruce stood outside the pod and turned on the portable scanner.
"Who did you see in the last minute before the accident? Do not recall the contents of the report, just speak of the images you personally confirmed with your own eyes."
Barry closed his eyes, and his breathing gradually grew rapid.
"An abnormality occurred in the particle accelerator, and I entered the channel to evacuate the researchers. Then someone stood in the lightning, and he reached out and touched my chest."
Barry's voice paused.
"I could not see his face clearly, only remembering a pair of gold-rimmed glasses."
Cisco suddenly looked at Caitlin.
Bruce, however, did not show any surprise.
He inspected the bottom of the recovery pod and quickly discovered a hidden data fiber-optic cable.
The fiber-optic cable bypassed the laboratory mainframe and directly connected to Star Umbrella's quantum communication node.
He tracked the signal along the fiber-optic cable, but access records that had been prepared long ago popped up on the screen.
The records showed that from the moment he entered Central City, every crack and every scanning path had been completely saved.
Bruce turned off the scanner.
"The peripheral procurement chain, the deleted accident records, and this hidden fiber-optic cable were all deliberately left behind by him. He wanted me to confirm that Barry lost the Speed Force, and he also wanted me to send the message out."
Hearing these words, Selina's gaze condensed slightly.
Bruce had seen through the layout faster than Lin Nuoanticipated, but he still had not found the exit channel.
She pressed the communication button.
"He has confirmed that the Speed Force was stolen, and is activating the interstellar channel in the armor. You guessed right, he is preparing to contact the Green Lantern Corps."
Bruce took out the Kryptonian authority crystal and connected it to the Batman armor.
The green distress signal penetrated the laboratory barrier, continuously transmitting toward the sector where Earthwas located.
"This is Batman. I have discovered an unknown target capable of stripping away the Speed Force, analyzing Kryptonian cells, and manipulating space. Superman has already left Earth; please let the Green Lantern Corpsintervene and investigate."
The signal was successfully sent out.
The next moment, all access rings in the laboratory lit up with red light simultaneously, the alloy doors at the exit locked down layer by layer, and Lin Nuo's voice resounded from the speakers in all directions.
"Welcome to Central City, Bruce. You have finally walked into the last clue I left for you."