The atmosphere in the yard was incredibly awkward.
On one side, Clark and Bruce stood together, their bodies slightly stiff.
On the other, Alfred held Martha's hand while his face remained red.
Martha looked a little embarrassed at first, but after a brief hesitation, she turned toward Clark with a firm and happy expression.
The four of them exchanged glances, creating a scene that looked straight out of a complicated family drama.
Meanwhile, Axel stood nearby and swallowed hard.
"Uh..."
He scratched his head.
"Everyone, this atmosphere is way too weird. How about this, Bruce, you hold Clark's hand too. Or maybe Clark holds Bruce's."
Before anyone could react, Axel disappeared and instantly appeared in front of Clark.
He grabbed Bruce's hand, linked it with Clark's, and even intertwined their fingers.
Bruce was too slow to react.
Clark, however, immediately tried to pull away.
Then Axel slapped the back of his hand.
"Play along, Clark."
His voice echoed directly inside Clark's mind.
"If you cooperate, then the next time I kill someone in front of you, I'll let you stop me once."
"This is a privilege I'm giving you."
"Unless the person spits in my face, I guarantee I won't kill them if you invoke it."
"Fair trade, right?"
Clark hesitated before nodding.
The next instant, Axel was back where he had been standing.
He widened his eyes in fake surprise.
"Wait, Bruce and Clark, I was only making a suggestion. I didn't expect you two to actually do it."
"You're moving way too fast."
Laughing, Axel walked over and draped an arm around Alfred and Martha.
"See? They actually look pretty good together."
"What are you talking about?"
Bruce rolled his eyes.
Then he stepped forward.
"I don't have a right to interfere with Alfred's love life."
"He's family, but that doesn't mean I get to make decisions for him."
"I've already talked to Clark."
"Martha is a good woman, and Alfred is a good man."
"As long as they're happy and aren't hurting anyone, that's enough."
Bruce then looked at Alfred.
Alfred took a deep breath.
"I'm glad you think that way, Bruce."
"I know this happened suddenly, but Martha truly is the most extraordinary woman I've ever met."
Martha smiled warmly.
"And you're the same, Alfred."
Then she looked at Clark.
"My child, you understand, don't you?"
"I'm a farmer's daughter."
"We've always been straightforward people."
"Ever since your father passed away, I've been lonely for a long time."
"It wasn't because I didn't want companionship. I simply hadn't met a man worthy of my admiration."
"But now I have."
"Clark, do you object?"
Clark hurriedly shook his head.
"No."
"As long as you're happy, Mom."
Martha smiled.
"Then I'll take that as your blessing."
She immediately led Alfred away.
Watching them leave side by side, Axel grinned so widely it was difficult to close his mouth.
He walked over and grabbed Bruce and Clark by their wrists.
"They really are a great match."
"I think we should celebrate."
"Come on."
"It's almost noon."
"Sure, I just had breakfast, but another meal won't hurt."
He dragged them both toward the dining room.
Soon, the room was filled with the smell of alcohol.
They drank until around two in the afternoon.
Eventually, Lex arrived and dragged Bruce away to continue his experiments.
Clark returned to his room to rest.
Meanwhile, Axel, slightly tipsy, ran into Selina, who had finally recovered enough to get out of bed.
"My lady, you're awake."
"Where's Diana?"
"Where did she run off to?"
"And where's that headache known as Enchantress?"
Selina inhaled sharply.
Even she felt that last night had been absurdly chaotic.
Diana was powerful, but outside of her artifacts, she was still relatively straightforward.
Enchantress, on the other hand...
Just remembering the bizarre magical techniques from last night made Selina shiver.
Why did every magic user have so many strange tricks?
Would Zatanna be the same?
Maybe she should find an opportunity to investigate that magician.
The thought made her cheeks flush.
"Diana ran away halfway through her bath."
"The witch brought her brother over while you were drinking."
"After hearing what you said yesterday, they didn't dare stay in Israel anymore."
"They're planning to hide here for a while."
Axel laughed and patted her.
"No problem."
"You can handle that."
"Take care of the house."
"I'm going out for a stroll and I'll definitely be back tonight."
Then he swaggered forward and vanished into thin air.
Selina watched the fading sparks and pursed her lips.
"This bastard only knows how to wander around."
"But at least he always comes back."
At that moment, Victor walked into the manor.
"My lady, where is the Boss?"
"He just left."
"Is something wrong?"
Victor sighed.
"He went out again?"
"Wasn't he drinking with Bruce and Clark?"
Then he explained.
"Do you remember Haino Laurence?"
Selina frowned.
"I remember."
"Did she cause trouble again?"
Victor nodded.
"Haino was originally locked up in a Star City psychiatric hospital."
"Later, she was transferred to Arkham and got caught up in the massacre."
"Bruce had her brought back since she's considered one of the Boss's women."
"But the men didn't know how to handle the situation around you, so they took her to the club instead of the manor."
Selina crossed her arms.
"Get to the point."
Victor looked helpless.
"She escaped."
"She tore through her restraints and even broke her own wrist."
"After fleeing, she tried to steal a car and was arrested by Jim Gordon."
"Because the Boss likes Gordon, nobody dared interfere."
"So she ended up at the Gotham Police Department."
"But that's not the real problem."
Victor sighed.
"She somehow encountered another woman involved in the Arkham incident."
"The two immediately started fighting inside the holding area."
"In the process, they accidentally killed seven suspects."
"The whole thing is a complete disaster."
"The Boss isn't here."
"Could you go resolve it?"
Selina blinked.
"Me?"
"Does this really require my involvement?"
"Isn't Oswald running for mayor?"
Victor nodded awkwardly.
"He doesn't want to interfere in matters involving the Boss's other women."
"He was worried it might upset you."
Selina sighed.
"I see."
"Damn it."
"You people really treat me like some powerful figure now."
"And Haino, along with that other lunatic, need to be dealt with."
"Otherwise, people will think Axel has terrible taste."
She marched outside, hopped onto her motorcycle, and sped away.
Victor had no choice but to follow behind her in a Rolls Royce.
Meanwhile, Axel had already arrived somewhere else entirely.
With a single step, he appeared on an ordinary street.
"Yo."
He looked around.
Low-rise buildings surrounded him, and Korean signs covered the streets.
"So I ended up in Korea."
"What world is this?"
His gaze swept across everyone nearby.
Within moments, he locked onto two girls nearly two kilometers away.
Axel hadn't watched many Korean movies, but he immediately recognized them.
After processing the information, he understood where he had arrived.
Without hesitation, he started walking toward them.
Meanwhile, near a bus stop on Gwangfu Road in Gimje County, two girls stood together waiting for the bus.
One wore a cream-colored jacket over her school uniform.
The other had a pink hair curler clipped into her bangs.
The girl with the curler glanced at her phone.
"Ci Yun, did you secretly drive again?"
"You're still underage."
"If you keep this up, you'll eventually get caught."
Ci Yun grinned.
"Really?"
"Are you sure the police would arrest their chief's daughter's best friend, Do Mingxi?"
"Don't joke around."
"My dad is a very principled person."
"If he catches you himself, he'll definitely arrest you."
Ci Yun laughed.
"Then you'll have to help me."
"We're best friends."
"You can't just watch your dad send me to jail."
Do Mingxi sighed.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"I can't teach my dad to break the law."
"If you get arrested, I'll just visit you."
Ci Yun smirked.
"Is that so?"
"Then I guess I'll have to remind him about all the times you tricked me out of my allowance."
"Or all the excuses you used to stay at my house before disappearing somewhere else."
"You wouldn't want your dad hearing about those, right?"
Do Mingxi finally looked up to glare at her.
But her eyes suddenly froze.
She stared into the distance.
A tall figure was approaching them.
She inhaled sharply and hurriedly grabbed Ci Yun's arm.
"Look over there, Ju Ci Yun."
"That person has to be an idol, right?"
"He's unbelievably handsome."
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