Chapter 118 "Superman Training Plan"

"Hello!"

Peter Parker's voice soon came from the other side: "I'm sorry I don't know who you are. I didn't have time to check the caller ID just now. As you can see, I'm very busy now. If possible, let's contact each other in ten minutes-oh!"

"You are so arrogant, boy." A deep voice came from the phone. "Ten minutes, do I kill you, or do you kill me?"

"How should I put it?" Spider-Man said in a light tone, "Based on the historical development of fighting villains, it's usually the latter."

Batman rapped his knuckles on the table and said in his instantly recognizable voice, "It's me."

There was silence for a moment.

The members of the Justice League could almost imagine the dumbfounded expression on the young hero's face at this moment.

After a few seconds, Spider-Man spoke up: "Good afternoon Batman, if you're looking for your assistant, um, Robin isn't here with me."

This 'Robin' refers to Damian.

Since he appeared in public, he needed a code name to conceal his identity. Tim took the initiative to suggest that he change his name to Red Robin. Damian was not very happy because he felt that this title was not earned by him, but was voluntarily given by Drake.

"…It has nothing to do with Robin." Although Peter's words might mean that Damian did not obey, "Who is your opponent?"

"He calls himself Mysterio, and I'm still trying to figure out who he really is and why he would come and attack me on such a busy day."

Shazan, who had already dealt with Krypton and rushed back, whispered to Cyborg: "I didn't expect someone could say so many words when talking to Batman."

It's like two extremes, one side tries to be concise and avoid talking nonsense, while the other side is like a walking bullet screen machine - not only talking to Batman, but also Spider-Man did not stop talking when he was fighting fiercely with the villain, and he had a one-sided chat with Mysterio.

Ganggu remained calm and nodded in agreement when the alliance consultant wasn't paying attention.

Batman ignored his colleague. He glanced at the calendar and was acutely aware of the emphasis in Spider-Man's words: "Is today special?"

"Strictly speaking, only this year. I heard that you were trapped in Kansas," this is the official statement. In order to solve an accident, the members of the alliance went out collectively, hiding the fact that Superman was trapped and Black Adam was plotting. "You may not know that many famous superheroes are now entangled by their own exclusive villains..."

Shazan whispered again, "Is he implying that he is famous?"

Hearing this, the mysterious man was furious: "I'm not! I didn't! I just happened to choose today!"

"You don't have to explain so much." Spider-Man said nonchalantly.

“Go to hell!!”

There was a burst of intense gunfire.

Batman said politely, "I'd better come back later..."

"It's okay, it's okay!" Peter panted and urged, "I can handle this. What were we talking about just now? Oh, many villains are carrying out planned collective actions with the purpose of killing or controlling superhero organizations. Since the Justice League has been delayed, the only ones who are busy now are the Avengers. They received the news just after they dealt with Black Adam, and are now rushing to various cities to solve the problem."

"Rare and bizarre." Batman commented on the criminals' behavior pertinently.

"Yes, that's what Director Fury and the others said."

"Did the interrogation of Black Adam produce any other results?"

"Well, I'm happy to help, but I'm not actually a core member of the Avengers. Probably, they insisted that I sign a labor contract after I come of age, so now I occasionally work with a few other heroes of S.H.I.E.L.D., and only participate in the main missions of Captain and Doctor on very, very rare occasions."

Batman remained unmoved: "Tell me what you know."

"…Wally shouldn't have asked me to be an undercover agent for the Avengers. The actual situation is the other way around." Peter muttered in a low voice, then raised his voice, "There should be a real culprit standing behind him. We don't know his true identity. We only know that Black Adam has cooperated with an organization called the Illuminati. The villains dispatched today should all be members of the Illuminati—except the one in front of me."

Mysterio roared: "Shut up! You just said you knew nothing!"

"Hmm, did I tell you? You actually eavesdropped on my phone calls! It's a bit disgusting... And I just said that the Avengers wouldn't tell me on their own initiative. There are many ways to get information."

"Thank you," Batman said, "If you get a chance tell Robin I'll be back soon and don't think about running too far."

He hung up the phone.

The members of the Justice League looked at each other. Barry raised his hand and asked, "From the sound, Spider-Man seems to be fighting a hundred star battleships. Doesn't the kid need help? I can contact Wally."

"Believe me, Spider-Man doesn't want to see Kid Flash at all. He'll make the call himself if he needs to."

"I know they had a quarrel over their stance in the previous meeting." The Flash said, "But Wally and Nightwing have a good relationship, and Robin gets along well with Spider-Man. I think they can become friends."

"Young people don't know each other unless they fight." Aquaman shook his head, "This is not something we need to worry about."

The young seaman never gave him any trouble.

"Yes, we need to focus on the Illuminati and whether their actions can help Superman's current situation."

Batman thought.

At this point the system said, "Superman's subsystem has completed its mission and retired."

"…What do you mean?"

"I mean, just a second ago, it completely pierced the firewall that Krypton's AI and the will of the universe had built. I can feel it transmitting the underlying code to me. Superman should find that he can't talk to it now because it has left him."

Green Lantern noticed that Batman's expression was momentarily shocked, and even the black mask couldn't completely hide it.

The Dark Knight stood up suddenly and said, "Wait a moment, there is another important matter that needs to be resolved."

He glanced at everyone present, was silent for a while, and said, "I need to talk to Superman alone."

"Why?" Hal frowned and asked, "What can't we know?"

"I'm sorry." Batman said expressionlessly.

Diana folded her arms and stood up first: "I will need a reasonable explanation later."

"You will get it."

The others looked at each other and followed Wonder Woman's footsteps out of the warehouse.

The moment the door closed, Batman roared in a low voice: "What happened?!"

"Calm down." It was Superman who answered him. The Kryptonian had a strange expression, mixed with a bit of sadness and hesitation: "I felt it suddenly too, it was very strange... I don't know how to put it, it was like an old friend who had always been with me suddenly disappeared from my side without even saying hello."

“…”

"But the system is immortal, you know. It just...changed into a new form of existence, fell into a dormant state, and merged with its original body."

But Batman just looked at him.

Or rather, Moses looked at him.

He said slowly, "You are Kal-El now."

"I still prefer you to call me Clark."

It may be more than just the system that is returning.

Moses was unsure, he felt confused, this was unprecedented. The system did say that one day the soul of the superhero sleeping in that body would wake up, but now the subsystem responsible for splitting consciousness had disappeared, so was it Superman or another self that was talking to him?

At the same time, Batman's suspicion and vigilance are forcing him to think in other directions - if he is talking to Superman himself, how much of Superman's memory is retained? Does Superman understand his current situation and goals? Will Superman be affected by the memory of the parallel universe? Will Superman trust him, and can he trust the other party?

For a moment, the terrible outcomes that might be caused by various changes in the situation made him relive the same anxiety he had when the system informed him of the alien invasion.

And in fact, even if Moses had imagined this situation in advance, he thought that Batman would wake up first in chronological order.

However, just as he was trying to calm down and soothe the emotions of both parties and choose a suitable solution, Superman said, "Moses is a good name."

A sense of crisis suddenly gripped Moses' heart.

He didn't know why... maybe on the other hand, he thought, according to common sense, if Superman retained his memory and knew what he did, he would have the illusion that a poor imitator was being checked on his work level by the original owner.

Even so, he did not feel embarrassed, just tense, as if something buried was being uncovered into the sunlight.

Superman saw his refusal, but still insisted: "Do you know that this name is actually--" There was an inexplicable pause, the Kryptonian opened and closed his mouth, frowning as if he was considering the words, "I think you are not just an ordinary person as we thought before. I wonder if you, as Batman, have ever doubted it."

“…”

Not at all.

Moses' memory is very complete, with no gaps from birth to the signing of the contract with the system. His true identity is like Clark to Superman, which is the basic foundation for maintaining his rationality and self-awareness.

As Superman finished speaking, a small question suddenly appeared in Batman's heart, asking: "If you are really an ordinary person who has never been exposed to the world of superheroes, will your speed of adaptation be too fast in the absence of memory?"

The system previously said that the body has its own instinctive assistance.

The voice that came from him continued, "Okay, but it is well known that splitting the soul will lead to madness. Even if there is a system to help, with the traditional human way of thinking, why have you never been confused?"

"And you see, your reasons for signing a contract with the system are not sufficient. If you have a good job, happy interpersonal relationships, no lofty aspirations, and are not dissatisfied with reality, then why should you give up your daily life and devote yourself completely to a high-risk, high-reward job? The system says "high return", but it doesn't actually introduce what the rewards and wages are, right?"

“…”

It is true that some parts do not stand up to scrutiny, but they are not inexplicable.

"I don't want to overturn the system's statement." After a long pause, he said calmly, "Especially since it sacrificed itself to help you."

"I am just as reluctant to doubt a friend," Superman replied immediately, "but what I am talking about now is something else. Let me tell you, even now, I don't think that the man who calls himself 'Moses' is not me, do you understand me?"

The pupils beneath Batman's mask shrank.

The system in him had remained silent since the beginning of their conversation, and he did not defend himself even when it was openly discussed.

"'Moses' means 'pulled out of the water' in Hebrew."

"If the world is an ocean, who will lend a helping hand?"

The name 'Moses' seems to have a hidden metaphor.

In the Bible, the saint of the same name talked with God and led the Hebrew people, who had suffered from slavery, to migrate from Egypt to the land promised by God.

Without the halo of mythology, the name itself is also associated with similar meanings such as "salvation" or "help".

In today's society, when it comes to related terms, there is a more universal and representative name - superhero.