Chapter 185: Candid Confrontation
On the third day after the rift dissipated, Rorschachprojected the encrypted coordinates sent by Lois onto the ice wall.
"The laboratory operation has been moved up; I must leave tonight." He looked at Kara. "You stay behind and monitor the rift's energy fluctuations—if there's any more anomaly, activate the emergency protocol immediately."
Kara nodded. "Be careful."
Rorschach smiled, his fingertips pinching that crumpled business card—Lois Lane, Daily Planet. Super Hearingcaptured a civilian helicopter flying toward Longyearbyenthree hundred kilometers away, with the red-haired woman in the cabin clutching encrypted documents.
"I'm going out for a bit."
"Where to?"
"Metropolis. Someone is delivering intelligence."
Kara didn't press for the source of the intelligence, only asking, "How long?"
Rorschach estimated the round-trip time and potential trouble. "I won't be back tonight; tomorrow."
"Stay safe. Luthor has too many eyes in Metropolis."
Rorschach said no more. With a light kick off the ground, his figure broke through the cold night, speeding toward Metropolis.
The journey of nearly ten thousand kilometers took less than an hour.
2:00 AM, Metropolis. Neon lights dyed the night sky a warm orange, a World apart from the deathly silent eternal night of the North Pole. Rorschach restrained his aura and landed silently on the roof of an abandoned newspaper building.
Pushing open the door on the sixth floor, moonlight leaked in from the broken floor-to-ceiling windows, casting silver diagonal grids on the floor. Scraps of newspaper, broken tables and chairs, and a faded slogan on the wall—'The Truth Never Stays Buried.'
Lois leaned by the window, her down jacket draped over the back of a chair, wearing only a tight sweater and jeans, holding an unlit cigarette. Her fingertips were slightly pale; she had clearly been waiting a long time.
"You actually came." She snapped the cigarette and threw it into the crack of the windowsill.
Rorschach stood three meters away from her, getting straight to the point: "Where's the intelligence?"
Lois pulled a USB drive from her back pocket and shook it with her fingertips. "Project Cadmus Laboratory's third basement level, coordinates for the kryptonite weaponsstorage, guard rotation schedule, surveillance blind spots, and ventilation duct maps—it's all in there."
Rorschach reached for it, but she pulled her hand back. "Terms first."
Rorschach raised an eyebrow. "What do you want?"
Lois approached, her high heels making faint crunching sounds on the shredded newspaper. She was 175 cm tall, only half a head shorter than Rorschach, able to look him level in the eye without backing down at all.
"I'm not helping you for justice." Her voice was soft, every word clear. "It's because Luthor killed my informant. Jeffhad been with me for five years; he was discovered by Luthor's men while investigating a Kryptonite trade, and his body floated up in the Gotham River three days later. The police eventually ruled it an accidental drowning, leaving not a shred of evidence."
Her tone was calm, like she was reading a news script. But Rorschach could hear the bone-deep chill beneath that calm.
She stared into Rorschach's eyes and smiled suddenly after three seconds of silence. "You're different from the others."
"How so?"
Lois took another step closer, leaving only half a meter between them. The moonlight shattered into two points of silver in her eyes. "You don't fake it. Those politicians, businessmen, heroes, and villains—they're all faking justice, faking kindness, faking innocence. Only you don't fake it."
"You saw through what kind of person I am at a glance?"
"I can't see through you." Lois shook her head. "But at least, you don't fake it."
She pressed the USB drive into Rorschach's palm, her cold fingertips lingering for a second.
"The intelligence is yours. When you take down the laboratory, I want to go with you. The truth Jeff traded his life for, I want to personally make it public. Luthor can kill one person, but he can't silence every reporter."
Rorschach gripped the USB drive, looked at the persistence in her eyes, and nodded.
Lois's nerves, which had been tense for half a month, finally relaxed for a moment. She stood slightly on tiptoe and gently kissed the corner of his lips.
Lois's temporary residence was on the fourth floor of an old apartment building opposite the newspaper office.
The door closed. She hung her trench coat on the entryway rack, stepped barefoot on the slightly cool floor, and turned to look at Rorschach. The living room lights weren't on; outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was the brilliant night view of Metropolis, and the moonlight filtering through the thin curtains cast a soft silver glow on the floor.
"Know why I brought you here?" she spoke, her voice much softer than at the newspaper office.
Rorschach didn't answer.
"Because I wanted to see if someone like you, who always has a purpose, would be different in a place without calculations or trades."
She walked up to Rorschach, raising her hand to press against his chest, clearly feeling his steady heartbeat. She stood on tiptoe to kiss his lips again, her fingertips hooking around the back of his neck, her actions carrying a desperate trust and the mutual sympathy of fellow travelers.
Rorschach's hand fell on her waist. Through the soft sweater, he could feel her body tighten slightly, then relax again, completely surrendering her trust to him.
Occasionally, the sound of sirens passed outside, but they all seemed distant. In the living room, there was only the sound of their overlapping breaths. These past few days, she had been evading Luthor's pursuit while organizing intelligence, even holding a self-defense gun while sleeping; only now did she finally find a long-lost sense of peace.
Her fingers brushed lightly across his back, her lips pressed against his ear, her voice kept extremely low: "Jeff's last message before he died was—'A reporter's pen can pierce through lies.' I always thought that was nonsense until I met you."
Rorschach didn't reply, just pulled her a bit closer.
[Detected intimate contact (Female target: Lois Lane)]
[Extracting ability...]
[Target has no super-powered gene reaction, no energy source fluctuations]
[No ability acquired, no point feedback]
[Current total points: 5000]
When the system notification sound dissipated in his mind, the moonlight outside had already moved to the corner of the wall.
Lois leaned on Rorschach's shoulder, her fingertips gently stroking the fabric of his shirt, the sharpness in her eyes completely faded, leaving only a transparent exhaustion. She turned and felt for the USB drive from the nightstand, pressing it into Rorschach's hand again, her fingertips carrying a warm temperature.
"The Military's secret laboratory coordinates are in there too." She looked into his eyes, her tone carrying hidden worry. "Don't die. Luthor's security system is much more complicated than the files say; I almost got cornered by his men when I was stealing the intelligence."
Rorschach took the USB drive, stood up, and put on his jacket. "How many people?"
"At least a company of private soldiers, and several prototype mechas." Lois sat up, wrapped in a blanket. "Are you enough by yourself?"
Rorschach looked back, his lips curling into that familiar arc. "Too many people just get in the way."
Lois stared at him for two seconds, then lay back on the sofa. "Coming back?"
"Depends."
The door closed softly, the sound of footsteps gradually fading away.
A long time later, Lois opened her eyes, stared at the dark ceiling, and reached out to touch the spot beside her that still held lingering warmth.
"Interesting man."
She turned over, buried her face in the blanket, and finally fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter 185: Feelings Gradually Grow
The fire danced in the cave, reflecting a warm orange-red on the ice walls.
Kara leaned against her sleeping bag, the wound on her right arm already bandaged—Rorschach had used the first-aid kit found from the Scientific Research Station to disinfect, apply medicine, and wrap it in bandages. The Kryptonite radiation residue had been cleared, and the wound had begun to heal normally.
Rorschach sat beside her, still clutching a half-roll of bandages in his hand.
The cave was very quiet, with only the crackling of the fire and the faint howling of the wind and snow outside.
Kara stared at him for a long time.
His profile flickered in the firelight, his features sharply defined, and his eyelashes cast fine shadows on his cheekbones. His movements were very gentle as he bandaged her, much gentler than she had imagined—those hands, capable of piercing through bone with a single finger, were as steady as a surgeon's while wrapping the bandages.
"You check my wounds after every battle," Kara said suddenly.
Rorschach's movements paused.
Kara looked at him, not in interrogation, but with pure curiosity: "Why?"
Rorschach remained silent.
The fire gave a loud crackle.
He lowered his head, set the roll of bandages aside, and said softly, "Your blood is very special."
Kara didn't speak.
"But I won't take advantage of someone in danger." Rorschach looked up at her. "Now is not the time."
Kara was stunned for a moment.
Then she reached out and took his hand. Her hand was still cold, but much warmer than when she had first been rescued.
"I believe you," she said.
Rorschach looked at her. Her blonde hair was scattered over her shoulders; there was no defensiveness, no probing, only a near-stubborn trust.
He didn't pull his hand away.
"Who exactly are you?" Kara asked.
Rorschach leaned back against the ice wall, watching the fire.
After a moment of silence, he said, "A... person still looking for the way home. From one World to another."
Kara tilted her head to look at him. "Are there people like me in your World too?"
"Yes," Rorschach nodded. "Some are dead, some are alive."
"Have you killed them?"
Rorschach turned to look at her, a faint curve touching the corner of his mouth. "I kill those who deserve to be killed. Those who don't... like you."
Kara stared at him for three seconds.
Then she leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. Her blonde hair spread out, falling on Rorschach's arm, carrying the faint scent of shampoo—supplies found from the Scientific Research Station three days ago.
"Thank you for not treating me like a tool," she whispered.
Rorschach didn't move.
The fire continued to crackle.
Before long, Kara's breathing became steady—she had fallen asleep. Her head rested on his shoulder, her brow relaxed, as if she hadn't slept this peacefully in a long time.
Rorschach looked down at her.
The sleeping Kara was much softer than when she was awake. Her eyelashes were long, casting fan-shaped shadows in the firelight. Her lips had regained a healthy pale pink, slightly parted, her breathing shallow.
His gaze fell on her right arm—the bandage was wrapped neatly, but a small section of the wound was exposed at the edge. The scab had formed well; it could be removed tomorrow.
Rorschach's gaze swept over the new pink tissue at the edge of the bandage, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.
He turned and walked toward the cave entrance, suppressing the surging desire into the howling wind and snow.
---
After an unknown amount of time, a faint sound came from outside the cave.
Rorschach opened his eyes, and [Super Hearing 2.0] expanded—twenty kilometers away, two helicopters were flying at low altitude. The engine noise was kept very low, in night Flight mode, without navigation lights.
He narrowed his eyes, his Psychic Power sweeping through.
Military helicopters. Equipped with Kryptonite detectors.
Rorschach looked down at Kara—she was still asleep, leaning on his shoulder, her breathing steady.
He gently laid her down on the sleeping bag, stood up, and walked to the cave entrance.
The wind and snow had stopped. The night sky was clear, and the stars were like crushed diamonds scattered on black velvet. In the distance, two small black dots were approaching.
The corners of Rorschach's mouth turned cold.
He raised his hand, and [Telekinesis Control 3.2] was activated—two kilometers away, a three-ton block of ice rock broke off from the ice ridge and crashed silently toward the helicopters' Flight path.
The first helicopter pulled up sharply, its rotors grazing the edge of the ice rock, sending sparks flying. The second was forced to veer off; the two aircraft's formation broke apart as sirens blared in the night sky.
Rorschach withdrew his hand and turned back into the cave.
Lois's intel had come faster than expected—a reporter's pen could actually pry open the Military's iron curtain.
Kara was still asleep, her brow slightly furrowed as if she were having some kind of dream.
Rorschach sat beside her, watching the cave entrance.
His fingers unconsciously rubbed the communicator in his pocket—the one left by Catwoman; the signal light flickered weakly in the darkness.
Rorschach Gazing at the night sky for a long time, turned and pulled the sleeping bag zipper up to the side of Kara's neck.
"There's no unusual movement from the Rift for now, but Cadmus won't stop." His fingertip brushed over the communicator's faint light. "Once your wounds are healed, we'll take the initiative to strike."
-
The midnight Sun of the Arctic Circle made time blurry; the Sun always hung at the same height, drawing endless circles in the sky.
Kara stood at the edge of the ice ridge, spreading her arms and closing her eyes to feel the energy flowing within her. Sunlight spilled over her, gilding her blonde hair with a warm hue. Five days had passed, and the hollows in her cheeks had completely disappeared. Her muscle lines had become firm again, and at 168 cm tall, she stood there like a sword ready to be drawn.
She opened her eyes and floated up.
One meter. Five meters. Ten meters. Fifty meters.
Leaning forward, she shot out like an arrow, circling the ice ridge once before accelerating—her afterimage traced an arc on the snow, and three seconds later, she landed in front of Rorschach.
Her hair was tousled by the wind, and her eyes suddenly brightened.
"I flew three times faster than yesterday," she said, her chest heaving slightly, though her breathing remained steady.
Rorschach leaned against the ice wall, a curve touching his lips. "Rapid progress."
Kara stepped closer, looking at him. "Because you taught me."
Rorschach shrugged. "Kryptonians are naturally capable of it."
Kara shook her head and said seriously, "It's different. Before, I could only guess on my own. You taught me how to control the energy, how to stabilize my center of gravity, and how to maintain balance during high-speed Flight." She paused. "Without you, I'd still be tripping in the snow."
Rorschach laughed out loud.
Kara laughed too, her smile more relaxed and genuine than it had been five days ago.
She sat down beside him, hugging her knees as she looked at the distant ice mountains. The sunlight made the snowfields dazzlingly bright, and a few seabirds circled in the sky.
Silence lasted for a long time.
"When are you leaving?" Kara asked suddenly, without turning her head.
Rorschach looked into the distance. "After dealing with Luthor. Then... I might have to go somewhere else."
Kara turned to look at him.
"Then I'm going with you," she said.
Rorschach turned and met her gaze: "Why?"
Kara looked at him, as serious as if she were stating a fact: "Because you saved me, taught me, and stayed with me."
She paused.
"And, you are the first Earthling to treat me like a person."
Rorschach didn't speak.
Kara continued, "In that cell for three months, people came every day to draw blood, perform experiments, and record data. The way they looked at me was like looking at an animal locked in a cage." Her voice was calm, but Rorschach could hear what lay beneath that calmness. "Only you, from the first moment, looked at me as a person."
Rorschach was silent for two seconds before speaking: "You were always a person."
Kara smiled; her eyes were a bit red, but she didn't cry. She took a deep breath, suppressed her emotions, and turned back to look at the distant ice mountains.
"So wherever you go, I go," she said. "Until you don't need me anymore."
Rorschach looked at her profile. Her blonde hair fluttered gently in the wind, her eyelashes were long, the bridge of her nose was straight, and her lips were pursed, though the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned.
He didn't speak.
But he didn't refuse either.
---
Outside the cave, the muffled sound of wind and snow beating against the ice wall rang out.
Kara sat cross-legged on the sleeping bag, holding a compressed biscuit in her hand—supplies found from the Scientific Research Station, with one crate left. She took a bite and chewed slowly.
Rorschach leaned against the opposite wall, his eyes closed as if he were resting.
Kara stared at him for a long time.
Then she spoke: "Have you taught anyone else before?"
Rorschach opened his eyes. "What?"
"Flight. Controlling abilities," Kara said. "The things you taught me don't seem like it's your first time teaching someone."
Rorschach was silent for two seconds. "I have."
Kara's eyes flickered slightly. "And her?"
Rorschach didn't answer.
Kara looked at him and didn't press further. She lowered her head and continued eating the biscuit, chewing very slowly.
After an unknown amount of time, Rorschach spoke: "Dead."
Kara looked up.
Rorschach leaned back against the wall, watching the fire with a faint gaze. "I kill those who deserve to be killed, and spare those who deserve to be spared. She wasn't the kind who deserved to be killed, but she died anyway."
Kara put down the biscuit, stood up, and walked over to sit beside him.
She didn't speak, just leaned against his shoulder, just like that night.
Rorschach didn't move.
The fire continued to crackle.
A long time later, Kara whispered, "I won't die."
Rorschach looked down at her.
She looked up, her pupils reflecting the firelight. "At least not so soon."
Rorschach gave a faint laugh.
"Don't go setting flags," he said.
Kara was stunned for a moment. "What's a flag?"
Rorschach smiled and said nothing.
-
The next day.
Kara continued her training. This time, it was Heat Vision.
She stood at the edge of the ice ridge, staring at a two-meter-high ice rock ten meters away, and took a deep breath. Energy surged within her body, flowing toward her eyes—
Two red beams of light shot from her eyes, hitting the ice rock. Ice shards exploded, and two fist-sized pits were melted into the rock's surface, the edges still steaming.
Kara's eyes widened. "I did it!"
She turned to look at Rorschach, her face full of excitement. Rorschach leaned against the ice wall, a curve touching his lips.
"Again," he said. "The precision isn't enough yet."
Kara nodded, turned back, and continued practicing.
Ten times. Twenty times. Fifty times.
The ice rock was covered in charred pits; the most concentrated area had already been melted into a hole half a meter deep.
Kara cut off her Heat Vision, panting, fine sweat beads forming on her forehead. But when she turned to look at Rorschach, her eyes were incredibly bright.
"How was that?"
Rorschach walked over, looked at the marks on the ice rock, and nodded. "Usable."
Kara smiled, a smile more dazzling than the midnight Sun.
She was about to say something when she suddenly froze and looked up at the sky.
Rorschach followed her gaze—
At the horizon, an unusual ripple was spreading. Like a pebble thrown into water, but the ripples covered the entire skyline, their edges shimmering with an eerie purple glow.
In the center of the ripples, the sky seemed to have been torn open, revealing a bottomless darkness behind it.
Rorschach narrowed his eyes, and [Super Vision 2.0] fully expanded—deep within that Rift, countless energy signals were surging. They weren't the frequency of Kryptonian technology, but another kind—older and more violent.
Kara grabbed his arm, her knuckles turning white.
"What is that?"
Rorschach stared at the Rift, the curve of his mouth turning cold.
"Trouble," he said. "Trouble bigger than Luthor."
Chapter 187: Luthor's Trap
The anonymous message arrived at 3:07 AM.
Rorschach's phone lit up, with only one line on the screen: "Metropolis outskirts, abandoned Stark Industries factory. Come before dawn, or photos of that Kryptonian girl will appear in every media outlet. Attached is a photo—a high-definition close-up of Kara huddled in a cage."
Rorschach stared at the screen, his gaze turning cold.
Kara sat up from her sleeping bag, rubbing her eyes: "What's wrong?"
Rorschach handed her the phone.
After Kara finished reading, her sleepiness instantly vanished, replaced by a cold fury.
"I'm going," she said, standing up.
Rorschach shook his head: "I'll go. You stay here."
Kara stared at him: "That's aimed at me."
"That's exactly why you can't go." Rorschach stood up and put on his coat. "kryptonite weapons are fatal to you. To me, they're just a nuisance."
Kara walked up to him and looked up, the stubbornness in her eyes like two balls of fire.
"Three months," she said. "I was locked in that cage for three months. Now someone is using me as bait, and you're telling me to hide?"
Rorschach looked at her.
Kara continued, "I'm not that prisoner who couldn't even stand straight anymore. I can fight."
Rorschach was silent for two seconds before nodding.
"Stay close to me," he said. "If there's Kryptonite, retreat immediately."
The corners of Kara's mouth curled up: "Deal."
---
Metropolis outskirts, abandoned Stark Industries factory.
Four in the morning, before dawn.
The massive silhouette of the factory crouched in the night like a giant beast, with rusted steel frames, shattered glass, and weed-choked open ground.
The air was thick with the smell of rust and engine oil.
Rorschach stood on top of an abandoned gas station three hundred meters outside the factory area, his [Super Vision 2.0] piercing through the factory walls.
The green glow of Kryptonite radiation rose and fell like breathing, covering the entire factory area.
The radiation source was five meters underground in the center of the factory, at least twenty kilograms of raw ore.
Thirty-seven life signals were lying in ambush around, all fully armed.
Kara landed beside him, her muscles tensed.
"Do you feel it?" Rorschach asked.
Kara nodded, her face turning slightly pale: "Kryptonite... a lot of it."
Rorschach turned to look at her: "It's not too late to back out now."
Kara shook her head, her chin tilted up: "You didn't rescue me just to watch me be a deserter."
Rorschach thought for a moment and said, "Then let's go."
---
Inside the factory, the green light of Kryptonite seeped from the cracks in the floor, and the entire space was filled with an eerie light-green mist.
As soon as Kara stepped into the factory area, her legs weakened for a moment.
She grit her teeth to steady herself and followed behind Rorschach.
With every step, her strength felt like it was being drained away bit by bit, but she didn't show it on her face.
In the center of the factory, a massive metal platform hung in mid-air.
On the platform, the hydraulic sounds of Exoskeleton Armor were exceptionally piercing in the silence.
Lex Luthor stood on the platform, Exoskeleton Armorcovering his entire body, his right hand gripping a Kryptonite Sword that glowed with a green light.
He looked down at the two of them, the corners of his mouth carrying that trademark, arrogant sneer.
"Welcome, Kryptonian girl," he spoke, his voice coming through the armor's speakers with a metallic quality. "And you—Rorschach, right? I've searched global databases and couldn't find a trace of you. Interesting."
Rorschach didn't speak, continuing to walk forward.
Luthor raised his hand, and the Kryptonite radiation lamps around the platform lit up simultaneously.
The green light surged, and Kara let out a muffled groan, dropping to one knee.
"Ah—" She grit her teeth, but her body trembled uncontrollably.
Rorschach's gaze turned cold, and he teleported.
[Spatial Leap 2.0]—he appeared on the platform, throwing a punch toward Luthor's chest.
The Exoskeleton Armor shattered, fragments flying everywhere, and Luthor was sent flying back, crashing through the iron railing at the edge of the platform.
But he didn't fall.
Luthor levitated in mid-air, the thrusters on his back emitting blue flames.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and grinned savagely.
"Impressive strength. But did you think I would come unprepared?"
He raised his hand, and the metal platform beneath his feet suddenly split open, a massive Kryptonite War Hammerrising from below.
Luthor gripped the hammer's handle, his muscles bulging as the armor's energy readings skyrocketed.
Rorschach narrowed his eyes.
Behind him, Kara stood up and staggered toward the platform.
She raised her hand and fired a beam of Heat Vision—but it was weakened by the Kryptonite, leaving only a shallow scorch mark on the outer armor.
Luthor laughed loudly and swung his sword at Kara.
Rorschach teleported over and pushed her away, the Kryptonite Sword grazing his arm—[Invulnerability 3.0] failed in front of the Kryptonite, and a shallow bloody gash was sliced into his skin.
But it wasn't a fatal wound.
Rorschach looked down at the wound on his arm, then back at Luthor.
His gaze turned completely cold.
He teleported.
This time, he didn't hold back.
[Super Strength 3.1] + [Energy Control 3.1]—a single punch slammed into Luthor's chest, the Exoskeleton Armor completely exploding as Luthor was shot through the platform like a cannonball, crashing into the ground and blasting a deep crater five meters in diameter.
Rorschach landed in front of him, pinning his chest down with his foot.
Luthor spat blood, but he was still smiling.
"You think... this is the real me?" He coughed blood, grinning savagely. "This is just a clone, Rorschach. My true self is in... a place you'll never find."
Rorschach applied pressure with his foot.
Luthor's mechanical body began to disintegrate, electric sparks flying everywhere.
In the final moment, he stared at Rorschach, his eyes full of manic triumph.
"We will meet again."
The body exploded, metal fragments scattering across the ground.
Rorschach turned and saw Kara kneeling at the edge of the platform, a gruesome wound on her right arm with blood gushing out.
The Kryptonite radiation prevented the wound from healing, and the bright red blood dripped down her forearm, searing small holes into the ground.
She looked up, her face pale, but she was still smiling.
"I... didn't retreat."
Rorschach rushed over and scooped her up in his arms.
Kara leaned into his chest, her blood staining his coat red.
[Flight 3.1] was activated at full power as he burst out of the factory and vanished into the night.
---
Safehouse, abandoned Scientific Research Station in the Arctic Circle.
Kara lay on a sleeping bag, her face as pale as paper.
The wound on her right arm was still seeping blood, as the Kryptonite radiation had completely disabled her Self-Healing ability.
Rorschach knelt beside her, using [Life Restoration 3.1] to dispel the Kryptonite residue around the wound.
Once. Twice. Three times.
After half an hour, the wound finally began to heal slowly.
Kara opened her eyes and looked at him.
There was no fear in her eyes, only a strange sort of peace.
"I dragged you down again," she said softly.
Rorschach shook his head: "As long as you didn't retreat, it's fine."
Kara smiled, a smile that was weak but genuine.
She raised her hand, wanting to say something, but it dropped halfway. She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Rorschach looked at her.
On her arm, the wound had already scabbed over.
At the edge of the scab, a trace of uncoagulated blood glowed a vivid red under the emergency lights.
Fresh Kryptonian blood.
Rorschach stared at that smear of red for three seconds.
Then he stood up and walked to the window, his back to her.
Wait a little longer.
Chapter 188: A Night of Devotion
Safe house, abandoned Scientific Research Station in the Arctic Circle.
The fire crackled, its orange-red light dancing against the ice walls. Kara lay on a sleeping bag, her complexion looking much better than it had three hours ago. The wound on her right arm had already scabbed over, and the Kryptonite radiation had been completely cleared.
Rorschach sat beside her, his palm pressed against her forearm. His Energy Control continuously channeled a gentle flow of energy, helping her expel the last traces of Kryptonite from her body.
Kara opened her eyes and looked at him.
"It's done," Rorschach said, withdrawing his hand. "The Kryptonite is gone."
Kara sat up and moved her arm. The wound no longer pained her, and her strength was rapidly returning. She took a deep breath, feeling the surging energy within her—it was even stronger than before her injury, as the radiation from the yellow sun had been nourishing her.
"Thank you," she said softly.
Rorschach leaned back against the ice wall and watched the fire, remaining silent.
Kara stared at his profile for a long time.
The firelight reflected on his face, his features flickering in the light and shadow. He had saved her twice, taught her how to fight, risked his life for her, and was now guarding her while she recovered. Yet, he never asked for anything in return, not even a word of thanks.
She remembered the look in his eyes when he had examined her wound—something complex and restrained.
"Rorschach," she spoke.
He turned his head to look at her.
Kara sat up straight, her pupils reflecting only his image.
"You said before that my blood was special," she said. "Now, do you want it?"
Rorschach was silent.
The fire let out a loud crackle.
"I do," he said, his voice very soft. "But I don't want to force you."
Kara moved closer to him until only a fist's width of distance remained between them. She raised her hand, her fingertips pressing gently against his chest.
"Then, what if I am willing?"
Rorschach looked into her eyes. They were as blue as the Arctic sky—clean, clear, and without a hint of hesitation.
He didn't speak.
Kara leaned in and kissed him.
---
The aurora had begun at some unknown point.
Ribbons of green light flowed slowly across the sky, spilling into the cave through cracks in the ice and dyeing the entire space in dreamlike hues. The fire continued to dance, orange-red and emerald green interweaving to cast fluid shadows upon the ice walls.
Her blonde hair was spread across the sleeping bag, illuminated by the aurora until every strand seemed to glow. Her prison clothes had long since been cast aside, and the young woman's body looked like an ice sculpture under the aurora—her cool, pale skin gave off a faint blue fluorescence, a pool of green light gathered in the hollow of her collarbone, and her ribs rose and fell slightly with her breath, each one clearly visible as a mark left by three months of imprisonment.
Rorschach's fingertips slid along the side of her waist. Kara's waist was slender, and he could feel the shallow curve just below her waistline.
Her skin was warm and delicate; as his fingertips brushed against her, her body tensed for a moment before softening.
"Are you cold?" he asked.
Kara shook her head. She raised her hand, her fingertips touching the red string on his wrist. She paused for a second, didn't ask about it, but simply reached around to hold his hand.
Their fingers intertwined, casting overlapping shadows under the aurora.
Kara tilted her head, her lips landing on his jawline before slowly moving to the corner of his mouth. Her kiss was light and tentative, like her first attempts at Flight—cautious and experimental. Her eyelashes brushed against his cheek, feeling ticklish.
Rorschach raised his hand, his palm resting against the back of her neck. Her skin was very hot, and the pulse at the side of her neck was racing. He gently rubbed that small patch of skin, and Kara's breathing instantly became erratic.
"Wait..." she whispered, her voice breathy. "I'm a little... nervous."
Rorschach stopped and looked at her.
Kara took a deep breath as the aurora shone on her face, from the flushed corners of her eyes to her slightly parted lips, down to the pink flush rising below her collarbone due to her nervousness. She bit her lower lip and then released it, leaving a faint tooth mark on her lip.
"Krypton didn't have this," she said softly. "Father only taught me how to fight. He never taught me... this."
A faint smile curved Rorschach's lips. "Then let Earth teach you."
Kara looked at him for three seconds and then smiled. That smile contained nervousness, trust, and a hint of that stubbornness unique to Kryptonians.
She took the initiative to lean in, pressing herself against his chest. The sound of heartbeats echoed between them—hers was fast, while his was steady.
"Just like this," she said, her voice muffled against his chest. "Let me get used to it first."
Rorschach didn't move, simply holding her. With his palm pressed against her back, he could feel the outline of each vertebra of her spine. She was so thin it was heartbreaking.
A long while later, Kara lifted her head, the aurora shining on her face as her eyes suddenly brightened.
"Okay," she said. "Continue."
This time, her kiss was no longer tentative. The moment their lips met, the fragrance of her hair spread—the scent of Arctic sunlight mixed with the unique aroma rising from her body heat.
Their breathing grew heavier.
Kara turned her head, her lips slightly parted as gasps escaped from between her teeth. The aurora shone on her face, from the flushed corners of her eyes to her parted lips, and the pulsing vein in her neck.
From tentative testing to complete trust.
From nervousness to relaxation.
From restrained gasps to uncontrollable, fragmented murmurs.
The aurora flowed slowly across the sky, and the fire cast dancing shadows upon the ice walls.
The cave was filled only with the sounds of breathing, heartbeats, and the occasional soft moans escaping their lips.
[Intimate contact detected (Female target: Kara Zor-El)]
[Ability extraction in progress...]
[Obtained: Kryptonian Bloodline 3.0] [Obtained: Invulnerability 3.0]
[Intimate contact points doubled: Base points 20,000 → Final points +40,000]
[Current total points: 45,000]
Kara leaned against Rorschach's chest, her fingertips slowly tracing patterns on his lower abdomen.
The aurora was still flowing, spilling over them through the cracks in the ice.
Her fingertips slid to his wrist—touching that red string.
Her movement paused.
"That very important person..." she asked softly, "Is she waiting for you to return?"
Rorschach was silent for two seconds before nodding.
Kara didn't press further. She took his hand and gave it a firm squeeze.
"Then live well and go back," she said. "I'll look after things here for you."
Rorschach looked down at her. The aurora cast an emerald glow along the contours of her face; the stubbornness in her eyes remained, but it was joined by something soft.
He didn't say a word.
He simply held her tighter.
Chapter 189: Gotham Daily Life
A long time later.
Rorschach sat up and leaned back against the ice wall.
Kara lay beside him wrapped in a sleeping bag, her head resting on his lap, eyes closed but not asleep.
Rorschach looked down at his hands.
When he had held her just now, his finger had inadvertently touched the wound on her right arm—a trace of uncoagulated blood from the edge of the scab stained his fingertip.
[Blood contact detected (Same female target: Kara Zor-El)]
[Extracting abilities...]
[Obtained: Super Strength 2.8] [Obtained: Super Speed 2.8] [Obtained: Heat Vision 2.8] [Obtained: Flight 2.8]
[Obtained: Super Hearing 2.5] [Obtained: Super Vision2.5] [Obtained: Bio-electric Field 2.5]
[Obtained: Freeze Breath 2.5] [Obtained: X-ray Vision2.5]
[points +20,000 + 17,500 = 37,500]
[Current Total points: 82,500]
Energy surged into his body like a tide.
Rorschach closed his eyes, feeling the changes in his body—Kryptonian blood flowed through his veins, the Steel Body stacked with his original comprehensive defense, and his density, strength, and senses were all fully enhanced.
Sunlight filtered through the ice and skin, its efficiency in converting to energy skyrocketing. Heat Vision swirled in his eye sockets, ready to be fired at any moment. The Bio-electric Field automatically expanded, forming an invisible shield on the surface of his body.
He floated up gently, hovering in the middle of the cave.
[Flight 3.1] + the newly acquired [Flight 2.8], the speeds stacked, and the control became more refined. He turned half a circle and landed silently back on the ground.
He opened his eyes.
Kara was looking at him, her eyes full of surprise.
"You... just now..." She sat up. "You have Kryptonianabilities too?"
Rorschach nodded.
Kara froze for two seconds, then smiled. That smile was more dazzling than the aurora.
"That's great," she said. "This way, you won't have to fear Kryptonite anymore."
Rorschach raised his hand, [Heat Vision 2.8] + [Heat Vision 2.1] fused, and a red beam shot from his eyes, hitting the ice wall three meters away. The ice layer instantly melted into a fist-sized hole, the edges as smooth as if cut by a laser.
Kara's eyes widened. "It's even hotter than my Heat Vision..."
The corners of Rorschach's mouth curled up.
He raised his hand, and a fist-sized piece of raw Kryptoniteore flew out of his pocket—he had picked it up from the factory. The green light of the Kryptonite shone on his hand, and his skin stung slightly, but that was all.
[Steel Body 3.0] + [Physical Enhancement 3.0] gave him a basic resistance to Kryptonite. Although he would still be weakened, he wouldn't instantly go limp like Kara.
He clenched his fist.
The raw Kryptonite ore exploded into powder in his palm.
Kara stared at him, her mouth hanging open for a long time.
"You... crushed Kryptonite?"
Rorschach brushed the dust off his hands. "I have resistance, but don't expect me to fight Luthor in a rain of Kryptonite."
Kara burst out laughing.
She stood up, walked over to him, and looked up at him. The aurora spilled over them through the cracks in the ice, and her eyes were strikingly bright.
"Now, you're really the same as me," she said.
Rorschach looked down at her. "Not exactly the same."
Kara raised an eyebrow. "What's different?"
Rorschach's mouth curled into that lazy arc. "I'm faster than you."
Kara punched him in the chest, her fist hitting the Steel Body with a "clang."
"Want to try?" Her eyes were full of fighting spirit.
Rorschach laughed.
---
Dawn.
Rorschach stood at the cave entrance, looking at the sky. The sunlight of the polar day was dazzling, but his [Super Vision 2.0+2.5] could penetrate everything, seeing the faint energy fluctuations at the edge of the solar system.
Kara came out and stood beside him, following his gaze.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked.
Rorschach paused. "Your cousin. And the ship that's trapping him."
Kara turned to look at him.
Rorschach continued, "Once the Luthor business is settled, I'll help you investigate."
Kara stared at his profile, her eyes feeling a bit warm. But she didn't cry; she just reached out and took his hand.
"Thank you," she whispered.
In the distance, the energy fluctuations of the Phantom Zone came faintly, like some ancient calling.
Rorschach looked out at the night sky through the ice crack. The afterimage of that purple ripple still flickered on his retina—synchronized with the energy fluctuations at the edge of the solar system.
-
Three weeks later, Gotham East District.
On the second floor of an abandoned warehouse, the windows were covered with old newspapers, a few sleeping bags were piled in the corner, and an emergency light hung on the wall. It was simple, but dry and safe.
Kara sat cross-legged on a sleeping bag, clutching a copy of the Daily Planet and staring at a small line in the social section—"Metropolis police confirm that Lex Luthor, former CEO of LexCorp, has been confirmed dead; his body was found in the Arctic Circle."
She looked up at Rorschach, who was leaning against the window.
"Luthor is dead?"
Rorschach nodded. "When the clone died, the original died too. The nanite tag confirmed it."
Kara was silent for two seconds, then looked back down at the newspaper. But the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, an arc she couldn't suppress.
Rorschach didn't look at her. He stared out the window, his Genius Brain 2.0 running at full speed, sorting through the dense list of abilities in his body.
[Mergeable ability combinations detected:]
[Physical System—Life Recovery 3.1 + Steel Body 3.0 → Indestructible Steel Body (Estimated Level 3.2), consumes 21,000 points]
[Physical System—Super Speed 3.0 + Super Speed 2.8 → Godspeed (Estimated Level 3.2), consumes?]
[Energy System—Energy Control 3.1 + Heat Vision 2.8 + 2.1 → Energy Sovereign (Estimated Level 3.5), consumes?]
[Physical System—Kryptonian Bloodline 3.0 + Physical Enhancement 3.0 → Kryptonian Bloodline Enhancement (Estimated Level 3.2), consumes?]
He narrowed his eyes.
With 82,500 points, he had enough to fuse several.
But fusion takes time and a safe environment.
The communicator lit up.
Matte black, with the Wayne Enterprises logo—the one Batman gave him.
A low voice came from the speaker: "Rorschach, come to the rooftop."
Rorschach's mouth curled up. He shoved the communicator into his pocket and looked at Kara.
"I'm going out for a bit."
Kara looked up. "Who is it?"
"Batman." Rorschach walked to the window. "The one who was watching us outside the research station last time."
Kara stood up. "I'm coming with you."
Rorschach shook his head. "He asked for me alone. You stay here."
Kara stared at him for three seconds, then nodded and sat back down on the sleeping bag.
"Half an hour," she said. "If you're not back, I'm coming to find you."
Rorschach laughed, pushed open the window, and Flight3.1+2.8 soared into the sky.
---
Gotham East District, rooftop of an abandoned building.
The night was as thick as ink, and distant neon lights blurred into hazy spots in the fog. Batman stood at the edge of the rooftop, his black suit blending into the darkness.
Rorschach landed three meters behind him, soundless.
Batman didn't turn around.
"You're faster than last time," he said, his voice low and raspy.
Rorschach approached and stood beside him, overlooking the streets below. Gotham's nights were never quiet; sirens, gunshots, and screams rose one after another from various corners of the city.
"Need something?" Rorschach asked.
Batman turned, took out a black data disk from his belt, and handed it over.
"Luthor's remnants are regrouping," he said. "Project Cadmus Laboratory is breeding some kind of biological weapon, code-named 'Doomsday.' They're using a Kryptonian corpse as a sample."
Rorschach took the data disk, his eyes shifting slightly.
Batman continued, "Also, your reporter friend, Lois Lane. She's digging too deep and has already been targeted."
Rorschach looked at him.
Chapter 190: Gotham's Night Rain and the Immortal Steel Body
Rorschach held the black data disk, the cold metal casing pressing against his fingertips.
He looked up at Batman.
"Lois Lane." Rorschach repeated the name.
"She traced the capital flow of the Project Cadmus Laboratory." Batman's voice sounded as coarse as sandpaper in the night wind. "Three hours ago, her apartment in Metropolis was attacked. There was no blood at the scene, only traces of high-temperature scorching. They took her."
"You came to me because you're short on manpower, or because this involves a Kryptonian?" Rorschach spun the data disk on his fingertip.
Batman did not answer directly.
"Luthor's death was a signal." Batman stared into Rorschach's eyes. "Those hyenas hiding in the shadows have lost their alpha and have begun frantically tearing at the remaining carrion. Cadmus wants to create a 'Superman' of their own."
Rorschach let out a short laugh.
"So you want me to be your free muscle."
"I want you to prevent a disaster." Batman took a step forward, his black cape snapping in the night wind. "Where is that Kryptonian girl?"
Rorschach's back instantly straightened.
The surrounding air temperature plummeted.
He stared at Batman; in the pitch-black night, the distance between them was less than two meters.
"That is not a question you should be asking." Rorschach's voice was devoid of emotion.
Batman's jawline tightened.
"She is a massive instability factor. If Cadmus gets a hold of her..."
"They won't." Rorschach cut him off directly.
He raised his right hand, and a cloud of silver mist, barely visible to the naked eye, emerged from his fingertips. A swarm of Nanites instantly enveloped the black data disk.
Genius Brain 2.0 began running at full speed.
A massive stream of data was poured directly into Rorschach's brain through the physical connection of the Nanites. The encrypted firewall was violently torn apart within nanoseconds.
Batman's eyelid twitched violently.
He watched as Rorschach read Wayne Enterprises' highest-level encrypted data disk with his bare hands, his palm instinctively moving toward the tactical belt at his waist.
"Gotham Pier 3, the ocean freighter 'poseidon'." Rorschachclosed his eyes and recited a string of coordinates. "Cadmus's mobile laboratory. Lois is on it."
He opened his eyes, and the Nanite swarm receded back into his body. The data disk turned into a piece of scrap metal, slipping from his fingers and splashing into the puddles on the rooftop.
"I've received the intel." Rorschach turned and walked toward the edge of the rooftop.
"Rorschach!!" Batman barked in a low voice.
Rorschach stopped and tilted his head.
"Don't use your Gotham rules to measure me." Rorschachlooked at him. "And don't try to test my bottom line. That girl is under my protection now. Anyone who touches her dies."
Before his voice had even faded, a sonic boom erupted.
Rorschach's body vanished from the spot, the violent airflow overturning several discarded iron barrels on the rooftop. Batman raised his arm to block the fierce wind; when he looked again, there was only an afterimage receding toward the east in the night sky.
The rain in Gotham intensified.
Cold raindrops pelted down over the city. Rorschachhovered above the clouds, looking down at the city of sin beneath his feet that never saw the sun.
He was in no hurry to rush to Pier 3.
Before taking action, he needed to maximize the chips in his hand.
Kara's blood had brought him an incredibly vast library of abilities. The Kryptonian Bloodline created a strong repulsion and resonance with his existing Mutant and The Boys system abilities.
He pulled up the system panel on his retina.
[Fusible ability combination detected:]
[Constitution System — Life Recovery 3.1 + Invulnerability 3.0 → Immortal Steel Body (Estimated Level 3.2), costs 21,000 points]
This was currently the most cost-effective life-saving trump card.
"Fuse." Rorschach issued the command in his mind.
[Command confirmed. Deducting 21,000 points]
[Current total points: 61,500]
[Fusion beginning...]
Agony.
A bone-deep pain instantly exploded from the depths of his bone marrow.
Rorschach gritted his teeth hard, a strong metallic taste of blood rising in his mouth. His body suddenly hunched over in mid-air, his muscles convulsing uncontrollably and violently.
This was not a simple stacking of abilities; it was a violent reorganization at the genetic level.
The Wolverine Self-Healing factor granted by [Life Recovery 3.1] was strangling and merging with the high-density Kryptonian cells of [Invulnerability 3.0].
Fine beads of blood began to seep from the surface of his skin. But as soon as the blood appeared, it evaporated into a red mist under his extremely high body temperature.
His bones made a tooth-aching grinding sound. Their density was doubling.
The sound of his heartbeat was like the roar of a heavy engine; with every pump of blood, the new fused energy was delivered to every corner of his body.
Two minutes later.
The pain receded like a tide.
Rorschach exhaled a long breath of turbid air. The exhaled airflow turned into a white arrow of gas in the rainy night, shooting directly through a rain cloud ten meters away.
He looked down at his hands.
His skin looked unchanged on the surface, but with a single thought, a layer of dark golden luster with a strong metallic texture would emerge beneath the skin.
[Acquired composite ability: Indestructible Steel Body 3.2]
[Core Effect: Physical defense reaches planetary-level barrier standards, immune to most conventional kinetic and energy weapons. Cell regeneration speed breaks through the critical point; as long as the brain and heart are not completely annihilated instantly, limb regeneration and fatal wound Self-Healing can be completed in a very short time. Absolute adaptability to extreme environments (vacuum, deep sea, absolute zero).]
Rorschach curled his lip.
He raised his right hand, and the red beams of [Heat Vision 2.8] shot from his eyes, hitting the back of his left hand directly.
The high-temperature rays, sufficient to melt through specialized armor, left only a faint white mark on the back of his hand. In less than half a second, the mark vanished completely.
It couldn't even break his defense.
"Time to get to work."
Rorschach looked up, his gaze piercing through the thick clouds to lock onto the direction of Gotham Pier 3.
His dual flight abilities erupted, his figure tearing through the rain curtain as the vacuum tunnel behind him slammed shut.
Pier 3.
The freighter 'poseidon' was quietly moored at its berth.
On the surface, it was just an ordinary Panama-registered cargo ship. The deck was piled with containers, and several crew members in raincoats were on patrol.
Rorschach hovered a thousand meters directly above the freighter.
[Super Vision 2.5] + [X-Ray Vision 2.5] pierced directly through the freighter's deck.
The internal structure of the freighter was laid bare before his eyes.
The containers on the surface were all empty. The true core was beneath the deck.
Three layers of specialized lead-plate shielding.
Below was a vast sterile laboratory.
Dozens of Researchers in white protective suits were busy, surrounded by fully armed mercenaries.
In the deepest part of the laboratory, Lois Lane was tied to a metal chair. Her head hung low, her blonde hair soaked with sweat and clinging to her cheeks. Her left cheek was badly swollen, clearly having suffered.
A bald man in a black suit stood before her, holding a syringe.
And in the massive glass cultivation tanks behind Lois...
Three humanoid creatures were soaking.
Their bodies were covered in bone spurs, their muscles a sickly grayish-white. Their eyes were tightly shut, but their heart rates were incredibly fast.
They were deformed products forcibly catalyzed using extracts from Kryptonian corpses.
Rorschach's gaze locked onto the syringe in the bald man's hand.
The needle was already pressed against Lois's neck.
Rorschach's eyes turned completely cold.
He did not choose to sneak in.
To his current self, all the defense systems on this ship were nothing more than paper toys.
He pointed his head downward, tucking his arms to his sides.
Gravitational acceleration combined with the ultimate burst of his dual flight abilities.
Like a meteorite falling from the sky, carrying kinetic energy that could destroy everything, he smashed straight toward the deck of the 'poseidon'.
A sonic boom cloud exploded in the night sky.
Shrill anti-aircraft sirens wailed frantically over the freighter.
But it was already too late.
Chapter 191: A One-sided Slaughter and the First Appearance of Doomsday
"Boom—!!"
A deafening roar tore through the rainy night at Gotham Harbor.
The reinforced steel deck was like a thin sheet of fragile paper in front of Rorschach. Without even slowing down, he smashed through the deck at supersonic speeds.
Firelight erupted into the sky, and twisted metal fragments splattered in all directions like a torrential rain.
First layer. Second layer. Third layer.
Three layers of thickened radiation-proof lead plates were forcibly smashed through by his physical body.
The ceiling of the underground laboratory collapsed with a thunderous crash.
The massive Impact sent the precision instruments in the laboratory flying. Several Researchers nearby didn't even have time to scream before their internal organs were shattered, and they were thrown against the wall like ragdolls.
Dust filled the air, and alarms shrieked shrilly.
Red emergency lights flashed frantically.
Rorschach stood up straight from the deep pit he had smashed.
The surrounding air distorted due to the high temperature he carried. The shattered alloy floor groaned under his feet, unable to bear the weight.
The bald man was pushed back over ten meters by the airwave and scrambled up miserably. The syringe in his hand had already been smashed to pieces.
"Fire!! Kill him!!" the bald man roared hysterically.
The thirty-odd heavy-duty mercenaries guarding the perimeter immediately raised their weapons.
Assault rifles, large-caliber shotguns, and even man-portable high-energy laser beams.
A dense web of firepower instantly submerged Rorschach.
The whistle of bullet heads tearing through the air and the high temperature of the lasers turned the entire laboratory into a purgatory.
Lois, tied to a chair, struggled to lift her head, her eyes stung by the intense light.
Ten seconds of frantic pouring.
The gunfire stopped.
The Gunpowder smoke gradually dissipated.
The mercenaries stared fixedly at the center of the laboratory.
Rorschach stood in place, not moving even half a step.
The black coat on his body had been burned to Ash by the lasers, revealing his lean and powerful upper body.
Those armor-piercing rounds, capable of tearing through armored vehicles, struck his bare skin, producing only a series of dull "clang clang" sounds. Then, as if hitting an indestructible wall of a god, they turned into twisted copper pancakes and fell to the ground with a clatter.
The high-energy lasers only left a few fleeting wisps of White smoke on the surface of his dark golden skin.
[Indestructible Steel Body 3.2].
In the face of physical defense at this level, conventional human weapons didn't even have the qualification to scratch his itch.
A deathly silence filled the room.
Only the sound of shell casings rolling on the ground could be heard.
A mercenary's hand trembled violently, and the rifle in his hand fell to the ground with a "clack."
Rorschach cracked his neck, his joints making a crisp popping sound.
"Finished?" he spoke, his voice not loud, but it struck everyone's eardrums clearly.
The next second.
Rorschach's body disappeared directly from where he stood.
The naked eye simply couldn't capture his movement trajectory. Only the sounds of brutal air currents tearing through the laboratory remained.
"Crack!"
The three mercenaries at the very front didn't even see what happened before their heads were weirdly twisted 180 degrees, and they slumped over.
"Bang!"
Rorschach slammed a punch into the chest of a heavy machine gunner.
The hundred-ton level force of [Super Strength 3.1] directly blew that two-hundred-plus-pound brute into pieces. Flesh and metal armor mixed together, splattering all over the wall behind him.
A one-sided Carnage.
No moves, no fancy techniques.
Only the absolute crushing of pure speed and power.
In less than half a minute, all thirty-odd mercenaries had turned into fragments on the ground. A strong smell of blood filled the air.
The bald man leaned against the control console, his legs weak, and he knelt directly on the ground.
He looked at Rorschach, who was walking over step by step, his face filled with unconcealable fear.
"Release the experimental subjects!! Quick, release No. 01 to No. 03!!" he shrieked at the only Researcher still alive by the control console.
The Researcher trembling pressed a red button.
"Hiss—"
The three massive glass cultivation tanks behind Loissimultaneously drained their nutrient solution.
The glass hatch doors rose.
Three deformed monsters, over two and a half meters tall and covered in grayish-white bone spurs, walked out.
There were no pupils in their eyes, only a chaotic crimson. Low Beast-like growls emanated from their throats.
This was a biochemical weapon forcibly catalyzed by Cadmus using the corpses of Kryptonian soldiers under Zod, after extracting cellular activity. Although not as powerful as true Kryptonians, they still possessed terrifying strength and recovery capabilities.
"Kill him!!" the bald man pointed at Rorschach.
The three monsters lunged simultaneously, their thick lower limbs crushing the alloy floor, pouncing toward Rorschach with violent wind pressure.
The monster in the lead swung its right fist, covered in bone spurs, viciously toward Rorschach's head.
Rorschach didn't dodge.
He didn't even lift his hand.
"Bang!!"
The monster's fist slammed solidly into the side of Rorschach's face.
The violent force caused the floor beneath Rorschach's feet to instantly crack and sink.
But Rorschach's head didn't even tilt.
He turned his eyes and looked at the monster, which was howling in pain because its hand bones had shattered from the counterforce.
"Juicing a few corpses and you dare call it creating a god? Your understanding of power is truly cheap."
Rorschach curled his lip.
He raised his right hand, grabbed the monster's neck, and lifted its massive two-and-a-half-meter body into the air with one hand.
The monster struggled frantically, its bone spurs stabbing viciously into Rorschach's arm, but they couldn't even leave a white mark.
Rorschach's eyes instantly lit up with a blinding red light.
A combined burst of [Heat Vision 2.8] + [Heat Vision 2.1].
Two thick red laser beams blasted directly into the monster's face at zero distance.
No screams.
The monster's head vaporized the moment it touched the high temperature, which was like the core of a star. The part above the neck disappeared into thin air, and the stump was charred black.
Rorschach casually threw the headless corpse onto the ground.
The remaining two monsters instinctively stopped in their tracks, a hint of biological fear actually showing in their crimson eyes.
Rorschach didn't give them a chance to retreat.
His figure flashed, appearing in front of the second monster. His right fingers were pressed together like a blade, with the hardness of [Steel-like Body] layered onto his fingertips. He directly pierced the monster's chest and crushed its still-frantically-beating mutated heart.
The third monster turned to flee.
Rorschach raised his hand, and [Energy Control 3.1] was activated.
The gravity field around the monster instantly distorted, and its massive body was pinned to the ground by an invisible force, its bones snapping inch by inch.
Rorschach walked over and crushed its head with one foot.
Thirty seconds.
Cadmus's proudest masterpieces had turned into three mangled corpses.
Only the bald man's heavy breathing remained in the entire laboratory.
Rorschach walked up to him.
The bald man shrank back desperately: "You... you can't kill me!! I'm from the Luthor Group..."
Rorschach didn't listen to his nonsense and directly pressed his hand on the top of his head.
[Mental Control] violently intruded.
The bald man's eyes instantly rolled back, and his body twitched violently.
A few seconds later, Rorschach let go. The bald man collapsed to the ground like a puddle of mud, his brain having been turned into an idiot by the massive Psychic Power Impact.
Rorschach got the information he wanted.
This ship was just a peripheral cover. The true "Doomsday" entity was not here. Cadmus had already moved the most core Kryptonian corpse and the top-secret data left by Luthor to an abandoned air-raid shelter beneath Metropolis.
Rorschach walked over to Lois and reached out to tear the Polymer Rope binding her.
Lois gasped for air and looked up at Rorschach.
"It's you..." She recognized this face. During the secret meeting at the newspaper office, it was this man who took the Military files.
"They wanted to get clues about Superman from me." Loisrubbed her reddened wrists, her voice still trembling. "They're crazy. In that cultivation tank..."
"Shut up. Save your energy to write your news report," Rorschach interrupted her.
He turned his head and looked at a central mainframe in the deepest part of the laboratory.
[Super Vision] penetrated the mainframe's casing, and he saw a hidden liquid nitrogen storage tank connected beneath it.
Rorschach walked over, smashed the steel plate with a punch, and pulled out the liquid nitrogen tank.
Inside the tank was a small piece of dark red flesh tissue.
Even under the extreme cold of the liquid nitrogen lock, that piece of flesh was still slightly wriggling, as if it had a life of its own.
This was an active sample cut from the true "Doomsday" entity.
Rorschach narrowed his eyes.
Just then, a dull engine roar came from above.
A black batwing hovered above the freighter.
Batman jumped down through the passage Rorschach had smashed, his black cape flaring out as he landed.
He looked at the severed limbs and broken bodies all over the floor, his gaze finally landing on the corpses of those three deformed monsters. His brow beneath the mask furrowed tightly.
"You're late." Rorschach put the liquid nitrogen tank into his System Space and turned around.
He pointed at Lois nearby.
"She's alive. You clean up the rest of this mess."
Batman walked to Lois's side. After confirming she had no fatal injuries, he looked up at Rorschach: "What did you take?"
"My spoils of war."
Rorschach didn't offer much explanation.
He walked beneath the smashed ceiling, his legs slightly bent.
"Cadmus's core isn't in Gotham," Rorschach left behind a sentence. "Metropolis underground air-raid shelter. Don't let them bring that true monster out."
Boom!!
The airwave surged.
Rorschach soared into the sky, instantly disappearing into the rainy night.
He needed to find a quiet place.
That piece of flesh in the liquid nitrogen tank emitted a pressure that made every cell in his body tremble. It was the purest destruction gene of ancient Krypton.
And his points were already prepared for the next qualitative change.
Rorschach soared into the sky, instantly disappearing into the rainy night.
On the way back, he lightly tapped his communicator, synchronizing encrypted information to the Warehouse Terminal: "Mission clear. Lois handed to Bat. Sample secured. — Rorschach"
Kara stared at the screen and chuckled, tapping back: "Overtime by 7 minutes and 13 seconds. Your penalty is to bring Hot Cocoa."
Outside, the rain pattered against the window. She folded the "Daily Planet" and tucked it beside her sleeping bag, the worry in her eyes finally turning into peace of mind.
Chapter 192: Omniscient Senses and Deep Space Signals
Rain slammed against the black combat suit.
Above the clouds, Rorschach pulled out a white vacuum tunnel. The violent kinetic energy instantly tore through the cumulonimbus clouds along the way.
He didn't go back to Gotham Harbor to look at that mess.
Batman was a useful scavenger.
With that rich guy in tights there, Lois Lane wouldn't die.
The remnants of Cadmus would also have a layer of skin flayed off.
Gotham Pier 3.
The torrential rain washed over the broken deck of the 'poseidon'.
Batman stood at the edge of the huge hole that Rorschachhad smashed through by brute force.
In the underground laboratory below, forensic scientists from the Gotham Police Department were clearing away the fragments scattered across the floor.
Director Gordon, wearing his signature trench coat, walked to Batman's side.
"What kind of monster did this?"
Gordon looked at the heavy firearms that had been twisted into pretzels, his voice tight.
"An uncontrolled variable."
Batman's voice in the rainy night carried the characteristic coarseness of coarse sandpaper.
He looked down at a test report in his hand.
It was combat residue data extracted from the scene.
No burn marks from energy weapons, no chemical residues from explosives.
Pure, absolute physical crushing.
Even on those killed biochemical monsters, Batmandetected Heat Vision residues as high as the temperature of the Sun's surface.
The opponent not only possessed power that crushed everything but was also constantly evolving.
"Notify all members of the Justice League."
Batman pressed the communicator.
"Raise the alert level to maximum. We are facing an existence that might be ten thousand times more dangerous than Luthor."
Meanwhile, Rorschach had already landed on the rooftop of an abandoned warehouse in Gotham East District.
The rusty iron door was pushed open, making a piercing grinding sound.
Kara was sitting cross-legged on a sleeping bag. Hearing the noise, she looked up.
"You're ten minutes late."
"Handled some Cadmus trash on the way."
Rorschach walked over and threw the frost-covered liquid nitrogen tank on the floor.
The bottom of the metal tank hit the dusty concrete floor with a dull thud.
Kara's gaze fell on the tank.
With just one look, her originally relaxed sitting posture froze instantly.
Her breathing became thin and ragged.
Her stomach churned unexpectedly.
She instinctively gritted her back teeth, and a phantom-like metallic taste of blood even rose in her mouth.
That fine trembling didn't come from the outside; it seeped out from the very marrow of her bones.
"What is... inside there?"
Her voice changed pitch completely, carrying an unconcealable loathing.
Rorschach pulled over a broken wooden chair and sat down.
"A specialty of the Project Cadmus Laboratory."
"They used the corpses of Zod's soldiers, extracted cellular activity, and forcibly catalyzed them into biochemical weapons."
"The three I killed were just defective products. What's in this tank is active tissue cut from their truly perfect work."
Kara stared intently at the liquid nitrogen tank.
The color faded from the edges of her nails, and her knuckles protruded sharply against a layer of thin skin.
"They are desecrating the dead."
"They want to create a god."
Rorschach leaned against the back of the chair, his fingertips tapping the armrest.
"Although Lex Luthor is dead, the legacy he left behind is enough for these lunatics to continue their revelry. The ship at Gotham Harbor was just a decoy to attract Batman's attention. The true core laboratory is in a Metropolisunderground air-raid shelter."
"We're going now."
Kara turned to head out.
"Hold on."
Rorschach spoke to stop her.
"The Metropolis underground air-raid shelter is larger than ten Gotham Harbors. If we just barge in mindlessly, we won't even find the door to their main control room, besides getting a mouthful of dust."
Kara turned her head.
"Then what do you suggest?"
"Give me two minutes."
Rorschach closed his eyes and pulled up the system panel on his retina.
Cadmus's movement was faster than he had expected.
The growth rate of that monster named Doomsday was a huge unknown.
If that monster were allowed to develop underground, once it broke out of its shell, the entire Metropolis would become a slaughterhouse.
Rorschach didn't care how many people died in Metropolis.
What he cared about was that the points and abilities on that monster absolutely could not be snatched away by someone else.
Furthermore, Kara's blood had given him a full set of Kryptonian abilities, but that didn't mean invincibility.
The true Doomsday possessed abnormal attributes of infinite evolution during combat.
To steadily reap all the benefits in the upcoming high-end game, he had to have eyes that could overlook the entire situation.
His gaze swept over the dense list of abilities.
[Fusible ability combination detected (Sensory type): Super Vision 3.1 + Super Vision 2.5 + Super Hearing 2.5 + Super Hearing 2.0 → Omniscient Sense 3.4]
[Fusible ability combination detected (Energy type): Heat Vision 2.8 + Cyclops 2.2 → Heat Vision 3.0]
This was a very expensive transaction.
A full twenty-three thousand points.
But intelligence was life. In the impending god-level melee, whoever could see the battle situation first would hold the initiative.
"Fuse."
Rorschach issued the command in his mind.
[Fusion confirmed. Deducting 23,000 points]
[Current total points: 38,500]
The second after the command was issued.
Rorschach gritted his back teeth hard.
An incredibly sharp noise scraped across his eardrums.
The blood vessels on his retina suddenly bulged. The lens inside his eyeballs and his auditory nerves were undergoing an inhumane and violent reorganization.
Information.
A massive amount of information.
The oppressive feeling of the World's internet data being forcibly shoved into his brain in the same second exploded instantly.
Rorschach gripped the armrests of the chair with both hands.
The wooden armrests turned into a pile of sawdust in his palms.
"Rorschach?"
Kara stepped closer.
She saw a piercing red light light up in the depths of Rorschach's eyes, but this red light didn't shoot out; instead, it was tightly suppressed in the depths of his pupils, constantly compressing and undergoing qualitative change.
Two minutes later.
Rorschach let go.
He opened his eyes.
The World before him had completely changed.
It was no longer just simple light, shadow, and color.
He saw the dust trajectories floating in the air, saw the speed of blood flowing under Kara's skin, and could even see the microscopic process of her cell division.
His vision penetrated the warehouse walls, penetrated Gotham's curtain of rain, and extended southward.
Crossing the channel, straight to Metropolis.
His vision continued downward, penetrating the asphalt pavement, sewers, and thick layers of rock.
[Composite ability obtained: Omniscient Sense 3.4]
[Core function: Visual and auditory senses reach the limit of a single Planet. Capable of precise global positioning, X-ray vision, microscopic insight, and energy flow analysis. Immune to most illusions and mental shielding.]
[Composite ability obtained: Heat Vision 3.0]
[Core function: Temperature can reach the level of a stellar core, with precise control over thickness, temperature, and duration]
In Rorschach's ears, he filtered out the sound of wind, rain, the gunshots of gang fights on Gotham's streets, and the scuttling of rats in the sewers.
He locked the focus of his hearing onto the underground of Metropolis.
He heard the heavy mechanical hydraulic sounds three hundred meters underground.
He heard the rapid breathing of countless Researchers wearing protective suits.
And...
A powerful, massive heartbeat with the texture of a heavy pile driver.
"Thump—Thump—"
Each beat carried a violent aura of destruction.
Just then.
Rorschach's eardrums captured another frequency.
Not on Earth.
Above. In the extremely high, extremely distant deep space.
An encrypted low-frequency electromagnetic wave was radiating out of the solar system at the speed of light.
That was the distress signal frequency band of a Kryptonian ship.
Rorschach stood up.
"Found it."
He looked at Kara.
"Lead the way."
Kara clenched her fists.
"It's not just that big guy underground."
Rorschach walked to the window and looked up at the night sky obscured by dark clouds.
"They just sent a signal to outer space. That hot-tempered general compatriot of yours is about to come knocking on Earth's door."
Kara's back instantly straightened.
Her previously casual stance instantly turned into an extremely dangerous defensive state. Along with it, the surrounding air turned cold.
"Zod..."
She gritted her teeth as she uttered the name.
Her pupils shook violently. The noisy rain around her was completely drained away in this second.
In the depths of her memory, the flames of war from before Krypton's destruction flooded into her mind.
General Zod's cold and ruthless face, and his Kryptonianarmy that killed without blinking.
They were pure War Machines; to rebuild Krypton, they could unhesitatingly obliterate any life standing in their way.
"If he comes to Earth... this place will become hell."
Kara's voice carried an uncontrollable tremor.
"Then let him come and never return."
Rorschach brushed the sawdust off his hands.
"In this World, only fine wine and beautiful women must not be let down. As for those idiots in the way, just kill them."
He pushed open the window.
The gale poured into the warehouse.
"Let's go. To Metropolis."
Chapter 193: Violent Breakthrough
While flying toward Metropolis, Rorschach's [Omniscient Senses 3.4] continuously scanned the underground structure, suddenly capturing a key anomaly—the true coordinates of the Cadmus main laboratory were hidden beneath the old Rex site.
The "underground air-raid shelter" from the previous intelligence was merely a decoy.
Rorschach said to Kara, "Target changed. The real Doomsday embryo is over here."
Metropolis, 3:00 AM.
The city was still brightly lit.
The halo of neon lights cast long reflections on the water-logged pavement.
Rorschach and Kara hovered above the old Rex Enterprise building.
The cold high-altitude wind blew Kara's blonde hair everywhere.
"It's right below."
Rorschach looked down at the bustling district beneath his feet.
In his [Omniscient Senses 3.4] field of vision, the surface buildings were just a layer of transparent phantoms.
The true fortress was hidden three hundred meters underground.
Fifteen layers of high-strength alloy armor, plus an independent nuclear power supply system.
Dense energy circuits tightly wrapped around the entire underground space.
In the deepest control room, over a hundred armed personnel were fully equipped, staring intently at the surveillance screens.
"I'll open the door."
Kara's eyes lit up with red light. The surrounding air temperature soared.
"Save your energy."
Rorschach reached out to stop her.
"This kind of turtle shell is too slow to burn through."
He leaned forward, arms tucked against his sides.
The dark golden sheen of [Invulnerability 3.2] flowed beneath his skin.
Combined with the extreme kinetic energy of his dual Flight Ability.
Rorschach transformed into a dark golden meteor, smashing straight toward the ground.
"Boom—!!"
A magnitude-12 earthquake tremor erupted instantly in the center of Metropolis.
The hard asphalt road surface couldn't cause even a millisecond of obstruction.
Rorschach used the most brutal physical method to forcibly smash through the strata.
Rock, soil, and special alloy armor.
Before him, they all turned into fragile cookie crumbs.
Three hundred meters underground, in the Cadmus main control room.
A piercing red alarm screamed frantically.
"Warning!! Top armor breached!! First layer breached!! Fifth layer breached!! Tenth layer breached!!"
In front of the main console, an old man in a white lab coat stared intently at the screen.
His facial muscles were twisted by extreme fear.
"How is this possible?! Has the Kryptonite defense net been activated?!"
"It's activated!! But the target isn't slowing down at all!!"
The operator's voice was filled with a desperate, crying tone.
Before the words could fade.
The two-meter-thick steel ceiling of the control room collapsed on the spot.
A massive shockwave sent a dozen precision instruments flying.
Amidst the dust and smoke.
Rorschach walked out of the deep crater he had smashed.
Kara followed closely behind, descending from the breach.
Dozens of armed guards in the control room immediately raised their large-caliber energy rifles.
Green Kryptonite rays wove into an airtight net of fire, completely enveloping Rorschach and Kara.
Kara let out a muffled grunt, her knees softening, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.
The suppression from Kryptonite radiation was still fatal to her.
But Rorschach didn't even glance at those rays.
[Invulnerability 3.2] combined with [Physical Enhancement 3.0] gave him extremely high resistance to Kryptonite radiation.
Those green rays, which were enough to make an ordinary Kryptonian collapse on the spot, left only fleeting trails of white smoke when they hit him.
"Noisy."
Rorschach spat out the two words coldly.
[Telekinesis Control 3.3] erupted fully.
The invisible Psychic Power transformed into a tangible heavy hammer.
Dozens of armed guards couldn't even let out a scream before being crushed into a pile of minced meat on the spot.
Blood flowed down through the cracks in the broken floor.
A thick, bloody stench filled the entire space.
The old man was so scared he fell to the ground, scrambling backward on his hands and feet.
Rorschach walked up to him.
With one foot, he crushed the old man's thigh bone.
The crisp sound of bone cracking was exceptionally harsh in the deathly silent control room.
"Ah—!!"
"Shut up."
Rorschach's voice had no inflection.
He looked up at the huge explosion-proof glass wall directly in front of the control room.
Behind the glass wall was a giant incubation tank large enough to hold a three-story small building.
In the high-concentration green nutrient solution, a massive gray mass of flesh was soaking.
The surface of the mass was covered in sharp bone spurs; it hadn't yet formed a complete humanoid shape, but that violent vitality was already making the surrounding air warp.
"Is this your masterpiece?"
Rorschach curled the corner of his mouth.
"You... you can't destroy it!!"
The old man roared while enduring the excruciating pain, his face full of insane fanaticism.
"It has fused the genes of a Kryptonian with the ultimate program left behind by Mr. Luthor!! It is the perfect killing weapon!! As long as it wakes up, you high-and-mighty superhumans will all die!!"
Kara looked at the mass of flesh, her face pale.
"Rorschach, that thing... makes me very uncomfortable."
The Kryptonian genetic instinct was screaming a warning.
It was a sense of absolute trembling when encountering a natural predator.
Rorschach ignored the old man's clamoring.
He walked to the control console.
The nanite swarm directly invaded the system's underlying layer.
Lines of green code popped up on the screen.
"What underlying logic did you set for it?"
Rorschach looked at the screen.
"Slaughter... indiscriminate slaughter..."
The old man laughed crazily, spraying bloody foam from his mouth.
"As long as it hatches, the whole World will be buried with Mr. Luthor!!"
Rorschach tapped his fingers on the keyboard a few times.
"Is that so? Too bad, your god won't be hatching today."
He turned around and raised his right hand.
Energy Control activated.
The energy circuits around the giant incubation tank short-circuited on the spot.
All power supply conduits were directly severed by an invisible, immense force.
The nutrient solution began to boil violently, then quickly froze.
Ice Manipulation superimposed.
That still-wriggling gray mass of flesh, along with the nutrient solution, was frozen solid inside a huge block of absolute-zero ice.
"What did you do?!"
The old man's eyes widened, his eyeballs nearly popping out.
Rorschach walked over and kicked the old man's head to pieces.
"Villains die from talking too much? Not me. I kill first, then talk."
He looked at the frozen Doomsday embryo.
This thing was a huge hidden danger, but also a huge treasure trove.
Now is not the time to kill it. A Doomsday in its embryonic state wouldn't yield many points.
It must wait until it is fully formed, or even after it has evolved through several battles; that would be the best time to harvest.
Rorschach waved his hand, collecting the huge block of ice along with the embryo inside directly into the system space.
Kara breathed a sigh of relief.
But Rorschach's gaze fell on a red indicator light at the very top of the main console.
[Signal transmission complete].
"What was the content of the signal they just transmitted?"
Kara walked over and asked.
"A set of coordinates in the Kryptonian language."
Rorschach looked at the residual data stream on the big screen.
"The absolute coordinates of Metropolis. Plus a provocative message."
He turned his head and looked at the large hole he had smashed through to the surface.
"Zod has received the invitation."
Rorschach twisted his neck, his joints making a crisp cracking sound.
For the upcoming battle, conventional physical defense and strength were no longer enough.
Zod, along with his Kryptonian legion, was a terrifying force capable of flattening Earth.
He had to master rule-level power.
He pulled up the system panel.
His gaze locked onto those energy-type abilities he had left untouched.
[Energy Control 3.1], [Energy Release 2.0], [Thermal Manipulation 1.5], [Ice Manipulation 2.0].
"The show is about to begin."
Rorschach curled his lips into that lazy arc.
And the real prey was riding the starlight toward Earth's orbit.
"Let's go. There's no value here anymore." Rorschach didn't move, however, glancing at the system panel. "But before we set off, let's prepare this 'welcome gift' for Zod—using the newly fused trump card."