Chapter 235: A Necessary Evil Part 4

In the aftermath of the incident in Metropolis, numerous reporters gathered around and questioned victims and law enforcement over what exactly had happened.

And for many people, it was the same story. Out of nowhere, they felt their limbs harden while others felt like their vision blurred. It was near immediate and completely unexpected.

The League had refused to comment on the situation, and Superman, who was the only League member to speak, told the people not to worry and that they would be safe, and the culprits would also be captured. As the city's hero, Superman needed to alleviate any concerns the people had over the ability of the police and Justice League.

But this was the same story the police gave the media, and civilians watching this believed that the League and the government were going to fail them yet again.

Little did they know, it was only the beginning. Mere hours after the incident in Metropolis was under control, another incident sparked in Gotham City. However, with the League already on high alert, Arias had taken a different approach this time, rather than letting Ivy go there directly.

The yacht she and Enchantress used to travel docked in Star City instead of Gotham, and from there, Enchantress teleported them both to Gotham City.

Once there, Ivy repeated the same actions she had done in Metropolis, launching a deadly spore attack. And just like with Metropolis, the people of Gotham were taken completely by surprise.

With the incident occurring a bit later, traffic was minimal, so damages were far less than in Metropolis, which had been hit during late rush hour. Most young people in Gotham had also settled into their homes, so many were unaware they were affected by the spores creeping through ventilation shafts, open windows, and other forms of air entry.

In fact, if it hadn't been for the incident in Metropolis, the police would have pegged the accidents that began to occur in Gotham City as just regular old crimes or accidents.

But the incident in Metropolis had made people very alert, so any signs of links between the two incidents were closely followed. However, with so little time having passed since the two events occurred, the police quickly began to suspect that this was the work of multiple individuals or a large group working together.

As for why they would think this, Arias had ensured that the targeted cities were the ones with the three highest superhuman populations in the U.S. It didn't take long for people to start suspecting and accusing the anti-superhuman HS group.

Online forums were abuzz with speculation, and many more rumors spread about what exactly was going on. But none could truly understand what Arias was planning as the effects of the chemical attack from Ivy went into full swing.

It was Wonder Woman and Harley, with the help of the Gotham police and emergency services, who got things under control. This was done because Arias knew the League was already spread thin, and with Batman not present in Gotham, Arias decided that Harley and Diana would handle the incident to raise their public approval ratings and have Batman's drop.

Unlike Metropolis, which had a scattered population of superhuman teens, Gotham had its superhumans centered in the Ark Academies. According to reports from the academies, many students showed signs of exposure and were thus isolated for immediate study, hoping to create a speedy cure.

This meant that unlike Metropolis, Gotham had no young or rogue superhumans to help alleviate the dangers that came from the attack. In response, Commissioner Gordon was quick to request outside help, and the League sent some members who had been at Metropolis, not too far away from Gotham.

The first to arrive was Flash, followed minutes later by Superman, while Green Lantern, Dr. Fate, and Martian Manhunter were left searching for the culprits within Metropolis. The League also began to suspect that it was more than one person and that it could be a group, particularly the HS group.

Having predicted that the League would figure this much out, Arias had intentionally left room for speculation and guessing through the evidence he had created so far. The League could only be led to one logical conclusion, and that was the same conclusion the police had already reached: that it was indeed a collective terrorist attack on multiple cities with high populations of superhumans.

With this fact, it didn't take long for cities at risk of attack to be listed, and for people to be warned. This was especially true in the top 10 cities with high populations of superhuman residents.

People were quickly advised to stay in their homes and not to go out. They were also advised to turn off any and all appliances that required focus or were potentially dangerous if not operated properly.

Many listened, but of course, many more did not. Regardless of the warning efforts, it wouldn't make any difference in Arias's grand scheme.

After all, the populace was never the true target, only a means of directing the government and the League as he pleased for this operation.

And just 10 minutes after the attack, the League and the police had their worst fears come to fruition as spores emerged in Star City and two more cities thereafter.