Chapter 1985 U: Beyond Major Events (74)_1

Batman should have been shocked, but he noticed the absence of aggression in Clark's tone, devoid of any desire, it wasn't the tone of an invader, not even a savior.

"You might ask why I seek to invade or save them, but we just aren't." Clark shook his head as he spoke.

"We are them, we are sons of farmers, sons of the land."

Batman fell silent.

Superman was a lot of things. He was a Kryptonian, the Metropolis Superman, the Superman of the Justice League and Justice Lord, a superhero, and a partner of many more superheroes.

Batman had heard him talk about these topics countless times, including about a spaceship that crashed into Smallville, his career as a reporter in Metropolis, the past of the Justice League, and the many words spoken to him by the multitude of superheroes surrounding him.

But Batman had never thought of Clark Kent as the son of a farmer.

Such traces were barely perceptible on him. He talked about politics, media and journalism, the Metropolis trend, the construction of the Justice League base, relationships with all his teammates, but he hardly ever mentioned the land.

Perhaps these topics had been peeled away from him at some point as he grew, hence as far as Batman was concerned, he knew a city man, not a youth from Smallville.

But now he did.

Had Lord Superman ever had such moments? Batman found himself unable to imagine such a scene. Lord Superman would even discuss with him about a bird or an airplane that flew past him that day, but they never talked about the land.

They should have discussed these topics, because they were rare things that Superman had practiced and was good at. Batman understood, but he had never personally experienced them, not like Bruce Wayne who hadn't planted seeds himself.

Of course, Batman knew how to farm. He basically had the theoretical knowledge and confidence to plant anything in any environment, but he had never actually plowed and harvested with a tractor himself. He simply didn't have the time and energy.

But the topics between him and Lord Superman were wide-ranging, excluding just this one.

Why was it so?

At this point, Batman remembered another matter, concerning the future development direction of the Justice Lord.

In fact, this was an extremely important question, and they had not reached an agreement on this issue.

Lord Superman urgently wanted Batman to open a portal to other universes for him. Batman believed that this was what Lord Superman wanted to do, including bringing Bruce to their team, just to persuade Batman to do so.

But Batman didn't want to do this.

Batman was not as naive as Lord Superman, thinking that if there were no criminals in this world, everyone could live a good life. He knew very well that criminals were fruits, not roots.

But it's undeniable that these fruits would obstruct all people from fixing the roots of the trees. But now, even the most ferocious fruit couldn't stand against a Superman who was willing to resort to violence.

They should have continued to trim the branches, clean the tree bark, repair the tree holes, until the tree roots recovered health, and let the big tree break through the clouds to see the real sun.

In Batman's eyes, the eager act of Lord Superman to leave was undoubtedly a kind of betrayal. He was only willing to do superficial work that made him feel comfortable, but he was unwilling to face reality.

But how to make him face reality?

As Batman pondered, Clark had already ploughed a large piece of land. He landed in front of Batman, swinging his hand in front of Batman's eyes.

Batman took half a step back to dodge his move. Clark looked at him and said, "What're you thinking about? I called you several times and you didn't hear."

"Nothing." Batman shook his head and took a step forward, but Clark stopped him and asked: "Where are you going?"

"Aren't you going to plow? I'll help."

"Don't be ridiculous." Clark shook his head, pointed to a tree stump left by a felled tree nearby, and said, "You can sit there for a while. Whatever you were thinking, you can continue. I'll finish this small piece, and we can go back."

Batman's lifted foot hung in mid-air. He looked at Clark floating in front of him, and his look expressed, 'Are you serious?'

Of course, Clark responded accordingly. He spread his palm and pointed behind him, indicating 'Do you think you would be of any help?'

Batman finally realized what that strange feeling lingering in his heart was - why weren't they relying on him?

Everyone here exuded a peculiar kindness.

Batman felt he wasn't wrong. They were indeed very kind. Everyone's attitude was like, 'Why don't you go do this, or not, it's okay," or "You could either do this or that, or do nothing, it's up to you."

This was the part that felt most discordant to Batman, as his daily routine in the Justice League was a constant flurry of exchanges like, "I need you to do this, I'm going to do that," and "Why are you doing this, why are you doing that," and "What exactly are we doing?"

Since Batman arrived here, all the questions Clark and Diana presented to him were ones such as what do I need to do, you can come or not, and we have a few things to do, choose whatever you want to do.

For instance, earlier on, Clark said he was going to find Diana, but Batman didn't want to be carried by him. Regardless, Clark still planned to find Diana, but suggested that Batman was welcome to join him or stay put.

When Diana came back, they discussed how to store their game. Clark suggested that he could freeze it, or they could make smoked or cured meat.

Diana said she was going to cook, and Clark said he was going to farm, after which they both went off to do their own things. It was almost as if Batman could stand still for half an hour, waiting for them to finish their tasks.

The biggest difference was that they had things to do and were going to do them regardless. They didn't mind if Batman wanted to offer suggestions or tag along, but they didn't concern themselves with whether Batman chose to do so. No matter what Batman did, they stuck to their plans.

At the Justice League, everyone waited for Batman's advice. When Superman planned to do something, he would first ask Batman and then wait for Batman's response and action. Only until Batman acted would Superman follow suit, otherwise, he would just stand still. Diana behaved similarly, especially when it came to group actions.

When Batman asked them to do something or opposed their actions, their first response wasn't to just follow orders, but to ask why.

That's why it wasn't enough for Batman to merely provide advice - he had to provide explanations as well. If his reasons couldn't persuade them, they would not blindly obey. Instead, they might take some of Batman's suggestions and adapt the rest on their own.

Sometimes, Batman felt like a turtle in a wishing well - everyone who made a wish was sincere, hoping for life to magically go their way. Yet those who wished for wealth would still squander, those who wished for career success would still slack off, and those who wished for romance would still act indifferent and cold.

If you accused them of lacking initiative, they visited the well at least three times a day. Yet, if they had spent the energy they poured into praying for divine intervention on thinking and learning, their dreams would've become reality long ago.

In this brief span of less than half an hour, not a single person had made a wish or asked a question. Instead, everyone was busy making decisions. The shift in behavior took Batman by surprise because no one was seeking his guidance.

As Batman contemplated this, he zoned out for about half a minute. By the time he came to, Clark had already flown off and returned. He waved at Batman and said, "We're done, let's go, it's time for dinner."

Batman looked up and saw that a large patch of forest had already been cut down, and the ground had been thoroughly turned over. Their efficiency was simply astounding.

Given the circumstances, there wasn't much else for Batman to say. After all, he couldn't have done it any better. So, he followed Clark back to the camp.

Before they even reached the clearing under the treehouse, Batman caught wafts of a tantalizing meaty aroma.

Diana, who was currently stewing a pot of meat, saw them coming and tapped the pot rim with a freshly carved spoon, remarking, "I knew I shouldn't have trusted those two. I was sure they wouldn't return on time for dinner. The look they had when they left practically screamed, 'We're going to fool you and then have a wild time, regardless of the schedule.'"

Clark shrugged and asked, "Where's Brucy? Has he returned?"

"All cut from the same cloth." Diana retorted slightly annoyed, "How could you really believe he was going fishing? If you told me he was lazily stroll back to your bedroom right now, I wouldn't even be surprised."

At this, Clark chuckled. Batman, however, looked confused, prompting him to ask, "Brucy?"

"A bat cat," Diana rolled her eyes faintly, "He brags about being an excellent fisherman, so he decided to try his luck by the creek. But he's yet to return."

"Maybe we should go look for him…"

No sooner had Clark finished speaking did they hear a rustling in the bushes behind him. Batman turned around to see a pitch-black cat head emerging from the tangle of branches.

Even though it was a cat, its ears were much more pointed than a typical feline, mimicking the exterior of Batman's costume, complete with pointed ears.

Clark walked over and picked up the bat cat, who expertly used Clark's arm as a stepping-stone to jump onto his shoulder. Crawling from one shoulder to the other, he settled down to lick his paws, declaring, "It seems you guys caught fish. But the bad news is that I walked a long way down the stream and didn't find the estuary."

With the bat cat in tow, Clark sat next to the stove, prompting Batman to follow suit. Clark peered into the pot, noting the deer meat, berries, and root crops they'd found earlier.

"I saved some as seeds; they're over there. There are a lot of berry bushes, so it's fine to eat some. The venison is lean, so I added some fat from the fish's belly. I cleaned it thoroughly before adding it, so it wouldn't smell fishy."

"I think we can wait for them a little longer." Clark took the spoon from Diana and began stirring the pot. In no time, a more potent aroma wafted out from the pot.

As for Batman, he discovered that he was able to just sit there, observe the swirling dance of the oils and berries on the soup's surface, and not think about anything.

No one was asking him anything, no one was focusing on him - as if he could remain quietly in this place forever. The tranquility was therapeutic.

Suddenly, twin beams of light flashed adjacent to the treehouse, and two figures emerged, returning to the camp. They were apparently the two teammates Clark mentioned.

Batman, drawn to the sudden illumination, instinctively glanced in their direction. The face that greeted him shattered his tranquility.

It was the murderer who had killed the Flash in their universe and the notorious enemy of Superman and the Justice League - Lex Luthor.