Chapter 116: [115] : Heading to Gotham
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As Superman entered the room, an eerie silence settled over the atmosphere. Clark took off his glasses and looked at Roger, who was sitting on the couch, and asked:
"I… hope I'm not interrupting anything?"
"Not really," Roger replied. "But I am curious, how did you find us?"
Clark pointed at Jean and said, "She's a bit noticeable. I saw her at the plaza yesterday."
Roger turned his gaze to Jean.
"...Sorry, I wasn't careful," Jean apologized.
It seemed that Superman was immune to Jean's psychic abilities. Normally, when Jean went out, she'd leave a special psychic suggestion on herself to make people ignore her appearance. But this clearly didn't work on Superman, which explained how he found them.
Roger didn't care much about these minor details. After all, it was Superman. It was normal for Jean's abilities to have no effect on him. Roger was just curious about Superman's reason for coming.
"So, Mr. Superman, why are you here today…?"
"No particular reason, just wanted to meet you two. I heard… you're not from this Earth?"
Clark asked inquisitively.
Roger exchanged a look with Jean and didn't hide anything from Superman, replying, "We are Earthlings, but not from your Earth. I assume you're familiar with the concept of parallel universes?"
"So you're from a parallel timeline? Are you the Superman of a parallel universe?" Clark asked, astonished, turning his gaze towards Roger.
The idea of parallel timelines was novel to Clark, but not unthinkable. He was more curious about Roger's identity. After all, Roger could fly like him, had heat vision that could cut through anything, and possessed an indestructible body.
Previously, when Clark didn't know Roger's origins, he assumed that Roger might be another lost Kryptonian, just like him.
However, after hearing Roger's explanation, Clark began to think that perhaps Roger was his counterpart from a parallel world.
Seeing Clark's surprise, Roger spoke with a complicated tone, "No, I'm not a parallel universe's Superman…"
After all his travels, Roger once thought he was worthy of being called Superman, but the events of that day in Metropolis made him realize that he could never truly be Superman.
If he were, he wouldn't have let his anger take over and recklessly destroy the Kryptonian ship.
Roger knew that letting the Kryptonians escape was the worst possible outcome. But in his fury, he made the worst decision.
Roger had been reflecting on this ever since, admitting it was a mistake. However, he wasn't sure if he could remain rational the next time something similar happened.
Roger was a person prone to acting on impulse. When that happened, he often ignored everything else, like when he played games and, after being killed by an assassin multiple times, he'd prioritize hunting down the assassin even at the cost of losing a team fight.
Clark didn't quite understand Roger's complex expression. But hearing that Roger wasn't a parallel version of himself left Clark somewhat disappointed.
If Roger were a parallel universe Superman, then he would also be a Kryptonian. As the only remaining open Kryptonian, Clark longed for the companionship of a fellow Kryptonian.
After all, the last remaining Kryptonian, Zod, had been killed by Clark himself.
Nevertheless, Clark wasn't too disheartened by this revelation. He quickly brushed it off and asked, "So, why did you come to this world from a parallel one?"
"Hmm, is this an interview?" Roger grinned as he asked Clark.
Knowing that Clark Kent was now a reporter for the Daily Planet, Roger's question was a playful tease.
Clark smiled back and said, "Sort of. But don't worry, it's an exclusive interview, I won't publish this anywhere."
"Well, in that case, I'll tell you. Actually, the reason we came to this world is…"
Roger's expression suddenly turned very serious.
The look on his face was as if he was about to announce an imminent apocalypse.
Seeing Roger's change in demeanor, Clark couldn't help but get tense. Considering how Roger showed up and immediately started saving people, seeming to anticipate the actions of the Kryptonians, Clark began to suspect there was some kind of catastrophic crisis looming.
Roger paused for a moment, then suddenly relaxed and said, "We're just here for tourism."
"?"
Clark, who had been expecting to hear some earth-shattering secret, was almost floored by the abrupt change in tone. He stared blankly at Roger, repeating, "…Tourism?"
"Yeah. You don't think all parallel worlds look the same, do you? Not every parallel universe is identical. Some might still be in the medieval era, while others might have achieved space travel.
"Our goal is to explore these unknown parallel worlds."
"…."
Clark couldn't believe that the reason Roger traveled to other parallel worlds was this… simple.
Hearing this, Clark let out a faint, awkward laugh and said, "Alright, as a native of this world, I welcome you both as tourists. How long will you be staying?"
"Just a few months. We were originally planning to leave right away… but…" Roger trailed off, growing silent before continuing, "…The atmosphere in Metropolis recently has made it hard for us to enjoy sightseeing."
There were so many casualties in Metropolis. Even though Roger hadn't been out much this past month, he could still sense the sorrow hanging over the city.
The area that was destroyed by the Kryptonian ship had been sealed off by the military and still hadn't been rebuilt. Countless people were left homeless, their former residences now nothing more than ruins.
In such an environment, even someone like Jean, who had initially come to see the sights of a parallel world, couldn't feel happy exploring the city.
And since Roger hadn't gone out, it wasn't fun for Jean to wander alone. So, they both ended up staying in Metropolis for the whole month without going anywhere.
When Roger brought up Metropolis, Clark's mood also turned somber.
No matter what the Kryptonians' intentions were, their arrival on Earth had brought about unimaginable devastation. Who knew how long it would take for the grief of those who lost loved ones to heal?
"Alright, let's not dwell on these depressing things. Superman, did you come here today just to ask about our origins and purpose?"
Roger didn't stay downcast for long and directly inquired about Clark's intentions.
It was unlikely that Clark had only seen Jean yesterday. Given Clark's super hearing and vision, finding someone wouldn't have been difficult for him.
Since Clark only came today, Roger suspected he might have other reasons.
But Clark shook his head in response, saying, "I only came to ask those things. Now that I have my answers, I won't intrude any further."
Having accomplished his purpose, Clark prepared to leave.
Roger didn't try to stop him. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Roger and Jean saw Clark out. After waiting a while, Roger suddenly turned to Jean and asked:
"Are you tired of staying in Metropolis?"
"Not really," Jean replied. "The technology here is far more advanced than in my world. Smartphones, computers, and those gaming consoles you mentioned, they're more than enough to keep me entertained for a while. So staying in Metropolis isn't a problem."
"…?"
It was only after hearing this that Roger noticed Jean had been holding a smartphone all this time, constantly browsing the web.
Seeing this, Roger felt a brief moment of panic. It made him think of Thor back in the world of The Boys, who had been left behind and become hopelessly addicted to gaming.
Originally, Roger's ideal candidate for the team was Thor, and if Jean wanted to join, he could make it work. After all, bringing one or two people made no difference.
But… Thor was a gaming addict, Jean had become glued to her phone, and Roger was essentially a slacker Superman…
Roger suddenly felt that if he actually formed a team like this, the future of this "Internet-addicted" squad would be quite bleak.
Feeling another headache after a few months of peace, Roger said to Jean:
"Put down your phone for now… By the way, where did you get the money?"
"…"
Jean went quiet, her eyes shifting away from her phone.
Roger squinted and asked, "You didn't use your powers to…"
"Absolutely not!" Jean quickly replied. "I just happened to run into some gang members one night… and they were kind enough to offer me a little 'help'."
"Night, gangs, help…"
Wasn't that just Jean going out at night to rob the rich and aid herself? Roger couldn't help but grumble internally.
But at the same time, Roger felt somewhat reassured. He had been worried that, without Professor Charles's guidance, Jean might start using her powers recklessly.
But if it was just against gang members, then there wasn't much of an issue.
Most gangsters weren't good people anyway, so using their 'funds' to support two "homeless" interdimensional travelers didn't seem like a problem. Roger decided to let Jean's source of money slide.
"Alright, just don't do anything too bad… Anyway, put your phone away and pack up. I'm taking you somewhere fun today."
"Somewhere fun?" Jean looked up from her phone, intrigued. "Where?"
Roger smiled mysteriously and revealed the name of their destination:
"A fun place called… Gotham."
...
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