บท 2794: Chapter 1984 U: Beyond Major Events (73)_1
"Why!! Why are we planting so much?!!" Batman shouted.
"Because!! We have so much land here!!" Clark shouted back.
"It's totally exceeding our needs!!"
"We truly!! Don't need this!!"
"Why...let's go down first!! The wind is too strong up here!!" Batman yelled.
After having their fill of wind in the sky, they finally thought of coming down to continue the conversation. Batman gave a sigh of relief as soon as his feet touched the ground.
His Clark from the cosmos wouldn't approach him without his consent, or to be more precise, he tried at first, but when Batman installed the Kryptonite Shock Device on his armor, Superman learned not to touch Batman carelessly.
Later on, he got accustomed to it, so even if Batman wasn't wearing the armor specifically designed to deal with Superman, Superman rarely engaged in physical contact with him.
However, he forgot that Clark from this universe could be a raw young man from a small town, and young Bruce seemed oblivious to his vulnerability, so Batman was completely unprepared.
Not to mention, Clark's grabbing motion was too skilled. Batman didn't even feel a shift in his center of gravity in the first couple of seconds upon lifting off. He assumed Clark must have grabbed Bruce countless times, enough to become adept.
But Batman didn't think any Batman would enjoy being taken into the sky by Superman. The suspicious Batman didn't enjoy the feeling of flight without a landing spot.
Wait… does the other Bruce have wings?
So, the two of them can fly together?
Batman absolutely didn't want to imagine this scene, so he decided to change the topic and steer the conversation back on track.
"We really don't need to waste our energy in producing survival supplies more than what's necessary." Batman started, using a more diplomatic tone in front of a new Superman. Usually, he would just say not to waste time planting too much.
"Yes, it could be difficult if it was only us three, but we actually have five members in our team. Including Little Bruce, that's six. Although he can't dig the ground with his claws, he can provide us with useful advice."
"Oh, right, you haven't met the other two members yet, have you? They went to participate in the game and haven't returned yet, but they've already won two rounds. They're powerful contenders, I bet you'll like them."
Seeing this as a good opportunity to gather information, Batman asked, "Who are the other two members?"
"You'll see when they return. But before that, we have to find Diana. If she really hunted down a deer, we need to help her."
Clark was about to fly and carry Batman into the sky again. But this time Batman was prepared, and he swiftly rolled to the side to dodge Clark's movement.
Flying in the air, Clark said with his hands on his hips, "Your shoes don't look suitable for trekking in this primitive jungle. Why don't you stay at the base and I'll go take a look?"
After hesitating a bit, Batman thought he should indeed check out their base. From what he could guess, there would be encounters, probes and battles between two teams. Now that Superman and Wonder Woman were making their presence known rather boldly by always flying in the sky, it was likely to attract the attention of others soon. Since he replaced Batman in their team, naturally, he was to play the role of the strategic and tactical leader, and scouting the terrain was key.
"You go, I'll stay here," Batman said.
With a whizz, Clark flew off.
Batman stood still, shocked.
Just now, he clearly saw that there was no hesitation in Clark before he turned around and soared into the distance, turning into a distant spot on the horizon. He performed this set of movements very smoothly.
Most importantly, Clark didn't ask anything.
This was very abnormal. Batman recalled even the Superman who hadn't established the Justice Lords yet would hover in mid-air, arms folded, staring at him for a while before flying away with a slightly dissatisfied expression as soon as he turned around to return home, only to complain to Wonder Woman after landing.
However, Batman had barely climbed up to the biggest treehouse, intending to look around inside the house, when he saw Clark and Diana return carrying a deer and a wild boar. They hadn't even been gone for a minute.
The two threw their prey at the foot of the huge tree. Batman shouted down at them from above, "Don't leave them there. It could attract predators."
"I can freeze them," Clark said, a cold air coming from his mouth. "Or do you have a way to make smoked meat and cured meat?"
Batman thought for a moment and then asked, "Are there any tree hollows around here?"
"There's one over there." Diana pointed to a slightly thinner tree nearby. "And it's really high up, above our house."
"Put the frozen meat in there, then seal the hole to prevent birds of prey from entering," Batman said as he descended the stairs of the treehouse and examined Clark and Diana's hunting haul.
The deer was small, but the pig was a fully grown wild boar. After circling it, Batman asked, "Can freezing the meat keep it fresh?"
"I can only do basic freezing," Clark said, visibly confounded. "Just like the freezer section of a fridge. If you want that fresh-lock low-temperature freezing, we have to wait for our other teammate to return."
"We'll first process the ingredients for dinner." Diana threw the woven fish basket onto the ground and said, "The two of them should be back soon. Maybe we can think about setting a trap on the tree hollow or something. Bird intestines can be quite useful."
Then she turned to Batman and asked, "Are you going to check out Clark's farmland with him, help me cook, or wander around on your own?"
Batman paused again before saying, "We don't need such a large piece of farmland."
"It has to do with the current situation of our universe. We need to constantly improve our farming techniques. This place is an excellent experimental field. If you don't want to make the effort, come and help me light up a fire." Diana said, while carrying the fish basket towards the flat plot by the side.
Batman, standing between the two, hesitated once more. Seeing both Clark and Diana walking determinedly in different directions without so much as glancing back at him, he finally opted to follow Clark.
Not because he fancied himself a farmer, but rather because compared to Diana, who had lived for so long, it was much easier to strike up a conversation with Clark, who had just left small-town life. He wanted to learn more about the so-called reality and about their universe.
The people and the surroundings here made Batman feel strange, a feeling he couldn't quite pin down. Descriptive words for this feeling were swirling in a hidden corner of his heart, but he found he couldn't put words to his thoughts.
He followed Clark, their steps uneven, towards the plot Clark had marked out earlier. There was no trouble finding it as a large section of trees had been felled by the heat beam, allowing the sunlight to pour in, making the area much brighter than its surroundings.
They walked amongst the towering trees, stepping over multilayered shrubbery. Batman looked at Clark and asked, "Aren't you going to fly?"
Clark shook his head, "If you're always flying, you can't observe carefully what's beneath your feet: whether the leaves have decomposed, if the soil is still moist. If you don't know these things, you can't create a home."
Batman seemed struck by this. He slowed down and asked Clark, "Why do you think this way?"
"Because I am the child of a farmer." Clark smiled at Batman, "Just before coming here, I was still plowing fields with a tractor."
"You..."
Batman was at a loss for words, having managed to say only one word. He had wanted to comment on this, but when he thought about it, he found he had nothing much to say because he seldom heard Superman discussing his family.
Of course, he knew Superman's parents' names and that they had quite a large farm, but Batman had never heard Clark mention anything about farming. Had Clark actually done farming before, or had he not?
"Haven't you graduated from university yet?" Batman asked.
"No, I have graduated from Metropolitan University. I was also a reporter in Metropolis for a while, but recently, I quit." Clark sighed, "There's just too much work to do."
"Did you go back to inherit the farm?"
Clark shook his head, "My father has no intentions of doing that yet. He feels that he can still continue for at least another 10 years. Of course, he himself said 20 years, but I don't think it's feasible. He'll end up sounding like our oldest tractor, creaking and groaning. My mother disagrees with him too."
"I have been helping my good friend lately." Clark looked towards the plot of land that had been cleared by the heat beam, "But I'm not talented like him. I can't do anything great, so that's mainly what I've been doing recently."
"What's that?" Batman asked.
"It's this." Another heat beam shot out from Clark's eyes, bringing down a section of the woods, exposing the roots. Then, another beam shot precisely at the freshly cut area. Soil whirled around and landed, a neat furrow freshly tilled.
Batman still seemed puzzled. He asked, "What is this?"
"I'm farming." Clark looked at Batman, blinking, "To be precise, it's plowing. We don't have enough tractors, most of them were used for harvest. The busiest farming season is always like this."
Only then did Batman realise the crux of the issue. He asked, "Where are you farming?"
"Mexico."
"Why there?"
"Because the people there need to farm." Clark continued walking and Batman could see how expertly he used the heat beam, at least in making straight and neat furrows.
Batman was about to ask why the people there needed to farm, but he choked down the question as he realized how foolish it sounded. There was not a place in the world that didn't need to farm. Human survival depended on carbohydrates, which could only be obtained from the Earth.
"By 'there', do you mean you guys have farmland in Mexico?"
"We have a lot of farmland, but I don't think it can be considered a farm." Clark sighed, "At least, not a farm as most people conceive of. We have land, seeds, and people, but planting is a difficult task."
Batman, as if he have realized something, stared at Clark and asked, "Who's this friend you're talking about?"
"Oliver, Oliver Queen, and also Hal Jordan. Lois recently took a trip there too. She intends to write a feature story but hasn't finished yet."
Batman had a bad feeling about this. He looked at Clark and said, "You guys have a huge plot of farmland in Mexico."
Clark nodded, "And we didn't buy it."
Batman's lips moved slightly.
"We took it.", Clark answered the unspoken question. "We initiated a regional war in the southern part of Jalisco, near Guadalajara. All the land there is now ours."
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