American comics: Today’s big news Chapter 041

Character name suggestions: Harley Quinn, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Conners, Superman, Clark, Zod, Lois, Martha, Joker, Riddler, Scarecrow, Penguin, Killer Croc, Bane, The Batman Who Laughs

Harley Quinn had Catwoman, Selina, on her left, and Poison Ivy, Ivy, on her right.

Lying on the bed, the three women weren’t wearing much. Poison Ivy’s black trench coat had even been tossed into the living room.

Thus, with the exception of the black trench coat, her fiery figure, covered only by plants and leaves, was completely exposed.

Harley Quinn, a woman who had experienced numerous “battles” on this bed, also took off her outer vest and then her sports bra, freeing herself from restraint.

Catwoman, Selina, glanced at them and then hesitantly removed her own tight-fitting suit.

Harley Quinn and Selina exchanged glances, their eyes simultaneously dropping downwards. After a silent comparison, they both turned their gaze towards Poison Ivy.

They didn’t speak, but their eyes all conveyed the same question: We’re both large cups, why are you an extra-large?

…

Conners drove to Gotham’s tallest building, Wayne Tower. After parking his car on the side of the road, he took the elevator straight to the top floor.

—The top five floors required authorization to reach by elevator, but for Conners, who possessed master lock-picking abilities, breaking such “locks” was effortless.

The top floor was three or four hundred meters above the ground, and the wind here was quite strong. However, thanks to his peak human physical condition, Conners’ footsteps remained steady.

He didn’t plan to rely solely on persuasion to convince Batman to cooperate with him in entering Arkham Asylum—mainly because he had no confidence in convincing him at all.

He had another purpose for coming to the roof of Wayne Tower.

Amidst the wind, Conners cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted:

“Superman—”

A few minutes passed, and seeing no sign of the red-caped figure, Conners changed his approach:

“Martha—”

Today, there was no rain in Gotham. Layers of dark clouds enveloped the massive moon in the sky.

Less than half a minute after Conners’ second call, the clouds dispersed, and moonlight spilled onto the red and blue figure flying in the sky, making him appear divine.

This world’s Superman had a very rugged appearance, with muscles bulging under his suit. His red cape flapped loudly in the high-altitude winds.

Floating in the air, Superman had the massive, bright moon behind him. His face, turned towards Conners, was expressionless in the dim light.

Even though he had seen this human god’s image in countless movies and TV shows, Conners couldn’t help but exclaim:

“He’s handsome…”

After floating in the air and observing Conners for a few seconds, Superman landed beside Conners with a dull thud, accompanied by a gust of wind:

“Who are you? What do you want?”

“You’re a bit slow, did you go to your old farm first to make sure your mom was safe before coming?” Conners said. “I mean no harm, I just want to ask for a favor.”

Superman, Clark, didn’t speak.

“This suit of yours… you got it from the Kryptonian scout ship, right?” Conners decided to confirm his hypothesis first.

“You know about Krypton?” Clark seemed to be getting emotional, taking two steps closer to Conners. “What else do you know?”

“You answer first, is it or isn’t it?”

“It is.”

“When you activated that scout ship, it sent a signal into the universe. Perhaps it won’t be long before your compatriots come looking for you, and you’ll have a big battle with them.”

Conners’ words made Superman, Clark’s, eyebrows furrow tighter and tighter. He truly couldn’t understand why this person, who was human through and through, knew so much about Krypton.

However, the longing for his compatriots made Superman, Clark, unable to resist asking:

“Why? Are they coming for me? If they’re my compatriots, why would we fight?”

“The leader is named Zod, General Zod. You should be able to gain knowledge about his actions from that scout ship.” Conners didn’t intend to ramble on. He only needed to provide the crucial information.

“I called you here for two reasons: first, to remind you to protect Lois and your mom beforehand, and second, to ask for your help.”

Looking at Superman’s face, which was almost identical to that in the Man of Steel movie, Conners first offered Clark a benefit before stating his request.

Seeing Superman lost in thought, Conners didn’t disturb him, giving him ample time to digest the information.

He was clearly human, yet he knew information about Krypton, and even knew about General Zod, whom his biological father had mentioned… Superman, Clark, quickly thought it over in his mind, then quietly clenched his fists and asked:

“Are you investigating me?”

Otherwise, there was no way to explain why Conners knew so much.

“Aside from your mom’s name, which of these could be known through investigation? Just assume I can occasionally predict the future, and this time I happened to predict something about you.”

Clark quietly unclenched his fists again. Conners’ warning, though he didn’t know if it was true, seemed to have no ill intent. He asked:

“What kind of help do you need?”

Conners cleared his throat. The plan had gone very smoothly so far:

“Use your super-vision to help me find a guy in this city with green hair, pale skin, and a split mouth.”

“A person wearing clothes with question marks and holding a question mark-shaped cane.”

“A person whose head is covered in burlap, whose body is covered in jars and tubes, and who has long, thin limbs.”

“A person who is roughly waist-high to you, short, stout, and has a hooked nose.”

“A person with abnormally developed muscles, tubes inserted into their body, and a mask on their face.”

“A person who looks like a crocodile, but whose head isn’t as long as a crocodile’s… Uh, Killer Croc.”

Because Conners had first spoken about Krypton, Kryptonian compatriots, and reminded him to protect his mom, Superman, Clark, instinctively felt a fondness for the person in front of him.

It’s just… why was the favor he needed so strange?

Clark wasn’t surprised that Conners knew he possessed super-vision. Compared to the distant Krypton, this was nothing:

“You’re using me as a missing person’s ad.”

“When Zod arrives, they’ll also issue a global missing person’s ad to find you, so be prepared.” Conners didn’t feel much pressure facing Clark.

—That pressure was for ordinary citizens and villains.

Clark learned another piece of information about his Kryptonian compatriots from Conners and wasted no more words, rising into the air.

The bright moon hung high. Superman hovered high in the sky, his super-vision and super-mind quickly filtering every location in Gotham. Soon, he landed beside Conners again.

This time, it wasn’t a show of force with a “thud,” but a light, gentle descent:

“Found them. Just tell me, can you remember them?”

“…You seem to be treating me like an idiot.” Conners said helplessly.

Memorizing the locations Clark mentioned, Conners began to dismiss him:

“Go back. I can handle the rest myself.”

“These seem to be… uh, villains? Don’t you need my help?” Clark wanted to help Conners more and also ask for more information about Krypton.

“No, that’s not necessary. Thanks for your trouble.” Conners casually refused Superman’s help.

Clark: “…”

Since he put on this suit, Conners was the first and only person who, after receiving his help, would say “thanks for your trouble.”

“You know I’m an alien, not your kind. Why aren’t you afraid?” Clark still remembered his father’s teachings, which were to hide his identity; humans would fear the unknown.

“Because you’re a hero,” Conners replied.

…

Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night. Superman definitely couldn’t sleep, but Scarecrow was sleeping soundly…

Conners held his phone, snapping a flurry of photos of the sleeping Scarecrow and his surroundings.

Joker, Riddler, and Scarecrow were indeed preparing to cause trouble; this could be seen from the equipment and blueprints around them.

Penguin was already dead; Superman, Clark, had just told him that.

Killer Croc was in the sewers, and Conners wasn’t willing to go into that stinky place.

Bane seemed to be a night owl, not sleeping, and that guy had previously used Joker’s plan against him. Conners didn’t plan to deal with him, only noting his residence in his mind.

After everything was done, Conners was quite satisfied with tonight’s gains.

He had established initial contact with Superman. According to the plot’s development, the subsequent Superman vs. Zod battle was inevitable.

The three Gotham Phantom Sisters had reunited. Since he had orchestrated it himself, the amount of “melon” recorded in the system was not small.

The “Batman Who Laughs” event would soon be completed, and the system was about to upgrade.

Everything was going smoothly, so smoothly that Conners lost himself in it. He drove back to his nineteenth-floor apartment, opened his bedroom door, and collapsed onto the large bed.

Three soft, clear, and gentle gasps sounded in succession.

Oh no, wrong bed… Conners secretly cursed.