*Chapter Title at the End*

The final agreed-upon plan was for the two aerial combatants, Bruce and Thea, to cripple the giant zombie's legs, then let Mr. Freeze step in with a full blast.

"So, uh, what if we don't pull this off? Got a backup plan?" Thea asked, still uneasy about the strategy. The more detailed a plan, the lower its success rate. One slip-up could unravel everything. Plenty of villains had cooked up grand schemes only to see them crumble with ease.

Bruce paused. "I've called for reinforcements. Don't worry."

Oh? You, with all your pride, actually called for backup? Well, she'd tentatively believe him.

Seeing her stay quiet, Bruce mentally reviewed the plan one last time, found no glaring flaws, and issued his orders with calm authority.

"Selina, get Freeze over here fast."

"Thea, hold it off for a few more minutes."

"I'll scout for the right terrain." As he spoke, he checked the Batwing's database, only to find his password locked him out of his own satellite.

"Oh— I've got it for you. There's a natural cliff northwest of your position. Lure it down there, blow it up, and it should trap him for a while," came Felicity Smoak's voice, chipper as ever. She'd blatantly hacked his satellite, but Bruce pretended not to notice.

Thea resisted the urge to facepalm. Isn't hacking someone's satellite right in front of them (metaphorically speaking) a bit much? She didn't know Felicity had kicked Bruce's access without even checking the owner's name; otherwise, the awkwardness would've doubled.

Bruce had no real gripe with the energetic hacker. However, maintaining his usual thoroughness, he reminded Thea not to let Grundy slip away while he flew off to inspect the site.

Arriving at the location, he found the terrain decent enough. The cliff stood over ten meters high, with a thin connection point his cannons could easily break. The plan was simple: lure Grundy to the base of the cliff, then trigger an avalanche of rock to bury and trap him.

He circled the Batwing around the area once, confirming no signs of other life nearby. "Bruce, we've hit a snag… Catwoman's voice crackled through, tinged with frustration and a hint of self-reproach.

Bruce listened silently, then called Thea. "Head my way. I'll pick up Selina."

He sent Thea the coordinates and sped back toward Gotham.

When he saw Mr. Freeze, Batman almost didn't recognize him. Disheveled appearance aside, his face bore the distinct marks of having been slapped repeatedly, starkly visible against his pale skin.

The group was huddled in a cold storage room. Only Catwoman, wearing a heavy coat, held a dagger to Freeze's throat. The others were shivering violently. Mr. Freeze couldn't survive outside a low-temperature environment, and removing his helmet meant certain death for him. Catwoman, however, didn't dare let him wear the helmet, leaving them at an impasse.

To Bruce, this was child's play. He pulled an unknown gadget from his utility belt and forced it into Freeze's mouth. "Plastic explosive. Put on your helmet and come with me."

He handed Catwoman a remote. "Keep an eye on him."

Mr. Freeze touched his neck nervously, unwilling to gamble his life on whether the bomb was real or fake. Reluctantly, he donned his helmet, picked up his sci-fi-looking freeze gun, and boarded the Batwing.

Catwoman climbed aboard too, but Barbara and Robin found no room left. Bruce didn't want his protégé facing such a brute anyway. With Felicity monitoring via satellite, he told them to watch the live feed.

They quickly flew back to the planned ambush site. Thea was still en route; Grundy's speed was a weakness, and dodging the cars and trees he hurled slowed her down. She couldn't go full throttle, just drifting along.

Bruce landed the Batwing. Using his grappling hook, he reached the side of the cliff and rigged it with explosives. He tossed another remote to Catwoman, exchanged a glance, left her and Freeze there, and flew off to backup Thea.

Mr. Freeze stared at the two nearly identical remotes in Catwoman's hands, his eyelid twitching uncontrollably. Please, lady, don't mix those up later! Please don't get them wrong!

Meanwhile, Thea kept kiting Grundy, firing arrows intermittently. The A.R.G.U.S. helicopters had already returned to base due to low fuel. Seeing Bruce arrive, she didn't say much, readily handing over the 'leash.'

Pretending she wasn't tired was impossible. Maintaining intense focus from the city center to the south, then circling most of Gotham's perimeter, had worn her down. The fight started at night; now it was dawn. Besides the expenditure of arrows, her stamina was waning. This was even with her awakened bloodline, which allowed her 'day' aspect tattoo to absorb some sunlight for stamina recovery. Otherwise, she would have collapsed long ago.

Flying rapidly, they reached the ambush site. It was Thea's first close look at Mr. Freeze. The glances they exchanged were anything but friendly. Last time, her previous 'shoot the tank' stunt hadn't hurt him, but it trashed his gear. Now he wore outdated backups.

His unique physiology made him immune to frostbite, but he wasn't immune to the effect of being frozen solid. Ordinary people could be thawed with heat, but he couldn't tolerate normal temperatures. His only option was natural thawing in a cold storage unit. And what kind of environment is that? The thawing process was torturously slow. Only his altered physique allowed him to survive; it took him ten agonizing days to break free from the ice, leaving him utterly emaciated and nearly starved.

Thea was unaware of his ordeal. She was merely curious about his armor and freeze gun, mentally noting she absolutely had to study his gear once he was locked up.

Boom! A distant sonic blast snapped the trio out of their silence.

"Is that a bird?" Catwoman asked, her feline instincts piqued.

"It's a plane," Freeze scoffed, unimpressed by her ignorance.

"It's Superman!" Felicity shrieked over the comms, fangirling so loud it buzzed their ears. She'd spotted him first via Wayne's satellite.

Thea's forehead creased. Enough, already! Is this much exaggeration necessary? The figure wore a blue suit, a large 'S' shield on his chest, and a very obvious bright red cape. Did they really need to guess? It was clearly Superman!

His chiseled face radiated positivity, like walking sunshine. He hovered far above, not descending to chat.

"Got some personality, huh," Thea thought, feeling significantly more relieved now. With this major powerhouse present, wasn't dealing with the minor zombie practically guaranteed?

Hmm? Her sharp senses detected an intense feeling of being watched. Thea reflexively looked up. The 'sunshine' guy was staring intently at her, his eyes practically glowing. Seriously?! I just acknowledged your presence, and now you're peeping?!

What was he looking at with his X-ray vision? Did this guy have some weird fetish? Thea instinctively crossed her arms over her chest.

 Her mind raced, and she quickly understood. He wasn't just randomly using his powers to look at girls; he must have sensed something unusual about her and took a peek.

Chapter Title: It's Superman