Chapter 79: Rescue Superman

Chapter 79: Rescue Superman

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Superman, log off.

Those were the last words Batman heard before everything went dark. Just like Dean, he completely lost track of Superman's position, and all surveillance on him was cut off. This sudden loss of control made Batman uneasy—if there was one thing he hated, it was not knowing what was happening.

His first instinct was to immediately contact the Justice League, but just as he reached for the communicator, static filled the line. The link between the Watchtower and Earth was completely severed. His jaw tightened. He had just lost contact with the Justice League.

Batman's fingers hovered over the controls of the Batcomputer. Could Dean have done this? The question lingered in his mind. According to his extensive research, Dean did not have the ability to invade the Watchtower's systems. But then Batman thought deeper—no, there was another possibility. His eyes darkened. Dean was still hiding items from other universes.

His grip tightened around the console. He had already studied the Omnitrix. He knew how far beyond human technology it was—a single piece of alien hardware with enough advanced tech to surpass most civilizations. If Dean had more—more artifacts, more technology—if he had another piece of off-world tech at the same level as the Omnitrix, then hacking the Watchtower's systems wasn't just possible, it was likely.

Batman's muscles tensed. He had seen enough. There was no more time to sit and analyze. With a flick of his wrist, he activated the Batwing. His destination—Central City Police Station. Superman's last known location. If Batman wanted answers, he was going to get them himself.

Meanwhile, chaos erupted at the Hall of Justice. The selection of new members had taken an unexpected turn—a "small accident" had escalated into a full-blown crisis. Dr. Will Magnus, the creator of Platinum from the Metal Men, had made a critical decision—he removed her online control system. No more external commands. No more limitations. This meant two things: Platinum was now fully independent, and she no longer followed the Three Laws of Robotics.

Before anyone could react, Platinum's body liquefied. Her metallic arm stretched like liquid mercury, wrapping around Firestorm's throat. Firestorm gasped, struggling against the impossibly strong grip.

A message flashed across the Justice League's monitors.

[I hoped she could operate independently. Please don't destroy her central response device, or I won't be able to repair her.] Dr. Magnus had warned them, but his message went unanswered.

With no response from the League, the new recruits stepped forward. It was supposed to be a test—a way to see how the new members handled real-world crisis situations. But this was no longer just a test. This was a fight.

While Platinum was attacking, Cyborg noticed something else. Sitting in front of the Justice League's main computer, he suddenly saw an anomaly. His eyes widened. The Watchtower's system was compromised. Someone was hacking into their data. And not just any data—they were downloading all Justice League records from the past five years.

His hands flew over the console as he tried to block the data breach. But no matter what countermeasures he deployed, the hacker was one step ahead. His frustration built as he traced the source of the attack.

"Wait… is it coming from inside the Watchtower?" His stomach dropped. "Are we hacking… ourselves?"

Cyborg turned to Flash, who had just appeared behind him in a burst of speed. "Flash, tell everyone to handle Platinum quickly. We've got an even bigger problem." Flash nodded sharply. "Got it." In an instant, he was gone.

Originally, the League had planned to let the new recruits handle Platinum. But now that the situation had escalated, they couldn't afford to wait. Flash reappeared behind Platinum. "Miss Platinum, I'd hate to do this, but I need you to sleep for a bit."

Flash extended his arm, his hand becoming a blur of motion. With surgical precision, he phased through Platinum's metallic skull, reaching directly into her control center. With one final pull, he removed Platinum's central response device. Her metallic body froze, then solidified. Platinum had been reduced to nothing more than a lifeless metal statue.

Firestorm clenched his fists in frustration. "Why did the League step in?! I had already thought of a way to subdue Platinum—damn it!" His irritation was evident. He had wanted to show off his skills, prove himself to the League, but in the end, his reaction had been too slow. The Flash had stolen all the glory in a matter of seconds.

"Because we're in trouble, Firestorm," Cyborg said grimly.

All members of the Justice League—except for Batman and Superman—had gathered in the Hall of Justice, they turned their attention to Cyborg. He stood at the center, his cybernetic systems whirring as he pulled up a recorded transmission.

"The Watchtower's communication system was hacked," Cyborg explained. "I managed to repair the connection quickly, but after restoring it, we received this from Superman."

The massive screen flickered to life, and the audio transmission played.

[Hoo… ho…]

The heavy sound of Superman's breathing filled the hall, the rush of wind in the background indicating that he was flying at an incredible speed—possibly fleeing.

[Batman, Diana, everyone… I don't know if you can receive this message, but listen to me—Dean stole Batman's Tower of Babel plan. It contains contingency plans to take down every member of the League. Don't come after me—get help from someone else!]

The message cut off.

For a moment, silence filled the Hall. The implications of what they had just heard settled over them like a suffocating weight.

Superman—calling for help? The idea was almost inconceivable. The Man of Steel, a hero without equal, admitting that he was in danger?

Cyborg quickly followed up. "This message was sent from the northwest suburbs of Central City five minutes ago. Since then, I've been trying to reconnect with Superman, but he's gone completely dark."

Diana's grip tightened around the hilt of the Vulcan Blade. Her jaw was clenched, her eyes burning with determination. "We must rescue Superman immediately!"

Before she could take a step, Green Lantern Hal Jordan raised a hand, blocking her. "Wait a minute—something doesn't add up," he said, frowning. "Let's take a step back and think about this. First of all—who even is this Dean guy? Second, can Superman really be beaten? I mean, come on. Are we really supposed to believe Batman found a way to neutralize all of us? I don't know about you, but I don't have a weakness, and Diana here? Yeah, I don't think so either."

"I believe what Superman said."

The voice came from Nightwing.

All eyes turned to him.

As one of the heroes who had played a crucial role in the Atlantis War, Nightwing had been invited to observe the recruitment event. He had been among the first to notice Batman and Superman's sudden departure. Something was definitely wrong.

"Batman keeps files on everyone," Nightwing continued. "He studies us. Five years is more than enough time for him to develop countermeasures for every single member of the League. We all know how he operates—he prepares for every possible threat. That's just how he is. Not long ago, Batman and Superman left together. Something must have happened in that time. I suggest we contact Batman first."

Cyborg immediately patched through a call to Batman. The Bat symbol flickered on-screen, and Batman's voice came through, calm yet urgent.

[All League members are to stand down. Find Dean. The more people, the better.]

For the younger heroes present, this was an opportunity. The League was being sidelined, meaning it was their chance to step up.

Hal sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Fine, fine. We'll follow Batman's orders. Still, I kinda wanna know what he's got on me—what's my secret weakness, huh?"

[Beep.]

The communication abruptly ended.

Cyborg glanced up at the others. "He disconnected. And yeah, he did it on purpose."

"I'm telling you, there has to be a misunderstanding!" Flash said firmly. "Dean wouldn't do something like this. Someone must be impersonating him!"

"Facts speak louder than words," Hal countered. "You all heard Superman. He's in danger. We have one target—Central City. We move now."

Cyborg's cybernetic eye glowed red. "I'm opening the Boom Tube now."

The swirling vortex of a Boom Tube materialized in the center of the Hall, casting an eerie glow over the gathered heroes. Excitement buzzed through the crowd—especially among the new recruits. This was their chance to prove themselves.

Firestorm grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Rescue Superman? Cool!"

With that, the heroes charged into the portal, heading straight for Central City, unaware of the real danger that lay ahead.

The heroes who didn't want to join the Justice League, or those who were already part of their own established teams, had their own agendas. Nightwing, for one, saw this as a prime opportunity.

"This is a good chance to make Batman owe me a favor, and Dean… the title of Bright Knight isn't just for show."

Smirking to himself, he pulled out his communicator and dialed Starfire. "Hey, Star, rally the other Titans. Yeah, call Raven too. We've got work to do."

Seeing Nightwing's move, other heroes quickly caught on. Rescuing Superman wasn't just about saving a friend—it was a way to increase the influence of their own hero teams. They followed his example, reaching out to their own allies.

Black Canary contacted Green Arrow.

Zatanna summoned Constantine.

Across the hero community, calls were being made, and reinforcements were assembling.

---

Meanwhile, in the same dimly lit interrogation room, Superman sent the recorded audio of his "distress call" before signaling for Dean to stop using his telekinesis to simulate the sound of rushing wind.

"Are you sure this is really going to draw out the real intruder? I mean, if the person we're looking for really isn't you."

Superman had been watching Dean carefully. Dean hadn't harmed him, nor had he done anything directly hostile. The truth was, defeating Superman without kryptonite was an extremely difficult feat—something only a handful of people in the universe could pull off. Dean obviously wasn't a high-tier magic user either, so spellcasting was out of the question.

All Dean had done was remove every communication device—both voluntary and involuntary—from Superman's body, effectively disappearing him from the Justice League's radar.

Dean leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed. "Superman, that person can't be me. But I also can't reveal where I was before this. It's related to my personal… feelings."

Superman's eyebrow twitched slightly, and then he gave Dean a knowing look.

Dean suddenly felt uncomfortable under that understanding gaze.

Crap. He thinks it's something romantic.

In truth, Dean wasn't ready to expose the existence of the Secret Realm of the Forest—not yet. His plan was to develop it into a sort of "Watchtower" for his Informant Alliance, and revealing it prematurely could jeopardize everything.

But now, Superman had completely misunderstood.

Superman folded his arms. "I get it."

Dean cringed internally. No, you really don't.

Trying to shake off the awkward moment, Dean continued, "And besides, I have no reason to invade the Batcave and steal the Tower of Babel plan. Do you think I need Batman's files to know how to take down the League? I already know your weaknesses, and I've come up with plenty of my own plans to deal with the Justice League."

Superman's eyes narrowed slightly. "That's not exactly reassuring, Dean."

Dean smirked. "For example, I've designed several strategies specifically to neutralize The Flash, and I'm already on Version 3.0. Wanna hear them?"

Superman sighed, shaking his head. "You really have it out for The Flash, don't you?"

Dean grinned. "Come on, Superman, don't act surprised. If you're still willing to work with me on this setup, it means you already believe I'm not the intruder. So, thank you—for everything you've done to help clear my name."

His gratitude was genuine, even though he knew he had deceived Superman.

Dean really hadn't stolen the Tower of Babel plan.

But he did want to open Pandora's Box.

Superman wasn't convinced. "I still don't see how you plan to handle so many heroes coming after you."

Dean's smirk deepened. He slowly raised his wrist, revealing the Omnitrix, fully restored and gleaming under the dim interrogation room lights.

"It gets boring challenging the Justice League all the time," Dean said, a dangerous excitement flickering in his eyes.

"This time… I want to challenge every hero except the Justice League."

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