Mother, Be Serious!

At this, Bruce glanced at the materials on the ground.

"For now, I've brought some of the more valuable and scarce metals. Later, I'll supplement the other necessary parts.

Of course, for elements that don't exist on Earth, as long as there's a sample, I can try synthesizing some of them.

But I can't guarantee I'll be able to synthesize all types."

"It's fine, Bruce, you've done more than enough!"

Heisenberg laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

"Never mind that for now, have you two had breakfast?"

"We have, Great-Grandpa, and we even brought some for you!"

Clark replied, reaching under Batman's cape to pull out a breakfast bag.

"It's pretty simple, just a few burgers. Don't mind, Great-Grandpa."

"Haha, you two are so thoughtful! And it's impressive that you, in your tight suits, managed to carry this for me, hiding it under the cape. Why didn't you just carry it in your hands? Hahaha!!!"

The scene had Heisenberg laughing uncontrollably. Who knew Batman's cape could hide food?

His laughter made Bruce grimace silently.

"Regardless, we need to maintain an air of mystery in front of the citizens. It'll earn us more respect and make potential criminals fear us even more!"

As he spoke, Batman strode past Heisenberg, heading toward the robots under construction in the distance.

"While we don't have other troubles, we should get to work quickly and start building the base's framework."

He walked briskly to the robots, glancing at the construction blueprints.

Just a glance was enough for him to nod in satisfaction.

"Did you design this? The style is fantastic, perfectly balancing functionality and defense. I couldn't come up with a better design.

So go ahead and eat, Clark and I will get started!"

Watching Batman dive into the construction work, Superman nodded in admiration.

"Great-Grandpa, he's really serious, isn't he?"

"Yeah, his execution is top-notch!"

Heisenberg sighed, taking the burger and mini beef pizza from Clark's hand and starting to eat.

After finishing breakfast in a few bites, he caught up with Clark and joined Batman in modifying the Kryptonian ship.

Robots aren't all-powerful, especially compared to the three extraordinary beings.

Their involvement significantly sped up the ship's modification process.

And their relationship grew even more familiar through this daily collaboration.

Of course, Clark was always the busiest of the three, leaving the site dozens of times a day—and that was on the low end!

What could he do? He's Superman, and too many people need him to save the day.

…

As the Kryptonian ship's construction was in full swing, Diana woke up at the Milan International Hotel as planned and attended the International Art Expo in full regalia.

After brushing off the mortals vying for her attention, Diana donned her battle armor and flew back to the Amazonian territory.

Paradise Island!

As she passed through the protective spell covering the Amazons, the breathtaking island came into view.

Flying above, she paused, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

It had been over seventy years since she'd been home!

For the long-lived Amazons, this time was incredibly short.

But for a child who had left home for the first time…

Diana suddenly felt a pang of sadness. Why hadn't she come back sooner?

Her mother must have missed her, right?

She definitely had!

…

Moments later, the scouts spotted Diana's figure.

They raised their right hands.

"Intruder alert!!!"

"Light the beacon!!!"

"Inform Her Majesty the Queen, there's an intruder!!!"

Diana, still in the sky, was stunned. Her own people were aiming their bows and arrows at her!!!

Fortunately, she quickly realized her vision was far superior to theirs, so they couldn't yet see her face clearly!

She grimaced, then sped up, rushing toward the watchtower.

Moments later, she landed swiftly among her people.

Before they could react in shock, Diana muttered,

"It's me, Diana. I'm home!"

"Huh…?"

"It's Diana!!!"

"Haha, Diana, she's a newborn and doesn't recognize you!"

"Quick, inform the Queen! The hero who defeated Ares has returned!!!"

"Our Diana is back!!!"

Amidst the cheers and crowds, Diana approached her mother with mixed emotions.

Seeing Diana's pure gaze, unchanged from the past, Hippolyta bit her lip, suppressing her urge to embrace her daughter.

She smiled gracefully and asked softly,

"An Amazon's daughter doesn't return home lightly. Do you feel you've achieved enough glory for the Amazons, or did you encounter trouble on your journey, child?"

"Mother, I haven't achieved anything noteworthy yet, but I had to come home!

You must have felt the omnipresent light last night. An ancient god has awakened from his slumber, and he brought news that Darkseid is returning to Earth!!!"

As Diana finished, Hippolyta's eyebrows furrowed.

She waved her right hand.

"Disperse, let this mother and her returned child have a proper conversation!"

The tribeswomen, growing excited from Diana's words, scattered, leaving Diana to follow her mother back to the temple where she'd grown up.

Inside, only Diana and Hippolyta remained.

Hippolyta took Diana's hand and asked softly,

"Is it Apollo who's returned? Have you seen him? Did you ask where the King of the Gods is?"

"Uh… Mother…"

Diana was taken aback. Couldn't you wait to ask about the man? Darkseid is the real threat here!

But she still replied softly,

"Mother, the returned ancient god isn't Apollo!"

"How could that be? It's the sun, so it must be Apollo. It can't be Hephaestus, can it?"

"Uh, it's Heisenberg!"

At this, Diana held Hippolyta's hand and asked curiously,

"Mother, have you heard of Heisenberg? Why don't I remember reading any stories about him?"

"Because the Amazons have no records of Heisenberg, and I don't know who he is either!"

Hippolyta shook her head thoughtfully.

"Even the weakest gods from places like Amaterasu are recorded here, but I've never heard of a sun god named Heisenberg.

Look at his miracle last night—that's not the power of a weak god like Amaterasu.

But Heisenberg…"

Hippolyta suddenly looked into Diana's starry eyes, her heart trembling.

"Why are you so interested in his identity? You seem to think highly of him?"

"Very highly, Mother!

Unlike Ares, Heisenberg embodies everything I've ever imagined a god to be.

Powerful, approachable, witty, and inclusive.

If Ares were like him, Earth wouldn't have seen so many wars!"

"Haha, you're making me see my younger self. I used to look at Zeus the same way you're looking at Heisenberg.

But Diana, you're an Amazon's daughter. Don't sell yourself short!"

Hippolyta's tone grew serious, her maternal warmth replaced by the authority of the Amazon Queen.

She asked Diana earnestly,

"This Darkseid you mentioned, who is he…?"

"He's the Darkseid you told me about, the one who forced the Twelve Olympians, the Amazons, Atlantis, and King Arthur's humans to unite against him!

You told me this story yourself. How could you forget?"

"Uh…"

Hippolyta paused, then suddenly realized.

"You mean Uxas! His invasion happened 28,000 years ago!"

"Uxas?"

"Yes, when he invaded Earth, his name was Uxas.

But 15,000 years ago, his name changed to Darkseid, meaning he overthrew his father and became the new ruler of Apokolips!

After the ancient war, Zeus has been keeping an eye on Apokolips. He has his sources, and I learned this from him!"

Hippolyta gripped Diana's wrist tightly.

"Does Lord Heisenberg believe Darkseid is returning soon?

Damn it, Zeus was always worried about this before he left!

But until the War of the Gods 3,000 years ago, Darkseid showed no interest in reclaiming the Mother Boxes, so I almost forgot about him!

If he returns now, there's no way Earth can stop him!!!"

Hippolyta's grip on Diana's wrist tightened as she continued,

"Are you sure this information is accurate? Is there a specific timeline for his invasion? We must increase security around the Mother Boxes!

And is Lord Heisenberg Apollo's child? If so, you should keep your distance—he might be your nephew!"

"He's not!!!"

Diana was exasperated. Her mother was giving her a headache.

"Mother, let's focus on Darkseid for now. As for Heisenberg, I'll bring him to Themyscira in a few days!"

"Huh? So soon?"

"Mother, I need to show them the records on Themyscira related to Darkseid.

I trust Heisenberg—Darkseid's return is inevitable. We must seize every chance for victory!"

"Uh, them?"

Hippolyta suddenly noticed the slip in Diana's words and looked at her in confusion.

"You… there's more than one?"

"What are you thinking? We're friends, comrades forming the Justice League.

We'll be on the front lines against Darkseid. War is coming. Can you be serious for once???"

Hearing Diana's frustrated growl, Hippolyta paused, then laughed heartily.

She patted Diana's arm and said boldly,

"Why should I be more serious?

Do you know why I exist, why the Amazons exist? It's to fend off enemies from afar!

We've been preparing for this for tens of thousands of years, waiting for this very moment!

I've seen Darkseid with my own eyes. I know how brutal this New God is, and I'm ready to lead my troops against him at any moment!

The Amazons fear no death, shy away from no sacrifice, and are always prepared!

So, my dear daughter, care to introduce these friends of yours?"