"Rely on Superman in good times, Batman in adversity, and Flash in desperation"—is that just a joke?
It's a bit of a shame, though. Flash has all these cheat-like powers, but he just can't use them properly.
He's just a comic relief mascot in the Justice League. He can even trip over himself during battles.
He even accidentally knocked over Aquaman while fighting Superman, driving Aquaman crazy with frustration.
With his speed, no enemy could react. A quick backhand could rip out Steppenwolf's heart!
Just like how he dealt with General Zod's Kryptonian warriors after rebooting the universe.
Clark: "..."
Even with his mild-mannered and non-competitive nature, Clark felt a surge of indignation at that moment.
*What do you mean, "rely on Superman in good times"?*
*That's just looking down on me, Clark!*
*After all the insane physical prowess and cheat-like skills I possess, I'm only good for solving "good times" problems?*
It made sense to rely on Flash in dire situations.
After all, Flash possessed the ridiculously powerful Speed Force, allowing him to traverse time and restart the universe.
If things truly went south, Flash would be the one to call.
But to rely on Batman in adversity?
Though Clark didn't understand how Zhou Cheng, the diary's owner, categorized situations as favorable, adverse, or dire, the difficulty of adverse situations was clearly higher than that of favorable ones.
Did this mean that, in the end, Clark himself was actually less effective than Batman?
That in critical moments, Batman would be the one to count on over Clark?
Clark didn't look down on Batman, but Zhou Cheng, the diary's owner, clearly held Batman in high regard!
After a brief mental grumble, Clark refocused on the diary.
Instantly, he felt a profound sense of speechlessness.
Tripping over his own feet?
Accidentally knocking over Aquaman during a fight?
Well, this ability was certainly being used very crudely and clumsily.
However, considering Flash's lightning-fast speed, Clark could understand why such situations might arise.
In fact, he had experienced similar scenarios himself when he first awakened his powers.
It was simply a matter of speed—his body couldn't keep up with the Flash's velocity.
But Clark had only just begun to awaken his super-speed when he encountered this problem. After a few attempts, he quickly adapted and never made the mistake again.
Yet what about the Flash?
Even after joining the Justice League, he still struggled with this. It seemed his adaptation period was taking a bit longer.
As for the "backhand stab" and other techniques mentioned in the Diary, those were easy enough to understand.
Couldn't the Flash phase through walls?
Clearly, the Diary's description of "phasing through walls" was a general concept. The Flash could phase through not just walls, but all kinds of obstacles.
Including human bodies.
In other words, the Flash could directly plunge his hand into a person's body and rip out their heart!
Of course, it was brutal, disgusting, and utterly inhumane. But theoretically, it was indeed a devastating killing move.
The Flash had even used this technique against Kryptonians and General Zod.
And regarding the universe the Flash had rebooted, the Diary had previously mentioned that Supergirl Kara and Batman had both met gruesome deaths.
It was a cruel twist of fate.
The diary didn't explain what the Flash did when he saved his mother, or why it erased Clark from existence. Nor why it caused Supergirl Kara, who should have appeared much later, to arrive early.
Otherwise, as had happened recently, Clark could have fought General Zod himself. There would have been no need for Kara, Batman, and the others to suffer such tragic deaths.
Most importantly, the diary offered no information on whether General Zod was ultimately stopped in this rebooted universe.
If, despite the heavy sacrifices, Zod had been successfully thwarted, then Kara, Batman, and the others would at least have died for a noble cause.
But if Zod had still succeeded in transforming Earth into a second Krypton using the Genesis Engine, that would have been a true catastrophe.
So Clark began to ponder seriously.
If, one day, the Flash decided to travel back in time to save his mother, what should he do?
On one hand, Clark had no reason to stop the Flash from saving his mother.
At the same time, Clark didn't want the Flash to leave the universe in such a mess.
This was a true trolley problem.
Clark found himself torn between two impossible choices, unable to arrive at a clear answer anytime soon.
*I wonder if the Diary might offer some insight?* he thought.
With this in mind, Clark turned his attention back to the Diary.
But to his disappointment, just like last time, the Diary abruptly stopped updating without any warning, leaving no further entries.
After waiting in vain for a while, Clark had an idea and closed the Diary.
"Mom, I'm going out."
After quickly reviewing the latest revelations from the Diary, Clark couldn't sit still.
He said goodbye to Martha and hurried away from Kent Farm.
Using his fastest speed, he traveled to the Arctic, to his "movie version of the Fortress of Solitude"—his Scout Ship.
"Zod's problem has been resolved. Do you have any other concerns this time?"
Jor-El's figure suddenly materialized before Clark, asking directly.
He naturally understood that Clark wouldn't have come here unless something urgent was at hand. After all, he was merely a super-intelligent program, not Clark's true father. Clark would never seek him out to rekindle some father-son sentiment, and Jor-El's program was acutely aware of its own limitations. No matter how much he resembled Jor-El, he remained nothing more than Clark's servant, and nothing more.
"I do have some issues that you might be able to help me understand," Clark admitted without pretense.
"Very well, I'm listening," Jor-El replied, spreading his hands in a gesture of attentiveness.
"Have you heard of Kryptonite?" Clark asked, leading with the question. As the sole weakness of all Kryptonians, he naturally remained deeply concerned about it.
Clark had initially hoped to get some answers from Jor-El, after all, he was a supercomputer. But to his disappointment, Jor-El replied, "This is a fabricated word, isn't it? It doesn't exist in any Earth language."
"So you don't know either?" Clark asked.
"It's a special stone that can nullify all the powers of a Kryptonian," Jor-El explained.
Clark then described it in detail.
Unfortunately, Jor-El had never heard of it.
"I don't know where you heard this word, but to my knowledge, no such stone has ever existed on Krypton."
"I've just searched the Earth's networks as well, and found nothing."
"So I'm sorry, but I can't give you any answers," Jor-El said.
Clark didn't press the matter further. It seemed this thing would only appear in the future, and he wouldn't get any answers now.
Clark temporarily abandoned his inquiry about Kryptonite and turned to Jor-El with more pressing questions instead.
What questions?
Naturally, they concerned Darkseid and Steppenwolf.
As Clark began his questions, Jor-El's expression instantly turned grave, revealing the true weight of Darkseid's presence.
"Darkseid? He is a terrifying figure. Where did you hear that name?" Jor-El asked, his tone serious.
Before Clark could answer, Jor-El realized the answer himself.
"It must have been revealed by that 'magical artifact' you obtained two years ago—the one that can reveal future information, right?"
Only that explanation made sense.
Clark's only source of galactic information was Jor-El himself, yet Jor-El had never shared anything about Darkseid.
Apart from that "magical artifact," there was no other possibility.
"Who exactly is Darkseid?"
Clark nodded, confirming Jor-El's suspicion, then asked with a serious expression.
If even someone as formidable as Jor-El used the word "terrible," it was easy to imagine Darkseid's true power.
"Darkseid hails from Apokolips, where he reigns as its ruler. He is the most terrifying dark lord in the entire universe."
"For centuries, he has conquered worlds across the cosmos, leaving behind only death and despair. Countless planets have been destroyed or enslaved under his dominion."
"He is the embodiment of death, the harbinger of darkness. Apokolips once waged war against our own Krypton, and he was our greatest enemy, without equal."
"Even we Kryptonians held them in extreme caution."
Under Clark's watchful gaze, Jor-El began to recount the history of Darkseid.
Even this brief introduction made Clark's expression turn grave.
The grandeur and power Jor-El described matched perfectly with the accounts in the Diary.
"Wherever Darkseid sets foot, he reduces planets to scorched earth, enslaving their populations to become his slaves and war puppets."
"Now that Krypton is destroyed, I can't imagine any civilization in the universe capable of resisting them."
"Clark, could that Darkseid invade Earth in the future?"
"If that's the case, while it's disheartening, I see no hope of Earth being able to anticipate and counter him."
As Jor-El spoke, his expression grew as solemn as Clark's.
"Earth is not as simple as it appears."
"I haven't given up hope," Clark replied.
Though Earth's civilization was undeniably far weaker than Krypton's, and its people were individually as fragile as dust compared to Kryptonians, Earth was a planet brimming with miracles.
For one thing, had any Kryptonian ever wielded the primordial cosmic power?
Could any Kryptonian reverse the flow of time?
When Clark specifically asked Jor-El about the Four Primordial Cosmic Powers, even the super-scientist had never heard of them.
Let alone any other Kryptonian.
Next, Clark inquired about Steppenwolf, receiving a corresponding answer from Jor-El.
"Steppenwolf is a member of Darkseid's 'Dark Elite,' one of the most powerful warriors in the entire universe."
"Who knows how many planets he's helped Darkseid conquer, or how many worlds he's haunted as a nightmare."
"But as far as I know, he's already betrayed Darkseid."
Jor-El provided the corresponding answer.
*Betrayed Darkseid?*
Clark immediately made a judgment. It seemed Jor-El's information was outdated, or perhaps the Steppenwolf who betrayed Darkseid would undergo significant changes in the future.
After all, the Diary had spoiled it: Steppenwolf would open a portal on Earth, attempting to summon Darkseid's army!
"Can you be more detailed? I want to know everything about him."
"Everything!"
After collecting his thoughts, Clark made this demand of Jor-El.
Without hesitation, Jor-El shared every piece of information he had about Darkseid and Steppenwolf with Clark.
By the time father and son finished, nearly an hour had passed.
Clark had certainly gained a great deal from this experience.
At the very least, he now had a detailed understanding of Darkseid's and Steppenwolf's strength, as well as some of Apokolips's power.
He now had a clear grasp of the "Dark Forces" that had been lurking in the cosmos, coveting Earth.
But this very clarity weighed heavily on his heart.
Darkseid was simply too powerful.
The forces of Apokolips were overwhelming!
Earth's defenses would be laughably inadequate against such a threat, like clay chickens and dogs before a real storm—utterly vulnerable.
So, how could Earth possibly counter the imminent threat of Darkseid?
Should he follow the Diary's suggestion and form a Justice League?
Clark fell into deep contemplation.
"I hope Tony and the others can give me some answers."
Undoubtedly, such a monumental challenge was far beyond what Clark could resolve in a moment.
Yet after a brief pause, he made a decision.
Unfortunately, though his heart burned with urgency, the Diary's word count for the day had already been exhausted.
He would have to wait until a new day to refresh his daily quota.
Clark had no choice but to wait patiently.
-----------------------
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