Chapter 249: Cut Off Again? (Third Update)

Victor Stone was once an outstanding American football star athlete. After being severely injured in an accident caused by an explosion from an Apokoliptian Mother Box, he was on the verge of death. However, at the moment of the explosion, he fused with the molecules of the Mother Box. To save his life, his father, Silas Stone, took him to the U.S. government's [Red Room Laboratory], which collects various alien technologies, for emergency treatment. During the process, due to the influence of the Mother Box molecules, Victor absorbed all the advanced technology in the Red Room and eventually became a cyborg, half-human, half-machine.

Most of Cyborg's body had been replaced by mechanical parts, granting him superhuman strength, endurance, and stamina.

Cyborg's brain had been transformed into a quantum computer, constantly synced with the internet 24 hours a day. However, this also meant he had to endure the pressure of information overload constantly.

That's why when Batman sought out Cyborg, he was immediately counter-surveilled by him.

Normally, finding a ‘helper’ would be a good thing, but when Batman arrived, what he saw was only the upper half of Cyborg’s body.

"Hey! Buddy, are you still alive?"

"Alive? You could say that," Cyborg replied. His arms and everything below his waist had already exploded into scattered metal parts, yet miraculously, half of his human brain, heart, lungs, and corresponding blood vessels were still intact.

"Who did this?"

"A 12-foot-tall alien humanoid monster who called himself Steppenwolf. He took the Mother Box from me."

Batman looked around, and when he saw a Parademon's corpse, his heart skipped a beat. This creature was identical to the one in his ominous nightmare.

It was because of that dream that he began looking for people like Aquaman, Flash, and Cyborg.

Bruce Wayne narrowed his eyes. "Relax, Cyborg. I will save you."

"I trust you, Batman!"

Batman’s reputation was too good to be doubted. If it were anyone else, the sensitive and suspicious Victor would never have trusted them so easily.

While gathering Cyborg's broken limbs to repair him, Batman asked about the Mother Box.

As its former host, Cyborg knew a lot of insider information.

When Batman heard that the secret of the Mother Box involved both Atlantis and the Amazons, his facial muscles twitched slightly.

"What’s wrong?" Cyborg asked.

"I'm not sure if I can reach Atlantis in time, but I know the Amazons will be fine."

Why? Because his rebellious son had mentioned before leaving that he was going to Themyscira, the Amazonian paradise island.

Bruce didn't like Atreus, but he never doubted his son’s fighting ability.

Batman exhaled deeply. "I’ll try to repair you first, then find more help. After that, we’ll see if we can contact Kratos."

Hearing the name Kratos, Cyborg felt an inexplicable sense of reassurance.

It was simple—Kratos’ reputation was even greater than Batman’s. In times of crisis like this, a good reputation is priceless.

So, while Alfred helped repair Cyborg, Bruce sought out Barry Allen, the Flash. Compared to his overly intelligent son, Barry was a typical youngster—righteous but rash, easily excitable, and easily fooled.

When Bruce found the Flash and convinced him to join, a classic moment occurred.

Sitting in Batman’s luxury car, Barry asked bluntly, "So, Mr. Wayne, what’s your superpower?"

"Money."

The delivery was perfect, worthy of a full score.

The problem was, this time, there was a time-traveling disruptor.

"Wait a second, Mr. Wayne, no offense, but isn’t your family fortune controlled by your son, Atreus Wayne?" Flash was that kind of straightforward guy.

Sometimes, honesty really hurts.

The most genuine damage is the kind that bypasses the surface and cuts straight to the heart.

At that moment, Bruce Wayne was furious. He could’ve torn Barry’s mouth off.

His hands trembled.

No, what he really wanted to do was take out Atreus.

He regretted not... making sure his rebellious son had never been born.

Struggling to contain his rage, Bruce put on the air of a family patriarch, combined with his Batman aura. "Ever heard of family trusts for legal tax avoidance?"

Young Barry had no clue about such professional terms. He’d only heard the word in passing and didn’t understand it at all. "I don’t know much about taxes."

"Good. If you did, you'd be a licensed attorney."

Tax law in the U.S. sustains countless lawyers—it’s their version of the "million salt workers" phenomenon, where complex systems exist to support special interest groups.

Bruce skillfully diverted the topic, making Barry believe that Bruce Wayne was still the one with the financial power.

Yet, deep down, Bruce was more annoyed with his rebellious son.

Annoyed or not, contact was still necessary.

Finally, Alfred called, saying he had reached "Young Master Wayne." Bruce had just barely pieced together an exoskeleton system, temporarily restoring some of Cyborg’s mobility. Then, along with Cyborg and Flash, he headed to his son’s private island villa.

"Wow!" Sitting in the helicopter, Barry whistled as he looked at the white landing pad on the distant island, lined with two rows of beautiful women. But as they got closer, Barry noticed the women all wore strange armor. "Is this a cosplay?"

Cyborg remained silent for a moment, his red mechanical eye detecting something unusual. "Their armor has a high-energy reaction."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that each set of armor might offer protection equivalent to tank armor."

"Wow!" Barry exclaimed again.

As they got off the helicopter, Bruce was surprised to be greeted only by Black Canary, which annoyed him. "Where’s Atreus?"

"The young master went to greet King Arthur Curry of Atlantis."

"Wait. Who!?" Bruce had a bad feeling that his rebellious son had beaten him to the punch again.

In truth, Atreus hadn’t done it intentionally.

Half an hour earlier, Arthur, along with Queen Mera and his mentor and chief advisor, Vulko, had arrived on an Atlantean manta-ray-shaped ship, intending to find Batman in Gotham.

But just as they neared the shore, the three of them simultaneously felt something.

"Wait! Did you sense that?" Arthur tilted his head.

"Yes, it’s unmistakable," Vulko said with certainty. "It’s the power of the great sea god, Poseidon!"

Mera frowned. "That’s impossible! We haven’t sensed Poseidon’s power in thousands of years—not since you received the Trident."

"We have to go up and check it out."

They surfaced and saw, on the beach, a classic Greek chariot racing by, pulled by three horses that radiated the same energy as Arthur’s trident.

—

PS: This counts for yesterday. I'll make up for today’s updates later.

(End of Chapter)