The assassin, dressed like a ninja and bathed in the darkness of the night, used his katana to deflect the incoming grappling gun.
Bang!
The moment the grappling gun was deflected, Batman's ghostly figure quickly rushed forward, punching the opponent in the face and sending him to the ground.
After taking down the sneaking samurai with a single blow, several samurai wielding long katanas emerged from the corners, surrounding him.
"Hmm… it looks like a premeditated ambush. Is it an old friend?"
Batman's hoarse voice came from beneath his mask.
The well-trained ninjas surrounding him seemed to have no intention of talking.
Amidst a flash of cold, gleaming steel, afterimages accompanied the whistling wind.
Stomping his feet, Batman lunged forward, pulled the trigger of his grappling gun, and flew forward.
After evading the ninjas' encirclement, he landed, then rolled sideways, fired his grappling gun again, hooking onto a metal frame above the alley, pulling himself off the ground.
After creating distance from the ninja samurai, he crouched on the metal frame, revealing the Batarang in his hand and throwing it at the closest enemy.
Whoosh!
The Batarang, slightly square in shape, with sharp edges, gleamed coldly and instantly struck the opponent's chest.
The two ninjas at the front were struck by the Batarang and fell to the ground, while the remaining ones immediately scattered, swinging their katanas to deflect the Batarangs.
After severely injuring the enemies with his Batarangs, Batman unfurled his cape and glided from the metal frame into the crowd, using the cape's gliding function.
His iron fist instantly struck a ninja samurai in the chest, knocking him to the ground.
Clang!
A dull metallic clanging sound rang out as Batman turned and used his arm gauntlet to block a samurai's downward slash.
After rolling to the ground, he dodged another katana attack.
Quickly rising, his right fist became a lightning bolt carrying immense power, instantly striking a samurai who couldn't react, completely taking him down.
Even when facing numerous well-trained and powerful samurai ninjas, Batman was still able to cope and retaliate.
But two fists are no match for four hands, and soon Batman was kicked in the back, losing his balance and stumbling forward.
The ninja, seizing the opportunity, immediately swung his katana towards Batman's chest.
Batman raised his arm, blocking his chest with his gauntlet, attempting to parry the attack.
But just as he prepared to defend, a figure rushed towards the samurai.
Like a meteor, it instantly slammed into the samurai crowd, scattering them.
The figure, bathed entirely in a black robe, let out an angry roar, leaped into the air, and raised a fist to strike the samurai.
Boom!
The air exploded with a deafening sound, and the samurai at the forefront were instantly sent flying.
Their bodies crashed heavily against the wall, causing the alley ground to tremble slightly.
With his mouth slightly agape, Batman slowly lowered his hands from his chest, staring unblinkingly at Wonder Woman, who was displaying incredible power.
"It's me. It seems I'm not too late, otherwise you would have been in quite a bit of trouble."
Wonder Woman shook her cloak.
"Then I ought to express my gratitude to you."
Batman said, looking at the injured samurai, "Although I don't want this city to be tainted by strange forces."
He squatted down to examine the injured samurai and found that they had all died.
Frowning, he removed the mask of a dead samurai, pried open his mouth, observed for a moment, and a solemn expression appeared on his face.
"These are from the League of Assassins, right?"
"Yes, Shadow Clan from the League of Assassins. They can be considered the loyalists of the League of Assassins."
Batman shook his head. "They've all committed suicide."
"It seems these secretive fellows are gradually showing their faces. They might be planning something big," Wonder Woman said.
"Yes, to be able to set an ambush and lure me here means they understand me well enough."
Batman stood up, saying with a serious expression, "And they are secretly plotting actions that I haven't detected yet."
"Perhaps."
Wonder Woman nodded, surveying the surroundings, and asked Batman, "This place must have special significance to you, right?"
She recognized it; this was the alley where Batman's parents met their demise.
Batman didn't answer, glancing at the damp ground.
On the dark, sticky ground, there was a faint white outline of a human body.
Turning away, he cast these reality-blurring illusions from his mind, Batman walked forward, leaving the alley.
Wonder Woman glanced at the samurai lying on the ground in the alley, then followed Batman's footsteps.
The snow on Christmas Eve was getting heavier, dense snowflakes falling, blanketing Gotham City, which was bathed in black, with a different color.
"Are you working overtime on Christmas too?"
As they walked, Wonder Woman asked Batman.
"I'm not working," Batman replied in his hoarse voice.
"Oh, really?"
Wonder Woman nodded. "But I heard people say you're a vigilante, so that should count as a profession, right?"
Batman: "…"
He always felt that this woman knew him very well and often poked at his wounds.
After coldly saying this, Batman pulled the trigger of his grappling gun.
Whoosh!
A whooshing sound filled the air, and the grappling gun, hooked onto a tall building, quickly carried him away from Diana.
Wonder Woman watched Batman's disappearing back, shook her head, and turned her gaze to a nearby shop.
The shop, adorned with various Christmas decorations, held a strange allure for her at that moment.
She walked to the Christmas shop window and looked at a snow globe inside.
Snow globes, often containing various miniature scenes or objects, are one of the most popular Christmas gifts.
Diana looked at the little girl doll inside the snow globe.
The red-haired princess, drawing her bow and arrow, biting her lip and puffing out her cheeks, seemed ready to shoot the monster in front of her.
Looking at the doll, Diana turned her head, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"It seems I didn't come to Christmas in vain this time; I found a Christmas gift."
Having grown up on Themyscira and being the daughter of Queen Hippolyta, she had undergone rigorous training from a young age.
Archery, hunting, wrestling, weaponry – no matter the competition, she strived to be the best.
Hoping to gain her mother's approval and not be looked down upon by those Amazon warriors who slighted or even resented her, Diana, with such determination, finally became the most outstanding Amazon warrior, even earning the title of "Amazon Champion."
Although she always fought for the honor of an Amazon warrior, she possessed a constant pursuit of love and desire. Even after living in the city of steel for a long time, she still retained a hint of the innocence and immaturity cultivated on Themyscira.
…
Smallville.
Morning.
Eric had just woken up when he received a call from the hospital.
After saying a few words to the person on the other end, he hung up.
"Is… something wrong?" Clark asked Eric, still groggy.
Two consecutive nights of "flying" training had left his head a bit dizzy from all the falls.
Although his head was a bit dizzy and his appearance was quite messy, he felt it was effective.
After all, he could now overcome the natural human fear of weightlessness when falling from the air.
"Pete has woken up from the hospital. The doctor said he's recovering well and there are no lingering side effects," Eric told Clark.
"Really? That's the best news I've heard today!" Clark's spirits immediately lifted.
"I'm going to the medical center to see him right now."
As soon as he heard his good friend was awake, Clark immediately prepared to visit the hospital.
"Didn't we agree to pick up Mom and Dad from Grandma's house today?"
Seeing the other party eager to go to the hospital, Eric reminded him.
"Oh…" Hearing Eric's words, Clark immediately showed an expression of sudden realization.
"Sorry, I forgot about that."
"Pete's matter can wait. Let's go get the car first." Eric took a sip of his freshly brewed hot coffee and told Clark.
The destination was Smoky Hill, less than an hour's drive along Interstate 70.
Jonathan and Martha hadn't driven when they left home; their uncle had driven to pick them up.
So now, the two needed to drive to pick up their parents.
The car drove forward along Smallville. Eric sat in the passenger seat, watching the scenery outside the window.
The Christmas snow wasn't heavy, covering the ground with a thin layer of white.
Clark focused on driving the car. As they approached the Talon Club, he happened to see Lana walking out of the club.
Clark, who was driving the car, immediately had his gaze drawn.
"If you look at Lana again, you'll hit that pedestrian crossing the road!" Eric said to Clark, frowning.
Hearing his brother's complaint, Clark immediately retracted his gaze.
"Sorry."
Lana, who had walked out of the Talon Club, saw Eric in the car and immediately raised her hand to happily wave.
Clark, seeing Lana's wave, immediately brightened from his somewhat dejected expression.
"If you like a girl, Clark, hiding will only push her further away," Eric said in a nonchalant tone, resting his chin on one hand and turning his head to look at the scenery outside the window.
"I think the situation between Lana and me is more complicated than the Rolling Stones," Clark sighed.
"The Rolling Stones?" Eric watched the trees flash by outside. "I don't think you'd use that band as a metaphor."
"You're right, Chloe used that to describe my relationship with Lana, and I think it's very apt."
"Lana doesn't understand who I am. I've always tried to help her, but once I try to get close to her, I end up hurting her, just like before."
Clark opened up to Eric, "For a while, I didn't even know if I would stay, I couldn't make any choices. Most importantly, I could feel that we were gradually drifting apart."
Clark felt a bit sad.
He could certainly feel Lana's distancing from him.
And he also vaguely sensed Lana's subtle emotions towards Eric.
But instead of being afraid to face it, blaming others, and harboring resentment or jealousy, he preferred to reflect on his own mistakes.
"But, that's also part of life, isn't it?" Clark took a deep breath and said, "If all I bring to others through this way is pain, I think… I have to retreat a bit."
"Hmm…" Listening to Clark's seemingly reasonable lament, Eric nodded.
"I hope you can do as you intend. But in this regard, Clark, you've always been a giant in words and a dwarf in action."
Hearing Eric's jab at him, Clark awkwardly coughed.
"Are we taking this road?" Clark changed the subject and asked Eric, "I remember this passes through Blue Valley. Those high schoolers who called themselves the Justice Society last time—Wildcat, Hourman, Stargirl, and the Midnight Doctor—they live here, right?"
"Yes. But they've all been expelled from the Justice Society," Eric replied casually.
"Expelled?" Clark asked, a bit confused, "Why expelled?"
"Probably because they were too lame," Eric answered dismissively, not intending to elaborate.
"Although their abilities are strange, if they could be trained, they might really become superheroes." Clark had a good impression of the high schoolers.
The car drove through Blue Valley, speeding along the town's roads.
Hum!
A trembling sensation came from the road, and despite the small magnitude of the tremor, Eric and Clark could still feel it.
They looked at each other.
Hum!
This time the ground shook more violently, and even the car's decorations swayed.
"What is this…?" Clark asked Eric, a surprised look in his eyes.
"I don't know, but it's definitely not an earthquake. After all, Clark, you once created an earthquake that almost destroyed all of Smallville, so you should be quite sensitive to and knowledgeable about earthquakes," Eric said with a frown.
Hum!
The third ground tremor was quite strong, and the car became a bit unstable on the road, skidding to one side.
Clark immediately slammed on the brakes, and the car skidded to the left on the road, leaving a deep black skid mark.
After successfully braking, Clark immediately jumped out of the car.
Eric also got out of the car shortly after.
Boom!
The sound of breaking glass erupted, followed by screams from the crowd!
A cafe not far from them exploded, and a colossal figure burst through the wall.
The steel structure of the wall was as fragile as tofu before the giant, monster-like being.
The crowd inside the cafe screamed and fled.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded over 40 chapters of this story on Patreon.
If you're enjoying it and want to read ahead, feel free to check them out here:
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thanks a lot for your support, it really helps me keep going.