Homelander withdrew his gaze, frowning slightly.
Did that old fox Lex Luthor clean up Metropolis so thoroughly?
Or was that Kryptonite hidden in a more secret place?
Or was it completely destroyed by Superman?
With questions in mind, Homelander and Harley took the elevator to the top-floor conference room.
In the conference room, everyone's expression was serious. Bruce Wayne sat at the head of the table, with a pile of newly organized data reports in front of him. Cyborg, The Flash, Deathstroke, Mera, and the new leader of the Amazons, Philippus, were all present.
Seeing Homelander enter, everyone nodded in greeting.
In this room, although everyone was a battle-hardened warrior, Homelander's Earth-shattering battle with Superman and the miracle of saving the World at light speed had completely established his absolute dominance in this World.
"You look like you've rested well," Bruce spoke first, his voice tinged with deep fatigue.
"Saving the World is physical labor, Bat. I have to stay in top shape."
Homelander walked to the head of the conference table, pulled out a chair, and sat down in a commanding posture,"
Harley found a swivel chair nearby and started spinning around in circles.
"Let's begin, Bat," Homelander tapped the table. "Let me hear what troubles our new World is facing now."
Bruce ignored Homelander's arrogant attitude and turned on the conference room's projection.
"I was just about to get to that. This is the progress of the work over the past thirty hours."
Bruce pointed to some glowing green dots on the projected map.
"Cyborg has restored the communication networks of major cities in North America and Europe and has made a rough count of the current population."
Cyborg added, "The current global count of survivors is about one billion. They are very scattered, so I have notified them to gather in the nearest large cities to make it easier to find supplies."
"One billion," Homelander frowned. "That's a bit worse than I imagined."
"That's not even the worst part," Bruce said, hands clasped on the table, his expression solemn. "Over seventy percent of the land globally has been contaminated by Darkseid's terraforming. The atmospheric haze not only blocks out the sunlight but also contains toxic heavy metal particles. Crops cannot grow, and Water resources are rapidly depleting."
"Without large-scale ecological transformation, the current Earth simply cannot sustain these one billion people," Bruce said heavily.
"Moreover, the oceans are severely acidified now," Mera added, her fists clenched. "If the Water quality isn't purified, the remaining citizens of Atlantis won't last much longer."
"What we are facing is a true genocide."
Homelander leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping lightly on the table, seemingly in thought.
After a moment, he spoke slowly, "The environmental issues, I can solve them."
"Bruce, give me those three mother boxes."
"No!"
As soon as those words were spoken, Cyborg Victor spoke up instinctively.
"Absolutely not!"
"Why not?" Homelander looked at him coldly. "The mother box has the ability to reshape matter and change ecology. I have a way to adjust its functions so it can purify Earth's atmosphere and restore the soil's vitality within a day."
"You don't understand what the mother box really is!" Victor said emotionally. "It's not some universal wish-granting machine! It's the highest level of technological crystallization from Apokolips; it's living machinery!"
"They are a trinity. As long as they are placed together and activated, they will undergo synchronous fusion."
"...And once the mother box fusion is complete, it will immediately open an interstellar Boom Tube directly to Apokolips!"
"This means that Darkseid and his endless Apokolips army will descend directly upon our heads within minutes!"
"We've just won a brutal war; everyone is bleeding and overextended! We have no time to prepare. This is equivalent to opening the door wide for Darkseid and handing Earth over to him!"
Everyone turned their gaze to Homelander, their expressions varied but all tinged with deep concern.
Facing Cyborg's fierce opposition and the silence of the others, Homelander slowly stood up, looking down at everyone present with a sneer.
"Preparation time?"
"You had plenty of time to prepare last time. Superman was still here, the Justice League was fully assembled, and the World's armies were on standby."
"And the result?!" Homelander's voice suddenly rose, making the conference room windows buzz.
"The result is that Earth has turned into this hellhole! The result is that your comrades are almost all dead or wounded! The result is that you've been hiding like rats in a sewer for months!"
The conference room was deathly silent.
Bruce lowered his head, his jaw muscles tight, saying nothing.
"You cowards are actually still thinking of escaping!"
Homelander slammed the table.
"If we don't activate the mother box, will Darkseid just not come?"
"Do you think that if you hide the mother box, he'll just sit on Apokolips eating burgers and drinking Coke, forgetting this Planet even exists?"
"He's a conqueror! He will always come! The only difference is whether it's today or tomorrow!"
"What's the difference between dying now and starving to death in two months?!"
Homelander stood tall, a violent fighting spirit burning in his eyes—the arrogance belonging to an absolute powerhouse.
"Since he's bound to come sooner or later, instead of sitting here waiting to die, we should take the initiative and attack!"
"Activate the mother box, repair Earth! Right here, right today!"
Homelander hammered the table, and the solid wood surface exploded with a huge gap, wood chips flying everywhere.
"...Let me go and catch them by surprise!!"
"If he dares to open the channel, I'll dare to charge in!"
"Let me catch them by surprise! Take the battlefield to Apokolips!!"
"Good!!"
Harley Quinn was the first to stand up, jumping onto the table and waving her fists excitedly.
"F*ck Apokolips! Mr. Milk Candy is right! We're not playing the coward! We're going to take the initiative! Twist that damn Darkseid's head off and use it as a toilet!"
She stood by Homelander without reservation, her eyes fanatical.
Queen Mera looked at Homelander with burning eyes.
Atlanteans revere strength; the blatant dominance Homelander exuded and his contempt for powerful enemies made her feel a long-lost surge of excitement.
"He's right," Mera stood up, her Trident striking the ground heavily with a crisp thud. "Atlantis never fears war. If death is certain, I choose to die on the path of attack!"
Hint! Gained special popularity value +5000! (From YMera Xebella Challa)
Sitting opposite, the Amazon General Philippus also stood and drew the longsword from her waist, the blade pointing directly at the ceiling.
"Amazons are born for battle!" Philippus's voice was powerful and resonant.
"We repelled Darkseid in ancient times! Today, we will not fear him either! Amazons are willing to charge with you!"