Seeing the hopeful looks on the faces of the Legends Squad, Su Sheng chuckled and turned to Diana. "It's up to you now, Wonder Woman. Forced to have a child with me, do you want to tell them you wish none of this had happened?"
Diana hesitated.
Of course, she wished none of this had occurred. But without Su Sheng, what would have happened? If she couldn't stop Eris on her own, more people would die. Artemis wouldn't become the new Goddess of Strife, and who knows what would have happened to Paradise Island! Taking a deep breath, Diana shook her head firmly. "This... might be the best outcome."
"I will defeat him, make him pay, wash away my shame, and reclaim my glory. I swear it in the name of the Amazon princess!"
The Legends Squad was devastated.
Even Wonder Woman didn't want to change all this? Why? Why, exactly?
"What the hell did you do!" Sara Lance, the White Canary, asked Su Sheng in disbelief.
"I just did what I wanted to do, that's all," Su Sheng shrugged and replied nonchalantly. "For example... I feel like taking the Waverider for a spin now!"
"Impossible!" Rip Hunter shouted desperately. "The Waverider is mine."
"Well... it's mine now!" Su Sheng replied with a smirk before turning to Hippolyta. "Congratulations, you're free now!"
As the Waverider prepared to depart, Su Sheng was ready to leave.
Being freed from slavery didn't excite Hippolyta too much. She asked calmly, "Do we need to do anything? Like... kill them?"
Diana hesitated at first but soon became resolute. "Mother, even though they caused all this, they don't deserve to die."
Hippolyta remained silent and looked at Su Sheng.
Su Sheng chuckled. "No need for that. They originally came from a future timeline, so if you kill them now, they'll still be alive in the past. Besides, who will kill Vandal Savage in the future and save the world in 2166 if they're dead? I'm not interested in saving the world. So, you don't need to do anything, except maybe be a bit more welcoming next time I visit and not refuse me a ride."
"I will choose the best white horse!" Hippolyta replied.
"I'm off to find a new time to mess with. You can go now," Su Sheng said with a smile, waving them off. Hippolyta nodded and led the Amazon warriors off the Waverider.
"I…"
Artemis started to speak, but Hippolyta stopped her.
"There will be a greater crisis on Paradise Island. You're the Goddess of Strife now, and we need you."
"But…"
"I know what you're worried about. Trust me, no one will blame you for the decisions you made before. You saved them."
Artemis looked at Hippolyta, then at Su Sheng, and finally left the Waverider in silence.
"Diana."
At the door of the cabin, Hippolyta suddenly stopped Diana.
"Mother?" Diana looked at her mother in confusion.
"You stay with him," Hippolyta said.
"What? Why?" Diana asked in surprise. "Why would you want me to stay with him? Didn't you say Paradise Island is facing a bigger crisis? I should stay. If you're worried they'll undo everything that happened, you should have Artemis stay. Why me?"
"Child, haven't you always wanted to see the outside world? With him, you'll see more, learn more, and perhaps gain the strength to defeat him and protect Paradise Island in the future." Hippolyta gently stroked Diana's cheek, then reluctantly pushed her away and left.
"Mother…"
Diana watched the hatch slowly close, feeling torn.
"Why?" Artemis asked, puzzled by the queen's decision to leave Diana behind.
"I'm doing it for her own good," Hippolyta thought to herself.
Diana, destined as the Godkiller, was fated to battle Ares, the God of War. But with her current strength, she couldn't hope to defeat Ares, especially with the gods still alive and Hera, the jealous queen, likely to cause trouble after Eris's death. Hippolyta felt it was safest for Diana to stay with Su Sheng.
As for fighting Ares, the God of War? Hippolyta had once considered finding a replacement for Diana when she was a child, but the idea was later dismissed. Still, the candidate had received the same training as Diana and could serve as a regular Amazon warrior if needed. Now… perhaps it could work.
"I hope Diana grows stronger with him. Even if she stays and defeats Ares, she won't be ready for Steppenwolf's invasion in the future," Hippolyta sighed as she watched the Waverider take off.
On the Waverider, Su Sheng casually slid his hand over the console, causing data to flash rapidly on the screens.
"This looks boring. Do you have any interesting time recommendations?" Su Sheng asked the Legends Squad, who were lying on the ground, with a casual tone.
Owning the Waverider wasn't easy, and Su Sheng couldn't pilot it manually. Auto-pilot required the cooperation of the AI, Gideon, but he didn't have the necessary authorization. So, he resorted to a very simple and direct method to make Rip Hunter obedient.
Is the child being disobedient? Just beat it up.
When the Amazon warriors left, the Legends Squad thought they might have a chance to take down Su Sheng and fix the timeline. But Su Sheng beat them to it.
Looking at the resentful and angry faces of the Legends Squad, Su Sheng chuckled. "Don't be like that. Actually, you should be thanking me for knocking you down. Lying down is quite comfortable!"
"Then why don't you lie down?" Rip Hunter retorted angrily.
"I haven't met anyone who could knock me down," Su Sheng replied with a grin.
"I don't think so," Sara Lance, the White Canary, said quietly, glancing behind Su Sheng. He turned his head slightly and was stunned.
"Diana, do you really want to have a baby with me?"
Diana, who had been feeling a bit sad about her mother's departure, heard this and immediately punched Su Sheng.
"I've thought about it," Su Sheng said with a laugh as he caught Diana's fist, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. "I'm thinking of choosing a new candidate for my throw pillow."