Supergirl Kara and her aunt Astra had one overwhelming impression of Su Sheng: he was strong—far stronger than they had anticipated.
Kara, lacking formal combat training, relied entirely on her instincts. Astra was more skilled, but even she wasn't strong enough to pose a serious threat. Initially, Su Sheng had thought Astra might be on par with Faora-Ul, but now it was clear that if they were to fight to the death, Astra would undoubtedly lose.
The Kryptonians on Earth-38 were significantly weaker than those on Earth One. Even with just his steel battle suit, Su Sheng could easily overpower them.
Boom!
With a casual wave of his hand, Su Sheng sent Supergirl flying before turning his full attention to Astra, launching a barrage of attacks with his palms.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The azure blue energy blasts struck Astra one after another, the explosions sending her crashing backward.
"I'm done playing," Su Sheng remarked as the sound of a helicopter approached—likely agents from ARGUS. With that, he shot up into the sky and flew away.
"Don't go!" Supergirl cried out, trying to give chase, but it was too late; Su Sheng had already disappeared. She turned to check on Astra, but her aunt had vanished as well. After a moment, a plane appeared, hovering in the sky, and Supergirl flew up to meet it. Learning that Alex had returned safely to the ARGUS headquarters, she sighed in relief and headed there herself.
At ARGUS, Alex, Hank Henshaw, and the others were busy studying the steel suit that Su Sheng had given them. While they made some progress in understanding the nano-shrinking technology, the core energy drive remained far beyond their capabilities, especially with Gideon's encryption ensuring that they couldn't replicate it.
When Supergirl arrived, Alex hesitated, wanting to warn her sister about Su Sheng's potential danger, but the thought of Doomsday made her hold back. She decided to keep an eye on Su Sheng for now; if he truly posed a threat, there would still be time to tell Kara.
Meanwhile, whether at ARGUS or with Astra, neither could rest easy due to Su Sheng.
But Su Sheng had already returned to his apartment, casually chatting with Jesse while monitoring the data being transmitted back from Alex's suit. The information on aliens held by ARGUS was impressively detailed, with their research on Kryptonians being particularly thorough.
They had developed Kryptonite emitters that could be calibrated to different intensities, affecting Kryptonian physiology and strength. They had even created a solar wave concentrator to simulate Earth's yellow sun, aiding in Kryptonian recovery. And as for various low-level Kryptonite-based gadgets, they had an endless supply.
At the same time, Gideon had also managed to analyze Earth-38's frequency, allowing Su Sheng to contact Laurel, who was wearing a steel suit on Earth One. After checking in, Su Sheng found that nothing major had happened in Central City: The Flash continued his daily heroics, Superman had disappeared after the Metropolis incident, and Batman had returned to Gotham.
Being a hero was tough—even after saving the world, there were still threats to contend with. Meanwhile, Su Sheng, the instigator, faced no such difficulties. His files had been upgraded to the highest level of security, and even the previous warrant for him in Central City had been removed. It seemed that, in this day and age, it was more advantageous to be a villain than a hero.
Ring, ring, ring...
As sunlight streamed into the room, Su Sheng reached over Jesse to grab his phone.
The call was from Kara Danvers, inviting him to dinner at her home to meet her family. Alex would be there, the only one who knew him, and Su Sheng casually accepted the invitation. After finishing his meal, he found a place to continue working on his new steel suit. By nightfall, after successful production, testing, and reinforcement with lead, the new suit was complete.
"Find a way to combine these two suits. I can't keep switching back and forth between them," Su Sheng told Jesse after dropping her off. Then, he headed to the address Kara had given him.
It was Alex who opened the door.
Her expression shifted slightly when she saw Su Sheng, but she quickly composed herself, pretending it was their first time meeting and making small talk. Su Sheng's acting was just as convincing. The entire meeting, which felt like a 'meet the parents' scenario, went smoothly—until Supergirl received a message, made an excuse about an urgent work issue, and hurriedly left.
Snap!
As the door closed, leaving only Su Sheng and Alex in the room, the smile on Alex's face vanished.
"Is it really that bad? Are you so dissatisfied with your brother-in-law?" Su Sheng asked as he sat down beside Alex, casually wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"This is not what a brother-in-law should do!" Alex snapped, pulling away.
"How's the suit?" Su Sheng asked, unfazed.
Alex paused. "The Kryptonite pattern on the suit… is it meant for Kara or her aunt?"
"That's up to you. The suit is yours now," Su Sheng chuckled. "Did you tell Hank Henshaw about my identity?"
Alex shook her head.
"Smart choice," Su Sheng said, his arm finding its way around her shoulders again. "Henshaw isn't as simple as you think. Since you're doing well, I'll reward you with a secret."
"What is it?" Alex, curious and eager to learn more, didn't pull away this time.
Su Sheng leaned in closer, his smirk widening. The proximity made Alex uncomfortable, and she instinctively tried to back away, but Su Sheng suddenly gripped her shoulders tightly. He whispered in her ear, "Your father's death is connected to Hank Henshaw."
"What?" Alex gasped, turning her head sharply to face Su Sheng. In her haste, she ended up nose-to-nose with him.
Their eyes locked, and Alex's widened in shock. She tried to pull away, but Su Sheng, grinning, leaned in and kissed her, his hands pressing her down against the sofa.
"Mmm…"
Alex moaned, struggling against him, the sensation making her feel sick. But Su Sheng didn't let go until he had his fill.
Furious, Alex slapped him hard.
"Don't you like Kara? How could you—"
"Speaking of Kara, you might want to go help her. Her opponent is… let's just say, several times more dangerous than Superman, and she once nearly killed him—Nuclear Man!" Su Sheng licked his lips and chuckled.