"Hit you? Are you serious?" Indigo analyzed countless possibilities, but she had never expected such a request from Su Sheng. It left her momentarily stunned.
"Are you sure?" Indigo asked cautiously, but seeing that Su Sheng wasn't joking, she tentatively moved to attack.
Her arms elongated instantly, transforming her hand into a sharp, knife-like blade aimed directly at Su Sheng's chest.
"Copy!" Su Sheng muttered, instantly replicating Indigo's ability. Just as her attack was about to land, he grabbed her wrist, and his palm lit up with electric energy.
Zizizi!
A powerful current surged through Indigo's arm, causing her body to tremble in pain as she let out a groan. In desperation, she attempted to shift into her data form and escape into Su Sheng's bracelet. But when she tried to enter, she was shocked to find herself blocked by a force identical to her own, forcing her back into her physical form.
"This... how is this possible?" Indigo looked at Su Sheng in disbelief.
Su Sheng smiled at her, his expression one of mild amusement.
Was this supposed to be a show of force? He had deliberately allowed her to attack him and then demonstrated that he didn't need to worry about her intentions or any ulterior motives because of the significant gap in their power.
Indigo fell silent, realizing her place.
Just then, the door opened, and Jesse entered, carrying a shopping bag. She paused, surprised to see Indigo.
"This is Indigo, the autonomous humanoid AI I've been searching for," Su Sheng introduced casually. "And this is Jesse, my... companion. Faora knows her, but doesn't understand her value just yet."
After the brief introduction, Su Sheng got up and retreated to his room to rest, showing no concern about Indigo's movements or issuing any immediate orders.
Once in his room, Su Sheng lay down and drifted into a dream—Astra's dream.
In this dream, Astra was using the Black Mercy flower to control Kara, but Su Sheng had turned the tables, making her experience her own dream scenario. It was still set on Krypton.
In Astra's dream, she had successfully saved Krypton using her methods, becoming a hero and living a happy life with her sister Alura, Kara's mother, and Kara herself. Through this dream, Su Sheng discovered two things. First, Astra's intentions weren't purely evil; her main goal was to save Krypton, though she did also desire power. Second, her method of saving Krypton involved a plan called the Great Cleansing, a brainwashing technique she developed that forced everyone to follow her ideology, somewhat akin to mind control.
Now, she intended to use this technology on Earth, enslaving the entire world to concentrate all resources on research and development to "save" the planet.
While this might be effective, as individual thoughts can hinder collective progress, it would strip away freedom. And without freedom, life would be as dull as puppetry—something that held no appeal for Su Sheng.
Instead of altering Astra's dream, Su Sheng let it unfold naturally to see where it would lead.
Even though Gideon had exited the main suit program, it could still function. Su Sheng took the opportunity to connect with Lara on Earth-1 to report on the situation there. He also found time to take Indigo to the Waverider and install her main program there. Su Sheng wasn't worried about Indigo learning too much or betraying him. After all, even if she knew all the secrets, only he could travel through time and space. Plus, his ability to copy powers had no upper limit, making it easy to handle Indigo.
Upon learning about the Waverider, Indigo was shocked. She thought she knew much about the universe, but the Waverider's time-travel technology was on another level. Though she might not have fully surrendered, she behaved and even began proactively seeking opportunities to prove her usefulness. Soon enough, she found some photos online.
"Is this a photo of me and Siobhan Smythe having dinner? Seems like that scheming woman isn't up to any good," Su Sheng chuckled as he glanced at the images Indigo showed him. "Delete these photos and help me acquire shares in CatCo Worldwide Media."
"Should I buy the whole thing?" Indigo asked.
"No, just twenty or thirty percent will do."
Indigo nodded, and after a brief pause, she looked up. "It's done. You're now the second-largest shareholder in CatCo."
"Good. Send a message to let someone at CatCo know who I am."
"Understood."
Almost immediately, CatCo employees received an email informing them of the shareholder change. While Kara was too busy at the DEO to notice, Siobhan Smythe saw the email right away.
"He really became the second-largest shareholder of CatCo because of Kara? Why? If Kara can get a man like that, so can I. No, I have to win him over. With his support, it'll be easier to climb the ranks, maybe even replace Cat Grant as editor-in-chief!" Siobhan thought to herself as she reached for her phone to contact Su Sheng.
When Su Sheng received Siobhan's call, he wasn't surprised at her quick response. After some pleasantries, he gave her his address and invited her over that evening. Siobhan eagerly agreed.
"There's more news," Indigo said hesitantly as Su Sheng finished the call with Siobhan.
"Go ahead," he prompted.
"Superman surrounded Congress and forced them to cancel the anti-alien proposal," Indigo reported. "The people of Rozburg have openly supported Superman, calling on the aliens on Earth to stand up and protect this planet."
"Faora and Astra's husband, Non, are among them."
"So Superman has finally decided to enforce 'peace' with an iron fist? While Earth-1's Superman hasn't fully turned dark, it seems the Superman of Supergirl's world has started his own version of Injustice," Su Sheng mused with a sly smile.