Following Arias's revelation, everyone on the deck looked a bit confused. At the same time, a curious Cheshire repeated, "Mexico?"
Arias affirmed, "Yes, Mexico. But I'll elaborate more on that later. For now, you should enjoy your time away and rest adequately during this period."
Cheshire widened her eyes exaggeratedly, smirking ever so slightly as she asked, "Don't plan on taking me along, boss? Moi is hurt."
Arias shook his head. "No, for this journey, I'll be going with Raven."
Raven was a bit surprised to hear this, but she didn't protest. "Thank you. I guess..."
"Cheshire, you're in charge, so please ensure nothing goes wrong." As Arias said this, he eyed Ivy in the corner, to which she just clicked her tongue in irritation. *Tsk~*
Cheshire shrugged her shoulders but didn't protest. "Well, I can't say no to you, boss," she simply said.
"Good," Arias replied, before turning to Raven and asking, "Could you open a portal to Metropolis, preferably somewhere quiet?"
"Sure," Raven flatly answered, still a bit surprised that she was the one chosen to go with Arias. She couldn't help but think this was him testing her. And so, she was very careful with how she handled things.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven chanted, and a portal opened right under her and Arias, swallowing their entire figures in a matter of seconds as they disappeared from the scene.
…
Once they reappeared in Metropolis, Arias found that Raven had brought them into an alleyway, similar to the one he had met Cheshire and her in back in Star City.
It was quiet, empty, and well hidden from prying eyes, as the cool late-night wind blew past them. Arias glanced around, getting a rough estimate of their location.
Raven observed Arias carefully, wondering what they were doing there. Remembering his advice to be more proactive, she voiced her thoughts by asking, "What are we doing here?"
Arias replied, "Well, let's just say we're here to see someone."
Having said this, Arias began to walk away, and Raven followed at a slow, hovering pace.
Meanwhile, in a familiar dormitory room, Kara Kent lay wide awake on her bed, despite the late hour. She was actively typing on her phone while keeping her gaze glued to the laptop on her study desk.
On her phone, Kara was responding to numerous text messages from her various friends.
During the panic and chaos Metropolis had gone through, Kara had chosen to help as Supergirl. Thus, she hadn't been seen during the checkups school staff and officers conducted on the students.
It was assumed that she had been affected by the spores and had wandered off somewhere. Now, she was responding to all these messages, claiming she had hidden away and had been too afraid to reveal herself. But thankfully, she was saved by Supergirl and brought back to her dorm.
It was a far-fetched story, but they had no reason to doubt her words, given that Supergirl had, in fact, done this for many others. So now it was just a matter of girls being girls as they chatted away—often about the current situation, the people who were affected by the spores, and some acquaintances who had succumbed to them, either by accident or due to external forces.
Kara couldn't help but feel bad about this, as she felt partly responsible. She believed she could've done more to save them, but at the end of the day, she was only one person. Even now, as Metropolis had stabilized and people were allowed to stay in their homes again, she kept a firm gaze on the news in case anything else went wrong.
Due to the praise she had received for her efforts during the chaos, her confidence was as high as ever. She was intent on making a difference if the chance arose.
However, while she was chatting away, Kara received a text message from an unknown number, which simply said, *"Meet me at the following location if you want to make sure your city stays safe."*
Kara was immediately taken aback by this text and quickly replied, *"Who is this?"*
However, she found she couldn't send a message to the number, and when she tried calling, it simply cut off.
Curiosity raged in her mind, but at the same time, she felt uncertainty.
The text had come abruptly, and she wasn't expecting it at all. But given the implied threat, she couldn't ignore it.
The only real question now was whether to go as Kara Kent or as Supergirl.