By the time everyone arrived at the cafeteria, there wasn't a single hero there—just a minotaur chef waiting quietly.
"What? There's nobody here, right?" Captain Boomerang slouched over on a bench, propping his feet up on the table, taking a boss-like posture to relax.
J'onn wouldn't admit that he had used his telepathy to notify the others that the Suicide Squad was coming, and the heroes all decided they didn't want to stay, so they left ahead of time.
Deadshot's visor had thermal sensors, and he knew there were several people here earlier. Many of the chairs still had residual heat.
But there was no need to expose the situation. The Squad wasn't exactly welcome, so he simply took off his helmet, quietly sitting aside with El Diablo, another silent type.
Killer Frost and Katana sat at the bar, chatting occasionally, while Harley kept her eyes wide open, continuously ordering food from the menu.
"Burgers—I want two of those. Are they Wisconsin-style triple-deckers? And this one, hot dog—with extra mustard and ketchup, make it as red as if it were just pulled from someone's chest. Hmm, what else do I want…"
J'onn looked at Su Ming, who casually grabbed a can of cola from a vending machine and sat at the bar, sipping it.
For some reason, Deathstroke seemed more at ease with these people.
"Sorry, I need to leave for a bit. You can all put your meals on my tab," J'onn floated into the air and gradually faded away.
Su Ming shrugged. J'onn was afraid of fire, and the kitchen wasn't exactly friendly to him. He even cooked at home using a microwave.
"Put it all on Batman's tab; Martian Manhunter isn't loaded," Su Ming instructed the minotaur chef. The chef responded in what seemed to be ancient Greek, finally a language Su Ming couldn't understand.
Just a moment later, before they even finished ordering, Wonder Woman entered the cafeteria, covered in sweat, as if she had just finished doing something strenuous.
"Diana!"
Harley jumped off her barstool and joyfully hugged Diana. She got along well with Wonder Woman—one was a dominant sadist, the other a masochist. Harley loved being tied up by the Lasso of Truth, asking Diana to keep questioning her.
She called it "only truth, no dare."
The cafeteria's lights were warm, a shade between yellow and white. If it weren't for the darkness in the hallway beyond, it might have seemed like a family gathering.
"Harley…" Diana hugged Harley, smiling as she lifted her up, then gave Su Ming a complicated look.
Su Ming knew she was asking why he was involved with Task Force X, but that question didn't need answering. It was, of course, for Batman's money.
Harley touched Diana's arm, which was wet, making her hand all damp. "What were you doing? Why are you so sweaty?"
"I was renovating my quarters. I'm trying to make it look like an Amazonian temple, so I've been moving marble pillars."
Diana answered Harley, while Su Ming just watched them. Harley was clearly a size smaller than Diana.
"Can I come see?" Harley's attention shifted, and she wanted to go play at Diana's quarters.
She looked at Deathstroke, and Su Ming just nodded. "As long as you stay within the Justice Hall's bounds, you don't have to worry about your head being blown off."
Diana led Harley away. Perhaps when Harley returned, she'd have gleaned quite a bit of information from Diana.
Now, it was just a matter of waiting. Who knew when the mysterious force would act, but it would probably be tonight.
The cafeteria didn't serve alcohol, so everyone just had a normal meal and rested there.
Around midnight, Aquaman showed up briefly. He gave Su Ming a sour look for a while before leaving with his food.
He was also building his quarters underground, adding an Atlantis-style castle and a lake to use as a swimming pool.
However, by the time the sun rose again, nothing out of the ordinary had happened all night. Not only Su Ming, but even Deadshot and Boomerang found nothing unusual—those with skills in ranged attacks usually had excellent eyesight.
Su Ming was 100% sure his judgment was correct, so the only explanation was that they had carried out their plan, but somehow, they hadn't noticed. How could that be?
From what he could see, everything seemed normal.
The window showed an almost real scene outside—it was actually a giant screen that made the underground feel like the surface.
The fountain on the square was already running, and families were arriving to visit the Justice Hall.
They were all smiling—something not often seen in the DC universe.
The Justice League had truly brought them hope and belief.
Suddenly, a dark figure appeared in front of Su Ming, sitting across from him at the table—it was Batman. His facial muscles were tense, his mouth pulled downward.
"Deathstroke."
"Hmm?"
"You disguised yourself as me and fooled both Gordon and Lucius."
"Hehe, because I am Deathstroke."
Trying to learn the secret of the symbiote? Forget it for now; Su Ming intended to string Batman along, making him focus on things that were ultimately unimportant.
Bruce took a briefcase from beside his chair, placing it on the table and opening it for Su Ming.
It was full of crisp green bills.
"I think this should be enough for the last job. Now answer my question."
"Five million? A bit low, but since it's my first time doing business with you, consider it a discount. Next time, it'll cost much more." Su Ming noticed the envious looks from Deadshot and Boomerang. They had never imagined making money off Batman. "As for your question… aren't you a detective? Then go detect."
Batman squinted, thinking, but Su Ming's brain worked just as fast as his.
"The answer to the Riddler's puzzle is seven," Batman said in a low voice. Despite the bright sunshine from the window, he kept himself in the darkness behind his seat.
"So you interrogated that poor guy again?" Su Ming shook his head with a smile. The number seven could have come from the person behind it or been improvised by Riddler; it was hard to determine now.
"You left my symbol on him, but it won't have any positive impact."
"Time, Batman, time." Su Ming raised a finger and wagged it. "The Riddler won't show his face again until Gotham forgets the shape of his butt. I won't repeat the principles of perception, short-term memory, or long-term memory, but I estimate he won't dare appear for at least a month. If the world lasts for a year, that's one-twelfth; if it lasts half a year, that's one-sixth."
"…" Batman began mimicking Commissioner Dents, leaning his head on his hand, using his shoulders and gaze to exert pressure.
"The Justice League is short on time right now, am I correct?" Su Ming placed his empty can on the table, leaned his head closer to it, and met Batman's eyes without flinching.