"Just like you."
Clark turned his gaze to the radiant woman standing before him.
"The Mother Box."
"An artifact of an ancient, advanced civilization left on Earth long ago."
"It was brought here by Darkseid."
Diana briefly explained the Mother Box's capabilities and its connection to Darkseid.
"We believe that if we can find the Mother Box, it might be possible to resurrect Lois."
Clark's expression subtly shifted.
He drained the last sip of his beer. "And who exactly are 'we'?
"Me, Bruce Wayne, and John," Diana replied, watching the man carefully.
Clark frowned in confusion. "John?"
"Yes, John," Diana said, jogging his memory. "Remember that incident in Metropolis?"
"John was the man who clashed with you and Bruce that night."
"He's... mysterious. His origins are unknown. But he knows a lot—far too much. He even knows about the Mother Box and Darkseid."
Diana's expression grew serious. "After the incident in Metropolis, Bruce and I tried to investigate him."
"But it was as if he appeared out of thin air."
"All we managed to uncover was that John's first known appearance was in Metropolis. At the time, he was accompanied by an Asian girl."
"That girl showed up two years ago during the Kryptonian invasion. She walked out of a room filled with rubble, only to disappear mysteriously again until recently, when she reappeared alongside John."
"Bruce conducted an extensive investigation, but neither John nor that girl left any traces behind."
"Not a single record. No credit history, no medical information—nothing."
"It's as if they don't exist in this world."
"No one could pull off such a clean slate—not you, not me, not anyone. Yet they've left absolutely no trail. It's... bizarre."
Clark listened in silence, then turned his back to her. "I've been out here too long. I need to go back."
Diana didn't follow him, instead saying, "Stay strong. Once Bruce finds the Mother Box, we'll come to you."
Clark offered no reply, walking out of the cornfield and returning to the modest home he shared with his mother.
Diana took out her phone and dialed a number.
Moments later, Bruce's voice came through. "What did he say?"
Diana headed toward her car, speaking as she walked. "He didn't give much of a response."
"Even when I mentioned Lois could be brought back, he didn't show the slightest excitement."
"I'm worried. What if he doesn't want Lois to be resurrected?"
Batman fell silent for a moment. "Do you really think he doesn't want Lois back?"
Diana shook her head lightly. "I'm not sure. It's just a feeling."
"Clark feels lifeless to me—like a walking corpse. He's alive, yes, but maybe only because he can't die."
"I'm afraid even the desire to bring Lois back might have died in him."
Bruce let out a long sigh through the phone. "For now, all we can do is focus on finding the Mother Box. Once we have it, we'll see if we can convince him."
"Speaking of which, I found some leads in Lex's files. It's possible one of the Mother Boxes is already in human hands, right under our noses."
"I'll head back immediately," Diana said.
---
Midway City, "Night of Revelry" Bar
Azu leaned back comfortably, a woman in each arm, enjoying their attention.
After leaving the boutique earlier that day, he'd driven to Midway City using the car's GPS.
The choice to settle here wasn't random—this place would soon host the main storyline of the "Suicide Squad."
Once in Midway City, Azu sold the car for cash and wandered into a bar for some entertainment.
Now, two women were busy pleasing him while a pole dancer performed a solo act in front of him.
Each time she executed an impressive move, Azu clapped and cheered, tossing some of his car-sale money as tips without a care.
He pretended not to notice that the bar was now under someone else's control, with patrons being quietly evacuated.
Moments later, the blaring music stopped abruptly.
A sharp whistle followed, drawing the women's attention.
A man holding a rifle gestured at them. "Ladies, closing time. Please leave."
Colonel Rick Flag!
Behind him stood a hulking, hooded figure, a man with a cybernetic monocle over his left eye, and a young woman in a T-shirt and shorts, casually wielding a baseball bat.
Seeing this group, the women hurriedly grabbed the tips Azu had given them and bolted.
Azu shrugged dramatically. "Couldn't you have waited a bit longer? I was just starting to relax."
Flag didn't miss a beat. "Oh, I'm sorry. That's unfortunate."
"You see, Mr. John, the damage you caused to the White House is incalculable. So, you're coming with us."
Azu raised a bottle of beer and saluted them with a smirk. "And if I say no?"
"What then? Are you going to let your little freak show here teach me a lesson?"
"Will you sic that crocodile on me, have the crazed girl bash me with her bat, or let your girlfriend turn into a witch to scare me?"
Deadshot muttered, "He seems to know an awful lot about us."
"What's wrong? Got cold feet already?"
Flag smirked and motioned to a petite woman in a half-white mask. "Keep an eye on him."
Then, turning back to Azu, he said, "This isn't a negotiation, John."
Azu propped his legs on the table. "Neither is this."
Flag shook his head, stepping back. "He's all yours."
He turned to his girlfriend, Dr. Mohr, a young and stunningly beautiful scientist. She gently whispered one word:"Enchantress."
With a flick of her wrist, a sinister black aura laced with sparks of fire began to swirl. Moments later, a shadowy figure materialized before them—the Enchantress. Her form flickered for a moment, and she vanished, reappearing instantly in a mirror behind Azur.
From the reflection, her hands reached out, gripping Azur's head and attempting to slam him into the mirror.
Yet, Azur didn't move an inch.
Meanwhile, within the team of misfits, a man called Slipknot fired a grappling hook similar to Batman's. The hook latched onto a chandelier, and with a swift "whoosh," he propelled himself into the air.
From above, he opened fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A spray of bullets tore through the area, shattering the couch, table, and bottles near Azur.
Suddenly, a golden beam of energy shot from below, slicing through the chandelier. It swept past Slipknot, cleanly severing him in two.
"Oh."
The room fell silent as everyone stared at the man's upper half dangling lifelessly from the ceiling.
Harley Quinn popped a gum bubble, her gaze shifting to Freig. "You sure we can take on this Magic Man, boss? Might as well shoot me in the head now and save me the trouble. Dying ugly like him?"—she gestured at Slipknot's remains—"No thanks."
Freig's face darkened. He roared, "All of you, attack! NOW!"
"Or I'll blow your nano-bombs to smithereens!"
The bubble burst in Harley's mouth, and she started chewing again. "Fine, fine, boss. We'll work. Happy?" She turned to Azur and called out, "Hey, Magic Man, don't take this personally, okay? We're just doing what we're told."
Even as she spoke, she pulled out her revolver and fired.
Deadshot followed suit, his rifle trained on Azur. He unleashed a torrent of bullets. Ratatatat!
The rest of the soldiers joined the assault, and the bar exploded into chaos, debris flying everywhere.
Amidst the chaos, Diablo turned and began walking away, disinterested in the fight. Captain Boomerang, meanwhile, cast shifty glances around, clearly plotting his escape.
Katana drew her cursed blade, Soultaker, and circled around to Azur's blind spot. With a battle cry, she lunged forward, her blade cleaving through a couch on its way to his shoulder.
She froze.
Her eyes widened.
The blade didn't even pierce Azur's clothes.
Azur nonchalantly grabbed the edge of the blade, inspecting it with mild curiosity. He tried to bend it, only to find it unexpectedly sturdy.
"Huh. Not bad," he remarked.
Realizing her predicament, Katana quickly yanked her sword back and leapt away.
Killer Croc, shirtless and snarling, charged in next. His massive jaws opened wide as he lunged, teeth aimed at Azur's throat.
Azur caught him mid-air with one hand and, with a casual flick of his wrist, hurled the beast across the room. Croc crashed into the stage with a deafening thud.
Then, the Enchantress tried her hand at Azur once again. Dark tendrils of magic spiraled around her as she attempted to infiltrate his mind, weaving illusions meant to break him.
But the moment her spell touched Azur's psyche, it was met with overwhelming resistance. Worse yet, her own magic rebounded violently, forcing her to witness a vision of her own heart being pierced.
Azur stood, unfazed, and finally began to move.
Amid the hail of bullets, he strode forward, calm and unbothered.
Harley Quinn charged toward him, baseball bat raised high. With a playful grin, she swung at his head. Azur gently pushed her away with a single finger.
"Waaah!" she screamed as she was sent flying across the bar.
In the blink of an eye, Azur blitzed through the gunfire, appearing right before Diablo. He towered over the tattooed man, his tone almost playful.
"You're not joining in?"
Diablo looked up, his eyes full of regret. "Get out of here. I don't want to hurt you."
Azur smirked, his eyes glinting mischievously. "Hurt me? Like how you 'accidentally' burned your wife and kids to death?"
BOOM!
Diablo erupted in flames, an inferno engulfing his entire body as he thrust his palms forward, unleashing twin streams of fire at Azur.
The flames roared, bathing Azur in intense heat. Yet, he stood unscathed, calmly studying the display.
He nodded thoughtfully. "Impressive. For a human, you're doing quite well."
"But I know you've got more in you. So, why not stop holding back? Show me your demon form."
Diablo's jaw tightened. With a roar, he surrendered to the rage within. His body swelled, fiery tattoos glowing brighter as he transformed into a towering hellish entity—the true form of the Hellfire Demon.
The demon stomped forward, its blazing fists raised high, and brought them crashing down on Azur.
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