Chapter 520: 520. The New Justice Society.
After taking a sip of wine, Alex set his glass down and immediately focused his attention on the plate of pasta in front of him.
Alex had always enjoyed eating tomato scrambled eggs with noodles, and Bruce Wayne's signature pasta was a sweet tomato-based one, which made Alex's mouth water after being so hungry.
He hadn't eaten anything at Old Wolf's place earlier, and now with the delicious smell of the noodles filling the air, Alex didn't care how he looked while eating. He grabbed his chopsticks and took a big bite.
What surprised him was that, unlike the usual knife and fork set in the Wayne Manor, this time there were silver chopsticks prepared, possibly especially for him.
Watching Alex eat with such enthusiasm, Bruce Wayne was momentarily stunned before a small smile appeared on his face.
When Bruce first saw Alex through Tim's monitoring cameras, even he couldn't help but feel a little surprised.
Since Alex and the others had left, they hadn't heard anything about them. Meanwhile, the aftermath of General Zod's war had fallen on Bruce's shoulders, keeping him too busy to think about Alex and his team.
Before Alfred passed away, Bruce Wayne always felt like everything was easy because his butler, Alfred, would anticipate his needs and have everything prepared for him.
But now, as Bruce returned to action, he had to handle everything himself, which made him truly understand Alfred's role and feelings.
Years had passed. The chaos caused by General Zod slowly faded, and Bruce Wayne found a kind, capable successor in Tim. This allowed him to bury the memories of Alex and the others deep in his heart.
Perhaps, just like when they first met, everything was just a coincidence, and they were never meant to meet again.
What shocked Bruce Wayne was that, once again, he was seeing that familiar face.
He had considered the possibility that the person in front of him was someone impersonating Alex, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't imagine anyone who could disguise themselves as someone not from this universe.
With a few more bites of pasta, Alex felt warmth spreading through his stomach. Even though he no longer could be called an "ordinary person," the sense of fullness still brought him happiness.
As he was eating, Alex casually glanced up and noticed that Bruce Wayne wasn't eating but was holding his glass, watching him as he drank.
The gaze was a mix of scrutiny and examination, which made Alex feel uneasy.
"Stop staring at me like that, you're scaring me. Just say whatever you want."
Hearing this, Bruce Wayne chuckled.
"You're much more cheerful now."
It was a casual remark, but it made Alex's expression freeze for a moment.
After a pause, Alex couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
"Well, thinking back to when I first arrived in this world, I never thought I'd be this... 'close' with you, Bruce. It's like we're old friends."
Bruce Wayne, gazing at Alex, gently spoke.
"Back then, you were always frowning, serious and intense. You couldn't muster interest in anything and were solely focused on solving the problems in front of you and planning for the future. It felt like a sword was hanging over your head."
Bruce Wayne looked at Alex, his voice softening.
"It seems like you've found your family now."
Perhaps Alex hadn't even realized it, but over the course of all the experiences he had gone through, he had unknowingly changed a lot.
From the days of running away, burdened by immense pressure, to now, having his own universe and his own organization, surrounded by close friends, Alex had gradually become more extroverted.
"Yeah, after leaving here, I went through so much. Some of it's hard to explain..."
At this point, Alex thought about Kara, Pietro, Ashley, and the mischievous Venom.
"It's been pretty good."
"That's great." Bruce Wayne nodded. "I thought you might have come to warn us about some new disaster. But now, it seems I was overthinking it."
"What's that supposed to mean? I can't visit an old friend without there being a catastrophe, can I?" Alex chuckled.
Then Alex suddenly remembered something and curiously asked.
"By the way, how's Barry Allen? That kid should have mastered his speed by now."
Tim, who was sitting nearby, couldn't help but shrink his head in confusion.
'What are they talking about? Another universe? A new disaster in this one? Barry Allen is The Flash?' Tim thought, his brain struggling to keep up with the conversation. It was becoming too much for him to process.
Not noticing Tim's reaction, Bruce Wayne replied in a low voice.
"Barry Allen has become a true hero. Just as you said, he is now the Flash, the one who brings hope to people. Last week, the mayor of Central City even awarded him for his efforts."
Look at that, who said The Flash had a tragic backstory? Here's a great example of a mother still alive and a father who didn't end up in prison.
Other versions of The Flash from parallel universes must be crying with envy.
"Sounds pretty good. You'd better keep an eye on him. Don't let another Flashpoint happen, or things will get out of hand," Alex joked.
"Don't worry. No one understands the devastation caused by Flashpoint more than him. This kid may have had some bad habits before, but he's kind-hearted, and he'll be able to take on the responsibilities of the Society in the future," Bruce Wayne replied.
"The Society?" Hearing a specific term in Bruce's words, Alex raised an eyebrow. "What Society?"
"Justice Society of America."
Bruce Wayne had no intention of hiding anything. When it came to Alex, an old friend, Bruce felt that this was information he could share, even if it was considered confidential to the public.
"Remember Mr. Allen? He mentioned a Justice Society formed by superheroes. Based on that idea, I started collecting information about metahumans in this world. It wasn't easy at first, especially since I had to wrap up the cleanup work from the Kryptonian invasion and recover the bodies of the Kryptonians. Eventually, I found a few individuals with potential and formed Justice Society of America. Now our Flash is part of it."
"Justice Society of America, huh? That's interesting." Alex gave a thumbs up.
At first, Alex had been very curious about how the future of this universe would unfold without Wonder Woman, Superman, Supergirl, Aquaman, and Cyborg. But he hadn't expected that Bruce Wayne, in a semi-retired state, would take a different path and form a Justice Society before the original Justice Society could even exist!
This must also be a result of the changes brought by the Flashpoint event. Originally, this universe was supposed to have been destroyed, reduced to dust. But with Alex's intervention, this universe had continued to survive.
As a result, more and more metahumans had started reappearing in the public eye.
Not only supervillains like Catman, but now superheroes were also starting to become active again.
"So, who are the members of the Society now?" Alex asked.
Upon hearing Alex's question, Bruce Wayne took a sip of his drink and began to introduce them.
"I won't go into details about The Flash, since you're already familiar with him. The others are metahumans who have emerged in the last couple of years. There's an archaeologist named Kent Nelson, who obtained a magical helmet two years ago."
Alex straightened up a bit. "Doctor Fate, huh? And based on the name, this is the original Doctor Fate, the one who controls the Helmet of Fate, which holds the power of the god Nabu."
As long as Kent Nelson wore the helmet, he could instantly transform into Doctor Fate, wielding immense power. However, it was easy for Nabu to take control of him in return.
"There's also a man named Carter Hall, who claims to be the reincarnation of the ancient Egyptian hero Khufu. After the Kryptonian invasion, he awakened the memories of his past life and obtained Nth metal. He's now searching for his wife, who was also reincarnated."
The original Hawkman—another powerful individual. Though his detachable wings were often destroyed by enemies, no one could underestimate his combat ability.
Hawkman's origin had been rewritten many times. Sometimes he was the reincarnation of Khufu, sometimes an alien, but Alex guessed that in most universes, Hawkman was still based on the tradition of reincarnation. At least in the Wasteland universe, Hawkman had been reincarnating constantly, though he was no longer able to do so.
"Also, after the Kryptonian invasion, a man named Alan Scott appeared. He came from outer space, claiming to be a Green Lantern. He returned to Earth after hearing about the Kryptonians' plan to destroy it, but he arrived too late."
After a brief pause, Bruce Wayne continued.
"He received a ring long ago and followed a cosmic signal, leaving Earth to fight for justice in the universe."
"Green Lantern and the Green Lantern Corps, I remember them," Alex nodded.
Another original hero, and interestingly, the city that Alan Scott protected in the comics was now Gotham.
Bruce Wayne gave a simple evaluation of these individuals, and Alex couldn't gauge his true feelings towards them from his expression.
Then the old Batman continued.
"These members each have their own affairs, so they don't often interact with the Society. The main members of Justice Society of America are Rex Tyler, Charles McNider, and Ted Grant ."
Hearing these names, Alex instantly recalled their superhero aliases.
The first one was Hourman, a hero with enhanced physical abilities for an hour; the second, Doctor Mid-Nite, a surgeon with night vision; and the third, Wildcat, who had been blessed with nine lives by magic.
.....
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