Chapter 175: The Final Spar · The Wolf and the Raider
Early morning, Training Ground. Moonlight cut down from the skylight.
Logan was shirtless, his muscles knotted, and his bone claws slowly extended from between his knuckles, gleaming coldly in the moonlight.
He had an unlit cigar in his mouth and grinned.
"I heard you're leaving?"
Rorschach took off his jacket, tossed it aside, and rolled his shoulders: "Your intel is pretty good."
"There's nothing in this academy I don't know about." Logan spat out the cigar and assumed a fighting stance, "Before you go, let's have one more fight."
Rorschach smiled and also got into a starting stance: "Bring it on."
The two lunged at each other simultaneously!
Logan unleashed a triple-stab with his bone claws!
Rorschach side-stepped, leaned back, and spun—dodging everything—then backhanded a punch into his chest!
A fist slammed into Logan's chest.
Logan let out a muffled grunt and took three steps back. A fist-shaped indentation appeared on his chest, but it healed instantly. He grinned even wider: "That feels good!"
He lunged again!
This time, it was a storm of attacks—a left claw swipe, a right claw thrust, a spinning roundhouse kick, and a sweep kick upon landing! Rorschach wove through the shadows of the claws; his Super-speed Reaction allowed him to see the trajectory of every attack, enabling him to make dodges impossible for ordinary people.
Rorschach side-stepped, pivoted, and leaned back. The bone claws grazed his neck.
Swoosh—his left arm was cut.
Swoosh, swoosh—two bloody gashes appeared on his chest.
Instead of retreating, Rorschach advanced and slammed a fist into Logan's chin!
Logan spat out a mouthful of blood, flew backward, and crashed into the wall, creating a human-shaped dent.
But he immediately sprang up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and lunged again!
The two engaged in a frenzied exchange in the Training Ground!
Bone claws collided with fists, sending sparks flying! Blood splattered, and wounds healed instantly!
After thirty rounds, both retreated, panting heavily.
Three of Logan's ribs were broken, and his chest had caved in a bit.
Rorschach had seven or eight wounds on his body, the deepest one nearly piercing his abdomen.
But his Immortal Body was working frantically, and the wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"You kid..." Logan panted, plopping down on the floor, "You've gotten stronger again."
Rorschach walked over, sat down next to him, pulled two cigarettes from his pocket, handed one to him, and lit one for himself.
Logan took the cigarette, lit it from his flame, took a deep drag, and exhaled a smoke ring.
The two sat in the center of the Training Ground, watching the moonlight pour down from the skylight, neither speaking.
They continued to smoke.
"Is the place you're going dangerous?" Logan asked.
"More chaotic than here."
"Is there alcohol?"
"Yes. Cheap stuff, but there's enough."
"Are there fights?"
"Every day."
Logan nodded, stood up, and brushed the dust off his body. He reached out and pulled Rorschach up.
"Then don't die." He said, "Next time we meet, let's fight again."
Rorschach grasped his hand: "Deal."
The two walked out of the Training Ground side by side. Under the moonlight, the two figures drifted further and further away.
Rorschach returned to his private training room, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes.
The system panel unfolded in his consciousness, with dense text flowing like a waterfall.
Finally, there was the most special Energy Nourishment 1.0 (Phoenix Fragment)—passive absorption of environmental energy, recovery speed +10%.
Spiritual Immortality 0.8 (Phoenix Fragment)—spiritual resistance increased, defense against psychic attacks.
Phoenix Blessing (Mark)—cross-World coordinate anchor.
Face after face appeared: Raven's smile, Jean's tears, Scott's salute, Laura's red string, Logan's cigar, Charles's gentleness, Erik's paranoia, Hank's panic, Ororo's composure...
He stood up and walked to the window.
The academy was peaceful.
Morning light began to appear, and students were already practicing on the lawn.
Bobby was making an ice slide, Kitty was playing with phasing through walls, Scott was using his Cyclops eye-beams to cut targets, and Jean was using telekinesis to help him adjust the angles.
Laura was squatting in a corner, watching them, with a faint smile at the corner of her mouth.
He turned and looked toward the door.
Raven was standing there, having changed back into her red-haired, green-eyed human form, wearing simple black casual clothes.
She looked at him, her eyes calm and firm.
"Ready?"
He nodded and reached out.
Raven walked over and took his hand.
The two walked side by side toward the center of the training room.
Sunlight shone in, illuminating his wrist—a dark golden energy pattern faintly glowed, resonating with the Phoenix Blessing mark.
One was dull, the other vibrant.
In the distance, at the edge of the forest, a few wisps of silver light flashed and vanished in the morning sun.
They were still observing, still recording.
But this time, what they recorded was the back of a man about to leave.
And the two red strings on his wrist.
Sunlight spilled through the stained-glass windows into the academy hall, casting colorful light and shadows on the floor.
Charles pushed his wheelchair in the front, followed by Hank, Scott, Ororo, Jean, Logan, Laura, Kitty, Nightcrawler, Bishop, Quicksilver... everyone was there. Emma leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, expressionless, her eyes complex.
Rorschach stood in the center of the hall, with Raven by his side, holding hands.
"You all came?" Rorschach scanned the room, a smile curling his lips, "This is quite the send-off."
Charles pushed his wheelchair forward, coming before him.
"I knew you were extraordinary." He said, his eyes slightly red, his smile still gentle, "Thank you, brother."
Rorschach squatted down to look him in the eye: "You gave me a home. I'll remember this debt."
Charles reached out and patted his shoulder.
Hank rushed up and hugged him, his blue, furry arms squeezing the breath out of him. Hank said in a muffled voice: "Smurf wishes you a safe journey! Remember... never mind, you can't communicate with the other Worldanyway."
Rorschach patted his back: "Take care of them."
Hank let go and stepped back, his eyes red.
Scott stepped forward, stood at attention, and gave a standard military salute: "Mentor, take care. I will guard this place."
Rorschach nodded: "You can already stand on your own two feet."
Ororo stepped forward and hugged him gently: "Take care, teacher."
Kitty's eyes were red, and she waved vigorously: "Remember to come back and see us!"
Nightcrawler made the sign of the cross and whispered a blessing.
Bishop nodded: "I'll remember the favor I owe you."
Quicksilver stuffed a pack of chocolate pudding into his hand and grinned: "Eat it on the road, don't starve."
Rorschach took the pudding and casually stuffed it into his pocket.
Logan handed him a cigar and grinned: "Next time we meet, let's fight again."
Rorschach took the cigar and tucked it behind his ear: "Deal."
Laura was hiding behind the crowd; seeing Rorschach look over, she turned her head away. Rorschach walked over and ruffled her hair.
"Live well."
Laura said in a muffled voice: "...Yeah. You too." She looked up, her eyes slightly red, her gaze stubborn.
Finally, it was Jean.
She stepped forward and hugged him lightly, warmth flowing through their psychic link: "The Phoenix Force has branded a return coordinate for you—come back alive."
Rorschach replied in his heart: Deal.
She let go, took a step back, and smiled.
Rorschach took a step back and looked at everyone.
"Stryker is dead. Apocalypse is dead. Mr. Sinister is dead."
"The future is up to you all. Don't mess it up."
Rorschach took Raven's hand and looked back one last time.
His gaze swept over everyone: Charles nodded, Jean's body trembled slightly, Laura turned her face away.
He nodded and turned around.
Rorschach smiled.
Then he silently thought in his mind: System, return to the Black Robe World!
The system prompt sounded:
[ points deducted: Returning to Black Robe World(carrying Raven), 10000 points consumed ]
[ Current points: 37200 ]
[ World adaptation in progress... Detecting... ]
[ Black Robe World detected, confirmed ]
He turned around, took Raven, and stepped into the portal of light.
The light engulfed their figures. The portal slowly closed, and the last trace of light dissipated.
The hall returned to silence.
Jean whispered: "Safe travels."
Chapter 176: Return and Traveling Again
The Boys World, New York, Rorschach's safehouse.
A light gate opened in the center of the living room, and Rorschach stepped out, leading Raven.
The bustle of New York drifted in from outside the window.
Raven looked around curiously.
The apartment wasn't large, with dust gathering on cardboard boxes in the corner.
"Is this your World?" she asked.
"Yeah." Rorschach took a deep breath, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I'm back."
He walked quickly to the wall and glanced at the calendar.
Eight months had passed since the day he left.
The calendar was still stuck on that page, covered in dust.
He went to the cabinet, opened a drawer, and took out an encrypted communicator.
He put in fresh batteries and dialed the familiar number.
A few seconds of waiting.
The call connected.
An incredulous, trembling female voice came from the other side: "...Rorschach? Is that you?"
Maeve.
Her voice was trembling, as if she were trying hard to suppress something.
Rorschach smiled: "It's me. I'm back."
There was silence on the other end for a moment.
Then came the sound of stifled sobbing, very soft, but audible.
Raven walked over, leaned against his shoulder, and waited quietly.
"Where are you?" Maeve's voice regained its composure, but there was still a hint of a tremor. "I'll come find you."
"No need," Rorschach said. "I'll head over. Bring Starlight, Kimiko, and Erin. The old place."
"Okay."
He hung up the communication.
Rorschach looked at Raven.
"Nervous?"
Raven smiled: "Your women should all get to know me."
Rorschach smiled as well, put his arm around her shoulder, and walked toward the door.
He pushed open the door, and the New York street scene was as usual.
But Rorschach knew that his return would make some people lose sleep.
Just as he was about to step out, a system prompt popped up:
[Detected that the host has returned to The BoysWorld]
[Cross-world anchor calibration correct—ten years in the X-Men World, only eight months in this World]
[Current points: 37,200]
He directly ignored the system prompt.
Leading Raven, he stepped into the New York sunshine.
Behind him, the safehouse door slowly closed.
A private club in Manhattan.
When Rorschach pushed open the door, there were already people inside.
Maeve leaned by the window, swirling her whiskey glass, her eyes complex; Starlight stood up abruptly, her skirt fluttering slightly, her gaze gentle yet searching; Kimikostepped forward silently, lightly touching the red string on his wrist, her eyes swirling with silent questions.
Erin was the last to arrive. When she pushed the door open and saw a room full of women, she froze for a moment, then smiled: "Looks like I've missed quite a bit."
Rorschach stood at the door, looking at these four women—Maeve's pride, Starlight's gentleness, Kimiko's silence, and Erin's intellect.
They were the bonds he had left in this World, witnesses to his climb from the bottom to the peak.
Raven stepped out from behind him, reverting to her human form with red hair and green eyes.
"Let me introduce you," Rorschach said. "Raven, my comrade-in-arms, a Shapeshifting Ability user. She just finished an overseas mission and is officially joining us."
Four gazes fell on Raven simultaneously.
Maeve was the first to speak, a playful smile on her lips: "It seems you haven't been idle these past eight months."
Rorschach smiled and said: "I dealt with some trouble and met some reliable partners."
Starlight walked over and looked at Raven, her eyes showing no hostility, only curiosity: "You... are also a superhuman?"
Raven nodded: "I suppose so, Shapeshifting Ability. Have you heard of it?"
"I've heard of this ability," Erin smiled and pushed up her glasses, "but I didn't expect to see a Zhenren (Immortal)."
Kimiko didn't speak; she just walked to Rorschach's side, gently grasped his wrist, and looked at the two red strings.
One was woven by her, and the other was new. She looked up at Rorschach, a question in her eyes.
"Laura wove it," Rorschach said. "X-23, a young girl."
Kimiko nodded, let go of his hand, and stepped back.
Maeve sighed and put down her glass: "Alright, don't just stand there. Sit down and talk."
Two hours later, the five of them were finally able to sit at the same table.
Although the atmosphere was still a bit subtle, at least it wasn't hostile.
Rorschach briefly explained the events of the X-MenWorld—Shaw, Apocalypse, Mr. Sinister, and those who fought alongside him.
He spoke briefly, but everyone listened intently.
"So you're leaving again?" Maeve asked.
"Yeah," Rorschach nodded. "There's an emergency that needs to be handled as soon as possible."
Starlight looked at him and asked softly: "Then... how long will it be until you can come back this time?"
Rorschach fell silent for a moment, reached out, and ruffled her hair.
"It should be very soon," he said. "I'll be back as soon as things are over. Don't worry."
Kimiko untied the red string, re-wove it, and tied it back.
She looked up at him and said only one word:
"Wait."
Rorschach looked at her and nodded.
"Okay."
That night, Rorschach was thinking about points. Since a Designated Travel required 50,000 points and he only had 37,200, it wasn't enough. He had to find some hidden superhumans to gain points.
Rorschach's telekinesis spread out as he began scanning for superhumans, his figure soaring into the night sky.
He planned to follow his old routine of clearing out several hidden strongholds and villainous superhumans.
Three hours later, before the night had faded, Rorschachreturned by the moonlight.
The system prompt rang out clearly: [Current total points: 55,000].
The corners of his lips quirked up—the points reached the target, and there were no more obstacles for the DC trip.
Three days later, at the safehouse.
Rorschach stood alone in the center of the living room, the system panel expanding in his consciousness.
[Current points: 55,000]
[Designated Travel cost: 50,000 points]
[Remaining points: 5,000]
It was enough.
He looked down at the red strings on his wrist—two of them, one faded and one bright.
The one Kimiko re-wove was sturdier, and Laura's was still as good as new.
Over the three days, he had talked to each of the five women individually.
Maeve said she would continue to control Vought, Starlight said she would protect the hope of this World, Erin said she would take care of everyone's mental health, and Kimiko said nothing, only grasping his wrist again before he left.
Raven stood at the door, looking at him.
"Ready?"
Rorschach nodded, because that Mr. Sinister's "Master" was a threat; without enough strength, he could only wait for death.
Raven walked over and pressed a light kiss on his forehead.
"Come back alive."
"Yeah."
Taking a deep breath, he muttered in his heart:
System, initiate Designated Travel.
[Travel permission unlocked. 50,000 points can be consumed to open Designated Travel. Confirm?]
"Confirm. DC Universe!"
[Phoenix Blessing Mark activated, coordinate anchoring stability +30%]
[Deducting points... Deduction successful.]
[Current points: 5,000]
[Adapting to designated World... Scanning...]
[New World detected: DC Universe (Earth-38 variant)]
[Timeline synchronizing... Synchronization complete. Anchor: Gotham City, abandoned pier, rainy night]
[Detected the existence of multiversal lifeforms in the target World; caution is advised.]
He opened his eyes, and a golden light gate slowly took shape in front of him.
On the other side of the door was torrential rain, neon lights, and the darkness and chaos unique to DC.
He looked back one last time—Raven stood at the door, and four figures came from the end of the hallway: Maeve, Starlight, Erin, and Kimiko. The five of them raised their wrists.
The red strings hung quietly.
Then he turned and stepped into the light gate.
The light swallowed his figure.
The light gate slowly closed, and the last sliver of light dissipated.
The safehouse returned to silence.
Raven said softly: "We'll wait."
At this time, Rorschach had already opened his eyes under the night sky of another World.
Chapter 177: Light Gate · Gotham Rainy Night
Rain hammered against the shipping containers, splashing into a fine mist.
At Gotham's abandoned docks, puddles reflected the fragmented neon lights. Bullet holes seeped dark red on the containers.
A golden light gate tore open out of thin air.
As Rorschach stepped out, the curtain of rain instantly soaked him. He lowered his head to confirm the faint shimmer of the Phoenix Mark on his wrist; the [Origin Masking Protocol] was steadily in effect.
[Travel permissions unlocked. Consuming 50,000 points: Designated travel in progress...]
[New World detected: DC Universe (Earth-38 Variant)]
[Origin Masking Protocol in effect. Current majority of abilities are in an undetectable state.]
[Current total points: 5,000]
Rorschach's Psychic Power swept across the city, his brow furrowing slightly: there was no discussion of "Superman."
No news of "Kal-El." No legends regarding a Kryptoniansavior.
He used Telekinesis Control and Psychic Power like radar waves to sweep across the North American continent.
No one in the streets of Metropolis discussed alien heroes; no red cape cut through the night sky in the darkness of Gotham.
"No Superman?" A hint of amusement crossed Rorschach's lips. "Gotham's night is emptier than expected."
A second later, his Super Vision pierced through the rain, locking onto an industrial building three kilometers away—a branch of Project Cadmus Laboratory.
Three floors underground, amidst the pale green halo of Kryptonite radiation, there was an abnormal energy fluctuation.
Rorschach locked onto that energy fluctuation. Just as he was about to teleport, his Super Hearing caught the sound of metal clashing—in the lab's ventilation ducts, a black figure was crawling rapidly.
Five seconds later, the figure leaped out of the duct opening, landing soundlessly.
A skin-tight bodysuit outlined sleek, athletic curves—wet black hair clung to the side of her face, and her skin shimmered under the dim lights.
Her features were exquisite and sharp, with a wild yet cunning light in her eyes. A cat-eared cowl, a long whip wrapped around her waist.
Catwoman.
She had just reached the edge of the main control room when her foot stepped into a puddle—the sharp sound of a minor electronic short-circuit rang out.
Alarms blared suddenly.
Twelve armed guards poured out from three directions, muzzles all pointed at her.
The leader sneered, "Catwoman? Mr. Luthor has been waiting for you for a long time."
Catwoman took half a step back, her whip unfurling, but she didn't strike—her back was against the wall, the main entrance was sealed, and the ventilation duct was too far away.
The guard grinned and squeezed the trigger.
In the next second, Rorschach teleported onto the scene.
No one saw clearly what happened.
The twelve guards froze simultaneously—each with a hair-thin puncture wound in the same spot on the back of their necks.
They collapsed to the ground like their bones had been removed.
He entered the scene with a Space Jump.
Super Speed ensured his movements were too fast for the naked eye to capture.
With the boost from Physical Enhancement, his fingers were hard enough to pierce through bone.
Twelve bodies, twelve wounds, in 0.3 seconds.
Catwoman's whip was still raised in mid-air, her pupils shrinking sharply.
Standing before her was a man—tall, with rain sliding down the lines of his face, deep features, and a lazy curl to his lips.
When those eyes swept over her, Catwoman felt as if she had been scanned by an X-ray.
Super Vision operated automatically—she had no weapons on her, no energy fluctuations, and there was a fresh scratch on the back of her hand, the blood beads being diluted by the rain.
[Target detected: Female, no super-powered gene reaction, no energy source fluctuations. Conclusion: Non-powered individual]
Rorschach's gaze lingered on her for a moment—the waist wrapped in the bodysuit was slender, her legs long, and her chest rose and fell slightly with her breath.
Finally, it stopped on the wound on the back of her right hand.
"Who are you?" Catwoman's voice was languid, laced with caution.
The smile in Rorschach's eyes deepened. "The name isn't important. What's important is... the wound on your hand needs to be treated. By the way... do you know if there's someone in this city called 'Superman'?"
Catwoman raised an eyebrow.
What kind of hellish question was that?
"Superman? Never heard of him." She retracted her whip and sized him up. "But lately, there's been a madman looking for an alien, apparently a girl."
Rorschach's eyes flickered slightly. "What kind of girl?"
Catwoman tilted her head. "The files say the main Base is at the North Pole, but the Cadmus branch has had abnormal energy fluctuations recently—she might be in transit."
She stared at Rorschach. "Are you interested?"
"It seems the Kryptonian bloodline... can be obtained soon," Rorschach thought to himself, then looked at her.
Telekinesis Control left a subtle Mental Mark on her.
"A little," Rorschach smiled. "Can we talk in detail?"
Catwoman looked at the twelve bodies on the ground, then back at him, her lips curling up slightly. "Are you asking me out?"
Rorschach didn't answer, turning to leave.
Catwoman called out to him, "Hey, I don't even know what you're called."
"Rorschach." He didn't look back, teleporting into the air amidst the rain, his figure suddenly vanishing.
Catwoman stood in place, her whip hanging by her feet.
She lightly tapped the corner of her lip with her fingertip and chuckled, "An interesting man."
It was already 3:00 AM by the time Catwoman returned to her Safehouse.
She took off her soaked bodysuit, changed into a robe, and sat down at her computer.
Her fingers tapped on the keyboard, pulling up the encrypted files she had been tracking recently.
A folder popped up on the screen: [North Pole Base · Kryptonian Imprisonment Files · Code Name K.Z.]
In the photo, a blonde girl was curled up in a Kryptonitecage, her blue eyes filled with exhaustion and defiance.
The caption below the file noted: Kara Zor-El, Kryptonian, captured... three months ago.
Catwoman picked up her coffee cup, remembering the change in the man's eyes when he heard "Kryptonian."
"Do you know this alien girl?" she murmured, the cold light of the screen reflecting on her face.
Outside the window, the rain was still falling.
Three muffled tolls came from the distant clock tower.
Catwoman finished her last sip of coffee, turned off the computer, and lay down in bed.
Before closing her eyes, the man's face and his smile before he vanished flashed through her mind.
"Rorschach..." she whispered his name and rolled over.
---
4:00 AM, Gotham's East End.
Rorschach leaned against the water tower railing, the post-rain wind carrying a damp, cold chill. The skin on his collarbone felt slightly warm—Catwoman was awake.
His [Super Hearing] swept over the Safehouse three kilometers away—the sound of her rolling over, bare feet stepping on the floor, the refrigerator door opening, the ring pull of a can being snapped, bubbles fizzing.
Then, a soft whisper: "Rorschach..."
Rorschach's eyebrows rose slightly.
Three seconds later, the heat of the Mental Mark surged—Catwoman was actively touching that spot.
He teleported over.
---
Moonlight broke through the clouds, and shallow puddles still sat on the rooftop.
Catwoman stepped barefoot through the puddles, the hem of her robe dripping water.
The black robe was loosely wrapped around her, the belt tied in a casual knot.
Her black hair was scattered over her shoulders, the ends slightly damp, with a few strands clinging to her cheeks.
The cunning in her eyes had faded, replaced by a languid scrutiny.
She stared into the void, her fingertip pressed just below her collarbone—on that burning spot.
"The mark you left is burning... Is it for you to find me whenever you want, or do you appear as soon as I touch it?"
Rorschach stepped out from the shadows.
Catwoman turned around.
He leaned against the doorframe of the stairwell, hands in his pockets, with that familiar curl to his lips.
"What did you leave on me?"
Catwoman took two steps closer, the collar of her robe opening slightly. With her movements, the lines of her thighs beneath the robe were faintly visible. "This place... it keeps heating up."
Rorschach didn't speak.
Catwoman lashed out with her long whip—the tip of the whip cut through the air, striking directly at his face.
Rorschach raised his hand, catching the tip of the whip between two fingers.
Catwoman pulled back hard, but it didn't budge an inch.
Chapter 178: Catwoman and Intelligence
She raised her eyebrows, let go of the whip, and shifted her body to close in on him—knee strikes, elbow strikes, and palm strikes, a series of close-combat techniques like a torrential storm.
Rorschach moved slightly, his [Super-speed Reaction 2.0] fully active.
Every one of Catwoman's attacks brushed past his clothes, missing by a hair's breadth, yet never once making contact.
Three seconds later, Rorschach caught her wrist, turned his body, and was already pressed against her back.
His arm circled her slender waist, his palm pressed against her lower abdomen.
The silk of her nightgown was as thin as a cicada's wing, her body heat transferring through the fabric.
"Is this enough testing?"
Catwoman's body stiffened, then immediately softened.
She looked back at him, her eyelashes casting fragmented Shadow in the moonlight. Her nose almost touched his chin, their breaths intertwining.
"You're different from other men," she said lazily, her voice airy.
Rorschach looked down. The neckline of her nightgown had loosened further, the rising and falling curve of her chest clearly visible.
The skin just below her collarbone was slightly flushed—right where the Psychic Mark was located.
"How am I different?"
"Those men want to sleep with me, and they can't hide it." Catwoman turned around, a shoulder strap of her nightgown slipping an inch, but she didn't care at all. Her fingertip hovered over that slightly warm spot below her collarbone—as if weighing a sheathed blade. "You're different. You want to sleep with me, but you're not in a hurry."
Rorschach smiled.
He released his hand from her waist, sliding it along her collarbone to the edge of the shoulder strap, lightly hooking it.
"What's the rush?" he said. "The night is still long."
---
The night flowed, and reflections in the Water puddles shattered into starlight.
When he opened his eyes again, they were inside Catwoman's safehouse.
The curtains weren't fully drawn, and moonlight leaked through the gap, laying a silver line across the floor.
The bedding was slightly wrinkled, and Catwoman's black hair was scattered on the pillow, making her skin look even more striking.
She wore a loose black silk nightgown, the neckline hanging open haphazardly to reveal her well-defined collarbones. The skin below her collarbone was tinged with a faint red from her emotions, and her shoulder line fell along the silhouette of the nightgown, carrying a lean yet flexible sense of power honed from years of traversing Gotham rooftops.
Rorschach's fingertips gently brushed the side of her waist.
Catwoman's waist was slender and tight; even through the thin nightgown, he could feel the warm, delicate touch of her skin and a faint old scar on her side—a mark left from the countless times she had escaped danger and fought in the darkness of Gotham.
When his fingertips brushed past, the muscles on her side instinctively tightened at first, then completely relaxed, shedding all external vigilance and thorns.
"Your hands..." she whispered, her voice carrying an imperceptible softness, "are cold."
Rorschach didn't answer.
His fingertips stopped at that old scar, his thumb gently rubbing the uneven texture of the scar tissue.
He understood this feeling all too well; every scar was proof of walking through the darkness.
Catwoman reached up to hook his neck, pulling him down gently.
The moment their lips met, the fragrance of her hair spread—the light scent of shampoo mixed with the night wind of Gotham, a wild and gentle aura uniquely hers.
Their breaths gradually intertwined.
A faint red tinged the corners of Catwoman's eyes, and her long lashes trembled slightly.
She turned her head away, burying her face in the crook of his neck, her breath sweeping over his skin with her unique warmth.
Moonlight shone on her face, from the flushed corners of her eyes to her slightly pursed lips, then to the pulse gently throbbing at the side of her neck. Every part of her had shed its usual cunning and aloofness, leaving only complete trust and relaxation.
From testing to opening her heart.
From the flush at the corners of her eyes to complete trust.
From a thorny aloofness to shedding all armor and giving herself over without reservation.
She wrapped her arms around his waist, completely surrendering herself to the man before her who also walked in the darkness but shared the same bottom line.
---
[Intimate contact detected (Female target: Selina Kyle/Catwoman)]
[Scanning... Target has no super-powered genetic reaction, no energy source fluctuations]
[No ability acquired, no points feedback]
[Current total points: 5000]
---
Catwoman's fingertips slowly traced his forearm as the moonlight shifted to the foot of the bed, illuminating the messy wrinkles on the bedding.
Her fingertips brushed over his wrist—touching a red string.
Her movement paused.
"Is there a story?"
Rorschach chuckled softly. "It's for saving my life."
Catwoman didn't press further. She rolled over and took a data disk from the nightstand, pressing it into Rorschach's hand.
"The alien you're looking for is at the North Pole," she leaned back against his chest, her voice lazy. "That fellow Luthor detected something crashing at the North Pole a few months ago. After sending people to search, they found a Kryptonian girl. When she was first captured, she couldn't even stand steadily, as if she hadn't adapted to Earth yet."
Rorschach's eyes flickered. "Kryptonite?"
"A mineral Luthor discovered during experiments that can suppress an alien's power." Catwoman pointed at the data disk. "Everything is in there—the Kryptonite purification process diagrams, the Base ventilation duct structural diagrams, the guard rotation schedule. The North PoleBase, codename K.Z, she's locked on the third underground level."
Rorschach's [Genius Brain 2.0] operated at full speed, his Psychic Power sweeping through the data disk as information flooded into his mind like a tide.
[Target intelligence detected: Kara Zor-El, female, Kryptonian]
[Current status: Imprisoned, weak, comprehensive level 2.5]
[Suggestion: Contact as soon as possible to acquire Kryptonian abilities]
A sharp light flashed in Rorschach's eyes.
"A Kryptonian..." he said softly, "captured right after arriving on Earth."
Catwoman looked up at him. "You know her?"
Rorschach didn't answer and looked down at her.
Moonlight shone on her face; the cunning in her eyes had faded, replaced by some genuine exhaustion.
"Thanks," he said.
Catwoman smiled. "We each get what we need."
Rorschach stood up and put on his coat. Catwoman sat up wrapped in the bedsheet, watching him.
"Will you come back?"
Rorschach turned back, his lips curling into a smirk. "Depends."
Catwoman shrugged and lay back down. "Just don't die."
Rorschach disappeared into the night.
Catwoman stared at the ceiling, murmuring after a long while, "This man is like an unopened blade—dangerous, yet makes one want to hold it."
---
Morning light leaked through the broken window, cutting long, slanted bands of light onto the floor.
The phone screen displayed: 06:17, 71 hours remaining until the North Pole operation.
On the edge of Gotham, in an abandoned industrial area.
Rorschach leaned against the corner of a wall, the data disk in his hand reflecting a faint light.
His Psychic Power swept the surroundings—no people, no surveillance, no energy fluctuations.
The data disk was plugged into the phone.
The screen lit up, and files popped up one by one.
[Top Secret · Luthor Corp · Project Codename: Kryptonian]
[Capture Target: Female, identifies as "Kara Zor-El", the last batch of Kryptonian survivors]
[Capture Time: 3 months ago, Earth standard time]
[Capture Location: Arctic Circle 82°N · Crash site coordinates encrypted]
[Current Status: Imprisoned in the third underground level of the North Pole ice field underground Base · Kryptoniteradiation cage]
[Physiological Status: Weak, yellow sun energy absorption rate less than 5%, comprehensive threat level temporarily estimated at 2.5]
[Notes: The target could not even stand when she first arrived on Earth, suspected first contact with the Sun. Kryptonite radiation can completely suppress her abilities; long-term imprisonment for research is recommended]
Chapter 179: Batman and the Prisoner of the North Pole
Rorschach narrowed his eyes.
Attached to the file was a photo—inside a metal cage, a blonde girl curled up in a corner.
The pale green glow of Kryptonite enveloped her, and the tattered gray prison uniform couldn't hide her thin shoulder blades.
She hugged her knees, chin resting on her arms, blue eyes staring at the camera; there was no fear in her gaze, only defiance.
[Target detected: Kara Zor-El, female, Kryptonian]
[Obtainable abilities: Kryptonian Bloodline, Steel Body, Super Strength, Super Speed, Heat Vision, Flight, Super Hearing, Super Vision, Bio-electric Field, Freeze Breath, X-ray Vision—11 items in total]
[Current total points: 5000]
Rorschach stared at the screen, licking his upper lip.
"A full set of Kryptonian abilities..." he whispered, "I have to get this."
He continued scrolling through the file.
[Kryptonite Research Report · Appendix A]
[Kryptonite Source: Peculiar minerals discovered around the crash site, tested to be of the same origin as the wreckage of the Kryptonian spaceship]
[Properties: Releases specific frequency radiation that inhibits energy absorption in Kryptonian cells. Green Kryptonite causes weakness, Red Kryptonite can control behavior, and Gold Kryptonite permanently strips abilities (limited experimental samples)]
[Applications: Manufactured into various weapons such as shackles, radiation lamps, and bullets]
[Note: Target is extremely sensitive to Kryptonite, losing all abilities upon proximity]
Rorschach zoomed in on the structure map of the Base.
Three levels underground. The entrance was disguised as a scientific research station.
About 50 guards, conventionally armed, some equipped with Kryptonite weapons.
The core cell was located at the deepest part, surrounded by Kryptonite radiation lamps; entry and exit required wearing protective suits.
Ventilation duct diagrams. Power system diagrams. Guard rotation schedules.
Rorschach's [Genius Brain 2.0] ran at full speed—three seconds later, an infiltration route formed in his mind.
Data streams exploded like a galaxy before instantly snapping back into place.
The 0.3-second gap in guard shifts, the structural weakness of the third ventilation duct node, the power circuit of the Kryptonite radiation lamps... every detail was crystal clear.
He tapped the screen, and three infiltration paths lit up in red; the corners of his mouth curled into a confident arc.
He put away his phone and stood up.
Outside the window, the Sun grew a bit brighter.
Rorschach walked to the broken window and looked toward the north.
Super Vision pierced through the clouds, locking onto the direction of the North Pole—four thousand kilometers away, deep within the ice fields, a pale Green Kryptoniteglow flickered faintly.
The corner of his mouth quirked up.
"Kara Zor-El..." he murmured, "the last daughter of Kryptonian."
Turning around, he vanished into the shadows.
---
Catwoman's safehouse.
The curtains were still drawn, and the bed remained messy.
Catwoman sat by the window wrapped in a robe, holding a cup of cold coffee.
She stared out the window, her fingertips unconsciously tapping the side of the cup.
That man had been gone for two hours.
No contact info left, no next meeting scheduled; even his name might be fake.
Catwoman put down the coffee cup and lay back on the bed.
His scent still lingered on the pillow.
She turned on her side, her fingertips tracing the spot where he had lain on the sheets.
"Don't die, you bastard."
She whispered, closing her eyes.
——And now, four hours later.
The night deepened into an inky blue, and the cold wind on the rooftop of an abandoned building in Gotham's East District was stagnant.
Four muffled chimes came from the distant clock tower—4:17 AM.
Rorschach leaned against the water tower railing, tapping his fingertips three times; the data disk felt slightly cool in his palm.
[Super Hearing 2.0] suddenly captured a breath in the shadows three hundred meters away: steady rhythm, 62 beats per minute—hardly an ordinary person.
[Super Vision 2.0] pierced through the darkness—on the opposite rooftop, within the shadow of the water tower, a black silhouette knelt on one knee.
Night-vision goggles reflected a faint light, and a cape hung down in the windless air.
A low chuckle escaped Rorschach's throat, but there was no warmth in his eyes.
He didn't turn his head or move; he simply put the data disk into his pocket.
His fingertips tapped the railing, his rhythm quietly syncing with that steady breath three hundred meters away.
"Come out." The voice wasn't loud, but it exploded clearly in the silence.
After a moment.
A black figure stepped out from the shadows, crossed the gap between the two buildings, and landed on the edge of the rooftop. The landing was silent, and the cape flared out behind him before hanging down.
Batman.
The black batsuit merged with the night, revealing only the cold, hard lines of his jaw.
The muscle contours under the armor were solid, with Batarangs and a Grapple Gun hanging from his waist.
Those eyes stared at Rorschach through white lenses, as if trying to see right through him.
Rorschach turned around, leaning against the railing with his hands in his pockets.
"Wayne Enterprises' satellites," Batman began, his voice low and raspy, as if ground out from the depths of his throat, "detected an anomaly: energy readings at the North Pole Base surged, synchronized with an unknown signal from Gotham's East District. At the same time, twelve guards at a Project Cadmus Laboratory branch died, cause of Death identical—puncture wounds to the back of the neck."
He paused.
"Nothing was caught on surveillance. But I found this on the rooftop." He took a small plastic bag from his waist, containing a drop of dried blood, "Yours?"
Rorschach glanced at it but didn't answer.
Batman approached two steps, a distance of five meters. This distance was enough for him to throw three Batarangs, and enough for Rorschach to snap his neck before he could lift a hand.
"Who are you? Why come to Gotham?"
Rorschach leaned against the railing, the arc of his mouth unchanged: "Someone who knows better than Luthor that a Kryptonian fleet is approaching. Also, waiting for someone."
"Waiting for whom?"
"Trouble bigger than you." Rorschach looked up at the northern sky, "Kryptonians, an entire fleet."
Batman remained silent for two seconds. His eyes behind the lenses didn't blink.
"How do you know?"
Rorschach turned back and looked at him: "Because my perception covers the globe."
He raised his hand and pointed toward the sky: "I've discovered abnormal energy fluctuations at the edge of the solar system, with a frequency identical to Kryptoniantechnology. The threat is approaching."
Batman didn't move. His heart rate remained at fifty-two beats, his breathing steady.
"Why tell me this?"
Rorschach shrugged: "Because you can find out. Instead of letting you dig slowly, it's better to just say it."
Batman stared at him for five seconds. Ten seconds.
"What about Catwoman?"
"Alive." Rorschach's mouth curled up, "You care about her?"
Batman didn't answer. He took a communicator from his waist and threw it over. Rorschach reached out and caught it—the size of a cigarette pack, matte black, with the Wayne Enterprises logo engraved on the side.
"Need help? Use this." Batman turned, his cape billowing, "But don't cause trouble in Gotham."
He leaped off the rooftop, his Grapple Gun firing, and the black figure disappeared among the buildings.
Rorschach looked down at the communicator.
Super Vision pierced through the casing—inside was hidden a micro-tracker, a positioning chip, and a listening module, all fully equipped.
He laughed.
"Interesting." Rorschach casually stuffed the communicator into his pocket as Nanite Control activated—three Nanitescrawled out from his fingertips, slipped into the gaps of the communicator, and silently paralyzed the tracking module.
He looked up, gazing in the direction where Batman had disappeared.
[Target detected: Bruce Wayne/Batman]
[Ability Assessment: Peak Human(Intelligence/Combat/Technology) | No super-powered genes | Unobtainable]
[Note: Be wary of his tracking methods]
[Current points: 5000]
---
Beneath Gotham, in the Batcave.
Bruce Wayne took off his batsuit and sat down at the main console.
On the screen, a satellite image froze on the rooftop of the abandoned building—Rorschach's profile leaning against the railing.
"Analysis complete," Alfred's voice came from behind. "There are no records of this person in any global database. Fingerprints, DNA, facial recognition—no matches at all."
Bruce stared at the screen without speaking.
"Sir," Alfred stepped closer, "the Kryptonian fleet he mentioned..."
"I detected it." Bruce pulled up another set of data, "At the edge of the Phantom Zone, energy fluctuations are intensifying. Three ships, forty-eight life signals."
He fell silent for a moment.
"He's not an enemy. At least not for now."
Alfred nodded. "And the tracker you left?"
Bruce glanced at the screen. The tracking signal had disappeared ten minutes ago, last positioned in an alley in Gotham's East District—inside a trash can.
"He knew." Bruce's mouth moved slightly, in an almost imperceptible curve, "He was telling me that he knows I'm watching."
Alfred smiled. "Then what do you plan to do?"
Bruce leaned back in his chair, staring at the profile on the screen.
"Wait."
Chapter 180: The North Pole, Deep into the Ice Cave
Arctic Circle, 135 degrees East longitude, 82 degrees North latitude.
The blizzard had just stopped, and the ice fields under the polar night shimmered with a ghostly blue light of death.
The domed building of the Scientific Research Station was like a malignant tumor growing on the permafrost; several powerful searchlights repeatedly swept through the night, illuminating the dancing snow particles like fine shards of glass.
Rorschach stood on the back of an ice ridge three kilometers away; the wind and snow seemed to be brushed aside by an invisible hand three feet from his body, unable to touch the hem of his clothes in the slightest.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, and his vision instantly elongated; the layers of thick permafrost and alloy casing appeared before his eyes like paper as thin as a cicada's wing.
On the third basement level, metal corridors crisscrossed.
He clearly captured the frequency of those guards' heartbeats, as well as an extremely faint vital sign in the innermost cell—a slow heartbeat and a cold body temperature.
"Found you."
Rorschach's figure swayed slightly; without any redundant movements, he vanished silently into the wind and snow like ink dissolving into water.
As he stepped onto the ice, his body underwent a strange molecular vibration in an instant.
This was the Molecular Mimicry brought by Phase Penetration; the permafrost, as hard as iron, lost its physical properties before him, and he sank underground like a ghost.
Concrete, rebar, and reinforcement layers—defenses sufficient to withstand missiles—were merely ethereal phantoms in front of him.
Third basement level, cell corridor.
He emerged smoothly from the wall, like a reflection stepping out of a mirror.
At the end of the corridor, two guards leaned against the door, chewing cheap gum and chatting idly about last night's ball game.
Rorschach stepped out of the shadows, his footsteps perfectly controlled in a vacuum-like silence.
The two guards didn't even have time to turn their heads before a slight numbness simultaneously came from the back of their necks.
Their eyes widened, and before their bodies could fall, Rorschach caught them with one hand and leaned them gently against the wall as if they were just asleep.
He pushed open the heavy metal door.
A thick, nauseating green aura rushed toward him.
The circular cell was about twenty meters in diameter, its walls covered with writhing energy conduits, and the Kryptonite radiation lamps in the four corners emitted a desperate, sickly green glow.
In the center stood a transparent cylindrical cage; Kryptonite shackles were deeply embedded in the walls, locking the wrists and ankles of the person inside.
The blonde girl curled up at the bottom, her prison uniform tattered, her feet bare, the chains clinking softly with her breath.
She was too thin.
The oversized gray prison uniform hung on her like an abandoned cloth bag.
Her collarbones were deeply sunken, the sharp curve of her shoulder blades was startling, and her arms were so thin they looked as if they would break at a touch.
But she raised her head.
Those blue eyes stared fixedly at Rorschach through the thin layer of glass.
There was no fear, no pleading, only the wildness and stubbornness of a trapped beast.
Her blonde hair was draped messily over her shoulders, making her pale face look even thinner.
Rorschach approached, and a needle-like stinging sensation came from his skin. The Kryptonite radiation was frantically eroding his cells, but he merely twitched the corner of his mouth casually.
Physical Strengthening allowed him to withstand this corrosion, though it was not pleasant.
He raised his hand, and a cluster of ghostly blue electric arcs danced at his fingertips; the arcs seemed alive as they precisely bored into the power supply lines of the radiation lamps.
"Zzz—Zap!"
The four lamps exploded simultaneously, and the green halo vanished in an instant.
Rorschach gripped the gaps of the cage with both hands, the muscle lines under his trench coat tightening instantly like a fully drawn bow.
"Crack!"
The reinforced fiberglass made a piercing tearing sound as he forcibly ripped open a gap. He jumped inside and crouched in front of the girl.
"You..." The girl's voice was raspy, as if rubbed against sandpaper.
Rorschach didn't waste words and grabbed the cold Kryptonite shackles. A strange ripple rose from his fingertips, and the originally indestructible metal turned into dust and scattered like weathered sand in his hands.
Wrists, ankles—all restraints were gone.
"The person saving you." He looked at her, "Can you walk?"
Kara stared at him for three seconds, a hint of complexity flashing in her eyes. She tried to stand up by bracing against the cage wall, but she completely lost her strength due to muscle atrophy and fell straight forward.
Rorschach reached out and steadily supported her waist.
Her waist under the prison uniform was incredibly thin; through the coarse fabric, he could even clearly feel her protruding ribs.
"Go, quickly! The Self-destruct Sequence has started!" Kara breathed rapidly, her nails almost digging into his arm; it was her last bit of strength.
She grit her teeth, trying to stand steady, but her legs wouldn't stop trembling.
Rorschach let go and allowed her to lean against him.
Kara looked up, examining her savior seriously for the first time—he was half a head taller than her, his facial features sharp as if carved by a knife, his eyes carried a cynical smile, but the hand supporting her was as steady as a mountain.
"Thank you," she said, her voice still raspy.
"Don't be so quick to thank me." Rorschach's mouth curled up. "Because you are a Kryptonian. I am very interested in... Kryptonian Bloodline."
Kara's eyes instantly became wary, and her body instinctively recoiled.
Rorschach shrugged with an indifferent expression: "Don't overthink it, I don't have time for that. Let's go."
He supported her as they walked out, every step feeling like a race against the God of Death.
Every step Kara took was extremely heavy; the sharp pain of muscle atrophy caused cold sweat to break out on her forehead, but she didn't let out a single groan.
At the end of the corridor, the metal door was slammed open. Eight guards filed in, the heart-stopping green light from their muzzles flickering in the darkness.
"Watch out, that's—" Kara's pupils constricted.
Before she could finish, Rorschach had already disappeared.
He didn't use any fancy moves; it was just pure speed.
This was a Super-speed Reaction 2.0 that surpassed human limits; it was as if only a black afterimage remained in the air, and the eight guards didn't even have time to pull their triggers before they felt a cold numbness in the back of their necks.
"Thud, thud..."
The bodies fell one after another, the sound of guns hitting the floor crisp and dense.
Rorschach withdrew his hand and turned back to Kara's side.
Kara's eyes widened, and her breathing stopped. In that moment, she felt as if time had been forcibly shredded by some power.
"Let's go." Rorschach's tone was calm, as if he had just swatted a group of flies.
They passed through the corridor and climbed the stairs.
Ground level, the Scientific Research Station's main hall.
Ten guards were gathering there; seeing them appear, their muzzles were instantly aimed.
Rorschach raised his hand, and the energy fluctuations in the air seemed to be mobilized by him at this moment, letting out an angry roar.
"Bang bang bang!"
The guns in the guards' hands exploded instantly, and hot metal fragments burst into their own bodies. Screams erupted in the hall, and blood instantly stained the floor red.
He supported Kara as they walked out of the Scientific Research Station.
On the ice field, the gale had risen again.
Snowflakes pelted their faces, as cold as a knife's edge. Kara took a deep breath and looked up at the starry sky under the polar night. This was the first time she had seen the true sky since arriving on Earth.
Rorschach let go of her, letting her stand on her own. She swayed, steadied herself, and turned to look at the man.
"Are you alone?"
Rorschach nodded.
"Go, quickly! They have a self-destruct—"
Boom!
The Earth shook violently, and a muffled explosion came from deep beneath the Scientific Research Station.
The ground collapsed, and the snow poured down like a tsunami. Rorschach picked up Kara and soared into the sky.
Behind them, the domed building exploded with a roar, flames breaking through the ice and illuminating half the sky like daylight. The Impact chased after them, but Rorschach's figure was like lightning as he carried Karaand disappeared into the end of the night sky.
Kara leaned in his arms, her blonde hair tousled by the gale. She looked up at his profile, the flames reflected in his eyes like two dancing fires.
"Who on Earth are you?"
Rorschach looked down at her, the corner of his mouth curving into that lazy arc.
"Rorschach," he said. "A... passerby."
Kara didn't ask again.
She leaned back into his arms and closed her eyes, feeling the unprecedented, reassuring warmth from this man.
Chapter 181: Redemption · First Meeting with Kara
Inside the abandoned Scientific Research Station, the emergency light bulb flickered with a dim yellow light, casting flickering shadows on the surrounding walls.
Outside the window, a blizzard raged wildly across the wilderness, snow particles battering the glass with a fine, crackling sound.
Kara huddled in a corner wrapped in a sleeping bag, her azure eyes never leaving the hearth fire for a moment.
Rorschach leaned against the opposite wall; with a gentle flick of his finger, the metal can lid popped off.
He casually handed the can over, his tone flat: "Eat."
Kara took the can, the steam wafting over her face and making her eyes slightly red.
This was the first time she had seen hot food since being imprisoned.
She scooped up a spoonful and put it in her mouth, her movements slow but continuous.
Rorschach watched her quietly.
Her blonde hair was draped casually over her shoulders, and her cheeks were gaunt, but the light in those blue eyes was much brighter than it had been in the cell.
Wrapped in the sleeping bag, the outline of her shoulder blades was still prominent, but she finally had a bit more color compared to when she was first rescued.
"Slow down," he said.
Kara looked up at him and gave a muffled response with food still in her mouth.
Once the can was empty, she took a deep breath and set down the spoon.
She pulled back a corner of the sleeping bag, revealing her bare feet.
At her ankles, the two red marks rubbed raw by Kryptoniteshackles were startling to behold.
"Can you stand up?" Rorschach asked.
Kara nodded and pushed herself up against the wall; her body swayed, but she finally steadied herself.
She tried taking a couple of steps; though her leg muscles were still trembling slightly, she felt much stronger than the limp state she had been in at the Base.
Rorschach raised his hand, a gentle stream of energy overflowing from his fingertips.
This wasn't just simple charging; it was a transformation of the bio-energy he had plundered in the Black Robe World, which could greatly alleviate the pain of Kara's muscle atrophy.
Kara's body shuddered violently; it felt like parched land being watered by spring rain, warmth rising from her very marrow.
"This is..." Her eyes widened.
"Charging," Rorschach withdrew his hand, his expression as usual. "A simulated version of yellow Sun radiation. Your body is too weak right now; it's not worth me making a move."
Kara felt the power surging within her, a faint shimmer appearing at her fingertips.
"Thank you," she said softly, then looked up at Rorschach. "My name is Kara Zor-El, a Kryptonian."
Rorschach nodded.
Kara sat back in the sleeping bag, hugging her knees, the hearth fire dancing in her pupils.
"When Kryptonian was destroyed, my father put me on a spaceship."
She spoke, her voice as steady as if she were telling a distant fable.
"The destination was Earth, to find my cousin Kal-El. He left more than a decade before me and should have already taken root on this Planet."
Rorschach's eyes shifted slightly: "You can't sense him?"
Kara shook her head: "A massive spaceship suddenly appeared near my ship's flight path, much larger than ours. Then everything went chaotic... By the time I woke up, I had been captured by Earthlings and locked in that damned cage."
She lowered her head, her blonde hair obscuring her face.
"They said Karl might have died halfway here."
Rorschach was silent for two seconds and walked to the window.
At this moment, his Super Hearing extended fully toward space; those originally chaotic sound waves, electromagnetic waves, and energy pulses were instantly disassembled into an orderly flow of information in his mind.
Three seconds later, he caught it.
At the edge of the Solar System, near the Kuiper Belt, a weak energy fluctuation was emanating from a rift covered by spatial distortion.
It was a pulse signal unique to Kryptonian technology.
He turned and looked at Kara: "He's not dead."
Kara snapped her head up, her blue eyes filled with shock: "What?"
Rorschach walked back to her, his tone calm: "There is a spatial rift at the edge of the Solar System. There is a life signal inside, with a frequency identical to yours."
Kara was stunned, her lips trembling, her fingertips digging hard into her palms.
"Can you save him?" she asked.
Rorschach looked into her eyes—stubbornness, expectation, mixed with a hint of fear of the unknown.
"We'll talk about it later," he said. "Recover from your injuries first."
Kara nodded and didn't push further.
She looked down, her gaze falling on the red string on Rorschach's wrist.
"There... seems to be a trajectory of the Sun here."
Rorschach said calmly, "A promise."
Kara asked softly, "Once things are settled here, will you go back?"
Rorschach was silent, then nodded.
Kara reached out and took his hand.
Her hand was still ice-cold, but she gripped it tightly, as if it were her only anchor in the blizzard.
"Then I'll accompany you," she said.
Rorschach looked down at her.
There was no ambiguity in those blue eyes, only a pure determination—you save me, I stay with you.
Simple as the Sun of Kryptonian, fiery and direct.
"Survive first, then we'll talk."
Kara smiled, let go of his hand, and leaned back into the sleeping bag.
The hearth fire was about to go out, and the blizzard battered the window frames. After an unknown amount of time, Kara fell into a deep sleep.
Rorschach sat by the window, staring at the snowy plains outside, his Super Hearing constantly covering a fifty-kilometer radius.
At three in the morning, the sound of engines tore through the blizzard.
Three snowmobiles were speeding from the southeast, twenty kilometers away. Rorschach narrowed his eyes, his hearing locking onto their conversation.
"The target's energy signal was last seen in this area. Search all abandoned buildings."
"Mr. Luthor said he wants them alive. Prepare the Kryptonite weapons."
The corners of Rorschach's mouth curled into a cold line.
He stood up and walked to Kara's side.
She was sleeping deeply, her brow relaxed; this was the first time she had truly relaxed in three months.
Rorschach didn't wake her. He turned, pushed open the door, and stepped into the blizzard.
The three snowmobiles stopped five hundred meters away from the research station.
Twelve armed personnel got off, holding Kryptoniteweapons, and surrounded the area in a fan-shaped formation.
The leader raised his hand to make a gesture—a figure stepped out of the blizzard.
"Good evening," Rorschach said.
The guards were stunned for a second, then raised their guns.
The next second, Rorschach vanished from the spot.
This was a perfect overlap of Space Jump and high-speed reaction; twelve afterimages flickered simultaneously in the blizzard.
Dull thuds exploded as bodies collapsed into the snow, Kryptonite weapons scattering everywhere.
Twelve seconds, twelve corpses.
Rorschach withdrew his hand, flicked his toe to kick up a Kryptonite gun, and caught it.
An energy ripple rose from his palm, and the gun barrel instantly melted into a lump of scrap metal.
Behind him, the door to the research station was pushed open.
Kara stood there leaning against the doorframe, the sleeping bag draped over her, her blue eyes staring at him.
She had been awakened by the sound of engines and arrived just in time to see the last three men fall.
"You..."
"Did I wake you?" Rorschach walked back to her side.
Kara looked at him, then at the corpses strewn across the snow.
Three seconds of silence.
"Call me next time," she said, turning to walk back inside.
The corners of Rorschach's mouth quirked up as he followed her in.
The door closed, and the blizzard continued to howl.
Chapter 182: Icefield Training
Arctic Circle, the third day of the midnight Sun was at its peak, the Sun that never set illuminating the icefield with a pale, blinding glare.
Rorschach chose a new hiding place deep inside a natural glacial cave.
Above was a thirty-meter-thick ice cap, and the entrance was hidden within a complex network of fissures.
A wisp of scorching red light condensed at his fingertips, precisely melting several ventilation holes into the hard ice wall.
The cave was dry and cold, but compared to the research station that could be discovered at any moment, this was undoubtedly a safe fortress.
Kara sat cross-legged in the beam of light falling from the cave entrance, her golden hair glowing with warmth in the light and shadow.
Three days had passed, and the alarming hollows in her cheeks had already filled out.
Her lip color had returned to a healthy pale pink, and those azure eyes had turned from their initial wariness to an increasingly clear brightness.
Rorschach leaned against the opposite ice wall, his gaze drifting over her.
In his vision, the cells in Kara's body were greedily devouring solar radiation, her energy fluctuations climbing steadily at a visible rate.
Muscle density was increasing, bone strength was being reshaped, and a metallic cold light even faintly shimmered on the surface of her skin.
That was the Steel Body fully awakening.
Kara opened her eyes and let out a long breath of white mist.
"I feel... a bit different."
She looked down at her palms and clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles making a crisp cracking sound.
"I have strength now."
Rorschach pulled an iron rod from behind him—pure industrial steel he had picked up from the corpses of the guards a few days ago.
He tossed it casually; the iron rod sliced through the air and landed precisely in front of Kara.
Kara caught the iron rod and looked up at him in confusion.
"Strike your own hand with it."
Kara raised an eyebrow, a hint of stubbornness flashing in her eyes. Then, without any hesitation, she slammed it hard against her forearm.
"Clang!"
The crisp sound of metal clashing echoed through the cave.
The iron rod bounced back, leaving only a shallow white mark on Kara's forearm. That mark quickly dissolved within three seconds, her skin returning to its original state.
Kara was stunned. She widened her eyes, repeatedly stroking her arm.
"Steel Body," Rorschach said calmly. "Ordinary weapons can no longer hurt you."
Kara stared at her arm, then at the now-deformed iron rod, and a grin slowly spread across her face.
That was the first time Rorschach had seen her smile.
It wasn't a polite expression of gratitude, but a heartfelt, somewhat childish ecstasy.
"Again!"
She proactively raised the iron rod and struck her thigh hard once more.
"Clang!"
Still a white mark, still disappearing instantly.
A slight curve formed at the corner of Rorschach's mouth.
Kara threw down the iron rod and leaped up from the ground.
She moved her shoulders, feeling the unprecedented surge of power within her. Looking at the beam of sunlight at the cave entrance, she suddenly spoke: "I want to learn Flight."
Rorschach nodded. "Let's go."
...
On the icefield, the snow was blindingly bright under the Sun.
Kara stood at the edge of an ice ridge, arms spread wide, eyes closed, taking a deep breath.
She recalled memory fragments left by her father—a Kryptonian's Flight did not rely on wings but on a Bio-electric Field repelling gravity.
"Relax," Rorschach stood behind her. "Don't use brute force; feel the energy flow within your body."
Kara closed her eyes. Three seconds later, her body floated slightly, twenty centimeters off the ground.
"I did it!"
She opened her eyes in surprise, and in the next second, she lost her balance.
"Thud!"
She plunged headfirst into the thick snow.
Rorschach walked over. She was crawling out of the snow, her face covered in ice crystals, her blonde hair matted with fine frost.
She looked up at him, her blue eyes full of defiance.
"Damn it! Why can't I stay up?"
Rorschach reached out to pull her up, casually brushing the snow off her shoulders. "Every Kryptonian goes through this. You just arrived on Earth and haven't learned how to master this power yet."
Kara wiped the snow off her face and gritted her teeth. "Again."
The second time, she floated thirty centimeters, held it for five seconds, then lost her balance and plunged into the snow again.
The third time, she floated half a meter and tried to surge forward, but ended up doing a somersault. Her head got stuck in a snowdrift, her legs kicking wildly in the air.
Rorschach couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Kara pulled her head out of the snow, her hair a mess like a bird's nest and her face covered in snow, but those blue eyes were still incredibly bright.
She glared at Rorschach. "What are you laughing at!"
Rorschach walked over, helped her up, and brushed the ice crystals out of her hair.
"Keep your center of gravity low," he said. "When taking off, don't think about rushing forward; stabilize your verticality first. The energy moves up from the soles of your feet, not out from your chest."
Kara nodded thoughtfully.
The fourth time.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and her body slowly floated up—one meter off the ground, stabilized.
Then she carefully leaned forward and actually drifted forward slowly for a short distance.
Although she eventually tilted and crashed sideways into the snow, this time, when she crawled out, she was smiling like a child.
"I flew! Even if only for a few seconds!"
Rorschach leaned against the ice ridge, watching her smile, the curve of his mouth softening.
During a break in training, Kara sat on the snow, hugging her knees as she looked at the distant ice mountains.
The Sun shone on her, outlining her silhouette with a golden edge.
"Why are you willing to teach me?" she suddenly asked, without turning her head.
Rorschach was silent for two seconds. "Because you, becoming stronger, are more useful than you, being weak."
Kara turned to look at him.
"To me, and to this World, both," Rorschach said.
Kara stared at him for three seconds, then nodded and turned back to look at the ice mountains.
"I will be," she said softly.
...
The Sun circled the sky of the midnight Sun, with no intention of setting.
Kara continued to practice.
The fifth time, she flew ten meters. The sixth time, twenty meters.
The seventh time, she stabilized her form in the air, slowly flew a circle around an ice mountain, and then landed steadily in front of Rorschach.
Her legs buckled upon landing, but she forced herself to stay upright.
She stood there, her chest heaving, fine sweat on her forehead. The sunlight highlighted her newly developed muscle lines, and the timidness in her blue eyes faded, replaced by a sharp light.
"I did it."
Rorschach nodded. "Not bad."
Kara smiled—it was the most brilliant smile he had seen in these three days.
Then she looked up at the sky and suddenly froze.
"What is that?"
Rorschach looked where she was pointing—in the distance, at the edge of the icefield, the silhouettes of three snowmobiles were rapidly approaching.
He narrowed his eyes, his Super Hearing instantly expanding, capturing their conversation.
"Target life signal confirmed. It's her."
"Kryptonite weapons ready. Mr. Luthor wants her alive."
"Watch out for that man. He's the one who killed everyone at the research station."
The curve of Rorschach's mouth turned cold.
"Coming to seek death again," he said softly.
Kara turned to look at him, the smile on her face fading, replaced by a warrior's calm.
"I'll help you this time."
Rorschach glanced at her and nodded.
"Keep close to me."
Before he finished speaking, his figure had already blurred into an afterimage.
The roar of the snowmobile engines came to an abrupt halt—three guards slumped into the snow, the blood from their necks not yet congealed.
Rorschach flicked his finger and raised an eyebrow at Kara. "Warm-up's over. I'll leave the rest for you to practice on."
Chapter 183: The Intrusion of the Female Reporter
A week had passed since Kara was rescued.
Inside the abandoned Scientific Research Station in the North Pole, sunlight refracted through the cracked ice, casting mottled blue light on the ground.
Kara sat cross-legged on a sleeping bag, clutching a crumpled newspaper in her hand—it was a copy of the Daily Planet that Rorschach had scavenged from the ruins.
She stared at the small print in the bottom right corner of the front page, her brows furrowed: "Metropolis police say the Kryptonite black market has been active recently, suspected to be related to a certain alien incident."
"Finished reading?" Rorschach leaned against the ice wall, nimbly twirling a dagger he had seized from a guard.
Kara looked up, her expression complicated: "The 'alien incident' mentioned... is it talking about me?"
Rorschach's lips curled into a playful smirk: "Guess."
Just as Kara was about to retort, Rorschach suddenly raised his hand, signaling her to be quiet.
He closed his eyes, and his [Super Hearing] instantly caught the sound of an SUV engine crushing the snow three kilometers away.
Traveling alone, female, heart rate slightly fast but extremely steady.
He stood up and walked toward the cave entrance: "Someone's coming."
Kara stood up instantly, her muscles tensed, ready for battle.
Rorschach didn't look back: "Stay put."
...
Outside the ruins of the Scientific Research Station, a red SUV skidded to a halt on the snow.
The door pushed open, and a woman stepped out.
Long red hair fluttered wildly in the wind, and the hem of her trench coat was blown open, revealing a slender figure outlined by a tight sweater underneath.
She strode forward in snow boots, her features delicate and sharp, with a hunter-like glint in her eyes—the unique insight of a reporter, like a hawk staring at its prey.
She was Lois Lane.
Just as she reached the edge of the ruins, a figure slowly walked out from behind an ice ridge.
"This place doesn't host tourists." Rorschach leaned against the ice wall, hands in his pockets.
Lois stopped in her tracks, her gaze sizing him up from top to bottom.
He was tall and handsome, with sharp facial features and a hint of cynicism in his eyes, but the overall feeling he gave off was extremely dangerous.
She didn't panic; instead, she took two steps closer.
"You're not one of Luthor's people." She spoke, her voice crisp and professionally calm, "Luthor's lapdogs wouldn't stand outside waiting; they'd just shoot."
Rorschach's lips curled: "You know Luthor?"
"I've been investigating him for three months." Lois pulled a document from the inner pocket of her trench coat, "Kryptonite trading, North Pole Base, illegal imprisonment—I have it all."
Rorschach took the document, and his [Genius Brain] scanned it instantly.
The document recorded Luthor Group's Kryptonitetransport routes, the North Pole Base's supply list, and an encrypted Military transfer order—Project Cadmus Laboratory, confirmation of receipt of Kryptonian biological materials.
He looked up at her, his gaze sweeping over the snow stains on her trench coat hem and the thin calluses on her knuckles.
This was a reporter, and she had just endured a long journey.
Although there were no energy fluctuations on her, the sharp light in those eyes was harder to ignore than Kryptonite.
"You're a reporter?" Rorschach asked.
"Daily Planet, Lois Lane." She looked directly at him, her aura was just as imposing, "Are you their leader?"
Rorschach shook his head: "No leader. Why are you looking for us?"
Lois said solemnly: "A week before Luthor died, I was investigating his Kryptonite deals. Now he's dead, his body is gone, and the Military's Project Cadmus Laboratory has started secretly receiving Kryptonian corpses—this isn't normal."
"What do you want?"
Lois stared at him, her eyes like she was looking at an unsolved puzzle.
"Mutual help." She said, "I'll give you intel, and you let me follow this lead."
Rorschach remained silent.
Lois continued: "The blonde girl you rescued—using the alias Linda Lee, right? Convenience store records show she suddenly lost contact a week ago, and the clerk said she never reappeared. The Military is already investigating that name."
"I retrieved the convenience store's surveillance backup—her disappearance coincides with the abnormal energy fluctuations at the North Pole."
Rorschach's eyes flickered slightly.
Lois smiled, a hint of a hunter's triumph in that smile: "You do know her."
"What lead do you want to follow?" Rorschach asked.
"Kryptonians." Lois said bluntly, "Where did the Kryptonian corpses you killed go? What is the Militarydoing with them? What exactly was Luthor researching?"
She paused, her gaze deepening: "I've been investigating for three months, two informants died, and the last one told me before he died—Luthor was cultivating something called 'Doomsday'."
Rorschach narrowed his eyes.
"Is that all?"
"Is it enough?" Lois countered.
Rorschach looked at her; her red hair fluttered in the wind, and a fire burned in her blue eyes that only a true reporter has—the fire of someone who would risk everything for the truth.
She knew her boundaries; she didn't force her way in or try to take secret photos, but simply stood at the edge of the ruins waiting for him.
"How will you provide the intel?"
Lois pulled a business card from her trench coat and handed it over.
Rorschach took it; the card was printed with the Daily Planet's address and phone number.
"I'll notify you if I find anything." Lois turned toward the SUV, then suddenly looked back as she pulled the door open, "By the way, that name Linda Lee—tell her to be careful."
She got in the car, the engine roared, and the red SUV disappeared into the distance across the snowfields.
Rorschach looked down at the business card in his hand and flipped it over—on the back, a line was written in ballpoint pen: "Luthor's Kryptonite lab is on the third basement level of Cadmus. Don't ask how I know; an informant told me."
His lips curled.
"A reporter's pen is sometimes sharper than Kryptonite."
Inside the Scientific Research Station, Kara stood at the cave entrance, staring at the distant, vanishing silhouette of the red car.
"Who is she?"
Rorschach walked back and tucked the business card into his pocket: "A reporter."
"She knows about us?"
"She knows." Rorschach leaned against the ice wall, "From now on, she provides intel, and we provide news."
Kara was stunned for a moment: "You trust her?"
Rorschach glanced at her: "I don't. But she's useful."
Kara was silent for two seconds, then asked: "What she said about 'the Military is investigating this name'... is it true?"
Rorschach nodded.
Kara took a deep breath, her chin tilted slightly, and the fire in her blue eyes burned again.
"Then let them come."
Rorschach's lips curled into an arc.
Metropolis, Daily Planet.
Lois sat at her workstation, staring at the computer screen.
Beside her, a folder held half a charred photo—it was a picture of Luthor and Military personnel standing in front of the wreckage of a Kryptonian ship.
On the screen was an encrypted file—Project Cadmus Laboratory, Project Code: Doomsday.
She picked up her coffee cup, thinking of the man standing on the ice field.
185 cm tall, a cynical smile, and those eyes—lazy, but when they looked at her, it was as if he were evaluating the utility of a tool.
"Getting more and more interesting," she murmured, her fingers tapping the keyboard as she pulled up the last financial transaction of the Luthor Group.
On the screen, a red marker flashed—Project Cadmus Laboratory, confirmation of receipt of Kryptonian biological materials, signed for.
Date of receipt: Three days ago.
Signatory: Project Supervisor, Dr. Emmet Vale.
Lois narrowed her eyes.
"Date of receipt: Three days ago..." Lois's fingers paused. The rescue record was a week ago, yet the receipt was delayed by four days—what did they do during transport? Or... was this 'Kryptonian biological material' not her at all?
Her lips curled into a hunter-like smile.
"Got you."
Chapter 184: Battle on the Ice Plain · First Blood
On the ice plain, the roar of three snowmobile engines pierced the silence of the polar night.
Rorschach stood atop an ice ridge, a faint light flashing deep in his eyes as his vision instantly extended.
Three kilometers away, five armed guards were advancing at full speed, each with kryptonite weapons hanging from their waists.
Those daggers, bullets, and grenades, glowing with an eerie green light, were particularly eye-catching against the pale snow.
Kara landed beside him, her blonde hair messy from the wild wind. The fear in her blue eyes was gone, replaced only by a burning battle intent.
"Five of them," Rorschach said coldly. "Three for me, two for you. They have kryptonite weapons, don't take them head-on."
Kara nodded, her muscles tensing like a bow ready to fire.
The snowmobiles approached rapidly.
Five hundred meters, three hundred meters, one hundred meters.
Rorschach raised his hand. The energy in the air seemed to be gripped by his invisible palm and suddenly exploded—the tires of the two leading snowmobiles blew out simultaneously.
The vehicles rolled wildly under their momentum, and two guards were thrown into the snow.
Before they could even get up, Kara had already charged out.
She landed like a falling meteorite, slamming a punch into a guard's chest. The man flew backward, shattering the ice ridge behind him and dying on the spot.
Another person raised a gun. Kara sidestepped to avoid the Kryptonite bullet, closed the distance, and kicked the opponent's shin, snapping it.
Rorschach didn't look over there.
The remaining three guards had already dismounted and surrounded him in a triangular formation.
The leader sneered, the Kryptonite dagger in his hand glowing with a sickening green light under the polar day sunlight.
"Mr. Luthor wants him alive," he grinned hideously. "But he didn't say we couldn't take him apart."
A slight curve appeared at the corner of Rorschach's lips: "Too much talk."
At the moment the green light of the dagger flared, Rorschach's toes crushed the ice chips, and his figure dispersed like mist.
The first guard felt a numbness in the back of his neck and collapsed to the ground.
Just as the second guard turned around, Rorschach's dagger had already pierced through his cervical spine.
The third one, the leader, reacted extremely quickly.
He swung his blade in a horizontal sweep, the green light cutting through the air. Rorschach took half a step back, the blade grazing his chest.
"Scared?" the guard sneered.
Rorschach didn't answer, his figure gliding past like a ghost.
The guard suddenly turned around and stabbed toward Rorschach's lower abdomen with his other hand.
Rorschach teleported three meters back and stood firmly.
"Mr. Luthor said you could teleport; I've specifically trained for it." The guard panted, twin blades in hand, his eyes full of cruelty.
A cry of pain came from the distance.
Rorschach turned his head, his pupils shrinking slightly.
Kara was kneeling in the snow, her right hand tightly clutching her left arm.
One guard lay at her feet, his neck twisted, but another guard was still standing, the Kryptonite dagger in his hand dripping with blood.
Bright red blood seeped through Kara's fingers, scalding the snow and emitting wisps of white smoke.
Kara's face was pale, and her body swayed as if her strength had been instantly drained.
She gritted her teeth and held on, but a cry of pain still escaped from between her teeth: "It's Kryptonite..."
Rorschach's gaze instantly turned bone-chillingly cold.
He disappeared.
Before the guard could react, a numbness came from the back of his neck, and his vision suddenly went black.
As Rorschach's dagger pierced his cervical spine, his other hand had already caught the falling Kryptonite dagger.
He turned around.
The pupils of the last guard, who was holding twin blades, shrank abruptly.
Rorschach stepped toward him, his pace not fast, but every step felt like it was treading on the man's heartbeat.
The guard swung his blades wildly, but he couldn't even touch the edge of Rorschach's clothes.
Rorschach teleported behind him and precisely stabbed the dagger into the back of his neck.
The guard's eyes widened, and he collapsed with a thud.
Five corpses lay scattered in the snow, the green light of the kryptonite weapons intertwining with the glaring bloodstains, looking particularly gruesome.
Rorschach teleported to Kara's side.
She was kneeling in the snow, the wound on her right arm still bleeding. The Kryptonite radiation had caused her Steel Body to fail completely.
She looked up, her blue eyes filled with pain and guilt: "I'm sorry... I..."
Rorschach didn't let her finish; he picked her up and soared into the sky.
Abandoned Scientific Research Station, underground shelter.
Rorschach placed Kara on a sleeping bag. She sat against the wall, her wound still bleeding.
The Kryptonite radiation blocked her Self-Healing ability, and blood slid down her forearm.
Kara gritted her teeth and didn't make a sound, but her forehead was covered in cold sweat.
Rorschach knelt down and pressed his hand above the wound, a gentle stream of healing energy surging from his palm.
This was pure life force he had extracted from his Life Restoration ability, which could effectively neutralize the residual radiation of the Kryptonite.
The edges of the wound began to heal slowly.
Kara took a deep breath, and her body relaxed a bit.
"Still hurting?" Rorschach asked.
Kara shook her head, then nodded: "Much better."
Rorschach stood up and walked to the window, his back to her.
Kara leaned against the wall, watching his back.
After a long silence, she spoke: "I held you back."
Rorschach didn't look back.
Kara continued: "You're right, only by becoming stronger can one be useful. Right now... I'm useless."
Rorschach turned around and looked at her.
Her blonde hair was messy and stained with snow, her pale lips and the bloodstains on her arm were striking.
But that stubbornness was still there; she bit her lip hard, not letting herself cry.
"It's normal for your first time fighting against kryptonite weapons," Rorschach said. "Just be careful next time."
Kara looked up at him: "There's a next time?"
Rorschach's jawline tightened slightly, a smile not reaching his eyes: "Do you think Luthor only sent this one wave?"
Kara was stunned for a moment, then slowly smiled.
The smile was weak but genuine.
"I will," she said. "I won't hold you back next time."
Rorschach nodded, turned back, and continued looking out the window.
But from the corner of his eye, he kept looking at her arm.
Kryptonian blood.
He didn't move.
He couldn't take advantage of someone in distress; now was not the time.
Outside, the blizzard started again.
Kara leaned against the wall, her breathing gradually stabilizing as she fell asleep.
She had lost too much blood and needed rest.
Rorschach sat by the window, his Super Hearing always on, covering a fifty-kilometer radius.
Three hours later, he moved.
He stood up and walked to Kara's side.
She was sleeping soundly, her brow relaxed, and the wound on her right arm had already scabbed over.
Rorschach knelt down, looking at the wound on her arm.
At the edge of the scab, there was still a trace of blood that hadn't completely solidified.
He reached out his hand, his fingertips hovering one centimeter above the wound.
Two seconds.
Then he withdrew his hand.
He turned and walked back to the window.
The night was still long.
No rush.