DC: Rise of the Kryptonian Tyrant

Sunlight slanted in through the windowsill of Lois's apartment, casting a warm glow over the soft bedding.

Superman flew in directly through the window while Batman arrived at the door, opened it, and walked in.

Batman's eyes swept across the hall, kitchen, and bathroom, before finally arriving in Lois's room, where he met Superman already standing by the bed. Batman glanced at the bedside table, noticing half an apple, and said, "She was still in this apartment an hour ago."

Batman activated his smart-eye detector and performed a simple DNA test on the half-eaten apple, analyzing enzymatic browning and the saliva left on it. The conclusion: Lois had been here roughly an hour ago.

Superman's face turned grim, his gaze fixed on the half-eaten apple.

"That's not Lois. Lois would never eat apples in bed, and she would never leave half an apple on the bedside table. It would affect the air quality in the room. She hates that."

Superman clenched his teeth. In the sunlight shining through the windowsill, his remorseful expression twisted in pain. "That's not Lois. I know it. I've felt it for a long time. She may look and sound like her, but she's not Lois."

"I asked Zatanna to use magic to locate Lois, but it failed. Zatanna couldn't detect anything. That's not Lois. She would never do something like this."

Superman's pain was written in his blue eyes, impossible to hide.

His tall frame trembled under the weight of sorrow, the red cape behind him rustling slightly.

The woman he loved most had vanished.

Before coming here, they had used the Watchtower to perform a full global scan, but they found no physical signature matching Lois.

It was impossible.

The Watchtower was designed by Green Lantern, combining Kryptonian technology provided by Superman, funded by Batman, and enhanced by advanced network tech within a steel framework. Locating someone on Earth should have been easy.

Especially after Superman had input all of Lois's information into the system. The fact that she still couldn't be found made the entire Justice League feel as if a massive conspiracy, a looming web, was wrapping itself around them.

Since being replaced, the fake Lois had released the true identities of every superhero.

This would stir intense resentment toward Superman, destabilize the safety of countless lives, and shatter trust in him. It would also implicate the seven core members of the Justice League, allowing the government and opposition forces to challenge them directly.

Batman was already analyzing the situation, his thoughts spiraling into worst-case scenarios. The more he thought, the more he sensed a dark abyss creeping toward them, inescapable.

It felt like a dark veil had descended over Earth. Somewhere in the stars beyond this blue planet, a massive face grinned down ominously, preparing to clutch Earth in its hands and begin a new wave of conquest.

Tap. Tap...

Suddenly, the sound of heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed.

Superman and Batman exchanged a glance. As Batman prepared to hide in the shadows, Superman shook his head grimly, indicating there was no need.

Batman stopped, narrowed his eyes, and instantly realized it was someone they knew.

The door burst open. A squad of well-armed U.S. soldiers stormed in, weapons raised and aimed at Superman and Batman.

Sam entered in full military uniform, his expression cold and stern. Fury burned in his eyes as he glared at Superman and barked, "Clark Kent, where is my daughter?!"

Sam's imposing face was filled with anger, bordering on madness.

He had reconciled with his daughter only a few days ago, and she had promised to help him with his work.

For Sam, a man already approaching old age, that reconciliation had been a moment of profound happiness. He had been waiting for his daughter to complete her final journalistic mission.

Of course, things had exploded globally with the release of Superhero Identities, published under Lois's name.

Sam had learned of it before most, as he had been following his daughter closely.

While it was a disaster for the superheroes, for the U.S. government, it was a windfall. With so many superhero identities exposed, they now had leverage over most of them.

He had acted before Superman and Batman, ordering an immediate search for his daughter. But what he discovered shocked him—Lois had vanished. Soldiers and satellites found no trace of her.

He was convinced that his daughter had fallen into the hands of these so-called superheroes.

"General Sam, we're looking for Lois too," Superman said bitterly, his voice full of sincerity and pain.

General Sam didn't believe him. His fury deepened, and he roared, "Clark, I'm warning you. Bring my daughter back, or I'll make your Justice League and your superhero friends regret it!"

The soldiers around them clicked off their safeties, raising their weapons, tense and ready.

The room fell into dead silence, the air filled with icy pressure.

Batman spoke calmly, "General Sam, we're looking for Lois as well."

"Shut up, Bruce Wayne. Go back to Gotham."

General Ryan snapped coldly, glaring at Batman, then returning his furious gaze to Superman's anguished face.

Batman's heart sank. The situation was worse than he'd feared.

The superhero identities were out, and clearly the government knew everything. Conflict between superheroes and the government now seemed inevitable. It could trigger widespread chaos, with unpredictable consequences.

Silence hung over the room.

The tension was suffocating.

Suddenly.

A man in a dark blue wide-brimmed hat and matching cape appeared, dressed like a 19th-century English gentleman. He rose from the floor, his form shifting from illusion to reality.

The surrounding soldiers panicked, raising their weapons toward him.

Only General Sam, Superman, and Batman held their composure, watching the figure warily but without fear. Their instincts were on high alert.

The man removed his hat. His face was weathered, as if worn down by countless years. His expression was calm, his eyes distant, and his manner polite. Holding the hat in both hands, he spoke with formal grace.

"I've arrived. I hope I'm not too late."

"Lois has disappeared. Her existence has been reduced to particles of will, smaller than quarks, dispersed across the universe by the system's order."

"The multiverse needs the Justice League. The multiverse is weeping. Your fates are on the line."

"The Only Emperor is spreading destruction, devouring, spreading terror, and consuming the multiverse."

Superman and Batman were stunned, their hearts jolting at the stranger's words.

"Who are you?" Batman asked.

"I'm—"

Suddenly, the man's expression shifted. The timeless calm in his eyes was replaced by alarm.

"Congratulations. You've activated the Multi-Hero System..."

"Initiating novice quest... Notifying heroes across the multiverse..."

A system voice echoed in his mind, and his face twisted in disbelief.

"Damn it... How could this happen?!"

Even he had been dragged into it.

He glanced at Superman and Batman. Their confused stares met his now pale, panicked face.

"There's no time. My clone must self-terminate."

"Beware of the system. I'll contact you again!"

Without hesitation, the man in the blue suit drew a dagger glowing with magical energy and slashed it across his own neck.

Blood spurted as everyone in the room froze in shock.

He'd just slit his own throat, without warning?

The mysterious man had delivered cryptic words and then killed himself? What kind of madness was this?

Batman's expression darkened. His mind churned with suspicions of a vast conspiracy. He was convinced something huge had already begun to consume them.

He stepped forward and caught the collapsing man in blue. As the man neared death, Batman asked urgently, "How can we contact you? Who are you?"

In Batman's arms, the man's eyes faded. His body gradually became transparent.

As his form disappeared completely, he looked up at Batman with trembling lips and whispered:

"You can call me... Phantom Stranger."

(To be continued.)