civilwarnovels Chapter 2491: Battle for the Cloak (47)
Chapter 2491: Battle for the Cloak (47)
Chapter 2491: Battle for the Cloak (Forty-Seven)
Clark gradually gained some influence, and President Wayne wanted to know the public response to the new policy and what the people really cared about, so he approached Clark again and used his website to collect opinions, and the two gradually became working partners.
In the course of his work, Clark gradually discovered that Bruce Wayne was really a good president and possibly the best president ever. Many of the public's misunderstandings of him and politicians' attacks on him were false, and he believed that he had the responsibility to clarify all of this.
Bruce received a lot of help from Clark in terms of public opinion. He found that this young reporter was different from most reporters. He really wanted to make the world a better place.
Plus, the secrets of Batman and Superman are old news, so who wouldn't want a friend with whom they can share their superhero identity and deeds?
So they became more and more in sync, emotionally close, and soon became good friends who could talk about almost anything.
They also had in-depth exchanges on their views on the world, and discovered that they were essentially the same. They hoped that the world would become a better place in a macro sense, but at the same time they paid attention to everyone and hoped to take care of their feelings as much as possible.
Coupled with their cooperation in their careers, they soon became comrades-in-arms with common aspirations, sublimating their original friendship into a revolutionary friendship.
But just when their relationship was going well, Batman was attacked. The first thing Clark wanted to do when he heard the news was to rush over to save him, but he was also attacked on the way there.
Clark actually didn't know what attacked him, but he knew it must be very dangerous, so even if the first hit was not fatal, if Clark let go at that time, he might still have the strength to continue flying, but he was worried that the thing would fall and hurt ordinary people, so he finally chose to fall with it.
But affected, half asleep and half awake, Clark was filled with guilt. If Batman really died because he didn't go, he would never forgive himself.
After hearing this story, Spider-Man was silent for a long time, but he still said: "If Batman knew the truth, he would never blame you."
"Of course, of course." Clark muttered, "But he doesn't know, he will think it's me who didn't save him. He knows I have the ability to save him, but I didn't go..."
Spider-Man felt a little headache. Why is this another person who is stuck in a dead end? But he still has a problem.
"You don't look that powerful," Spider-Man said, "At least not as powerful as I heard from my friends."
Clark shook his head helplessly and said, "If this is really a dream, then it makes sense. The thing that attacked me is still held in my physical hand. That would greatly weaken my spirit. Now I am no longer Superman."
Clark pursed his lips, his expression showing a hint of bitterness, and then said: "Maybe now I am not even as good as an ordinary person, I am just a patient who looks strong."
"Then is there any way I can make you feel better?" Spider-Man could never bear to see others suffer. He stuffed the food in his hand over and said, "Maybe eating something should help you regain some strength, right?"
"I'm not sure if the human way will work for me." Clark seemed a little frustrated and even a little self-destructive. He said, "Even if I can recover some strength, I still can't help much. This weakness is likely to last for several months."
Spider-Man looked Superman up and down and said, "If you can return to the level of an ordinary human, you are still very strong. Isn't Batman also an ordinary person? He also became the good president you mentioned."
"Yes, you are right." Clark took a deep breath, sat up straight and said, "I can't give up now. I still have to save Batman. What do you mean by Batman is also in this dream world? Tell me in detail."
Spider-Man briefly talked about the day he and Jason encountered Batman in the gift shop, and also talked about their opinions of this special Batman, which made Clark frown repeatedly.
"If it's true as you said, I really have to go find him. Can you tell me the address of the gift shop? I'll go there later."
Spider-Man looked at Clark with some embarrassment. It must be said that it was not surprising that Spider-Man did not recognize that this was Superman at first. Whether listening to the narration of other Batmen or looking at the photos himself, Superman should be a sunny, cheerful and strong person.
But although the man in front of him still had a strong body, he looked distracted, listless, and his face was very pale. Judging from the standards of a corpse, he was not in good condition. Could he really move freely in this snowy day?
But Clark kept asking, and Spider-Man never refused anyone, so he finally told him the address of the gift shop.
It was getting late, and Spider-Man knew he couldn't be late any longer, so he left in a hurry to go back to school after leaving his address and food.
Clark had no appetite, but he still tried his best to finish the meal brought by Spider-Man. After that, the shelter distributed another meal. Although Clark could not eat at all, he still endured the discomfort and put all the unpalatable food into his stomach in order to restore his strength.
After finishing his meal, he took a nap until the shelter started to kick people out. Looking at the homeless people waiting in line outside, Clark couldn't bear to stay here any longer. He felt that no matter how bad his situation was, it was still much better than these people. At least he had never heard of Kryptonians freezing to death.
Clark left the shelter and began walking towards the gift shop, which was ten thousand times more difficult than he had imagined. In bad weather, he could barely walk on the ground.
This was probably the first time in Clark's life that he felt cold, but he had to check on Batman to make sure he was okay, and he had to go now.
This thought kept playing in Clark's mind, making him keep walking until he reached the gift shop. But just as he was about to go in, he suddenly felt nervous.
No, it's okay. As long as he tells the truth, Batman will definitely understand him. After all, they all want to help ordinary people. Clark thought, Batman would not agree to let such a dangerous thing fall on the heads of ordinary people. He will definitely understand.
With this thought in mind, Clark walked into the store. Although it was close to Christmas, there were still no customers in the store. As soon as Clark walked in, he saw Bruce wiping behind the counter.
"Bruce..."
Clark shouted in a dry voice.
Bruce turned around and looked surprised that he was here. He stood up and frowned and said, "Why are you here?"
"I... I don't know, but I came to see you. I had to make sure you were okay. I was attacked. That thing..."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Bruce interrupted him, turned around and said, "If you want to buy something, bring it over and pay for it. If not, please leave."
Clark was about to break, he knew Batman would be angry because they had just exchanged ideas with each other and regarded each other as close friends, but then he watched him die without helping. Anyone would be angry.
"Bruce, please listen to my explanation. I really am not..."
"You didn't have to save me," Bruce said, "because you didn't have the ability, you didn't anticipate the attack, and you didn't dodge it. You did your best, so you don't owe me anything."
Clark was stunned.
He stood there staring at Bruce in amazement, as if he didn't know him, and then he stammered, "Bruce, what's wrong with you? How can you...I mean, do you really think so?"
"Of course, you are strong, but not the strongest. The fact that you were defeated proves that you can't do it. If you can't do it, why force yourself? You should just take care of yourself first."
“What are you talking about?!!”
"I'm concerned about you." Bruce lowered his eyes and said while wiping the surface of the counter: "Look at how you look now, weaker than a human. Shouldn't you heal your wounds first and have a good rest?"
"But we still don't know who attacked you! The world is in great danger now, we have to find a way to leave here and go back to save the earth!"
"I told you we can't do it." Bruce shook his head and said, "I'm not dead, but I'm dying. You and I are in a similar situation. We've already lost, which proves we can't do it."
"Even if I am an ordinary person without wisdom in this dream world, I owe money to the bank, have sick relatives to take care of, and working three jobs a day is not enough to make ends meet, how can I investigate the truth?"
"And you..." Bruce looked at Clark and said, "You look no different from those homeless people who are almost frozen to death. What you need now is a cup of hot coffee and a good sleep, instead of forcing yourself to walk around in the snow."
Clark was completely nailed by Bruce's words. He stared at Bruce with disbelief, trying to find even the slightest trace on his face that he was speaking in anger.
But no, Bruce was not angry. His expression was very calm and his attitude was very gentle, as if he was just stating a fact.
"You're crazy, Bruce," Clark said, shaking his head and stepping back, "You're completely crazy."
"Who is crazy?" Bruce turned around and continued to tidy up the shelves behind him and said, "Didn't you always warn me not to be too paranoid? The biggest manifestation of paranoia is to insist on doing things that are impossible, and always want to make the impossible possible. This is an abnormal idea, and only a madman would think like this."
"Rather than saying I'm crazy, it's better to say I'm cured. I've learned to accept reality, to resign myself to my fate, to stop pursuing greater abilities in order to shoulder greater responsibilities, and to admit that I can't shoulder responsibilities if I don't have the abilities."
"You..." Clark seemed to be deeply hurt, his blue eyes were as red as hot steel that had just been quenched.
"Get out of here, Clark," Bruce said. "Go find a place to rest. You are no longer Superman."
Clark clenched his fists, and just as he was about to say something, the TV in the window rang.
"I have an urgent news. The Claw Killer has reappeared in Queens. This time he attacked a family of four living in the Holder Villa District. The poor little daughter became the target of the attack. The police have surrounded the villa district. Will there be good news this time? Please watch the real-time broadcast with us..."
With a click, the TV was turned off, and Bruce took back his hand holding the remote. Clark saw a look of annoyance on his face, and he was stunned again.
How could Batman be so annoyed when hearing about a crime? He even turned off the TV without watching the broadcast and cared about any news about the criminals.
He did say that he was a little too paranoid in this regard, but is it normal now?
Clark shook his head and stepped back, stumbling out the door.
(End of this chapter)