Marvel : New Son Rising

Clark followed Lex Luthor, leaving the Fortress of Solitude and arriving in Gotham City aboard Luthor's aircraft.

Here, Superman and the other heroes had promised not to interfere with Gotham's affairs, leaving all judgments to Poison Ivy. Because of this agreement, Superman would not even use his super-vision in this direction unless absolutely necessary. Consequently, Gotham became the furthest place from Superman's direct influence.

Yet, it was in this very city that Luthor led Clark to a secret underground laboratory. Someone was already waiting there: Wally West, the Flash.

"Clark?" Wally asked.

Clark and Kid Flash Wally hadn't interacted much, but they were both part of the younger generation of heroes and knew each other from their time at the Daily Planet.

Wally looked at Luthor. "You even need Clark's Kryptonian powers to help. Is it really necessary to go this far?"

"It's always a good idea to be prepared," Luthor replied. He walked directly to two specially designed chairs and began adjusting something, explaining to Clark as he did so. "The situation is far too complex now. Since Batman's death, I am the smartest person on the planet. I want to find a safe path, one that can protect the remaining survivors."

As he spoke, Luthor connected some special wires to his head and pointed to the other chair. "I plan to use Wally to help me connect to the Speed Force for a short period. This will allow me to quickly analyze what might happen in the future.

Unfortunately, no matter how intelligent I am, I only have a human brain. Using the Speed Force to predict the future puts too much strain on it. So, I need to use your Kryptonian brain."

Clark silently walked forward, sat on the chair, and asked Luthor, "Superman could help you with something like this, so why are you looking for me?"

Luthor's reasons seemed convincing, and Clark didn't suspect any hidden motives. After all, even Wally had agreed to help Luthor, which suggested Luthor wasn't planning anything malicious. However, before offering his help, Clark wanted Luthor's direct answer.

"You know the answer to this question, don't you?" Luthor countered. "Even you yourself have doubts about Superman's decisions, don't you?"

This was why Luthor had posed that question before bringing Clark here. If Clark had answered by unequivocally supporting Superman, Luthor would have abandoned the idea of seeking his help.

Such a Clark would be too similar to Superman. Even if Clark chose to assist him, Superman, knowing Luthor's plan, would try his best to stop him, using his own wisdom to foresee the future.

"I see..." Clark understood. Superman might help Luthor predict the future, but the predicted future would no longer be something Luthor could control or plan for. Luthor knew what kinds of plans he might make, and he also knew Superman would never truly help him. So, he turned to Clark, who was also a Kryptonian but whose stance was not as unyielding.

Clark placed the instruments on his head and sat down obediently. "What's next? What do we need to do?"

It wasn't Luthor who answered, but Wally. He placed his hands on the shoulders of both men, and lightning, representing the Speed Force, began to crackle around him. "Next, I will help you connect to the Speed Force. Luthor will then use your brainpower to predict what may happen in the future in a short amount of time."

As soon as he finished speaking, the lightning of the Speed Force connected all three of them.

As the provider of the Speed Force, Wally couldn't see what Luthor saw. But Clark, who lent his brain function to Luthor, followed Luthor's thoughts and witnessed a possible future.

It seemed Clark's brain truly was a Kryptonian "computer." Luthor initially believed he could only get a rough idea of a few possible futures. However, after connecting to Clark's brain and combining it with all the currently known information, Luthor saw only one clear future.

It was a port where superheroes were transporting survivors to Paradise Island and Gotham by cruise ship. At that moment, Black Adam led almost all the remaining infected individuals to launch an attack through a portal.

Because of the large number of survivors, the few heroes present were forced to separate. Under Black Adam's powerful assault, the weaker heroes were infected first, including young heroes such as Damian Wayne and Jonathan Kent.

Soon after, Atom Smasher, Supergirl, Power Girl, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, and other regular heroes were also infected one after another. When Superman and Wonder Woman arrived to help, it was too late. The balance of power between the infected and the heroes quickly reversed.

Wonder Woman was wounded due to a moment of carelessness and transformed in an instant. Next came the Martian Manhunter, Superman, and Barry Allen, followed by Wally himself. When these pillars of heroism were also infected, the world became utterly hopeless.

The vision disappeared. Wally, noticing something was wrong with both men, cut off the connection to the Speed Force. At that moment, Clark collapsed in the chair, holding his aching head. "Those scenes just now..."

Compared to Clark, Luthor, who had put all the mental strain on Clark, appeared completely normal. However, as he thought about the future he had just analyzed, he sensed something was deeply wrong. "No, Superman is unwilling to defeat the ordinary infected. This is the main reason they will be defeated in the future. I must find a way to eliminate most of the ordinary infected..."

In fact, Luthor had already thought of this method while processing information through the Speed Force. This also meant that Clark now roughly knew what Luthor would do next.

"Clark," Luthor said, "I don't expect you to be as kind as Superman to help me, but I just hope that you don't tell Superman about this. I have to prevent future events from happening."

After saying that, without waiting for Clark's reaction, Luthor left. Only Wally remained, helping Clark up.

"What on earth is Luthor thinking?" Clark wondered, then finally shook his head. "This is a plan that Superman would never agree to, but... I agree with it a little bit. Just like Luthor said, that kind of future must be prevented no matter what..."

Clark ultimately decided not to tell anyone about his meeting with Luthor. Wally, who had been working with Luthor without telling Barry, naturally didn't ask any more questions. With Wally's super-speed, the two arrived at the Fortress of Solitude in the blink of an eye, where they met Superman and others who were about to leave.

"You guys are here, Wally. Barry wants to see you. And Clark, can you come and help us keep order among the survivors? With Damian and the others."

"No problem..." Clark replied.

Except for Clark, no one knew about Luthor's plan at this time. Now, Luthor had boarded a plane to Paradise Island. The person he was looking for was currently living in the shelter there.

"Flash and Pied Piper, your sacrifice was worth it."