American comics: Damn it, I’m surrounded by those who worry about their fathers!.

Chapter 1042 Kando, the City in a Bottle, a Rabble!

"Atom Man?"

Raven was stunned when the other person said he was Atom.

She had heard Peter mention Atom.

The Atom, whose real name is Cai Rui'an, began corresponding with the original Atom, Raymond Palmer, when he was a teenager and was Palmer's student.

After Palmer's disappearance, Ryan moved to Ivytown (the city where Ray lived) to take over his mentor's position at Ivy League University.

Following clues left by Palmer, he discovered a "bio-belt," the size and density manipulation device used by his predecessors, and then he became the new Atom.

In addition to his amazing fighting ability, Atom Man also possesses incredible stamina and speed, earning him the nickname "Little Superman." Furthermore, he has the ability to use atomic radiation, allowing him to concentrate on wielding it while remaining immune to radiation himself.

Of course, the most important ability is to shrink.

Peter had previously mentioned that Atom's Chinese name was Zheng Kai, which left Raven confused, wondering what "Zheng Kai" meant.

Returning to reality from her memories of Atom, Raven asked Atom in shock, "Why are you here?"

"It's a long story, but time is of the essence, and I don't have time to explain."

The Atom spoke faster, “Raven Patrick, Oracle, you guys come with me, we’re going to the safe zone Batman set up.”

Safe spot?
Batman?!

The Atom's words left Raven and Barbara's minds blank.

Is Batman still alive?

And where is the safe spot?

Looking at this bizarre duo—Killer Croc and Atom—Raven felt something was off.

"Don't worry, Batman sent me to pick you up. Take care of the wounded, let's go."

Seeing that Raven and the others were suspicious, Atom took out the token Bruce had given him—an exquisitely crafted wristwatch.

Raven immediately recognized it as a gift Bruce's father had given him when he was a teenager.

After confirming that Atom was not an enemy and was acting on behalf of Batman, Raven led him to the car.

Nodding to the crocodile-man on the shore to confirm that everyone was ready, Atom's tiny body, suspended in the air, suddenly emitted an even brighter blue light.

"Boom!!!"

Raven instantly felt a distortion in space.

Like an invisible giant bubble, it instantly enveloped the entire pickup truck, along with Raven, Barbara, and Atom himself.

The scene before me—turbid river water and scorched riverbanks—spun, stretched, and deformed rapidly like a shattered mirror, before being completely swallowed by a pure blue-white light.

A strong sense of weightlessness and the tearing of space rushed over her instantly. Raven instinctively gripped the car door, and Barbara also clung tightly to the car frame.

Raven seemed to be forcibly compressed, broken down, and then instantly reassembled.

After an unknown amount of time, the light faded and the feeling of weightlessness disappeared.

He felt a sense of grounding.

On the other side, after seeing Raven and the others disappear, Killer Croc, holding a miniature model of the city in his hand, slowly walked towards the bottom of the river.

He controls the city, is responsible for its security, and hides at the bottom of the river to avoid being found by vampires.

Raven suddenly opened her eyes, the intense dizziness almost causing her to fall.

Barbara also held her forehead, her face pale.

But the sight before them quickly made them forget all their discomfort, leaving only shock.

The two stood on a wide, impeccably clean metal street.

On both sides of the street are futuristic, streamlined, silver-white buildings with simple and elegant lines, shimmering with a soft halo.

The dome is extremely high, stretching to the horizon, presenting a simulated starry sky, with countless stars slowly moving within it, emitting a tranquil light.

The air was as fresh as a forest after the rain, carrying an indescribable fragrance.

The brightness and warmth, the orderly atmosphere here, stand in stark contrast to the sky outside shrouded in thick smoke and darkness.

The pickup truck was parked undamaged beside them, with Mark and Tom still unconscious in the back seat.

"Welcome to Kandor, Raven, Oracle."

A deep and familiar voice rang out from ahead.

Upon hearing the voice, Raven and Barbara turned their heads sharply.

To the astonishment of the two men, Bruce Wayne was standing not far ahead.

"Batman!"

Upon seeing Batman again, Barbara's voice was filled with disbelief and excitement.

"Bruce!"

Raven's expression also became excited, and she walked excitedly towards Bruce.

"The oracle said you were attacked by a mole in the shelter and then disappeared. Bruce, it's great to find you here!"

"Sorry I'm late, Raven."

Bruce knew what had happened. His gaze swept over the pickup truck, and he sighed softly. "Atom, go and call Horus and Boom over here."

Atom nodded and vanished from the spot in an instant.

After Atom left, Bruce's gaze returned to Raven, with a hint of barely perceptible tenderness.

"Your safe arrival is largely thanks to Wellen (Killer Crocodile) and Cai."

"Wayne? Killer Croc?"

Barbara asked him in shock, "Isn't Killer Croc a villain in Gotham? I remember you taught him a lesson before."

She couldn't understand how Killer Croc had become a good guy.
"Yes."

Bruce explained, “In the early stages of the disaster, Killer Croc was not transformed. He avoided the initial purge of Gotham’s superpowered individuals by relying on his familiarity with the sewers and… a kind of intuition. When we found him, he was being attacked by a group of low-level vampires.”

He paused, then continued, "He chose to cooperate. In return, we helped him cleanse the toxins accumulated in his body and provided him with shelter. His task is to guard the only 'entrance' to Kando City—that glass bottle."

"Glass bottle?"

Raven remembered the small bottle containing the miniature city in Killer Croc's hand.

Did Atom shrink them and send them into that miniature city?

"Cando City Model"

Bruce succinctly stated, "Back in the Injustice League world, after the war against Brainiac ended, I asked the Godfather for it; Brainiac had kept it as a trophy."

His gaze fell upon the magnificent yet silent city. "This was originally a miniature city of Krypton, with its own independent ecological cycle and spatial folding technology. After Brainiac was defeated, the model lost its inhabitants, but the city itself remained intact."

“I kept it as a last resort.”

Bruce looked at the magnificent city before him, a complex expression in his eyes.

Just as he was telling Raven about Kandor, several figures quickly emerged from the nearby buildings.

A tall figure, clad in power armor and wearing an eagle-headed helmet—Horus.

Several girls followed closely behind Horus.

Wearing a long robe and fingerless gloves, with short blue hair and futuristic boxing gloves, Wei is petite and wears a street-style jacket.

Behind Boom and Vi appeared Ceresia, who was overjoyed to see Raven.

"Sister Raven."

Upon seeing Raven, Ceresia immediately rushed over excitedly and hugged her.

Raven held Ceresa in her arms, her expression also somewhat excited.

But she quickly composed herself, exchanged a few words with Ceresa, and then asked Bruce, "Where are Azu and Mordred?"

"John is out handling some matters. As for Mordred..."

Bruce's voice grew heavy as he spoke of Mordred.

"She was also turned into a vampire."

He briefly recounted to Raven what had happened that night at the shelter.

Upon hearing that Boom and Star-Lord had turned into vampires like Green Lantern, Raven frowned.

"Let's go in first."

Bruce asks Atom to help get Tom and Mark out of the car and into the lab for treatment.

Mark and Tom were placed inside the Kryptonian-specific treatment pod.

Raven used her magic to help Mark heal. A soft, vibrant light, like warm spring water, instantly enveloped Mark's entire body.

As Raven recovered, Mark's painful groans subsided significantly, and his breathing became more even.

“Mark’s injury is nothing serious. Dad once said that Mark’s greatest strength is his ability to withstand beatings.”

Raven glanced at Mark, then looked at Tom with concern.

"The problem is Tom; my magic can't stop him from turning into a vampire."

Upon hearing this, Bruce looked at Tom.

At this moment, the bluish-black discoloration on Tom's face was still very obvious.

Bruce paused for a moment, then said to Raven and Barbara, "We have some of the data and samples left behind by Brainiac. Horus is studying them and might be able to find a solution."

Hearing Bruce say that, Raven nodded in relief.

Although Horus may seem like a battle maniac, he is also a research scholar. The power armor worn by Harry and his friends at Hogwarts, as well as Vi's gauntlets, were all developed by Horus.

"Then what do we do next?"

Raven turned her gaze to Bruce. "How are we going to fight the Vampire King? He has already transformed Clark, and I believe there are many more superhumans who have fallen into their hands."

Bruce didn't speak directly, his gaze sweeping across the tranquil yet powerful city in the bottle, finally settling on the starry sky of the simulated dome.

"Rest, treatment, and then..."

"Counterattack!"

A few minutes later, Bruce brought Raven into the lobby.

The central hall of Kando is not a room in the traditional sense, but rather the beating heart of the city.

The dome is high and deep, with the simulated Milky Way slowly rotating, serene and magnificent.

The ground was made of some kind of warm, unknown material that emitted a soft white light, and it was silent when you stepped on it.

Bruce led Raven, Barbara, Horus, and the others into the hall.

The hall was already filled with all sorts of superheroes, and when Raven appeared, dozens of eyes instantly focused on her.

All eyes, scrutinizing and curious, were turned to her.

"She's Peter Patrick's eldest daughter?"

"I heard she's incredibly powerful, a witch who can travel between different dimensions?"

"Where is Mr. Peter Patrick? His daughter is back, but where is he?"

Low murmurs rose from a corner of the hall.

Raven pretended not to hear and walked in without changing her expression.

Bruce walked to the center of the hall and addressed the surviving superhumans: "Gentlemen, we have lost the barrier of sunlight on the ground, and the power of the vampires is rapidly expanding under the catalysis of darkness."

"We need to take some action."

Bruce's gaze swept across the room. "But how to proceed requires a plan."

"plan?!"

Bruce had barely finished speaking when a shrill female voice rang out.

The black canary emerged from the crowd.

Her short, golden hair was disheveled, and her eyes were filled with pain, like a volcano about to erupt.

"Batman, what's your plan? What did it stop?! Who did it save?!"

Black Canary's voice trembled with rage. "Green Arrow's fate is unknown, your teammates were almost entirely wiped out, and what's your plan? Just to hide in this city of Candor, like a mouse in a bottle?!"

Bruce looked at her silently, his eyes swirling with complex emotions.

He understood her pain and did not back down, but simply endured her anger in silence.

You are not trustworthy at all!

Diana whirled around, facing everyone, her voice hoarse with excitement, "Look outside! Those monsters are reveling, hunting, turning our world into a blood-soaked hell, hiding here making perfect plans? Waiting until they've transformed everyone and completely locked down the sun?!"

She waved her arms and said excitedly, "My plan is simple: ambush, hunt, hunt back like they hunted us."

She pointed to the Atom beside her, "You can precisely deploy us to the outskirts of Gotham, find those lone patrols, and use silver, fire, our teeth and nails to tear them apart bit by bit, drain their blood, let them taste fear, weaken them until they show a weakness!"

Although Black Canary's suggestion was somewhat impulsive, some people in the hall who had also suffered the pain of their relatives being converted or killed ignited the same flame in their eyes and echoed it in hushed tones.

"No, I don't think we should do that."

Barbara Gordon stepped forward, leaning on a metal rod and limping.

Her voice wasn't as sharp as Diana's, but it was exceptionally firm.

“I understand your pain, about Green Arrow… We are all saddened, but your plan is to send more people to their deaths, to gamble with their luck, and to help them wear us down.”

Barbara's gaze swept over those who had been swayed by Diana's words. "To cut the weeds, we must nip them in the bud; to capture the thief, we must first capture the king. I think we can go directly to attack the Vampire King."

"The Vampire King is the source, the core, and the nexus of vampire power. As long as he is defeated, the entire vampire command system will be paralyzed, and at least some of those who have been transformed will lose their unified will and fall into chaos."

At this time, Barbara was unaware that the Vampire King had changed from Nightwing to Mordred.

She turned to Bruce, her gaze intense: "Batman, you know Gotham's terrain and structure. We have Cai Rui'an's space teleportation capabilities. Let's combine our strongest forces—you, Azu, Horus, Ceresia, and..."

She glanced at Raven, "...Raven's chaos magic, combined with a small team, could allow us to assassinate the Vampire King."

"No, I don't think so."

A deep voice suddenly rang out, interrupting her.

Doctor Fate floated forward, his face obscured by his iconic golden helmet.

The appearance of Doctor Fate instantly quieted the restless hall.

“Young lady, your courage is admirable, but your strategy is full of recklessness.”

Doctor Fate said calmly, “You have overlooked the most crucial factor—the sun. Without the suppression of sunlight, the power of vampires is almost inexhaustible. Even if you successfully infiltrate and even get close to your target, in the eternal dark realm, facing the vampire king who has been manipulated and transformed into Superman as an ally, your chances of winning are infinitely close to zero.”

He paused, then continued, "The most urgent task is to regain our advantage, dispel the fog that is obscuring the sky, and let the sun shine down on the earth again."

"We should concentrate our resources and prioritize solving the problem of the sun, rather than going into the dark lair to carry out a doomed suicide beheading."

"Solve the sun? Easier said than done!"

Black Canary Dinah immediately retorted, glaring at Doctor Fate and saying, "How do you plan to solve this? By praying with your helmet? By the time you figure out a solution, the world will have already become a vampire paradise."

"Miss Oracle's courage is commendable."

Constantine, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, leaned against the cold metal wall and said, "But the Doctor is right. To behead someone on their home turf is as stupid as that little hellish lord I summoned when I was drunk last week."

He exhaled a smoke ring. "As for Black Canary's idea, it's just as stupid. It sounds like you're hoping to squander our meager fortune quickly so the vampires can throw a victory celebration."

"Cowards! You are all cowards!"

Diana trembled with rage, pointing at Constantine and Doctor Fate, "Hiding in your safe havens, spouting high-sounding words, while you stand by and watch people suffer outside, you..."

"enough!"

Barbara met Diana's gaze without backing down, "If you act rashly, you'll only turn more people into Green Arrows."

"Meaningless?! You're saying Green Arrow's actions are meaningless?!"

“No, I mean your method of revenge would render his previous actions meaningless.”

The entire hall was in an uproar.

the other side.

Bruce stood in the eye of the storm, his brow furrowed.

He understood Dinah's deep pain, the tactical value of Barbara's direct attack, and the critical importance of the strategic questions raised by Doctor Fate.

However, the scarcity of resources, the urgency of time, and the strength of the enemy meant that every choice was accompanied by enormous risks and unbearable costs.

He needs to make a decision, a decision that could determine the fate of everyone, and even the future of the world.

And Bruce now has some doubts: is Nightwing truly the vampire king of Gotham?

Based on subtle clues, Bruce suspects that the Vampire King has been replaced.

He needs to investigate the letter carefully; before that, he cannot act rashly.

Raven stood at the edge of the crowd, watching the heated argument unfold before her, and suddenly felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

Each of these superpowered individuals has their own ideas, so it's impossible to expect them to unite.

Raven turned her gaze to Horus and the others.

It seems that resolving this crisis, which occurred while the father was away, will depend on the family.

(End of this chapter)