After getting off work, Lorien learned from Gwen and Wanda about General Zod's negotiations with world leaders.
"What should we do? Could Clark be in danger?"
Gwen looked at Lorien with deep worry.
But Lorien's expression stayed calm. He took off his coat and casually handed it to Wanda.
Wanda picked it up, folded it neatly, and set it aside.
"Gwen, it's fine. There's no need to worry about this."
General Zod was indeed powerful, and his army formidable, but they were no match for Superman, Clark Kent, nor for the forces hidden within Gotham City.
The idea of turning Earth into a Krypton-like world was nothing but a joke, something utterly impossible.
Lorien didn't take the matter seriously. If anyone should be concerned, it was the people of this planet—not a mere psychologist like him.
Some groups in Gotham had access to sharp intelligence networks, and they quickly caught wind of the news about aliens preparing to invade Earth.
Yet, faced with such a major threat, they chose apathy, dismissing it outright.
"Why not just hand the guy over?"
"Aliens crashing into Earth? And we're the ones to see it happen? That's actually pretty funny."
"Even a fool can tell what's really going on."
"Handing him over won't solve a thing. That's impossible. Looks to me like those aliens have their eyes on Earth itself."
"By the way, what's the name of the one they want?"
"Clark Kent."
Clark Kent?
For some reason, the name rang strangely familiar for some people.
But in that brief moment, they couldn't place why.
...
Inside the Justice League.
"Clark Kent—isn't that Superman's name?"
"Diana, didn't you say you'd seen Clark Kent before?"
"I did, here in this city. But he was too young. Could it have been his son?"
"And I only saw him once. I can't even be sure it was really him."
"..."
They sat gathered around the round table, deep in discussion.
Superman's seat wasn't the only one empty. Batman, Bruce Wayne, was missing as well.
Since the death of his son, he had been drowning in grief. Even when called to meetings, he refused to come.
The others understood Bruce Wayne's pain, but still wished he would give more attention to Justice League matters.
"The League of Assassins has carried out multiple operations in this city. Many people have died."
"These things have to be handled one at a time, not all at once."
"Has anyone looked into that new psychologist? Anything suspicious?"
"Seems he's an ability user."
Diana explained what she knew, slowly laying it out for the others. "I visited him several times under the guise of a patient. I even met his women—one named Gwen, another Wanda. They seem to be ability users as well."
"Did you test their abilities?"
All eyes turned to Diana.
She shook her head slightly.
They were only gathering intel, not trying to provoke conflict. There was no reason to test them.
With no further probing, the matter was dropped.
Their attention shifted back to Clark Kent.
"He left the Justice League, said he had urgent business to handle. He didn't say when he'd be back, and we have no way to reach him. That person who looks like Clark might be the key to finding him."
"We could check his hometown for clues."
They had always respected each other's privacy, so there were things they'd never looked into. But with the situation urgent, maybe it was time.
And there was something about General Zod that sounded oddly familiar.
No—more than that.
The entire situation felt familiar, as if they had heard it all before.
Linking it to Clark Kent only made it feel even more familiar. But how could that be?
They exchanged glances, reading shock and disbelief in each other's eyes.
At that moment, they finally realized the seriousness of it all.
"Whatever happens, we need to find Clark Kent first."
If they could track him down, they might finally confirm whether their suspicions were true.
The Justice League was thrown into turmoil, while Gotham City remained its usual chaotic mess.
A true haven for criminals.
Online, discussions about Gotham were still a storm of chatter.
Lorien loved browsing through it, finding it amusing.
He scrolled through post after post, smiling faintly now and then.
Wanda and Gwen leaned on his shoulders on either side, keeping him company.
When they grew tired, they'd close their eyes for a short rest. To them, Lorien's endless curiosity seemed almost unnatural.
...
"It looks like someone's digging into Clark's affairs."
About twenty minutes later, Wanda spoke softly.
From the chatter online, it wasn't hard to piece together the clues they wanted.
Maybe that was the true value of gossip.
"Mhm."
If Wanda could see it, of course Lorien could too.
He rubbed his chin.
"Isn't Clark still staying at that hotel?"
Last time, he'd even sneaked over to see him.
With just a few casual questions, he'd let slip his entire address.
Lorien thought about visiting tomorrow—it was the weekend after all.
But then again, this had nothing to do with him. Why should he bother?
Even if Clark Kent really was in trouble, did a grown man like him need Lorien's protection?
That wasn't who he was.
With that thought, his plan to visit disappeared as quickly as it came.
Forget it.
He yawned, then went to bed with the two girls at his side.
The next morning, instead of looking for Clark Kent, Lorien, Wanda, and Gwen spent their time wandering the streets of Gotham.