The museum director looked at Lorien with an expectant expression, but he refused.
His phone only contained the contact information of his patients, close family, and trusted friends. On weekends, he never answered any calls—except from his two women.
Of course, that was what he thought, but it wasn't something he could ever say aloud.
"Giving you my contact information might not be convenient. If you have any questions, please reach out directly to Mr. Bruce Wayne. I'm sure he'll provide a satisfactory answer."
After saying that, he gave the museum director another polite nod and left without hesitation.
Yet just as one problem was settled, another immediately surfaced, giving Lorien a pounding headache.
"Ah, Lorien! Good afternoon!"
Superman Clark had just kicked down a towering robot when he spotted Lorien and his group. He waved at them enthusiastically.
This was a battlefield, not the time for pleasantries.
Lorien's mouth twitched as he watched Clark Kent. His gaze drifted toward the crowd until it landed on a man in a white lab coat.
That man's eyes were locked onto Clark Kent and the largest robot, his face tight with tension.
"Lorien, you've been staring at him. Something wrong with that guy?"
Wanda had been watching Lorien carefully, and Gwen too, so they immediately noticed something was off.
"Don't you think that guy looks strange? He's way too nervous about that giant robot. When it looks like Clark Kent might lose, he gets excited, but when the robot takes damage, he looks furious, frustrated, even disappointed. Don't you think that's weird?"
Lorien spoke lightly, showing no intention of getting involved. With Billy Batson around, what was there to worry about?
But whether on purpose or not, every time the massive robot was knocked down, it somehow ended up landing right in front of him.
Lorien's expression turned odd, a mix of amusement and suspicion.
Was this another test?
Unnecessary.
Hadn't their secret observations been enough? Did they really need to see him fight firsthand?
"Clark, if you don't finish that thing off soon, everyone on this street is in danger. As a hero, I doubt you'd just stand by and let innocent people get hurt, right?"
Lorien already had a good idea what Clark Kent was really trying to do, but he didn't care.
He smiled and said it anyway, then turned to Billy Batson beside him. Seeing the excitement in the young man's eyes, he added, "Why don't you give it a try? If you can take down that giant robot, that's a man's kind of romance. The girls will love it."
"The girls will love it?"
Billy's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Of course. You'll be very popular. Trust me—I'm never wrong about that."
Lorien patted him on the shoulder.
In an instant, Billy Batson dashed straight toward the massive robot, moving so fast that even Clark Kent didn't have time to react.
Boom!
A deafening crash echoed as the colossal robot hit the ground hard and didn't move for a while.
Clearly, Clark hadn't been fighting seriously before. Because he'd been holding back, Billy's strength now stood out even more.
"This thing might be huge, but it's not even that tough!"
Billy stood atop the fallen robot, his voice filled with disbelief.
He'd watched Clark fight it for so long and thought it was a tough opponent. Now, it turned out to be easy.
The robot didn't move. Standing triumphantly on its chest, Billy grew even more smug.
Clark watched the new Justice League recruit, feeling a headache coming on. The kid was strong—he had to admit that—but he'd just ruined the plan Clark had carefully set up. That hadn't been how things were supposed to go.
Just as Clark was stewing over it, the robot, which they thought was down for good, suddenly lurched upright. It shoved Billy off its back in one swift motion.
The huge machine shook itself, as if angry about having been pinned to the ground.
"This robot is awesome!"
Billy grinned wide. Meeting a strong opponent like this—how could that not be exciting?
The robot's attacks barely scratched him. He didn't even feel pain.
Brushing off the dust from his clothes, Billy clenched his fists and drove one into the robot's chest with a thunderous impact. Metal groaned as a deep dent formed in its torso.
"Hey, you okay?"
Billy frowned, realizing he might've overdone it. "I just threw a casual punch. Didn't expect you to look so big and be so fragile."
Then he punched again. This time, the robot's arm snapped off completely, clattering to the ground with a series of sharp metallic bangs.
Even with its chest caved in and an arm missing, the robot still moved. Its destructive power remained terrifying, and nearby buildings were already reduced to rubble.
Clark knew things were getting out of hand. He started forward, but Billy quickly stopped him.
"Don't jump in! Leave the rest to me!"
Billy was determined to handle it all on his own.
Just like Lorien had said—if he finished this, girls would love him for it. The thought alone filled him with unstoppable excitement...