The Ripple drove away the ghostly energy, that weird, draining power. Zhao Gao was furious. His newly formed body started to fall apart, and his "thing" once again abandoned him. How could a thousand-year-old eunuch handle that? "You want to die!"
Boom!
Zhao Gao's demon core spun wildly as he raised his bronze sword. He was absolutely unforgiving now.
All the Terracotta Warriors' heads suddenly turned at once, all staring in the same direction, their eyes glowing with a sinister red light.
This was straight out of a horror movie. Those resentful stares were way scarier than any vengeful ghost. But the Justice League wasn't afraid.
"Zhao Gao, your scheme is finished. Release everyone now," Superman said, flying up again and looking down from above. Superman was just too polite—he always wanted to reason instead of fighting.
But Zhao Gao wasn't about to let him talk his way out of it. After losing what he'd just gained, his resentment left him in no mood for words. "Point at a deer and call it a horse!"
He unleashed a transformation spell. Superman dodged right away.
Wonder Woman seized the chance and swung her sword, aiming for Zhao Gao's neck.
Zhao Gao looked up but was totally aware of his surroundings. He raised his bronze sword to block, and with a flick of his wrist, Wonder Woman suddenly lost control of her blade. It spun out of her grip.
"Swordplay, huh?" Zhao Gao shot Wonder Woman a disdainful look. "I've mastered the Sword of Yue. No one in the Seven Kingdoms can match me. The likes of you are a joke." As he spoke, his sword flickered, and with a single move, he targeted Wonder Woman's throat and heart.
The sword aura cut through the ruins, cold light everywhere.
Liu A'dou saw it and thought, 'That sword technique is just like a Light Speed Punch.' Were all Warring States swordsmen this strong?
Once she was locked on, Wonder Woman realized she couldn't move. This wasn't just swordsmanship—it was sword intent. Anyone caught in it would lose all ability to act.
Diana seemed to see the image of a beautiful, dangerous young woman dancing with long sleeves.
Whoosh!
The sword slashed, but hit only air. Flash had saved Wonder Woman in the nick of time.
"Busybody!" Zhao Gao was pissed. He made the Terracotta Warriors block Flash, forcing him toward a trap.
A wall of Terracotta Warriors appeared right in front of Flash. He couldn't stop in time and crashed right into it, falling hard.
Zhao Gao's strength was no joke—magic and swordplay, attack and defense, inside and out. Without Flash's help, Diana would definitely have been hurt.
Superman blew another cold wind, freezing all the Terracotta Warriors around Flash.
"Flash, get me up there," Diana said, holding her Lasso of Truth, determined to win.
"Yes, ma'am," Flash replied and sped off, carrying Diana to the right spot. The Justice League pressed their attack, and finally, the tide turned in their favor. Everyone worked to protect Flash and Wonder Woman, with bursts of colorful energy pushing back the Terracotta Warrior army.
The golden lasso spun through the air and finally caught Zhao Gao.
Zhao Gao tried to cut the rope with his bronze sword, but the Lasso of Truth was no ordinary rope and wouldn't break. Diana pulled tight, and the lasso glowed. Zhao Gao fell silent.
"Tell me how to break the spell and return everyone to normal," Diana demanded.
"Soak them in salt water."
"What did he say?" Diana didn't understand Chinese.
"He said to soak the Terracotta Warriors in salt water," Liu A'dou said, a little speechless. 'Is that really how you break a spell?' But in the Qin Dynasty, salt was rare. Ordinary people couldn't get enough high-concentration salt water to soak a whole body. Even eating salted meat once or twice a year was considered a luxury, and rich families might not have enough salt for this either. So back then, this spell would have been almost impossible to break.
But times have changed. For the Justice League, this method felt way too simple.
Superman and Flash, the two fastest, immediately rushed into the town to prepare salt water. Batman and Kid went to move four Terracotta Warriors by car—they needed to test it first, so the local Peruvian government could take over the rescue later.
The result was obvious. Once the Terracotta Warrior was fully soaked in salt water, bubbles started to rise, and before long, the statue was gone. The souls that had been taken were returned to their bodies.
The people woke up. The first thing they saw was Superman standing over them, which almost made them faint again from excitement.
Kid stepped up to check and found that everyone had fully recovered. Superman came out to talk. "Contact your government. There are still a lot of people who haven't been saved yet. Just put them in salt water and they'll be fine."
Of course, they all agreed. Getting advice from Superman himself was like a dream come true.
"Leave Zhao Gao to me. There's a prison in Metropolis made especially for people like him," Superman said when they got back to the ruins.
Liu A'dou had no objections.
Superman continued, "This time, it was thanks to Kid gathering the Justice League that we were able to prevent even more harm." No single person could have solved this mess so quickly.
Without Wonder Woman, they would never have gotten the spell-breaking method so easily. Without Superman's power, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly. Without Batman, they wouldn't have known what to do at the most critical moment. Without Flash, they'd have been pestered nonstop by arrows. Without Kid, there'd be no way to clear the negative energy, and the League wouldn't have assembled so fast.
As everyone watched Superman go to capture Zhao Gao, they suddenly heard a crack. Looking closer, the part Superman grabbed shattered into dust.
Huh? When Superman looked inside, he found it was completely empty. The Terracotta Warrior had become just a regular clay statue, with no sign of Zhao Gao at all. While everyone was busy, Zhao Gao had pulled a golden cicada trick and slipped away.
Superman scanned the area but found nothing. He could only shake his head. Wonder Woman looked shocked—this was the first time anyone had broken free from the Lasso of Truth.
Did that even make sense? Then Wonder Woman put away her lasso, only to immediately whip it around Kid. "Your real name."
"Liu A'dou."
Kid hadn't expected Diana to do that.
Diana just wanted to prove the Lasso was still working, and now she also knew Kid's real identity. "So it's really you."
"Diana, that's not very ethical!" Kid jumped up. Now Batman and Flash both knew who he was. How was he supposed to show his face in the thief world anymore?
Batman froze for a second, then figured it out—so Kaitou Kid was Liu A'dou all along. No wonder he and Harvey Dent knew each other. And it explained how a little reporter could become so successful after leaving Gotham City. Kid and A'dou were the same person.
Flash thought the name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite remember where he'd heard it before.
Zhao Gao had escaped, but all the villagers were saved. The Justice League's first mission was still a big success. Liu A'dou figured Zhao Gao, knowing the power of superheroes now, would go into hiding for a while before causing trouble again.
As for the artifacts, Liu A'dou decided to let Chu Yuxuan handle the negotiations. He wasn't going to meddle, and it was already lucky he hadn't swiped a couple of treasures himself.
With the first mission finished, everyone prepared to part ways. Before they left, Batman pulled out a communicator they'd built earlier. "This is a communicator Kid and I designed together."
Batman and Superman left first. But Diana was still staring at Liu A'dou—she wanted an explanation. She couldn't believe her first friend outside the island turned out to be a thief. That was a little hard to accept.