"Uncle Peter's" Tavern.
A group of men from all corners of the small town had gathered in this rather shabby-looking place.
They drank while shooting the breeze and chatting nonsense with one another.
There was no helping it.
This place was simply too remote.
Aside from gathering in the tavern, there were basically no decent ways to kill time.
"It's been almost a month since General Zod invaded Earth. After all this time, not only has the Homelander's popularity not cooled down—it's actually skyrocketed."
"Who exactly is the Homelander? Where did he come from, and why does he possess abilities so similar to Superman's? Everyone wants answers."
"About eight years ago, the Homelander appeared in Gotham. He used extremely iron-fisted methods to intimidate all the criminals there, bringing Gotham true peace in the literal sense."
"Once those methods were exposed, it caused an enormous uproar. Some people called the Homelander a cold-blooded butcher, while others hailed him as a decisive hero who cut through chaos like a sharp blade."
On the wall of the main hall, a program was playing news related to the Homelander.
Even after such a long time since Zod's invasion, the Homelander's notoriety showed no signs of fading.
On the contrary, as more and more details of his mysterious past were dug up, the Homelander attracted unprecedented attention, sparking nationwide debate.
After all—
Back then, Alex really had done quite a lot.
And he had made waves in plenty of places.
Gotham, Smallville, Central City, Star City, and so on.
In other locations, it wasn't too bad—Alex's actions hadn't been particularly high-profile.
But in Gotham, what Alex did was nothing short of earth-shattering.
Naturally, it sparked extremely heated discussion.
Some people regarded Alex as a first-rate madman, while others viewed him as a god.
The two sides argued endlessly, and some even came to blows.
"Madman!"
"The Homelander is a complete and utter lunatic!"
"No! The Homelander is the real hero! Only he dares to use such extreme measures—he's a warrior!"
"A warrior? He killed hundreds of people in just a few days!"
"Those people deserved it! Buddy, that was Gotham—terminally ill Gotham. There was no other way!"
"That's right! Look at Gotham after the Homelander left—what more do you have to say now?!"
…
Just like countless other places.
The patrons in the tavern were also engaged in fierce debate over Alex's actions in Gotham.
The atmosphere was incredibly lively.
As for Alex?
He naturally didn't join the discussion.
Instead, he leisurely sipped his cheap whiskey, watching the spectacle as an outsider.
It was actually rather interesting.
One thing worth mentioning—
Alex was wearing glasses.
Just like how Clark Kent puts on glasses and no one recognizes him as Superman.
When Alex wore glasses, people genuinely couldn't recognize him as the Homelander either.
The situation was absurd, yet undeniably real.
At first, when Alex became globally famous, he did feel a bit troubled.
Would going out in public turn into something like being a celebrity in China—swarmed by fans, unable to move an inch?
For the first few days, he really didn't dare go out much, keeping an extremely low profile.
He stayed in his apartment, using his super senses to "perceive" whatever he wanted to know.
But later, a flash of inspiration crossed his mind.
With Superman as a living example, why not try the same thing?
So Alex bought a pair of glasses, put them on his face, and adjusted his hairstyle a bit.
Then he cautiously went out.
The result?
The effect was unbelievably good.
Absolutely no one paid him any attention.
"Arthur, what do you think about that Homelander?"
Not far from Alex, Arthur was also drinking and chatting with his old man.
Arthur's father casually asked his son.
"What else is there to say? He's a lunatic!"
"There's definitely something wrong up here."
Aquaman pointed at his own head. "Is that something a normal person would do?"
"That's right. He's far crazier than you,"
Arthur's father, Thomas, nodded as well, lifting his glass and draining it in one go.
In Thomas's eyes, Arthur going out to sea to beat up criminals was already pretty crazy.
But compared to the Homelander, it was child's play.
A lunatic?
Alex neither confirmed nor denied it.
If one didn't know his motives, his actions really did seem abnormal.
People weren't wrong.
Alex didn't care in the slightest. As if nothing were happening, he continued to drink alone in his corner.
"Alright, old man, I'm heading out!"
After drinking with his father for a while longer, Arthur Aquaman patted Thomas on the shoulder and stood up.
"Give Vulko my regards," Thomas called out without turning his head.
"I will!"
Arthur Aquaman clanged his glass down on the table, wiped the alcohol from the corner of his mouth, and strode out.
On the surface, Alex remained calm, but inwardly, his interest was piqued.
Had the opportunity finally arrived?
He continued drinking as if nothing were amiss, but his super senses had already locked firmly onto Arthur.
Under Alex's watchful perception, Arthur left the tavern and then dove headfirst into the sea.
Moving at an "unconventional," exaggerated speed, he swiftly crossed the entire town.
He arrived at a remote, deserted beach.
There—
An elderly man in a tight-fitting suit, holding a trident, was already waiting.
It was none other than Vulko.
"Arthur!"
"Vulko! Haha, you haven't come looking for me in half a year, have you? When I saw the mark you left, I thought I was seeing things."
Arthur walked up to Vulko with a grin, the two greeting each other enthusiastically.
"There isn't much left that I can teach you, Arthur."
Vulko looked at the "big boy" before him with deep satisfaction—after all, he had practically watched Arthur grow up.
"But today, I've prepared something new. I think you might find it useful."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they got down to business.
Vulko began giving Arthur further combat instruction related to the Atlantean race.
The entire process lasted more than two hours before finally ending.
Arthur and Vulko said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.
Splash—splash!
Both of them dove into the sea and disappeared.
Whoosh!
Only then did a shadow flash past—Alex, standing on his hoverboard, appeared at the shoreline.
Sss!
Without any hesitation, Alex dove straight into the water as well, sending up a splash.
Alex didn't rush to make contact with Vulko.
Instead, he silently began tailing him.
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