"So all the destruction caused is by your friend? Then I must take her away to face legal judgment."
As he spoke, Nick Fury even shifted his body slightly, allowing them a better view of the ruined streets.
"For the extensive damage to the city streets, and for the deaths of so many innocent civilians, I must take her back, both legally and morally."
Peter tried to intercede, but Nick Fury was not budging. He told Peter to go to hell, as this was no place for children.
Even Green Lantern Hal couldn't escape Nick Fury's questioning.
"Mr. Hal, if I recall correctly, you were once a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force. Now that you're retired, can you disregard the law of the land?"
At these words, Hal was completely flustered. The wall formed by his power ring vanished, and the agents seized the opportunity to quickly secure Gluttony and load her into a helicopter.
Watching the helicopter slowly ascend, Green Arrow turned to Batman, who had remained silent throughout, and asked, "Are we just going to let this go?"
"Of course not."
Without further delay, he got into the nearby Batmobile and quickly departed the ruined district.
You ask how the car got there? Smart driving, anyone?
The battle was over, Gluttony was taken away, and Batman had left. With Superman absent, there was no point in them staying.
Looking at the mess left behind, Green Arrow punched a nearby utility pole in frustration, saying, "I won't give up. If you don't help, I'll do it my own way."
With that, the aggrieved Green Arrow ignored the others' gazes and left on his own.
Only Green Lantern Hal and Flash Barry remained. They exchanged a look, shrugged helplessly, and departed.
After Gluttony's attempt to possess Hal and steal his power ring failed, she turned her attention to controlling Diana. As she left, she left a small part of her own organization on Hal.
However, this piece of organic matter was too small, and Hal, exhausted from the fight, did not perform a full body scan immediately, thus failing to discover it.
This small fragment, after separating from the main body, seemed to gain its own consciousness. It hid on Hal and slowly moved towards the power ring.
As for Peter, after realizing he couldn't persuade Nick Fury and seeing that the immediate problem was resolved, with only cleanup left, he promptly decided to leave. He was on a mission in Metropolis, and if he returned late, he'd miss the school competition, and his team teacher would kill him.
Meanwhile, Batman hadn't actually left. After driving a distance, he made a large U-turn and returned once the SHIELD Helicarrier had departed.
He arrived on the rooftop of the building where Superman was, to check on his condition.
The reason Batman hadn't argued with SHIELD earlier and had let Nick Fury take Gluttony away was simple: regardless of whether they were there to claim credit or had simply arrived late, their intent was clear – to take Gluttony for research.
Moreover, SHIELD had brought their base, the Helicarrier, indicating their unwavering resolve. In terms of numbers and firepower, they were at a disadvantage.
The only one who could have potentially escaped with Gluttony using speed was Flash, but his right leg had been frozen by an ambush from Hill. Superman was unable to participate. To avoid unnecessary conflict and after weighing the pros and cons, Batman could only allow Nick Fury to take her away for the time being.
He had returned now to check on Superman's condition. As long as Superman could recover, even if he had to demand her return later, having Superman as backup would give him more confidence.
Although Superman could recover his powers by absorbing yellow sun radiation, the fight with Bai Qi had depleted too much of his energy. Then, Gluttony had drained him further, almost to the point of being a husk.
Even with Peter, under Lois's guidance, placing Superman in a high location for maximum sunlight exposure, he had lost too much. Simply absorbing sunlight would likely take one to two years for him to fully recover. However, the current situation certainly didn't allow for such a leisurely recovery.
The only way to help Superman recover quickly was through artificial intervention. While Wayne Enterprises possessed relevant technology, the best results would come from the equipment Superman brought from his homeworld. As the saying goes, "original soup cures original illness." The instruments in the Fortress of Solitude were the best means to help Superman recover quickly.
Just as Batman was about to take Superman away, a shadow appeared behind him.
Batman reacted swiftly. The moment the shadow appeared, he lunged forward like a startled rabbit, rolled upon landing, and then quickly turned, throwing two Batarangs behind him.
"You should know, these toys can't hurt me."
Not long after the Batarangs flew out, they were stopped in mid-air, then, as if compressed by immense external force, they were crushed into a ball and fell to the ground.
"Holy Lord."
At this moment, Batman shielded the unconscious Superman behind him, his body slightly bent, his eyes narrowed, and his entire being tensed to the extreme.
"Relax, I'm not here to fight you. Besides, the big blue guy behind you is no match for me. Do you think you stand a chance?"
Batman remained silent, his stance still defensive.
Seeing his stubbornness, Bai Qi felt a little annoyed.
"Fine, I'll teach you a little lesson then."
With that thought, two basketball-sized magic orbs quickly condensed on either side of his body and shot towards Batman.
After all, he wasn't here to eliminate the opponent this time. With Batman's agility, he should have easily dodged the two magic orbs. However, what Batman did next truly exceeded Bai Qi's expectations.
Batman quickly took out two talismans from his utility belt, chanting an incantation as he threw them.
Guided by the incantation, the talismans floated in the air, emitting a green magical glow. They not only blocked the magic orbs Bai Qi had fired but also assimilated them and reflected them back at Bai Qi.
"This is quite interesting."
Bai Qi waved his hand, easily dispelling the incoming magic orbs, and looked at the floating talismans with amusement, remarking, "If I recall correctly, you're using magic similar to Lo Pei's, aren't you?"
As the magic that had once sealed the Holy Lord, Bai Qi recognized it instantly. However, he had to admit that Batman's use of Lo Pei's magic was somewhat surprising, but only just.
With Bai Qi's current strength, even if the magic used to seal the Holy Lord back then were amplified tenfold, it still wouldn't be enough to seal him now, let alone the limited power of a few magical talismans used by the other party.