Ch. 304 He's Back

Throughout their history, the government and S.H.I.E.L.D. had often relied on their public relations advantage to portray themselves as champions of justice.

Now, Russell intended to expose their disguises and let people around the world see their true colors.

After instructing No. 3 to process the data sent by Winston, Russell left his study and entered the training room, which he hadn't visited in a while.

He had already made all the necessary arrangements.

With some time to spare, he planned to test the newly awakened Divine Sun Power.

Normally, someone who had just awakened Divine Sun Power would require a considerable amount of time to fully convert it into their own combat power.

However, for someone with Kryptonian physiology like Russell, who had previously used divine power as magic, he could expedite the conversion process and integrate Divine Sun Power into his combat abilities in a very short time.

The enhancement of Divine Sun Power to Kryptonian physiology was almost instinctual, much like breathing. Even when he slept, Divine Sun Power continued to strengthen his Kryptonian physiology.

This meant that he didn't need to spend specific time sunbathing every day, as he had done in the past.

Furthermore, using Divine Sun Power for various purposes was not difficult for him. He had a habit of transforming divine power into magic.

Now, all he had to do was modify the magic that was suitable for Divine Sun Power, turning these spells into Divine Sun Power techniques.

In the training room, he first recalled the sacred and light magic he currently possessed.

Then, without any hesitation, he began the modifications.

To put it simply, this involved changing the casting process and the flow of magic power to Divine Sun Power.

Since he didn't need to draw strength from any magical source or rely on specific magical gestures, the modified magic could be cast more efficiently.

Summoning Holy Light, Flames of Light, Divine Armor, Sun Halo, Holy Radiance, Purification Light, Divine Beam, Spear of Light...

With little effort, Russell selected a plethora of sacred magic that was suitable for Divine Sun Power Power from his current repertoire.

These spells would be transformed into extraordinary abilities of Divine Sun Power, giving his Divine Sun Power true offensive and defensive capabilities.

As time passed, he continued to work on this somewhat tedious task until nightfall.

Due to time constraints, he had only completed a portion of the magic modifications.

However, this was sufficient for his current needs.

"No. 3, has Diana returned?" Russell inquired.

"Miss Prince is currently at the Octopus Mosnter Industries headquarters. Would you like to contact her?" No. 3 quickly responded.

"Send Diana a message, informing her that we'll be having dinner at the Justice League headquarters tonight."

"Very well, sir."

After giving No. 3 the instructions, Russell left the training room without looking back. He had no intention of making a public appearance at the moment.

Furthermore, as the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Having not seen each other for over half a year, Russell planned to have a cozy and romantic candlelit dinner with Diana tonight.

While the Hulk and the others were currently residing at the Justice League headquarters, it wouldn't pose any inconvenience, as the Justice League headquarters had plenty of restaurants to accommodate them.

Moreover, Russell intended to personally prepare dinner tonight as a gesture of goodwill.

It didn't take long for him to arrive at the fully automated robot restaurant within the Justice League headquarters.

After enlisting the robotic chef as his assistant, he opened the kitchen refrigerator and took a look.

Good!

The refrigerator was stocked with plenty of fresh ingredients.

Upon seeing the ingredients inside the refrigerator, he quickly came up with an idea.

...

At 7 PM.

Diana, wearing a white women's suit, returned to the Justice League headquarters in a self-driving Porsche 911.

Upon her return to the headquarters, Diana did not immediately go back to her bedroom but headed to the private restaurant within the headquarters.

Unlike the fully automated robot restaurant, the private restaurant was much smaller in size. While it could only accommodate three or four people dining at the same time, the private restaurant's decoration and ambiance were much more upscale.

Apart from the fact that the waitstaff were still fully automated robots, there wasn't much difference between the private restaurant in the Justice League headquarters and the ones outside.

Upon arriving at the private restaurant, Diana first gave Russell a gentle hug, who was waiting there, and then sat down on the chair he pulled out for her.

As soon as Diana sat down, Russell picked up a pre-poured glass of red wine and filled one for Diana. Then, he poured himself a glass.

After sitting down, Russell raised his glass and said to Diana, "You've worked hard during this time."

"Are you calling it hard work? That's very polite of you," Diana replied in a gentle tone, also raising her glass.

"No matter how you look at it, without you, Hulk and Wanda might have already become federal fugitives," Russell said with a smile. "So, I have to thank you no matter what."

They clinked their glasses together, and both took a sip of the red wine.

For the rest of the evening, Russell didn't discuss any of the troublesome matters with Diana but rather engaged in casual conversation, just like any ordinary couple.

Both Russell and Diana were satisfied with this candlelit dinner. Russell was happy to have dinner with Diana, while Diana was pleased that Russell had finally returned, and she appreciated that he had personally cooked the meal that night.

After a satisfying meal, they left the restaurant and took a leisurely walk in the garden within the Justice League headquarters.

Justice League headquarters.

Russell and Diana sat by the garden's path, casually chatting.

As the night grew darker, their conversation became more profound.

...

The next day.

After having breakfast, which Diana had personally prepared, Russell went to his study alone.

Diana, as usual, drove her self-driving Porsche 911 to the headquarters of the Octopus Monsters Industries.

As for Hulk, Wanda, and the others, they were all going about their own activities just like before.

Once in his study, Russell made a phone call to Kara, who had already arrived in Hawaii.

Then, he instructed No. 3 to adjust one of the satellites to focus on the U.S. military bases in the Hawaiian Islands.

Not long after, there was an explosion at the military bases in the Hawaiian Islands.

Kara had begun her mission!

Russell calmly watched the live feed of the bases being destroyed by Kara through the holographic projection screen in front of him.

At the same time, he sent orders to Grendel, who had arrived in Washington D.C. the previous day.

Upon receiving Russell's orders, Grendel, with his massive wings, headed towards the Capitol Building without any hesitation.

In accordance with Russell's request, Grendel didn't fly at high altitudes as he used to. Instead, he employed a low-altitude flight to glide past the buildings on his way to the Capitol Building.

As soon as Grendel arrived in Washington D.C., he had attracted the attention of the authorities and the S.H.I.E.L.D., but they didn't take any action. They watched as Grendel landed in a park and took a nap.

Unlike before, S.H.I.E.L.D. now knew that Grendel was the dragon that had been taken from them. More importantly, they were aware that Grendel, the extraterrestrial being, was now Russell's "pet."

When Grendel was spotted heading towards the Capitol Building, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents responsible for monitoring him became anxious. Without hesitation, they contacted the Triskelion and reported the situation.

Triskelion, Director's office.

"Black Dragon is heading to the Capitol Building?" Nick Fury frowned upon hearing Agent Hill's report.

Grendel had arrived in Washington D.C. just yesterday, but he had only found a park to rest in. Therefore, Nick Fury hadn't paid much attention to why Grendel had come to Washington D.C. in the first place.

He didn't know what Grendel was thinking, but one thing he was sure of was that Grendel wouldn't stand a chance against Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers.

However, when he heard that Grendel was flying at an ultra-low altitude towards the Capitol Building, Nick Fury had a bad feeling.

Just as he was contemplating whether to send Captain Marvel to stop Grendel, Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, suddenly entered his office.

"Hawaiian Islands military bases are under attack, and the attacker is Kara, the Justice League's Supergirl!" she reported.

After speaking, Natasha went to Nick Fury's desk and operated his computer.

In the next moment, real-time footage of the attack on the military bases in the Hawaiian Islands appeared on the screen in the office.

This...

If Grendel's unusual behavior had only made Nick Fury suspicious, Kara's attack on the Hawaiian Islands military bases confirmed his suspicions.

Russell had returned!

Only Russell's return could trigger such a strong reaction from the Justice League after being so peaceful for so long!

"He's back!" Nick Fury said with a serious expression as he sat in his chair.

"Who's back?" Natasha asked in confusion.

"Russell! Russell is back!" Nick Fury emphasized.

Just as Natasha was about to say something else, Nick Fury picked up the phone on his desk and dialed a number.

Not long after, the call was answered.

"Russell is back, the dragon is heading to the Capitol Building, and Supergirl is attacking the military bases in the Hawaiian Islands. You need to head to the Justice League headquarters immediately!" Nick Fury said with utmost seriousness.

"Understood!" Captain Marvel Carol Danvers replied promptly.

Just as Carol Danvers was about to hang up the phone, Nick Fury added, "No, first go and stop the dragon. I'll send other agents to the Justice League headquarters."

"Are you sure you want others to go?" Captain Marvel Carol Danvers asked.

"Sure, you go stop the dragon now. Do not let it destroy the Capitol Building!" Nick Fury said, and then hung up the phone.

Seeing Nick Fury, who had always been calm, showing a conflicted expression, Natasha spoke up, "Let me go to the Justice League headquarters."

"I've dealt with Russell before. If he really has returned, it might be better for me to meet him than for anyone else to go."

After hearing Natasha's words, Nick Fury looked at her for a moment.

After a few seconds of contemplation, he slowly said, "Be careful, and if he really has returned, don't engage in any conflict with him."

"Understood!" Natasha replied before leaving the office, disappearing from Nick Fury's sight.

Once Natasha left, Nick Fury picked up the phone again and began issuing orders to other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to stop Grendel.

Justice League headquarters.

Russell was still enjoying the live broadcast of Kara's attack on the U.S. military bases in Hawaii.

With Kara's abilities, taking over the military bases was no challenge. As long as Captain Marvel didn't intervene, the military and S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't have any advanced forces capable of countering Kara's strength.

Captain Marvel was currently occupied by Grendel, so Kara's conquest of the Hawaiian military bases was just a matter of time.

If it weren't for not wanting to make his intentions too obvious, Russell even considered sending Godzilla over to let the U.S. military in Hawaii experience the terror of a Titan creature.