AM I SUPERMAN?

Green Arrow's mind was reeling. His worldview had just taken a massive hit.

Struggling to his feet, he reached into his pocket and pulled out two smoke bombs, intending to create a diversion and escape.

Before he could toss them, Diana moved with blinding speed and grabbed his wrist.

With just a slight squeeze, Green Arrow winced in pain, his face contorting into a grimace.

"Is this all your strength? Such a weak Ares' lackey!" Diana scoffed, clearly unimpressed.

Green Arrow, already battered and bruised, felt as if all his training had been for nothing. What have I been doing with my life?

"I don't know who this Ares is! I'm not one of his lackeys! If you're going to kill me, just get it over with!" he snapped in frustration.

Of course, Green Arrow had no idea that Ares referred to the mythological god of war. He assumed it was the nickname of yet another criminal mastermind in Star City.

Kaius, watching the tense scene, coughed to break the silence. "Diana, stop. He's not a bad guy. I think he's just been misled by those punks."

Diana hesitated but eventually released her grip. She cast a suspicious glance at Green Arrow before sheathing her sword and lowering her shield. With an air of indifference, she walked over to Kaius's side.

Clutching his cracked ribs, Green Arrow looked up with a mixture of pain and irritation. "Who… who are you people?"

"You can call me the Avenger, and this is Wonder Woman," Kaius replied casually.

At that moment, Kaius glanced at his friendship interface. A new entry for Oliver Queen appeared in the system. Unfortunately, the friendship level was firmly in the negative range—indicating dislike.

Kaius sighed inwardly. The one who beat you up was Diana. Why do you hate me?

Green Arrow, still not fully convinced, asked skeptically, "Why does she have superpowers? Wait… is it Mirakuru?"

Mirakuru—a biological serum discovered on a World War II Japanese submarine stranded on Purgatory Island—was known to grant superhuman strength to anyone who survived its effects. One of Green Arrow's old enemies, Deathstroke, had been injected with Mirakuru and turned into a formidable foe.

Given his experiences, Green Arrow naturally assumed Mirakuru was the explanation for Diana's abilities. Star City had recently been plagued by rumors of new Mirakuru-enhanced warriors, adding to his suspicions.

Kaius shook his head. "Oliver Queen, your worldview is far too narrow. There are powers in this world far beyond what you can comprehend. If you keep looking at things with the eyes of an ordinary person, you'll never be able to keep up with the times."

Kaius's tone was firm. He knew what was coming. Soon, Zod and his forces would invade Earth, bringing an entirely different level of destruction. The world would learn the truth about aliens, and superpowered beings would appear in greater numbers, causing mass panic and upheaval.

Hearing his real name come out of Kaius's mouth, Green Arrow's expression darkened. He gripped his bow tightly, his voice sharp. "How do you know my name? What are you trying to do?"

"Relax," Kaius said with a smirk. "I just saw it on the work badge inside your jacket."

"You're lying!" Green Arrow shot back, glaring at him.

Green Arrow knew his badge—bearing the Queen Industries logo—was tucked securely inside his jacket, leftover from a business meeting earlier that day. There was no way anyone could see it.

Kaius shrugged, unfazed by the disbelief. "I have X-ray vision. Not only can I see your badge, but I can also see that roughly 20% of your body is covered in scars. Your left arm has severe burn marks, and your body still has 14 fractures that haven't fully healed. Honestly, Mr. Queen, as a regular human, you're incredibly resilient."

Green Arrow's anger was quickly replaced by astonishment. "You have superpowers? You can see through my clothes?"

Green Arrow considered the possibility that Kaius might be telling the truth, and his expression grew increasingly complex. What Kaius described perfectly matched his physical condition.

"It's not just your clothes. I can see your flesh, your bones, even your cells," Kaius said with a sly smile.

Green Arrow's wariness deepened. "What's your purpose in coming to Star City?"

Faced with Kaius and Diana—who had both demonstrated overwhelming power—Green Arrow knew he couldn't fight back. His identity had been entirely exposed, and the thought crossed his mind: If these two are villains, how could I possibly stop them?

Kaius exchanged a glance with Diana before answering. "Our purpose? Well, if I told you we were just passing through by accident, wanted to ask for directions, or were looking to buy some clothes to better blend into society… would you believe me?"

Green Arrow reflexively shook his head, then hesitated. On second thought, Kaius had no real reason to lie.

Seeing the doubt on Oliver's face, Kaius pressed on: "Honestly, Mr. Queen, if you could find us some clothes and point us in the direction of Metropolis, we'd leave immediately."

Oliver mulled it over for a moment before responding, "Fine. Follow me."

He drew his bow and fired an arrow fitted with a grappling rope. With a press of a button, the rope retracted, pulling him up to the rooftop in one smooth motion.

From his new vantage point, Oliver looked down to find Kaius and Diana exchanging glances before effortlessly leaping to the roof themselves.

"…"

For a moment, Oliver was at a loss for words. Watching them jump with ease made him feel a pang of frustration. Show-offs, he thought, feeling a bit of heartache at the disparity in their abilities.

"Let's go," Oliver muttered, leading the way into the night.

The three moved across the rooftops of Star City with practiced efficiency. Despite his cracked ribs, Oliver maintained an impressive pace. Kaius had underestimated the resilience of the man who had survived three years of grueling conditions on Purgatory Island. Injuries like this seemed inconsequential to him.

Oliver Queen, Kaius mused, has pushed human limits as far as they can go.

It wasn't surprising, given that Oliver's character card in the friendship system was marked as an elite-level blue card—far superior to a mundane white card.

Eventually, Oliver led them to a bar that had been converted from an old factory.

On the surface, the bar appeared to be a business run by Oliver's younger sister, Thea Queen. But in reality, it served as a front, hiding a secret base in the basement for the Arrow's operations.

Oliver guided them into a concealed elevator that descended into the base.

The space was vast, about the size of three classrooms. One section housed exercise equipment for training, another stored weapons, bows, and Arrow's iconic suits, and a third served as a command center with several high-end computers.

At one of the computers, a young blonde woman was engrossed in her work, her fingers flying across the keyboard. Without looking up, she asked, "Back already? Was patrol that easy today?"

Oliver stepped forward, taking off his hood to reveal his face. "Felicity, I brought two people with me."

Hearing this, Felicity froze mid-typing. Slowly, as though she'd just seen a ghost, she turned around to face them.

Her eyes widened in shock. "Oh my God! Who are they? Oliver, are you seriously okay with them knowing your identity?"