Starlinn Bar.
Located within the black market territory of Knowhere, this was one of the most popular bars, renowned across the entire universe for its signature alcoholic beverage—the Mad Titan.
The Mad Titan was a cocktail mixed from six different-colored alien liquors.
Drinking it made one feel as though they had been granted infinite power. What made it even more special was the container it was served in—the Infinity Goblet, which had some collectible value.
Boom!
Suddenly—
A violent sonic boom echoed from the sky.
The sound reverberated endlessly.
At the same time, ripples spread through the air, the airflow was displaced, and a powerful gust of wind blasted through the surroundings.
At the entrance of the bar, the gathered crowd felt a stinging sensation on their faces as they turned toward the source of the noise.
A figure clad in a skintight battle suit, with a flowing cape billowing behind him, descended from the sky and landed at the scene.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Countless gazes instantly locked onto Anton. Their expressions varied, but most concealed deep wariness.
There was no denying it—Anton transformation into Superman made for an overwhelmingly dramatic entrance.
The sheer power he possessed filled him with immense confidence.
"Please, come in."
Standing at the bar entrance was a towering, muscle-bound alien whose head and limbs resembled those of a human, yet whose entire body was composed of rock.
His exterior gave off an impression of rugged simplicity.
"Much appreciated."
Anton strode inside, scanning the room in a single sweep before immediately locking onto his target for this chance encounter.
"Can I get you something to drink?"
"No need for now. I'm looking for someone."
At the same time—
Anton arrival also drew the attention of several others.
Among them were Carol Danvers and Nick Fury.
The two of them widened their eyes, staring blankly at the Superman who had suddenly appeared in their line of sight. They exchanged glances, their faces filled with disbelief.
For a moment, they completely forgot that they had just been deep in conversation.
Carol: "Let me repeat this one more time—I've never heard of Krypton, this so-called destroyed planet.
And besides, if Superman was really as powerful as you claim, then his homeworld wouldn't have been so obscure…"
Fury: "So, you think Superman doesn't exist at all?"
Carol: "I don't know. But if you insist that he does, then of course, I'll do everything I can to help you."
"There something I haven't had a chance to tell you yet—I just received an update from Earth.
Those Skrulls, the ones with wild ambitions and delusions, have all been taken down…"
Fury suddenly spoke in a slow, deliberate tone.
Hearing this, Carol expression shifted slightly. She turned to look at her old friend.
"Including Kl'rt? The one who stole my powers and called himself the Super-Skrull?"
"Yes."
Fury nodded. "Kl'rt, along with the Super-Skrull Army he created, was completely wiped out by Superman when he returned to Earth just in time.
They didn't even have a chance to fight back—Superman single-handedly took care of all of them…"
He paused briefly before adding, "Oh, right. I've got some video footage of it. You might want to take a look."
As he spoke, he handed Carol a device that looked strikingly similar to a tablet.
"..."
Carol watched the video in silence.
The Super-Skrull leader, kl'rt, who had the ability to shapeshift into her, along with an entire army of Skrulls who could mimic superpowered beings, had been taken down—completely and single-handedly—by Superman.
She fully understood the key implications behind this.
"Is this why you left Earth?"
After a long pause, Carol suddenly spoke. "Because you had so much confidence in the Justice League that you foresaw this outcome?"
"Your greatest enemy knows you better than your closest friend."
Fury replied, his voice steady. "The Justice League and I aren't exactly enemies, but there always been a competitive dynamic.
Of course, I know that I lost that battle—completely and utterly. But that doesn't change the fact that I have absolute confidence in the Justice League… and in Batman."
"They clearly had more intelligence on this situation than we did. The Skrulls weren't a secret to them…
which means they've been watching all along. The only reason they hadn't acted was because the time wasn't right."
"In other words, they had a trump card that could turn everything around."
He shrugged, took a sip of his drink, and let out a long sigh. "That trump card… was Superman."
"So that why you were so certain he existed."
Carol finally understood.
This old friend of hers had grown a lot over the years.
From a reckless young operative to a master strategist who could manipulate events from behind the scenes.
From their conversation alone, Carol realized that Nick Fury believed in Superman existence more than anyone else. That was why he had been so confident in leaving Earth.
Because if Superman was even half as powerful as he was depicted in films, then the Super-Skrull Army never stood a chance against him.
Of course, Fury hadn't left Earth entirely defenseless.
Before leaving, he had placed a Skrull under his command to impersonate him—a decoy meant to attract the attention of the Men in Black or, more importantly, Anton himself, ensuring that someone would remain vigilant against the Skrulls.
And since the Justice League had already been working on countermeasures against Skrull infiltration, Fury had already anticipated the outcome.
Even if he wasn't on Earth to receive real-time intelligence, every single piece of information coming from the planet was already under his control.
He wasn't just thinking one step ahead—he was thinking three.
That was the Nick Fury of today.
Creak—
Suddenly, Carol expression shifted.
She sensed something—a threat, approaching rapidly from several kilometers away.
At the entrance—
Her gaze sharpened as she turned toward the doorway, as if she had just glimpsed something inevitable.
"What is it?"
Nick Fury noticed Carol change in expression and followed her gaze toward the entrance of Starlinn Bar.
Creak—
The bar doors swung open.
A tall, broad-shouldered man stepped inside.
His presence was commanding.
Instantly, every eye in the bar turned toward him.
He was dressed in a blue skintight suit, a red cape billowing behind him, and a red-and-gold S-shaped emblem gleaming on his chest.
Nick Fury froze.
Carol froze.
"This…"
Nick Fury muttered in disbelief, his voice barely above a whisper. "Why does this guy look… kind of familiar?"
"Maybe you should shut up."
Carol recovered faster than him. "He exactly who we've been looking for."
As she spoke—
The familiar-looking man swept his gaze across the room. After exchanging a brief word with the bar courteous doorman, he turned his eyes directly toward them.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Superman walked up to them, his expression calm, a faint smile on his lips.
With a slight nod, he greeted them.
"Nice to meet you, Carol Danvers. Nick Fury."
"I assume I don't need to introduce myself…"
His gaze sharpened slightly, his voice carrying unmistakable certainty.
"After all, the person you were just talking about—"
"—was me."