Chapter 603: Who Can Destroy Xieler Manor? (Part 2)

In the elegant English study, dawn light filtered through deep red curtains, illuminating the polished wooden floor, every grain of wood clearly visible.

From between the rows of solid wood bookshelves and display cabinets, tiny glimmers of light fell upon the figure at the desk, revealing the pattern of his pajamas and the black cat clutched in his arms.

Without the prior story, this scene could seamlessly transition into a "Godfather" film—but the truth was, the man and the cat had fought all night, neither getting proper sleep.

In the end, they fell asleep in the study not because they had made peace or formed a friendship, but because Xieler had finally had enough of this bat-cat wrecking the house, so he knocked it out with crazy alcohol, and they fought in their dreams.

Raising a Batman?

When you hear this question and seriously consider its feasibility, even feeling a flicker of excitement, it can only mean that while human affection for pets is free, you should still see a doctor.

Batman's persona is cool and flashy in comics; many readers love this dark, invincible riddler-style protagonist—but in reality, getting beaten three times on a single outing wouldn't be surprising.

Many people despise the Riddler trophies in Batman games, even shouting "Riddler get out of Gotham," but if your relative, lover, or even pet were Batman, it would mean daily Riddler side quests—hundreds per day, refreshed every morning.

Batman's personality ensures that if he appeared beside you, you'd send him to a psychiatric hospital within three days—enough to reveal his destructive power.

So what happens when Batman's personality combines with a cat's? The sleeping man and cat on the chair already answer the question—even Xieler couldn't endure such a pet.

As previously mentioned, when Xieler had nothing to do, he filled every room of his estate with puzzles, then, relying on his blink ability, moved freely, utterly unconcerned with the extra workload it imposed on Merkel.

Such a vast estate was a natural cat paradise; a normal cat would spend ages pushing bottles, knocking over dishes, scratching walls, paintings, and doors.

But the bat-cat was a cat beyond base pleasures—it had no interest in knocking dishes off tables, yet Xieler's puzzles perfectly matched its tastes, so besides scratching doors, it dismantled every single puzzle Xieler had left behind.

Xieler's puzzles were designed for humans; he never considered a cat might solve them, so when the bat-cat couldn't perform human actions, it resorted to violent destruction.

The mess left behind didn't matter—Merkel would clean it up—but destruction often created loud noise; except for the hour just before falling asleep, Xieler spent every other moment chasing the noise, hunting down the bat-cat.

From this, it's clear Xieler had never owned a pet; the best way to handle a rowdy cat isn't to chase it, because that makes it think you're playing—and it gets even more energetic.

Xieler didn't understand this, so he resorted to rule-breaking methods: he dragged the cat into his Mind Palace and fought it there.

Unsurprisingly, Xieler won—but anyone who's owned a cat knows: winning once doesn't mean the end; it means the long battle has only just begun.

After days of this man-cat warfare, Xieler finally snapped. He went to the Green Lantern Corps headquarters, retrieved Pikachu from its duty at the Green Lantern Lantern Core, and pinned his hopes on the chatty yellow electric rodent to defeat the bat-cat.

Ten minutes later, Pikachu, leaping frantically to escape the bat-cat's pursuit, roared: "Xieler!"

What the hell were you thinking?!

How could you possibly—

Send a rat—

To fight a cat?!

!

Xieler blinked left, dodging Pikachu's electric surge, and said: "Where's your hundred thousand volts? Shock it!"

"Are you sure? You don't want your estate anymore?!"

Pikachu moved while disrupting the bat-cat's chase with electric bursts; Xieler tried to grab the bat-cat while simultaneously dodging Pikachu's electricity.

Finally, Xieler's temper flared, and he shouted at Pikachu: "Use your hundred thousand volts!"

"Zzzt!"

Clark, just flying over Gotham City, saw his target—the Xieler Professor's estate—suddenly erupt in intense lightning. Currents shot out from every window and door, turning the entire estate into a sphere of electricity.

Clark stood stunned above the estate. He was about to dive down to rescue someone when he saw Xieler walk out, dragging something.

In his hand he gripped the bat-cat's tail; the bat-cat, already black, looked no different from being electrocuted. The bat-cat bit down on Pikachu's tail, and behind them trailed Merkel.

"What happened, Professor? Did a ball lightning break into your house?" Clark landed, concerned.

Xieler tugged the black cat's tail, lifting both it and Pikachu toward Clark, and said: "Which one of these looks like ball lightning?"

"... What is this? Is that a rat? Why is it so yellow? And this black cat—I feel like I've seen it before?... Oh my god... Bruce! How are you a cat again? Am I still dreaming?!"

Clark rubbed his eyes, shook his head, and stared in shock at the black cat—it was identical to the black cat Bruce had become in his dreams.

Xieler, still holding the chain of creatures, turned to Clark: "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, well... I just wanted to ask—what exactly happened? Ever since that man got inside my head and stole my memories, everything's been... kind of..."

"Unfathomable, right?" Xieler turned to gaze at his estate, now smoking. He walked over, patted Clark's shoulder, and the two strolled along the estate's path.

As they walked, Xieler said: "Not everything in this world can be understood. For example, if I told you my house exploded because of a cat-and-rat war, you wouldn't believe me."

"So that's how it is? That actually makes sense. When my cat hunts mice in the barn, it turns the hay piles into a mess—even once, somehow, it caught fire. Both cats barely escaped; if I hadn't been able to fly and was immune to fire, they'd have been roasted."

"Wait—you have more than one cat at home?... What do you think of them?" Xieler asked Clark.

"They're great. I love them. They're smart and capable—they help my mom with chores and help my dad catch mice. They're the best pets."

"I thought you'd prefer dogs."

"We have a dog too—a hound. My dad takes them into the woods to hunt rabbits. They're capable little guys too." Clark smiled, clearly recalling warm memories. His smile was out of place in Gotham; the family stories he told were ones no one here had ever heard.

"So you must have plenty of experience caring for pets?"

"Of course. I clean their beds, bathe them. When you have superpowers, dealing with them becomes simple, right?" Clark shrugged. With Xieler, another being with the same abilities, he always felt relaxed, speaking openly without pretense.

"Good. You've seen my house is ruined—I have no place to keep pets. These two..." Xieler tugged the black cat's tail and tossed both it and Pikachu to Clark. "Take them. You can bring them to your Kansas farm. They'll help you catch mice."

"But I'm not going back to the farm—this semester isn't over. I still have to stay in Metropolis for school." Clark scratched his head. "Still, I'm happy to help. But this rat... his fur's too bright. I'm afraid classmates will notice."

"No problem. Once you're back in Metropolis, hand them over to Lex."

As Xieler spoke, he took the phone from Merkel's hand and dialed. At the name "Lex," Clark's eyes widened. "Lex? You mean Lex Luthor? But I heard he got into Gotham University—Gotham's semester hasn't ended yet. How could I possibly meet him in Metropolis?"

"The semester hasn't ended—but he was injured and took medical leave to recover at home. Isn't his family from Metropolis?"

"What happened to him?" Clark asked. "I told him not to go to Gotham University—it's dangerous. He ignored me. Not only that—he went to my school and mocked me. Is he okay?"

"Hello?" Xieler raised a hand, signaling Clark to be quiet. He spoke into the phone: "Cobblepot? It's me. Is Lex okay?"

"Oh... of course, of course, I understand... What? No, you misunderstood—I'm not accusing you of attacking Lex."

"I mean—if he's fine, could you make him not fine?"

Hours later, in the dark dormitory of Gotham University, Lex suddenly opened his eyes. He rolled off the bed in an instant—a blade flashed before him, the knife held by Cobblepot reflecting the cold moonlight.

But Lex no longer showed panic. He stepped slightly toward the bed, grabbed the sheet, and flung it straight at Cobblepot.

As Cobblepot's vision was momentarily obscured by the sheet, Lex turned and ran. When he reached the shadow of the windowsill, he paused—then suddenly realized: this wasn't a dream. It was real.

He flipped over the windowsill. Four stories down felt like a cliff. Lex hesitated only an instant before jumping.

Just before hitting the ground, a cloud of gray mist enveloped him and gently set him down. Panting, Lex opened his eyes and saw Xieler beside him. "Professor... you saved me again. Thank you..."

Standing beside him, Xieler held an umbrella tucked under his left arm, a pen in one hand, and a medical record book in the other, writing something.

As Lex rose from the ground, about to speak, he saw Xieler put away the medical book and pen, then grip the umbrella with both hands. Seeing Xieler's expression, Lex stepped back. "Wait—"

"Bang!"

The last thing Lex saw was Xieler, expressionless, holding the umbrella and saying:

"No need to thank me. Medical leave: three months."