Black Canary’s Origins

At a tavern in downtown New Babylon, now the liveliest place in the entire city, most of the spectators who had come from all directions to witness the execution gathered here to drink and chat.

The vast majority of those entering were mercenaries from various places. They had spotted a bit of "business opportunity" in the execution Red Skull had announced, and perhaps this event would give them a chance to make a fortune.

As for the others, they were gang members friendly with or subservient to Hydra. Most were gang merchants who controlled the Helicarrier black markets in the surrounding areas, and they had come simply to show Red Skull some respect and join the excitement.

After all, Red Skull had spent these past years living in the White House and had not shown himself personally in a very long time. That had made it difficult for many people who wanted to admire Red Skull or seek cooperation with him to ever meet him.

But this time, Red Skull was personally presiding over the execution of a "superhero" from another world. This was a good opportunity. Perhaps they might be lucky enough to meet Red Skull at the reception after the execution.

Compared to scholars who knew some of the inside story, these people were truly too shortsighted. They could not see the forest for the trees. They saw only Red Skull while overlooking the most crucial point—the prisoner’s identity.

A superhero from another world. This description was already common knowledge, but in this wasteland world, where civilization had suffered a break and ideas lagged behind, most people did not understand how significant those words truly were.

At a table by the window, Kara and Black Canary sat facing each other, slowly drinking the liquor in their glasses. They had been here for an entire day. To evade Hydra’s searches, everyone had no choice but to enter in separate batches, reducing the chances of being discovered.

After two days, aided by their extensive stealth experience, everyone in Kara’s group had entered New Babylon except for Songbird and Ashley.

Condensation clouded the window glass due to the difference in temperature, blurring the world outside until it was impossible to see clearly. Seeing this, Black Canary reached out and wiped away the mist, clearing a patch of glass.

"By this time, Ashley should have arrived. Why hasn’t she come in yet?" Black Canary frowned slightly and rubbed her hands nervously. This was her first time carrying out an operation in this world.

Black Canary wore a long trench coat that hung all the way to her calves, leaving only her high-heeled knee-high boots exposed. She also wore Zhang Ye’s bucket hat. Her golden hair was tied back, making her look exceptionally capable, like a seasoned agent.

The reason she was dressed like this was not only to avoid drawing unnecessary attention, but also because the weather here was simply too cold. If she still wore her revealing combat suit and fishnet stockings in this temperature, then there had to be something wrong with her head.

Kara, however, fared much better than Black Canary. In the freezing climate, Kara wore only a jacket, still dressed in that delinquent-girl outfit of hers. To match her clothes, Black Canary had even helped her put on dark lipstick.

"Something may have held them up. A lot of people have been coming to New Babylon lately, especially merchants. Every time Hydra checks their trucks, it takes a long time, at least until they are willing to hand over some ‘toll money.’" Kara took a sip of her drink.

Hearing that, Black Canary looked out at the street again. Then she turned back and scanned the noisy crowd around them. Only after confirming that no one was paying attention did she lower her voice.

"Even so, they should have arrived by now. It’s already been fifteen minutes past the agreed time. Ashley may seem unreliable, but I don’t think she and Melissa are the type to have no sense of time."

Kara paused and thought it over carefully. That was indeed true, so she nodded. "You’re right. Let’s wait another five minutes. If they still don’t come, we’ll go look for them."

"Okay," Black Canary replied.

Watching Black Canary’s constantly wandering gaze and her fingers that would not stop fidgeting, Kara felt that the woman across from her seemed unable to sit still.

"Are you nervous?" Kara asked.

"Ah! Am I?"

Black Canary instinctively smiled and denied it, but the faint panic in her eyes gave her away. Seeing Kara’s pursed lips, Black Canary’s act immediately fell apart.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Very obvious. Your heartbeat is loud enough to pass for a symphony. That’s completely different from the first impression you gave me." Kara shook her head slightly, then asked curiously, "Is it because of me?"

". No, of course it’s not because of you. I was surprised that Superman had a cousin from the same bloodline, but I’ve encountered Superman before. I understand what it feels like to have a Kryptonian beside you. That’s precisely why I instinctively trust you."

"Really? Then I should thank my cousin for leaving you with such a good impression. Of course, I won’t betray your trust."

Kara raised her glass and lightly clinked it against Black Canary’s. Then she continued, "So what are you nervous about? In your world, you should have been through countless battles. I don’t see anything here that should make you breathe so heavily."

"Actually, I’m not as brave as you think." Black Canary sighed. "I never told you about my last memory before coming here, did I?"

"Mm-hm." Kara’s expression grew serious.

"Earth fell suddenly. At the time, the Justice League’s heroes were away on an expedition. No one expected that instead of waiting for the heroes’ triumphant return, they would be greeted by those Parademons who brought death."

In Black Canary’s mind, scenes from before, like Purgatory on earth, flickered past her eyes again and again.

"Parademons are prisoners captured from various planets by Apokolips’s army. Apokolips’s technology transformed them into biological weapons stripped of will. Their numbers were endless, and their combat power was terrifying. With Apokolips’s technology, they could even evolve without limit."

"The Parademons that descended upon Earth were far stronger than any invaders we had encountered before. Kryptonian genes had been injected into them. Every Parademon possessed combat power comparable to a Kryptonian, and with their numbers, I… we…"

Black Canary closed her eyes in pain.

"Oh, Oliver…"