Chapter 12: Finding a Teacher
Bruce seemed to suddenly remember something and voiced his question.
"Your people… Viltrumites. They should all possess abilities like yours, right?"
Luka nodded.
"Yes, though the strength varies. Legend speaks of the most formidable royal bloodline, but the Viltrum royal lineage vanished long before the civil war began."
"Then why are you so certain that what you possess is a superpower?" Bruce gestured with his hand. "I mean, logically speaking, wouldn't these so-called 'superpowers' be as natural to you as eating and drinking?"
"Ah, Viltrum also has advanced scientific development, actually surpassing the technological level publicly displayed on Earth." This knowledge was common sense on Viltrum, so Luka explained it clearly.
"First, while elites are born with their abilities, most ordinary Viltrumites lack superpowers at birth. However, they typically awaken them by the age of sixteen at the latest."
"Second, although our abilities manifest as physical attributes like strength and speed, we can also fly, and the caloric intake from our daily food consumption is completely disproportionate to the power we can exert."
Luka patted his stomach. "Even when starving, I can fight for over a week straight. You understand, without superpowers, that violates the law of conservation of energy."
Bruce maintained a calm facade, but inwardly he carefully noted Luka's words.
This only deepened his sense of unease.
Even after meeting Luka in person and speaking at length, everything about him reinforced the same conclusion. Viltrum was not a fantasy or delusion. It was a place that undeniably existed.
Its culture, its technology, even the way it studied and analyzed its own species all aligned perfectly with the developmental logic of a real civilization.
In fact, the Viltrumites' technological consciousness and their introspection regarding their own abilities only heightened Bruce's vigilance toward Viltrum.
If it couldn't be found in the known universe, then Viltrum might exist in another universe or an alternate dimension.
He just didn't know how Luka had arrived in this universe.
After the tests, Bruce escorted him back to the top-floor office and handed him a white ID card.
This wasn't a standard identification card, but rather a certificate of custody from a public welfare organization.
"Your identity has been arranged. Your name is Luka Zenn, and you're affiliated with a public welfare shelter organization in Metropolis. Wayne Enterprises will quietly handle your living expenses and support going forward."
Bruce paused before continuing.
"Is there anything else you need help with? You can tell me now."
Luka took the ID card, his fingertips tracing the information printed on it. After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"I think I might need a teacher."
"A teacher?" Bruce asked, surprised. "Do you need to learn about Earth culture, or knowledge in some other field?"
"Neither." Luka shook his head.
"I grew up on Viltrum. For over a decade, all I learned was destruction and slaughter."
There was a subtle fatigue in his voice, hard to notice unless one listened closely.
"I can consciously suppress my strength to live normally on Earth. But the moment I use my superpowers, every subconscious action leads to destruction. I need a teacher to show me how to use this power non-destructively."
Bruce looked at the young man before him and suddenly understood his inner struggle.
For a warrior raised in an environment of constant killing, breaking free from the instinctual urge to destroy would be far more difficult than he had imagined.
Bruce pondered for a moment. "There's someone in the Justice League who might be able to help you."
Luka was somewhat surprised. "You're going to contact the Justice League? Do they even handle this kind of thing?"
He had assumed Bruce would arrange things discreetly as Batman.
"Let me say something you might not want to hear," Bruce said with a wry smile. "You're an extraterrestrial being with destructive power far exceeding that of a nuclear bomb. Of course they'll be involved."
Bruce chuckled, reverting to his usual witty and humorous demeanor that Luka found unsettling.
He gestured for Luka to wait and picked up the encrypted phone on his desk. "Wait in the lounge for a moment. I'll contact Batman and have someone sent over."
Luka watched Bruce Wayne put on his little performance and pressed his lips together.
To be honest, watching Bruce put on this act was exhausting.
He entered the adjacent lounge and had barely sat down when he heard a sharp, whooshing sound outside the window.
Luka instinctively reacted as if facing an enemy. The sound of something approaching at high speed, like a powerful foe drawing near, caused every muscle in his body to tense.
His strength began to gather, until he suddenly remembered he was on Earth.
Though notorious Gotham City, this place still felt relatively safe to him.
Relaxing, Luka stood up and walked to the window, looking up. A golden figure was descending rapidly from the sky, finally landing on the rooftop platform of Wayne Enterprises.
As the figure entered the office, Luka's pupils constricted slightly.
The woman wore a crimson battle skirt cinched with a golden belt. Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, and a coiled rope emitting a faint golden glow hung at her right side. She radiated the aura of a seasoned warrior.
"Wonder Woman?" Luka recognized her, surprised.
Bruce Wayne had summoned a core member of the Justice League with a single phone call. Wasn't this a bit too high-profile?
Wonder Woman Diana's curious gaze fell on Luka.
"Bruce, is this the child you said needed help?"
She could clearly sense the aura emanating from Luka.
It was the aura of a warrior who had weathered countless battles, bearing the marks of blood and slaughter, yet deliberately suppressed.
"If you hadn't told me he was from another planet, I would have thought he was a descendant of some berserker that Zeus tossed down from Olympus."
"His name is Luka. He's from Viltrum, a civilization that prides itself on combat and conquest."
Bruce briefly explained Luka's background and then outlined his need for a teacher.
"He wants to learn how to use his superpowers non-destructively and break free from his instinctive urge to destroy. I believe you're the most suitable person for the job."
Diana nodded, but didn't immediately agree. Instead, she produced a copper-colored metal ball from somewhere and casually tossed it toward Luka.
"Catch this first."
The metal ball flew toward Luka, whistling through the air with considerable force.
Luka instinctively reached out and caught the sphere.
"Open your hand."
Luka obeyed, spreading his palm. To his shock, he discovered that the solid copper sphere had been crushed into an irregular shape, the deep imprints of his fingers nearly destroying it completely.
Diana's expression grew serious as she studied Luka. "You're an excellent warrior," she said slowly, "with the instinct for combat etched into your very bones. But the training you received was so brutal and bloody that every subconscious use of your power carries a tendency toward destruction and annihilation."
She paused, her tone softening slightly.
"However, your willingness to change is enough. I can be your teacher."