(~˘▾˘)~~(˘▾˘~)
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The Mother Box, why it remained active in the presence of Clark and connected to Apokolips, was a question that David decided to temporarily set aside.
"Apokolips is likely already in contact; a demon army led by the higher-ups of Apokolips could descend at any moment, and preparing for a counterattack is more crucial."
Taking the Mother Box from Paradise Island, he prepared to head to Atlantis.
"Can I come with you?
If alien enemies invade this world, I want to be on the front lines of the battle, contributing my part to protect this world."
Diana suggested joining him on the journey.
After some thought, David agreed.
Originally, the plot only involved a lone Parademon. If it were just a Parademon, he was confident he could handle it alone, but things might not develop as originally planned; after all, some things had changed.
'If it's not just a Parademon - Granny Goodness, Desaad, Mantis, Kalibak... even Darkseid himself!'
The fierce and powerful names of the higher-ups of Apokolips flashed through his mind.
Dealing with them alone would be impossible.
Diana, as the daughter of Zeus, had immense untapped potential, a powerful asset if unleashed.
Subsequently, David took Diana to Atlantis, where they retrieved the second Mother Box. It was first delivered to the solitude fortress in the Arctic, hoping that Dr. Jor-El could use technology to block the Mother Box's connection to Apokolips.
"The technology contained in this box surpasses Krypton.
I can tell it's similar to the World Engine, capable of transforming planetary environments. Besides that, there are creative fields, life detection, absorption, and explosion release capabilities.
There also seems to be some technology for spatial teleportation."
In the solitude fortress, Jor-El, with a puzzled expression, examined the two boxes in front of him and various parameters displayed on the holographic projection.
"I'll do my best, David.
But don't get your hopes up too much."
After defeating Braniac and obtaining his spaceship, David placed the spacecraft deep in the uninhabited Arctic region capable of freezing steel and iron. Jor-El, through the study of the spaceship, gained a considerable amount of technological knowledge.
Although Jor-El was already a rare genius in Kryptonian history, compared to the twelve-level intelligent lifeform Braniac, he was outmatched.
Certain technologies from Apokolips were considered outdated in the presence of Braniac.
With a slightly curious glance, Diana withdrew her gaze from the advanced spaceship walls and entered the alien craft, behaving no differently than walking through the impoverished streets of Kandor at the time.
It was similar to primitive humans being unable to distinguish the remarkable technological content between an electric kettle and a holographic projection setup.
"Now let's find the third box."
Acknowledging Jor-El's reminder, David nodded and then sent a message to Clark, succinctly explaining the current crisis facing Earth.
"I'll have Clark go there first."
Normally, he wouldn't take such an initiative in this matter, but this crisis involved the safety of Earth, and no one could escape its impact.
"Do you know where the third box is?" Diana asked with curiosity.
Having ventured out of Paradise Island before, she had gained some understanding of the human world. Humans had long dispersed into various countries, and records about the Mother Boxes were likely lost in the river of history.
"In Gotham City."
David provided a precise answer and added, "I hope we can make it in time."
Victor Stone, also known as Cyborg, was a Gotham native. His father, Silas Stone, researched the Mother Box at the Gotham branch of S.T.A.R. Labs.
After he came into contact with the two Mother Boxes, they detected his presence and marked certain locations as unsuitable for their descent. The remaining one became the only option for the point of invasion; the Mother Boxes had no other choices.
...
Under the densely covered overcast sky, atop a high-rise building in Gotham.
"Please, let me go!"
"You should've taken me to the police station, not here!"
A tall and robust robber was now on the verge of tears, pleading desperately with the Dark Knight, Batman, of this city.
There was a time when he and some of his less-than-lawful friends, while talking about Batman, boasted that if they ever encountered him, they would blow out the tires of his Batcycle, beating him till he was incapable of living, and at the very least, they would never beg that freak for mercy.
That's what he used to think.
If it weren't for Batman discovering him in the dark alley in the act of committing a crime, he wouldn't be hanging upside down by a rope now, swaying on the edge of a skyscraper, like a piece of bait hung out to lure some prey, with the cold wind making him swing to and fro.
He would have been more tougher.
Whoosh, whoosh!
The cold wind howled in his ears, accompanied by sharp cries like those of a monster. Below, the dizzying height, traffic flowed on the road, and cars looked like matchbox toys. His heart pounded wildly, almost leaping out of his throat.
"It's almost time."
Batman's voice was cold and deep.
"What do you want me to do!" The robber's screams were full of incomprehension. "Just say something!"
Batman was unlikely to torment the robber without reason, and in his mind, he hurriedly tried to recall if he knew any clues about some important case or person.
"Do what you're doing right now."
The Batman, clad in black armor, looked up at the sky.
'Fear!'
A sharp roar emanated from the tumultuous clouds resembling a sea of bitterness. A humanoid monster with wings like a dragonfly, clad in high-tech armor, dove down, heading straight for the terrified robber.
'They are indeed seeking fear.'
Batman pulled hard, and the monster missed its target. Instinctively reaching for the prey that had evaded it, it was ensnared by a pair of bat cables around its hands. It spotted Batman, became aggressive, and flew towards the creature attacking it.
Bruce Wayne dodged the powerful impact, moved aside, grabbed its leg, and forcefully threw it to the ground. The power-augmented gauntlet struck the creature's shriveled and ugly head fiercely.
An attack capable of creating craters in concrete walls only left the monster dazed.
Frowning, he stood up and, with a cold flick of his wrist, deployed a high-density alloy net that covered the monster, capturing it.
Despite its struggles, the monster couldn't break free. It emitted insect-like angry cries, and the bright orange glow on its chest, symbolizing danger, intensified. A few seconds later, the entire body exploded into ashes.
'No rationality, excited by fear, only understands how to attack – an extreme biological weapon.'
Lowering the hand that shielded his face, Batman furrowed his brow. It was worse than he had anticipated.
'It contains a self-destruct program, not allowing itself to be captured, not allowing itself to be studied – brutal background!'
Just as Batman pondered who could be behind the dozens of attacks and murder cases within Gotham City on this day, a noisy and piercing scream, resembling a swarm of bees, echoed from the sky. Dozens of demon-like creatures from Apokolips descended upon him.
Batman's expression changed. Even in the brief encounter, he had realized the terrifying nature of these bioweapons.
Handling a few was difficult enough, let alone dozens. They allowed him no chance to catch his breath. He pulled out his bat-grapple, preparing for a flanking maneuver.
Suddenly, a burst of green light illuminated the sky.
A fighter jet, seemingly carved from green gemstones, broke through the clouds and dove down. Equipped with high-caliber machine guns, it opened fire on the monstrous demons. Under the powerful firepower enhanced by the power of the Green Lantern ring, the creatures were eliminated as the fighter jet expertly weaved through their ranks in the sky.
Batman frowned; it wasn't the two people he had imagined.
Those two wouldn't be so flashy, and the potent energy technology alien weapons were always auxiliary tools in their hands.
"Batman?"
As the energy aircraft dissipated, a figure in a green energy suit with a mask slowly descended. The ring on his hand emitted a bright light, illuminating Batman's figure.
Hal Jordan looked at the figure before him, with a slightly sarcastic tone, as if he had just encountered the boogeyman from childhood horror stories and pretended to be surprised.
"I always thought you were Gotham's urban legend. You actually exist?"
"Damn it, you're too bright! Turn off the light before they spot us!"
Batman raised his hand to shield his eyes from the light, squinting as he shouted.
"What are they?"
Just as Hal Jordan asked, the sky lit up with an orange glow, and a dense army of demon-like creatures, numbering in the hundreds, roared and swarmed in. Unlike before, they were armed with laser weapons emitting dangerous orange light.
"If you kill one,
It will attract more.
They won't stop until you die!"
Batman's expression was grim.
He had encountered a small army of these seemingly technologically advanced bioweapons that appeared to be born for slaughter. This was definitely not of Earth's origin.
Damn it, couldn't Earth catch a break for a few days?
"Oh, you mean them?
Don't worry, I also have my own army."
Hal Jordan, like a mischievous boy who just got a new toy, boasted with a swagger.
The power ring on his hand conjured a modernized army with explosion-resistant shields, immediately opening fire on the monsters approaching from the sky.
Hovering behind the blast-resistant shield, Hal Jordan looked at Batman, whose expression remained dark and serious, and spoke confidently.
"Don't worry.
Although I saw one of them cause a riot in a Coast City before, shooting through police cars, but these energy shields can withstand anything on Earth except nuclear bombs!"
"Even the fists of the Beyonder and Superman?"
Unable to tolerate his incessant chatter, Batman responded coldly.
Hal Jordan paused, then laughed.
"You're indeed as the news says, acquainted with the Beyonder and Superman. Did you fight alongside them against invaders from other planets?"
"To be honest, Earth is within the cosmic sector under my jurisdiction. It was originally my job, but I let you guys handle it."
The power of the Green Lantern ring was indeed formidable. Under the concentrated willpower of the modern army, hundreds of demons were mowed down by the roaring rifle bullets. Hal Jordan continued to speak confidently.
"Any unauthorized entry of alien beings into other planets, posing a potential threat, falls within my duty. Superman and the Beyonder are no exception."
"The veteran Lantern who handed me the ring specifically instructed me to keep an eye on them, especially the Beyonder. If he makes any moves that could threaten Earth, report it immediately to the Corps headquarters."
"Just you?" Seeing that these hundreds of monsters were unlikely to break through the defense line and harm others, Batman relaxed slightly and turned back.
"What's with that look?"
Seeing Batman's eyes beneath the mask filled with skepticism, like seeing a Husky threatening to give a T-Rex a shoulder throw, Hal Jordan got a bit annoyed.
"Although they are powerful, repelling invading aliens is nothing special. Lanterns from almost all 3,600 sectors of the universe have done similar things!"
He raised the ring in his hand, speaking with excitement, emphasizing as if he had nothing to hide.
"Do you know what this is? This is the most powerful weapon in the universe!"
"See, those alien monsters were wiped out by me in just a few words, like squashing a group of bugs."
Hundreds of demons were shot down, their bodies turning to ashes and falling from the sky. Hal Jordan raised his chin triumphantly.
"Don't mention the Beyonder.
My Lantern instructor Kilowog told me that as long as I have a strong enough will, with this ring, I can even use stars as billiard balls, just like playing snooker! Does the Beyonder have that ability?"
"Do aliens also have Snooker?"
Glancing at the ashes, Batman judged that this place was not suitable for a long stay. The bioweapons produced by this high-tech technology might have tracking capabilities. Batman glanced at Hal Jordan and turned to leave, preparing to return to the Batcave and put on the Fenrir armor.
"You only need to know it's something like that. One more thing, Kilowog wouldn't lie to me.
His head looks like a bald pig's and doesn't look like a very smart guy."
Hal Jordan recalled the hardships he endured during the training on Oa after being chosen. He smirked and said sarcastically.
"Do you believe what you're saying? It doesn't matter if you're lying to me, but don't fool yourself into believing it."
As Batman agilely moved through the city with his grappling hook, Hal Jordan followed along. Batman reminded with a cold tone carrying a hidden meaning.
Based on Batman's observations, forget about Superman, but the Beyonder wasn't someone likely to show mercy once they became adversaries.
Luthor's 'disappearance' had caused significant controversy. If it weren't for Brainiac's invasion, with Superman and the Beyonder saving the world, their actions would have faced widespread criticism, especially against the Beyonder.
"What do you mean by lying?"
Hal Jordan felt a bit weak hearing these words and defended himself with a strained neck.
He wasn't stupid. As a newcomer joining the Corps, he not only swiftly became an official Lantern but also immediately gained the authority to request an audience with the Guardians of the Universe, allowing him to report any unusual activities of the Beyonder at any time.
He was specifically instructed not to act on his own and to report any developments related to the Beyonder since he was not yet proficient with the power ring.
No matter how you look at it, it seemed like the Corps had some concerns about the Beyonder.
'I'm like a human surveillance camera set up by the Guardians to monitor the Beyonder on Earth.'
Spitting out a few times in his mind, Hal Jordan dismissed that thought. How could he belittle himself like that? He straightened his chest and said,
"I've asked many Lanterns, and they confirmed Kilowog's statement. The power of the power ring is almost limitless. Once I become proficient with it, if the Beyonder makes any moves that threaten the world, I'll use this universe's most powerful weapon to take him down immediately!"
"Oh, is that so?"
At that moment, a seemingly emotionless voice echoed from the sky.
"How are you going to capture me then?"
Hal Jordan's body stiffened, and he turned his head with a rigid motion.
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(~˘▾˘)~Don't forget to send your power-stones!~(˘▾˘~)