OBS Chapter 3883 The Nameless Bat (53)
Chapter 3883 The Nameless Bat (53)
Chapter 3883 The Nameless Bat (53)
“Then please hurry,” Green Lantern said, frowning. “The battle here is fierce. We fought for two days and two nights to take this sector, and the paperwork alone is overwhelming…”
"Hey buddy, are you out of your mind?" The Flash ran over and said, "Batman is right here. Just give him any paperwork you need. He's way better than any of your smart terminals."
Green Lantern was about to make an excuse to decline, knowing Batman was unlikely to agree. In the early stages of the war, Batman had used his terrifying influence to force Green Lantern to go to the front lines, earn merit, return to headquarters to fight for power, and climb the ranks within the Green Lantern organization step by step, using his status as a war hero to reach his current position.
Back then, Green Lantern relied heavily on Batman. He'd ask him anything he didn't understand. Batman's answer was always the same: "Hal, you'll have to do it yourself."
Now he almost understood everything, including why Batman had made him do it. Or rather, the war wasn't the root cause of his haggard appearance. It was the realization of how much responsibility he should bear, coupled with the shame of having failed to do so in time, that kept Hal Jordan awake at night.
Although he has many jobs he can't handle these days, he has absolutely no intention of pushing anything onto Batman anymore. If he weren't so busy right now, he would even like to take on some extra work to make up for his guilt.
Just as Green Lantern was about to rush to refuse, Batman nodded and said, "For the time being, my focus will be on the space war. Give me any urgent or unfinished work you have, and there will be no delays."
Green Lantern's words were cut off. He was a little shocked and a little aggrieved, but in the end he said nothing.
Fortunately, the main members of the Justice League were gathered together at this time, and their conversation kept the atmosphere from becoming awkwardly silent.
"You said you wanted to talk about another world? Did you gain anything from it?" Wonder Woman asked first. "Of course, it's okay if you didn't. I'm not trying to put pressure on you. Anyway, it was just an experiment with magic, and even I don't really understand it..."
“We have indeed made some gains.” The main universe Batman nodded and said, “Let me make a long story short—we need a windfall.”
"Isn't it a bit too short?" the Flash couldn't help but say. "You should talk about your experience at school first, then talk about the differences in other universes, describe the different magical theories, and then draw similar conclusions."
“Batman, I know our time is precious during wartime, but you can’t just omit the details, can you?” Superman said. “We’re not in a rush, take your time.”
“No need.” The main universe’s Batman shook his head and said, “This is not the result of cause and effect, but the premise of cause and effect. There is no energy that comes without a price, and talking about magical theories is useless.”
Although Wonder Woman claimed she didn't understand magic, she was, after all, the person closest to it among everyone. She was the quickest to figure out what Batman was planning: "Steal a gun, then use that gun to steal money, and then use the money to buy more guns?"
The main universe's Batman nodded slightly.
"Rob? That's not right, is it?" The Flash seemed to be conjuring up some horrific images. "We're the Justice League, we can't do something like that."
“We can,” the main universe Batman said, looking at him. “Anyway, we’re not stealing from humans. I’ll steal even if I’m shameless.”
Everyone fell silent. Batman had already put it that way; how could they possibly refute him?
“My original target was Mount Olympus,” the main universe Batman said. Wonder Woman’s eyes widened, but the main universe Batman quickly made a stopping gesture and said, “However, I remember you mentioned that there are some unstable things sealed on Mount Olympus. If we rashly remove them, those things will escape, and we simply won’t have time to catch them.”
“Then I considered the Speed Force.” The main universe’s Batman looked at the Flash. The Flash jolted, stammering, “But…but the Speed Force can’t be used to use magic, can it?”
“I tried it out, and it really doesn’t work,” the main universe Batman said, shaking his head. “I had originally built you a really nice running wheel.”
The Flash shrank back and remained silent. He found Batman terrifying now, even more so than when he was berating them with a sullen face. Listen to that—"I was going to build you a really nice running wheel"—it wouldn't be surprising to hear it coming from the Joker's mouth someday.
“And Krypton.” The main universe’s Batman looked at Superman.
Superman couldn't help but point to himself: "Me?"
Then, after seriously considering it for a moment, he said, "If you can really extract my energy, it's not impossible. But it seems a bit difficult. Besides, my power mainly comes from the sun, so why don't you just extract it directly from the sun?"
“One of you isn’t enough, so I’ve given up on that too,” said the main universe Batman. “Now there’s only one way left.”
"What?" Everyone looked at him at once.
"One of the two sides currently at war in the universe must become our nourishment." The main universe Batman lightly tapped the table, but to everyone else it sounded like a thunderclap.
“I’m afraid it’s not that simple,” Aquaman said, frowning. “Darkseid is indeed too strong. Even if we do our best to help the Lanterns, we can only send him back to his home planet at most. Apokolips is an independent realm, and Darkseid is a god there. I’m afraid we can’t completely destroy him.”
"So we won't destroy him," the main universe Batman said, looking around.
At first, the others didn't react, but soon their eyes widened. Superman said, "You're not thinking of wiping out the Green Lantern Corps, are you?! Absolutely not, Batman! While they do have a lot of power and some shortcomings, their existence is a deterrent. It prevents nascent civilizations from being easily wiped out by more advanced civilizations. Besides, Hal is still in the Green Lantern Corps! You can't wipe him out too, can you?"
Everyone looked at the holographic projection of Green Lantern. To their surprise, Green Lantern, who was seemingly Batman's target, didn't react with the usual furious opposition and rebuke. His expression was very complex.
“If you want it, then come on,” Green Lantern finally said. “At least I can guarantee I won’t resist.”
The atmosphere in the room finally fell silent. Superman clenched his fists, as if he wanted to say something, while Wonder Woman hesitated, as if she wanted to speak but then stopped herself.
But at this moment, the main universe's Batman shook his head: "Hal, I helped you get to this high position, not so that I could eliminate you now. Or rather, you and the Green Lantern Corps combined are not enough, and even adding the Yellow Lantern Corps wouldn't be enough."
The Green Lantern in the holographic projection seemed shocked by Batman's ambition. But he quickly realized something. His arm muscles began to tense, and his lips trembled slightly.
The main universe's Batman, however, gradually leaned forward. Although it was just a holographic projection in front of him and they were actually quite far apart, Green Lantern still mustered almost all his courage to resist the urge to back away.
"Hal, I sent you to fight for the rights and status you deserve because only when you stand high enough can you understand what is truly beneficial to universal peace, and what is truly a hindrance. Tell me, do you understand now?"
Green Lantern's Adam's apple began to bob wildly. The Flash, feeling a pang of pity, nudged the main universe Batman. But the main universe Batman didn't look away. The pressure grew steadily, like water being heated to boiling point by a flame.
Finally, he closed his eyes and said in a trembling voice, "Universe, Guardian..."
"Who?" the main universe Batman asked.
"The discoverer of the emotional spectrum and the creator of the light cluster - the guardian of the universe."
"Who?"
"Guardian of the Universe..."
"Who?"
"Guardians of the Universe!!!" Green Lantern roared deafeningly. His eyes red-rimmed, he screamed, "The damn Guardians of the Universe who are commanding this war, yet show no regard for the lives of Lanterns or any living beings in any sector!!!"
Green Lantern then realized his lapse in composure. He took a few breaths, swayed slightly, and braced himself on the table, turning his head away as he said, "The casualties caused by his misjudgments are more than all the sacrifices in the previous wars. People always die in war, but the most unacceptable deaths are those that could have survived."
He slammed his right fist on the table: "Just two days ago in the war, the newly formed Guardians of the Universe, the Supreme Lantern Corps, delivered the wrong order to hold their ground, causing 23 Green Lanterns to perish in the Parademon army because of the delayed retreat! And this was all because they wanted to express their dissatisfaction with my failure to return to headquarters in time to report for duty!"
“I remember Adrian, he’s from Sector 16, the only superhuman on their planet. He’s always been very proud of his identity. And Hati, he’s from Sector 78, he just arrived a month ago. Polya, the planetary guardian of Sector 36, he could have chosen not to come to the war…”
“Now they’re all dead, all of them.” Green Lantern clenched his fists tightly. “But I know it’s not my fault. Even if I go back to headquarters and bow down to them, they won’t let me and my men off the hook. They’re a bunch of parasites on the emotional spectrum! Anyone could have done a better job than them!”
"What saddens me is that if I had realized this earlier, there wouldn't have been any of that initial pretense and compromise. Perhaps I would have had a chance to save them..."
Green Lantern covered his mouth, then suddenly swayed to the side, detaching himself from the projection. The people in the conference room shouted in unison, "Hal!"
Superman was in a hurry to fly away, and the Flash ran off immediately. A short while later, the Flash returned, looking extremely dejected. He said listlessly, "Hal is fine, he just doesn't want to see me. He...he sounded so heartbroken..."
Wonder Woman slammed her fist on the table and said, "When Sector 98 retreated, I felt something was off. But I thought it might be due to poor coordination within their Light Brigade. Who knew there was a traitor among them! In the Amazons, bastards who deliberately kill their own kind would be skinned alive and roasted over a fire!"
Green Arrow sighed and said, "I'm not trying to excuse them. But they were the ones who discovered the emotional spectrum and built the Lighthouse. The Lighthouse is under their deep control. What can we do?"
“Wait a minute,” Cyborg suddenly spoke up. “Normally there might not be any way to do it. But we still have Darkseid, don’t we? Have you forgotten how the Parademons almost stabbed into the heart of the Lantern Clan two months ago? That Dessaad personally led the charge and almost made it to the Fourth Sector. Darkseid hasn’t even personally led the charge yet.”
The others exchanged bewildered glances. Superman couldn't help but say, "Are we going to have to cooperate with Darkseid?"
He then turned to look at the main universe Batman, seemingly hoping for a negative answer. But the main universe Batman nodded and said, "We not only need to cooperate with Darkseid, but we also need to make him cooperate with us willingly."