PFC Chapter 4393 Project Farstar (1)
Chapter 4393 Project Farstar (1)
Chapter 4393 Project Far Star (XI)
“Victor,” Hal flew back to headquarters and said, “can you connect to networks outside of Earth?”
"What?" Victor looked up in surprise.
"What I mean is, if there were an energy channel that could lead to outer planets without any restrictions—you don't need to worry about the underlying principles—could you use that to hack into network signals on the other side that have been exposed to that kind of energy?"
Victor scratched his head and said, "I don't know, I haven't tried. Is something urgent?"
“Something attacked Barry. I suspect it was aimed at me, but I don’t know what it is,” Hal said after a moment’s thought. “So I want you to hack into Green Lantern headquarters and see if you can find any information.”
"Why don't you just go and ask?"
“They don’t really like me. And I can’t stray too far from Barry right now, I’m afraid they’ll take advantage of the situation. Losing control of the Speed Force is too dangerous.”
Victor nodded and said, "Okay, I can give it a try, but don't get your hopes up too high; it doesn't sound like it'll work."
Hal first extended his ringed hand and began communicating with Green Lantern headquarters using Green Lantern energy, just as he had been taken there previously. Green Lantern headquarters responded quickly. At the same time, Victor reached out and touched his ring.
In an instant, the light in the mechanical eye changed from red to green. After flashing a few times, Victor withdrew his hand and said, "I don't know the principle behind it, but it seems to really work. But the other side also has a very strong network protection system. Give me half an hour."
At that moment, Bruce came out, holding mechanical blueprints, seemingly wanting to speak to Victor. Hal quickly stopped him and said, "Excuse me, Mr. Wayne, please wait a moment, I'm in a real hurry."
Bruce paused for a moment, but nodded obediently and went to make coffee. Hal breathed a sigh of relief, thinking: Bruce Wayne is really a great logistics manager. With him around, the base will always be their warm home.
Victor quickly provided the answer, saying, "What you're looking for is vaguely described in the Green Lantern headquarters network. But I did find some clues in another mastermind connected to the security network."
"What is it?"
“Parallax,” Victor said after a pause. “It’s a monster formed from fear, which was evil in the universe many years ago and was eventually sealed away by the strongest Green Lantern. Its signature power, the power of fear, is yellow and it counters the Green Lantern energy.”
"Mutual restraint?"
"Well... if the green light has enough energy, then green overcomes yellow; if the yellow light has enough energy, then yellow overcomes green."
"What you said is as good as nothing at all."
“You should know this better than I do,” Victor said, looking at him. “The green light energy comes from willpower. If your willpower is strong enough, you can overcome fear. Conversely, those with weak willpower will be overcome by fear.”
“But Barry is not a person with weak willpower.”
“Everyone has weaknesses,” Victor said. “Everyone has different fears. When faced with what you fear most, no one can say they will be absolutely resolute. Barry may have just seen what he fears most.”
Hal sighed heavily: "Doomsday, Steppenwolf, Parallax... what else?"
He instinctively felt something was wrong. These monsters either didn't come at all, or they all came at once; he didn't believe no one was manipulating things behind the scenes. But he couldn't understand what the mastermind's purpose was.
If the intention was to deliver a devastating blow to them in a coordinated catastrophe, in reality, these monsters won't cooperate. In fact, they might even hinder each other. Since they can't work together and will only obstruct one another, it's better not to come together at all.
A true war of attrition involves sending one enemy after another shortly after, thus wearing down the enemy's stamina. But sending in several enemies at once seems like an attempt to muddy the waters and allow the enemy to escape.
With that thought in mind, Hal had an idea. He flew back to the hospital and said to Barry, who was sitting on the bed in a daze, "I've figured it out. This monster is after me, but I'm afraid I'll need your help."
Barry looked at him with some confusion. Hal sat opposite him and said, "You need to overcome your fear, face the monster that fear has become, and then find a way to lure it over."
Barry's eyes widened.
Diana arrived at Mount Olympus, having already discovered where her mother was. She made her way to the palace of Vulcan, where she indeed met the Amazonian queen.
"Mother, I'm so glad you're alright."
“Diana,” the Queen said, taking her daughter’s hand, “Steppenwolf is here, isn’t he?”
Diana nodded and said, "You know him?"
“Darkseid was banished from Earth by Zeus a long, long time ago, and I’ve only heard about it. But when the cube moved, I knew it was him again, so I quickly ran here to take refuge.”
Diana looked puzzled, and the Amazonian queen continued, “I know you don’t think I’m the kind of monarch who would abandon her sisters to save her own life when disaster strikes. But this time is different. My safety is not important; the cube cannot be harmed, or it will be a catastrophe for the entire planet.”
“What is that?” Diana asked.
"The Mother Box, if I had to describe it, is something akin to the primordial power of the universe. With this, the universe could be unified. Darkseid has grand ambitions; he is determined to obtain this thing. But if he gets it, the entire universe will be plunged into darkness."
This reminded Diana of the dark forces they had discussed before, forces that had appeared in their universe. Could it be Darkseid? But something felt off. Since the Batmen were already prepared, and Darkseid's henchmen had appeared on Earth, they should have made some moves. But not only the Batmen from other universes, but even those from their own universe hadn't done anything.
No, Diana thought again, the Batman in their universe might not be inactive because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't. He had old injuries and was already old; he probably only had the strength for one last strike. So he wouldn't act unless absolutely necessary.
But this couldn't go on. Diana realized that Steppenwolf was far too strong; the entire Justice League combined couldn't defeat him. Only two people could deal with him: Superman and Batman. Superman hadn't returned yet, and even if they went back now, it might not be too late. So, they had to rely on Batman.
She took a deep breath, looked at her mother, and said, "Hiding here isn't a solution, Mother. I need to go to the Golden Apple Garden."
"Golden Apple Garden? What are you going there for? Those three sisters are not easy to talk to..."
“Now is not the time to talk about this,” Diana said, her expression hardening. “I asked them for the Golden Apple before, but they refused, saying that those who failed the trial didn’t deserve it. Now I’ll show them whether I deserve it or not!”
"Diana! Diana!!!" the Queen called after her, but to no avail. She knew her daughter well; Diana was clearly driven to desperation.
As Zeus's illegitimate daughter and a demigod of Mount Olympus, Diana didn't have much affection for the gods and usually kept her distance, trying her best not to provoke them. But like every demigod who dared to set foot on Mount Olympus, rebellious blood flowed through her veins. And Diana's potential was the most outstanding among the demigods.
Logically, demigods should never be able to surpass the gods, but the reality is quite different. Their human bloodline not only doesn't weaken them, but it also helps them break free from the shackles of their divine bloodline, allowing them to surpass their limits and possess even greater power.
The Queen of the Amazons looked toward the Golden Apple Garden, hoping that it would still exist after today.
Inside the Justice League headquarters, Bruce and Victor were studying blueprints. A small model floated in Victor's hand; it was a preliminary prototype they had just created, and it still had many unsatisfactory aspects, which were currently being revised.
Suddenly a loud bang came from the backyard, and the whole house shook three times.
Both of them looked towards the backyard. Victor was somewhat wary, but Bruce stopped him. They walked out the back door together and saw that an orchard had suddenly appeared in the base's backyard.
Diana clapped her hands, walked out from among the apple trees, looked at Bruce and said, "I've brought you the golden apple you wanted."
"Give my regards to the three sisters," Bruce said.
“It’s too late, they’re not going to get better.” Diana looked at Bruce and said, “It won’t be long before Hera starts hunting me down. It’s all up to you, Batman.”
Bruce nodded slightly and said, "Thank you."
Soon, Alfred, carrying a box of golden apples, stepped off the Batcave elevator. Meanwhile, there was another person inside the Batcave. Schiller was leaning against the bar drinking coffee, while Bruce was adjusting the Hellbat armor.
"With the Golden Apple in hand, half the plan is complete. Now it's up to the mysterious dark force to see if it will take advantage of this turbulent time to make its move."
“It’s not that easy,” Bruce said. “The Justice League isn’t under enough pressure.”
"So what do you want me to do? Have me recruit Steppenwolf and Parallax, and then have the three of them work together to blow up the Earth?"
Bruce squinted at him, and Schiller turned his head and said, "I'm not saying I can actually do it, it's just a hypothetical..."
Bruce looked away and said, "Headquarters is too peaceful. Let Doomsday go over and cause some trouble again."
“That won’t do. You’ve completed all the legal procedures and are a legitimate agency in New Jersey. Doomsday is our law enforcement agency, and without a search warrant, we cannot trespass into your office.”
“Some of the materials I prepared for the space station were smuggled in.” Bruce straightened up, inspected the shoulder armor of the Hellbat Armor, and then said, “Although you are not the Customs and Excise Bureau, we are an organization of superpowered individuals, so it should be your responsibility to conduct the search.”
"Of all the Batmen I've ever seen, you're one of the more ruthless ones," Schiller genuinely commented. "You've done every bad thing imaginable in order to make the Justice League depend on you."
"Just be a good behind-the-scenes manipulator," Bruce said without turning his head. "I'll be there to support you when you take your final bow."
Schiller gave a cold laugh and fell silent. He recalled the phone call he received from Batman, Bruce Wayne, the night before he became the head of the Sky Eye Society.
"Hello, Mr. Rodriguez. I have something I'd like to discuss with you. Would it be convenient for you to come to Wayne Manor?"
Schiller stood at his apartment window, phone in hand, watching the beams of the extended black luxury car's headlights slice through the night like a knife across the street corner. He said, "Do I have the right to refuse?"