PFC Chapter 4355 The Justice League Assembles (3)
Chapter 4355 The Justice League Assembles (3)
Chapter 4355 Justice League: Assemble (Part 3)
“Let’s talk about the Apple of Gold first,” Bruce said. “As I get older, I have to admit that the human body has its limits. And I’m gradually paying the price for the overexertion I took when I was younger. My decision to gradually withdraw from vigilante justice isn’t just because I’m mentally exhausted. In fact, my body is also nearing its limit.”
Bruce gently lifted his sweater slightly at the side of his waist. Diana's eyes widened. There was a deep dent in his side, the flesh of which looked completely necrotic, even affecting the ribs below. Although Diana didn't have X-ray vision, she could sense that more than one steel pin had been inserted there.
“You were too reckless when you were young.” Diana put her cup on the table and said, “I’ve seen a lot of young people like that, relying on their strength and physique, charging recklessly through trenches without a care in the world. After being bombed, they would get up as if nothing had happened, and then thirty years later, when their bodies were examined, dozens of shrapnel fragments would be pulled out of their bodies. Most people don’t have a good understanding of how vulnerable their bodies are, but I never thought you were one of them, Batman. Everyone says you’re very smart.”
Bruce could tell that Diana was somewhat displeased, but not in a negative way; it was more like an old grandmother scolding a child for not knowing their place.
“I have seen a lot of death,” Diana said. “Many of them did not regret it, and they went one after another, risking their lives. Because death is very short and can bring limited pain. But almost all the people I have seen who were seriously injured and then suffered from illness for many years went crazy.”
“I’m also glad I didn’t go crazy,” Bruce said, “but that’s all. If life had continued peacefully like this, perhaps I could have had a sufficiently peaceful old age. But a friend from afar brought us bad news.”
"Who?"
Schiller.
Diana covered her forehead, rubbed her eyes hard, and said, "I knew it."
“I should have been the one to help Clark. But I know my own mental and physical condition is probably not good enough to complete such a complex plan. So he did most of the work, and I just helped out when necessary. It seems to be working well so far.”
"Where did Clark go? When I came back, I learned that he had made a big fuss, but now nobody can find him."
"He must have gone back to his hometown. The spaceship that is in low Earth orbit has an automatic navigation system."
"Back to Krypton? Well, it's about time he went back to his home planet. But what's the bad news you mentioned?"
"Main Universe Batman... that's what they call him. You can think of him as the Batman of the most important universe. He detected unusual dark readings in the universe, and our universe is the most unusual one."
Diana immediately narrowed her eyes and said, "Darkness readings?"
"Yes. This means that a dark crisis in the multiverse is approaching, and the flashpoint could be our universe."
"That sounds terrifying."
“Yes, that’s why I asked you if the golden apple is as magical as described in the myths. I don’t ask for any power to make me young again, but I must heal my old wounds. Otherwise…”
“Alright, I understand. You don’t need to say anything more. I’ll go talk to the three sisters when I get back.” Diana held out a hand and said, “Let’s assume the Apple of Gold really can solve your physical problems, but what about your mental ones?”
“I wish I could lead the Justice League in our universe, but that might not be possible,” Bruce said, shaking his head. “As things stand, we need a younger, more energetic, and more radical leader.”
"You mean Clark? I think he's a good choice too. What about the others? I've heard of Green Lantern, but I don't know who he is. I've also heard of The Flash; they're all from the West Coast, right?"
“Pretty much.” Bruce nodded and said, “We need to gather our strength as soon as possible. The impending darkness won’t wait for us for long.”
“Try to contact them,” Diana said. “Perhaps some of them received invitations but didn’t come looking for us because we didn’t do anything. But now we probably have to stick together.”
“In fact, I have already contacted one, and he will be here soon.”
Before Diana had finished her coffee, a familiar figure pushed open the door and walked in—it was Ron Jungs.
"Looks like I didn't miss afternoon tea," Ron said with a smile, still maintaining his black officer demeanor.
"Mars Hunter?" Diana asked.
“That’s right, ma’am, it’s been a long time since anyone called me by that name.”
The three of them sat down on the sofa. Ron said with some emotion, "Clark has grown up very quickly. His move caught Congress and the military completely off guard, and there will probably be internal strife for a while. At the same time, the Sky Eye Society is no longer a force to be reckoned with, and we will have a long period of freedom."
"You've been targeted by the Sky Eye Society too?"
“I’m afraid you are too, ma’am, but they didn’t let you know. As long as you live in human society, you can’t avoid being monitored. As long as they don’t interfere with my normal life, I don’t want to lower myself to their level. But at the same time, in order to avoid them causing me trouble, I can only try to keep a low profile and can hardly do anything.”
“You’ve done enough,” Diana said. “If it weren’t for you, Clark wouldn’t have gotten away from the military base so easily.”
"That wasn't entirely my doing. My gut feeling tells me that this guy named Rodriguez is no ordinary person. Is he also an immortal being?"
“He’s not from this universe,” Bruce said. “I’ll explain the details when he gets here.”
Before Bruce could finish speaking, there was another knock on the door. Schiller, dressed in a suit, walked in and shook hands with the two people sitting on the sofa. Diana's gaze never left him, filled with scrutiny and inquiry.
"Let me introduce myself, Schiller Rodriguez. I'm here on behalf of the main universe's Batman to investigate the unusual Dark Invasion incident in your universe."
“You don’t look like you’re conducting an investigation,” Diana said. “You almost turned the world upside down.”
“The one with the power to turn the world upside down is Clark Kent; I’ve only played a minor role,” Schiller said with a smile. “So far, Project Steel seems to be progressing very well.”
"Alright, let's talk about dark energy then..."
“No, there’s something else before that.” Schiller looked at Bruce and said, “Clark has done enough, but this isn’t over yet. You might need to finish up the rest.”
"for example?"
"For example, the monster that Zod transformed into has not yet been eliminated. Or perhaps, enemies deep in space are also eyeing it covetously."
“That’s true,” Diana said. “At least that monster that descended over Metropolis must be dealt with first; it’s too much of a threat to Earth. Do you know where it is right now?”
“Near Mars,” Rong En said. “Although the Martian civilization has been destroyed, the laboratory I stumbled into on my first trip to Earth left behind equipment for observing Mars, and I was able to capture images of it.”
"Shall we go to Mars?"
Bruce shook his head and said, "No. Taking the initiative in this situation is not good for us; he will come back sooner or later."
“You want to let him in to fight? But that would destroy the city!” Diana stood up and said, “Isn’t fighting in space the best option?”
“Zord is nothing to fear,” Schiller said. “He’s not that strong; it doesn’t matter where we fight him. But that mysterious dark force is different. It has the ability to instigate multiverse-level catastrophes and has been waiting for the right moment.”
Diana seemed a little confused, but Ron already understood. He nodded and said, "Indeed. If I wanted to invade a universe, I would wait until it was in chaos. When disaster engulfs the earth, people always turn to darkness."
Diana understood, and said, "But even if it's to draw out the dark forces, we can't afford to cause unnecessary casualties..."
"So I need to get back to peak condition first, and then gather manpower to fight the monster with a saturation attack. This way, we can create disaster, but prevent the source of the chaos from making any waves."
Diana sat down again, thought for a moment, and said, "Alright, that's acceptable. But what are the enemies deep in space?"
“Dark Lord Darkseid.” Schiller took out a document, placed it on the table, and said, “During the previous multiverse war, he ascended to the One and gained new abilities. This may change the pace of his invasion of Earth, but there is no doubt that he will become Earth’s greatest enemy sooner or later.”
Diana picked up the document and began to read, her brow furrowing more and more as she looked. Schiller pointed to one of the sheets of paper and said, "This could be the advance force he sent. His abilities may differ in your universe from those in other universes, but there's no doubt that Steppenwolf is very strong."
Diana put down the documents and said, "We must assemble the Justice League immediately; we can't delay any longer."
“Leave this to me,” Bruce said. “Ron is in charge of keeping the federal government and military in line, and hopefully they won’t cause us any trouble. As for you, madam, it would be best if you could bring the Golden Apple. If not, I’ll buy whatever the Protoss has to heal injuries.”
Before Diana could say anything, Bruce pulled a box from behind him, opened it, and inside was a gem. Diana's eyes widened immediately: "My God, the energy in this gem..."
“I got this from the Battle Realm. Other Batmen have a lot of these. I bought some with my points. I think it should be enough to impress the gods.”
Diana accepted the gem and nodded, saying, "Hera really likes things that are both beautiful and powerful. I should be able to get some good stuff from him. Combined with the Apple of Gold, perhaps we can also forge a suit of steel for Batman."
“That won’t trouble you, madam.” Bruce turned to look at the entrance to the Batcave, and as his gaze traveled down through the thick floor, a menacing suit of armor flashed a hellish red light in the dim Batcave.
Actually, putting the movie itself aside, the casting for DCEU is really good; they all fit my aesthetic. That's why it's such a pity.