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Chapter 164 The Justice Society Returns
Chapter 164 The Justice Society Returns
"Why are you looking at me? All I know is how to pick a lock. You guys are the real experts."
Aside from Black Adam lying on the ground, Luthor, Black Bat, and Captain Cold all looked at Connors.
They all received Connors' help, directly or indirectly, and they all witnessed Connors' transformation from "Monster Thompson".
He saved the world once.
Even Luther thought that Connors intended to personally lead them to attack the "Criminal Syndicate".
"Alright, the first thing to do now is to treat this guy's injuries—" Lex Luthor said.
He pointed to "Black Adam," who was lying on the ground, still spitting water from his mouth:
"We need to find a place to settle things, then head to Gotham Wayne Enterprises headquarters. Theoretically, electricity could cure this guy, right?"
"Captain Cold" has a different opinion:
"I don't know, but I think the first thing I need to do is find a place where I can make a cold-weather gun that can freeze the heads of the 'Criminal Syndicate' into solid blocks of ice."
"I've heard that Johnny Quick of the Crime Syndicate is running rampant around the world, and I'm going to start by killing him," Black Bat said.
The three standing people had three different opinions, while "Black Adam," who was lying on the ground, was still not fully conscious and naturally did not express any opinion.
"Let's vote. Bizarro and I will each have two votes. Let's find a place to settle down first," Lex Luthor said.
Captain Cold and Black Bat exchanged a glance. Unless they could revive Black Adam on the spot, the two of them combined would still tie with Luthor's votes.
"Since you have no objections, then do as I say." Lex Luthor easily gained the right to speak within this "Injustice League".
"We can do both at the same time. Let's find a place with lots of electrical appliances. You guys treat Black Adam, and I'll make the Cold Gun," Captain Cold compromised.
About an hour later, they were standing in a secluded repair shop on the southwestern outskirts of the metropolis.
Black Adam lies on a platform. Since the whole world has lost power, Lex Luthor has to use his armor to continuously discharge electricity to heal Black Adam.
A constant crackling sound of electricity rang out, and blue-white electricity also emerged from Black Adam's eye sockets and mouth.
Black Bat stood to the side with his arms crossed, watching Lex Luthor, while Connors curiously touched Black Bat's armor.
"What were you thinking, making such a big head?"
Black Bat's suit was fine below the neck, but the helmet on his head was a large oval shape, with two equally oval eyes staring out.
In addition, the two pipes on top of the helmet, which connect to what appears to be a device for filtering oxygen from seawater, make it look like a red-headed fly.
Black Bat:
"......"
Lex Luthor continued to discharge electricity at "Black Adam," the crackling sound driving "Captain Cold" crazy.
"Luther, can you take a break from that electroshock therapy? It's so loud it's driving my ears crazy! I need to concentrate!"
Lex Luthor stopped what he was doing and looked at "Captain Cold":
"Captain, you didn't even graduate high school, yet you're making cryogenic weapons? Are you sure you're not kidding?"
"Aww!" Bizarro quickly echoed.
"From the moment I first held the ice gun, I spent two months constantly disassembling and reassembling it until I could do it with my eyes closed," Captain Cold said.
"This thing is of no use to us," Black Bat said.
Captain Cold, facing Black Bat's taunts, retorted without holding back:
"There are speedsters like The Flash in the Crime Syndicate—based on my experience dealing with The Flash, my gun is more effective than yours, Black Bat."
He picked up the Cold Gun, which had been assembled using parts from the repair shop.
"Your gun will numb their pain, and I don't like that," Black Bat said.
"Are you out of your mind?" Captain Cold said, looking at Black Bat.
"Cough cough," Black Adam's voice rang out, and Lex Luthor stopped the electric shocks.
Luther removed his electric hand from Black Adam's chest:
"Based on my observations of the Syndicate's actions so far, even the strongest 'Superpower' has weaknesses."
"He has been consuming kryptonite to replenish his energy and avoiding direct sunlight, making his weaknesses easier to exploit than Superman's."
"Then let's exploit his weakness and cough him up," Black Adam said.
"So, Black Adam's joined us too?" Captain Cold holstered his Cold Gun. "Looks like we're about to get serious, Luther."
“No, the time isn’t right yet. We have to go to Gotham,” Luther said. “I need to install the last module on my armor.”
"Outsider, your black smoke cloak seems to be able to change shape. Interested in turning it into something like a flying carpet to get us to Gotham?"
Luther looked at Connors, not letting any available resources slip by.
"No interest. You can head towards the city from the sewers outside Gotham. I'm just here to make sure you don't make any pre-arranged deals before dealing with the Syndicate."
Connors said that his body then transformed from an inexplicably normal human form into a humanoid shape made of plants, and he fell to the ground.
"Captain Cold" kicked the plant-like dummy and asked in confusion:
"When did this guy turn into a mannequin? Wait, could all the people around us have been fake 'outsiders' all along?"
"That's what I think too," Lex Luthor said.
"This is a mannequin. He doesn't have Atom Girl on him," Black Adam said.
The first thing he saw after regaining consciousness was Connors, and he immediately determined that Connors was in a vegetative state.
"Never mind that for now. Now that Black Adam is awake, I think we can set off immediately," Luther said.
"Target: Gotham Wayne headquarters."
In front of Lex Luthor, Connors used "Kusama Man" to leave the dummy in place to prevent them from fighting each other, while his real body flew towards San Francisco.
Since the "eternal evil" event in this world was orchestrated by itself, some people and events cannot proceed exactly as the comic book's plot suggests.
For example, the Teen Titans team, who were supposed to appear when Johnny Quick left the Justice League Watchtower, did not show up.
Connors came to San Francisco with the goal of pitting the Teen Titans against Johnny Quick and sending them all to the future.
"Under normal circumstances, if Nightwing, also a member of the Teen Titans, were captured, the Teen Titans would go to his rescue no matter what—"
Connors muttered to himself, somewhat puzzled, as he couldn't quite figure out why the Teen Titans hadn't made a move yet.
Instead of entering the Teen Titans' base openly, he used the magic he had deciphered from Lady Shangdu.
He made his body disappear into nothingness and walked in silently.
"I've observed that 'Cyborg' has arrived at the 'Metal Squad's' laboratory."
"The Rogues are locked in a fierce battle in Metropolis with the Parasite sent by the Syndicate to eliminate them. Two Harleys are also present."
"Lex Luthor has hidden twenty-six moons in the asteroid belt, but that can't fool me. The Injustice League, consisting of Luthor, Black Adam, Black Bat, Captain Cold, and a Superman clone, is also in action."
"We originally thought the Suicide Squad would be a good help, but another Harley Quinn, completely different from the one we know, has turned the Rocky Mountains into a mess—and these two Harleys have joined the Rogues."
"Although we don't know the Suicide Squad well, Wonder Woman is on a mission with them, and Deadshot and Captain Boomerang will be a great help to us."
"Although my observations cannot reveal all of the above actions, they all point to the 'outsider'."
"If the Crime Syndicate can wipe out the Justice League, our current strength would be useless."
We need to unite these guys who are still fighting the syndicate, and ideally, we should get in direct contact with the "outsiders."
Tim Drake, the founder and leader of the Teen Titans, addressed all the Teen Titans members present.
Their inaction so far is not because they have no intention of saving Nightwing.
On the contrary, after quickly observing the war situation around the world, they decisively chose to remain inactive and joined forces with the Injustice League, the Suicide Squad, the Rogues, and the Outsiders to wipe out the Syndicate in one fell swoop.
Red Robin's words were unanimously agreed upon by the young Titans present. They immediately split into pairs and, given the current power outage and communication failure, set off to find the other teams.
"I always said that the 'evil is eternal' in this world, and the butterfly effect wasn't triggered by any changes I caused."
"Something is unbelievable"
Connors's ethereal body slowly materialized, and he appeared before the "Teen Titans":
"If I had arrived even a moment later, you might have actually made contact with other people, and the butterfly effect would have been triggered."
"You don't need to look for him, the 'outsider' has already arrived."
Connors' sudden appearance startled the group of teenagers, except for Tim, "Red Robin," who asked anxiously:
"An outsider? Now that you've shown up, after we rescue 'Nightwing,' we can fight the 'Criminal Syndicate' to the last breath."
"You sound just like Batman," Superboy, one of the Teen Titans, said to Red Robin.
"And you should act like a superhero now, not just a 'Superboy'," Red Robin said.
Beside them, the "Wonder Girl," dressed in a bright red strapless battle suit and wearing gold arm guards, lit up when she saw Connors appear:
"They're the evil version of the Justice League, but if everyone unites, they can wipe out the Syndicate, Mr. Outsider."
The girl, whose title was "Aurora" and whose entire body resembled a black starry sky, said:
"Give the order, outsider."
The girl "Raven" also stepped forward:
"You've heard our analysis of the global war situation, and as Robin said, we need your guidance, outsider."
What's with this unusual respect for me? Connors looked at the "Teen Titans" consisting of Red Robin, Superboy, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Aurora, and Raven.
"Are you short of people? Besides Nightwing?" Connors asked.
"Yes, Wonder Woman is out on Amanda's mission, and we're trying to contact her to bring her back," Red Robin replied.
That makes sense; in "Teen Titans," there's a female fan of Wonder Woman who seems to have influenced everyone else as well.
"Red Robin" was alright, after all, he was one of Batman's men, but the other teenagers clearly hadn't experienced Gotham's incarnation, and their eyes were filled with eager anticipation for Connors' arrival.
They are "superheroes" themselves, but clearly in their hearts, they regard "Outsider" Connors as the hero among heroes.
"I was originally planning to send you to the future," Connors said frankly, "but the look in your eyes—ah,
My heart softened.
"Your plan isn't quite complete yet. The Injustice League, the Suicide Squad, and the Rogues alone aren't enough."
"Let's make it even more lively."
Connors said, raising his right hand, where he still wears the Justice Society ring.
"But one thing to note is that the Injustice League is more than enough to deal with a mere 'criminal syndicate.' The real highlight of this event is villain versus villain."
"The Justice League's adversaries have been released from prison, and their destruction of cities and ordinary people is no less than that of the Crime Syndicate."
"Your opponent is the 'Super Villain Secret Society'."
When Connors learned of the Teen Titans' plan, and seeing the way the others, except for Red Robin who was somewhat arrogant, looked at him with a degree of admiration, he changed his own plans.
Since everyone's just watching the show, the more superheroes involved and the stronger they are, the better the rewards for watching. There's absolutely no need to follow the previous misconception that "the story must follow the comic book plot" and force the plot forward.
As long as the overall "villain vs. villain" theme remains correct, you can go all out in other areas.
He even felt that there weren't enough people, mainly because there weren't enough truly powerful individuals, so he decided to recruit more.
So he used "Magnify" and "Dream Relic" in front of the "Teen Titans".
"If we've died once to save this city, then we can die again."
"You may not know this, but in Seaside City—crime has consequences."
"Let justice prevail!"
In a dreamlike memory, Connors once again saw the scene in Seaside City where the "Justice Society" decided to sacrifice themselves without hesitation.
Catman, Black Siren, Speed, Tom Turbo, and Green Guard appeared one after another at the Teen Titans' base.
"Thompson! It must be you who resurrected us again!" The Green Guardian's ring quickly glowed, protecting everyone present.
"Protect these kids!" He swiftly moved in front of the Teen Titans.
"Whether it's in Seaside City or not, crime has consequences, Thompson? Connors?!" Tom Turbo said, his squinting eyes widening instantly when he saw Connors.
The Green Guardians also realized that these teenagers did not seem to need protection and there was no immediate danger around them, so they removed the protective shield.
He quickly stood beside "Lightning Boy," looking at him with a hint of disgust:
"The Flash? How did you turn into a child?"
"He's Lightning Boy—Monster Thompson is gone, and this time it's a new threat," Connors said with a laugh. "Speed, Catman, Black Siren, and everyone else, long time no see."
The Black Siren was still dressed in her black strapless battle suit and black bodysuit. She saw Connors' raised right hand... "JS"
The ring was unusually eye-catching:
"have not seen you for a long time."