novelnext Chapter 99 Cold on the outside, warm on the inside
Chapter 99 Cold on the outside, warm on the inside
Chapter 99 Cold on the outside, warm on the inside
"How long will it take? Will it be over in three minutes?"
Diana asked in a low voice.
Connors: "???"
Noticing Connors's silence, Diana, not wanting to disappoint the man behind her, whispered:
"I want to end this disaster as soon as possible."
The "Wonder Woman" Diana in front of him was also a relatively new hero, with a strong sense of justice in the face of disaster, and Connors did not discourage her:
"Focus on the important things first."
As they spoke, the horse had already crossed the city and arrived near a lake, where there was also a factory.
"Magnification" and "Spider-Sense" allowed Connors to sense the presence of "Mars Manhunter" John Jones and "Batman" Bruce Wayne in this place.
"They seem to need help," Diana said, looking down at the alien factory spewing smoke and dust.
The factory's exterior also had a hole, but the factory continued to operate, clearly indicating that the people inside were not making any progress.
"Go ahead," Connors said.
"And what about you?"
The alien factory they had just destroyed was so easily that Diana instinctively assumed Connors was there to help them.
"The task of saving the world is yours to handle; I'll just watch the show," Connors said, jumping off the skeletal horse.
While still in mid-air, he used his "mimicry" ability again, transforming himself from someone wearing a typical Gotham black trench coat into a white, hollowed-out cheese-like figure.
Inside the factory, "Mars Manhunter" John Jones and Batman are hiding behind a bunker, which is completely covered by bullets from the White Martian.
"We're trapped," the Martian hunter said.
"I thought you would use your superpowers to solve this."
Batman took a batarang from his waist, quickly calculated the force and trajectory, and then threw the batarang.
The batarang didn't fly towards the white Martian who fired the bullet, but instead flew towards a vein-like protrusion, where it bounced off.
After bouncing several times, the batarang finally landed in the middle of the white Martians and exploded with a bang.
"John, now's the time!" Batman said to John Jones, taking two steps forward before turning back. "John!"
"Mars Manhunter" John Jones remained motionless behind his bunker, his eyes glowing orange.
"Superman and Aquaman failed."
Batman's expression showed distrust:
"are you sure?"
"Yes, I can feel it. Fortunately, our support has arrived," John Jones said, his green face revealing no emotion.
As soon as he finished speaking, Wonder Woman Diana rushed in, sword in hand:
"You're moving too slowly."
"Yes, we need to hurry, this way." John Jones wasn't surprised by Diana's arrival and pointed in a direction.
The three of them rushed toward the direction John had pointed. The roads inside the factory were winding and treacherous, but led by "Mars Manhunter" John Jones, they did not stray into any dead ends and headed straight for the central core.
"I need you guys to distract me while I get my hands on the crystal in the central core," John said.
Without hesitation, Batman pulled out his batarang again and threw it, which exploded in the pile of white Martians at the central core.
Wonder Woman Diana once again tied the Lasso of Truth to her greatsword and swung it out, intending to destroy it directly, just like she did with the factory last time.
But it seems the white Martians here learned from the previous factory's experience and didn't leave the greatsword unattended. Instead, they charged forward one by one without regard for anything else.
They rammed their bodies into the greatsword, and even if one died on the spot, more of their companions would rush forward.
Diana's greatsword was deflected by the white Martian's body, missing its target, and a barrage of bullets was already heading towards her.
"Mars Manhunter" John Jones watched as the two men drew most of the firepower. His body quickly became ethereal and sank into the meridians beneath his feet.
When he reappeared, he was already standing at the central core.
John Jones punched through the head of the white Martian guarding the spot, then reached into the core, which resembled a beating heart, and pulled out the crystal.
The "heart" immediately stopped contracting. Just as John Jones was about to call Batman and Diana to evacuate, he was hit by a bullet from a white Martian who suddenly appeared from a hidden corner.
John Jones fell to the ground, and the red crystal slipped from his grasp and landed a short distance away.
Wonder Woman Diana hid behind cover and pulled hard on the Lasso of Truth with both hands, returning the greatsword to her magic pocket.
The factory had stopped operating, but "Mars Manhunter" was also shot and fell.
Batman put on a pair of brass knuckles that crackled with electricity:
"Take him away quickly, you all get out of here!"
Without hesitation, Diana leaped from her hiding place to where John Jones was, bound him with the Lasso of Truth, and fled swiftly toward the exit.
Batman, facing the White Martian's attack alone, launched his grappling hook and swung away, casually catching the crystal John Jones had retrieved.
Ding.
A white Martian pressed a button, and the exit leading to the outside world immediately began to wriggle, with a colorful, gelatinous substance spreading rapidly.
Diana and John Jones rushed out first, but Batman, who was a step behind, was trapped inside.
Boom!
The electrified brass knuckles struck the gelatinous substance blocking the outlet, but the hard yet elastic substance showed no sign of breaking.
Batman turned his head and saw that a large group of white Martians had surrounded him.
Separated from Batman by a layer of gelatinous substance, John Jones, rushing out of the factory, weakly raised his head and couldn't help but shout:
"Batman!"
Unfortunately, his response was not Batman's deep voice, but the stretching and deformation caused by the White Martian bullet hitting the gelatinous object.
"He's dead," John Jones said, his eyes lowered and a hint of sadness in his voice.
"Someone outside said you're dead."
Connors, mingling among the White Martians, fired all the bullets from the guns he'd casually stolen from them at them, and said to Batman.
"I'm not that easy to kill," Batman said.
His body seemed to have become ethereal at this moment, and even when Connors stood face to face with him, the "spider-sense" could not detect him.
"Why are you holding that crystal? If these alien creatures take it, they'll just restart the factory."
Connors, still in the form of the White Martian, lured the unsuspecting White Martians to fight Batman while shooting them one by one, all the while pointing at the crystal and asking.
"I'm of great use." Batman didn't intend to explain.
"Oh, I'll open the exit for you. Now get out of here. I need this factory for a long time." Connors gave him the order to leave.
"I want to see what you plan to do with this factory." Batman remained unmoved.
"Then tell me what you're going to do with that crystal." Connors was simply trying to satisfy his curiosity.
After a brief standoff, Connors stepped aside, manipulating the factory to transform into tentacles, which he then swallowed into his stomach by the black smoke.
"—Your horse has this kind of function?" Batman's eyes widened in amazement.
"Alright, now it's your turn to tell me what you plan to do with the crystal," Connors said, retracting the black smoke that needed to be digested.
Piloting the bat wings he borrowed from Batman, Connors whistled leisurely.
Batman wants to use crystals to reverse the factory's work, that is, to reverse the process of emitting smoke and dust and turn it into absorption.
Originally, the master intended to keep it a secret from Connors, but after witnessing Connors letting the black smoke devour the tentacles, he changed his mind and even made sure that Connors kept the last factory.
That is, the one where Superman and Aquaman were trapped.
The bat wings hovered in mid-air, and Connors leaped down, while Alfred piloted the fighter jet toward the Batcave.
"Little Pa, you've come at just the right time! I have something exciting to tell you." Harley Quinn was unusually excited about Connors' arrival.
"What's wrong?" Connors asked, puzzled.
"Shh~" Harley made a gesture, then pulled Connors along and jogged away.
Catwoman and her companions seemed to be using the factory as a dungeon for monster hunting, constantly practicing their combat skills against the White Martian.
Especially Zatanna, with thick bolts of lightning constantly striking down. Connors, smelling the air, estimated that the factory was about 70-80% cooked.
Harley Quinn feigns mystery:
"I can smell your scent in Ivy, and the interesting thing I have to say is—"
"My body is currently cold on the outside but warm on the inside."