Volume 4: The Last Day Chapter 89 Intelligent life has been locked, Hal Jordan from a dead world...
Old A gave the order personally, and almost all of the forces Quint had planted in the Star Society were deployed.
Mason didn't need to worry too much about what happened next. Including Team K, led by Zha Kang, who came to welcome the captain's "triumphant return", and the 'Hydra' supported by the old Green Goblin, the six pioneer teams were acting under the coordination of a great mentor. With the strong support of the Star Castle, it would be a piece of cake to transfer a world within three days.
The main thing is that even if Mason wanted to intervene, he couldn't do anything about what happened next. Team K had never carried out such a large-scale transfer, and they were absolute novices in this regard.
So after receiving the roaring letter from Mr. Hunter, Mason took the new attacker in his team and his little tail Harley to Paradise Island as quickly as possible to hand in the mission and go home.
Of course, things that need to be arranged before leaving still need to be properly arranged.
"This Doomsday Ark will be taken to Osborne Tower. The oceans of the world over there have been polluted. Although the Atlanteans have the technology to purify the oceans, they can't live in sewage when they first arrive there, so this ship will be returned to the Atlanteans as their mobile city in the new world.
The Star Society's transfer gate has built-in space folding, so this thing will not affect its efficiency."
Mason said to the shark king who was in charge of the affairs of the seabed:
"You take your men and drive this ship back to the ministers of Atlantis, and tell them that their King Arthur will come to see them in a few days.
Let them lead their people through the Transfer Gate, where they will be met by someone."
The silly shark king touched his head and nodded repeatedly.
As the bloodline of the old gods, he could certainly understand Mason's words, but whether he could comprehend them was another matter.
Mason didn't expect this hottie to do a good job. He just wanted him to use his pure and noble ocean blood to make a gesture and pass on the message. The real work was done by the Deathstroke trio, the nominal servants of King Shark.
There's also the old Deathstroke who has been "bound" to Shredder Wilson, and a younger version of Lex Luthor.
The main reason why the latter wanted to follow the Ark of Doomsday was to stabilize the biological cabin of the unlucky Captain Atom, lest the latter suddenly self-destruct and push everything into an irreversible situation.
And Lai Tu in this world is probably the only one among this group of people who can understand the working principle of the speed force matrix, so he seems more anxious and uneasy than anyone else.
"You look nervous."
Mason stood next to the Hermes Talisman leading to Paradise Island and joked to Luther:
"Are you full of curiosity and anticipation for the new world?"
"No, I'm worried that your child can't handle the demands of the Speed Force Matrix. Based on your description, I feel like you're asking a boy to do a man's job."
Luther kept looking down at the time.
It was as if they were afraid that the timeline that carried the world's existence would suddenly go out of control in the next second, dragging everyone into the out-of-control turbulence and burying them completely among the dark stars.
He said to Mason:
"I understand the necessity of this action, but your decision is too hasty."
"Hasty? No, I don't think so."
Mason shook his head and said:
"When Barry took the initiative to take on this responsibility, he was very clear about the pressure he would face. He knew it would be difficult, but he still gritted his teeth and took it.
I believe he can finish the race.
That's running.
That's what he does best, and you, Luther, you're smart, but I don't think you should judge professionals in areas you don't understand."
"You know your answer is very idealistic, right? It doesn't make me feel at ease at all."
Lai Tu snorted, looked down at his watch again, and said:
"Mason, you said before that you didn't plan to recruit me into your K team, so where are you going to send me?"
"The Third Impact has just ended, Luther, and the entire parallel world system is full of ruins. The world needs your smart brain.
So I plan to send you to a ruined world to work as a laborer, plastering and building houses.
Your superior intelligence will certainly come in handy when mixing lime."
Mason walked into the Hermes Talisman, waved goodbye to Luther and said:
"Besides, your new leader is not me. Shredder said he needs you to be his advisor, and he is planning to rescue a few people from your time-space alter ego.
In other words, you might have to compete with your evil twin in intelligence.”
"Shua"
Mason's figure disappeared in the magic of Paradise Island, leaving the young version of Leibald standing there in a daze, but the next moment, Deathstroke walked up to him, patted his shoulder, and said:
"Don't listen to Mason's nonsense. Our captain likes to joke around. How could I let my think tank take up a gun and go to the front line?
We, the big guns, will do the breaking into the LexCorp headquarters. You just need to help us break through the defense program written by another Lex Luthor. "
Shredder Wilson, who aspires to build a huge cross-world "Deathstroke Legion", grinned, and his sharp white teeth reflected a cold light in the sunlight.
He said to Luther, who was looking at him:
"Just consider this as an 'entry test' for the 'Death Knell Corps' , my dear science officer."
This middle-aged version of Deathstroke stuffed a victory cigar into Luthor's hand, then followed King Shark and Deadshot to the cockpit of the Ark.
The clever Lai Tu took a look at the cigar in his hand.
That was a brand he had never seen in this world. Just as he was hesitating, the elderly version of this world's Deathstroke came forward and comforted him:
"Don't worry, Luther. Shredder and I have discussed this. I will join his organization in exchange for his promise not to hurt you. You only need to make plans for him, and you don't have to worry about him using your wisdom to do evil.
With Mason pressing him from above, he didn't dare to go too far.
And we really need some 'friends' to start our lives again in that strange world."
"Do you believe him?"
Luther looked at his trusted commander. His question made old Deathstroke laugh. The lonely old hero took out a cigar and put it in his mouth, whispering:
"I would rather trust a dog than the promises of my youth. At that time, I lived a very corrupt life, and I regarded breaking promises and cheating as commonplace.
At that time, I had no beliefs and was a true mercenary.
But I am willing to help him. At least in the next matter, I will do my best to help him achieve his goal, regardless of good or evil, right or wrong. "
"Why?"
Luther frowned and asked:
"That doesn't seem like your code of conduct."
Faced with this question, old Deathstroke blew out a smoke ring and leaned against the bulkhead of the slowly sinking Ark. He looked out the glass window at the devastated sea and the still burning Gotham City in the distance.
After several seconds, he whispered:
"My child...died with his mother before he was born. They died in the revenge of the super villains against me many years ago.
My family is gone, Luther.
But his family is still there.
He is me in another world, so perhaps that is also equivalent to my children’s space-time alternation in another world. They are also my children, and are another possibility of their lives that have never been opened.
I couldn't bring myself to sit back and do nothing.
He knew that, so he didn’t ask for my opinion.”
"That's not how it works, Wilson."
Young Luther burst out laughing.
He shook his head and planned to briefly explain the concept of "time-space displacement" to Old Deathstroke.
But when he saw his world-famous old hero leaning against him alone, smoking a cigar, Luthor suddenly realized that what he needed might not be an academic explanation.
What he is seeking may be to make up for the heartbreaking failure of rescue in his youth. In religious terms, old Deathstroke sees this as a second chance in his life.
"Oh well."
Lai Tu also took up his cigar, but did not light it. He said:
"I'll help him this time! But it's only free this time. If you ask me for help again, I'll charge you. After all, no official in the New World will hire someone like me who doesn't even have a legal identity.
I still have to work to earn money to support myself.”
"Well, that's not necessarily true."
Old Death Bell blinked and whispered to Lai Bald beside him:
“I just talked to that guy and I realized that although we live in two different worlds, many of our habits are exactly the same.
For example, the bomb codes we use most often are exactly the same.
I heard that you in the other world are super rich, and you must know his commonly used passwords. Any little money from the other you's account would be enough for you to live a life of luxury for the rest of your life.
How about we try it after we get over there?
If this works, you won’t have to worry about money at the beginning of your new life.”
——
On the other side, on an alien spacecraft flying inland from Gotham, old man Thomas Wayne sat in the co-pilot seat and operated an instrument that could observe the landing point of the transfer gate.
They were going to the designated location to provide ground guidance for this thing and to talk to the official representatives.
Since the old man had been better at "physical communication" with others over the years, this arduous task was given to his companions at this time.
Mr. Hal Jordan, a former military pilot.
Compared to the old man's calmness after everything was settled, the performance of the young man Hal was slightly worse.
He heard Mason announce to them the arrival of rescue, and also caught a glimpse of the strange scenery in the mysterious time maze, but he still could not accept the reality that his world had been destroyed seventeen years ago.
While operating the aircraft, he was thinking about problems that are difficult for ordinary people to encounter and even more difficult to understand.
"You are flying a vehicle that is ten times more complex than an airplane. Its minimum cruising speed is above Mach 5, so if possible, I hope you can be more serious and focused."
The old man's deep voice rang out, waking Hal up from his lost thoughts.
The latter suddenly looked up and grasped the joystick, only to find that the aircraft had already been taken over by Cyborg in the form of a data program and entered automatic flight mode. He looked at Batman sitting in the co-pilot seat in surprise.
I thought to myself that this guy, whose stories I grew up listening to, could actually make jokes.
The story of the old man slaughtering villains in this world's Gotham is already well known here, and of course, the story about him is unlikely to be a friendly fairy tale.
In fact, Thomas Wayne has a very bad reputation in this world. His ruthless style of killing to stop killing makes people regard him as a dangerous person who may get out of control at any time.
"You seem to be in a good mood?"
Hal asked in a low voice:
"Is it because the world is saved?"
"What does it have to do with me whether the world is saved or not?"
The old man said without raising his head:
"I had many reasons for embarking on this journey, but saving the world was not one of them. Our world is rotten to the core, Hal, and I have always believed that it is the embodiment of the malice and darkness in the world.
It shouldn't exist at all.
It turned out that my idea was correct.
We are just living in the desperate remnants of a dead world, so all the suffering and tragedy are explained, but can this comfort a weathered heart?
No!
I still hate it, and that doesn’t change just because I helped save it.”
"You're lying!"
Hal keenly noticed the insincerity in the old man's tone, and he retorted:
"The legendary Batman wouldn't say so many words at once. If you weren't interested in this question, you wouldn't even say a word. Admit it, Thomas, you're also happy."
"I do have expectations, but they have nothing to do with this world."
The old man glanced at Hal with a gloomy look. He didn't want to discuss this issue, but since the topic had been opened, he had to say something, so he asked:
"Who are you going to go with? Mason said they will assign you to different worlds. Since he has something valuable in his hands, the treatment you will receive is said to be quite good.
It is the peaceful world that those people have carefully selected for you.
You also participated in the action, Hal, and you played a role in proving the courage and fearlessness of ordinary people. Maybe you should let it go and learn to move on."
"I'm thinking about it."
Hal pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment, and said to the old man:
"But I don't know whether I should go to those places that sound wonderful. Can you tell me where you are going and what you are going to do?"
"I can't."
Thomas rejected the question, saying:
"I can only tell you that this is not the end, not even the beginning of the end, it's just the end of the beginning."
"To go to a wider dark star, to fight against an enemy we've never heard of, and we can't even be sure if we're on the right side.
This is the fate we face next.”
The old man didn't want to say it, but the Cyborg who was controlling the aircraft told the truth without any care. The cyborg who was turned into pure data by Mason's soul killer program said in a voice without any sadness or joy:
"Thomas is right, Hal. You should go with your friends and family to a beautiful place to enjoy life. Before the next shock that Mason claimed comes, you can at least leave each other with some good memories.
This may give you the courage to face another apocalypse ."
“I am not afraid to face the end!
Just as I was ready to fly this fighter to destroy Atlantis' doomsday weapon, just as I convinced myself that joining you was the right thing to do."
Hal countered:
“I have no lack of courage to face the dark truth!
I now feel that your attempt to convince me to go to a beautiful world may just be a lie. I don't quite believe that we can usher in a beautiful peace after ending seventeen years of destruction.
If I could make one choice for this world, I think I could also face the second darkness.
Maybe I should come with you guys!"
The young and courageous pilot glanced at the distant city and the brilliant beam of light from the transfer gate that opened above the dome, and said:
"I've had a feeling since I was a kid that at some point I would have to take on something that only I could do , and that was not my imagination, nor was it the destiny of a savior.
Perhaps, I should take this step, I should enter my true destiny..."
"Snap"
At this moment, the old man suddenly stood up, pressed Hal down, pulled out the kinetic pistol from his waist and shot forward.
A strange green fluorescent light mysteriously appeared in the sealed cabin of the aircraft. Thomas' bullet hit it but failed to drive it away.
The thing seemed to have no entity, swaying with a green fluorescent light and falling in front of Hal Jordan, who was full of surprise.
It was a ring that looked like green jade, with a simple yet peculiar inscription on its surface.
“This… this is…”
When the young man saw the logo, he immediately thought of the remains of an alien named "Abinsu" stored under the military base. The guy's uniform also had the same logo.
"It's the ring!"
The old man narrowed his eyes and stared at the green ring in front of him. He whispered:
"It's the ring that Mason said was supposed to be yours. He said you must show extraordinary fearlessness and courage to be recognized by it...
Looks like you did it.”
At this point, Thomas glanced at Hal Jordan, who stretched out his hand to hold the ring but did not have any follow-up reaction and looked confused. The old man quietly put the gun in his hand against the young man's lower back.
He said in a hoarse voice:
"It seems that this thing requires some specific conditions to trigger its power. Mason must know how to do it. And you, Hal Jordan, fate has made your choice.
Now, you must come with us."
