Volume 8: The Fourth Impact Chapter 10 K-Men: First Class
“There are three cities around Scarlet Castle that are the bases of the First Conqueror Sequence. They observe and gather intelligence on the Lord’s World and make battle plans here.
Communications equipment, war materials, and transporters are stored here."
Countess Emilia was still drunk after having just finished tonight's banquet, but her mind was very clear at the moment, as she was discussing an action plan with Barbara and Ertong.
As the world governor, it was impossible to say that she was not nervous before launching such an operation, but the countess was obviously full of confidence. She did not show any timidity, but stretched out her hand and kept indicating the direction on the tactical map that Barbara had collected information and drawn up.
She said:
“When the operation begins, I will personally lead my family’s elite to take over these areas and cut off the connection between the garrison of this world and the headquarters of the First Conqueror according to Lord Mason’s idea.
However, they dispersed their troops in three other places in this world as training areas for new recruits and rest areas for veterans.
They are all inaccessible places. The base in the Arctic is the largest, followed by the Sahara Desert and the South American rainforest. They also have some scattered observation stations in other parts of the world, but there are not many troops stationed there.
As long as we knock down these three hard nails, relying on the alien forces in this world will be enough to destroy their remaining strength."
"Charles and I are responsible for the Arctic region."
Ertong said without hesitation:
"With the cooperation of Alpha Sentinel, it won't be a problem to break through there."
"I will stay in Scarlet Castle to coordinate your operations and provide communications and logistical support."
Barbara says:
"Countess Emilia and her allies are on their way to the Sahara and South America, promising to destroy their targets no matter what the cost.
But to be honest, I don’t have enough confidence in them.”
"We have provided them with sufficient weapons and technological support."
Lady Emilia snorted and said:
“If they want to regain the leadership and ruling power of the aliens in this world, they will have to pay with blood. The rules of the alien world are always simple.
If they fail to do what they promised, don't blame them for having no place in the world when it is redivided. As for loyalty... you don't have to worry about that.
I have been preparing for this rebellion for a long time, and have selected forces that are trustworthy.
But what worries me now is the task that Master Mason will have to undertake.
He said he would attract the main force of the conquerors of this world to the lord's world to weaken the local defense forces. I don't know how he can do this, although I have great confidence in him.
But isn't it risky for him to carry out such a mission alone?"
"That's just the way he is."
Batgirl sighed and said:
"In every one of his plans, he would take on the most dangerous parts himself. My brother was well aware of the risks he was taking and never shirked his responsibilities as a leader.
This makes me both proud and worried.”
"I don't understand what you are worried about?"
The door was pushed open, and Zha Kang and Charles, both wearing vampire robes, walked in arm in arm. Both guys reeked of alcohol, obviously having just had a drink.
The male wizard blew smoke rings and walked to Emilia's side. He stretched out his hand and grabbed the countess's plump buttocks without any courtesy. He looked at the optical projection map on the table and said:
“Mason has found himself a less trustworthy but definitely powerful helper in the Lord’s World. He is much safer there than staying here.
You can doubt Mason's mental state, but you can't doubt his intelligence in strategy and planning."
"I think so, too."
Kite Man burped, unbuttoned the first button of his collar, and said to his teammates:
“The boss doesn’t need us to worry too much. Let’s spend some time on our own responsibilities. There are less than two and a half days before the operation begins, and we still have a lot to prepare.
Barbara, if you are not busy, please help me debug my new armor.
That was new equipment that had just come off the production line in the boss's engineering laboratory. This time it happened to be undergoing actual combat testing, and I was required to do personalized debugging and re-matching of the weapon modules.
I need your computing power to help me reset the flight control. It's too big and the old flight control chip can't be used directly."
"No problem, wait till I finish collecting tactics."
Barbara made an OK gesture, and she looked around and said to the scumbag who had put his hand under Ms. Emilia's evening dress:
"Why is Mason gone? Where did he go?"
"Play with those speedsters."
Constantine curled his lips and said:
"By the way, he's doing a field survey. You know him. He always likes to see the battlefield with his own eyes before an operation begins. He's always worried about it.
Speaking of which, where is our young master of noble status?
Are you being taken out to play by Selena again?
Catwoman kept saying that she couldn't have children, but once Lord Batman's son came into her hands, she didn't allow anyone else to even touch him.
I suspect Selena may be addicted to being Damian's stepmother, or she may be rehearsing her married life in advance to practice for her future career as a housewife. "
"That kid and Selina really get along well. He whines when others hold him, but he behaves very well when Catwoman holds him."
Ertong stroked his chin and said:
"Is it really because of her status as the reserve matron of the Wayne family? Or has she really accumulated enough experience in the long-term attack and defense with Damian?
Tsk, I never thought that Ms. Selina could be a good wife and mother.
We should have filmed it secretly and shown it to Bruce, so he could make an effort to marry Catwoman so she doesn't have to live the overly exciting life we have now."
"Do you think I'm not filming? Just follow along in real time. I'm an expert at this."
Barbara curled her lips and whispered:
"But if Selina finds out, we'll both be finished, so keep a low profile, OK?"
"A-choo"
At this moment, elder sister Selina Kyle, who was holding her baby and coaxing him to sleep in a tidy " baby room", suddenly sneezed.
She seriously suspected that someone was talking about her behind her back, or that a man countless worlds away was thinking about her.
The noise suddenly woke up the drowsy child in her arms.
The latter was about to cry instinctively before opening his eyes, but he seemed to smell a reassuring scent so he closed his mouth halfway.
This scene made Catwoman marvel.
"The offspring of these Amazons and humans are really different. They are so cute right after they are born."
She rocked the child in her arms, humming a Gotham City ancestral lullaby, and walked around the room happily.
"Damian is beyond saving. The little lunatic was corrupted by Talia and Rei Xiaogu. I can't control him anymore, but you can still be saved, little guy."
She said to the baby in her arms:
"I should let Mason devise a way to make you mine in the future. This way, I won't have to endure the boredom of pregnancy for ten months and I can have a child that truly belongs to that boring man.
Alas, it's a pity that we can't afford to offend your three overly powerful parents. Sooner or later, they will have to send you back. I hope that you, the heartless little one, can still remember that there was a catwoman aunt who held you when you were a child.
You say, little cutie."
She reached out and touched the baby's soft nose, and whispered:
"I wish my aunt's children could be as pretty and cute as you in the future."
…
"We have been staying in the base ahead since we were sent to this world from headquarters."
At this time, in the Arctic Circle, a place rarely visited by people in the vampire world, in a hidden aircraft, the rookie Psylocke, wrapped in a thick leather coat, pointed to the fortress hidden in the polar valley below and said to Mason, who was operating the instrument beside him:
"It houses more than 100 squads of new recruits and 50 assault teams composed of veterans. According to our observations, its internal size has been maintained at more than 1,700 people for a long time.
This is just one of the three bases in this world, and it is the largest one.
In fact, what the vampire lady said about the conquerors viewing this world as a military base is not entirely correct. According to what we heard from the local conqueror system, this place is more like a 'recruit training ground'."
"Is this the reason why they send you into the Overlord's world as cannon fodder every once in a while?"
Halle, wearing a lovely white mink coat, said with wide eyes:
"They call this disregard for human life training or selection? The war has been going on for several years, and the number of people who died here is probably astronomical.
Hey, why haven't you rebelled yet?"
"That's not for us to decide."
The rookie Storm, who was standing behind Mason, lowered her head and said with a discouraged look:
"We couldn't resist and could only passively accept orders. We knew in our hearts that there was a high probability that we would die if we were sent out, but the obedience program implanted in us in advance made us unmoved by this fate.
Now that I have been released from the obedience program and recall my previous life, it is indeed unimaginably sad. But if you have never known such a thing as despair, then you will not realize it when you are in despair.
There are many new recruits like us there..."
She looked at Mason's back and said in a hoarse voice:
"Like us, he was born in the Weapon X project base, sent here like a blank slate, lived the life of a soldier, and was indoctrinated with the concept of loyalty.
Our lives are destined.
Good and evil have no meaning to us. Most of us have too short lives. We die on the battlefield before we have time to ponder the deeper truths of life and become meaningless war-damaged characters.
We wanted to rescue them, and for the first time in our lives we wanted to actually do something instead of just following orders.
We want to save our brothers and sisters who never had a life of their own, who were used as human weapons."
“It’s not about what you want to do.”
Mason put down the observation instrument in his hand.
The various specifications and data of the Arctic base in front of him have been collected almost completely. He turned around and looked at his watch, and said to the rookie Psylocke and her adjutant, the rookie Storm, who had just released the "gene lock" behind him:
"The key is what you are willing to pay for what you want to do, blood? Pain? Life? I won't lie to you and say it's easy to do.
The fact is that you have been incorporated into a temporary combat force, and my team will take you back to this Arctic base in two days.
Jason Todd is an outstanding and cruel warrior. Cold-bloodedness is his outstanding character. He will not give those stubborn enemies a second chance.
But you want your fellow citizens to have a second chance to choose their own destiny."
He looked at the two juniors who lacked confidence and said:
“I didn’t bring too many people with me this time, and now I’m facing the risk of being short-handed, so I have to entrust this important and difficult task to you.
It has been less than three months since you were born, and you have not experienced anything noteworthy in your short life. You are like a blank sheet of paper, and it is impossible for people to have confidence in you.
But what I want to tell you is that you don’t have that much time to grow up slowly!
Just think of it as a forced task, you must complete this task! Even if you can only save ten people out of 1,700, it is a good start. I don’t ask much of you.”
“There won’t be only ten people!”
The rookie Psylocke raised his head and said through gritted teeth:
"We will do our best to persuade our compatriots to leave that terrible organization. We had no choice before, but after you appeared, we can no longer be stubborn."
"persuade?"
Mason curled his lips and said:
"I don't think you have the ability to talk a base into submission, but there's no harm in trying. Here, take this and drink it."
He took out two bottles of potions of different colors from his bag and handed them to the two rookies in front of him.
They had learned from Harley and Barbara about Mason's experiences over the past few months and regarded him as their new idol because of their similar origin and bloodline.
After getting the potion, the two rookies opened the lid and drank it without any hesitation, as if they were sacrificing themselves for a cause. But after a few seconds, their faces turned red, and they felt an unbearable pain growing in their bodies.
"This is the enhancer used by the Cleaners. You should have used it too. I modified its poor formula so that the disturbed X gene fragments in your body can be restored to a more stable state in a short period of time, so that you can regain your abilities."
Mason pushed the frame of his glasses on his nose and said:
"But this is not an enhancer, you have to understand this. It will not make you stronger than before, but it will allow you to manipulate your mutant abilities to a more delicate level.
In my experience, what you need at this early stage is not uncontrollable forces but to exercise your own control.
Don't mind Mr. Sinister's previous evaluation of your potential. In my opinion, it's not a big problem. I have many ways to help you break through the shackles of your potential.
This is the privilege of being a master alchemist and an expert in Isu biology.
But talent is one thing, will is another.”
Mason looked at the two rookie clones sitting on the chairs, their heads sweating, their cheeks flushed, and they were trying hard to hold back the pain and not make any sound. He said:
"I will give you weapons, armor, and an endless supply of bullets and explosives. I will hire the best teachers to teach you and assign you the best commanders to lead you.
I'll give you a chance.
Ms. Emilia's original plan for the action against you new recruits was to annihilate them, but I will modify that plan.
I will capture all the conqueror commanders in this world, leaving only new recruits like you to survive the attack in two days, and use this world as a recruitment battlefield.
I'll give you fifteen days!
You choose your own teammates, make your own decisions, and grow on your own. I will never interfere.
But after the countdown is over, I want to see the prototype of the "K-Men", and those compatriots who have not been "convinced" by you and still choose to blindly follow the conquerors, their final fate will be determined by the angry aliens in this world. "
The captain took a deep breath, looked at the two girls with sparkling eyes, and said:
"Since you want to save, I will give you the weapons to save you. This is only the first battle of K-Men. Never forget that there are countless brothers and sisters of ours who are suffering in the First Conqueror Sequence.
Unfortunately, I'm too busy.
I don't have the time to lead them, but I can at least choose new leaders for them."
“Why us?”
The rookie Psylocke raised her head, endured the pain and asked in a hoarse voice:
"Is there anything about Ororo and I that makes you look at us differently?"
"No, a regrettable answer."
Mason smiled and said bluntly:
"I just happened to meet you and gave you a choice. You acted decisively, which made me feel that you are not hopeless.
If you fail, I will choose someone else, so don't think you are the chosen one. Holding such an idea will make you unnecessary and dangerously confident. "
"But on the other hand, you are really lucky."
Harley, who was beside Mason, held Sweetie's arm and winked at the two rookie clones.
"My little sweetheart doesn't show kindness every day, so luck can be considered one of your characteristics. Do your best, temporary captains of the mutant K team."
"Shua"
As soon as Harley finished speaking, three figures appeared in front of Mason one after another. Jesse Quick chewed gum and handed a stack of photos to Mason , eager to try:
"We have taken clear photos of all the important locations inside, and the various strange devices you gave us have been installed in the Arctic base. The people inside have not discovered us.
Of course they couldn't find out, they would never imagine that a speedster could sneak into this world.
So, when do we start?"
"Two days later!"
Mason looked at the photos in his hand, handed them and a few remote controls to the sweaty Psylocke, and said:
“The wars between the two worlds will start at the same time. Everyone has his own responsibilities and tasks. Only when all are completed can we win a glorious victory.
Well, considering the time, it's time to release our 'No. 1 Soldier'."
