Volume 8: The Fourth Impact Chapter 22 As we all know, alliance is a high-level form of cooperation.
"Capturing a few fortresses, defeating their warriors, and expelling their forces is not the end of the struggle. As long as the conquerors are willing, they can return to this world in a few hours and bring a larger army.
The situation in this world has not yet been effectively stabilized, and the conquerors' new recruits have fled to all parts of the world. They are die-hard invaders and are not so easy to surrender.
These are all hidden dangers.
But Team K promised you that the war would end, and we always keep our word."
After watching a pleasurable vampire burning ceremony, the talks moved to a secret hall in the Scarlet Castle, where Mason was talking, intending to make a good start for the subsequent alliance process.
But just as he finished his frank speech, Gray Bat, who was standing by the window with his body wrapped in a cloak, interrupted him.
“But for now, this situation does not mean to end at all. It is more like coming to an end, and everything is in your plan. From the moment you entered our world, the Lords of Justice have been led by you.
If you have a darker mindset, your actions at this time are using the real threat of war to force us to join your alliance.
Maybe this was your plan.
Am I right?
This sharp question made Ms. Emilia beside Mason blink. She looked at Mason, whose expression did not change much. It was obvious that he had expected to be questioned like this.
Judging from the silent attitude of Lord Chao and Queen of Justice who were sitting next to them, Gray Bat was obviously speaking on behalf of all the Lords of Justice and their world.
His attitude represents the attitude of the lord's world.
This made Mason sigh that no matter which world Batman is from, his leadership is so outstanding, and he can always express his judgment of the situation from a rational perspective, and you have to admit that what he says is very correct most of the time.
Indeed, this was a setup from the beginning.
As the Fourth Impact is approaching, Mason has no intention of relying on truth, goodness and beauty to convince the Lords of Justice.
"You need help, we are happy to provide it and we are able to help. In-depth cooperation is a good choice for both parties."
Mason avoided the topic, spread his hands, and said sincerely:
"Besides, according to your last request, we have already expressed enough sincerity. We have a common enemy, and we fought side by side and won the victory.
This handshake and reconciliation all came from victory.
So it doesn't matter what we think at the moment, as long as we know what to do. I brought a plan, do you want to take a look?"
"Of course, that's what we're here for."
Gray Batman did not dwell on this issue too much. He nodded in a very pragmatic manner and said:
"Take out your plan, Mason . We need to assess its feasibility."
“Before we continue the conversation, I must emphasize once again that this conversation is not just about the relationship between Team K and the Overlord World, but also represents the opinions of other worlds that have already participated in the alliance.
Spokespersons from other worlds are on their way here, and perhaps you will be able to meet them in a moment. The true joint agreement will be agreed upon between them and you.
They are all very professional people.
All I can offer is a plan.
As for the customs and practices of other worlds, you may trust your own observations rather than my own boasting."
Mason turned his head and looked at Wally West and made a "please" gesture.
The Flash Justice Lord was standing next to Superboy with his arms folded. When he noticed Mason's gaze, Wally curled his lips. He guessed that the previous "trip" must have had a purpose.
The speedster turned to his companions and said:
“I have personally witnessed the World Alliance formed by Mason, and I have also had preliminary discussions with the people in charge there on behalf of the Lords of Justice. They do have a plan for the impact event and are working hard to advance it.
Due to time constraints, I was unable to see all of them.
But as for the part I saw, it was really shocking. It was a scene of many worlds working together for the same goal, which was very contagious.
They also put forward their own ideas in the step-by-step plan and put them into practice. They promised that if we have our own plans, we can also proceed simultaneously as long as it does not interfere with everyone's collective action.
From my perspective, there is really no clear conflict of interest in this league right now.”
Lord Flash was also not vague. He told everything he saw and heard in Osborne Tower and Gotham World without any embellishment or concealment.
Superman and Queen of Justice listened very carefully, and the Gray Bat next to them also nodded slightly.
Wally also mentioned the magnetic field equipment being buried in the earth's core that was being constructed simultaneously in several worlds, as well as the transformation process of the speed force matrix and the cosmic treadmill that he had witnessed. He chatted with another Barry Allen for a long time, and the two seemed to have a good relationship.
In short, although Wally's current description does not contain a personal stance, judging from his expression at this moment, he obviously supports Mason.
Such a large-scale collective action could not possibly be just a gimmick. Although Wally inherited the innocence of the Flash, he is not stupid.
He could feel the other party's sincerity.
As Wally was talking, Mason took out a revised blueprint and handed it to Lord Chao.
The latter took it in his hand, glanced at it quickly and then handed it to Gray Bat. Due to some personal experiences, Superman in this world has obviously made effective use of his super intelligence.
He could understand the device on the blueprint, but he was skeptical about its function.
"This Aurora device..."
He looked at Mason and said:
“I don’t know much about the field of engineering, but based on my current knowledge of Krypton, I admit that it can have an impact on the space system.
But blocking all positioning and space-time transmission of the target plane after activation sounds too good to be true."
“You don’t have to worry about this black technology. In the past seventeen years, this device has helped a world to hide perfectly.
They even used this device to launch an unexpected counterattack against the Star Society.
The effect of the Aurora device is trustworthy.”
Mason explained:
"Its disadvantage is that it can only be passively blocked and hidden. Once the conquerors are determined to invest a large amount of manpower and material resources to conduct precise search for the enemy, it will most likely be breached.
But I believe that there won’t be such a large-scale operation in the Conqueror Sequence in the near future.
The Fourth Impact is imminent. During this process, the conquerors must carry out the important task of protecting the Garden World under the Council of Hope. In other words, you will be absolutely safe in the next twenty days or so.
But do you have any ideas on how to get through this shock?"
"If you have the means, do it your way. If you don't, destroy it!"
Queen Justice said without hesitation:
"Just like the choices we made in the first three impacts, we do not expect to destroy those worlds that share the same suffering as us, but in order to protect our own existence, we will have to take some necessary measures."
"The first world we collided with was a planet full of infected bodies. The second was the hive world of the cleaners. The third time..."
Lord Chao then said:
“When the Third Impact occurred, the other world was involved in a large-scale confrontation between us and the Conquerors. The situation at that time turned into a three-way melee within seven hours.
That was the closest our world has ever come to destruction .
It was at that time that the dangerous Black Lantern Ring was activated, and our friend and brother John Stewart sacrificed himself to become the human incarnation of the Black Death.
He used the power of death to cover the world that collided with us and eliminated the crisis without anyone noticing. The price he paid was that he lost himself forever and became a puppet of death.
Mason!
Our resistance and vigilance towards outsiders is precisely because the last experience was too unforgettable. I will not blame the other side for choosing war in order to survive.
But the fact is, if the same situation happens again, this time the Justice Lords will only act more decisively and more quickly."
“It was indeed a tragic sacrifice.”
Mason nodded and didn't blame the behavior.
Compared to when he was disappointed and angry when he witnessed the Justice League destroying Hogwarts, he now clearly understands the heavy pressure of survival that a world struggling means.
He had no right to criticize them for doing something destructive because he had done the same thing.
Growth, not only the other members of Team K are growing, Mason is also making his own progress.
He may still not be satisfied with some things.
But he would choose to keep his thoughts to himself rather than let his emotions burst out and destroy the alliance that both sides had worked hard for.
"The Aurora device is only part of this self-rescue plan. I have already started to improve this Isu technology, but it still requires further data and theoretical support.
Don't worry about that, I've entrusted this work to the smartest people you can imagine."
Mason did not hide the current situation. He took out the instructions for the remaining projects from his bag and handed them to the Lords of Justice for evaluation.
It contains all the plans that Team K has collected so far for surviving the impact of doomsday, and Mason himself has marked the advantages and disadvantages on them.
It is very real and useful doomsday survival material.
Even the most demanding Gray Bat had to admit that Mason was indeed professional enough in this regard after watching it, but he talked to his companions for a few words and raised his own questions:
"You seem to be undecided about which plan to choose?"
He said:
"Is it because each plan cannot be 100% certain? Based on the plan I have seen so far, you intend to use world fusion as the main method, and the others are used as auxiliary and backup methods?"
"That is the most perfect plan. It can turn the opponent into a friend. I will not change my mind until I am sure it will not work. As for confidence, how can I dare to expect 100% safety?"
Mason said quite candidly:
"In fact, if the success rate is 50%, I will bet everything on it. The problem is that even the world fusion plan that seems to have the highest success rate has fatal problems that are difficult to solve.
After I leave you, I guess I'll spend the rest of my time on this.
But if you agree to join our alliance, then a complete impact response system must be deployed in your world, including the earth's magnetic field amplifier, a backup host for connecting to the world of Gods, and the organization and operation of the speed force matrix managed by the Lightning Family.
We have calculated that these preliminary preparations will take at least twenty days if everything goes well.
The most important thing is that your world plane and Ms. Emilia's plane are attached to each other, which means that the next time you impact, you will most likely face the squeezing and collision of each other's planes.
So what I ask of you is that you must not only complete the preparations in your own world, but also help the vampires complete the preparations here.
All materials and equipment are provided by Osborne Tower, and you are responsible for installation and commissioning, is that ok?"
"No, if we want to unite, this is the responsibility we must bear."
The Queen of Justice nodded and said something, then looked at the thick pile of documents in her hands and said with emotion:
"To be honest, I thought you would just give us an outline of the plan, but I didn't expect you to be so frank. After seeing these plans that took a lot of effort to make, although I know there are still risks, I personally feel a lot more at ease.
We've been at war for years, and the conflict has taken up most of our attention, so we haven't had much time to think about this. The device you saw in Batman's vision is Batman's final preparation for this.
It's extreme.
But we don’t have any better solution.”
"Learning from the enemy is indeed a very extreme strategy. I can only say that it is fortunate that you met us before you put it into practice."
Mason glanced at his watch, stood up and said:
"Everyone, please follow me. Representatives from other worlds are here. You need to discuss the specific joint plan with them."
The four Lords of Justice immediately stood up and followed Mason out of the reception room. In the teleportation hall not far away, they saw other people who were teleported via the cosmic treadmill.
When the two sides met, they were both stunned.
How to say it?
It's like looking in a mirror.
There are three giants on this side, and there are also three giants over there. Except for some different details, both sides are exactly cast from the same mold.
At this moment, the two Flashes who had met before were still waving to each other in a friendly manner, while the old man, Superman and the female Flash were all looking at each other.
The K team stood aside and watched the show. Damian nudged Xiao Qiao, who was looking around, with his elbow and whispered:
"If you were given a chance to choose, who would you choose as your father ?"
"Of course it's my dad!"
Xiao Qiao folded his arms and snorted, saying:
"Justice Lord Superman couldn't even protect my mom, my dad is the best! Mason said that in all the parallel worlds, my dad and mom are the only happy couple.
And you?
Who do you like better?
"that."
Damian pointed at the gray bat and grinned:
"This guy looks a little more menacing, and he doesn't mess around with Selena."
"Bang"
Catwoman, who had appeared behind Damian at some point, waved her hand expressionlessly and hit the little lunatic hard on the head, obviously having heard his complaints just now.
The three giants from both sides approached each other, first looked into each other's eyes, and then simultaneously stretched out their hands and shook hands with their selves in the other world.
"You look so skinny, girl."
The Queen of Justice said to Wonder Woman in front of her:
"Is it because there is no nourishment from love?"
"Maybe it's because I'm younger. Of course I'm not as good as you to capture the hearts of these two difficult guys at the same time."
Wonder Woman replied unyieldingly.
This made the two female warriors' clasped hands make a crackling sound. Compared with the "open and secret fights" of the girls, the conversations between the men and themselves were simple and clear.
"Is Louise happy in the other world?"
Lord Chao asked, Da Chao looked at the gray hair on the temples of himself in the other world, and then looked at his eyes that went straight into the soul and yet were as calm as a still pond.
He nodded and said:
"Wally told me the story about you before I came here. It's not your fault, Clark, and I'm sure Lois won't blame you either."
"You remind me of myself many years ago."
The Lord looked at Xiao Qiao, who was holding a camera and taking pictures and playing with Damian, and he whispered with emotion:
"I had a soft heart like you at that time, but no matter what, you protected what I couldn't protect, Clark, you are better than me.
Much stronger than me.
I crossed the line we draw for ourselves, I convinced myself I was dedicated to order and justice, but in the end I was alone."
"Not now."
Dachao stepped forward and gave his other self a hug. He patted Lord Chao on the shoulder and said:
"We stand together and we will make it to the end."
Finally, there is a conversation between the master and the master.
The two old silver coins had nothing to say, or rather, they would not speak their true feelings in public. They just kept exchanging glances, silently agreed on a time and place for a secret meeting, and then shook hands perfunctorily.
When they turned around, they shook their hands secretly in synchronized movements, as if they had touched something dirty.
"I said, what happened to you before?"
Mason, who was watching this scene with a weird smile on his face, was about to leave when he was stopped by Sister Ka. The God-killing Hero looked him up and down, then said:
"You died once before, right? I could feel that Emma was so scared that she cried. She asked me to make sure you were okay."
"What you said is a bit strange. The specific circumstances are hard to explain, but maybe I really died once? But now I'm fine."
Mason patted his forehead and said to Sister Ka:
“You reminded me that I had to call Emma.
Considering that the maternal genes used in our batch of clones all come from her, she now has another daughter. According to her theory, this is the child she and Jean Grey had together.
Madeline has two moms, which is cool.”
