Volume 8: The Fourth Impact Chapter 99 Operation Codename: Killing Old K/Beyond Destiny
The old devil's answer seems full of contradictions, but it is actually not difficult to understand.
He clearly stated that he would not participate in Old A's actions, but then explained the reason. In Mephisto's view, Mason would not give up his efforts to destroy the Star Society, and this would not be affected by Old A's presence or absence.
After he officially got involved in the integration plan, his confrontation with Mason was essentially on the agenda, but it was impossible for the old devil to place this confrontation anywhere other than his own territory.
Mason's final battle with Lord Fate will inevitably take place in some hell.
That's Lao Mo's territory, and he has the best chance of winning there.
However, the old devil does not mind other people getting involved to share some of the pressure brought to him by Mason. In other words, the old devil does not want Old A to succeed, but the entire plan must be centered on him.
This is certainly a situation that the chief arbitrator does not want to see.
“Are you kidding me?”
Fury scolded:
"Do you think Mason is really stupid enough to go to war with both of us at the same time? He is not a man who takes risks. Such a radical move is not in his interest. If he has any sense, he would not do it."
"Well said. He certainly doesn't want to be trapped in a desperate situation of fighting on two fronts, but when will his will interfere with our thoughts? We are not dogs who can only survive by relying on others... The freedom to act according to one's own ideas is the most precious privilege that trapped people have."
The old devil snorted and said:
"The more he is unwilling to do something, the more we must make him do it. His inability to take both sides into account will doom him to be at a disadvantage and fail in a certain confrontation.
If he loses to you, he will die.
If he loses to me, he will be worse off than dead.
See, what harm does this do us?"
"You are trying to divert attention. When one side wins, another side will have to pay a heavy price."
Old A shook his head and said:
"Although I don't want to admit it, Mason's power is already there. The power he has is enough to cause a qualitative change. Your proposal is good, but I will not be cannon fodder for you to control."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, it's already this late, and you're still thinking about getting away with it?"
The old devil sneered:
"A greedy and naive person like you will be frying in oil in hell, my dear Fury. You keep saying that you will stop Mason at all costs, but I don't see that you are ready to bleed and sacrifice.
Do you really think he is a character who can be easily dismissed?
Besides, since I dare to propose this plan, I must have my reasons. It would be too easy to induce Mason to participate in two wars at the same time.
He is smart enough and has learned some damned thinking from the annoying Batman, which is enough to allow him to avoid most of the traps set for him.
But just because he is invulnerable doesn't mean the people around him are the same.
Friendship, family and even love...
Do you know why people who do great things cannot have too many emotional ties? Because that will create all kinds of weaknesses for a powerful person out of thin air.
Emotional release, that's not healthy."
Mephisto raised his hand, and a rather unique candle appeared in its palm.
The candle seemed to have stopped burning, but if you look closely, there was still a flickering spark at the wick, as if it was struggling in its last attempt to be extinguished.
"I hid something."
He said to Old A, whose eyes were wide open:
“When I hid it, I was thinking of collecting it. I never thought it would be used one day. But now it seems that it is not a bad thing to hide more good things.
When you need help the most, these treasures prepared in advance will not let you down, how about it? With this thing, you can finally rest assured, right?
Little Mason will take the bait.
Especially after he knows that the Garden World under the Council has fallen into my hands, he will know that he doesn't have much time left.
And when he decides to give it a try, you give him a little 'Old A shock', and then a difficult choice is placed in front of the savior.
These are all the most beautiful things in the world. Which one do you think he will choose?
Tsk, choice, something that everyone wants and thinks is a good thing but is actually a key full of endless torture. The more choices you have, the more painful you will be.
Because if you choose one, you are destined to lose the other.
The more choices you have, the more you lose.
Therefore, the method we devils most often use to seduce others is to give victims enough choices, making them think they have the initiative, and step into the trap step by step under the illusion that they can dominate their own lives.
Until the cruel revelation at the last moment...
pain!
The difficulty of choice and the pain of loss will overwhelm them, leaving me with a delicious soul."
"Snap"
The old devil threw the thing in his hand to Old A. The latter felt a slight pain in his finger the moment he took it in his hand. He looked down and saw a drop of blood flowing from the tip of his finger.
This made Fury's face change drastically.
But then, as the scorching heat rose, a pattern quietly appeared on his arm.
The black lines outlined the hideousness of the devil's head. The wings on its back and the thin and twisted body lines formed a circle, which eventually formed the symbol of the Star Society members as Old A watched.
The old devil, grinning like a fox who had stolen something, disappeared before his eyes like smoke, and appeared behind Fury the next moment. He put his hands on Fury's shoulders, just like he did when he appeared on the stage just now.
He whispered in Fury's ear:
"It wasn't easy to let you down your guard, but I finally did it. Well, Nicholas Joseph Fury... welcome to join the Star Society. The position I left for Mason is now yours, my dear Grand Master of Secrets."
"You're kidding me!"
Old A clenched his fist, but the moment he threw his fist, he heard the old devil say faintly:
"Only in this way can we trust each other! You know this is necessary, just like I said just now, you think you have a choice but in fact you don't.
This isn't a bad thing, it means you don't have much to lose.
Think about it in a positive way. Even if the Doomsday Star you have been preparing for fails, you will not be left with nowhere to go. After I transcend, I will take you into the next era.
If you wish, I can entrust you with the entire newborn universe.
Of course, that's for the future.
Now, let's discuss the details that must be honed to perfection if you want to ensnare a wily little guy like Mason.
Let me tell you quietly, before we get started, I have already planted a stinger in the heart of the Mason camp.
It is a highly poisonous substance that can kill with just one blow.
Maybe this will make you happy?"
…
"Mason, an unfamiliar message has been received from the Garden World under the Council. I cannot trace it back, but this message is for you."
The next morning after the enjoyable and pleasant dinner at Gordon's House, Mason, lying on the sofa in the top-floor office of the Afterlife Bar, had just opened his eyes after a three-hour break when he saw Barbara's holographic projection light up in the office.
Batgirl should be preparing to go on vacation with the eldest master by now. It's really hard for her to continue working while packing. Of course, she has to finish the combat meeting this morning before she can go on vacation.
Mason controlled the water to wash and wake up, then put on a bathrobe and opened the transferred information, which formed a projection in the form of text in front of him.
Just one glance made the captain's face serious.
This information was sent by Dr. Halsey of the Conqueror's Tenth Order, explaining their new discovery to Mason and also representing a worsening of the situation.
Half an hour later, in the commercial conference room on the top floor of the Lai Sheng Bar, all members of Team K had arrived. Even the three big bosses of the Ultimate Team K attended the meeting via magic clones or projections.
When Kite Man sent the assembly message to everyone, he emphasized that this might be Team K's last operation, so the meeting room was filled with a different atmosphere.
Some relaxation, some anticipation, and some heaviness.
Mason stood in front of the long table, looking at the people sitting or standing in front of him, his expression was not relaxed.
"There is some sudden bad news."
The captain placed his hands on the table and said to everyone looking at him:
"Our friends in the Conqueror Order relayed a piece of solid information that a batch of secret supplies was delivered to many garden worlds under the Council last night.
It has been confirmed that it is an item with the divine power of hell and has been distributed.
I hope the Council will start to fully promote Mephisto's transcendence process.
After receiving so much conceptual feedback from the Garden World, Lord Destiny will be able to complete his transformation from a cocoon to a butterfly at a faster speed. It seems that our success has indeed brought great pressure to the Council, causing them to counterattack regardless of the consequences.
This also means that we must act.”
Mason tapped his watch, and a battle plan he had drawn up was sent to each member's personal terminal. The name of the plan was quite concise, called "Beyond Destiny."
The meaning is self-explanatory.
"The first stage is to locate Mephisto's lair, the second stage is to break into it and kill him, and the third stage is to announce the disbanding of the Stars."
Mason said:
"The plan itself is very simple, there is nothing much to say. The specific steps are all in the document and you can check it yourself. I have assigned tasks and timetables to each team. The official action will begin five days after the preliminary preparations are completed.
Now the main problem is external.
From the actions of Garden World, we can see that the Hope Council will not sit idly by and watch us move forward smoothly, so we must be prepared to face them.
But I don't intend to negotiate with them. I plan to create some trouble for them, starting with the violent organization under their command, the Conqueror Sequence.
We have friends among them, maybe more than one. I will be responsible for contacting them privately to see if I can persuade them to defect, or at least keep them neutral.
We have the gift of Utopia at hand, which means we can focus our operations on the First Order of Conquerors, disintegrate their forces to deter the Council, and buy time for our operations in Hell."
"Old A! How does he handle it?"
Barbara, who had already changed into loose clothes for the holiday and had a suitcase beside her, raised her hand and said:
"Now everyone knows that you and Old A have an agreement about the impact. Do you think he will honestly accept the loss? If he is unwilling, doesn't it mean that we may have to fight on two or even three fronts?"
“There is indeed this risk.”
Mason did not hide the situation. He stroked his chin and said to everyone:
“I will contact him first and see if I can stabilize them first, which means I may not be able to participate in the preliminary actions on the part of Lord Destiny.
But I will start a secret project that I have been preparing for some time, which will help you relieve a lot of pressure.
The first phase of Operation Beyond Destiny will be led by Zha Kang and Er Tong. If things really develop into a situation where we have to fight on two fronts, I will be solely responsible for Lao A's side and will not add more pressure to you.
But you don’t have to worry.”
The captain said seriously:
“Even if we really have to fight on two fronts, we are not without advantages.
In fact, this plan seems to be disadvantageous to us, but if we can complete the operations and win on two battlefields at the same time, it will mean that Team K's mission will end ahead of schedule.
This is truly the last battle, brothers and sisters of Team K.
Our not-so-long but definitely colorful story will come to an end after this battle. I don’t know about you, but for me personally, this will be a moment of relief in this difficult journey.”
"Your mentality is unacceptable."
Zha Kang complained:
"This is just like making a last will in advance..."
"Just shut up!"
Charles next to him punched him, and the others also glared at the male wizard. Seeing that he had incurred the wrath of everyone, Zha Kang could only chuckle twice and said nothing more.
But he made eye contact with Mason.
Signaling to Mason not to forget the matter of Star Castle, the information of those candles is still kept confidential, but it cannot be concealed forever, this thing is a time bomb.
If it explodes at an inauspicious moment, it will absolutely blow everyone involved into pieces.
Mason nodded barely audibly, indicating that he had not forgotten this hidden danger.
But he did not mention this matter in this meeting. In the next twenty minutes, the captain went through the plan outline in the document. After confirming that each team understood their tasks and had an action plan, he announced the adjournment of the meeting.
Mason glanced at the time and said to the others:
"Now, everyone can enjoy the rare vacation and visit the new world we have created with our own hands, but please do not go to the dangerous areas, otherwise you will not be able to return in time after five days .
The Ultimate K team members please stay for a moment. I have something else to tell you. The rest of you can leave now."
The sound of chairs hitting the ground could be heard in the conference room. Team members like Barbara who had planned a vacation had already left, dragging their suitcases and humming songs. Others who had no plans planned to rest on the spot, go downstairs to the bar to have a drink and flirt with the bionic ladies.
The Kite Man was going to pick up the children from school and take Selina, who was already suffering from mild morning sickness, back to Wayne Manor to recuperate.
The three Kryptonians left together as usual. Zod and Kara were talking, and Bizarro, who had regained his sanity under the influence of blue kryptonite, was still happy to be a light bulb beside them.
The members of Team K agreed to go to Fox Lair to visit the members of Stark's army and check on Tony No. 7's situation, but Damian would not go.
The little madman has an appointment today.
He was going to explore the vampire world with his female friend who always wore a cloak and looked silent. He would just take it as a trip to relax and bring some gifts to his second brother.
Mason is also pleased to see that his teammates have their own lives, which means that after the K team is disbanded, they can quickly return to the focus of their lives.
"What are you going to say if you leave us alone?"
Hei Qi asked in a cold tone. The big guy is still in the stage of recuperation, and his magic clone seems to be a little lacking in energy.
"A very important thing."
Mason turned his gaze back to the three bosses. He moved his fingers and said:
"I would like to ask you to devote some of . That place is kept very secret, but if the war outside does not reach their homeland, they will always think about standing by and watching when they shouldn't.
They need to be made aware of the reality of the situation so they can make a choice.”
"What happens after you find it?"
Frog did not refuse this request, and the former observer asked:
"What are you going to do with that world?"
"It won't be destruction, don't worry."
Mason stood up and said:
“That world itself is innocent, and it should be integrated into the new sea of stars. That is its right. But everything should have a beginning and an end, just as the end of the Dark Ages should also have a relatively satisfactory ending.
We want to leave behind a pure new world, and let these ashes of the old era be blown away by the wind."
"Are you really not going to let any of them go?"
Hei Qiyi snorted, then stood up and said:
"Want to know what answer I got from Black Apple?"
“I’ve always been curious.”
Mason blinked and looked at the big guy.
Hei Qiyi also looked at him, and after a few seconds of silence, he said:
" A new world is coming, but I don't see you in it..."
Mason was stunned.
Then he smiled and said:
"But that's not such a bad thing, is it?"
