NABC Chapter 245 One of Our Members is a Traitor
Chapter 245 One of Our Members is a Traitor
Chapter 245 One of Our Members is a Traitor (Bonus Chapter, Please Read, 6-1=5 Chapters Owed)
"Tomorrow is the Justice League's first meeting... Why are you so excited?"
A refreshing night.
Wonder Woman Diana and Chen Tao, dressed in casual clothes, walk together in the newly built Justice Hall Plaza.
This new landmark building is located in the heart of the metropolis, facing north, and is magnificent and grand, with every inch of land exuding the aura of money.
The square was built in the shape of a football field, but its area was more than ten times larger.
"I'm just a little confused, Diana," Chen Tao said, kicking at the newly planted grass. "About myself."
"Oh?" Chen Tao saw Diana turn around and walk backwards. "I never thought that Batman, who is busy like a spinning top all day, would feel lost."
"This is not what I want," Chen Tao shook his head.
He said to Diana, "You know I promised Alfred I'd retire with him in Fiji. But now?"
"Darkseid, the mite of meditation, the darkest night, things happen one after another, never stopping."
He said, "I doubt this, I doubt that, I'm thinking all day long, I'm either fighting or on my way to fight."
"Is this really the life I want?"
Wonder Woman didn't speak. She reached out and placed a hand on Chen Tao's shoulder.
Then she saw Chen Tao shove something that looked like a remote control into her hand.
"What is this?"
She asked.
"A magical item," Chen Tao told her. "With this, you can counter most of the Justice League members. All you have to do is press this button."
Wonder Woman burst out laughing.
"It sounds like a cheat code for some game."
She saw Chen Tao raise an eyebrow.
"Hmm, so you know about games?" the princess of Paradise Island said. "Don't mistake me for some old-fashioned relic. I'm no different from an ordinary modern person now."
She held up the remote control: "Okay, okay. But I don't quite understand how it works."
"You only need to press it once, and they will tremble and go limp, losing their fighting ability."
"That's the effect; I'm asking about the principle."
"I can't tell you, Diana. Some things are better left unsaid," Chen Tao said.
"These are just some small... backup plans. Only you, Diana, are the only ones I can trust."
"Well..." Diana said, "Shouldn't I feel honored to be part of Batman's backup plan?"
"I don't think preparing for the worst is extreme. A military operation needs multiple backup plans," Chen Tao said. "Only by considering the worst-case scenario can we ensure that the team won't be completely defeated. We need..."
"Shh..." But before he could finish speaking, a slender, green finger covered his mouth.
Wonder Woman Diana made a shushing gesture.
"You don't need to explain these things to me, Batman," she said.
When Chen Tao turned around, Wonder Woman had already walked away, leaving behind a lingering fragrance.
"To be your backup plan... I'm truly honored."
"Don't tell anyone that I gave you this remote control. I only gave it to you, and I only trust you," Chen Tao said.
Diana paused, then let out a deep breath, almost a groan.
Chen Tao watched her wave her hand, indicating that he understood, and then slowly walked away.
Chen Tao muttered to himself silently.
"I'm sorry, Diana... but I can't tell you anything. I suspect there's a traitor among us, not Billy's father, not the cyborg, but a third party hidden among us. I have every reason to suspect anyone but myself."
"Everything seems to have been arranged. Why does Billy repeatedly fail in his missions, even accidentally killing civilians? Why was the robot superhero able to accurately describe so much information about Krypton and Kara's family situation when he first met Supergirl Kara Zoeel?"
"Did the robotic superhero really absorb the knowledge from the Kryptonian spaceship like in the comics?"
"Furthermore, how are my enemies able to track my movements so accurately? I've been extremely wary of Cyborg, there's absolutely no way he could get my schedule. Besides, I made a last-minute decision to go back and have dinner with Alfred, and I was a day late meeting Waller and Green Lantern."
"How did Mite manage to time things so perfectly while I was dealing with Green Lantern's affairs, and so precisely lure Billy into the trap?"
"Who exactly is secretly leaking this information to my enemies?"
"Mars Manhunter? Although he is a master of mind manipulation, those who manipulate minds are often controlled in return, so his suspicion cannot be ruled out."
"Amanda Waller? She's just an ordinary person; it would be easy to mind-manipulate her."
"Alfred? If someone is manipulating his mind..."
"The Flash? His super speed and ability to pass through walls give him a perfect chance to steal any information from Amanda Waller without anyone noticing and notify anyone, or even fake the death of a civilian before Billy realizes it and make Billy believe that he caused it."
"Or... Wonder Woman Diana? Demigods are difficult to control with their minds, but it's not impossible."
"Green Lantern Hal? He knows I've decided to come see him again the next day, and Amanda Waller will definitely let him know."
"The members of the Rogue Gang? They're only loyal to money. They're united but completely disorganized and undisciplined. If someone..."
"Poison Ivy? My personal scientist Lucius?"
"Killer Crocodile? Or has someone invaded Mudface's body and is controlling him?"
A barrage of doubts and reflections surged forth, stirring up a turbulent and turbulent sea of emotions within Chen Tao.
Chen Tao made another phone call.
A short while later, with a flash of yellow light, The Flash appeared in the plaza: "Batman, what do you want?"
Then he saw Batman pull out a remote control from his pocket that was exactly the same model he had given Wonder Woman earlier.
"...With just one press, they'll tremble and go limp, losing all fighting ability..."
"...These are just some small backup plans. Only you, Barry Allen, are the only ones I can trust..."
"Waaah!" Barry was so moved he was almost crying. "Batman! I will never let you down! I will definitely be your best backup plan, you can absolutely trust me!"
Chen Tao watched the deeply moved Flash leave, then dialed the next number.
"Hello, Martian Hunter?"
"Yes, yes, come to the square."
You just need to press one button.
I Only Trust You
A Small Backup Plan
"I understand, Batman. Don't worry, I won't ask any more questions." Martian Manhunter nodded seriously. "Thank you for your trust, I promise..."
Next person.
"I can't believe you trust me this much, Batman!" Green Lantern Hal said, his face filled with shock, then his expression turned serious. "Don't worry, I won't let you down. Entrusting such a big task to me is absolutely the best decision you've ever made. The members of the Green Lantern Corps will protect..."
Chen Tao waved his hand impatiently.
next.
"Waaaaah, I'll definitely be ready at any time," said Supergirl Kara. "But what's the point of this metal lump anyway?"
next.
"Are you kidding me? I'm so moved I'm about to cry," Captain Han said.
next.
Killer Croc hugged Chen Tao tightly, sticking out his tongue and licking his face wildly: "Waaaaah! Batman! I'll always be your most loyal Robin!"
Chen Tao wiped the drool off his face expressionlessly.
carry on.
"Earthling, I didn't expect you to entrust this to me," Sinestro said. "I'll return it to you before I leave Earth."
"Okay," Chen Tao said, "Alright, you're all set. You can go back now. Hurry up."
"You're afraid of being seen by others, right? You've thought of that quite thoughtfully."
"Ah, yes, yes, yes."
Damn it, why do I have so many men under my command?
After Sinestro left, Chen Tao pondered for a while longer. He had to time it perfectly; if the people coming and going bumped into each other and started chatting, it would be a disaster.
But it's almost done now. Oh right, there's one more thing. Chen Tao turned to look at Mudface next to him.
Mudface: "Aba?"
Chen Tao: "Swallow this thing."
Mudface: "Ah-ba!"
Gum!
This is the easiest way.
The night was deep, the moon was high in the sky, and Chen Tao, having finished dealing with everyone, let out a long sigh.
Finally finished with all the work. Tomorrow is the Justice League's first meeting.
He took out a small remote control from his pocket, and then slowly flew into the sky, reaching a height where others could not hear him.
Under the control of the Metal Spirit, the small remote control seemed to come alive, pulsating and boiling under the moonlight.
"Shazam!" Chen Tao roared, and then a bolt of lightning struck him, changing the color of his entire body.
A lightning bolt symbol wrapped in lightning merged with the Batman symbol on his chest, and the mask that originally covered half of his face was transformed into a cape with two pointed ears.
The thief of lightning power stood thousands of meters high, freely surveying the entire land. Suddenly, the remote control-like object in Chen Tao's hand reacted under the influence of the lightning, instantly turning into countless tiny black sands that merged and intertwined with the lightning wrapped around Chen Tao's body. Instead of helping him resist the so-called remote control's restraint, the lightning on his body cheered and joined in, binding him tightly.
Chen Tao grunted and dissipated the power of the metal spirit.
For most of DC's magic, power is like a tangible cake; once you share it with someone, you can never take it back. Just as the Red of All Beings couldn't simply take back Animal Man's superpowers from thin air, he could only capture him, break him into pieces, and gradually extract his abilities.
But this law is an exception for Billy: unlike the direct takeover that Black Adam wanted, when Billy voluntarily shared his magic, it was essentially a borrowing. Billy himself was the true host who controlled the power of Shazam the Thunder, and even the wizard Shazam who gave him this power could not take it away.
So it seems that Billy can freely reclaim the power he shared, but the problem is that this sharing stems from his love for his family.
This is precisely why the Mite chose to control Billy's father: no matter how angry Billy was because old Batson had abandoned him, Billy would eventually love him, and Billy would always be connected to him, because he was Billy's father, and Billy was powerless to change that.
So why can't we try a different approach?
Using the Bat-Mage's ironic magic, Chen Tao could easily get Billy to share his magic even if he didn't consider him family. The necessary price to pay was that Billy could take back the Shazam power he lent Chen Tao at any time if he wanted to. But regardless, Chen Tao had become Shazam, which left a lot of room for maneuver.
For example, it can mix the power of the Metal Spirit into Billy's Shazam power and then share it with others, just like a liquor distributor.
Billy gave him the purest white liquor, containing nothing else. But Chen Tao, that unscrupulous businessman, mixed in a large amount of a foreign magical energy called "Spirit of Metal," and even more outrageously, added a considerable amount of control magic.
He not only gave away this adulterated "wine" to others, but also provided each person with a so-called remote control.
This thing is ostensibly called a remote control, but it is actually an acceleration reactor for the Metal Spirit. It can react with the power of Shazam that has been mixed with the Metal Spirit, greatly accelerating the Metal Spirit's control over the host. It's like putting fake alcohol in someone's drink and then adding betel nut to it. It's extremely unethical.
As Chen Tao thought this, he turned on his communicator.
Immediately afterwards, a message from Lucius caught his attention.
"Batman, you should take a look at this. Clark mentioned it to me before, but you're too busy, so he didn't bother you in the end."
Chen Tao opened the email and then went to the news link.
The reporter covering the story was Louis Lane, unsurprisingly.
"Lex Luthor Corporation is launching a new Superman? But people prefer to call him Superboy."
"Superboys Spend the Night at a Bar"
"NSYNC said Batman is trash"
There is a "hot" word next to this entry.
"Emmm..."
Chen Tao touched his chin.
"Before I was paying attention, Luthor actually brought out Superman. I need to deal with this too."
He clutched his head, his head throbbing with pain.
"There's so much to do... I'm so busy I can't stop for a moment."
Ahhhhhh, I want to retire!
Then he deflated like a punctured balloon.
"Never mind that for now, Lucius," he replied to Lucius.
"How's that Batman superhero movie I asked you to help me make coming along?"
Chen Tao wrote.
"I have to make everyone know about Batman and expand the influence of this name as much as possible."
(End of this chapter)