amaotonovel Chapter 407 Batman, known as Sinestro Jr.
Chapter 407 Batman, known as Sinestro Jr.
Chapter 407 Batman, known as Sinestro Jr.
Chen Tao was in a very good mood today.
He watched with satisfaction as Sinestro pulled out all sorts of gadgets and rubbed the mechanical superhero to the ground—oh, even though they were currently in the outer space of OA planet, only affected by a small amount of gravity.
But look at what Seneca pulled out.
A... Kryptonite energy gun? It shot the part of the mechanical superhero that belonged to Kryptonians, and immediately scorched marks appeared.
There was also some kind of explosive specifically designed to target the mechanical aspect of the robot superhero, which seemed to create a kind of electrostatic field and also had some data hacking effects.
Chen Tao didn't understand how this was done. He only roughly understood the effects of those things through the Metal Spirit's ability. It seemed to be the technology of Planet Koruga, but it was enough to satisfy him.
Chen Tao was certain that although Sinestro hadn't pulled it out yet, if he were to confront him head-on, Sinestro would definitely be able to pull out a whole bunch of gadgets to deal with him, just like he was dealing with the mechanical superhero now, or at least have a plan and preparations to restrain him to some extent.
That's great, absolutely great!
As we mentioned, Chen Tao was very happy, extremely happy.
Sinestro is a quick learner, a shrewd strategist, and a man who plans carefully before acting—exactly the person Chen Tao has been searching for!
Oh, of course, Chen Tao didn't intend to remove Hal Jordan from his list of "successors to the Justice League leadership," but he saw in Sinestro some qualities that the current members of the Justice League didn't possess:
Always be wary of their teammates.
However, Chen Tao quickly turned his attention back to Sinestro.
Mongo seems to be acting strangely.
He didn't seem to be in a hurry at all. Although he appeared to be frustrated by his inability to overcome Batman's obstruction, Chen Tao could sense that Mongo must still have many tricks up his sleeve.
Now, the Cyborg is being pushed back by Sinestro's attacks. If this were truly an unacceptable outcome for Mongo, he would have already become anxious, trying to quickly defeat himself and then rush to the Cyborg's aid.
But no, absolutely nothing.
Chen Tao dodged Mengo's attack, whose face was half-rotten and corpse-like. He almost laughed at the attack.
Seriously? Are you kidding me? You're going to pounce on me and bite me?
Is this your battle?
Even though Mongo has now lost control of the Yellow Lantern Ring, he has to grow something like fly wings from his back to help him break free from the gravity of OA below, and his attack method has become a simple pounce and bite.
But Chen Tao, who had read the comic, could come up with seven or eight different ways to deal with Mongo based on the attack methods of the members of the Corrupt Black in the "The Descent of Corrupt Kingdom" comic.
Chen Tao also possessed a portion of the corrupt blackness, a very, very small portion, which was negligible compared to his control over the red of all living beings and the green of all things.
The earliest research into this corrupt darkness originated from Poison Ivy's experiments on Batman's parents, who were being manipulated by Bane. Later, after Bane was ensnared by Chen Tao under the guise of being brothers, Bane, with an expression of utter disgust, personally and respectfully buried Martha and Thomas, and then took their place in Poison Ivy's experiments.
Despite the claim that the amount of the potion made and improved by Poison Ivy was "less than the red and green," the amount of decaying black power within Chen Tao's body was actually quite considerable.
Even without special training, Chen Tao could unleash a very intimidating attack simply by using the Black Rot. Meanwhile, Meng Ge, an opponent who possessed ten or even a hundred times more Black Rot than him, could only open his mouth and bite.
What about your ability to defile?
How does your field expand?
Shouldn't true decay be something that begins to erode with the slightest touch, like a bone-deep infection that can't be shaken off or escaped, a corrupting force full of decay?
Meng Ge was acting, and Chen Tao was happy to act along with him, but the key point is that his performance was never without purpose.
Chen Tao glanced at Seneca out of the corner of his eye.
Clearly, Mongo's problem-solving approach is a typical example of "pacifying the internal before resisting the external," just like that of a certain bald guy.
For him, Seneca, also a member of the Yellow Lantern Legion, was clearly a much tougher opponent, therefore he needed to... Holy crap—
Suddenly, a long string of insect-like limbs burst out from Mengo's back and lunged at Chen Tao, startling him.
He was already familiar with Mongo's attack rhythm, so this sudden attack was truly insidious.
Those insect segments contain a decaying black power infused with the will of Mongo, becoming a source of pollution highly characteristic of personal will. If you are accidentally stung, you will definitely suffer the consequences.
Chen Tao was forced to synchronize with the Red Death Demon instantly, managing to dodge the attack while moving at a speed measured in microseconds. He then used the thermal vision of his high-speed bullets to repel Mongo.
He saw the look of regret on Mongo's rotten face, where his gums were exposed, and his face turned ashen. He couldn't help but curse himself for being distracted earlier.
Mongo's decaying black power even began to erode his nanobots, which were imbued with the power of the metal spirit. Even metal life forms would one day, in the long river of time, meet their own decay and decomposition and die. This made Chen Tao more cautious, and he was forced to change his bad habit of emitting nanobots outwards for no reason.
However, in this brief exchange, neither he nor Mengo went all out. The simple clash was merely a test between the two sides.
For Mongo, whether he could preemptively strike and injure himself was not the most important thing; the most important thing was...
Chen Tao didn't turn his head; he focused intently on Mongo, but was still secretly thinking about Seneca.
Mongo must have prepared a trump card specifically for Senesto, to send him to his doom.
As for what exactly it is...
Chen Tao went through everything Meng Ge could access in his mind, and then went through his own preparations again.
The only thing Mongo has never shown so far is probably his mind control ability, "Black Mercy."
And if he wanted to obtain this thing from Senesto, then he had to...
There must be someone who might rebel.
This person must be trusted by Sinestro so much that Sinestro would not be wary of him at all when he approaches him.
This way, he could deliver the fatal blow to Seneca at the crucial moment, sealing his fate with a single blow.
And the presence of this member within the Yellow Lantern Legion is probably quite obvious...
The difference lies in Chen Tao's thought process compared to that of normal people. Normal people deduce results through inference, while Chen Tao uses his years of experience reading comics from his previous life to consider the worst possible outcome based on the information in the comics, and then uses that worst outcome to work backwards from the process.
This is something only he can do.
He had just sent Killer Croc back to the Crimson Realm with Arlene Sue. In the chaos of the battlefield, it was ultimately too dangerous for Sinestro to be left there, constantly jumping around.
Seneca may have many plans, and even Chen Tao may not be entirely clear about them, but the only thing he is certain of is that his first priority is to protect Arlin Su's safety.
If something happens to Arlin Su, all of Senesto's plans will collapse along with his mental state, and the situation will be really ugly. Although there were related plans, Chen Tao did not want to release the Ion Shark at all.
Chen Tao has always disliked idealistic choices such as "choices of will," "choices of fear," and "choices of anger." In his view, one is one, two is two, and a choice is a choice. Whether the conditions can be met or not, if they are met, then it's over. These ambiguous conditions for choice are what make him feel most insecure.
What if the Ion Shark doesn't choose the target it was prepared for and instead just runs away?
Isn't this a joke?
He glanced down at the battlefield. The Annihilator robots, which had been somewhat weakened by the addition of Atositas and the Ventriloquist, now displayed rotting, deathly appearances on their faces—a truly indescribable sight. Chen Tao was certain this was not simply the Black Rot. After all, in "The Descent of the Corrupted Kingdom," the Black Rot appeared completely unable to control metal, but these Annihilators infused with its power were clearly not like that at all.
Worse still, the power of the decaying blackness began to spread among the Yellow Lanterns. Chen Tao had already seen some of the dead corpses begin to resemble sit-ups. Although the power contained within these corpses was still very weak, only enough to make them barely get up, no one dared to say what would happen next.
However, the problem isn't too big right now. Bane is suppressing these resurrected green and yellow lanterns below. He's a master at manipulating the black of decay, so disciplining these newly resurrected corpses is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. For now, it's quite easy.
"Batman!" Chen Tao turned his attention back down, then frowned. He heard Killer Croc's voice connect with him through the Crimson of All Beings: "We've run into some trouble here."
"What is it?"
Chen Tao asked.
"We were found by the Crimson Beings on a planet in the surrounding sector. Their Totem Council sent some of the Crimson Beings' army."
The Crimson of All Beings is not a power unique to Earth; other planets also possess their own Crimson of All Beings and other elemental powers.
Chen Tao had everyone hide inside the Crimson of All Beings, and every now and then, he would have the Killer Croc open and close the Crimson of All Beings like opening a sack, which naturally attracted members of the Crimson of All Beings from surrounding planets.
After all, they weren't completely subdued by Chen Tao like the Totem Council on Earth. Treating the Red of All Beings as their backyard was, in itself, a form of blasphemy for them.
"I'll get Bain to help you," Chen Tao said.
He texted Bane, then instructed Killer Croc: "Protect Sinestro's wife and William Hand. Bane won't show himself immediately after entering the Red Realm; the Corrupting Black Power he possesses is still too conspicuous. Focus on negotiation; don't act rashly. If you do make a move..."
"Just use a nuclear warhead to blow them into the sky. The thing is all set up, right behind our ship, Batman. But Amanda Waller told us it's just a loan and we'd better bring it back."
"I asked her for the nuclear warheads to blow things up; there's nothing to be stingy about," Chen Tao said. "But be careful, and run if things get bad. I have a feeling that Mongo won't let Sinestro's wife off so easily. If I were Mongo, I would just build a decaying island right here."
(Note: The invasion of the decaying island and the decaying black into the red of all beings is specifically manifested as a large area of decaying black rotting on the red of all beings, like islands, eroding the red of all beings.)
In short, Chen Tao took a deep breath. He knew Sinestro definitely had a way to deal with Mongo, but now he needed to confirm one thing:
That is, to what extent does Sinestro know about Mongo, and whether he understands the existence and power of [Black Mercy].
He raised his finger and used the yellow light ring to contact Seneca.
"Sinestro".
He whispered, "Senesto, can you hear me?"
"Can you handle this?"
He asked in a low voice, "Is Amonsu, who's next to you, very likely a spy for Mongo? Are you aware of this?"
"And then there's Black Mercy, you know what that is, right? It's actually..."
"Alright, that's enough."
Chen Tao kept rambling on, and Sinestro initially didn't want to pay him any attention, but in the end, he was forced to answer:
"I know all of this."
"Don't treat me like an idiot!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Tao immediately felt relieved.
Alright, it seems you, Seneca, are very confident and highly skilled. I, the old bat, only need to stand by and cheer, waiting for good news.
That's awesome!
(End of this chapter)