Chapter 356: The Embryo, Opening Act
"Diana, Barry needs help! You and Arthur need to go to the old district and draw Steppenwolf away to buy Barry some time!"
Inside the library, Diana's mobile phone vibrated silently inside her newly bought Hermès seasonal handbag. Diana took out her phone, and Bruce Wayne's voice came through the call.
"Okay! I'll be right there. What's that noise on your end? Why is it so chaotic?"
Diana looked at Tang Song, who was across from her, engrossed in reading a tome. She deliberately lowered her voice. She could faintly hear gunfire coming from the other end and was somewhat confused about where Bruce Wayne was right now. "Do you need help?"
"No need, I'm handling some minor matters. I'll meet up with you later!"
Deep in the suburbs of Gotham City, outside Arkham Hospital, Bruce Wayne hung up his black Bat-phone. Spreading his cloak behind him, he gazed solemnly at Harley Quinn opposite him:
"Harley Quinn, what exactly do you want?"
Harley Quinn was carrying a baseball bat, her hair still in pink pigtails. However, the face paint she had applied to match the Joker was now washed clean. Her fair face, smiling eyes like two crescent moons, looked down at Batman blocking her path.
"Look who it is, Gotham City's big hero. I came to Arkham Asylum, naturally, to see my former patients. You haven't forgotten, have you? I used to be the attending Doctor here!"
The reason for the downward gaze was that Harley Quinn was sitting on the shoulder of a strong man over two meters tall, a strong man wearing a bizarre iron face mask. A thick arm, dark as if forged from steel, held a Gatling Gun weighing dozens of kilograms steady in his hand. The muzzle was subtly aimed at Batman and the armed guards behind him who were blocking their way.
Harley Quinn sat on the strong man's shoulder like an oversized Barbie doll. And strong men of this build were lined up in front of Batman, a total of five of them.
Bruce Wayne looked at these strong men carrying Gatling Guns with some fear. The Infrared Scan from the Bat-jet circling overhead showed data indicating that these strong men had no thermal response like a Normal Person.
Could these strong men not be living people? Or robots? But even if Harley Quinn brought these five strange strong men, he couldn't let her walk into Arkham Asylum. One must know that Arkham Asylum held "Bane," "Two-Face," "Riddler," "Scarecrow," "Poison Ivy," "Mr. Freeze," "Killer Croc," "Clayface," and "Mad Hatter." These were all individuals he had personally captured. If even one escaped, it would be enough to give him a headache. If it weren't for more important matters waiting for him to handle, Harley Quinn would have been locked up in the Asylum long ago just for her behavior of inciting gang warfare throughout Gotham City.
"Harley Quinn, are you here for the Joker? He's not here. He escaped from Arkham half a month ago!"
"Don't mention that bastard to me. I'm just here to see some old friends! Since you don't welcome me, then I'll leave—"
Harley Quinn tapped her palm with the baseball bat, her gaze sweeping over the two machine guns extending from the Bat-jet overhead.
Behind Batman, on the top floor of Arkham Asylum, a twisted man in a green bodysuit was drawing his bow, aiming at her.
Harley Quinn waved at Bruce Wayne, then patted the head of the Iron Armored Corpse beside her. The Iron Armored Corpse carried her and turned directly to leave, without any hesitation.
"Bruce, should we stop her!"
Green Arrow Oliver Queen aimed his arrow at Harley Quinn. Trusting his archery skills, he was confident he could hit her with one shot.
"Wait, the combat will affect the Arkham guards. Let her leave!"
Bruce Wayne looked at the four strong men standing still, holding Gatling Guns and maintaining alert. He had no doubt that they would open fire if they attacked Harley Quinn.
Behind him were over a dozen Arkham guards. Facing the firepower of Gatling heavy machine guns, these guards would surely suffer heavy casualties.
"I think she'll definitely come back after we leave. By then, we'll be busy dealing with Steppenwolf and won't be able to spare attention here!"
"I'll have Alfred Pennyworth pilot the Bat-jet and stay here on alert. With the Bat-jet here, she won't dare to act recklessly!"
"Then I'll follow your arrangement! But without the Bat-jet, how do we get to the old district!"
"I have three spare fighter jets in my hangar, which is enough for our needs! Alfred Pennyworth, send out two drones to track Harley Quinn. I need to know her whereabouts!"
After Harley Quinn's figure disappeared, the four strong men carrying Gatling machine guns also turned and left one by one.
With every step these strong men took, the ground seemed to shake violently. Their bodies were clearly abnormally heavy, but their speed was unusually fast.
Carrying dozens of kilograms of Gatling Guns and carrying heavy ammunition boxes estimated to weigh at least two hundred pounds, their speed was actually comparable to the sprinting speed of some top short-distance runners.
This scene secretly astonished both Batman and Green Arrow, who recognized their capabilities.
"Drones have been dispatched!"
As Alfred Pennyworth, the Butler at Wayne Manor, remote controlled the Bat-jet, two small ejection windows opened beneath the jet's wings.
From the windows, two palm-sized black bionic Bat Drones flew in the direction Harley Quinn had left, pursuing her.
"Alfred Pennyworth!"
"I know. The helicopter to pick up Miss Diana has arrived at Gotham City Central library. Leave things here to me, Bruce. You go support Kid Flash!"
Inside the dilapidated Batcave, Alfred Pennyworth, the old Butler of the Wayne Family, wore flat-lens glasses that allowed him to remote control the Bat-jet, assisting Bruce Wayne.
"Thank you, Alfred Pennyworth. It's good to have you. If anything happens, notify me immediately!"
At this moment, another Bat-jet had arrived at the entrance of Arkham Asylum. Batman boarded the fighter jet, switched to manual control mode, and piloted the fighter jet to the roof of Arkham Asylum. After picking up Green Arrow, the Bat-jet soared straight into the sky.
"You're welcome, Bruce. I think Miss Diana is very good. You know, the Wayne Family needs a mistress of the house."
Inside the fighter jet's communicator, the old Butler's persistent nagging sounded.
Bruce Wayne subconsciously glanced at Oliver Queen beside him. Green Arrow looked like he had just heard some gossip and let out a whistle.
"Diana and I are history!" Bruce Wayne seemed to be telling Alfred Pennyworth this, and also saying it for Oliver Queen beside him to hear.
"I understand, I've had many ex-girlfriends too!" Oliver Queen's knowing look made Bruce Wayne unsure what to say for a moment.
"Hold on tight!"
He glanced sideways at Oliver Queen and immediately accelerated the Bat-jet to maximum speed. Oliver Queen was directly restrained in the front passenger seat by the safety device.
Gotham City Central library, Tang Song watched Diana walk out of the library's Gate carrying a briefcase containing a cello case.
When he was invited to the library, he had noticed this briefcase. The strong energy fluctuation emanating from the bag indicated it contained something other than the cello Diana claimed.
"Godslayer Sword. It seems this goddess is suspicious of me! Truly a smart woman!"
Tang Song shook his head and continued flipping through the book in his hand. "It seems the grand show is about to begin!"
Although he said the grand show was starting, Tang Song still unhurriedly finished reading the last few pages of the Ancient Greek mythology history in his hand.
During this time, he also declined the requests of several bold ladies who wanted his contact information.
Women are truly strange creatures. Among the women who came to ask for Tang Song's contact information, besides a few who coveted his appearance,
There were a few good-looking women whose hearts were actually filled with jealousy, jealous of Diana's beauty who had just been sitting across from Tang Song.
Stealing her 'boyfriend' gave them a strange sense of pleasure.
After finishing the Ancient Greek mythology history in his hand, Tang Song returned the book, then left the library, hailed a taxi, and went to Gotham Airport.
Gotham Airport, a short-haul passenger aircraft from Metropolis to Gotham City slowly landed.
The airport shuttle bus carried over a dozen passengers and dropped them off at the exit. A tall lady in a black dress and sunglasses, pulling a black suitcase, got off the shuttle bus. It was evident that the woman looked somewhat flustered.
"Ms. Selina Kyle!"
Just as the woman was about to hail a taxi to leave the airport, a voice suddenly sounded behind her.
The woman was startled, jumping up like a frightened cat, her hands forming claws, adopting an attack posture.
"Oh oh! I have no malice, Madam! I'm here to pick you up!" The middle-aged white man in a short-sleeved T-shirt with a small belly waved his hand and explained.
"Who are you!" Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman, watched the man before her with alert.
"Like you, I am someone chosen by 'That One'! My name is Quill, of course, you can call me Star-Lord! You can hand the things directly to me now!"
Star-Lord's appearance here was naturally due to Tang Song's order. He recognized Catwoman, a somewhat famous jewel thief and superhero in the DC Universe! He just didn't know what "He" needed from Catwoman. Catwoman looked at Star-Lord but did not hand the things over to him! "Don't worry, the contribution points 'That One' promised you won't be shortchanged!" Star-Lord explained helplessly.
Hearing Star-Lord mention contribution points, Catwoman became somewhat half-believing, but she still maintained her distance from Star-Lord.
Out of her inner sense of justice, she was hesitant about whether to hand over the stolen data and the semi-finished Experiment Subject to the person in front of her.
Catwoman pondered for a long time, but ultimately couldn't resist the temptation of eternal youth and chose to hand the suitcase in her hand to Star-Lord! "So heavy! What's in here?"
Star-Lord took the briefcase, its heavy feel surprising him.
"Some data, and the things 'He' wants!" Catwoman didn't explain further.
"Uh, what is this?"
Star-Lord dragged the suitcase to an unmanned Corner without cameras. When he opened it, he found that besides some thick documents, there was also a sealed container less than a meter tall. Inside the green liquid, an embryo the size of a baby, resembling a monkey, was soaking! Star-Lord's expression immediately became strange. "How did you get this onto the aircraft?"
"This is data and a cell embryo about Doomsday that I stole from Lex Luthor's Laboratory!" Catwoman explained. "As for how I got it onto the aircraft! I naturally have my method!"
Doomsday embryo! "A Doomsday embryo! This is truly an unexpected surprise!"
Tang Song stood in front of Catwoman and Star-Lord, admiring the little thing in the canister. Catwoman and Star-Lord seemed completely unable to see him. Instead, the undeveloped embryo submerged in the green nutrient fluid in the canister seemed to sense Tang Song's gaze. A pair of small eyes opened in the solution, looking at Tang Song through the canister. That ugly little face was full of confusion.
"Little guy, you can see me! Interesting, worthy of being the existence that can kill Superman! Don't worry, just take a nap, and you'll be home soon!"
Tang Song's finger flickered with a ball of white fluorescent light, drawing a Calming Talisman on the canister. The ugly little baby inside the canister, like a monkey, opened its small mouth, let out a yawn, blowing bubbles, and fell into slumber.
"He's alive!"
Star-Lord was startled when he saw the Doomsday embryo yawning.
"Of course he's alive. Lex Luthor's Laboratory preserved many Doomsday gene samples. Although Superman killed Doomsday and himself using a Kryptonite Spear, Lex Luthor still kept an embryo sample!"
Catwoman looked at the ugly little monkey in the canister with some emotion. That unknown existence originally wanted her to steal Superman's corpse.
But her sense of justice did not allow her to desecrate the corpse of a hero who willingly sacrificed himself.
With this Doomsday embryo, it was probably enough to exchange for that medicinal pill for eternal youth at that place.
That existence gave her a very bad feeling. After getting that medicinal pill, she decided to completely cut off contact with that existence.
"Alive?"
Star-Lord looked at the canister filled with green solution and couldn't help but scratch his head. He had originally planned to use Pym Particles to shrink this suitcase and take it to the old district.
But the embryo in the canister was alive. If Pym Particles were used to shrink it, the embryo's head would immediately burst open like a ripe watermelon.
Just then, Star-Lord suddenly felt his hand lighten, and the suitcase disappeared before his eyes.
*Clatter*, Star-Lord was startled, and two energy pistols suddenly appeared in his hands. "Come out, I see you!"
With his face mask helmet on, Star-Lord tried to use thermal imaging to find the invisible guy, but there was no one around.
"I've taken the things, Quill. Captain Yondu asked me to say hello for him. Go back and visit sometime—"
Hearing the familiar voice in his ear, Star-Lord froze.
"Where are the things?"
The suitcase suddenly disappeared. Catwoman looked at Star-Lord with suspicion. Her hand touched the hairpin on her head, where a small sword was tucked.
"He took it!"
"Who?"
"Naturally, the person who asked you to steal these things!"
Hearing Star-Lord's words, Catwoman felt a chill down her spine. She couldn't help but look around, feeling inexplicably cold. "He's nearby!?"
"He's already gone!"
Star-Lord felt somewhat exhausted, cold sweat streaming down his forehead. He never expected that Tang Song would appear here. "Hum hum, hum hum."
Tang Song hummed a song, hailed a taxi, told the driver a place, and placed the suitcase in the trunk of the vehicle.
The vehicle drove in the direction of the Gotham City old district.
"Sir, the old district is blocked by the National Guard. We can't get through!"
The driver, while stepping on the accelerator, said to Tang Song.
"It's alright! You can just drop me off outside the quarantine line!"
The reason Tang Song wanted Star-Lord to bring the things to the old district was to use the Blood Sacrifice Channel to transmit Superman's corpse and the Doomsday data together to his Universe.
He didn't expect Catwoman didn't bring Superman's corpse, but instead got a living Doomsday embryo. Star-Lord's Pym Particles clearly couldn't be used on this thing.
Moreover, this thing couldn't be seen by Iron Man and the others, so he had to handle it himself.
As for why he had to use the Blood Sacrifice Channel, it was simple: an energy conservation issue. It seemed easy for Boss Tang's main body to pull people from this World and send some magic tools over, but even with magic tools and his own mental thought, it still consumed unimaginable energy.
However, for Boss Tang, who possessed several Worlds, this energy consumption was completely bearable.
But to take things from this World back, if he didn't use the Quantum Tunnel, the energy required would be something that at least his two or three followers in this World couldn't provide. That's why he had to use the Blood Sacrifice Channel.
It was a pity. Tang Song's original plan was to use a feint, using Star-Lord's Pym Particles and the Quantum Tunnel to get a Superman corpse back. Although it was a bit regrettable, without Superman, a living Doomsday embryo wasn't bad either!
However, with a living Doomsday embryo, just in case, the Quantum Tunnel couldn't be used!
(end of chapter)