louisehourcade Chapter 224 The Trap of the Mechanical Superman and Batman's Preparedness
Chapter 224 The Trap of the Mechanical Superman and Batman's Preparedness
Chapter 224 The Trap of the Mechanical Superman and Batman's Preparedness
Inside a government meeting room.
Colonel Steve and Amanda Waller sat side by side to the president's left.
General Swanwick sat alone a short distance to President Clinton's right, arms crossed, expressionless. Two other generals in uniform sat close to the president; compared to the militant lunatics whom Waller sometimes suspected had lost their minds, these two were among the more rational members of the military.
However, everyone present now looked extremely grim.
On the big screen, a perspective is currently being shown, focusing on Billy's brick-like locator.
The camera is currently focused on Black Adam's large face as he bends down to pick up the brick.
No one spoke.
"Batman treated us to a good show," the president began, setting the tone. "But I think we have to make our own judgment."
"The fact that Superman and Steppenwolf are standing together doesn't mean anything," Colonel Steve said. "They might..."
"We have no evidence that the Cyborg Superman and Steppenwolf are connected," Amanda Waller said. "But the problem is..."
"This is not a courtroom."
Colonel Steve and Amanda executed a perfect linguistic collaboration, first presenting a presumption of innocence, then drawing a conclusion of guilt, directly convicting the cyborg. Amanda succinctly delivered the conclusion in a few words:
"If loyalty isn't absolute, then it's absolutely disloyal. Although I'm reluctant to believe it, this video might corroborate the information that 'Batman tells us that the cyborg Superman is not a good guy.'"
However, this was clearly not what the president wanted to hear. He wanted to hear other opinions, so he turned his gaze to the two generals standing beside him.
"I'm not a radical," one of the generals paused before speaking. "Perhaps the mechanical superhero has problems, but that doesn't prove Batman is harmless."
"If he doesn't, we're just crippling ourselves." Another general chimed in, "At least for now, he's still following our orders."
"But there's no guarantee for the future. A bomb that could explode at any moment might not be as effective as a slingshot," Amanda Waller said. "A knife stabbed in the back might be more threatening than an ally who refuses to let us participate in core matters."
"but……"
"No buts," Waller said. "There's one fact we have to admit: Batman and his Suicide Squad are currently the most highly skilled superhuman group on Earth. While dealing with so many crises, the government shouldn't get too antagonistic with them, and especially should avoid any direct armed conflict."
"We can't engage in direct armed conflict with them, are we just going to stand by and watch—"
"General, the reason I said we can't engage in direct confrontation isn't to protect Batman, but to protect ourselves..."
But just then, the president's cell phone, which was on the table, suddenly rang, interrupting the debate among everyone present.
The president picked up his phone, but then paused.
"Your Excellency, who called?" Waller had a vague idea of who it was, but she didn't say it directly.
Then he heard the other person's reply:
"It's Batman."
"It was Batman who called me."
……
……
……
"Leave that Kryptonian, Batman."
A large loudspeaker was installed on one of the tanks, from which General Erin's voice could be heard.
He is a representative of the government's hawks, advocating for tough measures and attitudes towards superhumans who are outside the government's control. In this respect, his attitude is even more explicit and extreme than Amanda Waller's.
Amanda Waller is just an agent; she takes orders and carries them out. She doesn't make political claims and doesn't even harbor malice towards superheroes in her personal life, unlike General Erin, who is completely different.
He is one of the "some people" Waller sometimes refers to in the phrase "some people in the government are against you..."
He was also the middleman who introduced the robotic superhero into the government system; their relationship was similar to that of Colonel Steve Trevor and Wonder Woman, but perhaps even closer.
Chen Tao quickly reviewed the other party's information in his mind. The mechanical superman clearly hadn't come to this area alone, acting foolishly. Frankly, Chen Tao had originally thought the US military's operations would be less efficient, and he would finish faster, thus avoiding a direct confrontation. However, since things had turned out this way, he wasn't unprepared.
"Don't even think about flying away, Batman." He heard General Erin's voice over the loudspeaker: "Red Sun weapons and Kryptonite missiles are ready."
Chen Tao sighed as he saw the metal man John Coburn appear beside the ordinary soldiers and tanks with countless mechs.
If only you were this tough when dealing with Darkseid.
Chen Tao shook his head. Forcing his way through wasn't impossible, but it wasn't necessary.
Frankly speaking, Chen Tao did not intend to clash with the army here.
Just as Bane decisively confronted the military without intending to destroy the city, operating on the fringes of government control, even deceiving the government into conducting private vigilante activities, or stealing government intelligence is one thing, but directly engaging in combat with the military and openly confronting the government's machinery is another.
His relationship with the government was already strained due to the egregious Mother Box forgery scandal. Charging straight into enemy territory, beating up the metal men, destroying the weapons, and leaving would be simple and brutal enough, but…
Clang!
Without uttering a single word, Diana drew her long sword right in front of the densely packed American troops and let out the battle cry of the Amazons:
"Soldiers, charge after me, follow me..."
"You're going a bit too far!" Chen Tao quickly stopped her: "We can't cut this!!!"
"We'll storm into the enemy lines and capture their general," Diana said. "There's no need to actually kill him. I'll just hold my sword to his neck, and we can leave."
Chen Tao quickly tried to persuade Diana to give up this dangerous idea: "Ah, you can't do that. This is the country's army. We are superheroes."
He said, "We abide by the rules and the law."
He leaped into the air, hovering there, looking down at the endless army.
"Batman, this is my final ultimatum: hand over the Kryptonians..."
General Erin's voice was still ringing, while the president's call had already been connected.
He then immediately made a phone call to the president.
"...Okay, sure."
Soon, the president approved the clearance order, without Chen Tao needing to say much, which was somewhat unexpected for him.
A moment later, General Erin, with a sour face, led a large group of soldiers and slowly walked up to Chen Tao, babbling on and on.
Chen Tao didn't listen carefully. The gist of it was that he talked about what he had done for the country, but no matter how much he had done, it had nothing to do with him.
He was getting sleepy listening to this, but in the end, the talkative General Erin made way, and all sorts of tanks and mechs separated, and everything seemed to be going smoothly.
Chen Tao called out to Wonder Woman, while Xiao Ke struggled to drag the still unconscious Supergirl from behind him.
Diana asked in a low voice, "Is it resolved?"
"Mm." Chen Tao nodded.
"Oh, I see."
What's with the disappointment in that tone... Do you really want to fight the government?
Chen Tao shook his head.
But then he suddenly became curious: "Didn't you think of asking Steve for a favor too?"
Wonder Woman paused.
The Amazon warrior rubbed the hilt of the sword, which had been re-sheathed and was hanging at her waist, with a somewhat embarrassed thumb.
Chen Tao quickly stopped dwelling on the issue. Under the watchful eyes of General Ailin and tens of thousands of silent soldiers, they soon left the sprawling military camp and came outside.
But Chen Tao seemed a little distracted. He looked at the still unconscious Super Girl and felt that something was missing.
He stopped and looked back at the military camp.
Countless soldiers have set up camp here, and the expressions on each of their faces are incredibly lifelike; they look completely real, it couldn't possibly be fake...
Chen Tao shook his head. When did he start to be afraid of Mudface? He was the only one who lied to others; when had anyone else ever lied to him?
But he still felt something was off. Things were going too smoothly, as if he had made a phone call and solved the problem on the spot, as easily as opening a can and scooping out luncheon meat.
If the mechanical superhero and General Erin simply let him pass through so many armies, then what was the point of them doing so?
Should we deploy troops here to welcome him?
When Chen Tao finally understood this, he suddenly felt a buzzing in his head. He turned his head, and the first thing he saw when he met Diana's gaze was that the Amazonian princess had also realized this.
Silvery-white particles instantly flowed across Chen Tao's face, and the streamlined mask of the high-speed bullet replaced his half-face covering. X-ray beams immediately swept across the entire military camp.
Everything is laid out before you... Everything is laid out before you... Everything is laid out before you...
But soon, Chen Tao discovered an area where lead blocked his view.
He grabbed Diana's arm, then lifted her into the air, and the two disappeared from the spot in an instant.
boom!!!
He wasn't in the mood to speak properly; a sense of urgency was urging him on, compelling him to open the box that was blocked by a lead plate...
When Chen Tao arrived at the location, he gasped in surprise. He realized that this was not a box at all, but a temporary small house.
And inside...
"This could absolutely wipe out everyone here."
Standing next to Chen Tao, Diana looked solemnly at the huge bomb in front of her: "Even though I haven't used this kind of weapon much, I know its power very well."
She reached out, trying to lift all the bombs by herself, but Chen Tao immediately stopped her.
He stretched out a hand, from which countless tiny metal locks extended, and carefully examined the bomb's control panel for a while: "Don't move it, or it will explode."
Chen Tao frowned, and the next moment his head turned into the car's computer, trying to activate the Metal Spirit's ability on the bomb.
Buzzing...
Completely useless, Chen Tao's face turned ugly. This thing was definitely not a product of Earth; it was mixed with too much Apokolips technology.
So he turned to Wonder Woman and said, "We need to get General Arryn to mobilize his army and leave this place—"
I disagree.
But before Chen Tao could finish speaking, he heard General Erin's voice: "My orders are to stay here, so even if the president orders me to evacuate, I will ignore it."
Chen Tao turned his head and saw the commander of the army who had appeared there.
The metal man followed him, followed by a large group of mechs. His eyes glowed red, and Chen Tao guessed that he had been controlled by the mechanical superman.
Chen Tao lowered his gaze.
The other side wants to wipe out all the troops here. He can guess without even looking that the president's communication with this place has been completely cut off, or at least temporarily cut off.
In that case, from the government's perspective, no matter what happens, the result will be that Batman survives, while the army is left with piles of corpses and rivers of blood.
This would undoubtedly give many people in the government a perfect excuse.
Chen Tao sighed and turned to look at Diana beside him.
"Sometimes I really don't want to resort to those underhanded methods."
Then he looked at General Erin and his mechs:
"But I usually prefer to be prepared."
(End of this chapter)