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Bruce Wayne's estate.
Underground base.
"No news from over there?" Diana Prince paced the grounds of the reassembled Justice League, feeling somewhat uneasy. She had been worried ever since Bruce Wayne had been planning something big, and recently, this worry had clearly come true.
"Not so fast." Aquaman Arthur Curry folded his hands on his chest, leaning sideways on the back of the chair behind him, and answered Wonder Woman Diana's words in a relatively calm tone.
"The Data Dimension has been closed. Clearly, Darkseid, the mastermind behind what Steppenwolf mentioned, has done something. I can't believe this could be worse. We've all been in the Data Dimension before, and we all know how magical and powerful it truly is. If it falls into Darkseid's hands, it might only make him even more powerful," Lex Luthor said, somewhat dissatisfied. As a brilliant mind, he valued the Data Dimension immensely. Its capabilities, in his eyes, far surpassed even the power of any artifact or artifact. He needed it, and so did every scientist and intelligent being on this planet!
As a humanist, Luther had always believed that he must obtain something that could lead to a rapid rise in human civilization. But now, the data dimension had been shut down. This effectively cut short the evolution of human civilization and the future he had planned.
"We drove away the invader, didn't we? Even though he was very powerful, we still drove him away. Why are you so serious?" Barry Allen raised his hand high. He tried his best to make his voice sound cheerful to relieve the pressure on everyone who had a serious expression.
"You're right. We drove away the invader, Steppenwolf. We won that war. But we all know that Steppenwolf was never the real enemy we had to face. What we had to face was the man who sent Steppenwolf here, the ruler of Apokolips, the mysterious and powerful Darkseid who had conquered many worlds and planets.
"Steppenwolf already makes us feel immense pressure, so what about Darkseid, the one hiding behind the scenes? Will his strength make us despair? Just like Thanos did back then." Martian Manhunter Ron Jones smiled wryly and shook his head, even uttering that last name that, even after so long, remains etched in their memories, a name that fills them with fear.
Unsurprisingly, the name triggered a reaction from many in the conference room. Everyone couldn't help but recall being tossed and beaten over and over by Thanos, the powerful being who brought them despair time and again under the guise of hope.
If the enemy hadn't finally achieved their goal and withdrawn with dismay, they wouldn't have survived until now. That Thanos was arguably the most powerful enemy they had ever encountered!
Pure power.
No matter what signs of a comeback appear, the other party can use their strength to forcibly eliminate this possibility.
"Okay, okay, now that we have faced Thanos, what else can't we face now? It's just a Darkseid who has not yet appeared." Superman Clark Kent forced a smile and encouraged.
Clark's words softened everyone's expressions. Yeah, they'd all faced Thanos before, so what else could they do? At worst, it would just be a repeat of Thanos's actions. Darkseid, who had conquered countless worlds, was powerful, but perhaps Steppenwolf was exaggerating?
"Besides, don't we still have allies? I don't believe they will remain indifferent when the data dimension is invaded and closed. Unless they are willing to give up everything we have here. Although it may be a bit of a loss of our own prestige to say this, when they are not enemies but allies, the people in Luke's camp are still quite reliable. Maybe soon, we will see the enemy's reinforcements. Think about it in a positive way, maybe this time we can see the long-lost captain?" Green Lantern Hal Jordan rubbed his hands and smiled.
Many members of the Justice League joined in the laughter, but a few remained calm and solemn throughout. Then, the faces of those who joined in the laughter returned to their earlier solemnity and seriousness.
"It's my fault." Batman Bruce Wayne spoke for the first time in the quiet and somewhat suffocating environment. "I shouldn't have sought out that power and stimulated it, which attracted the attention of Darkseid and the invasion of Steppenwolf."
"I can't blame you for that, can I? I mean, you meant well, wanting to use that power to protect humanity and prevent a repeat of what happened to Thanos. No one knew this would happen," Barry Allen said anxiously, trying to comfort Bruce Wayne, whose face remained expressionless. He truly felt that way. As he spoke, Barry glanced for support from his companions, either sitting or standing nearby, hoping for their approval.
"Don't worry, Barry, we don't mean to blame Bruce. Or rather, blaming him now will do nothing but tear our team apart. Blaming will not make the situation better. Especially when things have already happened, we all understand now that we need to help each other and face it together. Just like when we faced Thanos." Diana stepped forward and patted Barry's shoulder as he stood up excitedly. She supported his shoulder and pushed him back to his seat. She smiled tolerantly and soothed Barry, whose emotions were rising.
"Diana is right. It's pointless to admit mistakes and accuse people now. We can talk about it after we've resolved the problem. What we should be thinking about now is how to deal with Darkseid.
From the intelligence we've analyzed from Steppenwolf's words, we know they belong to a powerful civilization and race, calling themselves the Protoss. They possess immense power and advanced military technology. This tells us our enemy isn't acting alone. We need to consider not just Darkseid, but also his generals and armies.
If the enemy still has a general like Steppenwolf and the quality of soldiers he brings, I can only say that the situation we face will be dire. We may even be forced to let our own people follow us into battle.
We need more powerful weapons, Lex. Targeted weapons. "Superman took over Diana's words, his eyes finally glancing at Lex Luthor beside him, and after a pause, he continued, "Use the same energy you used against me."
"I will." Lex, pointed out by Superman Clark, snorted without saying anything more. He wasn't embarrassed at all; he wasn't the only one present researching Superman's weaknesses. As far as he knew, Bruce Wayne, the man who had caused all this, had been researching ways to restrain Superman and everyone else.
If the enemy's laboratory technology library was stolen, then every one of them present would be wiped out. It wouldn't be a complete annihilation, but those who survived might be in even worse trouble. Compared to him, Bruce was the truly dangerous person, even though he always practiced the justice he upheld in the dark.
If possible, Lex would stay as far away from teammates like Bruce as possible. Even if he really couldn't avoid them, he would try to reveal as little information and trump cards as possible. But just as he has a smart and inventive brain, Bruce also has a frustrating talent for intelligence gathering.
"Something has been revealed from the corpses of those soldiers. They were all life forms forcibly modified by the same technology. According to genetic testing, those soldiers did not come from the same ethnic group, but from a variety of different ethnic groups. They possessed great strength, vigorous vitality, and some supernatural abilities that were preserved by some unique ethnic groups.
From this point of view, Steppenwolf's claim of conquering countless civilizations and worlds is true. We must be prepared to face an endless army. Perhaps we won't even need to meet Darkseid before we'll be devoured by his army of demon-like transformations. Lex said, rocking his swivel chair back and forth.
"So what should we do?" Barry's scalp tingled slightly as he thought of the overwhelming attack of a demon-like army. He even doubted whether he could maintain his speed in such an environment.
"What do you think?" Lex narrowed his eyes and looked at Bruce, who was silent again. Knowing Bruce, who had paranoia and crisis management issues, if he felt you were a threat, he would have a restraining weapon in his arsenal. Even if he kept it sealed forever, he would definitely be able to use it when needed.
Never suffer the same loss a second time.
Perhaps the most iconic weapon on the list of restrained weapons is the dormant Thanos. While Lex struggled to imagine how to kill Thanos, he believed Bruce had many surprises in store for a Thanos who might never awaken. Even Luke, standing behind Thanos, was being gathered and prepared. This particular disaster was triggered by a crucial piece of intelligence he had gathered. Lex believed Bruce was preparing something for Luke, but it had already caught the attention of Darkseid.
"I have a solution. Give me some time." As expected, Bruce gave a positive answer. His personality and character also made his words highly credible. For a moment, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief.
"The threat of the approaching army can be temporarily eliminated. What remains are generals like Steppenwolf and Darkseid." Ron Jones sighed, "If we had a Thanos, then our pressure might be reduced a lot. Although we drove away Steppenwolf, we also lost the Anti-Life Equation. If this power falls into Darkseid's hands, it will be a deadly threat to all life and civilization. This trouble is no less than when Thanos came."
"There are records of this kind of power on Paradise Island. After the incident, I went back to look through the historical records and asked an elder in my clan. The Anti-Life Equation has the powerful ability to forcibly control others, influence their thoughts, and make them submit to the user. Its origin is untraceable. It is said to be an antimatter universe that is completely opposite to the universe, but this is not certain. If we want to face Darkseid, we must face the threat of the Anti-Life Equation." Diana said decisively, "We need to prepare a large amount of high-purity Serenity Blue crystals. Although we don't know if the power of Serenity Blue can restrain the Anti-Life Equation and make it ineffective, it is our best option at the moment. Perhaps if reinforcements arrive in time, we can get other help. Bruce?"
"I will produce sufficient quantities of high-purity Serenity Blue crystals. But I need to point out that although Lex and I have improved the preparation and purification methods, there is still a gap in purity between the Serenity Blue crystals produced by Luke and me." Bruce nodded, and said after looking at Lex who was looking over.
"I'll do my best." Diana paused and continued, "Also, Darkseid possesses the Omega Effect, a power that, in my opinion, is no less dangerous than the Anti-Life Equation. It can erase all targets Darkseid sets his sights on. No matter how powerful you are, no matter how fast you can run, no matter how fast you are, even if you hide in the cracks of time, it will follow you like a shadow. This is a power that, once used, is bound to hit its target, and the target will be directly erased."
As Diana spoke, her eyes swept over Superman, Barry, Martian Manhunter and the others. Everyone caught in her gaze shuddered, realizing that Diana was giving them a warning.
"This kind of power is too damned huh?" Barry said, a little desperately. "If we're seen, we'll be hit, and if we're hit, we'll most likely die. Doesn't that mean we won't even be able to reach him, and will perish under his gaze? Why do I feel like he's even more powerful and difficult to deal with than Thanos?"
"There is no absolutely invincible power. There must be some loopholes. The power of Bai Ling's lantern ring may be used to deal with this situation." Bruce said calmly.
"Ah, you're here?"
A violent burst of energy swept through space, and several figures descended from the sky, landing in a portal that opened in the void and appearing directly at Bruce's Batbase. The speaker was a girl with long twintails and a bit of baby fat. Beside her was a muscular man holding an ornate hammer, and a thin man with a hollow sphere on his chest.