Atlantis.
Dane threw the physical bodies of a few parasites he had captured in front of everyone.
"Are these few people the threat?"
King Nereus of Xebel, no matter how he looked at them, saw only humans.
"These people are already dead; only their bodies are still alive, occupied by parasites."
Dane knew they, with their mortal bodies, couldn't see it, so he simply pointed his finger at the back of one person's head.
That person suddenly coughed, spitting out a small, wriggling worm from his mouth. If one looked closely, they would find it resembled a newly formed embryo.
Mera frowned, not looking at it. It was too disgusting.
Fortunately, this was a dry environment, not an aquatic one; otherwise, Mera wouldn't even be willing to be in the same room with such a thing.
Dane pointed his finger, and the parasite flew up, floating in the air.
He spread his fingers, and the "parasite" was dismembered without resistance, revealing its internal structure.
This thing not only resembled an embryo in appearance but also in structure.
Its entire body was almost entirely composed of totipotent cells, capable of differentiating into any tissue.
This thing, rather than being a creature, was more like a biochemical universal factory.
As long as there was a design blueprint, i.e., genetic information, it could arbitrarily produce and combine corresponding tissues, organs, and protein molecules.
This is also why the "parasite" could grow Cthulhu-like tentacles on humans; it must have possessed this part of the design blueprint to do so.
When they invaded other civilizations, they were actually collecting unique genes from various civilizations, forming a very rich and vast gene pool.
However, this genetic wealth still couldn't help them survive independently of a host.
Their "parasitic" nature made them invincible in biological competition, but they couldn't synthesize a perfect life form that combined both intelligence and power on their own.
Therefore, "parasites" must rely on the bodies of other intelligent life forms to possess higher intelligence.
Once they lose this body, their intelligence will disappear like a fleeting moment.
They cannot synthesize a higher animal's brain for a long time within a lower animal's body because the two are not compatible, which violates natural science.
Dane also discovered that these "parasites" reproduce through mitosis, meaning that evolution through genetic mutation is very difficult for them.
Moreover, there were signs of editing in the genes of these "worms."
In other words, these "parasites" have likely undergone genetic modification, but it hasn't been able to change their inherent flaws.
He roughly guessed the purpose of this thing targeting Atlantis.
If natural science didn't work, then they could only try the power of magic. Atlantis was a civilization built on both magic and natural science.
First, use genetic weapons to eliminate everyone in Atlantis, then let the "parasite" race parasitize the corpses of the Undersea people. This way, a new "Atlantis civilization" would be resurrected on the foundation of the old civilization.
They might even have the opportunity to use the power of magic to completely modify the flaws in their genes, becoming a truly complete civilization.
Perhaps they could even take down human civilization without shedding a drop of blood.
To be honest, the human population and technological strength still made them very wary; a head-on confrontation should be the last thing they wanted to face.
But now their plan had been destroyed by Dane, and he was very curious about what these "worms" would do next.
Arthur looked at the human who spat out the "parasite" and couldn't help but feel a pang of pity.
"These people…"
Dane said regretfully, "They are already dead, long dead."
If they died within the dream realm, Dane could bring them back with a flick of his hand, because in the dream realm, he could turn Death into an illusion.
For example, the two batches of Suicide Squad members who visited, they could be revived.
However, Dane didn't feel that these people died unjustly, nor did he intend to help them return to the world of the living.
But there was one called "Vixen" among them. He remembered her as a superhero, right? How did she get involved with Checkmate?
He turned his gaze to Arthur: "Arthur, Atlantis should be temporarily safe now. After this incident, these parasites shouldn't bother you again for a while."
After speaking, he "pulled out" the parasites from the remaining few people.
"What? You're leaving already?" Arthur asked.
Mera heard this and quietly cast her gaze over.
Nereus watched this scene, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Dane nodded, "That's right. Since things here are temporarily settled, I need to take these things back to the Hall of Justice for further research."
Furthermore, the data Cortana downloaded from the central Atlantis system also needed to be properly stored.
Atlantis also had some excellent materials, such as Atlantean steel, which was a material with excellent magic conductivity.
Their hydro-ionic reaction technology required being paired with the magical conduction properties of this material to be used.
He had just taken some back for research. It was said that Atlantis also had a rare metal called Poseidon steel, which was the main raw material for making the sacred trident.
Unfortunately, this miraculous metal was not found within Atlantis. Dane guessed it might even surpass Eternity metal and be on par with N Metal.
After he said he was leaving, Arthur immediately followed up: "Then I'll go back with you!"
"Arthur! You must stay! Atlantis still needs you!" Atlanna exclaimed angrily, hitting him hard.
For a Queen who valued her image, this was already a great loss of composure.
"I am a member of the Justice League. At a time like this, I should naturally stand with the Justice League. This isn't just about the Surface; it concerns all humans, whether they are Undersea people or Surface people!"
Arthur declared righteously.
This, in turn, left Atlanna speechless. While what he said was true, things still needed to be prioritized.
You just became King not long ago and you're going off to be with a bunch of Surface people. What will the citizens think?
Arthur indicated that they could think whatever they wanted. If they pushed him too hard, he would just give up!
How was he here to be King? He was clearly here to be a public servant for the Atlanteans.
It's inexplicable. I haven't eaten a single steak from your house or drunk a drop of wine from your house, so why?
Nereus's eyes were truly opened. Sure enough, the rumors were false. He had actually believed the rumor that Arthur had seized the throne through political means.
This person clearly didn't want to be King. A certain thought in his mind began to stir again.
Originally, his arrangement for Mera was to have her marry the King of Atlantis and become the Queen of Atlantis, no matter who sat on the throne.
Orm was fine, Arthur was fine, as long as he was King, being a hybrid didn't matter at all.
But Arthur's demeanor hardly qualified him as a competent King. What if he married Mera off here, and Arthur suddenly announced he wasn't going to be King anymore? What would she do then?
Although, according to the law of succession, Mera was eligible to inherit her husband's throne, that could only happen after her husband's death.
Moreover, even if Mera were to inherit the throne, her claim would not precede Atlanna, who possessed the bloodline of King Atlan.
Furthermore, Nereus didn't think Atlanna would agree to such a thing. If the two conflicted, it would likely lead to another palace struggle.
And Orm wasn't dead yet, after all. Who could say when he might return to contend for the throne with Arthur?
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Atlantis had an excessive amount of trouble.
And he also noticed that Mera and Arthur didn't seem to have much chemistry.
Perhaps it was better to simply change targets?
Now that the Xebel Kingdom had been defeated by Atlantis, its future national policy would largely have to align with the victorious nation. Atlantis clearly seemed to want to coexist peacefully with the Surface World.
So why shouldn't his investment be bolder? Why should it be confined to the Undersea World?
If he broadened his perspective, wouldn't the range of options be much greater?
Xebel was a martial kingdom, so Mera's husband naturally had to be strong enough in combat. Among the men in the Surface World with the strongest influence and power, Nereus only knew one...
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