msmithbooks Chapter 1039 The Temptation and Training of Wild Laughter
Chapter 1039 The Temptation and Training of Wild Laughter
Chapter 1039 The Temptation and Training of Wild Laughter
While Papetua was busy gathering his army, preparing to insert them all into Dr. Manhattan's universe and then begin the explosion, Chen Tao was also busy planning the famous Void Hand Restriction.
So when Chen Tao rescued the Dark Justice League and the Justice League from the Void Hand's swirling dimensions in the main universe, the first thing they saw was Batman Dragon himself—
And the laughing bats following behind him.
"Hello, my dear friends, have you missed me?"
"Hiss! The Laughing Bat!"
"Arrest him!"
"Damn it, it's that maniacal laughter again."
"A combination of the Mad Joker and Batman? Nothing could be worse."
Chen Tao had considered that the appearance of the Batman Who Laughs would cause panic throughout the Justice League of the main universe.
Among these people, some understand maniacal laughter, some don't understand it much, and some understand it through reading trans-timeline history but don't grasp its dangers.
But whoever they are, at this moment everyone will come to a clear conclusion: maniacal laughter is not trustworthy.
The maniac is already eagerly anticipating the part where Batman Dragon discusses his conflict with the Justice League and the Dark Justice League.
Batman's dragon cannot exist without himself.
Although Batman Dragon has now reunited the Justice League and the Dark Justice League, who were imprisoned by the Void Hand, he doesn't actually know where the Void Hand is hiding, nor how to stop it.
The Hand of the Void is currently trapped in a false miracle machine. As long as he cannot break this false miracle machine, he will not obtain the real one. This false miracle machine was set up by the Bat who Laughs and Perpetua, and only the two of them can keep the goddess of magic Hecate from succeeding.
If Batman Dragon wants to dismantle the story that the Void Hand has created in the DC multiverse, he can only rely on the Batman Who Laughs, because the Batman Who Laughs knows everything.
The Batman Who Laughs would certainly not secretly tell Batman Dragon that he knows so much because his connection with the Manhattan Bat is far deeper than that of Batman Dragon.
This profound connection allows the Batman Who Laughs, despite lacking the power of a quantum god, to traverse the DC multiverse from a quantum god's perspective, exploring the infinitely changing future of time, and seeking the most likely direction of history's development, thus overwhelming Batman Dragon with intelligence.
"Everyone, please be quiet, please be quiet—"
He burst into laughter, almost maliciously, as everything unfolded as he had imagined—except for Dr. Manhattan.
Thinking of this, the malicious expression on Kuangxiao's face remained unchanged, but the corners of his mouth, which were curled up, eventually dropped slightly by two pixels.
He had absolutely no way of predicting Dr. Manhattan; this quantum god was the biggest variable on the field.
The Bat Who Laughs has begun to subtly sense that Perpetual's motives have undergone a gradual shift since Dr. Manhattan's appearance—or perhaps it's just a misperception.
No, it's not an illusion. Faced with a formidable enemy like Dr. Manhattan, Papetua's objectives must have changed. It was no longer a simple plan to eliminate Dr. Manhattan, but something more dangerous and desperate.
The Bat Who Laughs sensed the danger. Whatever Perpetua was planning, it was clear that if all of this succeeded and Dr. Manhattan was defeated and killed, it would become much more difficult for him to seize the power left behind by Dr. Manhattan after his demise.
so----
The Bat of Laughter should perhaps consider, if all else fails, whether to negotiate a deal with the Hand of the Void.
However, the situation is not that troublesome yet.
The Batman Who Laughs looks at Batman Dragon with a sly smile, as cunning and evil as a delinquent girl protected by her school bully boyfriend in high school.
With Batman Dragon protecting him, he is safe now.
He monopolized the information channels from the Manhattan Batman, and Batman Dragon had to go to great lengths with his teammates to maintain these channels, while he could just laugh and watch leisurely from the sidelines.
Nothing could be more interesting than this.
"We must firmly implement reforms, seize the opportunity, and sprint to deepen our efforts."
Batman Dragon was busy spouting platitudes, trying to convince everyone of the Batman Who Laughs' importance, while the Batman Who Laughs waited quietly.
Then, after a while, he saw Batman Dragon walk over with a gloomy look on his face.
"I've spoken to everyone."
He heard Batman Dragon say that.
"They refused to team up with you, so I offered them a compromise: if you could provide them with some sense of security, we could continue."
"Ha, I don't need to provide them with a sense of security," said the Bat Who Laughs.
"Please, arguing is the most troublesome thing I've ever done. In my universe, all I need to do is give an order, and the Justice League will agree."
"But it's clear that the Justice League in the main universe isn't so obedient, is it? Even after they've lost their Wonder Woman, Diana Prince, they still haven't learned their lesson."
Especially Batman and Superman from the main universe—after their return from the realm of the dead, didn't they reflect at all on the fact that they are utterly useless without the destiny of the DC multiverse?
The Bat Who Laughs enticed, "You need them because they are among the most important immune cells in the entire DC multiverse. You need them to empower yourself with the help of the DC multiverse, thus gaining an advantage in the fight against the Void Hand. But have you considered using some simpler methods that can achieve the same effect?"
"What do you mean?"
"It's simple—just like you once did to Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern of your universe."
The Batman Who Laughs chuckled, "If they won't listen to you, then all you need to do is twist their minds, amplify a certain idea in their heads, manipulate them. Anyway, your goal is simply to have members of the Justice League help you fight the Void Hand. As for how they're willing to help you, does it matter? When you controlled Hal Jordan, did it delay your fight against Darkseid?"
Chen Tao felt a chill run down his spine. The maniacal laughter would always present you with a dark choice that seemed perfectly feasible. He could amplify your dark side with just words, inducing you to do the most wicked things.
"Come on, don't tell me you have any moral pressure. You've already done it, so what's wrong with doing it again? You can just apologize afterwards. It's the same as controlling teammates, what's the difference between controlling one and controlling a group?"
Listen to me, we all know this world judges heroes by success or failure. As long as you can save the entire DC multiverse, just like you saved your world from Darkseid, even if you go a little too far, the Justice League of the main universe will forgive you, just like Hal Jordan of your universe."
"We're not discussing this."
He acted as if he had been persuaded by the Bat of Laughter, but was trying his best to restrain his evil thoughts. Oh, the Bat of Laughter was the greatest temptation, no less than seeing a peerless hunky man strip naked and show off his abs.
He was laughing so hard he was practically drooling. Even though he knew perfectly well he wouldn't get his hands on the meat, it still made him happy.
Kuangxiao enjoys drawing out the dark side of others, which he finds irresistible. Chen Tao knows exactly how to seduce Kuangxiao; he understands him too well.
"I need you to temporarily enter a magical seal. This is the result of everyone's discussion, a democratic vote," he heard Batman Dragon say. "Strictly speaking, you are our prisoner. When we need you, Zatana will release you at a publicly announced time, and then everyone will vote on how to use you. That's it. I'm just here to convey everyone's decision."
"Everyone's decision? Don't make me laugh."
"That's what the Bat of Laughter said."
Neither of them spoke. After a while, he heard Batman Dragon say, "I might occasionally need some of your help in private."
whee.
Isn't all that so-called democracy and everyone's decisions just a formality? These self-deceiving fools are practically laughing themselves silly.
"All right."
He said this.
In fact, he didn't think Batman Dragon could create anything to trap him. In fact, his current body had become nothing more than clothes that could be discarded at any time.
His consciousness was connected to the Manhattan Bat, which was like a satellite spanning a possible quantum superposition timeline in the future. The Bat of Laughter's hidden brain could arouse his consciousness into the Manhattan Bat and then project it onto the body he was in now.
So strictly speaking, if one wants to, one can get rid of their current body and find a new one in a little time.
Even if Batman's dragon trapped his body, he could easily escape by struggling desperately.
This is why the Batman Who Laughs isn't afraid to appear in front of Batman Dragon or Perpetual. He may appear to exist here, but his brain isn't actually here. Destroying this body is just leaving an empty shell. His brain will be like a save point, constantly refreshing to create new Batmen Who Laughs. One day, the Batman Who Laughs will put his brain, this save point, into the skull of the Manhattan Bat. At that time, that will be the moment when true terror is born.
"Zatana said he can use magic to create a vessel to lock you inside. This thing will not only completely block you from feeling anything from the outside world, but it will also seal you away forever, only opening it when we say it can be opened."
Then the Batman Who Laughs heard Batman Dragon say, "It's obvious Zatanna's information is outdated. He still thinks of you as that ordinary Batman who only has a slight connection with Mandrake. Look at you, you now possess quantum power. Her magic won't work on you anymore. You can crush the magical artifacts he created with your own strength, but you still have to go in. I think you understand."
The Laughing Bat agreed.
Zatana was pulled away by Batman Dragon for a short while, and when Batman Dragon returned, she saw him take out a vessel that looked like an urn.
"Is this all?"
"Yes. Please come in," said Batman Dragon.
The Batman Who Laughs glanced at the other man and said nothing more. He cooperated and went inside; he was trapped. Then he saw Batman Dragon close the lid.
"etc."
As soon as he entered, the Laughing Bat realized something was wrong. As he was trapped inside the device, he discovered that not only was he trapped, but the device also further blocked his observation of the outside world.
"Don't use force, or the jar will break."
Just as he was about to struggle, he heard Batman Dragon's voice: "You can break this jar with just a little effort, so why are you so excited? You'll get out eventually, won't you?"
The Laughing Bat thought about it and realized it was true. Zatana's craftsmanship was unexpectedly good. The urn did block his senses from the outside world, allowing him to hear only a little bit of sound. However, it seriously misjudged his strength. He felt that as long as he exerted force, he could break the urn in an instant. It was impossible to restrict himself with this thing.
Once a person finds themselves in a paper cage that they can break free from at any time, they will subconsciously feel that they are not trapped at all. But no matter what the cage is made of, as long as you are tied to the spot by the cage, you are already under its control.
"It'll only be for a short while."
He told Chen Tao.
"Hmm, it's okay, it'll be fine in a bit."
This is how Chen Tao answered him.
It will only take a short while.
The Bat Who Laughs truly held Chen Tao's lifeline. Without the Bat Who Laughs, he was powerless to counter the Void Hand. If Perpetua didn't need to fight Dr. Manhattan, he might have been able to distract him and help him. But clearly—
However, there is a problem here. The Batman Who Laughs was able to gain an intelligence advantage over the Void Hand because of the existence of Manhattan. In other words, the Batman Who Laughs' intelligence source actually comes from Manhattan.
So why can't I just go directly to find the source?
My friend, you are not irreplaceable.
Pharaoh has arrived in the DC multiverse, and he can directly find Manhattan himself through the other party.
As long as Chen Tao takes away his cat.
The cat cloned from the remains of Dr. Manhattan.
As long as we can find that cat—
It would allow you to directly summon Dr. Manhattan himself.
Then he had plenty of ways to get Dr. Manhattan to talk, as long as the doctor cared even a little bit about his experiment.
He would never allow a troublemaker like the Hand of the Void, who didn't understand experimentation, to bother him.
Batman Dragon was honored to help.