Shiller rushed back to the Batcave at top speed. Batman saw him and said, "Did Arthur trap Amanda?"
Shiller nodded and said, "If no other Amanda has crawled out during this period, it proves that only one body of a person can exist at the same time. That's good news for us."
"The only good news," Batman said. "What about Bruce's side?"
"He's gone back to report to the other Batmen. For now, it seems that the Divine Power from Heaven can restrain the Power of Death, but the Dark Power from Barbados can't merge with it, only slightly suppress it. This proves that both forces are roughly on the same level."
"Barbados's power is the Dark Source of the cosmos."
"The Power of Death is no less," Shiller said. "Life and death are both rules of the universe, and even more so because of their relation to life in the cosmos, they're closer to God. If it weren't, so many Batmen wouldn't be facing it as if it were an enemy."
Batman nodded without saying anything more. He looked at the data on the machines. Today's events were entirely their plan, so the hospital room where Clark was had long been equipped with a variety of monitoring instruments just to collect valuable data when the undead showed their true forms.
When Amanda appeared, both Shiller and Batman realized it was a blunder that couldn't be worse for the behind-the-scenes mastermind, and a perfect opportunity for them.
Those previously resurrected, while not extraordinarily smart or strong, were at least normal people. They had the mindset of a normal person and didn't easily give themselves away. The Allen couple had been at the research base for a long time without showing any flaws, which proved they weren't the breakthrough.
Amanda was different, though. This person's mind was troubled, and her thinking was entirely unlike ordinary people. Just look at how she dared to persecute Superman when she was the head of agents, and you'd know there's nothing she wouldn't dare to do.
Amanda's revival signaled a dawn for the Justice League.
Prior to this, research on the behind-the-scenes mastermind had stalled because all sorts of instruments detected nothing, and experts, including Batman, couldn't figure anything out. As long as these people didn't want to be exposed, they were practically flawless.
Fortunately, after Shiller's previous maneuvers, the behind-the-scenes mastermind was clearly anxious, making blunders. In order to capture Superman, he even resurrected Amanda.
Just as he helped to form the Justice League, Shiller helped Amanda gather other undead: first by providing Kryptonite leads, stealing Metropolitan Museum data, and contacting Dr. Erdel for analysis, successfully completing the presidential assassination plot; then helping the imprisoned undead escape, successfully forming the Undead Alliance.
Next, he helped Amanda gain absolute control of this team, which involved Batman messing with Mian's state of mind so he'd stop focusing on competing with Amanda. Just like when Batman became the core of the Justice League, Amanda became the core of the Undead Alliance.
Then, using Clark as bait and leveraging Amanda's stupidity and impatience, they forced her to directly expose the power of the behind-the-scenes mastermind, thereby collecting data and testing individual capabilities.
This was a major gain. Batman obtained the most accurate data. Clearly, after revealing their true forms, they could no longer conceal the Power of Death of the mastermind; the data from various instruments finally showed significant fluctuations, but the specific values still need analysis.
Most importantly, they confirmed which powers could restrain the Power of Death. The most obvious was Divine Power, followed by Hal's Green Lantern energy, and then Victor's Mother Box. Arthur's Power of Life Evolution also had some effect, but its consumption was too large; Divine Speed couldn't interfere at all, and Ron's power and Diana's divine power were the same.
It seems there are many powers that can restrain the Power of Death, but the issue is that Amanda has just revealed her prowess and clearly hasn't gained the most elemental power. When that behind-the-scenes mastermind wants to break free and appear directly in the Multiverse, even if it's just a penetrative power, it's extremely terrifying.
The Batmen gathered in the Primary Universe's Batcave. After the combat video played, the atmosphere inside became somewhat stagnant.
"Unfortunately, the angels will not participate in the war," Bruce shook his head. "Even with this power, I have to be extremely careful; if it interferes too much with the world, Uriel might trouble me."
The Primary Universe Batman remained silent, but Arkham Batman spoke, "If Heaven doesn't protect the universe, what is its purpose?"
"You can think of it as a large maintenance center," Bruce said. "They maintain the structure of the universe itself, and as for what happens inside, they really don't care."
"Really? Even if we all perish?"
Arkham Batman pointed out the crux directly. Bruce had nothing to say; he could only tell the truth: "That won't do. You all are a part of the universe's structure. Heaven won't let Batman disappear, but what form you take is not their concern."
He was actually implying that if infected by undead or if they died and were resurrected, Heaven wouldn't interfere; even if they lost their self-will and became the lackeys of the behind-the-scenes mastermind, they wouldn't care. Yet, Batman evidently wouldn't tolerate this.
"Enough talk," the Primary Universe Batman waved his cape, "Notify the Green Lanterns of each universe to gather in the Battleworld."
The other Batmen had no objections, knowing this was the best choice. Among the many forces that counter the Power of Death, Green Lantern energy is the most stable and accessible. Particularly since the Primary Universe Batman mastered a lot of the Power of Seven Lanterns, it is the key to combating the Power of Death.
The Green Lanterns were quickly summoned to the Battleworld. Prince Jade Hal arrived relatively late, and as soon as he did, nearly all the Green Lanterns gathered around to inquire.
"What's going on? Why did Batman call us all here? Is there something big happening?"
Hal nodded and said, "Yes. You should have heard the rumors about the revival of Dark Power in the Multiverse. Batman's investigation has made progress. Green Lantern energy might be the key to containing this power."
The Green Lanterns immediately burst into enthusiastic discussions. Hal quickly stopped them and then said, "This is indeed our chance to shine, but it's equally dangerous. Green Lantern energy cannot completely contain it; both forces are evenly matched. So, how to proceed will have to wait until Batman gathers more information for further assessment."
The white flash of the transmitter, and Primary Universe Batman led the Batmen to the Green Lanterns' base. The Main Universe Green Lantern approached. Primary Universe Batman said, "I won't waste words. You know I have quite a bit of the Power of Seven Lanterns. This time, after acquiring specific data, I discovered that this Death Force is similar to the Power of Seven Lanterns."
"What? It's similar to the Power of Seven Lanterns?"
"Could it be some kind of mutant?"
"Couldn't it be the power of the lantern ring? Is there a lantern ring that governs death?"
"There must be, right? It's not said that there are only seven kinds of rings. Maybe there are others?"
"Because of the association with the Power of Seven Lanterns, the Green Lanterns will be the main force in this battle." Primary Universe Batman said, "You need to train hard. Also, Hal, I think you can help them more."
Primary Universe Batman was looking directly at Prince Jade. Hal understood his meaning, that help wasn't about teaching them combat skills but teaching them how to be leaders of the Green Lantern Corps. Without a doubt, this battle will use a lot of Green Lantern energy, and lacking authority within the Corps is clearly unacceptable.
The task is urgent and tight on time, using legitimate means is very difficult to quickly climb to the top, especially for some novice Green Lanterns. So, some necessary measures will be taken, which has to be left to Hal.
"I and the other Batmen will continue analyzing the Power of Seven Lanterns. I suspect this Multiverse disaster is targeting the Power of Seven Lanterns. Our knowledge of the Emotional Spectrum is far from adequate."
The Green Lanterns fell silent. Though they were users of ring energy, they were obviously not well-versed in the Emotional Spectrum. They knew nothing about where this power originated or other potential uses.
At this moment, a Green Lantern stood up. He was not Hal Jordan, but Alan, who had once been the greatest Green Lantern. He said, "When it comes to understanding the Emotional Spectrum, it's of course the Guardians of the Universe. But what most people don't know is, the Guardians are not the most knowledgeable about the Emotional Spectrum. They acquired their knowledge from someone else."
Primary Universe Batman frowned, as if he had thought of something.
Alan continued, "Many years ago, the Guardians of the Universe were already a highly advanced civilization. A traveler from a distant alien star arrived in their star system, bringing knowledge and methods related to the Emotional Spectrum. So, the Guardians of the Universe created the Lantern Corps."
"A traveler? Who?"
"The No.1 Green Lantern Hao Rong," Alan said, "This is a very mysterious person. Even among the Guardians of the Universe, there are very few records about him. We don't know where he came from, nor why he understood the power of the Emotional Spectrum, nor where he will ultimately go."
"Wait a moment." Primary Universe Batman seemed to have thought of something, he said, "I heard from a Guardian of the Universe that they seem to be holding someone. Could it be him?"
"It's Hao Rong," Alan said, "They stole his knowledge and technology, and then imprisoned him."
"But I didn't find him," Primary Universe Batman said, "I searched the entire Oa Star..."
Alan couldn't help but glance at him, wanting to ask how an Earthling could search the entire Oa Star, but ultimately held back and continued, "For the Guardians of the Universe, the Lantern Furnace and the ring are not important, nor are the planets and cities. But the First Lantern is very important, they would never let him fall into others' hands."
Batman understood that the Guardians of the Universe probably transferred Hao Rong, so it seems he'll have to go back and look carefully.
Leaving Wayne Manor, Shiller hurried back to the President's Office, and Clark quickly came up to ask, "How is it? What did Batman say?"
"It's related to the Power of Seven Lanterns. It's a bit complicated, I'll explain later. Batman predicted that the identity of the Undead has been exposed, and the behind-the-scenes manipulator will definitely abandon the insidious plan and launch a direct attack, there's likely to be big moves soon. We have to get the military ready."
"But where should we prepare for?" Clark said, "The behind-the-scenes manipulator will first resurrect..."
Before he finished his words, Shiller's phone rang. Hearing what was said on the other side, he sharply raised his eyes and spat out a name to Clark.
"...Steppenwolf!"