Chapter 321: Green Lantern Descends, Universe PoliceTurn Into Wastepaper
As the voice in the speaker fell, the energy in the medical area was cut off.
The red emergency lights lit up, and the magnetic locks behind the alloy doors closed simultaneously.
Bruce raised his arm, and the Kryptonite aerosol inside the armor entered standby mode.
He did not attack the speaker, but instead fired three micro-blasters at the load-bearing nodes.
As soon as the blasters stuck to the wall, silver nano-filaments emerged on the surface.
In the blink of an eye, the explosives were dismantled into parts and fell neatly to the ground.
"You deliberately made me send out the distress signal."
Bruce stared at the surveillance camera, his voice lowered very low.
"The Green Lantern Corps is the end of this clue."
Lin Nuo walked in from outside the isolation zone, his white shirt without a single crease.
The alloy doors opened sequentially in front of him and closed again behind him.
"Central City lost a speedster, and Metropolis lost another Kryptonian Guardian. If you don't call the Universe for help, you don't deserve the title of the World's Greatest Detective."
Bruce did not get angry at the taunt.
He sidestepped to block Barry's rejuvenation pod while pressing the Kryptonian crystal into the armor core.
The red Sun module lit up, and a dark red beam swept across the corridor.
The biological field on Lin Nuo's surface fluctuated briefly, and the armored fist had already smashed toward his jaw.
Lin Nuo tilted his head to avoid the fist, his five fingers clasping Bruce's wrist.
The anti-Superman armor emitted a harsh alarm, and the outer metal was pinched with a clear indentation.
"You were waiting for Clark to leave, and used my signal to attract stronger power."
Bruce activated the wrist sonic device, shaking Lin Nuo's palm away at close range.
"The target of your research has never been just Earth."
Lin Nuo took half a step back, a trace of appreciation appearing in the gaze behind his lenses.
"Guessed right, but unfortunately there is no reward."
Just as Bruce was about to pursue, a green light suddenly lit up above the laboratory.
The thick floor was completely cut open by a burst of energy, but the rubble did not fall.
A huge green palm held up the floor slab.
The energy construct extended downward along the crack, forcibly pushing open the sealed passage.
Hal Jordan slowly descended from the light.
His ring swept across Barry and the experimental personnel, finally locking onto Lin Nuo.
"The distress message has been authenticated."
Hal raised his right hand, and a green shield covered the medical area.
"Batman, evacuate the wounded. This place is taken over by the Sector Earth Green Lantern."
Cisco held onto Barry's rejuvenation pod, hope finally appearing on his face.
Caitlin, however, found that Bruce did not move, but instead pushed the armor's power even higher.
"Don't treat him like an ordinary superhuman."
Bruce reminded him in a deep voice.
"He can change energy rules, and may also possess a Kryptonian biological field. Your ring is not necessarily safe."
Hal glanced at him, the corners of his mouth suppressing his habitual confidence.
"I've dealt with lives that swallow stars, and I've seen madmen who use planets as weapons. You handle the shadows of Gotham, leave Universe-scale problems to the professionals."
Bruce really hated this tone.
Yet the Hal of the past indeed had the qualification to say this; the Green Lantern Corps possessed a complete set of cross-galactic law enforcement systems.
The ring shot out a scanning light screen, penetrating all the way from Lin Nuo's body surface deep into the core.
At first, Hal's expression was still relatively relaxed.
The next moment, six colors lit up simultaneously in the ring's projection.
Spatial folding, temporal ripples, and reality distortion intertwined with each other, and the power feedback almost blew up the scanning interface.
The ring's cold mechanical voice resounded through the laboratory.
"Six cosmic source energies detected. Target life hierarchy un-evaluable, threat level upgraded to Omega class. It is recommended to call for Corps reinforcements immediately."
The smile on Hal's face vanished.
He had seen strong people, but rarely a life that could make the ring actively interrupt its scan.
Lin Nuo raised his hand to adjust his cuffs, as if that judgment had nothing to do with him.
"Is the scan finished? Then take your toys and leave. There are no interstellar lanes here that you need to maintain, and no one invited Oa to meddle."
Hal took a step forward, and the ring constructed layers of chains.
Each chain carried an independent energy circuit inside, enough to bind high-risk cosmic lifeforms.
"According to the Green Lantern Corps emergency regulations, you must stop using unknown source power and come with me to Oa for review. Refusing to cooperate will be regarded as active hostility."
Lin Nuo looked at the approaching chains, the corners of his mouth finally curling up.
"A bunch of Universe Police wearing rings, do they even deserve to judge me?"
Hal clenched his five fingers, and the green chains sealed off Lin Nuo's retreat from all sides.
The energy construct changed according to his imagination, turning into a giant aero-engine in the blink of an eye, pressing the target toward the center.
Lin Nuo did not dodge.
He raised his finger, and a wisp of crimson law fell onto the surface of the construct.
The metal texture of the engine quickly faded away.
The green energy carrying the will turned into countless thin sheets of paper, floating all over the laboratory along the vents.
Hal's pupils constricted, but driven by his will, the ring erupted once more.
The paper pieces re-gathered, transforming into dozens of high-speed fighter jets launching attacks from different angles.
"Lots of tricks, but unfortunately imagination cannot override reality."
Lin Nuo gently twisted his five fingers, and the spatial structure in front of the fighter jets inverted accordingly.
All constructs turned back along their original path, their muzzles locking onto Hal simultaneously.
Hal opened his shield to block the volley, his body pushed high into the air by the impact.
Cracks appeared continuously on the green shield, and the ring's energy dropped rapidly.
Bruce seized the opportunity to activate the red Suncannon.
The dark red beam of light hugged the edge of Hal's shield, heading straight for Lin Nuo's chest.
Lin Nuo turned around to block the beam, his biological field experiencing a brief attenuation.
Bruce broke through the smoke and dust, injecting Kryptonite aerosol around him.
"The Green Lantern's attack was just cover."
Bruce lowered his center of gravity, a neural impact needle springing out from inside his gauntlet.
"All I need is one fluctuation."
Lin Nuo let the tip of the needle pierce his arm.
As soon as the green electric arc touched his skin, it was swallowed by the yellow Sun energy.
He backhanded and pressed down on Bruce's chestplate, smashing the entire set of armor into the ground.
Most of the power core went out, and Bruce was fixed in the shattered metal.
Hal swooped down, constructing a heavy capture device covering the entire laboratory.
The huge green ring closed from high above, attempting to send Lin Nuo into the Corps' restraint space.
Lin Nuo raised his eyes to look at the ring, the crimson light spreading along the edges of space.
The coordinates inside the capture device became misaligned, and the exit was forcibly changed to behind Hal.
Hal didn't have time to check his momentum before his own construct slammed him into the wall.
Large areas of flickering appeared on the surface of the Green Lantern uniform, and the ring issued a low-energy warning for the first time.
Barry lay in the rejuvenation pod, watching the once confident and flamboyant Hal being suppressed, the hope in his heart sinking little by little.
He finally understood why that pair of golden frames had become his deepest nightmare after waking up.
Lin Nuo had been selecting powers worth seizing from the very beginning.
Lin Nuo walked up to Hal, his fingers stopping above the Green Lantern ring.
The emotional frequency inside the ring quickly reflected into his perception, and even Oa's remote protocols were captured.
Deep within his consciousness, the prompt tone sounded accordingly.
[Emotional spectrum energy detected.]
[Green Lantern ring parsing task established.]
[Recommendation to lock onto female targets with deep emotional connections to the Green Lantern.]
Lin Nuo's gaze swept past the fleeting purple coordinates inside the ring.
He didn't take off the ring; instead, he released the reality laws suppressing Hal.
"Your will is indeed strong, but unfortunately someone knows better than you how tiring it is to love a man who only knows how to fly into the Universe."
Hal's expression changed drastically.
He forcibly raised his hand, but the ring issued a purple warning a step ahead.
The crack above the laboratory was covered by star-blue light.
A female figure passed through the light screen, the purple energy turning into a sharp blade pointing straight at Lin Nuo's brow.
"Stay away from Hal, or I will make you personally feel the wrath of the Star Sapphire!"
Chapter 322: Star Sapphire Breaks the Void, The Authority of Love Turns Into a Key
The purple blade stopped in front of Lin Nuo's glabella, its sharp edge cutting through the biological force field around him.
The star-blue light then spread, protecting Hal and Brucebehind it.
Carol Ferris landed on the fractured ground.
The Violet Lantern uniform covered her entire body, and the Star Sapphire mark on her chest continued to glow.
She didn't look back at Hal, only checking his vital status through her ring.
After confirming there were no fatal injuries, her gaze fell back onto Lin Nuo.
"The ring captured an abnormal emotional shock, and I knew you had thrown yourself into trouble again."
Carol's tone was cold.
"It seems this trouble is even greater than your confidence."
Hal propped himself up against the wall, and the Green Lantern ring began to absorb backup energy.
"What I sent was a Corps alert, I didn't notify you. Carol, take the wounded and leave, he can rewrite the reality properties of constructs."
Carol turned her face, her gaze as sharp as a rejected acquisition agreement.
"I crossed several sectors to get here, not to listen to your arrangements for retreat. Ferris Aircraft operates just fine without you, and after I picked up the Star Sapphire, I don't need to become an appendage of the Green Lanterns."
Hal opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't retort.
He was familiar with this expression of Carol's; whenever he made decisions for her in the name of protection, the other party would show the exact same disappointment.
Lin Nuo looked at the distance between the two, a trace of a smile appearing in the depths of his eyes.
"Ms. Ferris, you are more clear-headed than I imagined. At least you know that loving someone does not mean handing over the right to your own judgment."
Carol did not respond to the provocation.
She raised both hands, and the Star Sapphire energy condensed into dense crystals, completely sealing off the area where Lin Nuo was.
The purple energy did not directly attack the physical body.
It penetrated inward along Lin Nuo's emotional and mental fluctuations, attempting to find the out-of-control part among the six origin powers.
Carol quickly sensed that crimson mark.
The aura of decay wrapped around the core of the law, like an ever-expanding wound.
"Your power is eroding yourself."
She increased the Star Sapphire output, and the purple halo pressed toward the crimson mark.
"Give up resistance, I can purify this darkness."
Lin Nuo did not break free.
He allowed the Star Sapphire to touch the core, even taking the initiative to remove a layer of the reality barrier.
Hal sensed the abnormality, and his expression changed accordingly.
"Carol, stop the connection! He's deliberately letting you touch the energy core, that guy is reading the Star Sapphire's frequency!"
Carol immediately cut off the outer halo.
But a purple light spot had already appeared inside Lin Nuo, simulating the emotional circuit of the Star Sapphire.
She tried to withdraw her power, but the purple light was fixed by the laws of reality.
The output channel became a bidirectional connection, and the operating structure of the Star Sapphire was being dismantled layer by layer.
"Quick reaction."
Lin Nuo looked at the gemstone in her hand.
"The spectrum of love selects hosts through emotional resonance, and then shapes obsession into energy. The more you want to protect Hal, the more stable the channel becomes."
Carol's arm shook, forcibly severing the star-blue light.
The recoil made her step back several times, the mark on her chest flickering brightly and dimly.
She did not panic because of this, instead re-examining Lin Nuo.
"The decay on you does not come from emotional corruption. That is a liquidation mark left by a higher-level life form, and you just used me to confirm whether the Star Sapphire can repair it."
"To be precise, I was just verifying another path."
Lin Nuo raised his hand to catch the remaining purple light spots.
"Your power is very special, but its upper limit is restricted by a long-term imbalanced relationship."
Hal walked to Carol's side, and the green shield covered the two of them again.
"Don't listen to him analyze our relationship. He took Barry's power in Central City, and used Lois to get close to Clark; every sentence he says has a purpose."
Lin Nuo did not deny it.
He looked at Carol, his tone still calm.
"Hal is right, I do have a purpose in what I do. But this cannot change the fact that when he encountered danger, he didn't notify you, and after you rushed over, his first sentence was still to let you leave."
The purple light between Carol's fingers fluctuated gently.
She knew Lin Nuo was magnifying the cracks, but those cracks already existed.
When Ferris Aircraft faced a hostile takeover, Hal was executing a mission in the Universe.
She saved the company alone, and after he returned, she heard a casual apology.
When Hal needed support, she would always rush over.
When it was her turn to need someone to share things with together, what she often got was a green tail light streaking across the sky.
"You don't understand us at all."
Hal clenched his ring and constructed a green spear.
"Carol knows what Corps duty means; she has never asked me to abandon my sector."
Carol sidestepped to block his attack route.
"Me understanding your duty doesn't mean I approve of you deciding all risks for me. You always feel that as long as you fly fast enough, being late can be covered up by a single word of mission."
Hal's spear stopped mid-air.
He wanted to explain Oa's summon order, and wanted to say that every departure was related to countless lives.
Those reasons were all valid, yet they could not answer the content of Carol's true interrogation.
Lin Nuo bent his finger and tapped toward the purple light spot.
The residual energy turned into a Star Sapphire mirror wall, reflecting the image of Carol signing documents alone in the company meeting room.
Immediately after, the image switched to the back of Hal flying toward the Universe.
That memory came from deep within the Star Sapphire, being the disappointment Carol least wanted to admit.
"Turn it off!"
Carol waved her hand to smash the mirror wall, and purple shattered light splashed all over the ground.
Yet her anger was not entirely directed at Lin Nuo.
From those images, Hal saw moments he had never participated in, and for the first time, his expression wavered.
Lin Nuo raised his hand and clenched it, the scattered star-blue shattered light recombining in his palm.
The purple energy constructed a miniature ring according to his will, and its internal circuit was highly similar to the Star Sapphire.
Carol stared at that ring, a chill rising in her heart.
"You only contacted it once, and you copied the basic structure?"
"The structure is not complicated."
Lin Nuo crushed the miniature ring.
"What is truly scarce is the emotion capable of carrying it. Coincidentally, your love for Hal is deep, and the disappointment you have accumulated is just as deep."
Hal fiercely swung his spear.
Lin Nuo sidestepped to avoid it, and the reality ripples reversely impacted the ring along the spear tip.
The green construct distorted, transforming into chains that wrapped around Hal's arm.
Carol swung a purple blade of light, severing the chains in the middle.
The two emotional spectrums briefly intersected.
Lin Nuo smoothly captured the frequency of their mutual repulsion and mutual attraction, and the crimson mark inside his body showed a slight loosening.
The prompt sound rang out again in his consciousness.
[Star Sapphire operation logic analysis complete.]
[Target Carol Ferris locked.]
Lin Nuo raised his eyes to look at Carol, without continuing to attack.
"I can help you get rid of the Star Sapphire's amplification of emotional obsession, letting this power truly belong to you. There is only one price: stay and personally confirm whether I am worth cooperating with."
Hal blocked between the two, his tone carrying an unsuppressable fury.
"He is using you. Come back to Oa with me, the Guardianwill deal with the Star Sapphire's problem, and will also judge this dangerous target."
Looking at Hal's back, Carol suddenly felt that this sentence was incomparably familiar.
He still hadn't asked what she wanted to do.
"I am not going to Oa."
She put away her blade of light and stood in the middle of both sides.
"You can bring the Corps reinforcements back, I will stay on Earth to investigate the liquidation mark, and also find out the truth about Barry losing his power."
Hal turned back to look at her, his eyes full of disbelief.
"You'd rather stay by this man's side than trust me?"
Carol did not give an answer.
She only raised her hand, and the Star Sapphire erected a purple barrier between the two.
Bruce got up from the damaged armor, taking all of this scene into his eyes.
He finally saw clearly what made Lin Nuo truly dangerous.
Power could have countermeasures formulated against it, but the human heart would change with every choice it thought was correct.
Bruce pulled out the Kryptonian authority crystal, issuing a highest-level summon order to the Watchtower.
The channels for Aquaman, Cyborg, and Paradise Islandwere connected simultaneously.
"Justice League emergency meeting, threat level Omega. All members immediately proceed to the Watchtower, and any absentees will be regarded as waiving their voting rights."
The communication fell silent for a moment, and Diana's voice came out from the Paradise Island channel.
"The meeting can be held, but whoever dares to judge Lin Nuo must first ask my sword."
Chapter 323: Battle of Faith, A Disintegrating Alliance
Inside the Watchtower conference hall, the lingering echoes of the Paradise Island channel had not yet faded away.
Bruce turned off the remote communication and activated the spatial teleportation device.
The combat records of Central City were projected above the round table.
Barry's Speed Force loss waveform, the six origin energies inside Lin Nuo's body, and the threat assessment of Hal's ring emerged one by one.
Arthur sat on the side of the round table, the Sea God's Trident leaning close to his hand.
After reading the data, he was not in a hurry to support either side.
"Atlantis will not declare war on surface powerhouses because of a ring report."
Arthur looked at Bruce.
"If you have direct evidence of Lin Nuo attacking the alliance, bring it out now."
Bruce enlarged the Central City accident records.
The blurred image of the golden frames stopped at the moment before Barry suffered energy stripping.
"Barry's Speed Force was precisely transplanted. Lin Nuoappeared at the accident scene, then took over the laboratory, and deliberately left clues to lure me into summoning the Green Lantern Corps."
Cyborg connected his palm to the round table interface.
He tried to trace the data source, only to find that some records had been reconstructed by Star Umbrellaequipment.
"The image cannot complete facial recognition, but the energy waveform possesses characteristics of artificial stripping."
Victor withdrew his palm.
"This can establish major suspicion, but it is still not enough to prove all accusations."
Barry in the rejuvenation pod participated in the meeting via remote projection.
His legs could no longer support his body, and his face had lost its usual lightness.
"I remember those golden frames."
Barry looked at the accident footage, his voice sounding hoarse.
"When the lightning passed through my chest, someone was standing in front of me. I couldn't see the face clearly, but Lin Nuo was indeed wearing the same glasses."
The side door of the conference hall opened, and Dianawalked in wearing Amazon battle armor.
The lasso of truth hung at her waist, and the God Killer sword was not left on Paradise Island.
She first glanced at Barry's projection, and then cast her gaze onto Bruce.
"You convened the alliance, yet before the topic even began, you wrote the conclusion into a trial. Bruce, this is not much different from Amanda Waller's approach."
Bruce did not evade her accusation.
"Waller relies on control to maintain security, while I rely on evidence to stop the next disaster. Lin Nuo seized the Speed Force and analyzed Kryptonian cells; he is systematically gathering the core powers of the alliance members."
Diana walked up to the round table and reached out to swipe across the accident waveform.
"Barry remembers the glasses, but didn't see the attacker clearly. Carol staying in Central City to investigate shows that the matter has not yet been figured out. If you demand the alliance to declare war now, you will only push everyone into the battlefield Lin Nuo has prepared."
Bruce brought up the records of Gotham holding changes and Metropolis Kryptonian samples.
"He took over Gotham's underground network, controlled Central City's medical system, and used Lois to gain Clark's resonance authority. Every city he goes to, someone loses their power or stance."
Diana's eyes turned cold.
She didn't know what had happened in Central City, nor was she clear about how far the relationship between Loisand Lin Nuo had gone.
But she was even clearer about Bruce's habits.
As long as he couldn't control a certain target, he would prepare weapons and then look for evidence to support his contingency plan.
"Lin Nuo stopped Gotham's time reversal and also helped Paradise Island resist the God threat."
Diana pressed her hand against the hilt of her sword.
"You only display the parts that fit your judgment, while omitting how many people he has saved."
Barry raised his head, disappointment overriding hesitation.
"Diana, I can't even walk to the laboratory door right now. If it really was him who took the Speed Force, would you still continue to stand on his side?"
Diana looked at Barry.
This question made her fingers gripping the sword tighten slightly, but it didn't make her back down.
"I will ask him personally, and I will demand that he give you an answer. But before the truth appears, I will not allow anyone to launch a siege in the name of the alliance."
Bruce opened another segment of footage.
In the footage, Lin Nuo used the laws of reality to crush Green Lantern constructs, and smashed Hal into the wall.
"An Omega-level threat refuses Oa's review and can replicate the emotional spectrum structure. By the time you finish asking, he might have already mastered Amazon divine power and ocean authority."
Diana drew the God Killer sword, the tip of the blade pressing against the edge of the round table.
"He has long possessed my trust. That is a choice I made personally, and it has nothing to do with your contingency plan."
Arthur stood up to block the side between the two.
He didn't like Lin Nuo, but he disliked even more the surface alliance dragging the ocean into an unknown war.
"Put the sword away. If the alliance meeting turns into a private dispute, Atlantis will not participate in subsequent actions."
But Cyborg captured an abnormal signal outside the Watchtower.
A set of encrypted programs from Gotham was attempting to take over the defense satellites, and the permission signature belonged to Batman.
Victor quickly cut off the interface, his expression turning ugly.
"Bruce, you initiated the independent combat protocol before the meeting even started. Regardless of the voting result, you were prepared to make a move."
Diana turned her head abruptly.
The lasso of truth flew out, entangling Bruce's wrist, dragging the controller hidden beneath his cape onto the table.
The controller stored red Sun radiation, neural suppression, and magic isolation schemes.
Every single item corresponded to the weakness of an alliance member.
"You prepared another set of weapons targeting your comrades."
Diana's voice turned thoroughly cold.
"Is this the trust you speak of?"
Bruce tried to pull back his wrist, but the lasso of truthtightened further.
"Contingency plans exist because anyone can be controlled. Including you, Diana. Lin Nuo used emotions to alter your judgment, and you can no longer participate in this vote."
This sentence crossed Diana's final bottom line.
She yanked hard on the lasso, dragging Bruce across the round table.
The Bat armor crashed into the wall, and the shoulder armor shattered on the spot.
Bruce tossed out two flashbangs before landing.
The strong light did not affect Diana, but the Amazon metal dust hidden within it briefly interfered with the lasso.
He flipped and landed, a high-strength binding cord popping out from inside his cape.
The net wrapped around Diana's arms, attempting to restrict her leverage angle.
Diana swung her sword to cut the net, and her shield immediately smashed into Bruce's chest armor.
Bruce was pushed toward the conference hall exit, and continuous thrusters on the soles of his armor stabilized his body.
"Bruce, you use fear to control Gotham, while Lin Nuo uses power to reshape the World."
Diana advanced with her sword raised, her voice echoing throughout the conference hall.
"I choose the latter."
Barry's projection froze in place.
Cyborg cut off the Watchtower's weapon system to prevent the conflict between the two from affecting the Space Station's core.
Arthur placed his trident horizontally in the middle, water energy transforming into a barrier.
"Enough! If Diana insists on protecting Lin Nuo, the alliance can no longer act in unity. Bruce also has no right to bypass everyone and initiate the war protocol."
Bruce looked around the round table.
Clark had left Earth, Hal was preparing to return to Oa, Barry had lost the Speed Force, and Diana openly stood on Lin Nuo's side.
The alliance that once could handle global crises could now no longer even make a joint decision.
"Victor, revoke my Watchtower permissions."
Bruce took off his damaged mask.
"From now on, my actions no longer represent the Justice League, and you do not need to bear the consequences."
Cyborg did not comply, instead blocking the teleportation channel.
"If you leave now, you will only execute that unvoted plan. Leave the controller behind, and we can still figure out Lin Nuo's true purpose."
Bruce threw the controller to the ground.
After touching the ground, the device automatically melted down, and the internal data along with the backup keys vanished together.
Diana stepped forward, only to see the Kryptonian crystal on Bruce's chest light up.
The Fortress of Solitude's authority bypassed the Watchtower blockade, opening an ice-blue teleportation channel.
"You were prepared to leave the alliance all along."
Diana stared at that passage.
"So this meeting had no meaning from the very beginning."
Bruce stood in front of the light gate, taking one last look at the round table.
"The only meaning of the meeting was to let me confirm that Lin Nuo has already won your hesitation."
After speaking, he stepped into the light gate, his figure disappearing into the polar snowstorm.
Diana did not chase after him, while Arthur directly shut down Atlantis's communication.
Barry's projection dimmed.
Cyborg looked at the vacant seats, finally realizing that the Justice League had lost the most basic conditions for cooperation.
Inside the Fortress of Solitude, Bruce inserted the Kryptonian crystal into the main console.
As soon as Jor-El's projection appeared, a stellar modification plan sealed by Clark was forcibly unlocked.
A red star model covered the entire hall.
Bruce raised his hand to complete identity authentication, locking the target coordinates onto Metropolis.
"Initiate the last resort, snatch the yellow Sun from Lin Nuo's hands."
Chapter 324: Bait Caught, Trust Dies in Contingency Plans
When the Fortress of Solitude orders entered the execution sequence, several Wayne satellites over Gothamchanged their orbits simultaneously.
An abnormal signal encrypted with Kryptonian algorithms was intercepted by Barbara into her private terminal. The signal lasted only a very short time, but it carried Bruce's exclusive privilege signature.
She parked her motorcycle outside the old industrial district and looked up at the abandoned factory. The nano-pulse fragment given by Clark to the Daily Planet had once received relay instructions here.
Now, a Kryptonian signal appeared at the same location again.
"Bruce, what on earth are you planning to do?"
Barbara lowered her voice as her wrist terminal completed its final scan. There were no life signs inside the factory, but a set of still-working Star Umbrella servers were hidden underground.
She vaulted through the broken window into the factory, landing without making any unnecessary sound. Several micro-probes attached themselves to the wall, quickly taking over the internal sensing devices.
The server had no firewall and even proactively opened access ports to her.
Barbara stared at the screen, her vigilance growing even heavier. Star Umbrella would never leave such low-level vulnerabilities unless someone wanted her to see what was inside.
A slight friction sound came from behind her.
Barbara threw a Batarang backhanded, the black blade grazing Selina's ear and embedding itself into the metal pillar behind her.
Selina walked out from the shadows of the equipment, spinning a severed sensor in her hand.
"Your welcome style is still so enthusiastic. Unfortunately, the truly dangerous things here won't stand behind you waiting to be beaten."
Barbara didn't lower her arms.
"You were the one who left the relay coordinates in the fragment at the Daily Planet. Bruce always thought you were controlled by Lin Nuo. Now it seems he at least guessed half of it right."
"The word control suits Bruce very well."
Selina smiled softly and tossed the sensor toward her.
"He likes to decide risks for others and then call surveillance protection. You've followed him for so long, you should know better than me."
Barbara caught the sensor and found a Batcave protocol saved inside. Just as she was about to read it, the floor beneath her suddenly decomposed, and silver nano-filaments spread upward along her combat boots.
She severed her cape interface and leaped toward the beam using her grapple hook. However, the beam retracted early, blocking her landing spot.
Barbara adjusted her body in mid-air, striking the server core with the pulser in her hand. As soon as the electric arc was released, a transparent barrier rose from the floor of the entire factory.
The pulse was deflected back, hitting the armor on her waist.
The combat suit briefly lost control, and the nano-filaments wrapped around her arms, fixing her in mid-air. Gritting her teeth, Barbara initiated the self-destruct sequence, only to find that every instruction had been intercepted in advance.
"Selina, you sold me out to him."
Barbara looked at Catwoman standing outside the barrier, disappointment overpowering anger.
"Bruce might not trust anyone, but at least he wouldn't send companions into a laboratory."
Selina put away her smile and walked up to her.
"I just gave you a chance to confirm it with your own eyes. After you finish reading those files, decide who treated whom as a companion."
The alloy door at the end of the factory opened accordingly.
Lin Nuo walked into the control area wearing a white shirt, with no weapons in his hand. He glanced at the nano-restraints and raised his hand to lift the paralysis state of Barbara's combat suit.
"Miss Gordon, your investigative skills are outstanding. Unfortunately, the privileges Bruce gave you are only enough to discover what he is willing to let you find."
Barbara stared at him coldly.
"Let me go, and then hand over the real records of Central City. I will judge whether you are qualified to evaluate Bruce."
Lin Nuo didn't approach, only having the server project an encrypted archive.
The cover of the file bore the highest privileges of the Batcave, and the authentication sequence was personally designed by Barbara. Except for Bruce and her, no third person knew the complete structure.
There was only one line in the archive name.
Batgirl Out-of-Control Handling Contingency Plan.
Barbara's fingers stopped. She desperately wanted to treat this document as a forgery, but hidden in the corner of the page was Bruce's usual offline verification symbol.
That was the trace he left for himself.
"Forging a set of authentications is not difficult. You have already touched Gotham's network and acquired some of Wayne Enterprises' technology."
Barbara forced herself to remain calm, attempting to call upon the Batcave for cross-verification.
The terminal returned an authentication success.
The creation time of the file predated Lin Nuo's arrival in Gotham. The most recent modification occurred after Brucereturned from Central City.
There wasn't a single redundant comment in the content.
Neuro-blockers, spinal armor severance programs, clock tower remote lockdown privileges, and a forced termination plan to be used if she refused to execute orders.
Barbara saw her own action habits, and she also saw Bruce's predictions of her every reaction.
That understanding was sharper than any hostility.
"He monitored my combat suit in order to save people when I was controlled."
When Barbara said this sentence, her tone was no longer firm.
Lin Nuo raised his hand and flipped to the last page.
It recorded the action route of her father, James Gordon. If Barbara lost control, Bruce would use Director Gordon as a guiding target to lure her into a preset battlefield.
Barbara suddenly raised her head.
"He wouldn't use my father as bait."
"He has already written you into the contingency plan."
Lin Nuo turned off the projection, his gaze resting on her pale face.
"Bruce never trusts anyone, including you, his most trusted assistant. The only thing he believes in is the final resort he left behind."
Barbara struggled a bit, and the nano-restraints loosened accordingly. She landed on the ground, but did not immediately attack.
"I gave everything for him. He trained me, saved me, and made me believe that cape represented a certain bottom line."
She looked at the extinguished file, her voice suppressed very low.
"Yet he has always been preparing a plan to kill me?"
Selina stood aside, not uttering words to provoke her. She had also once sought countless reasons for Bruce, until all those reasons turned into tools directed against herself.
Lin Nuo placed a data chip on the console.
"The complete file is here, I don't have modification privileges. You can take it away, or go to the Fortress of Solitude yourself to ask him."
Barbara stared at the chip without reaching out.
"You captured me here just to let me see these?"
"I want Gotham's smartest woman to understand that if loyalty is not respected, it is merely a rope convenient for use."
Lin Nuo pressed the controller, and all the factory exits opened.
"You can leave at any time. If Bruce truly trusts you, he will explain why even your father is within the calculation range."
Deep within consciousness, a prompt visible only to Lin Nuo quietly emerged.
[Target Barbara Gordon's psychological defense line is loosening.]
[Snatch progress 20%.]
Barbara finally picked up the chip. Instead of leaving, she sat down in front of the server and began to verify every piece of raw data.
The further along the file went, the slower her movements became.
One segment of surveillance came from the backup probe outside the clock tower bedroom. Bruce recorded the emotional changes after she took off her mask, and also recorded the frequency of her contact with Dick.
Barbara turned off the screen, her knuckles turning white from the force.
[Snatch progress 35%.]
Suddenly, the sound of a vehicle crash rang out outside the factory. An unmanned armored transport vehicle broke through the blockade and stopped at the entrance.
The car door opened by itself; there was no driver inside, only an envelope stained with green dye.
Drawn on the front of the envelope was a grinning smile.
Just as Selina was about to step forward, Lin Nuo used the laws of reality to retrieve the envelope from afar. There were no explosives inside the paper, only a communication chip from Arkham hidden within.
After the chip was connected, the Joker's laughter spread throughout the factory.
"Mr. Lin Nuo, I have prepared a gift for you that even Batman couldn't bear to unpack."
Chapter 325: The Madman's Tribute, A Hunter Hiding In The Garden
The communication chip projected a blurry image.
Joker sat on the edge of the bed in the Arkham ward, his wrists still locked in restraint cuffs.
The wall behind him was covered in smiley faces, one of which had been painted purple.
"Don't rush to hang up. Gotham has recently changed Masters, so of course I should offer a token of sincerity to the new Master."
Joker leaned closer to the lens, the greasepaint unable to hide the excitement in his eyes.
"The masterpiece I cultivated should naturally be given to a stronger predator. Harley will like you; she has always lacked resistance to dangerous men."
Barbara looked at Lin Nuo, her previously wavering gaze turning guarded once more.
"Harley is not a piece of cargo. Every time Joker mentions a gift, a disaster follows right behind it."
Lin Nuo did not refute. He copied the communication signal to an independent circuit, blocking Arkham's tracking of the factory's location.
"What do you want to trade Harley for?"
"The lasso of truth."
Joker spread his hands, the restraint cuffs clashing together.
"Batman always hides the truth behind that mask. I want to hear him admit with his own mouth that every time he saves someone, he is looking forward to the next crime to prove his existence."
Barbara walked toward the communication console.
"Diana will not hand the lasso over to you. If Lin Nuo dares to steal it, Paradise Island will not continue to stand on his side either."
Joker sized her up through the screen, his laughter gradually growing shrill.
"Little Batman is here too. It seems big Batman lost his own child and is busy running off to save the World; how touching."
Barbara reached out to turn off the projection, but Lin Nuoblocked the termination command.
"Let him finish. A madman's conditions have no value, but choosing to contact me at this time shows that changes have already occurred inside Arkham."
Joker clapped his hands, and a gap split open in the ward wall accordingly.
Hidden inside were a red-and-black hair tie Harley used to wear and an underground blueprint of the GothamBotanical Garden.
"Harley left me, thinking she could cure that pitiful little head of hers. She is hiding beneath the botanical garden, playing house with that leafy old friend of hers."
Joker brought the blueprint close to the lens.
"Bring the lasso into Arkham, and I will tell you how to bypass the botanical garden's spore defense line. You will get Harley, and I will get an honest performance."
Lin Nuo pushed up his glasses.
"Deal. I will arrange for someone to confirm Harley's location, and the lasso will appear at the time you want."
Barbara turned her head sharply.
"You clearly know he wants to use the lasso of truth to destroy Bruce's will, and you're still planning to agree?"
"Agreeing to a madman and fulfilling a promise are two things without an inevitable connection."
Lin Nuo cut off the communication, and the chip instantly turned into grayish-white powder within the laws of reality.
"He only needs to believe the trade is established. Once he actively exposes the passage, the person passing messages for him in Arkham will naturally surface."
Selina picked up the underground blueprint.
The route on the paper avoided most of the surveillance, yet deliberately passed through the botanical garden's most dangerous greenhouse.
"This is a trap. Joker wants to make you and Pamela fight, and then take Harley away in the chaos."
Barbara reminded him coldly.
"Harley has shaken off Joker several times, and been dragged back by him just as many times. If you really want to use her, you'd better figure out who she is willing to trust right now first."
The sound of metal snapping came from the top of the factory.
Thick vines pierced through the roof, crushing a Star Umbrella monitor into pieces.
Green spores diffused accordingly, and the silver nano-filaments began to lose their activity after contacting the spores.
Selina drew her long whip and retreated to Barbara's side.
A red-haired woman descended along the vines into the factory.
She walked barefoot across the metal floor, tiny rootlets growing wherever she stepped.
Pamela did not look at Barbara, staring only at Lin Nuo.
"If you really dare to hand Harley over to that madman, I will make Star Umbrella grow poisonous mushrooms all over every building in Gotham."
Lin Nuo raised his hand to prevent the defense system from locking onto her.
"You showing up voluntarily proves that Harley is indeed in the botanical garden. At least half of the news Joker gave is true."
The vines behind Pamela bristled with spikes.
"She does not belong to Joker, nor will she belong to you. I want permanent control of the Gotham Botanical Garden; the ground, the groundwater system, and the surrounding areas that Star Umbrella is preparing to develop must all be handed over to me."
Barbara glanced at her.
"Pamela, are you planning to trade Harley for land?"
"I am using my own way to protect her."
Pamela's tone carried obvious hostility.
"After Star Umbrella took over Gotham, the botanical garden was listed in the reconstruction plan. Once the construction team digs open the underground experimental area, Harley won't even have a place to hide."
Lin Nuo brought up the city planning projection, and the periphery of the botanical garden was indeed marked as a medical park.
Pamela being able to bypass all peripheral equipment showed that she had long studied Star Umbrella's deployment.
"You want me to cancel the development plan and also acknowledge that the botanical garden belongs to you. In exchange, you will bring Harley to meet me?"
Pamela raised her hand, a crimson bud blooming in her palm.
"I will let her choose for herself. If you can make her stay, I will not interfere. If you control her like Joker does, the entire Gotham will be buried with you."
Selina heard the loophole in those words.
Pamela claimed she wouldn't interfere, yet she actively fought for a safe zone for Harley.
Her willingness to come before Lin Nuo already showed that Harley's weight in her heart was enough to be utilized.
Lin Nuo saw this point clearly as well.
Joker wanted to use Harley to get the lasso of truth.
Pamela wanted to use Harley to protect the botanical garden.
Both sides thought they held the most important bargaining chip, yet they ignored that Harley herself would also make a choice.
Lin Nuo closed the original plan and marked the botanical garden as an ecological reserve.
"Perimeter development can be stopped, and the underground area also belongs to your management. Star Umbrella retains environmental monitoring rights, and any toxins that might spread to residential areas must be dealt with in advance."
Pamela did not accept the electronic seal handed over.
"Conditions that are too clean often hide an even bigger appetite. What do you want to get from me?"
"Gotham's plant network."
Lin Nuo pointed at the city map.
"Your root system spreads throughout the sewage system and can find every secret passage buried by Joker. I want you to cut off Arkham's underground connection with the outside World, forcing him to use only the exit I left behind."
Pamela stared at the map, the vines slowly retracting their spikes.
"You promised to give him the lasso, but you want to seal off his retreat first. Once Harley walks out of the botanical garden, he will lose even the last rope pulling her."
"You don't like this result?"
Lin Nuo pushed the planning permissions in front of her.
Pamela pressed down her palm.
The rootlets invaded the console, confirming that the reserve order had entered Gotham's city system.
"I will bring Harley to see you. If she is not willing to stay, no one can stop her."
"Of course."
Lin Nuo agreed very readily.
Pamela turned and left, but the vines paused for a moment at the doorway.
"There is one more thing. Joker couldn't touch Arkham's external lines at all; someone intentionally delivered the communication chip into his hands."
The vines snatched away the underground blueprint and vanished with Pamela above the factory.
Barbara re-examined the signal residue, quickly finding a hidden purple frequency.
That energy was highly close to the star sapphire sample left behind by Carol.
"Someone knows you are analyzing the emotional spectrum, and deliberately pushed Joker, Harley, and Pamela together in front of you."
Lin Nuo looked in the direction of the botanical garden, the interest in his eyes deepening.
Joker wanted the truth, Pamela wanted territory, and Harley wanted to break free from past control.
The three demands conflicted with one another, yet all could become fulcrums to leverage relationships.
Deep within consciousness, two pieces of target information completed locking on one after another.
Lin Nuo took out the purple energy sample and fed it into the Kryptonian cell simulation device.
"Since someone has delivered a chess game, I will take the chessboard away as well."
Just as the device started up, the sunlight over Metropolisbegan to deflect.
The Kryptonian resonance rapidly decayed, and the crimson mark seized the opportunity to invade the fractures of the Time Stone.
The laboratory alarm pierced through the factory, and Ancient One's remote magic array abruptly unfolded before Lin Nuo.
"Stop the fusion! The mark of God has already begun to devour your authority over time!"
Chapter 326: Sun Crowned, Celestial Mark Shattered
Crimson patterns spread from the back of Lin Nuo's hand to the side of his neck.
The Time Stone hung in the center of the device, and green light fragments continuously dropped from the cracks.
As soon as every piece of light fragment touched the air, it would rapidly decay and eventually turn into dust devoid of rules.
The Ancient One's projection stood at the other end of the magic circle, her hands maintaining the Mirror Dimension.
"Bruce is using the Fortress of Solitude to change the stellar frequency received by Metropolis. Your Kryptonianresonance lost the support of the yellow Sun, and the mark left by Arishem the Judge seized the gap."
Cisco rushed to the console, bringing up global spectrum changes.
"The Sun itself has not changed. The fortress is creating a filter layer at high altitude, and the radiation received by Metropolis is shifting toward the red Sun frequency band."
Caitlin checked Lin Nuo's cell data, her expression gradually turning solemn.
"Your bio-field is decaying. If you continue to let the star sapphire sample enter the core, it may pollute the remaining authority together with God's mark."
Lin Nuo raised his hand and pressed against the device casing.
The yellow Sun conversion authority fell into a trough, and the six gemstone laws also experienced chain oscillations. The timing chosen by Bruce was extremely precise, right at the node where the star sapphire sample entered the core.
In the Fortress of Solitude, Bruce watched Lin Nuo's energy curve continuously decline.
The Kryptonian main control system provided a new evaluation.
"Target cell activity has decreased. Abnormal time energy is disintegrating, and the stellar modification plan has produced the expected effect."
Bruce did not deactivate the program.
"Continue to increase the filter layer power. Lin Nuo is good at turning enemy attacks into analytical samples, and I want to give him no time to adapt."
Metropolis was gradually covered by dark red light.
The Kryptonian cells inside Lin Nuo stopped charging, while the crimson mark continued to spread along the patterns of the Reality Stone. The fissure on the Time Stone was forcibly widened, and the green light was almost extinguished.
The Ancient One pressed the magic circle toward the core of the device.
"I can temporarily seal the Time Stone into the Mirror Dimension. You will lose this portion of authority, but at least you can save your body."
Lin Nuo looked at the disintegrating gemstone and did not accept her plan.
"Sealing will only leave the problem for the next time. Arishem the Judge can plant a mark, and the Celestials can use it to retarget the two Universes."
"That is still better than letting all laws collapse simultaneously."
There was less of her usual composure in the Ancient One's tone.
"You have always used greater power to resolve old injuries. After all, the body has a carrying limit, and this time there is no other Infinity Stone for you to swallow."
Lin Nuo suddenly took out the star sapphire sample and pressed it into the cracks of the Time Stone.
Caitlin immediately cut off the device's power, but the sample did not stop operating. The purple loop expanded on its own relying on Lin Nuo's emotional fluctuations, gradually wrapping around all the green cracks.
"star sapphire can maintain emotional connections, but it cannot repair the origin of the Universe."
Seeing that layer of purple light, the Ancient Oneimmediately realized Lin Nuo's true goal.
"You want to use it to stabilize the Time Stone's self-cognition."
The Time Stone possessed a complete history spanning past and future. The cracks destroyed its consistency across different time cross-sections, allowing God's mark to invade the core along the gap.
star sapphire energy could not reshape time, but it could connect the same obsession to all time nodes.
Lin Nuo tightened his five fingers, and the purple light began to retrace toward the gemstone's past state.
The crack briefly closed, only to be torn open again by the crimson mark.
Caitlin's newly raised hope vanished along with it.
"The energy is not enough. Without the yellow Sunmaintaining the Kryptonian resonance, you cannot even achieve a stable output of the sample."
Lin Nuo raised his head to look at the spectrum chart.
Bruce had locked down Metropolis, but he could not lock down the real Sun. That stellar filter net even marked all the conversion parameters of Kryptonian radiation for him.
"Who said I am going to stay on Earth to recharge?"
The Space Stone flickered with blue light, and a fissure leading to the stellar orbit appeared above the laboratory. As soon as the high temperature and radiation poured in, they were isolated by the reality barrier.
The Ancient One stepped forward.
"Your current body cannot withstand the stellar core. Once the space channel is disturbed by God's mark, you will be trapped within the Sun's gravitational range."
"That is why I need Bruce's filtering data."
Lin Nuo pressed Metropolis's red Sun frequency band into his left hand, and guided the original yellow Sun frequency band toward his right hand.
"The difference between the two radiations has already completed the final calibration for me."
He stepped into the space fissure, and his figure disappeared from the laboratory.
The next moment, Lin Nuo stood within the plasma torrent on the surface of the Sun.
Stellar matter surged beneath his feet, and energy sufficient to incinerate a fleet continuously impacted the reality barrier. Lin Nuo did not expand a larger defense; instead, he actively withdrew the outer-layer laws.
Golden radiation pierced through his body.
The Kryptonian cells reawakened after nearing depletion, and every cell transformed into a conversion node for stellar energy. The yellow Sun authority no longer attached to a single organ, beginning to penetrate all law structures.
The Fortress of Solitude issued a harsh alarm.
Bruce saw that the originally declining energy curve suddenly rose vertically. The filter layer was still operating, but Lin Nuo had already bypassed it, directly connecting to the main body of the Sun.
"Shut down the stellar modification, activate the Kryptonitematrix."
Bruce pressed the backup command, and the Kryptoniteradiation stored in the fortress shot toward the stellar orbit along the satellite channel.
When the green beam hit Lin Nuo, dark patterns briefly appeared on his skin. God's mark seized the opportunity to contract, concentrating all decaying power onto his chest.
Seeing this scene through the eye of agamotto, the Ancient One's magic circle almost lost stability in her hands.
Arishem the Judge's crimson brand transformed into a huge phantom, attempting to strip the six origin laws from Lin Nuo's body.
The star sapphire sample completed the closed loop at this moment.
The complete past, present, and future states of the Time Stone were connected simultaneously. The crack lost its historical basis for existence and began to recede from all time cross-sections.
Lin Nuo raised his right hand and grabbed that crimson phantom.
"You left it behind to wait for me to weaken."
Stellar energy poured into the mark along his arm, and the Kryptonian cells transformed the violent radiation into a stable bio-field. Meanwhile, the star sapphire loop firmly locked Lin Nuo's absolute dominance over his own power.
"Unfortunately, Bruce found the most suitable furnace for me."
The crimson phantom was dragged out of the core.
The legal structure left by Arishem the Judge attempted to self-destruct, but it was fixed by the Time Stone at the moment before disintegration. The Reality authority then rewrote its energy attributes, transforming the decay into absorbable stellar particles.
The mark shattered completely.
The Time Stone became complete again, the green light intertwining with the golden torrent on the surface of the Sun. The Kryptonite beam was still continuously irradiating, but it could no longer suppress Lin Nuo's cells.
The evaluation interface of the Fortress of Solitudereported errors one after another.
"Target has adapted to Kryptonite radiation. Target stellar conversion efficiency cannot be determined, and all existing suppression plans have failed."
Bruce stared at the screen without moving his gaze.
He finally understood that his stellar modification had not weakened Lin Nuo. The radiation difference provided by that plan instead completed the final gap in the Kryptonianauthority.
With a single step, Lin Nuo appeared in the hall of the Fortress of Solitude.
Behind him, the golden torrent on the surface of the Sunwas still reflected, and his white shirt left no burn marks. The green Kryptonite matrix hung around him, and the light falling on him left only a faint warmth.
Bruce raised his arm, but the armor did not launch an attack.
"You intentionally endured the filter layer to make me expose all the complete data of the red Sun and the yellow Sun."
"You always like to prepare a last resort."
Lin Nuo walked to the Kryptonian main control console and raised his hand to turn off the stellar modification.
"This time, your contingency plan saved me."
The Ancient One's projection appeared above the fortress. Looking at the closed time laws inside Lin Nuo's body, she remained silent for a long time before speaking.
"He has already exceeded the scope that Earth can balance."
Lin Nuo raised his eyes, and the prompts in the depths of his consciousness sounded simultaneously.
[God's decay mark has been eliminated.]
[Yellow Sun infinite charging loop established, Kryptoniteradiation immunity complete.]
Chapter 327: Return of the Power Ring, Love Begins to Stray
Bruce did not respond to the warning from the Kryptonianmain control system.
He shut down the stellar terraforming plan and transmitted the coordinates of the Apocalypse Protocol to his private terminal.
Before the screen went dark, Lin Nuo saw an unfamiliar black emblem.
"You even prepared a new contingency plan."
Lin Nuo did not stop him, only pushing up his gold-rimmed glasses.
"Go back to Gotham. If you continue to stay here, when Clark comes back, I'm afraid he won't even recognize his own Fortress."
Bruce put away his terminal, his gaze sweeping over the fully restored Time Stone.
"You turn everyone else's emotions, power, and trust into tools. One day, you will also become a part of those tools."
"That sounds very reasonable."
Lin Nuo walked into the spatial portal with a faint smile at the corners of his lips.
"It's a pity that the person who saved my life just now happens to be Batman, who is best at suspecting me."
The portal closed within the Fortress of Solitude.
Bruce stood before the extinguished Kryptonite matrix, his fingers slowly tightening.
What he found most unacceptable was not failure, but that his own contingency plan had once again become a stepping stone for Lin Nuo to climb higher.
Inside S.T.A.R. Labs in Central City, Carol had already shut down the violet lantern simulation device.
She watched Lin Nuo step out from the blue light gate, her gaze falling on the scar-free back of his hand.
The crimson patterns there had vanished, leaving only a faint purple glow formed by star sapphire energy.
"You took my sample near the Sun without authorization."
Carol crossed her arms, her tone carrying obvious dissatisfaction.
"That energy established a connection with you. If the Godmark contaminates the star sapphire along the circuit, I will be affected as well."
"So the first thing I did after coming back was to return the control to you."
Lin Nuo pressed the abort button, and the purple sample inside the device flew out on its own, stopping in front of Carol.
"You can take it back, or you can delete all analytical data. I need your power, but that doesn't mean I can make decisions for you."
Carol reached out and caught the sample.
The questioning she had originally prepared suddenly lost its outlet. Every time Hal left Earth, he would always end the argument with the sentence "This is the mission of the Green Lantern Corps".
Yet Lin Nuo placed research results capable of rewriting the emotional spectrum right in front of her, letting her decide whether to continue.
The sound of energy impacts came from outside the laboratory.
A green barrier suppressed the entrance, and Hal Jordan walked through the damaged security door.
His battle suit had not yet been repaired, and a tear caused by their previous clash still remained on his shoulder.
The green power ring swept over Lin Nuo, immediately projecting a red warning.
"Carol, step away from that device. Oa has confirmed that Lin Nuo is replicating the emotional spectrum, and he will turn you into the next weapon."
Hal raised his ring, and green constructs sealed off the laboratory exit.
"I will take you back to Ferris Aircraft. Once the Corps deals with the Earth threat, we can talk about other matters."
Carol glanced at the green barrier blocking the doorway.
"You just came back, and you didn't even ask what I went through. You already decided where I should go for me, and you call this protection."
"There is no time to argue about feelings right now."
Hal stared at Lin Nuo, his ring continuously increasing its output.
"This man defeated me, drained the Flash's Speed Force, and made the Justice League turn against each other. If you stay here, you could be utilized by him at any moment."
The star sapphire in Carol's palm flickered with purple light.
"My staying on Earth is a choice I made. You came back from Oa just to repeat your own orders once more?"
A trace of hesitation appeared on Hal's expression.
He had rushed into cosmic battlefields countless times and could maintain his willpower before entities of fear. Yet Carol's questioning had no clear enemy, leaving his ring unable to find a target to shatter.
"I am a Green Lantern; responsibility outweighs personal feelings."
Hal suppressed his emotions, and his tone grew firm once again.
"A war could erupt in the Universe at any time. I cannot abandon my Corps duties for any single person, and you should understand this."
Carol looked at him, the anger in her eyes actually fading instead.
That sentence was far too familiar.
When Ferris Aircraft was on the verge of crisis, Hal was executing a mission. When she was chosen by the star sapphire and fell out of control, Hal was still handling a war in a distant sector.
Every time he came back, he would give the exact same correct answer.
Lin Nuo walked to Carol's side, yet he did not touch the star sapphire in her hand.
"With love power this strong, why waste it on someone who always puts universal peace before you?"
Hal abruptly twisted his ring.
Green chains passed through the console, wrapping toward Lin Nuo's arms. Lin Nuo did not dodge, letting the construct clasp his wrists.
"Don't turn her feelings into a weapon to drive a wedge between us."
Hal pressed forward, fury suppressed in his eyes.
"What I protect is not just her, but the entire sector. If Carolis willing to calm down, she will understand my choice."
Lin Nuo lowered his eyes to look at the chains.
"What you call understanding is letting her continue to wait. She runs a company, bears risks, and has to prove she is understanding enough when you need solace."
Carol's purple light abruptly expanded.
The green chains were severed by the star sapphire, and the ring constructs turned into fragments. Hal was forced to retreat, a layer of disbelief added to the look he directed at Carol.
"You attacked me with the star sapphire?"
"I am stopping you from making decisions for me."
Carol stepped in front of Lin Nuo, a purple shield enveloping them both.
"You always say the Corps needs you, the Universe needs you. But you have never once asked whether I am still willing to stay in place."
Hal clenched his fists, yet the green power ring did not activate again.
The ring could mold willpower into a weapon, but it could not help him repair that rift accumulated over many years. If he forcefully took Carol away, it would only prove that Lin Nuo was even more right.
"When Lin Nuo reveals his true purpose, you will regret today's choice."
Hal withdrew the blockade, and the damaged battle suit re-covered his shoulder.
"At that time, I will still come to save you. Because my responsibility will not vanish with your mistakes."
Carol closed her eyes, the purple light in her palm gently vibrating.
Hal still defined her choice as a mistake, and also treated future rescues as his taken-for-granted leniency.
The laboratory doors opened once again.
Hal rushed into the night sky, and the green light quickly disappeared above Central City.
Carol did not chase after him, only returning the star sapphire sample to Lin Nuo's hands.
"Research can continue, but the complete data must be open to me. Any experiments involving the star sapphirecore must first obtain my permission."
"Of course."
Lin Nuo did not seize the opportunity to get closer, only pushing the highest authority to her terminal.
"Your willingness to stay is the premise of cooperation. If one day you want to leave, I will not bind you with cosmic responsibility."
Carol looked at the permission page, and the sense of tightness in her chest slowly loosened.
Lin Nuo did not promise permanent companionship, nor did he demand an immediate response from her. It was precisely this restraint that made Hal's previous toughness appear exceptionally glaring.
Deep within her consciousness, a line of prompts emerged.
[ Carol Ferris interception progress increased to 45%. ]
Selina's encrypted communication connected at this moment.
The footage came from deep within Wayne Manor. Brucewalked alone into the underground Base, and a black armor covered in Apocalypse metal was slowly rising from the storage pod.
Selina's voice lacked its usual levity.
"Lin Nuo, Bruce is preparing to load himself into the very last bullet."
Beneath Wayne Manor, that black armor carved all over with magic runes opened its eyes.
Chapter 328: Armoring Up for the Apocalypse, the Knight Stakes Everything
The crimson glow illuminated the underground Base.
Bruce stood before the containment pod, removing his damaged tactical armor.
Mechanical arms unfolded the Apocalypse metal, layer by layer covering his arms and back.
Alfred walked over from the lift.
Seeing the protocol details on the main control screen, the old man stopped outside the safety line.
The energy structure of the Apocalypse armor had already exceeded the range that Wayne Tech could stably control.
"Sir, when this armor was last activated, it nearly swallowed half the Base's power."
Alfred plugged a medical probe into the console.
"You forced the mother box fragment, Kryptonite reactor, and magic runes together. They are only willing to cooperate temporarily, and your body will bear the cost."
"Lin Nuo is already immune to Kryptonite and can directly obtain energy from the Sun."
Bruce brought up the Fortress of Solitude records, feeding Lin Nuo's stellar conversion curve into the armor core.
"Conventional methods have failed. The Apocalypseprotocol will reorganize its attack methods based on his rule fluctuations, and this is the last variable I can control."
The armor's chest slowly closed.
The green Kryptonite reactor was wrapped in Apocalypsemetal, with golden runes from Dr. Fate's database appearing on the outside.
The two forces repelled each other, but were forcibly maintained in a critical state by the mother box fragment.
Alfred saw the hidden command at the bottom of the screen.
"You have also connected to Gotham's Star Umbrellafacilities. If the armor's life signal drops to zero, those buildings will enter a self-destruct program."
"Self-destruction only targets drones, servers, and energy nodes."
Bruce put on the interface gloves, confirming that the evacuation system was running.
"I will not harm Gotham citizens, but I will not hand the city over to him intact either. If Star Umbrella wants to take over Gotham, it must first lose every tentacle it has thrust into here."
Alfred pressed down on the startup panel.
"This is no longer a contingency plan, Sir. You intend to disappear together with Lin Nuo, yet you haven't left yourself a return path."
Bruce was silent for a moment, looking up at the tall black armor.
"I can lose, but Gotham cannot be ruled by a tyrant."
"You have lost before too."
Alfred did not step aside, his voice remaining steady.
"When Dick left, when Jason had his accident, when the League rejected your contingency plan, you believed you had lost control. But what you finally did was stand back up, not treating death as the answer."
Bruce bypassed him, pressing his palm print onto the core.
"Lin Nuo will learn from every attack. The more time he gets, the less power Earth will have to resist him."
The containment pod opened completely.
The black armor was much taller than ordinary battle suits, its shoulders deploying anti-teleportation anchors.
magic runes flowed along the edges of the armor plates, while the mother box fragment continuously repaired cracks caused by energy conflicts.
A low prompt came from inside the armor.
"Apocalypse protocol loaded. Pilot survival probability is below safety standards."
Bruce entered the armor, neural interfaces piercing the back of his neck.
Severe pain spread along his spine, and his vision split accordingly. Every street in Gotham, every Wayne satellite, and Star Umbrella's deployment positions appeared before his eyes simultaneously.
"Shut down survival evaluation."
Bruce clenched his fists, and the armor's five fingers closed accordingly.
"Lock onto Lin Nuo."
At the other end of the underground Base, hidden surveillance was transmitting images outward.
Selina sat before the control console in the old industrial area, her fingertips hovering over the communication key.
She had once stolen the backup keys for this Base from Bruce, but never thought she would use it to monitor him.
The armor in the image reminded her of many years ago.
Bruce at that time had likewise refused to back down. Covered in wounds, he still insisted on walking alone into Gotham's most dangerous alleys, as if anyone following would be swallowed by his darkness.
Lin Nuo's voice came from the communicator.
"Send me the underlying permissions of the Apocalypseprotocol."
Selina made no move.
"That is the final defense line Bruce left for himself. You have already cracked his satellites and Kryptonian scheme; do you still need me to dismantle the armor for you?"
"I need to confirm its attack structure."
Looking at the transmitted surveillance footage, Lin Nuo's tone did not change.
"Bruce connected Apocalypse technology with magicrunes, so the possibility of the armor going out of control is very high. If you want him to live, don't let the outcome drag on until the core collapses."
Selina's fingers fell beside the key.
She knew Lin Nuo was right. The Apocalypse armor was continuously eroding Bruce's neural signals, and every energy pulse could become the last.
But if she handed over the permissions, it would be equivalent to personally opening Bruce's defense line.
The Base screen suddenly skewed.
Bruce used the armor's master control to reversely lock onto the surveillance. He did not cut off the signal, only routing the communication inside his mask into Selina's terminal.
"You are watching."
Selina stiffened, then leaned back into her seat.
"You have to leave a camera even for your final battle. What, preparing to have me organize your last words?"
"I know the old key is in your hands."
Bruce's voice, processed through the armor, sounded cold and heavy.
"Lin Nuo will ask you to hack the shield. If you still remember what Gotham once meant to you, don't help him complete the final step."
Selina stared at the screen.
"You knew long ago that the key hadn't expired, yet you still left it with me. Bruce, are you trusting me, or are you planning to use me to test Lin Nuo?"
There was a brief silence inside the armor.
Bruce avoided her gaze, shifting master control permissions to the weapons system. That pause had already given Selina the answer she was least willing to accept.
"You're still the same as ever."
Selina let out a laugh, but there was no smile in the depths of her eyes.
"Even trust has to be made into a trap. If I choose wrong, you can prove that your suspicions were never wrong."
"I don't have time to comfort you."
Bruce activated the armor thrusters, and the underground Base began to shake.
"Leave the Star Umbrella control area. When the battle starts, that place will become the first target."
Selina cut off the communication, but her fingers were trembling slightly.
Bruce was still ordering her to leave, still using the crudest way to remind her of danger. She used to hate this kind of control, but she also understood that it was his rare form of care.
Alfred stood below the launch platform, looking up at the armor.
"Sir, Gotham needs Batman. If you insist on treating yourself as a weapon today, even if Lin Nuo disappears, this city will lose its final baseline."
Bruce deployed the anti-gravity wings.
"If I don't come back, hand Batcave permissions over to Barbara. Tell her that Director Gordon in the contingency plan was merely a simulation target, and I never prepared to actually execute it."
Alfred's expression sank.
"You should tell her these words yourself."
"Then wait for me to come back."
The launch platform opened upward, and the night sky appeared above the armor.
Selina finally copied the underlying keys, but did not send them. She plugged the permissions into her own terminal, then issued a warning to Lin Nuo.
"He is coming for you. The Apocalypse armor can isolate spatial teleportation, and is also prepared to destroy all of Star Umbrella's nodes in Gotham."
Lin Nuo stood on the roof of the old industrial area, looking up towards the manor.
The clouds were torn apart by black energy.
Bruce piloted the Apocalypse armor rushing out of the underground Base, the Kryptonite muzzle crossing the Gotham urban area, firmly locking onto the building where Lin Nuo was located.
The first green beam fused with magic runes had already crashed down from the night sky.