Chapter 1730

The deep surface of Apokolips is composed of layers upon layers of nested laboratories and factories. It is a massive assembly line for the mass production of biochemical and mechanical cyborgs, and simultaneously the backbone of Apokolips' practical scientific research production, as it possesses an almost inexhaustible supply of experimental materials.

Apokolips can be considered the civilization with the deepest research into intelligent life in this universe. Unlike other planets that plunder wealth and resources through war, the evil New Gods have always been searching for a way to control the entire universe.

Note, it is control, not rule. The New Gods do not trust rule; they believe that only when everything is completely under their own control can it be called the most perfect rule. Everything Darkseid does on Apokolips is to figure out what the essence of life in this universe truly is.

Darkseid has an inextricable connection with the Anti-Life Equation. Although he does not possess the Omega Effect right now, in comic book lore, Darkseid has a miraculous fatalism with this power; until he truly masters it, no one can kill him.

The vast majority of experiments on the deep surface revolve around intelligent life, so some of them are extremely cruel and evil, with body modification and mind control being the most prominent.

When the Female Furies, led by Big Barda, arrived in the eerie area of the deep surface, she knew that this incident was definitely not simple, because this entire area had been raining.

Apokolips has no climate change at all, because it is completely unnecessary. This is not a naturally occurring planet; it stands alone like an orphan abandoned by the universe, and the life born on this planet does not even know what rain is.

But the members of the Female Furies know, because they do not just come from Apokolips. Granny Goodness has established orphanages on various planets throughout the universe, where she selects talented children for training; the members of the Female Furies come from all over the universe.

Big Barda is a strong woman wearing a horned warrior helmet. Standing outside this dark area, she clenched her weapon, looked downward, and saw damp traces at the bottom of the dilapidated wreckage of the experimental park's gate.

She stepped forward and knelt down, touching the unknown mucus with her gloved hand. Big Barda narrowed her eyes slightly, then stood up again, and said to the team members behind her in a rough voice, "Be careful, this place is unusual."

"Is Lashina dead?" A colder voice came. Big Barda looked back; it was the Female Fury member known as Stompa, her eyes filled with nothing but naked, icy killing intent.

Most of the Female Furies are like this; they have been completely brainwashed into tools for slaughter. But Big Barda, the most clear-headed among them, had a bad premonition, because she felt that the trouble in the eerie area before her could not be solved by force alone.

Stepping through the park gate and continuing inward, to Big Barda's surprise, they soon saw living creatures. It was an alien with dark brown skin. He originally had four arms, but now countless tentacles protruded from his abdominal cavity, replacing his limbs, carrying his upper body as he crawled rapidly away along the wall.

With a "swish," a flash of blade light struck out. Among the Female Furies, the dual-blade-wielding Gilotina stepped forward, and the monster crawling along the wall was slashed to pieces.

"Weak, damn it." Gilotina spat out two words.

Big Barda stepped forward again to investigate. She shook her head and said, "It was a former researcher; perhaps something went wrong with the experiment."

Heading into the dark interior of the laboratory, they encountered more similar monsters, but most were not a match for them. These monsters were strangely fragile, but an ominous premonition gradually spread in the hearts of the Female Furies.

Taking a step into the laboratory hall, an incredibly eerie scene appeared. What appeared before them was not the laboratory hall with all its lights extinguished, but a small town swept by a pitch-black wind.

On the distant pier, the light of the fishing port lighthouse was hidden in the thick fog. The figures of sailors swayed in the mist, and the sound of misfortune coming from afar told the prayers of people mourning the sunken ship.

"Damn it, we seem to be late." Harley looked at the empty house and said, "According to the intelligence we just investigated, this should be the place where that Mantis usually trains. Where is he?"

Spider-Man looked left and right and said, "I don't sense any danger. It seems that the so-called Darkseid reacted faster than us; he has already sent all his subordinates out."

Harley gritted her teeth and stomped her foot, saying, "I originally wanted to see if Batman could control them; these are excellent thugs... Forget it, since that's the case, it proves that the enemy's defensive strength is weak. To the laboratory!"

Everyone understood Harley's meaning. Originally, they wanted to protect the people, the property, and the data all at once. Now the people were gone, but there was also an advantage: it was easier to protect property and data that no one was watching. If you don't move it now, when will you?

Several people snatched a small transport plane from the vehicle depot next to the training ground and sped toward the nearest research building. Although there were countless guards in the core, without the powerful New Gods, the remaining small fries were simply no match for this group of people.

Spider-Man used his webs to stick to the shuttle, swinging a gorgeous arc in the air and kicking away an incoming guard. Damian drove the shuttle, swerving left and right, and with a "bang," pressed the acceleration button. The tail flame erupted rapidly, leaving all pursuers behind, turning into a stream of light that disappeared on the horizon.

After arriving at the laboratory, Harley acted entirely as a camera. There was no need to take away any data; as long as she took a look, there would naturally be a whole planet of genius scientists helping her record and analyze it.

The remaining few people went full throttle, giving Harley all the research project data they could find to look over. Spider-Man and Damian both had top-notch hacking skills. Even if the programs and equipment were different from those on Earth, after the scientists of the entire Earth in another universe performed rapid decryption, they successfully hacked into the laboratory's research data storage equipment and obtained a massive amount of experimental reports and documents.

Unlike the deep surface, the laboratories in the core were mainly responsible for collecting and analyzing data. The experimental projects arranged in the core tended toward high-end, mostly high-end theoretical research and conjectures, which was exactly what Harley and the scientists of the Marvel Universe needed.

And Loki, who had originally come to check the situation, arrived at the perfect time. The New Gods of the DC Universe had similarities to the Asgardian gods; they also possessed powerful divine power, extremely robust physiques, and advanced technology, but the technological path they took was completely different from Asgard's.

As mentioned before, the armor worn by Kanto and others were all creations of Apokolips technology. But because Kanto's own level was not high, or rather, he was too confident in his own abilities, the armor on his body did not show many unique properties. However, judging from some research data obtained from the laboratory, the New Gods chose to use technology to strengthen their already powerful bodies.

Loki stroked his chin and said, "Asgard once wanted to take this path; the powerful weapons forged by the All-Father for himself are proof. But you saw the result; even Thor once valued one of his divine artifacts too much, forgetting that the Aesir themselves are the strongest weapons."

"Later, Asgard only used the technology it developed as logistical support and transportation tools. This forced the warriors of the Aesir to seek within, exercising their bodies to adapt to everything in the universe, because they knew that tools would not provide them with protection."

"A development path completely opposite to humans." Stark shook his head and said, "But you can't say that humans are so weak because they rely on tools, and your strength is not just because you don't take the path of using tools."

"Indeed." Loki rolled his eyes slightly at him, but still said, "But if you rely on the protection of external objects in your thinking, you cannot fully release the fighting spirit within your heart. I don't know how this guy called Darkseid forges powerful armor for his subordinates while also making them unafraid of death?"

"This is a logic that is easy to understand. In this world, there is no armor that cannot be broken. And once the armor they think is invincible is broken on the battlefield, they will definitely have thoughts of running away."

"I think it's mind control." Reed interjected again. All his subordinates were brainwashed, not the belief-based brainwashing, but truly influencing their common sense and concepts from a mental level, making them believe from the bottom of their hearts that dying for their god and emperor is an honor.

"An enhanced version of Asgard's Valhalla." Loki said expressionlessly.

Just as Harley and the others were looting the defenseless core of Apokolips, the situation on Apokolips underwent subtle changes.

Desaad, nervous that he might be punished by Darkseid, could finally no longer tolerate the vanguard troops that had been slow to send back good news. He decided to go to the battlefield himself to find out, and also brought along the most powerful Parademons. Accompanying him was another of Darkseid's sons.

Granny Goodness made the same decision. The Female Furies had been out of contact for a long time; this was a good opportunity for her to share in Desaad's glory, and she absolutely could not miss it. So, she took her Dog Cavalry and the trained interns to head to the place where the signal was last sent back.

That was on the deep surface of Apokolips, where both sides had last sent back signals. Since then, the channel had been silent.

But faster than them was Darkseid.

Apokolips was truly his house. He didn't care at all about the pets he kept in the house, but now someone was hammering away at his walls. How could this tyrant tolerate such a provocation?

Darkseid, the eternal emperor and god of Apokolips, the universe's number one tyrant—when this incomparably powerful New God descended onto the battlefield, the rain stopped.

Batman and Doomsday Joker, who were in a standoff, looked up in unison. A powerful sense of oppression struck instantly. Without a doubt, Darkseid was the strongest enemy they had ever faced, so strong that he could interrupt the duel between Batman and Joker.

Darkseid, floating in mid-air, looked at the corpses all over the ground and the familiar power fluctuations coming from Doomsday, and he was truly enraged.

The force field of the entire Apokolips converged at one point, and incomparably violent power crushed the entire space. Little Bruce and Helen, who had turned into Doomsday, retreated in unison, staring fixedly at the highly threatening figure in mid-air.

When Harley and her group arrived, they saw exactly this scene. Just as Spider-Man and Damian both showed expressions of horror, Harley's gaze fell on Damian's cape.

A tiny, inconspicuous black dot at the collar was flickering with a faint light. Harley revealed a smile, placed her hand on the Necronomicon, and whispered, "The insurance measures we arranged in advance are about to arrive."

And in the cabin of the spaceship, Constantine stood in the center of a magic circle filled with holy power runes, gently tossed the lit lighter from his hand, and whispered, "The deal is done."

The pitch-black storm was still spreading, and the power of the powerful New God's rage tore apart everything in this space. Darkseid was wantonly releasing his power, because he knew that no one could match him.

The fully activated Apokolips force field completely dispelled the influence brought by Gotham. Without a stage, Batman and Joker's duel was interrupted, and the root-level influence on this world had been reduced to a minimum.

At this moment, a pair of blood-red eyes lit up in the depths of the storm.

When that pitch-black figure appeared again, his pitch-black cape fluttered wildly in the storm. He stepped out a path of darkness amidst the wild dance of power turbulence, and his low, hoarse voice sounded again.

"Darkseid, give my child back to me."

Darkseid looked closely, only to see a suit of black-red armor like blood and a pair of eyes boiling with killing intent.

At the same time, another dazzling light appeared behind Darkseid. When he turned to look, he saw only endless holy light and a pair of blue eyes as clear and cold as a polar storm.

When He descended, people only heard one sentence.

"Don't be afraid, child."