Chapter 3970: MU — The Super-Body Major Incident (Sixty-One)

"There's still one most troublesome problem right now." Main Universe Batman said, "We're playing an away game, which means we have zero foundation on the opponent's turf. All equipment and energy also need to be self-supplied. Equipment is easy enough to say, can be transported directly through the portal, but energy probably has to be exchanged through the exchange system. The current exchange rate isn't optimistic at all."

The other Batmen also began discussing this issue. Actually, looking purely at the numbers right now, the exchange rate isn't bad, roughly 1:3 to 1:4, meaning one portion of DC energy can exchange for 3 to 4 portions of Marvel energy. It looks very profitable, but in reality it's completely not like that.

The DC side's universe is too young. Since the New 52 began, the universe hasn't experienced any major events, so there hasn't been any power level increase, and it's been in a state of currency deflation. And the cost of magical energy on this side is significantly higher than next door, it's all penny for penny, one portion of cost can only exchange for one portion of energy.

Whereas on the Marvel side, there are many roaming cosmic demons, the universe's own power level is higher than DC's, and mages can also obtain energy by force, getting three or four portions of energy without having to pay much cost. So this exchange rate is reasonable.

It's just that if we're going to war, it's still a loss. Because our side's energy is hard to come by, and the other side's energy isn't valuable. Exchanging over there would not only cause our side to have no energy to use, but might also trigger inflation next door. The universe administrators over there probably wouldn't allow it.

Batwoman thought for a moment and said: "We still can't rely entirely on exchange, it'd be best to get some locally. Since their universe's mages can steal, we can steal too, right?"

"The key is how to steal." Great Adventure Batman said, "The other side definitely won't allow us to steal randomly, and those demons next door aren't pushovers either. Just because their mages can beat them doesn't mean our mages can beat them. If we lose, that's losing the wife and losing the troops."

"If stealing by force is difficult, we can also swindle." Main Universe Batman said, "Back in magic school we all learned, contracted things actually have a lot of room for manipulation. Swindling some energy as startup capital isn't impossible."

"That works. But we're tied up preparing for war and can't leave. Wonder Woman and Superman don't seem too good at this kind of thing either. Who should we send?"

Main Universe Batman looked silently at everyone. Great Adventure Batman crossed his arms, saying with some disbelief: "You're not serious, are you?"

"The thoughts in your head are a bit impolite." Batwoman put it more bluntly, "I know your starting point is good, but don't set off just yet."

"Constantine, without a doubt." Main Universe Batman still spoke that name, he said, "Besides him, there's really no one more skilled at this kind of thing, right?"

What could the Batmen say? Constantine's ability was naturally no problem, otherwise he wouldn't have played the multiverse's mystical beings around in circles. He himself couldn't be said to be unscathed, but he's living just fine, which is enough to show his skill.

But this person is really too unruly and unrestrained. It's fine in his own universe, but if thrown into the neighboring universe, wouldn't it cause our side's reputation to plummet?

"John is reliable when it comes to serious business." Main Universe Batman said, "And as far as I know, those few who frequently show their faces in the other universe aren't his type. And if he goes into the universe to find demons, he shouldn't disturb anyone either."

"And we're not letting him go alone, just give him a teammate who can focus on completing the mission. When the time comes, even if he wants to go do something else, he'll be dragged back."

Ring ring! Ring ring!

The phone on the coffee table rang violently, nearly shaking over the wine bottle. White little pills also danced on the table, stirring up fine dust. A slightly weathered hand reached out from the mountain of clothes on the sofa, trembling as it grabbed the phone, pressed a button, then threw it away.

With a bang, it smashed right onto the cabinet by the front door. The figure entering through the door paused for a moment, then walked forward and picked up the phone.

"Batman called you over 80 times." A voice came from the doorway.

"Tell him to go to hell." The person on the sofa grumbled, rolled over, pulled a jacket over their head, and kept sleeping.

The figure quickly walked into the room. This was a very dilapidated small apartment, the living room probably only twenty square meters, squeezing in a sofa and a coffee table was a stretch. On the sofa was an unidentified creature covered in clothes, and the coffee table was full of wine bottles and pills. There were also some unidentified ashes in the sofa, and the room was filled with smoke smell and a stench similar to sesame oil.

A hand picked up the bottle containing the pills and looked at it.

"Painkillers? You still take this?" The other's voice carried a hint of contempt. The half-asleep Constantine finally realized this was a stranger's voice. He jerked awake, frantically threw off the clothes on him, and turned his head to look in the direction of the figure.

"Shit." Constantine cursed, sat up from the sofa, rubbed his eyes hard, knocked on his forehead, and looked at the figure standing by the living room window backlit, "Am I really not dreaming? Or has time gone wrong again? Shiler, how the fuck are you here, and so young?!"

"I'm not the one you know." Shiler said lightly. He leaned against the window sill, unhurriedly fished out a cigarette from his pocket and clamped it in his mouth, then threw his ID onto the coffee table.

The wrinkles on Constantine's face all scrunched together. He picked up the ID, looked at it, and swore again, then said: "You're actually a fucking cop?! I really haven't woken up!"

He tossed the ID aside, reached out to touch the pills, then discovered the bottle containing the pills was gone. He reached a hand toward Shiler and said: "Give me back my meds."

"I'm not here to arrest you." Shiler suddenly said.

"Right, but that's only because I haven't committed a crime. As soon as I show the slightest criminal tendency, you'll immediately cuff me. Damn blue-skinned dog!"

"What I mean is, I'm not here to arrest you, but I still showed you my ID, why do you think that is?"

"Good lord, can you not act like Holmes? Oh wait, I got it wrong, you're Scotland Yard." Constantine shook his head.

No sooner had his voice fallen than a pitch-black gun muzzle pressed directly against his forehead. Constantine immediately raised both hands and said: "Okay, you're police, you have a gun. I got it. What do you want with me?"

"I said, Batman called you dozens of times and you didn't pick up."

Constantine made that fed-up expression again. "Come on, answering his calls isn't my obligation. Who does he think I am? His blue-eyed little sidekick? Having to pour out our hearts to each other even in bed?"

"He has a mission for you." Shiler holstered the gun, took out a letter from his pocket, and threw it onto the coffee table in front.

Constantine let out a long sigh, picked up the letter, opened it to read, and the more he read the tighter his brow furrowed, then he reached a hand toward Shiler. Shiler tossed him a cigarette. Constantine clamped it in his mouth, used magic to light it, took a deep drag, and while exhaling thick smoke said: "Not easy to handle, partner."

"If it were easy would they need you to handle it? You think every Batman is willing to embarrass themselves in the neighboring world?"

Constantine suddenly laughed, grinned and said in a slightly muffled tone: "Oh, yes, our precious Bruce. I'm his pride, right?"

"More nonsense and I'll record this and send it to Joker. Hurry up and get dressed, then get lost." Shiler turned and went outside.

Constantine put on his clothes in a few moves, then threw on his trench coat, gathered the pills on the table into his hand, stuffed them into his pocket, then went to the cabinet next to it and rummaged out a huge pile of messy stuff, nearly a sack's worth. But he waved his hand, and the stuff quickly disappeared.

He also fished out a tattered piece of paper from the side, scribbled a few lines with a pen, threw it on the coffee table, and walked toward the door.

Shiler stood in the corridor waiting for him. When Constantine walked out, he got a clear look at his appearance. He couldn't help but look a couple more times, then said: "Honestly, you looked better older. Of course this isn't bad either, but it doesn't have the bearing of an elder."

Shiler rolled a massive white eye at him where not even the eyeballs were visible, then said: "Time is tight and the mission is heavy, if you keep yapping I'll have to let you experience what a real cop is."

Constantine grinned and laughed again, but at least he went downstairs quickly. The two passed through the Doujie portal and arrived at the Marvel side's Central Universe, but they didn't come to Earth. Because of the existence of the magic defense network, no outside beings can teleport directly to Earth, even visitors from Doujie are the same.

Their landing point was in the mixed Centaurus. This is the second busiest place in the universe, the first being near the Great Portal. But because the three great empires recently suffered heavy blows, they're basically under full martial law, only this three-no-man's-land maintains its former bustle.

However, there isn't any highly developed civilization here, mostly camps built by space pirates and middlemen, cities developed on this basis, looking not like a very developed alien civilization, but rather a bit like a medieval town.

Constantine and Shiler walked on a street. Constantine looked left and right, two bars on the left, three dance halls on the right, all kinds of creatures walking on the road. He first sidestepped a tall thin plant person, then quickly ducked to avoid a fat man's tentacles, and nearly got fanned into a fruit pile by the wings of a creature that looked like a horse.

"My good god," Constantine said, "Is the biodiversity here too rich? I haven't seen this many strange creatures even in Maya."

"In their eyes we two are also strange. Precisely speaking, extremely high danger..."

Shiler hadn't finished speaking when three walls walked toward them — three massive quadruped creatures with average height of two point five meters and width of nearly two meters sideways, walking toward them.

"What's this? Giant wildebeest?" Constantine looked up at these three big guys, then said, "They've all migrated here?"

"Hey, you two." Standard English came from the translators on them, "Come over and register with us, otherwise you can't enter the market."

Shiler went along compliantly. Constantine nudged him with his elbow and said: "There's customs here too, and they want to take us to the little black room?"

"You talk less," Shiler said, "The civilizations here have a consensus, all two-legged carbon-based lifeforms are dangerous elements, wherever they go they must undergo strict registration, to prevent suddenly causing big trouble."

Constantine curled his lip, clearly not taking it to heart, still looking left and right. After entering that room which was a bit too huge for humans, he didn't stay idle either, his gaze quickly landing on the tapestries on the wall and the cabinet beneath the tapestries.

"Which civilization?" The lead giant wildebeest asked.

"Nine Realms."

"Specifically which realm?"

"Midgard."

"Somewhere in the middle?"

"Midgard."

"Official name, no slang."

"Fine, Earth."

As the words fell, the room fell so silent a needle dropping could be heard. The four Corner Horses retreated a step in unison, their originally slit-like eyes widening until they were like copper bells.