Chapter 4009

The light source on Apokolips came from the external shield, carrying a natural cold tone, reminding one of the time on Earth when the sky is neither late nor early. The whole world was shrouded in a deep blue. The mountains piled up with black rock and steel were vastly different from the scenery of his hometown, but they always reminded Batman of Cat Getan.

The main universe Batman, standing by the window, tapped his wine glass lightly. The main universe Superman sat in the chair nearby; he sighed softly and then said, "This can't go on."

"Of course," the main universe Batman nodded and said, "We need a breakthrough."

The review meeting that lasted all night ended half an hour ago. The process was truly unremarkable. Everyone's attitude was good, they reviewed deeply, actively offered ideas, and took turns thinking of ways. The only problem was that the mistakes in the previous battle couldn't be solved by reflection and review.

Most Batmen gave the same conclusion—everyone who fought had done their best. Not winning was a gap in hard power. What they needed to study next was how to win against a stronger opponent with a weaker one.

In Batman's life, winning against a stronger opponent with a weaker one is the eternal main theme. Whether it's the madmen of Cat Getan or the mysterious existences invading Earth, they are all much stronger than Batman, an ordinary person. But every time, he can achieve victory. They believe this time will be no exception.

The main universe Batman knew very well that the more it was like this, the less one could be eager for quick success; one must have determination and wait for an excellent opportunity before striking.

The Guardians of the Galaxy looked like a good opportunity delivered to the door, but the main universe Batman felt it wasn't safe enough. This strike must be decisive; either don't win, or win big; only in this way could morale be brought back.

Although the opponent would inevitably jump into the trap of the Guardians of the Galaxy, how to weaken the opponent's ability to fight back was a problem a seasoned hunter must consider.

First, one needs to understand one's own advantages and the opponent's weaknesses. Using one's strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses is the best choice.

The main universe Batman had long analyzed that they were fighting an away game, and all tactics that required energy consumption were not the best choice. Only by not consuming energy could there be the possibility of full output and a protracted war.

The team composed of Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and Shazam failed partly for this reason. Heroes who need to regulate their mana have too much to consider, far less effective than those with high damage on basic attacks.

There aren't many such people, but those who can be picked out are of very high quality. Among them, the most useful is naturally the Flash.

The Flash himself is the creator of the Speed Force; he doesn't need to consume energy, but creates energy. Although he has no attack power in most cases, there is still a ruthless character like Barry; if used well, he could inevitably kill with one strike.

But the biggest problem is that when the Speed Force and the time mechanism of the central universe merge, the Time Variance Authority can threaten the Flash in the Speed Force by invading the timeline. Although one can use Hael to fight fire with fire, the Time Variance Authority inevitably has hidden cards that haven't been deployed. Going head-to-head like this is really not a good choice.

The main universe Batman intended to take action against the Time Variance Authority.

"Flash," he called out.

As soon as the words fell, a golden light appeared, and the main universe Flash appeared behind him: "What's the matter?"

"You said Shiler was among the people who took you away that day?"

"Yes," the main universe Flash nodded and said, "He calls himself Agent Rodriguez and is now an agent of the Time Variance Authority."

"What did he say to you?"

The main universe Flash scratched his head, recalled for a moment, and then said, "I don't remember very well, but it seems there was some talk about a 'good job' or something. He said he could find himself a good job anywhere."

"He is not a person who likes to chat," the main universe Batman said, "Every sentence, and even every word he said to you, has meaning."

"Isn't he just showing off that he found a good job?"

"If that were the case, he wouldn't need to say anything to you," the main universe Batman shook his head slowly and said, "After all, he has already captured you; naturally, that's enough to verify it's a good job, why say anything more to a prisoner?"

"Then what does he mean?" The main universe Superman asked.

"I'm afraid he wants to find himself a truly good job," the main universe Batman sighed softly and said, "Flash, can you go to the Time Variance Authority?"

"Me?" The main universe Flash was a bit hesitant, and he said, "I can go, but whether I can come back is not certain."

"Don't go in with a big fanfare; just sneak in quietly. Find Agent Rodriguez's office and leave him a note."

"Okay." The main universe Flash took the note from the main universe Batman's hand and soon disappeared.

"You want to win him over?" The main universe Superman stood up from the chair, came to Batman's side, frowned, and said, "The Time Variance Authority has very strong authority in this universe; there is no reason for them to help us."

"Is he really a person from the Time Variance Authority?"

"You mean..."

"If he were really satisfied with his current job, he wouldn't need to say those things to the Flash," the main universe Batman shook his head again and said, "Besides, the Time Variance Authority is from the local universe; is Shiler?"

The main universe Superman's brow never relaxed, and he said, "I wanted to ask before, why is there a Shiler in both worlds?"

"There is also a Spider-Man in both worlds. Discussing these questions now has no meaning; we only need to know that Shiler doesn't completely belong to either side of the world, especially some among them whose positions are wavering and can be completely won over."

"You think highly of Agent Rodriguez? But he doesn't look like anything special," the main universe Superman looked at the main universe Batman and said, "And he's only one person; can he really turn the tide of the war?"

"Turning the tide of the war has never relied on brute force," the main universe Batman continued, "Winning against a stronger opponent with a weaker one requires the ability to keenly grasp opportunities. If there is no opportunity, create one, and then use the minimum force to achieve the maximum result."

The main universe Batman waved his cape, turned, and walked out of the office, saying, "I need to rest for a few hours; don't let anyone disturb me."

The main universe Superman stood by the window watching his back, and after a long while, he also walked out of the office and came to the door of the main universe Batman's bedroom. He stood at the door for a while and then left.

And the main universe Batman, who returned to the bedroom, didn't lie down to rest; he pulled a trunk from under the bed, opened it, and inside the trunk was a device that looked a bit strange—although it was a mechanical structure, it flickered with magical light.

The main universe Batman pressed one of the buttons, and static noise came from the other side, and then a lazy voice sounded:

"What's the matter?"

"How are things on your side? John?"

"Not bad; there are quite a few beauties here in Centaurus. By the way, my black-haired counterpart should have returned by now, right?"

"Yes, he returned yesterday."

"Then you must use him well; although this guy is a bit serious and rigid, he does have some real skills."

"What's wrong with his lungs?"

"Small problem, just lung cancer, cough, cough, cough... It's inevitable to be nervous the first time you get it; after getting it eight or ten times, you'll naturally be fine. If you're worried, I'll send you a bottle of medicine to melt his current lungs, and you can install a mechanical lung for him; I guarantee he'll be as strong as an ox."

"Let's not talk about this for now; besides the Guardians of the Galaxy, are there any other valuable targets?"

"The valuable targets you want aren't stupid; not many dare to act on their own. They... wait, someone is coming, a tough nut to crack; I'll talk to you later."

Hanging up the phone, the main universe Batman frowned. He was thinking about whether to solve Constantine's lung cancer problem first; after all, the shadow shown by that X-ray was too shocking, and this guy might collapse at any time.

They lacked magical talent on their side; although Constantine could be considered knowledgeable, he really didn't like using magic directly. Zatanna's reverse magic couldn't be used at all, and other mages were either not skilled enough or timid, truly difficult to use.

Therefore, the black-haired Constantine appeared particularly important. He didn't reject using magic directly, and his level was quite good; it's just a pity that he suffered from lung cancer and didn't have long to live.

Not to mention that the physical pain might affect his performance, Batman's moral level wouldn't allow him to order such a seriously ill person around.

But lung cancer isn't that easy to solve either, especially lung cancer that is as serious as this. Even if the lungs were dug out and replaced with new ones, what about the cancer cells that had spread to other places?

Just as the main universe Batman was thinking, the trunk in front of him suddenly vibrated. The main universe Batman pressed the button again, and Constantine's somewhat urgent voice came from the other side:

"Plan changed."

"What's the matter?"

"Doctor Strange came looking for me."

"What?!"

The main universe Batman widened his eyes. Constantine's voice came intermittently from the other side: "The main universe's Doctor Strange came looking for me."

"What does he want to do?"

"Whatever the Guardians of the Galaxy want to do, he wants to do, cough, cough, cough..."

"You're injured?"

"Isn't that obvious? Cough... How could I possibly beat him? But don't worry, I wasn't taken hostage; you should believe in my ability to escape."

"He doesn't know you're Constantine?" The main universe Batman asked. He knew that if Doctor Strange knew Constantine's true identity, he would never let him escape so easily.

"Doesn't know; he just treats me as an ordinary black-market dealer. Wheeze... he hit really hard..."

"He wants to buy information from you?"

"Not entirely; he's looking for the Elders of the Universe."

"Who are the Elders of the Universe?"

"Simply put, they are a group of long-lived species. They know almost all the secrets since the birth of the universe and have collected countless treasures. I suspect Doctor Strange might have his eyes on one of them."

The main universe Batman narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Do you know which one?"

"Can't be sure, but it should possess very powerful strength. He wants to use this strength to deal with you."

"Could this be a trap?"

"That's for you to ask yourself, Batman. Perhaps this is another probe from the other side, but it could also be Doctor Strange acting on his own. If it's the latter, the good opportunity you want is coming soon."

The main universe Batman naturally understood this point. Doctor Strange's weight was much heavier than the Guardians of the Galaxy. The mages had already suffered a heavy blow; if they could eliminate all their vital forces this time, this war would be much easier to fight.

"Can you keep up with them?" The main universe Batman asked, but after a moment of thought, he said, "Forget it, just stay in the Centaurus galaxy and don't move. If anyone else contacts you, inform me immediately; I'll send others to track their whereabouts."

Hanging up the phone, the main universe Batman walked out of the bedroom, walked toward the other side of the accommodation area, and then knocked on Constantine's door. After a while, the door slowly opened a small crack, and Constantine's pale face appeared behind the crack:

"Something up?"

"There's an urgent task I might need to entrust to you."

Constantine lowered his eyes, took a breath with some effort, and opened the door. Just as he walked in, the main universe Batman saw the bright red bloodstain on the chest of his white shirt.

"Are you okay?"

"Don't ask what you already know," Constantine said, biting his cigarette and turning around, "Just tell me what you want me to do."

"Doctor Strange is tracking the whereabouts of the Elders of the Universe in the universe, possibly wanting to obtain some kind of powerful artifact from them. I hope you can track him."