Chapter 4010

"I will provide you with sufficient magical energy, which can at least temporarily alleviate your pain, I promise you. Once this task is over, I will immediately set out to solve your lung cancer problem, and you will soon be able to get rid of the entanglement of illness."

"Don't bother, give me the address."

The main universe Batman threw him a communicator. Constantine sat back in the chair, didn't even look at him, and looked at the communicator with a cigarette in his mouth, saying, "Get out, I want to be quiet."

The main universe Batman turned and left. Constantine looked at a corner of the room and suddenly sneered, saying, "You really are as good as a prophet. But I'm very puzzled; you manage such a large hell, how do you have so much free time?"

"There isn't just one of me; aren't you also very good at the trick of avatars?" The figure sitting in the corner said, "Although I can't enter Earth, I can come and go as I please in the universe. How have you considered my proposal?"

"Do you think I traveled thousands of miles to come here just to sell my soul to another Satan?" Constantine leaned back, stared at the ceiling, and took a deep drag of his cigarette, saying.

"I'm different from the Satan in your universe; he's too rude and very impolite, just like a kidnapper. I am meticulous toward my believers; I can help you realize whatever you want. As for the soul, that's a matter for after you die."

"What day will I die? Tomorrow? The day after?"

"Rest assured, the contract system in our universe is already very mature; I wouldn't do something like signing a contract today and making you die tomorrow. The contract can specify the lifespan you want; as long as it's not too excessive, we can write it down in black and white."

"For example?"

"I can still decide on two or three hundred years; if your performance is good, it's not impossible to let you live for a thousand years."

Constantine looked back at him, seemingly wanting to find traces of lying on his face, but couldn't see anything.

"I have already shown my sincerity." The other party stood up, looked at Constantine, and said, "The Eye of Agamotto is a famous artifact in the universe, usually unusable by anyone but the Sorcerer Supreme. Now you not only possess it but can also use it at will to alleviate your pain; I have fulfilled everything I promised you, isn't that enough?"

The figure took another step closer, placed his hands on the back of Constantine's chair, leaned down close to his ear, and said, "Indeed, this is the devil's sugar-coated bullet, but the Satan in your universe isn't even willing to give you a little sweetness, only wanting to watch you suffer constantly—how heartless."

Constantine turned his head abruptly, but the other party's figure dissipated with a "whoosh," leaving only a shadowy black figure in the corner of the room.

"If you change your mind, call me anytime."

Constantine took a deep breath and then coughed violently again. But this time, he didn't cough up blood, nor did he retch. In his field of vision, the Eye of Agamotto emitted a faint white light; this power had been healing his body, and although it couldn't cure him completely, it made him feel an unprecedented lightness.

"You hate him." That devil-like voice sounded again, "In order not to let him succeed, you'd rather die in a foreign land, or even be ordered around by Batman. Batman guarantees he can cure you, but is he willing to help you take revenge? He isn't even willing to let you continue smoking. If you told him you wanted to take revenge on Satan, he would only think you were a rambling madman. He would want you to cherish your second life, want you to be safe and secure, want you to live in peace."

"Are you really willing? John Constantine, think about the first time you saw them, in that old wardrobe, that charred face suddenly popped out, the eyeballs fell to the ground, bloody mucus climbed onto your ankles, you were scared to tears, but no one could understand you; they only thought you had gone crazy. You pierced your own ankle with a ballpoint pen; that hurt, didn't it?"

"How many people are like you? Under the manipulation of demons and angels, becoming a madman in the eyes of others—that kind of misunderstood loneliness and unspeakable fear is the most painful punishment in the world. How many more people like you have to be abandoned before that group of high-and-mighty existences will show mercy?"

"Are you going to wait? Live for a few more decades with your brand-new lungs, and see if the struggle between heaven and hell will end within your limited life. Go donate money to the church, go to the confessional and cry your heart out, crawl at the feet of God and Satan, and beg them to end all of this. Is this really useful?"

Constantine's fingers began to turn white, and the pen in his hand was almost deformed by him.

"You've tried it, haven't you? Curling up in your quilt alone, begging God to save you; lying on the hospital bed crying silently, begging Satan to let you go; or simply closing your eyes, pretending all of this is a nightmare. Has this changed anything?"

"Stop lying to yourself; your prayers will never bring mercy, never, not even a shred. If you don't do something, they will eventually succeed."

"Are you important? Perhaps, your soul is delicious, allowing Satan to have a full meal, but that's all. Do you think he would be very sad if you didn't let him succeed? No, he would soon have a new target, and wouldn't even have a moment of regret before chasing after new delicacies."

"God says humans are the continuation of original sin, the devil says humans are untamable beasts, but this actually sounds more like they are talking about themselves, doesn't it? So barbaric, ugly, greedy... You have the opportunity to end all of this, take fate into your own hands, and let them truly realize their mistakes. I will help you."

Constantine slowly closed his eyes, not knowing if it was the daily fatigue or the relaxation of this moment that made him fall into a daze.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw himself in hell full of flames; the black soil under his feet was constantly collapsing, falling into an unknown void, and then he discovered that he was that void, everything was swallowed and chewed, and then destroyed, leaving only Satan's screams echoing in his ears.

A moment later, he came to heaven again; heaven was burning with raging flames, and all the angels were screaming. God reached out to him, but that hand was also quickly swallowed by the flames. God roared at him: "Constantine! You have sinned!"

"I haven't!" Constantine heard himself make a childish, childlike sound, shouting with a crying voice, "You have never responded to my prayers! Never!"

"When that monster crawled out of the wardrobe, when the charred corpse appeared on my desk, when they reached out to drag me into the well, when they were spying on me in the dark, I called you countless times! But you have never responded to me! Never!!!"

Constantine panted, discovering that he had turned back into an adult. He stepped on the soft clouds, limped forward, and turned his head to see that he was holding a nail in his hand.

"You didn't not hear my call; you just didn't want to care because of that ridiculous bet. Why isn't indifference a kind of original sin? What qualification do you have to judge me?"

He raised the nail with all his might and stabbed it toward the figure burning in front of him, roaring almost with his eyes splitting: "You are not qualified! Go to hell!!!"

"The devil has bewitched you! My child! You will regret it! You will definitely regret it!!!"

Constantine staggered back a few steps, looked at him with bloodshot eyes, and said: "You won't see that day."

The figure in front disappeared suddenly, turning into a handful of ashes, and then the ashes floating all over the sky surrounded the whole world. Constantine reached out, and the moment he touched a touch of ash, he withdrew his hand as if he had been electrocuted.

Constantine opened his eyes suddenly, suddenly feeling some moisture on his face. He reached out and touched it lightly, discovering that he had shed tears.

He closed his eyes again, leaned back slowly, then relaxed his shoulders and neck, letting his head fall backward constantly, staring straight at the ceiling. After a long while, a name came out of his mouth:

"... Mephisto."

"Happy to serve you."

At the same time, Strange next door suddenly opened his eyes. He sat up, exhaled, and asked in his mind: "How is it? Is it done?"

"Almost." Shiler's voice appeared again, "Rather than hatred, it's more like fear. He thought he had forgotten those moments of fear that had left deep shadows on him, but everything was hidden in his subconscious and had never left. When they surged up again, he would urgently want any power that could save him."

"You really are more of a devil than a devil." Strange shook his head and said.

"Wrong, I'm more professional than a devil in this regard. Mephisto should have thought of this day when he impersonated me."

"Then didn't you send him a good believer?"

"Constantine's partners usually don't have a good ending; I'm also looking forward to Mephisto and Satan having a fight."

"He contracted with you, not the real Mephisto."

"That's not necessarily true, you know? In his universe, true names have power." Shiler's tone contained a hint of a smile, and then he changed the subject and said, "I heard an interesting piece of news from him; do you want to know?"

"What?"

"The main universe Doctor Strange wants to find the Elders of the Universe."

"Elders of the Universe?" Strange was slightly stunned, "Haven't heard that name in a long time. What is the main universe's Doctor Strange looking for them for?"

"Heard he's looking for a powerful artifact; what do you think it could be?"

"A powerful artifact? What powerful artifact would fall into the hands of the Elders of the Universe?" Strange was a bit puzzled and said, "Those guys just live long, they aren't very strong; even if they had an artifact, they couldn't keep it, right?"

"What you need to think about isn't the situation in our universe, but the main universe. After all, Doctor Strange is from the main universe, and most other universes are the same as the main universe; they easily infer others from themselves, thinking our universe is like that too. In the main universe, what powerful artifact is in the hands of the Elders of the Universe?"

Strange's face slowly turned ugly, and he said: "Infinity Stones."

"Infinity Stones? Is that the one that can be embedded in Thanos's glove..."

"That's right, it's the Infinity Stones that can snap fingers after being collected in most universes."

"Where are the Infinity Stones in our universe?"

"You're asking me? Didn't you put them away?"

"What do I want that thing for?"

"That thing is very valuable, and it's shiny."

"Just average."

The two fell silent together. Strange thought for a moment and said: "If what he's looking for is really the Infinity Stones, then he can't find them with the Elders of the Universe; those guys are too weak, even if they had them, they would be snatched away. Which Infinity Stone do you think he's looking for?"

"The main universe Doctor Strange must have sneaked out; since he doesn't want to admit his mistake, he must want to wash away his shame and make up for the previous losses of the mages. And if he wants to do that, he must have a big enough result; he doesn't want to carry out a decapitation strike, does he?"

"It's not impossible." Strange rubbed his temples, looking very troubled, and said, "I don't know much about the Infinity Stones, but if he wants to make up for the losses, the Space and Time Stones are the most useful; one can break through the Apokolips shield, and the other can reverse the past. The main universe Doctor Strange is very likely to have this idea."

"The main universe Batman has already let Constantine follow him; I'm afraid he's going to become a breakthrough point."