Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 113: Ch.112 Private Use of Public Property

Chapter 113: Ch.112 Private Use of Public Property

After hearing Su Ming's words, even though the God of Dreams was now just a cloud of smoke with facial features, his face still showed a constipated expression.

Where was the promised enlightenment? The guidance for the ignorant? This script is all wrong!

Diana and Superman, on the other hand, immediately looked at Batman, waiting for his opinion. The wrinkles on Bruce's face tightened as he thought, though his body had aged, his mind remained sharp.

"Deathstroke is right; we can hear the story later. Time is precious now. Dream God, please send us there."

Su Ming had long anticipated that once Batman was rescued, the decision-making power would immediately shift to him. The Justice League had grown accustomed to relying on Batman's wisdom.

However, this was fine. Once they reached the World Forge, Su Ming could relax and let Superman and Bruce take a dip in the X-metal magma to restore their youth. Then, Su Ming could sit back and coast.

At that point, Diana would be the main force. With the X-metal, she would be the strongest, and she was almost uninjured, in good condition now.

The God of Dreams sighed helplessly. All his flashy tricks were suppressed, and he could only let out a deep sigh.

With a wave of his hand, a white, hazy vortex appeared in the distant starry sky, like a smoke-formed passage, hidden in the starlight.

"Let's go."

Batman pulled his cape and entered the passage first. Superman lifted him, helping him fly. Barry looked at the Dream God with an apologetic expression, then carried Su Ming and Diana into the vortex as well.

They passed through a tunnel made of smoke and dreams, feeling as though they were drifting through clouds, and soon found themselves in a vast area. It looked like the crater of an extinct volcano, surrounded by towering rock walls enclosing a circular flat area.

The ground was warm, but in the visible distance, there were no visible flames.

"Are we late?"

Barry showed a worried expression, and even Bruce's brow furrowed.

"No, the World Forge is still burning beneath our feet. The surface layer has just cooled, and the X-metal is beneath this layer of rock."

Su Ming quickly explained to them. In fact, the current situation was better than in the comics—at least the corrupted Hawkman hadn't appeared here yet as a guardian.

Bruce shook his cape, slowly crouching down, his knees slightly stiff and unresponsive.

He touched the ground. The ordinary dark-brown volcanic rock didn't reveal much, but having come this far, he had already chosen to trust Deathstroke's information. Based on his understanding, Deathstroke never joked about serious matters.

"Clark, use your heat vision to make a hole here."

Bruce immediately looked at Superman, signaling him to act.

Although Superman had aged, his powers hadn't faded. He picked a nearby spot and shot a scorching beam from his eyes, drawing a circle on the ground, much like a manhole cover.

Then, he flew over, pulling the cut stone pillar out like unplugging a cork.

A few meters below, as Su Ming said, there was a sea of fiery magma. The World Forge hadn't gone out.

Batman looked down, feeling the hot waves hit his face. "What's next?"

"Jump in. Take a bath," Su Ming tightened his helmet, walking to the edge of the pit.

"..."

Logic told Bruce that below was magma, at least 700 degrees Celsius. Not only was it dangerous to jump in, but even hanging a pig at the mouth of the pit would soon result in roast pork.

But Barry came over, first peeking down before patting his chest and taking a few deep breaths. Then he said to Bruce, "I trust Deathstroke. I don't quite understand the principles of the World Forge, but it's probably magic or higher-level technology. We can't judge it with common sense, so I'll jump first."

Su Ming was somewhat gratified. Having read the comics, he knew there was no danger, but it still made him happy that Flash could disregard common sense to support him at a time like this.

The magma below, though it looked scorching, was actually an illusion. X-metal was both a metal and an energy source, and the magma in the forge was just a facade. The real X-metal was beneath the lava, posing no danger.

The primordial form of X-metal was a liquid cosmic essence, emitting a silver-white glow, resembling molten silver but brighter than diamonds.

It had many properties, like transforming into any material or shape based on the user's will. It contained immense world-origin energy and could suppress other forms of energy. It was paradoxically weightless yet indestructible.

It had been used to forge DC's super artifacts, such as the Mobius Chair, Mother Box, and Miracle Machine—all made from X-metal.

In theory, if Su Ming had god-level cosmic abilities, he could jump in, grab a piece of X-metal, mold it into a small ball, and imbue it with certain concepts and powers, creating something on par with Marvel's Infinity Stones.

The Infinity Stones were originally one entity, existing before the Marvel Universe. After the Big Bang of the Marvel Universe, they split into six cosmic singularities, each representing a fundamental force of the universe.

Meanwhile, X-metal was the material used to forge the DC Universe. It was the origin of all DC worlds. In terms of origin, it wasn't inferior, but no one had truly harnessed its full potential.

Of course, Su Ming lacked the means of cosmic deities. His understanding of space, time, and reality was just as limited as anyone else's, so his use of X-metal would inevitably remain at the "primitive" stage.

"There's no need to discuss further. Since I said this is the place, I'll go first."

Su Ming looked at the others quietly discussing. Currently, only Barry believed him, which was understandable.

But this fit perfectly into Su Ming's plan. Having rescued the skeptical Batman, he had already anticipated the current situation upon arriving here.

He could seize this opportunity to benefit himself, while also possibly inducing a sense of guilt or obligation in Diana and Clark—two birds with one stone.

Su Ming stopped their debate, turning and diving into the pit himself, plunging headfirst into the magma.

The magma, whatever it was, had previously seemed unbearably hot, but now that he was immersed in it, it only felt comfortable and warm. It was like an ocean, gradually engulfing Su Ming as he sank deeper.

Everything around him was red, but his breathing was smooth, and he didn't feel any pressure. It was like walking through a burning crimson fog, though the magma had some buoyancy, allowing him to hop forward like an astronaut on the moon.

Not far ahead, he saw the ground emit a silver gleam—that was the X-metal.

It was a silver spring, or rather, a natural conduit, though the silver liquid flowing from it had nearly dried up. After a long wait, only a single drop would emerge, joining a small pool on the ground.

The small pool wasn't very big, about the size of a regular child's bathtub.

Once, the X-metal that flowed here could be used by the World Forger to craft countless worlds daily, but now, even creating a car with this amount would be difficult.

The World Forge was indeed on the verge of extinction. Once the liquid stopped flowing, the DC Universe would have no future. X-metal not only forged new worlds but also repaired and maintained all existing ones.

However, as long as they destroyed or sealed Barbatos and resolved the current crisis, they could discuss maintaining the cosmic forge later.

Su Ming looked back at the path he came from. The Justice League hadn't followed him down, probably waiting for him to confirm it was safe.

Given the current situation, with his current ability and knowledge, there were only three ways he could use the X-metal. He had considered making a DC version of the Infinity Stones, but unfortunately, he lacked the means.

The first method was to drink some directly, but the effects were unknown.

The second was to do as the Justice League did in the comics—use it to forge armor and weapons. But after major events, those would be destroyed, with their power drained to help the main world return to the Light Bleed.

The third option was to use it to modify himself, enhancing his abilities. However, he was a mercenary, not a doctor, so the modification would likely be quite crude.

But he made up his mind quickly, swiftly removing his gloves and boots, pulling out the Godkiller, which turned into a small knife. He cut deep wounds down to the bone on both his wrists and ankles.

Then, he lay directly in the pool of X-metal, the liquid barely covering his ears. Strands of red mixed into the silver fluid.

"Come on, X-metal! Replace all my bones!"

In an instant, a wave of intense pain struck.