Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 323: Ch.322 Unknown Mutation

Chapter 323: Ch.322 Unknown Mutation

"Waylon, you come in with me to investigate. The rest of you stay here and be ready. If the Justice League arrives, you know what to do, right?"

Su Ming gestured for Killer Croc to approach, and together, they forced their way through the barrier, leaving Deadshot and the others outside to deal with any potential trouble.

"I know!" Harley raised her hand cheerfully, smiling. "If Batman shows up, we'll tell him we're just having a picnic here!"

Su Ming looked around at the desert surrounding them, the dunes appearing ghostly white under the moonlight.

If not for the fact that opening their mouths meant eating sand, if they hadn't brought only weapons instead of food, and if everyone didn't look as serious as if they'd just lost their families, Harley's response might actually have made sense.

Deadshot was a bit more reliable. He slung his automatic rifle over his shoulder, removing his helmet to breathe in some fresh air. "If the Justice League questions us, we'll say it's an investigation authorized by the U.S. government. That sound right?"

Su Ming nodded, turning to push himself along with Killer Croc into the shield. It felt like plunging into semi-dried, ultra-sticky glue. "Much better, Floyd. Keep it up."

At first, it felt like walking, but after a while, it was more like standing while swimming.

This strange energy interfered with their comms, making it impossible to hear the Squad outside. Only Su Ming and Killer Croc could communicate because of their proximity.

Each step was a struggle, nearly requiring all their strength. Without Stranglehold, Su Ming would have had a difficult time getting through, but with its assistance, he moved a bit faster than Killer Croc.

Killer Croc was about as strong as Bane—around 120 tons—and he was something of a sewer philosopher, constantly underwater, contemplating Gotham's dark future.

Croc initially wanted to be a hero, but his appearance disqualified him.

Like other heroes, he'd tried to save people, but the people he saved either cursed him or passed out from fright.

After enough experiences like that, Croc turned dark.

But not completely dark. He rarely killed without reason, instead working as a mercenary, often as muscle for the Joker or Two-Face. Because of this, he got along well with Harley.

She called him "Green Monster" or "Crockie," and sometimes had more colorful names depending on her mood.

At that moment, the two trudged forward, struggling through the head's protective barrier.

"This is tough work. I feel like I'm being born again, but in reverse," Killer Croc grunted as he pushed forward with one shoulder, speaking to Su Ming.

"Nice metaphor, but you've got it backward. We're forcing ourselves in," Su Ming replied, matching Croc's crude tone. Villains tend to have rough language, so adopting that style helped build rapport.

"Hey, 'The problem is the midwife—it aids the birth of new discoveries.' I guess that's what we're doing right now."

The barrier was much thicker than it appeared from the outside. They had walked dozens of meters, yet all they could see ahead was a purplish mist, seemingly endless. Croc, likely to calm his own fears, chose to keep talking to Su Ming as a distraction.

"Well said, Socrates." Su Ming suddenly felt the pressure ease, and with a roll, he released the tension and steadied his stance.

They were in.

Everything here was entirely different from outside. If the outside was a desert full of yellow sand, then inside was a rocky landscape overrun by blooming flowers.

It was eerie. The dense vegetation clung to the rocky terrain like a malignant growth, and many of the rocks seemed to defy gravity, suspended in the air. There was no giant head—just a world of its own.

Vast and boundless.

"Looks like we've entered its mind. What is this place? A dream?" Croc sniffed the air, uncertain, as the flowers released an odor reminiscent of rotting corpses.

Like poisonous mushrooms, the petals were speckled, the vines twisted and spiked, the reds vibrant, the greens revolting—a gaudy, technicolor nightmare.

At that moment, Stranglehold communicated a message to Su Ming: a hostile energy was invading the host's body, beginning to alter the host's cells, making its way up the spinal cord toward the brain.

The energy's mechanism was unknown. Though it was ineffective against the symbiote, it was mutating the host, transforming him into an unknown creature.

Whatever that unknown creature was, it certainly wouldn't be human.

Su Ming had his gas mask and his backup X-Metal in his body, which would help him hold out for a while, but Killer Croc...

"Retreat! We're heading back!" Su Ming immediately gave the order.

"Huh? We just got in here. There's nothing here—just a mix of swamp and forest," Croc's voice came out like a muffled roar, like an air blower.

"That's an order. Retreat immediately."

Su Ming drew his greatsword and swung it behind him, channeling X-Metal into the blade. He sliced a gap into the thick barrier behind them, like drilling into a jelly. He then shoved Killer Croc through.

Croc was already feeling something was wrong. He could feel changes happening within his body; his consciousness was becoming foggy, his breathing increasingly labored.

Behind him, Su Ming witnessed it all more clearly. Croc's body, already 2.2 meters tall, was swelling like a balloon.

Not in a rounded way—his bones, muscles, everything was amplifying. His once vaguely humanoid face was becoming more crocodilian, his snout extending, his skull flattening, and the humanity in his eyes fading away.

"Stranglehold, eradicate the mutated cells in my body."

Su Ming immediately transmitted the command, and the black, liquid-like symbiote began burrowing through every vein, every nerve, using its microscopic cells to battle against Su Ming's mutated ones.

An invisible war.

The mutated cells seemed almost sentient, growing mouths and sharp fangs as they fought against the alien cells of Stranglehold.

Perhaps because the symbiote originated from Marvel, the mutated cells had no effective means to counter it. Apart from feeling as though he'd been pricked all over with needles, the internal changes eventually ceased.

Except for a slight resurgence in bloodlust, everything seemed stable.

But Su Ming was losing the ability to push Killer Croc. Now, they were both stuck in the barrier, with no way forward or back, like bugs trapped in amber.

Thinking quickly, Su Ming decided to stop pushing Croc and instead moved around in front of him, advancing quickly on his own.

Sure enough, within seconds, Croc, now towering at over five meters, lunged forward, eyes gleaming with savage intent, moving like a tank.