Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 331: Ch.330 Misguided Plan

Chapter 331: Ch.330 Misguided Plan

Regardless of the mysterious figure's purpose, the intent is simply to lure Batman away from Washington, away from the Hall of Justice.

This "luring the tiger away from the mountain" strategy is one that Su Ming can see through at a glance. Clearly, Riddler only knows a small part of it; he is nothing more than a pawn.

The Justice League has seven members, plus a slew of other heroes stationed at the Hall of Justice. So why specifically draw Batman away?

Is it because they're afraid that their subsequent plans will be exposed? Or do they have some particular interest in Batman?

Su Ming caught a familiar scent, one often accompanied by manic laughter.

But Joker's plans aren't typically so orderly. This opponent's scheme, though chaotic, lacks Joker's signature madness.

"Looks like I'm not the only one interested in the benefits of the world's ascension. It seems that third, even fourth parties are also eyeing opportunities to reap benefits. This won't do..."

The dish I've set my eyes on can't be snatched away by others.

Regardless, the enemy likely believes that Bruce has already been led away. This means that they will inevitably take some action at the Hall of Justice.

If Bruce is there, then Su Ming should rush over, catch the enemy in the act, and get involved in the Justice League's plan.

The noise caused by capturing the Riddler was enough to mislead the enemy into believing Batman had left the Hall of Justice, prompting them to make their move.

Su Ming first returned to Wayne Tower to change into his Deathstroke gear. Then, he climbed into the building's air-conditioning vents, blasted open a section of the floor, and snuck down into the sewers.

In the sewers, he needed to be wary of Talon, the agents of the Court of Owls. Despite taking a hit, the Court of Owls in the Prime Earth universe managed to survive. There are still people controlling the Talons, and several of them have gone rogue—for example, the Suicide Squad has about ten Talons in their hands.

The Gotham natives, like Two-Face, have also managed to get a few Talons during the chaos. Even the Birds of Prey acquired a Talon as backup.

The Talons of Prime Earth can regenerate, and the Zero Talon is particularly troublesome. Right now, there's no mage to open a portal to Antarctica, and Su Ming doesn't have the time to get caught up with them.

His immediate goal is to follow the sewers to the waterfront, then use the cloak's power to fly through the clouds back to Detroit.

Meanwhile, in a secret base in Washington, Batman used the excuse of preparing money to pull up data from Su Ming's last battle, gathering intel.

This included accounts from Wonder Woman and others, as well as video footage taken by satellite.

However, the information was still incomplete, and the power levels didn't match up.

Even though this alternate Deathstroke had only left for a little over a month, his strength had grown exponentially. If this Deathstroke suddenly shot a laser from his red eye, Bruce wouldn't be the least bit surprised.

However, something unexpected happened—he received a video call from the old butler.

"Master Bruce, if you're going to pass by home without coming in again, you should at least watch Gotham's news. Today, your other persona did something rather vulgar."

"..."

Batman didn't bother opening the news; instead, he connected to the Brother Eye in the Batcave, pulling up video records from all over Gotham.

He saw his doppelg?nger undress Riddler and hang him at the entrance of the police station, then use some sort of transformative branding iron to burn the Bat symbol onto Riddler's backside before disappearing into Wayne Tower.

On the other end of the video call, Alfred commented dryly, "If you ask me, I would say it looks like one of your old discarded costumes coming back for revenge, like a penniless ghost wearing a white bedsheet."

"All of my old suits are in the Batcave, Alfred. This person who looks like Batman is not me."

"Indeed, Master Bruce, who else in Gotham would want to be Batman besides you?" Alfred stood straight, his speaking rhythm impeccable. "Now Riddler has become a joke. Even though he killed seven people today, everyone who sees his photos will laugh. The brand on his rear... allow me to quote a new term from the internet—they call it a 'Bat Kiss.'"

"..." Bruce squinted; the word "kiss" brought up associations for him. "I will investigate."

"Then I shall prepare a late-night snack. Perhaps stewed pigeon might be a good choice."

Batman ended the call and put down his investigation into the alternate Deathstroke, deciding instead to return to Gotham. Any case involving laughter in his city was rarely amusing.

Su Ming returned to the Detroit headquarters of Task Force X, once again "happily collecting" the Suicide Squad. Amanda Waller was relatively satisfied with the last operation; they had, at least, uncovered something they didn't know before.

They learned that this giant head was biologically contaminative, capable of inducing mutations in brain cells, creating completely uncontrollable monsters.

She was now negotiating with the UN on how to deal with this alien head.

Some people had already suggested using nuclear bombs.

Su Ming, who was leaning against the wall of the conference room, almost laughed out loud when he heard that suggestion.

What are these politicians thinking? Whenever they can't solve a problem, their first thought is nukes. Don't ask—just launch a nuke.

If the stuff falling off the Source Wall could be destroyed by nuclear bombs, Apokolips would probably be under UN control by now.

In a world of superheroes, nukes are nothing but oversized firecrackers—these politicians are like kids throwing cherry bombs around.

Amanda Waller has her hands full, trying to communicate with these politicians as if they spoke entirely different languages. Every time she reports to the higher-ups, she faces the same questions.

Can we use nukes? Can we eliminate the threat? Can we launch more nukes? Have the military bypassed orders to launch nukes privately?

It's as if the US is the only country with nuclear weapons, and maintaining them is a huge burden.

"We have to use them, right? If we don't throw our nukes, we'll waste the country's talent in nuclear arms development. I just don't feel right unless I launch a nuke a day."

Seeing the heavyset woman skillfully diverting the committee members with unrelated topics, they both sighed in relief.

"I'd like to take the Suicide Squad along and shadow the Justice League. No problem, right?" Su Ming leaned against the wall, paying no mind to the "No Smoking" sign as he casually blew smoke rings.

A glimmer appeared in Amanda's eyes. "Of course, but you'll need to do your best to ensure the 'national assets' remain intact."

In other words, don't get the Suicide Squad killed. Simple.

After a few more casual exchanges with Waller, Su Ming assembled the Suicide Squad, now minus Killer Croc, in the visitor room of the prison.

"Alright, our next activity is a tour of the Hall of Justice." Su Ming tossed his helmet on the table, pressing both hands against it.

"Can we eat the burgers there?" Harley's eyes widened, licking her lips impatiently.

"Of course. Batman owes me another favor, and we can put everything on his tab."

"Yay!!!"