abnabooks Chapter 233 The Portal Reopens
Chapter 233 The Portal Reopens
Chapter 233 The Portal Reopens
With a thud, Joey, his forehead covered in teeth marks, tossed the Mind Stone onto the table in the underground base.
Batman, who was looking down at the S.H.I.E.L.D. database, looked up and saw Superman looking disheveled.
"If I remember correctly, you've only been gone for less than two hours."
Having only been in this world for a few days, Batman had neither manpower nor resources. He hadn't even had time to adapt the firewall for this underground base to connect to the outside network, let alone watch the news.
You can get a general idea of some things even without watching the news. For example, Joey, who just attended that nonsensical ceremony for "The Avengers," has returned with a long face. It's obvious what happened there.
"Something went wrong?"
If nothing unexpected happens, then there must have been another unexpected incident at the scene.
The two Ultron robots that had just been picked out were tossed aside like trash, leaving Joey scratching his head and feeling immense pressure.
"Of course."
We just got rid of that god Galactus, how come Ultron is knocking on our door again?
From the moment he borrowed Deadpool's time-travel watch, he felt like he had fallen into a quagmire, and the more he struggled, the deeper he sank.
Thinking back, my initial goal was simply to travel through time and resurrect my adoptive parents.
Going forward, all I wanted to do was prevent a universe destined for destruction from going to its doom. Why did it turn out this way?
While deep in thought, Joey knew how to write the four characters "going against the heavens," but deep down he would never admit that this was the reason why he hadn't gotten much good food along the way.
After repeating the words "I'm Superman, I can do whatever I want" to himself several times, Joey finally came to his senses and faced the bleak reality.
So he subconsciously asked Batman a question:
How long will it take for the Green Lantern Corps to take shape?
Batman was completely baffled by this question: "We've already discussed it; we don't have enough Lamp Rings right now."
Is Superman hallucinating due to recent stress?
We have enough candidates for the Lantern Group, but what about the Lantern Ring?
No one has the ability or resources to create the lamp ring in a short period of time.
"Oh right."
Joey knew that rushing things now would be pointless; he could only take it one step at a time and hope that Ultron wouldn't make a comeback too soon.
I wonder if Tony can replicate the Green Lantern Ring. If not, then I'll have to find a way to go to Asgard and ask Thor to act as my intermediary.
The dwarf king of Nidwell should be able to handle this.
"How do I get to Asgard? Thor didn't leave a map or any way to contact him!"
What Joey didn't know was that even if he wanted to seek help from the Celestial Palace, he might not be able to get what he wanted.
Thor did not tell him that Ragnarok, the prophecy of the gods, had begun, and that the entire Asgard would likely be overwhelmed with its own problems.
Batman calmly reassured the bewildered Superman:
"calm."
Batman was all too familiar with Joey's gloomy expression.
Logically, such an expression should appear more on Batman's own face than on someone like Superman.
"You seem to distrust other people quite a bit."
It should be the grumpy Batman who worries about the future of the world all day long, not a sunny and cheerful boy like Superman. "You have to trust your other companions; they can share your burdens. Don't always shoulder all the responsibility yourself."
Superman's intense insecurity stems from his distrust of his surroundings and the people around him, a condition that is close to PTSD.
Having moved to a more welcoming environment and given time to reflect, Batman was able to examine his inner self and gradually shed this sense of unease, something Superman doesn't have now.
One crisis after another may not be a big burden on a body of steel, but beneath that steel body may not lie a heart of steel.
What you need is rest.
Batman, swiping the screen, dragged the wreckage of the Ultron robot at his feet toward the laboratory, preparing to study it.
Even at this critical moment, he didn't forget to comfort Joey:
"Don't worry about the lamp rings; what's bothering us is resources, not the technology."
The resources required to create the lamp rings would be astronomical, but the Guardians of Oa, backed by the entire universe, naturally wouldn't have to worry about that.
But they are different.
"Iron Man and I have a big plan."
Seeing that Joey was still uneasy and full of doubt, Batman had no choice but to reassure him:
"Soon, some of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources will be at our disposal, and we'll get the Lamp Ring."
As the strongest official secret organization in North America, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s assets are naturally not suitable for direct seizure, but what if S.H.I.E.L.D. were to be split in two by an accident?
Isn't it perfectly reasonable for our side to seize the illicit assets of criminals?
Rather than letting these dangerous assets be devoured by other bureaucratic organizations that only eat and do nothing, they can play a greater role if they are placed in the hands of those who truly deserve them.
The key to detonating S.H.I.E.L.D. lies with Captain America, who had previously been in contact with Joey.
As long as he is determined to continue his investigation, those Nazi remnants whose influence has been exposed will naturally launch a merciless counterattack.
That will be our opportunity.
"And this is what someone just said about me 'not trusting others'?"
Once Joey understood, he realized that Batman had no reason to accuse him of not trusting others. Didn't he himself not trust S.H.I.E.L.D.?
"These are completely different things."
Batman, with a stern face, began disassembling the Ultron robot, cutting off all communication and making it clear that he would not accept Joey's rebuttal.
"Don't disturb me while I'm working."
On the other side of the space carrier, the special care ward, which had just been vacated not long ago, welcomed new visitors again.
Surrounded by the Avengers and two Green Lantern Spider-Men, the invincible young hero, enveloped by the Green Lantern barrier, once again kept the medical staff busy.
Upon arriving at the scene, Tony immediately treated it as his own territory, issuing orders to the medical team:
"All medical devices, tissue samples, blood samples, and even Starbucks coffee cups are allowed in but not allowed to leave!"
A scanner popped out of the Iron Man suit and attached itself to the door frame:
"Thank you for your hard work. I'll treat you to coffee and bonuses, but please don't do anything underhanded—I've already given you a warning."
Now, facing the same situation, Tony finally understood why Batman had reacted so strangely when Joey collapsed here earlier.
These people—let's call them people for now—have extremely dangerous DNA, and if it falls into the wrong hands, it will cause a huge disaster.
S.H.I.E.L.D. happens to be the group of people who shouldn't be there.
"Sir, such a request would create great difficulties for medical staff."
Those who can board the space carrier are all quasi-military personnel who graduated from secret service academies. Theoretically speaking, Iron Man, as an unofficial member, does not have the direct authority to command them.
"Besides, we cannot directly take your orders."
All the staff present turned their attention to Captain America.
Fury was still arguing with Washington about who should collect Ultron's remains, and Coulson was also extremely busy. The only "one of their own" on the scene who could speak up for them was Captain America.
Captain America, who was being stared at by everyone, nodded indifferently, naturally siding with the outsiders and showing no intention of supporting them. "Iron Man's request is reasonable, I completely agree, let's begin."
After a gust of wind, Joey, who had been kicked out of the gate by Batman, arrived at the scene to visit the severely injured Young Warrior.
In fact, if it were just a matter of confirming the injuries, he wouldn't have needed to come in person at all; he could have simply scanned the area from thousands of miles away. But this wasn't a health issue; it was an attitude issue.
The guest who came from afar was injured while helping to fight against foreign enemies, so we should come and see him in person.
"What are you all arguing about?!"
Joey could hear the argument from a distance, which was only possible because this Witrumian possessed physical abilities similar to those of Kryptonians.
Otherwise, with this kind of injury, the time wasted would be enough to contact the funeral home directly.
"If this keeps going, the patient will heal themselves!"
This is just Joey exaggerating; the self-healing ability of this Voidling is far less abnormal than that of the Kryptonians.
His body's self-healing system seems to only be able to restore himself to a level sufficient to escape the brink of death, after which his metabolic function gradually slows down and enters a slow-paced healing process.
However, this "slowness" is only relative to Kryptonians; for ordinary people, it is fast enough.
Soon, just as Joey had expected, the noise from the scene quickly woke up the Invincible Young Hero, who had regained consciousness.
This alien's head was tough enough to survive a casual blow from Ultron.
Opening his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling wasn't unusual for Mark Grayson, who was always lying on the ground severely injured.
"Oh, where am I?"
Mark felt a splitting headache, and everyone present crowded around him.
"You're awake!"
Mark, who had suffered a severe head injury, still needed time to sort out his thoughts. Looking at the many unfamiliar faces in front of him, many of whom were still blurry, he didn't know where to begin.
"You are"
Seeing this, Iron Man pulled aside professionals like Joey and Dr. Banner and whispered among themselves:
"Did Ultron knock this kid out of his mind with that punch? Does anyone know how to treat amnesia? Would another punch do the trick?"
"Hey! I haven't lost my memory!" Mark, struggling to keep his vision clear of double images, caught Tony's absurd suggestion with his keen hearing and immediately protested:
"I know who I am, I am the Invincible Young Hero." This "invincible" made Tony, who already has a low threshold for laughter, lose the "don't laugh" challenge in a second. Fortunately, his Iron Mask covered his face, preventing him from losing too much of his composure.
"Say what you will, it's not me lying in the hospital bed right now."
"Tony, look."
Dr. Banner, who was standing to the side, pushed up his glasses, nudged Tony, who was still picking on the patient, and turned his attention to what needed to be focused on.
A circular portal flashing green light:
"Doesn't that thing look a bit like the teleportation portal in 'Grandpa and Grandson'?"