N-A-A Chapter 350 Batman, I admire your teeth!
Chapter 350 Batman, I admire your teeth!
Chapter 350 Batman, I admire your teeth!
Maxwell Lord's ability is a form of persuasion. When Lord himself uses his ability, he stands in the victim's shoes and presents a set of logic to the other party, as if he were thinking from the other party's perspective.
Then, he was able to use his abilities to make the victims fully accept Lauder's logic, no matter how unreasonable that logic was.
The Frost Killer once called Maxwell Lord's superpower "magical persuasion," but strictly speaking, this mental manipulation ability is far more subtle and pervasive than simple puppet control.
He was able to subtly influence many people with this ability, so that they were not even aware that they were being manipulated by Lord. For example, Damian Wayne only realized that his thoughts had been played when he actually almost sent everyone into the black hole.
Take Talia Augu, for example. She even thought she had successfully broken free from the mind control of the Brain Demon.
More importantly, this kind of persuasive mind control is not like Brainiac's, which connects one's own mind to another, allowing Chen Tao to release "maniacal laughter thoughts" into this already connected mental network, and then contaminate Brainiac in return.
But for Lauder, what brain-mind connection? There was no such thing. I was just persuading him to listen to me, and then he agreed.
So Chen Tao felt quite sorry about this. If Lord and Brainiac were the kind of telepathic users who manipulated puppets, he could have easily used the same trick to end the battle, or at least made them feel restricted.
But actually, it's not a big problem now.
Maxwell Lord controls others through persuasion, but the problem is...
logic.
Maxwell Lord's ability is based on logic; no matter how bad, strange, or inexplicable the logic, it's still logic. But once the victim starts laughing hysterically...
They lost their logic.
"Hahahahahahaha..."
"Hahahahahahahaha..."
"hiss……"
Standing in the center of the Justice League, which was roaring and laughing maniacally, Chen Tao gasped.
He saw the Flash's mouth agape, his jawbone probably dislocated from the force of the blow. The corner of his mouth was torn, revealing red tendons, and blood was flowing freely.
The blood flowed into his gums and was pressed against his lips, turning his entire mouth a deep red that sent chills down one's spine.
Uh... it's okay, anyway, the healing speed of the Speed Force is several times that of a normal person, so this kind of injury will heal very quickly.
At this moment, the world's fastest man collapsed to the ground laughing wildly, his whole body trembling as if he were having a seizure, performing a lightning-force epileptic seizure right in front of Chen Tao.
Chen Tao carefully observed the other party for a while to make sure he didn't need to take out any more freezing guns or other things specifically designed for the Flash.
"What are you doing, Flash? You promised us that we would work together to make the world a better place. Think about it, you said you would use your abilities to benefit the whole world."
Maxwell Lord was still trying to activate his powers on the Flash. He had stopped bleeding from his nose, but Chen Tao could clearly feel that his powers had become stronger.
Although the eclipse manipulated him, it also strengthened him, transforming him and making him different from before.
"Hahahaha, I... am righteous..."
Chen Tao frowned, slightly taken aback. Based on the amount of maniacal thoughts he had injected into Flash's brain after connecting to it, Flash should be laughing hysterically, unable to utter a single word.
However, at this moment, he was able to speak complete words...
Chen Tao looked somewhat gloomy.
Frankly, he didn't want to fight the Flash. Even under Eclipse's control, a speedster like Barry Allen was no easy opponent.
Being manipulated into being fearless means that most plans targeting the Flash's weaknesses, as well as plans to threaten him, are ineffective. The only remaining option is to pull out weapons specifically designed for him and confront him head-on.
Under such circumstances, no matter what method Chen Tao used, he could not guarantee that the Flash would be unharmed.
If possible, Chen Tao would rather treat the many heroes of the Justice League better than let Barry wake up to find every bone in his body broken and lying in the hospital.
Chen Tao turned to look at Wonder Woman.
The most classic way to deal with Wonder Woman is to use nanobots to attack her central nervous system and create illusions, making her believe that she is fighting an evenly matched enemy and fighting relentlessly until she is exhausted.
However, when the evil energy of the eclipse filled Wonder Woman's body, strengthening her physique, increasing her brute strength, and granting her the ability to cast spells, replicating that classic battle plan would become a mere imitation.
Martian Manhunter and Aquaman faced similar issues. When they were manipulated, classic plans targeting the Justice League members' weaknesses—whether using magnesium to create a continuously burning flame or using fear gas to instill a fear of water in Aquaman—failed.
Otherwise, how could you say that Eclipse's control is an enhancement? Damn it, the Justice League was full of weaknesses when it wasn't controlled, but it became perfect after being controlled, right?
This is why Chen Tao didn't try to practice with the Justice League using other methods, but instead directly used the mental link to stuff all of the Joker's maniacal laughter into the minds of the League members.
Chen Tao originally thought he had a pretty good grasp of the basic operating principles of Lauder's superpowers, so he roughly estimated that his abilities could not possibly work on the illogical Laugher.
But now it seems the situation is somewhat out of his control. Maxiwell Lord's superpowers have been enhanced to such a level by Eclipse.
This was clearly beyond his capabilities, yet the immense magical energy of the Heavenly Eclipse forcefully pushed it to the level required to achieve the desired effect?
Chen Tao then pulled the freeze gun out of his belt.
His synchronization time with the Destroyer and the Red Death Demon had plummeted to the level of seconds, thanks to the collapse of the Turtle, the Slave, and the Silver Bug duo. Even though he had prepared how to deal with his teammates…
Well, he just habitually carried a freeze gun and happened to have some weapons prepared to deal with both teammates and enemies; he never intended to attack his teammates.
all in all……
"Sorry, Barry."
"Hahahahahahahahaha... Yes, I want justice... For justice, I must... Ha! Hahahaha..."
Maxwell Lord pressed his temples, continuously channeling his powers at the Flash. With his efforts, although the Flash was still laughing maniacally, his speech gradually became clearer, slowly overcoming his previous state of lying on the ground laughing and unable to speak.
Damn it.
Chen Tao was ready to fire. As the silvery-white particles surged, the blue batsuit of high-speed bullets materialized on his body, allowing him to react more quickly to whether the Flash had made a move.
His gaze swept over the remaining members of the Justice League.
If the Flash can be regained control by Maxwell Lord despite the corruption of his manic laughter, then it means that the other members of the Justice League could also be in the same situation.
Chen Tao had considered attacking Maxwell Lord while he seemed to be dealing with the Flash, but he didn't dare to gamble.
Is it possible that... Lord could still completely control the entire Justice League, and that the Joker's maniacal laughter had no effect on him at all?
His deduction that Lord might not be able to control the Laughing Justice League was entirely based on known information about Lord's abilities.
However, the other party is now under the control of the Eclipse, which may give him completely different power. If he uses the old information about Lord's ability to speculate, what if something goes wrong?
Don't be fooled by the fact that the Flash is currently not completely under Lord's control. Could this be an act by Lord? If, while trying to attack Maxwell Lord to stop his mind control over the Flash, he is suddenly ambushed by Wonder Woman and Aquaman, who appear to be uncontrolled but are actually under his control, could he get injured, causing things to fall apart even more?
Having weapons in hand to deal with his teammates, and being able to eliminate them once confirmed, is a safer approach. It ensures that his side will win no matter what, rather than risking being caught off guard and severely injured by gambling that the other members of the Justice League are not currently under control.
In this already abnormal universe, no possibility, however small, can be ignored.
If Chen Tao hadn't planned his moves so carefully in battle, he would have died many times over.
As for the Flash and his crew being targeted and waking up to find themselves in excruciating pain and lying in the hospital?
To put it bluntly, this was a necessary sacrifice. This is also why Chen Tao wouldn't let Wonder Woman become the leader of the Justice League.
If Wonder Woman were standing here, she would never do this; and if any member of the Justice League were here, they wouldn't either.
They would rush in and then leave the outcome to whether, after the Eclipse was enhanced, Lord would have the ability to ignore the Maniacal Laughter and quietly control the others, leaving the outcome to the universe, to the possibility that "the worst might not happen."
No one can be as rational as him, and no one can be as...
Cold-blooded.
Chen Tao let out a sigh of relief. If he could, he still hoped that things wouldn't turn out the way he expected, which was why he wasn't making the first move, but instead waiting to see whether the Flash would continue laughing maniacally or be controlled by Maxwell Lord.
He must find a way to ensure everyone survives while guaranteeing a 100% win rate.
"Please forgive my cruelty..."
He muttered to himself. Then he watched sadly as the Flash spoke more and more logically and clearly.
This means that the chaos brought about by the maniacal laughter is leaving the Flash's body, and logical thinking is regaining control of his brain.
On the other side of the reins called logical thinking, held by eclipse...
"Ha ha ha ha……"
"That's right..."
"Hahaha, for justice, I must do it—"
Chen Tao lowered his eyes.
Things ultimately took the worst possible turn. Barry once again succumbed to Maxwell Lord's control.
He raised the freeze gun.
Disappointed? Not really. That's right, he shouldn't have had expectations of everything. This is the Dark Universe; never be surprised if things get worse.
The reaction to the high-speed bullets allows him to barely keep up with the Flash's speed. If he fires fast enough, the large-area AOE freezing damage can stop the Flash, giving him an opportunity.
Chen Tao had already prepared how to break the Flash's leg. To prevent Eclipse from healing him and luring him back to the battlefield, he might be forced to break every single bone in the Flash's body. Then, he would stuff the Flash, whose entire skeleton was broken, into a round bucket like minced meat and seal it up. And then...
"For justice!"
The Flash shouted loudly.
The smile disappeared from his face, and the torn skin gradually healed. His expression became resolute, and his eyes shone brightly like stars.
Chen Tao was ready for battle. Maxwell Lord had twisted Barry's mind, making him believe that only by obeying Lord's orders could true justice be served.
He saw Maxwell Lord grinning maliciously: "That's right... justice. Only by obeying me—"
Snapped! !
While Maxwell Lord was still rambling on, he was suddenly slapped by the Flash at supersonic speed, leaving him completely stunned.
"Batman!"
Maxwell Lord covered his face in shock, the Flash's shouts echoing in his ears, a roar so deafening it sent chills down Bai Ye's spine: "That's right, for justice, Batman, for you—for justice!"
He turned his head, the Speed Force coiling around his entire body, carrying leaping and surging arcs of electricity.
At this very moment, unexpectedly, Barry Allen, the Flash, returned like a comet, clad in the pure Speed Force imbued with the evil magic of the Eclipse, sweeping away all demons and monsters.
"I'm back."
He suddenly smiled.
"Things can't always go the way they want, right?"
Chen Tao stared blankly at him, then put down the freeze gun in his hand.
He returned the smile. A smile that belonged to Batman, not the kind of twisted, maniacal laugh that was deliberately contrived.
That's right. Perhaps so, Barry.
Even when the road ahead is unseen, in every darkest night, you always shine as brightly as you do today.
Because everyone knows you are the Flash, the Flash who represents hope.
Thank you so much...
(End of this chapter)