northernbook Chapter 252 Chen Tao decides that eating the mother box is the safest option.
Chapter 252 Chen Tao decides that eating the mother box is the safest option.
Chapter 252 Chen Tao decides that eating the mother box is the safest option.
"This is the Red of All Beings, Your Excellency President Clinton."
While Luther and Superman Connor were driving to the newly established Justice Hall, Chen Tao was busy with his meeting with the President.
President Clinton was a stocky, middle-aged man with a high nose and large, thick-lidded eyes. He had a head of slightly graying curly hair and rounded facial muscles, a stark contrast to the gaunt appearance of his predecessor.
At this moment, they were in the Red of All Beings, a different dimension where all red life on Earth gathered.
Amanda Waller and Steve Trevor, the two henchmen, followed behind Batman and the President, while Martian Manhunter and Killer Croc, two green-clad figures, acted as bodyguards. Standing next to the President was the newly appointed Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Mr. Gantry.
"That's...unbelievable."
President Clinton crouched down, grabbed a handful of red sand from the ground, and let the fine red sand, which felt like animal bones, slip through his fingers.
"Your Excellency, this is the Red of All Beings. A safe hiding place."
"Hmm... just call me Clinton."
"Alright, Mr. Clinton," Chen Tao said, "as you can see, the Justice League intends to hide the Mother Box here—"
"No, if we can enter this alternate dimension, how can you ensure that others can't?" Before the President could speak, Army Chief of Staff Gantry, standing beside him, interjected, "Besides, in this alternate dimension that only Killer Croc can open, what if he dies?"
Chen Tao glanced at President Clinton, who remained smiling without saying a word.
The other person's appearance is very...approachable? There are some things he can't say, so did he train a dedicated mouth double?
Army staff officer Gan Cui's voice was still ringing out: "Besides, if we leave it here, we can't study the mother box, so..."
"Research on the Mother Box can be temporarily suspended until I return from Atlantis and resume when I am present."
Chen Tao said, "I've studied it for so long and still don't understand anything. It doesn't matter if I spend a little more or a little less time. If I can't solve a math problem, I just can't solve it. Spending more time on it won't help."
Before Staff Officer Gantry could continue, he cut to the chase: "I think the most important issue before us is planning, not research, unless you can tell me you can figure out a solution to Darkseid from the Mother Box in a short time."
"As for Killer Croc," Chen Tao said bluntly, "he won't die even if you die."
"..."
"Alright, alright, I thought our conversation would be a little more amicable," Clinton quickly intervened to smooth things over. "Chief of Staff Gancho was just expressing his question."
Chen Tao immediately backed down.
This was not a question, but a test. His response had to be strong and firm. There was already enough going on, and he didn't want his wavering stance to encourage anyone to do something foolish.
It's best to nip some problems in the bud.
For the government, it wouldn't be so polite to a superhero like Chen Tao unless there were imminent external dangers like Brainiac and Darkseid, and they were certain that the government was incapable of dealing with them.
"We intend to award you the rank of Army General." Clinton changed the subject: "It's just an honorary title."
"Thank you very much, sir," Chen Tao said.
"Hey, to be honest, it's a little weird that I'm calling you Batman," Clinton said. "Can I just call you Bruce or Mr. Wayne?"
"As you see fit, Your Excellency," Chen Tao said.
"Alright, alright, Bruce," Clinton said. "Let's talk about Atlantis."
Clinton is very good at building rapport. Although Chen Tao and he hadn't interacted much before, they were already like old friends after just a few words.
"Atlantis is powerful, far beyond human capabilities," Clinton said. "And based on the intelligence we've gathered so far, they're not friendly towards us. So..."
"I understand perfectly well," Chen Tao interjected. "Therefore, this trip to Atlantis to demand the Mother Box should never escalate into a war between the United States and Atlantis."
“Exactly, Bruce,” Clinton said. “The Atlanteans have a lot of attacks. Just six hours ago, they wrecked an illegal whaling ship in Massachusetts (a state in the northeastern United States, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the east), and there wasn’t a single survivor.”
"Admittedly, those people are criminals engaged in illegal whaling, and I have no intention of exonerating them. But the aggressive methods of those Atlanteans always make one worry that they might use them to attack us."
Clinton said, "I know, I know, you're sure you'll tell me the Atlanteans aren't a crazy race and wouldn't attack America for no reason. But as president, I have to be responsible for the country."
"We can never entrust national security to the premise that 'others will not attack us'."
Therefore, I regret to inform you that, given the increasing number of Atlantean attacks, we are prepared for any national war against Atlantis.
I also hope that, in the event of war, you will prioritize the safety of our nation's people.
Chen Tao and Clinton strolled slowly on the red sand beach, listening to each other continue talking.
"But once the war begins, it will be a bloodbath for both sides. So although I agree to your plan to seek the Mother Box from Atlantis, I hope you will promise me to exercise restraint and absolutely not allow Atlantis to attack America because of it, otherwise we will be forced to retaliate, and many people will die."
"Understood, Your Excellency," Chen Tao replied.
"After we focused our attention on the Atlanteans, Dr. Stephen Shen revealed a lot of his research to the Pentagon," Clinton said. "It was a nation with millions of superhumans."
"We absolutely, absolutely cannot engage in conflict with them. But if war breaks out—we must immediately launch a full-scale counterattack to ensure we are the safe ones."
……
……
……
Imagine this world.
A shameful fact.
It serves as a reminder to mortals of their place in the universe.
Imagine the ocean.
The oceans have an average depth of 2.5 miles, with some reaching depths of over 7 miles, and they cover an area of nearly 128000 square miles on the planet's surface.
That's two-thirds of the Earth's surface, 97% of the global biosphere. Compared to that, any one person is insignificant, unless he claims the ocean is his domain and rules them like I do.
My name is Arthur Curry, the ruler of Atlantis—Aquaman.
Those I saved gave me a more affectionate name:
Water Knight.
This is the western Atlantic Ocean, near Massachusetts.
"How far away is he from me?" In the raging torrent, Neptune Arthur is speeding at a speed of over Mach 9 (3 kilometers per second).
He heard the communications from the Atlantis palace.
"Your Majesty, our equipment indicates that we are still six miles from the quarry."
Aquaman Arthur asked, "Has the target's identity been confirmed, Captain Salk?"
"My dear, it's Mela."
Then Arthur heard his lover's voice: "Identity confirmed, it's the [Flood Beast Organization]."
"Damn it."
"It's a man with flowing blond hair," he said. His hair billowed in the fast-moving water, and countless tiny bubbles spewed from the corners of his mouth, propelling him even faster.
I am Arthur Curry.
Is my self-perception as the king and protector of two-thirds of the world a sign of confidence, admirable resolve, or arrogance?
But all in all, managing two-thirds of the planet's territory is no easy task.
Some might say this is too much of a burden for one person. Right now, I'm ignoring the typhoon in Indonesia, the earthquake in the Sea of Japan, and the migrant ship that sank in the Mediterranean. But my priority today is dealing with the [Flood Beast Organization].
They are an exceptionally dangerous Atlantis terrorist organization.
The figure of Neptune Arthur remained frozen in a sea area filled with a large fleet, sea monsters resembling dinosaurs, and cavalry riding directly on these creatures.
He blocked the way of the fleet, wielding the Trident of Neptune, and instantly sliced through the thick steel armor of one of the Atlantean ships.
"Now—stop right there!"
boom!
Aquaman Arthur stood in front of the screaming members of the Flood Beasts, listening indifferently to their roars:
"The king himself has come! Forget your loyalty, you Flood Beasts! We swore to dedicate ourselves to this mission!"
Aquaman Arthur looked at them.
Because of Atlantis's notoriously isolated nature, its perfect society is not understood by the surface world.
The Flood Beast Organization recruited the Ninth Race of Atlantis, which are the lowest-ranking people in the city-state. The Ninth Race considers themselves to be "Hadarin," which in Atlantis means creatures that live on the deep seabed and depend on organic matter left over from the upper growth layer to survive, "the dregs of the bottom."
Without a doubt, in the eyes of the Atlanteans, the Hadarin were noble, and they did the most humble work to keep the sea clean.
"Kurrenlas of the Ninth Race! I recognize you, you are a true Atlantean—"
Aquaman Arthur dodged the bullets that rained down on him like a school of fish migrating from the deep sea: "—yet he betrayed his own faith!"
"You are not my king. Where is your crown? You look like a land-dwelling idiot—you do not belong to us! Your brother, Lord Orm, should be the king of Atlantis, but he is so stubborn as to obey the law and voluntarily abdicate the throne!"
The Flood Beasts consider the world on land to be filthy, and they oppose any contact between Atlantis and the land.
Perhaps more than anything else, what they loathed most was that their king was born on land.
boom!
Aquaman Arthur wielded his trident, cleaving through the steel shackles binding the sea monsters:
"You started a war! You strapped hydrogen bombs to these enslaved sea monsters... Let me guess, you want to swim into some undefended American harbor and then bomb a city to the ground!"
"The Flood Beast Organization has been waiting for your actions, 'King,' but you haven't. You love your surface too much, so much so that you dare not face our power."
A bald-headed leader of the Flood Beasts organization, Cullenras, roared:
"Land-based humans are polluting our oceans! Destroying our living environment! And we must fight back!"
He steered the heavy cannon carried by the giant beast and blasted Aquaman Arthur away with a single shot.
"The flames of the hydrogen bomb will carry our message to the land! The earth will burn, for Atlantis!"
"No! It's not for Atlantis!" Aquaman recovered and lunged at the members of the [Flood Beast Organization] again: "This is absolutely not 'for Atlantis'!"
Meanwhile, in the palace of Atlantis.
"The king attacked his own people in order to save those on land."
Some people say this.
"They are terrorists, Commander Muk, they are not 'our people'," Mera stood beside him, refuting the loyal Atlantean army commander, "Muk".
"Poseidon knows that the underwater and terrestrial worlds have long been at odds, but you heard what Arthur said... The Flood Beasts have prepared hydrogen bombs. They've loaded them into saddlebags. They can destroy a western coastal city in an instant, which will immediately draw both worlds into war."
Mera, Aquaman's lover, turned to the person next to her and asked, "Captain Zach, is there any indication that the Americans know what's going to happen?"
"Not yet, but if the battle gets a little closer to land, things might change. Should we deploy mobile forces to assist His Majesty? Or even use all our troops?"
"Wait a little longer, Captain Sack. Mobilizing our elite special forces or the entire military force of Atlantis would cause an international incident, and it would easily reveal the existence of our world."
Mera heard her man's angry roar through the communication channel:
"They're using implants to ravage your nerves, you old sea monster. I can feel your pain. Be free! Throw the one who enslaves you off your back!"
"No! You stopped me from destroying Boston, False King! That bomb will still vaporize this coastline! The roar of the Flood Beast will still be heard—"
boom!
A muffled thud.
"Mera, it's over. Send someone to tie up the prisoners, and then take good care of those enslaved sea creatures."
……
……
……
"Yes, yes, yes, right here. I had Clayface make seven or eight fakes, but the real one is decided to be buried here."
This is the territory of the Red Realm of All Beings. Chen Tao is currently inside a building, with President Clinton beside him.
Killer Croc kept the portal open, and everyone witnessed the Mother Box being placed inside this magically protected and deeply hidden building.
"We should go."
Once the group had completely disappeared into the Crimson of All Beings, the building that had been specially constructed to house the Mother Box also vanished into the Crimson of All Beings air, standing there silently, unknown to anyone.
However, not long after.
"The gate is opened, drawn by the blood of those who open it, a red gate of life! (The gate is opened by the blood of those who open it, a red gate of life!)"
A portal suddenly appeared, and Chen Tao, still in his bat-mage form, returned to the same spot.
He did a final check on his body to make sure there was no trace of Mudface left, so that even Mudface wouldn't know what he had done.
After passing through layers of security measures, he appeared in front of the two Mother Boxes. Then, the power of the Metal Spirit condensed in his hands, combining with the ironic magic uttered by the Bat Mage, to create two other metal cubes that were exactly the same as the Mother Boxes.
He took the two mother boxes off and held them in his hands, then stuffed the counterfeit goods into them.
"Sigh, it's definitely more reassuring this way..." Chen Tao muttered as he held up the two mother boxes.
Then he opened his mouth.
The next second, his skin turned green, sharp teeth emerged, and he transformed into a dinosaur's head. With a flick of his long, sharp tongue, he swallowed the two mother boxes into his stomach with a gulp.
"Hiccup!"
He let out a loud burp, his belly bulged slightly, and the two mother boxes were stacked together inside him.
He is a little over 1.8 meters tall, and there is more than enough space in his stomach and chest to fit two mother boxes the size of an average person's head.
As for the five internal organs and six bowels?
After loading the Batmobile, Chen Tao had long since become a monster of metal spirits, something that could transform into mechanical parts at any time, thus freeing up space.
(End of this chapter)