Volume 3: The Nameless Chapter 37 I am a little candle burning
"Mason, I found Jack! He's just up ahead."
On a small motorcycle flying low over the abandoned city, Barbara, who was behind Mason, looked at the signal positioning of the arm computer and said to Mason and Ertong:
"They're in the abandoned high rise up ahead. Mary Jane and Peter Parker are there too."
"etc!"
Ertong suddenly asked:
"When did you put the locators on them?"
"Need I say more?"
Mason turned the handlebars and sped towards the miserable ruins of the high-rise building ahead, saying casually:
"Of course it was during our first meeting with them. Without our spider sense, it became possible for us to place a locator on Spider-Man... You've been with Batman for several years, so why would you ask such a stupid question?"
"It's not just them."
Barbara reminded:
“All the people we met along the way had tracking devices placed on them, most of which were placed by me personally.
This is a very effective means of investigation. For example, I can see that Mayor Jameson has brought a large group of people out of the shelter to help. "
“Let them go back!”
Mason warned:
“They can’t deal with the mutated zombies in this city. If you must get out, go back to Mary Jane’s office first. I left a box of zombie vaccine there.
Although I don’t know if we can deal with this more dangerous virus, it’s better than doing nothing.
I'm going in!
Jason, cheer up, it's a little too quiet in there."
"Click"
With two barrels of bullets loaded, they flew into the abandoned high-rise building through the broken window in a cool and dashing manner on the small motorcycle, intending to launch a wave of divine troops from the sky. The muzzles of their guns were even pointed forward.
Then, the three members of Team K became numb on the spot.
It's numb on both the physical and magical levels.
A demon's weakening magic hit them head-on.
In this abandoned hall, there is not only Mary Jane holding her daughter and the middle-aged Spider-Man standing beside them to protect them, but also Captain Jack, who is sitting aside smoking with a bruised face and a beaten nose.
And the demon knight Jason Blood, who was sitting on the tattered sofa with his back straight, a knight's sword in his hand and cold eyes.
Okay.
This is the little mice running headlong into the old cat's claws.
It was definitely too late to run at this distance, as the Demon Knight's oppressive aura was already weighing on the three of them.
It was as if they were locked by a Tyrannosaurus Rex. If Mason and the other two made the slightest movement, the knight's sword, which was shining with cold light, would definitely hit some part of their bodies.
"Mason Cooper!"
The demon knight sitting on the abandoned sofa did not waste any time, nor did he play any tricks of playing hard to get.
He said bluntly:
"Come here! I need to talk to you."
"Let me check first."
Mason moved his numb fingers, turned the key of the scooter to turn it off, and signaled with his eyes that Ertong and Barbara should put down their weapons and not panic.
The fact that this dangerous guy didn't attack me right away meant that there was still hope.
He said to the Demon Knight:
"You're not going to beat us up and demand that we take you back so that you can put us on trial before the Justice League, are you?"
“It’s hard to say.”
The Demon Knight said coldly:
“It depends on how much information you choose to hide when we talk next. If you are honest enough and my questions can be answered, maybe there is a second way for us to go.
You took so much trouble to bring me here, didn't you want me to see the scene of the end of the world with my own eyes? I roughly guessed what you wanted to express.
So I'll tell you, Mason Cooper, there's still a little bit of a turnaround.
But it’s not up to me.”
"Boom"
As soon as Brad finished speaking, the whole city shook violently again.
This time it was even more exaggerated. When Mason turned around, he saw several tall buildings on the edge of the city collapsing amid Mary Jane's screams.
The little girl in her arms screamed in fright, and Spider-Man reached out and held the mother and daughter in his arms.
He looked into the distance where smoke and dust were flying everywhere, and the seriousness in his eyes became more and more gloomy.
The earthquake intensified.
The time left for them to act is running out.
"Mason!"
Peter shouted:
"Hurry up and finish your business, and then we will leave immediately! We can't wait any longer."
"Um."
Mason nodded, and after the earthquake subsided, he made a "please" gesture to Jason Blood, preparing to go to the next room to talk with him.
However, when the Demon Knight stood up, he waved his hand and exposed the two guys who had been bound in the dark to everyone.
Those were the Rhino Man and the Scorpion Man. The two guys were now sitting in the twisted steel like idiots, grinning foolishly at the group of people and drooling.
"I have interrogated them. The mind extraction operation may be a bit rough, but it works well."
The Demon Knight said expressionlessly:
"Their mission is to work with a guy called 'Vulture' to find you in the city and kill you... to be precise, kill you, Mason Cooper.
It seems your peers hate you more than we care about you."
"I work for an organization that is full of big bad guys, and all I can say is that this is not surprising to me."
Mason snorted and said:
"But this is a good thing. It means I won't feel the slightest bit of guilt when I chop off Sandstorm's head. After all, everyone saw that he was the first to do it."
The Rhino and the Scorpion were not killed.
Although they kidnapped little May Parker, they did not harm her and instead protected her from the zombie attack.
Although not out of good intentions.
But this act of protection itself earned them a chance to survive the sword of the Demon Knight.
But their armor was badly damaged, covered with scorch marks from fire and miserable sword marks. When these two unlucky guys were thrown out, they looked like they were lying on garbage.
When Mason saw the two types of engineering combat uniforms, his eyes lit up and he gestured to Barbara.
Batgirl understood immediately.
Although they had only known each other for a short time, Barbara had already gained some understanding of Mason's peculiar "collecting habit", and he had taken a fancy to these two pieces of armor.
Although it doesn't look very advanced, it's still great for the vassal army to use.
While Mason was talking to the Demon Knight, Barbara was collecting and processing the armor, and the middle-aged Spider-Man was saying goodbye to his wife and daughter, the second barrel also walked up to the beaten Captain Jack and said to him:
"Jack, you don't have to follow us to attack that tower. You have a new mission."
"Huh? Can I say this is good news?"
Captain Jack, who had a head full of lumps but was saved from being roasted to death by the devil because he gave in in time, slapped his lips and said:
"How can a Mason who treats people like animals be so kind? Tell me, what do you want the great Captain Jack Sparrow to help you with?"
"You're one of us, too."
Ertong snorted, sat next to Jack, took out his own gun, disassembled it for maintenance, and said:
“You need to go back to the shelter.
Go negotiate with the underground people in the name of Team K, and Dr. Connors will assist you.
While we're fighting the Hydra team, you have to find a way to sneak those giant lizards into the city through the sewers to create chaos.
There are a lot of minions over there.
It is your job to delay them and create chaos, and Mason asked me to give you this."
Second Barrel took out a black exquisite sculpture of a three-headed hellhound from his pocket and handed it to Captain Jack, whispering:
"Leave it to you for self-defense. The opening words are 'Maomao, come and help me'. Zhakang has put a spell on it, so it won't attack anyone holding the statue, but you'd better be careful.
Don’t use it if you can avoid it.”
"Well, I'm good at agitation and negotiation!"
Captain Jack felt a little relieved when he heard about his new job. He took the statue of the zombie three-headed dog and put it in his arms, then turned around and glanced at Mary Jane who was arguing with Spider-Man.
He stroked his chin and said:
"I think I can get more than one reinforcement... Hey, wait and see, the omnipotent Captain Jack will give you a surprise!"
——
In the room next to the abandoned hall, Mason walked in and pricked up his ears to hear Mary Jane yelling at the silent Peter Parker, scolding him for going to die!
Although the words were impolite, the concern and worry were evident.
This made Mason sigh that no matter what world line or background, the relationship between Peter Parker and Mary Jane would always be so complicated and intertwined.
Alas, another fairy-tale love story that makes people feel like they have eaten a ton of lemons...
"What did you want to talk to me about?"
He withdrew his attention from the infatuated couple and looked at the demon knight Jason Blood in front of him.
The latter had already retracted his knight's sword adorned with a demon's head, and was standing by the broken window, looking out at the dead and ominous city before him.
It's like standing on the decayed corpse of a giant beast and imagining what it looked like when it was still alive. The act itself is sad enough.
"It's not about what I want to talk about, Mason."
Facing Mason's question, Brad said without turning his head:
“The question is what are you trying to tell me?
You brought me into this world, you showed me the true end of the world, you tried to show me that even within your organization there were different... 'factions'?
Or different thinking.
You are obviously hostile to your counterparts in this world, they want to kill you, and your purpose for coming here is probably not so peaceful. "
The Demon Knight paused.
He said:
"Are you going to show me another possibility about your identities?"
“It’s not about showing, it’s about explaining.”
Mason leaned against a broken cabinet and said:
"The last time the Justice League was able to thwart the All-Stars' actions in our world, it was all because of Constantine's warning. Can you guess who took the risk to get that information from the invaders?
I know very well that when it comes to the survival of a world, no matter how alluring the words are, they are meaningless, so I use actions to prove my ideas.
And you have seen my sincerity with your own eyes.
Let me put it this way, Jason Blood."
The young man rubbed his forehead and said:
"I am the 'undercover' sent by you. Although you did not do this, it is the fact. Team K lurks in the Star Society to observe their every move and give you timely feedback. Our last cooperation was very successful.
We can continue to replicate this success.
The premise is that you have to keep it confidential for us.
Once more people know about something, it can no longer be considered a secret. What's more, the stars probably have "eyes" in our world.
This is the only way I can invite you over.
Zha Kang told me that you are trustworthy..."
"He would never say that. Constantine wants me dead. After all, I am one of his 'creditors'."
The Demon Knight gave a sinister smile and said:
"But I understand what you mean, Mason Cooper. Let me ask you, did Batman send you to infiltrate this organization called 'Star Society'?"
"No, no one told me to do this, and I didn't even want to do it myself."
Mason answered truthfully:
"This is all just an accident, but I now suspect, just like you, that Batman has already guessed the true identity of Team K. He probably didn't make it clear because he wanted to wait until the right time.
If I'm not mistaken, he's also trying to stop you from revealing our identities, right?"
"You really do know him well, just as he trusts you."
The Demon Knight shook his head and stopped dwelling on this question. He looked at the city filled with zombies and death. After being silent for several seconds, he spoke:
"If your interception failed last time, will everything that happened here happen again in our world?"
“High probability!”
Mason walked to the window and stood with the Demon Knight, saying with a serious expression:
"Once, I thought our world was very strong compared to those weaker worlds, and was strong enough to protect itself from such 'pollution'.
But it turned out that I was still too young.
Look at this city, Jason Blood.
The superheroes this world once possessed were no less powerful than the Justice League, and even after their defeat, this half-dead world would still become a ruin for the Stars to recruit warriors.
Strength alone cannot resist them.
As the old saying goes, a dynasty defeated by its enemies may rise again, but a world collapsed from within will never be buried.
Conspiracy, deception, and provocation, they have too many weapons to use.
They don't even have to speak!
As long as we put the cruel reality we have seen in front of us, there will naturally be people with weak minds who will give up resistance under the pretext of "protecting the weak and continuing to exist."
Mason looked at the Demon Knight beside him and said:
“I think we should learn some lessons from the stories of this world, and I hope these lessons can be conveyed to those who trust you not in my name but in your voice.
This may be the best outcome we can get from our conversation today.
Of course, getting you to give up chasing us is also part of this achievement."
“Then there’s still a lot for me to see.”
Jason Blood shook his head and said:
“I need to travel this world and use my eyes to record the lessons and experiences that this world wants to teach us.
Truce, Mason Cooper.
I will not put any more pressure on you until you have done what you must do, but when I decide to return to our world, you must go back with me to face those who sent me.
Those who can decide the future of our world.
Those who stand with Batman and the Justice League!"
"I accept."
Mason took a step back.
He thanked the powerful demon knight for his sanity, but then he pulled up his sleeves to reveal the tattoo on his arm and reminded:
"But if you want to walk through that door again, this is the price! You have to become one of them, and you have to become one of us."
"Let me see it."
The Demon Knight leaned down and stared at Mason's arm. He did not use magic to detect it like Zha Kang, but he could see a lot with his eyes from hell.
His brows knitted tightly together, and after a few seconds, he said:
"It seems that the price of 'going home' is high. I will reserve this power for the time being. I will write you a letter that cannot be forged and ask you to take it back for me."
"This...A life as powerful as you would also be afraid of this curse?"
Mason asked with a raised eyebrow.
The Demon Knight looked up at him and said:
“Aren’t you afraid?
That just shows that you don't really realize how much trouble you're in. Let me explain this to you in simpler and more understandable terms...
Rather than letting you keep it, perhaps it would be an easier outcome for me to stab you to death with my sword now.
You and your crew have become candles, Mason."
"Candle?"
Mason asked.
The Demon Knight nodded and explained softly:
“This is a popular saying in hell, which means burning yourself to light up others.
Those powerful demons or devils will look for many, many candles in the human world to bind their existence to their own existence.
Every time a candle is lit it becomes more powerful, and it will never die or fail until the last candle goes out.
You are just one of millions of candles.
And if you want to get your soul and the soul of your friends back, you will eventually have to fight that horror."
After saying that, the Demon Knight looked at Mason seriously and said:
"You have already embarked on a path of resistance from which there is no turning back, so I wish you good luck.
As for me, I thought about it and decided that compared to that curse, maybe staying in this alien world for a long time would be easier for my already troubled life.
I don’t like our ‘homeland’ that much anyway.”
