Volume 4: The Last Day Chapter 12: Doomsday Soldiers
In the square of Area C of Osborne Tower, the huge transfer gate is shining with strong light like a wall of light curtain, and doomsday refugees from another world are rushing out of it one after another.
Many of them were still covered in volcanic ash and blood, some were carrying children, some were dragging boxes, and more were rushing over with empty hands and looks of fear on their faces.
What came into view was a giant metal tower that soared into the sky, which was unimaginable to people in the 18th century, and a cold city filled with silver-gray light .
This is a completely different landscape from the Port of Virginia.
Those who are fleeing the doomsday will subconsciously stop and look around, and then they will be hit with electric sticks, scolding them and demanding to move forward immediately and not block the way of those behind them.
There were simply too many people, a transfer of nearly one million people at the end of the world. Even though the old Green Goblin had vacated the large square in Zone C that could accommodate tens of thousands of people in advance, any slight stagnation would still lead to pushing or even trampling accidents.
The current Iceberg Bar security guards and former pirates from the Black Pearl performed this task without any hesitation. Wearing black uniforms, they would always make the helpless people grimace in pain when they hit them with the sticks.
There were also some guards wearing flight uniforms flying around in the air to maintain order.
But no one will complain at this time.
They were all terrified by the doomsday scene of the earth collapsing and the sky collapsing that they had just witnessed.
"Cat Goddess! It's the Goddess!"
Someone in the crowd shouted, and suddenly a large group of people rushed over and gathered around Selina, who was wearing a cloak and looked a little pale, and was being supported by Mary Jane.
These superstitious believers from the sea had long heard of the legend of the "Cat Goddess who brings hope". Seeing the real person with their own eyes and having actually been rescued from a disaster made their wandering hearts almost instantly convert to the belief they had heard from hearsay.
The tearful prayers in despair also seem so sincere.
Enough to touch people's hearts.
This sudden scene made Lady Cat, who was maintaining order in the square with her servant army, a little confused for a moment. When those people on Turtle Island shouted "Cat Goddess", she just thought it was fun and let it go.
But the current situation is serious.
Seeing more and more people coming to her and kneeling down, if she didn't stop them, maybe they would really create a weird religion. But just as Selina was supported by Mary Jane and stood on a box, ready to explain, Mason's voice came from behind:
"Let them be, no need to explain too much."
"Um?"
Catwoman looked back at Mason, who was already wearing the black anti-Superman armor but without the helmet.
The chest of this heavy suit of armor no longer emits purple fluorescence. Instead, it is replaced by a faintly glowing arc reactor. From a distance, it looks like a ray of light has been ignited in the black metal.
"They are people from an ancient world where gods exist, Selina, and faith is part of their lives."
Mason, wearing power armor, is nearly 2.5 meters tall. Like a majestic metal knight, he approaches the "cat goddess" in the eyes of the doomsday refugees amid their terrified and fearful gazes.
He said to Selina who looked hesitant:
"Rather than letting those fabricated cults occupy the hearts of these refugees who are in urgent need of comfort after the apocalypse, it is better for you to take action. At least we all know that apart from asking these poor people to offer you various jewels, you will not let them do something cruel like sacrifice people alive.
Bringing them here is just the beginning..."
Mason looked at the increasing number of doomsday refugees in front of him and shook his head.
"Osborne Tower cannot accommodate so many people. Old Green Goblin told me that after a short rest here, they will have to go to the abandoned New York City to rebuild their lives. Dr. Connors's lizard people will help them as much as possible.
Any element of stability in this situation is precious.
Since they call you a goddess, why don’t you just dress up as a real goddess for once? Your looks and temperament are definitely good enough, and I think this kind of Cosplay is not difficult for you.”
"I don't like to play tricks."
Catwoman put her hands on her hips and said:
“Although there are indeed many men who praise me as their goddess in various occasions, I think the meanings of the two are quite different.
Are you going over here?
Need help?
You know, Bruce came to see me the other day, and I told him everything I could, as you asked. I think if you needed help, he would be able to mobilize immediately with just a phone call.
No one in the Justice League dares to object to something like this, or Superman will smash their heads off."
"We will need him, but not now. We have our problems, and they have theirs. I leave this to you, ladies. I'll see you after the battle."
Mason shook his head and put on the black helmet. The moment the metal helmet was buckled, the specially made Isu Vanguard Armor data module was immediately connected. The Sorting Hat originally worn on his head immediately transformed into a headband that buckled on the young man's forehead, which did not affect his human-computer interaction with the Anti-Superman armor.
The fully armed anti-Superman armor strode forward like a giant. The doomsday refugees rushing out from the light curtain in front naturally made way for the black mechanical warrior.
People whispered that this was the Iron Knight of the great and beautiful Cat Goddess...
The 2077 war vehicle, the Demon Lizard, which has been modified from the inside out, slowly moves forward in a suspended propulsion posture. In its rear armor filled with weapon modules, there is also an oversized armor storage tank.
"About to enter the transfer gate, Draman program taking over, switching to autopilot. Good luck, Mason."
Judy's voice rang out over the Anti-Superman armor's communications.
She advised:
"I installed a self-destruct module on the demon lizard, which has considerable power. Don't be stingy with the vehicle when necessary. You already have the blueprints, and you can knock one out with your own hands.
People are the most important.
In addition, I have contacted Lao Wei, and he has prepared a full set of prosthetics for access to the operating room. I know you don't want you or your team members to become "modified people" like us.
But this is a war after all.
Just go for it.
As long as you are not dead, we can rescue you."
"Hey! Didn't Captain Morgan teach you that?"
Before entering the light curtain of the transfer gate, Mason replied dissatisfiedly:
"Don't raise this kind of flag before a war! And can you please say something nice?"
With such a complaint, Mason's figure disappeared in the star-filled curtain. Behind him, the magic lizard vehicle that had switched to automatic driving also approached the light curtain in a very stable posture like a flying heavy tank.
The neutral male voice of Delaman, the intelligent AI who originally drove a taxi in Night City, echoed in the empty cockpit:
"The Delaman smart travel program is at your service. The current service program is the 'Keep Improving' package, which unlocks the combat mode and allows the vehicle to self-check..."
The moment it entered the light curtain, the originally peaceful electronic sound suddenly became violent.
Although the voice was still the same, this AI seemed to have suddenly gone from "electronic butler" mode to "cyber psychosis" mode, screaming at the top of its lungs:
"Ding Di! Bastard! I'll hit you to death!"
"What's that over there?"
The sharp shouts startled Zha Kang and Jack, who were still in Virginia City on the other side of the transfer gate. The two guys were organizing the people in the city to evacuate in an orderly manner, and then they saw that the transfer gate was temporarily blocked.
The familiar black armor strode out, causing the crowd to exclaim.
Behind Mason, there was a powerful thing that looked like a combination of a tank and a hovercraft, which appeared little by little, causing those poor people who were frightened by the sudden change in the situation to feel their legs go weak and were about to fall to the ground.
"Draman, first test of the gravity well module."
Mason, driving the Anti-Superman armor, said to the onboard AI in the cockpit:
"Activate it, slowly increase the electrical stimulation, be gentle, don't turn it up to the maximum all at once."
"I understand, Mason, you don't have to stress about it."
The automatic program in the tank has gone crazy, but the Delaman program in the Mason armor is still very stable. This intelligent AI with suspected multiple schizophrenia said in a gentle tone:
"After leaving Night City, I was widely used in various situations of the Afterlife Team, including laboratory auxiliary programs. My rewritten program can independently complete the testing of new modules. You only need to focus on giving orders during combat, dear passenger.
Then, the new module test begins... 10% power supply..."
"Buzz"
An arc of electricity jumped on the boots of the Anti-Superman armor, activating the two gravity well engineering devices that Mason had just placed there. The liquid gravity hammer was stimulated by the electric current and changed its form. The moment it transformed the surrounding gravity and applied it to the heavy armor.
As Mason exclaimed, the Anti-Superman Armor took off from the spot in an instant, and in the blink of an eye it danced and rushed up to a height of a hundred meters.
Fortunately, this thing is not rocket-propelled, otherwise his poor control posture would be enough to make him lose stability and do Brownian motion in the air.
After being activated, this unscientific gravity well creates an invisible "anti-gravity field", in which Mason and his armor are wrapped.
Therefore, even though the take-off posture is very bad, once it flies up, it will not fall down again.
"With all due respect, passenger."
The onboard AI Delaman was also startled. It quickly reduced the power supply to stop Mason from continuing to float up to prevent him from freezing to death at an altitude of 10,000 meters. It kindly reminded him:
"Perhaps you need to install a flight control module to help you better operate this gravity well system whose principles I don't understand at all. Perhaps you can input some knowledge related to 'magic' into my database to help me learn more deeply."
"Shut up! You lousy third-rate driver."
Mason cursed angrily.
Good-tempered Delamain did not refute, it was indeed because he did not do well enough this time.
"I'll manually control the electrical energy input to the gravity well, and you'll take care of the rest."
He adjusted the mode and adapted himself to the way of flying in the air little by little. It took him several minutes to land next to Zha Kang and Jack.
With a click, the full-covering visor popped open to both sides, revealing Mason's face.
He looked around and found that the reflection of the world suspended above his head was much more "real" than before he left. At this rate, it might completely "overlap" with the earth under Mason's feet within a day.
"Did you hear that?"
Holding a coral trident as a staff, the scumbag Kang stood beside Mason and said mysteriously and rudely:
"The ground beneath our feet is groaning in pain. Every second it is collapsing under the weight. That is the sound of the continental shelf collapsing and this is only the beginning.
Our 'new friend' is steering the ocean so that the rapidly rising sea level does not flood back into us, but a global tide has already formed.
This world will first be buried by the cold sea water, and in the abyss that is colder than ice, the scorching core of the earth will also fall apart, and finally with a bang, this world and us in it will be exposed to the deep space.
Until then, may our deaths please the dark stars."
"Shut up! You're still reciting poetry at this hour. Are you possessed by Itlegan?"
Mason said:
"I'm not telling you not to run, and I didn't say we'd fight to the death here. Aren't the cleaners here yet?"
"No, but soon."
Captain Jack held a cigarette in his mouth, holding the pistol in his hand anxiously, and said:
"Clepso is very uneasy. She said she can feel the danger approaching, but the formation of a large tide is a good thing. It greatly increases the power she can control as the goddess of the sea."
"Here you go."
Mason saw Jack's uneasiness, so he took out a model of the Batmobile from his bag, handed it to his team members and said:
"The weapon system has been replaced. Delaman's onboard AI will be in charge of driving. You just need to operate the weapon to bomb. These are all fool-proof interactions. This is your world, your land, Jack.
You have to fight for it.”
"Mason!"
Ertong and Barbara also used their flying claws to pull their bodies down from the crumbling tower and jumped to Mason's side. Batgirl did not show any fear on her face. As she landed, she whispered to Mason:
"The pirates wanted to run away, but Will Turner suddenly appeared and stopped them. Captain Ghost asked them to stay and fight, but no one wanted to listen, so..."
"They had a gunfight, and it was a one-sided massacre."
Ertong said concisely:
"The pirates were killed and their bodies were pulled onto the ghost ship. Barbossa had been imprisoned. He had a special identity and did not resist, so Will Turner gave him some time.
But he wishes to see you.”
"Well, I'll go see him right away."
Mason nodded, pointed at the lizard chariot floating in the air not far away, and said to Barbara and Ertong:
"You continue to drive that one, and Delaman takes over the driving. You are responsible for firing and operating the drone swarm. Second Barrel, after the battle starts, you go to help Colypso, but you must remember your mission."
“I understand!”
Ertong nodded, touched the handle of Alice's sword at his waist, and said:
"If it's impossible, I'll make her suffer less."
“There’s no need to go that far.”
Zha Kang blew out smoke rings and stroked the coral trident in his hand. He squinted his eyes and said:
“This thing can contain divinity. We don’t need to hand over that precious thing to the hunters. Mason doesn’t trust them anyway. We can hide it and use it ourselves.
With divinity in hand, although I still cannot remove the curse, I can at least ensure that the hidden dangers of that thing will not worsen.
This way, Kolypso can survive in human form, and we don't have to fight to the death here."
“That’s a good idea.”
Captain Jack complained:
"But you have to convince that unruly sea goddess to listen to you first. If you ask her to hand over her power, I don't think she will do it meekly. In the end, we still have to fight...
It would be better if Mason arranged it this way now.
Killing someone with a borrowed knife doesn’t dirty our hands.”
"No, no, no."
Mason rolled his eyes and shook his head to explain:
"I'm not as bad as you think, Jack. Don't spread rumors and slander. The choice has always been in Clepso's hands. She was unwilling to give up her divine power and had to fight the mad dogs to the death.
But we had already agreed with her.
We can arrange for her to leave anytime she wants.
I also hope that things can end perfectly, but our words don't count.
You guys get ready.
I'm going to see Barbosa."
He turned around and unskillfully activated the power connection of the gravity well module. This time he did not "spiral up" but instead did a squat and jump movement on the spot.
With a whoosh, it soared into the air and flew towards the dock that had been blocked by the Flying Dutchman.
Those great pirates who were under house arrest were trapped here, and the eerie Dutchman stood proudly above the rolling waves, with cursed pirates rising and falling in the surging sea.
Mason landed on a dock that was mostly submerged. He felt the ground shaking violently when he landed, but the monstrous pirate captain in front of him stood upright in the sea.
His twisted hands were clutching the sea monster sword at his waist. He did not look like a man seeking death facing doomsday, but rather like a commander reviewing the fleet and preparing to go to war.
"Will!"
Mason shouted.
The ghost captain turned around, and a smile that could scare a child to tears appeared on his creepy face. He said:
"Mason, you haven't left yet... I'm so relieved. It seems we don't have to fight alone in the apocalypse."
“That’s not necessary.”
Mason approached him and whispered:
"The trident is in our hands. If you are willing, I can lift your curse and you can go to the other side to be with your wife and children.
No one will look down on you for this, you and your crew are brave enough."
"No! Don't give us hope, Mason."
The monsterized Will Turner shook his head, pointed his tentacle-like fingers at the rising ocean in front of him, and said:
"We were once the symbol of evil in this world. We were called monsters and scum. But in this desperate era, even we have signed the final contract with our world and our civilization!
We are still fighting.
So, our world has not yet ended!
We know we will go to hell, but no matter which hell it is, we will be the best ghosts..."
"A world is coming to an end, Mason, my friend."
Old Teague's voice also came from behind.
This cool old pirate seemed to have no feelings about the end of the world. He sat there holding a guitar and plucking the strings. To the ancient and sad melody, he whispered:
"Someone has to stand up and fight for it, just like there has to be someone to show up at a closing ceremony. This is our choice, so please bless us."
The old pirate smiled mysteriously and said to Mason:
"But we'll see each other again, I promise!"
