Su Ming knew that power struggles were never simple issues that could be resolved with just a few words. But he had another idea—one that wasn't so noble and righteous.
Wonder Man was the illegitimate son of Zeus, a demigod, and the next heir of the Amazons. He was highly regarded by the Amazons.
The Sea Queen, on the other hand, was currently the ruler of Atlantis, the heir of Poseidon, and a hybrid of Atlantean and human blood. She wielded the trident that symbolized divine authority, and her rule was solidly established.
Both sides were fighting for control of the Earth, aiming to determine a ruler through war. So, Su Ming planned to give them one.
Humans had already figured out how to handle this sort of situation back in the Middle Ages; it's just that these demigods were too proud to consider it.
Two hours later, after Barry's wounds had healed, Su Ming and Bryce once again used their human-powered transportation to return to Gotham.
From afar, they could see the chaos enveloping the city. Gotham's most luxurious hotel, the Bowers Grand Hotel, was ablaze like a torch, and even the pouring rain couldn't extinguish the fierce flas. Thick smoke blended with the night sky, reaching towards the heavens.
Bryce stared at Su Ming, her face emotionless. Wasn't this supposed to be a minor disturbance?
Su Ming shrugged. He wasn't going to admit anything. Cindy had promised to make it look like an accident, and now an accidental fire seed like a good enough cover.
"Back to the Batcave."
She let out a sigh, feeling a bit stifled.
Barry looked at Su Ming helplessly, as if to say, "Look what you've done?"
Su Ming just turned away and started whistling, playing innocent.
Back in the Batcave, they found Alfred bandaging Cindy's wounds. Her armor lay to the side, and she was dressed in nothing but a tank top and shorts. Her eyes were completely blood-red, as if she were suppressing the madness brought on by her regenerative factor.
"Ah, Miss, you're back. Was everything successful?"
Alfred turned to the three of them, flashing a polite smile, but his hands never stopped working, continuing to stitch wounds and apply dication.
"It was okay. What happened here?" Bryce removed her helt and sighed, surprised that Cindy had even been injured.
Before Alfred could answer, Cindy spoke up: "It was Zero Talon. Really tough to deal with. I had almost no room to maneuver. With ti running out, I had to go for a trade-off of injuries."
Alfred added from the side, "Indeed, that creature was well-equipped and highly skilled in combat. Not only could its weapons pierce Cindy's armor, but they were also poisoned."
Su Ming glanced at Bryce. So she had arranged for Alfred to accompany Cindy? It seed she had prepared for this all along.
Zero Talon had been dealt with. It looked like the Court of Owls in Gotham wouldn't be a problem for the ti being. At least, the ones who were easy to track down were all taken care of. Soon, Su Ming would give them a massive bla to shoulder, one that they would carry for the rest of their lives, never to cause trouble again.
However, he was quite curious about the weapons that could penetrate her holy armor.
Alfred had evidently brought back the enemy's weapons as well, placing them on a nearby workbench. They looked very inconspicuous. The daggers were made from a pale yellow tal, matte-finished, and the hilt guard was carved with a small owl's head.
Su Ming knew this tal well—it was prothium. There were two prothium daggers. He picked up one to replace his regular dagger and left the other for Cindy.
"What's our next move?" Barry asked Su Ming, as he always looked for sothing to eat whenever he had free ti. Alfred, of course, was prepared.
"How's your geography?" Su Ming asked Barry this seemingly random question as he took off his helt and lit a cigarette, taking a deep drag.
Barry was baffled. After swallowing the pie in his mouth, he scratched his head. "It's okay, I guess? Actually, besides forensic science, I'm pretty good at sign language, web design, and... gorilla language."
"As a mber of the Justice League, you've been to Themyscira and Poseidonis, right?" Su Ming asked again. Alfred had already placed an ashtray beside him.
"Uh, not many tis, but you know, teammates visit each other, and I'm pretty quick with visiting."
Barry flashed his innocent smile again, looking sowhat shy. He was absent-mindedly spinning the remaining half of his burger with his fingers.
Su Ming glanced down at the transparent ashtray, realizing it was made of natural crystal rather than glass. What an extravagant capitalist luxury. He flicked his cigarette ash into it without hesitation.
"What about Dinosaur Island? The current Hawkwoman should've taken you there. There's an outpost of theirs in the main world."
"Hmm, compared to Gorilla Island, I think Dinosaur Island is much better. Even though the residents there eat people, at least the dinosaurs can't control your mind."
Barry seed to recall so unpleasant mories, frowning slightly. He hadn't exactly learned gorilla language willingly.
"Then it's settled. We'll kidnap Wonder Man and the Sea Queen, and drop them off at Dinosaur Island." Su Ming revealed his plan, though there were still so details that would require soone else's help.
Wonder Man could fly, and the Sea Queen could swim. Even though Dinosaur Island was shrouded in mysterious forces that made it impossible to track, it wouldn't be able to hold them. They would have to find a way to strip them of their powers first.
Science and magic could both work, but there wasn't enough ti for scientific research right now. Magic seed more reliable.
There were many mages in the DC universe, but on Earth-11, only villains existed. Su Ming had a good idea of who to look for. To strip a demigod of their divine power, one would need soone familiar with divine forces.
Circe the Witch was a good candidate. She was the daughter of the first-generation sun god Helios and the sea goddess Perse. For thousands of years, she had been opposing the Amazons.
She excelled in various forms of witchcraft and dark magic. She could easily turn people into animals like frogs. Her petrification spells and mind control were dangerous even to ordinary people. She had repeatedly stripped Wonder Woman of her powers and once even turned her into clay, killing her.
But there was one problem—she was too powerful to negotiate with. In the main world, she hated n to an extre degree, and in this world, it would be even worse. She was immortal, and destroying her body would not kill her.
Fortunately, Su Ming knew her weakness.
First, her witchcraft was ineffective against divine exorcism spells, aning she couldn't turn gods into small animals. Second, she feared a certain herb called moly. In Greek mythology, it was a white-flowered, black-rooted magic herb. It was said that Hers had given it to Odysseus to nullify Circe's spell. This was her origin story and her fundantal weakness.
As long as Su Ming and his team consud this herb, they could resist her spells for a long ti. Though it sounded like a mythical object, it wasn't rare at all if you knew where to look. Moly's scientific na was Galanthus, a type of snowdrop. Its native habitat was the diterranean, and in the modern world, it was available in almost every flower market around the globe.
Naturally, Gotham was no exception. Perhaps a pot of flowers would cost a few dozen dollars, but as a weapon, it was quite the bargain.
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