Martin Variety in American Comics.

Chapter 580 Helplessness (Please subscribe and read, and recommend with monthly tickets!)

The person on the other end of the phone hung up abruptly. Steve put the receiver back and looked at Martian Manhunter, saying, "Now we can discuss the specifics of what to do."

Both of the US aircraft carrier strike groups are here, and any accident that happens would have irreversible consequences.

The person on the other end of the phone clearly believed that there was no way to salvage the situation, so they decisively cut off the communication, leaving Steve alone to bear all the responsibility.

"Martin means that as long as you remain neutral, it's none of our business what you do at sea."

Martian Hunter had no intention of doing anything to the fleet, because he knew that Clark had already led his men to the front lines, and it didn't matter if there were people in the fleet willing to risk going alone.

"Contracts are something that can be agreed upon with just one word if one is willing to abide by them. If one is unwilling to abide by them, even if the terms are engraved on gold, it will not change anything."

"Steve, the future of this fleet rests in your hands. You'd better decide what the future holds!"

After Martian Hunter finished speaking, his ethereal body rose up, leaving the fleet and flying towards the land, disappearing from the detection range of the US fleet in the blink of an eye.

"Sir!"

A group of U.S. military officers rushed into the room, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Steve unharmed, and then wondered what they had been talking about.

"Superman is on his way to provide support on land and is sending a message to headquarters requesting the next steps."

The U.S. military officers looked at each other, knowing full well that even if they reported upwards, they would not get a response. If headquarters were willing to take responsibility for this operation, they would not have sent Steve out.

"As long as headquarters doesn't give clear orders to act, we can stay out of it."

When Steve said this, all the officers breathed a sigh of relief.

They are not lacking in courage to continue fighting; the history of freedom of navigation in various seas around the world that the US military has built up over the years supports their courage.

As long as the US military doesn't directly confront the Justice League and reach a conclusion, their courage will not disappear.

However, without clear instructions from headquarters, they were unwilling to provoke the Justice League, because winning might not bring rewards, while losing would certainly result in punishment.

Following the example set by those at the top, if headquarters is unwilling to take responsibility, then they naturally have no desire to continue fighting.

Now that Steve, as the commander-in-chief, has reached a secret agreement with the Justice League, they naturally acted quickly, drafting a message and sending it to headquarters.

As expected, the headquarters in the United States only gave an ambiguous response, its intention being to encourage frontline officers and soldiers to take initiative.

But when the overall direction is uncertain, these people's main motivation is to figure out how to shirk their responsibilities.

……

Where is Martin?

When Martian Manhunter returned to command, he saw Diana and Superman having a heated discussion about something around the map.

It was supposed to be a discussion, but in reality, it was Diana talking while Superman listened.

Even though Superman has a super brain, he has no talent whatsoever in commanding battles; in fact, he's terrible at it, terribly terrible.

After he presented several plans, Diana lost the will to continue the conversation, forcefully seized control, and directly gave Superman orders.

"Martin went to inspect the troops at the front. He plans to conduct a preliminary reorganization of the troops before the end of the day, mainly focusing on ideological issues."

Superman quickly deflected Diana's question by answering Martian Manhunter's question.

When it came to commanding operations, Diana seemed like a completely different person. She was no longer the elegant and gentle woman she was in her daily life. Instead, she pressed forward relentlessly, giving no one a chance to react.

Superman was truly helpless; it felt like he had returned to his high school classroom, constantly being tested by his teachers.

This time, however, his super brain was completely useless. He simply couldn't understand the changing tactics, and could only become submissive in the face of Diana's questioning.

"Steve has agreed to neutrality, and his two fleets will not participate in this war."

Martian Manhunter probably knew what had happened and said with a smile, "Diana, if Clark really can't figure out how to arrange the operation, you can just give the order. There's no need to force him to become a commander."

"As an important member of the alliance, even if he doesn't take on a command role, he should at least understand why various tactics are arranged in this way, otherwise he will harm himself and others."

Diana clearly disagreed with this.

"I'm really not cut out for this, please spare me! Just give the order and I'll carry it out."

Superman clasped his hands together and begged Diana for mercy.

Diana was also having a headache. She was trying to explain some basic things to Superman, but his head was like granite, and he just wouldn't listen.

"Alright, I can't teach you properly, and you're unwilling to learn, so go away and wait for my orders!"

Diana waved her hand, letting Superman off the hook.

Superman felt like he'd been granted a pardon and quickly left the command center with Martian Manhunter to find Martin.

"My God, I really don't know why Diana insisted on forcing me to learn these things. I'm the administrator of the new city, I don't need to command the army."

Superman was not discouraged by his failure in commanding the battle; he saw himself as the manager of the new city.

On the battlefield, he acted like a soldier and had no intention of becoming a commander.

“Diana may be a bit impatient, but your thinking is too pessimistic. Anything can happen. If one day you have to take on the responsibility of command, you can’t just take your men with you to their deaths.”

Although Martian Manhunter freed Superman from Diana, he simply felt that with a major battle imminent, Diana, as the commander, should focus on her duties.

"Maybe, but I really don't have that talent. Maybe Bruce can bring about a change for me?"

Superman isn't a stubborn person, and after Martian Manhunter pointed this out, he still decided to improve his tactical skills.

They talked as they searched for Martin.

Under the Justice League's overwhelming firepower, Savage's troops were quickly wiped out and retreated to the border, where they made no further moves.

This is also why Martin was able to order the troops to stop and reorganize them further.

It was already afternoon, and evening would soon follow.

Just like his current role, he was like a diligent worker bee, shuttling between the various companies, listening to their battle summary reports, and analyzing their ideological dilemmas. Victory was certainly gratifying, but the firepower of the battle had turned Kolank into a pile of ruins, and even the hive that Queen Sazara had painstakingly built was completely destroyed in the war.

The soldiers, basking in the glory of victory, were immersed in joy, but this was only a temporary excitement.

If the mechanism by which this joy occurs cannot be explained to them, it will soon turn into a kind of poverty, driving them to constantly pursue war, ultimately losing control of their desires and thus destroying their control over their emotions.

This is the origin of PTSD, because their perception of society has been altered.

Martin's so-called ideological work was actually about explaining the ins and outs of the war to ordinary soldiers, making them understand that the purpose of fighting was to end the war, not to prolong it.

Of course, the Justice League's goals are not limited to pacifism, but this level of ideological indoctrination is sufficient for warriors who have not yet received full training.

Thanks to the league's high standards for selecting soldiers, Martin's work went very smoothly. Although there were still different voices within each company, they were only a few individuals, and each company was able to resolve the issue internally.

However, Martin flapped his wings and flew around happily, resolving the soldiers' mental distress.

But Martian Manhunter and Superman were in a bind. They had just received news from Martin and rushed to a company, only to find that he had already left.

Martin felt that flying with just wings was too slow, so he jumped using the Mother Box.

Left with no other choice, the two men chasing Martin sped up and finally intercepted him in a company just before sunset.

"Why aren't you two at command post discussing the next steps with Diana? What are you doing running around with me?"

Martin, having just emerged from the fervor of the warriors, was also beaming with joy, infected by the collective spirit.

Although the Allied officers did not fail in their duties during the battle and led their soldiers to victory, the psychological pressure brought by war does not disappear.

But Martin's arrival helped the soldiers relieve this pressure, making this leader, who was very mysterious in the eyes of the alliance members, suddenly become more approachable.

The soldiers all hoped to gain more power from him, so they clung to him and refused to let him go.

Superman, faced with Martin's question, was filled with resentment. His eyes, glaring at Martin, were so dark and menacing that they seemed to drip with malice.

Although Martian Manhunter had a good temper, he was a little annoyed after chasing Martin for so long.

"Diana insisted on improving my tactical skills. She forced me to act like a primary school student, but I still couldn't understand her."

Superman complained to Martin about his recent experience, quite distressed.

Martin stated directly, "You're not that you don't understand, you're that you don't want to understand. At the end of the day, you're still the big boy from the Kansas farm, believing that peace can solve everything. Even if force has to be used, you want it to end quickly."

"Have it?"

Superman is not a fragile person, and when faced with Martin's assessment, he felt that such an assessment actually seemed to be quite accurate.

"That's not necessarily a bad thing; it just means you're not suited to be a commander."

Martin wasn't criticizing Superman; he was simply stating a fact.

Clark was indeed ill-suited to be a battlefield commander because he could not accept treating soldiers on the battlefield as tools, even if it was for the purpose of achieving a better goal.

"But what if I have to do this someday? Am I just supposed to stand by and watch?"

Superman was troubled again, caught in a dilemma, unsure of how to handle his situation.

"Then come with me!"

Martin waved for them to follow, and the three of them passed through the sonic tunnel to the next company's temporary camp, where they received a warm welcome.

"Let's skip the formalities and get started!"

"Is your method simply to listen to the military's summaries? How is that any different from Diana's teaching methods?"

Clark was surprised to see the soldiers naturally begin to express their thoughts. He moved closer to Martin, wanting to ask him for clarification.

"Don't rush, just follow along."

Martin offered no explanation, and Superman could only suppress his confusion and join the discussion.

"When we are in battle, besides tactical maneuvers, what we think about most is how to complete the mission. We know that the mission we are carrying is not only related to our own lives, but also to the safety of our comrades. For the sake of the overall situation, we are willing to sacrifice ourselves to complete the mission."

Under Martin's deliberate guidance, the tactical summary was quickly completed, and the soldiers took the opportunity to share their thoughts on the battle.

Superman initially joined the conversation as a mediator, but as he listened, he became completely absorbed in the warriors' emotions, as if he had personally experienced the battle that had just taken place.

Martian Manhunter noticed the changes in Superman and wanted to warn Martin, but Martin gestured for him to ignore it.

Under Martin's control, the initial guidance was completed within ten minutes. He demonstrated to the company commander how ideological work should be done, and then prepared to leave for the next company.

"Let's go!"

Martin stood up, patted Superman to pull him out of his emotional state, and quickly left the company to avoid the soldiers' enthusiastic attempts to persuade him to stay.

"So this is what war is all about?"

Superman was still somewhat dazed, and the soldiers' emotions made him realize that his past views on war were actually problematic.

"War is the ultimate manifestation of violence, but we cannot allow our soldiers to be controlled by violence; we must be clear about how we should use violence."

Martin briefly shared his views on the war, then changed the subject, saying, "But you're not suited to be a military commander. I'm bringing you to these debriefing meetings simply to give you a different perspective on the war, not to train you."

"You're still the best! Diana was so crazy about military matters, she seemed like a completely different person, I felt like I didn't even recognize her."

Superman didn't persist. He shook his head and asked Martin for advice on how to manage the soldiers' mental state.

Meanwhile, Martian Manhunter, by Martin's side, uses his mental powers to construct a space, pulling the entire company into it and helping him save time in the real world.

In short, he acted swiftly and, before midnight, had visited all the companies, laying a solid foundation for ideological work among the troops.

Meanwhile, Dick's forces also infiltrated Savage's controlled area in batches to begin preliminary reconnaissance.

(End of this chapter)