Martin Variety in American Comics.

Chapter 585 Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole (Please subscribe and read further, and vote with monthly tickets!)

"The Parademons of Apokolips are numerous and particularly adept at dense warfare tactics. Each time they move, they fill every gap in the attack space, creating a maximum firepower advantage. Their attacks are like a thunderbolt from ten thousand troops crashing down on you, making them difficult to defend against."

"Moreover, the Parademons on Apokolips are different from the bio-weapons we encountered before. Each Parademon has its own consciousness, is extremely brave in battle, and can perform flexible tactical maneuvers."

"Based on our observations, these Parademons are likely governed by some kind of law. This allows them to exercise their own decisiveness in battle without losing control."

"The level of individual weapons used by Apokolips this afternoon did not exceed that of Krypton's technology, and the various large-caliber weapons were not much different from those of the Alliance."

"So far, the most special ones are those metals that can grow on their own. These metals can not only heal themselves, but also silently change their surrounding environment."

Diana looked at the tactical summary in her hand, gaining a better understanding of the battle that had just taken place, and her previously confused mind was cleared up.

"It seems that there is a way to bypass the walls of Apokolips and reduce our casualties."

After Diana regained her confidence, everyone in the command center breathed a sigh of relief.

When she asked everyone to come up with a solution on their own, the atmosphere in the command center was incredibly tense.

After all, even Diana, the leader, was in trouble, so it was naturally difficult for the others to feel good.

"If you have any good plans, just say them quickly. It's almost dawn, and who knows what might happen if we keep putting it off?"

Superman toured the grassroots units, listening to the soldiers' opinions and summarizing them into reports, but he didn't offer any of his own insights.

However, from the soldiers' emotions, he realized one thing: prolonged inaction would inevitably lead to accidents.

"Based on reports from the front lines, I can confirm that while the Parademons on Apokolips have demonstrated considerable courage and autonomy in battle, this autonomy largely stems from orders from higher command. I anticipate that these Parademons are entirely subject to the laws established by Darkseid, the leader of the new gods."

Although Diana's statement was speculative, her confident attitude led people to believe her words.

Regardless, Diana is the only member of the Justice League with a deep connection to the Old Gods and who has even become a true god. Her analysis of Apokolips' composition from this perspective is irrefutable.

"So, the structure of Apokolips is actually a top-down one-way channel. As long as Darkseid issues an order, the people below will carry it out without thinking about anything outside of carrying out the mission."

Superman and the Alliance officers quickly understood the difference, and then explained to the Amazonian general, "We issue orders, and while the soldiers below will carry them out without question, if anything goes wrong, they will still report back to their superiors for analysis and correction."

"But when Parademons encounter insurmountable obstacles during their missions, they do not report to their superiors, but instead continue to assault the impossible until they die."

Amazon's generals weren't that stupid; as commanders, philosophy was a required course for them, which can be considered a tradition left over from ancient Greece.

"For Darkseid, this structure is perfect because he is the leader of the new gods and can handle any unexpected events without worrying about anything unusual. Apokolips' power is indeed enough to crush most civilizations in the universe, so Apokolips doesn't need to think. Even if it encounters obstacles, it can just crush them all the way through."

Diana calmly analyzed the situation on Apokolips, and her thoughts became more and more complete.

"However, not every new god is Darkseid, and Darkseid would not allow such a figure to appear. Therefore, we only need to deceive the person who commands the Parademons to mobilize the Parademon army to obey our command, lure them out of the fortress, and annihilate them in one fell swoop during the movement."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up. They thought it was a pretty good idea and were all eager to try it out, offering their opinions one after another.

Phillips said, "The commander of Apokolips probably only sees Earth as a tiny place. We just need to make a feint of a quick retreat, and the enemy will definitely not let go of this opportunity to pursue us."

Superman said, "These Parademons all come from Apokolips. As long as those sonic booms don't shut down, the enemies we face will be endless."

Dick added, "Then we can surround them without attacking, luring them to lead their main force in pursuit while sending people to cut off those spatial passages."

Martian Manhunter also attended the meeting and offered his advice: "The enemy is coming on strong, and it's probably not just about Savage. Once Savage is forced to reveal his true form, he'll be worthless to Apokolips. Why should Darkseid continue to invest in him?"

"Apokolips's appearance this time is probably mostly a test; in reality, it's aimed at the Alliance and Martin."

Martian Manhunter, as expected of a master of mental power research, was able to deduce the enemy's true purpose from the battle reports even though he did not participate in commanding the battle.

"If that's the case, then that would be even better."

Upon hearing that Apokolips was targeting her, Diana was not surprised but delighted, smiling as she said, "I was worried that using the troop withdrawal as bait wouldn't catch their commander. My original plan was to fight them first, then feign defeat and retreat. If they really are targeting the Alliance, then they certainly won't let this opportunity pass when we retreat."

"It's 3 a.m. now. Before sunrise, I order the troops to be ready and begin the retreat. The troops that just participated in the attack on Apokolips Fortress will use Mother Boxes to relocate and find ambush sites. The other troops will retreat normally. Once the Apokolips troops catch up, cut off their retreat and communication."

"After the encirclement is complete, the troops do not need to launch an attack immediately. Instead, they should lure the enemy inside the fortress to come to the rescue. At the same time, Superman will break into the fortress and destroy the sonic boom while the enemy is changing positions."

"Did you forget to include Martin?"

Diana's direction was fine, and everyone agreed with it. However, after the plan was finalized, they realized that Martin was missing.

"We don't know when Martin will appear; he might be here, or he might appear in space. We plan to consider the worst-case scenario. If luck is on our side and Martin appears on the battlefield, he will naturally come to our aid."

"You probably don't think Martin can't see through the intentions behind our plan, do you?"

The group exchanged glances, then relaxed, realizing they had been overthinking things; Martin's safety was none of their concern.

If they can solve things, Martin certainly can too. And if Martin can't solve something, they definitely can't.

After the plan was finalized, everyone dispersed.

Considering the Alliance forces were outnumbered, Martian Hunter changed his plans and decided to stay, but ordered Dick to return to headquarters immediately to oversee the Alliance's personnel mobilization. Half an hour after the order was given, the forces that first attacked Apokolips Fortress were all hit by Alliance versions of the Mother Box and, via the Boom Channel, headed to Korank, preparing to use the terrain there again as a battlefield for an ambush.

The alliance members concealed all the camps, creating not only a visual illusion but also numerous false life signals, thus failing to attract the attention of the Apokolips fortress.

An hour later, the reinforcements arrived and, having completed their preparations, quietly withdrew from the camp. Commanders including Diana, Superman, and Martian Manhunter all appeared among the troops.

"Is the Justice League running away?"

Rashina was discussing with his officers how to teach these humans a lesson when he suddenly received this news and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Do these humans think I'm some kind of fool? That I can't even tell the difference from such a simple bait? It seems that people on Earth are getting worse with each generation, not even as strong as the past recorded by the Dark Lord."

When Rashina received the news, she saw through Diana's scheme, laughed smugly, and expressed her disdain for such a petty trick.

"But we must pursue them, because our mission is not to kill as many humans as possible, but to ascertain the situation of the Justice League. If we allow this force in front of us to retreat, how are we supposed to complete the Dark Lord's orders?"

Big Badar finally arrived at the front line and emphasized the Dark Lord's orders to the Parademon officers, leaving Rashina at a loss for words.

"But this is a trap, can't you see it?"

Rashina was puzzled by Big Bada's words. Of course, she hadn't forgotten her mission, but how could she see the trap and just walk right into it?

"This is obviously a trap, and the other side saw through our purpose, which is why they didn't even engage in the feigned battle and just withdrew."

"The Justice League truly lives up to its reputation. We've only been together a short time, but they've already seen through the laws set by the Dark Lord and are certain that we'll follow them."

Big Barda's praise was genuine; she hadn't expected the Justice League to be so powerful, discovering Apokolips's characteristics in just one encounter.

Why should we follow them?

Rashina was unwilling to admit that Big Bada's opinion was correct, because she did not want the victory to be without her name.

"Because of the military presence, the Justice League's Kryptonians, Martians, and Amazons are still considering how to deploy their forces. If they were to leave the military, they would become terrifying weapons without any limits, and our chances of winning would be greatly reduced. Do you really think that what Dessard has created can stop a perfect Kryptonian?"

Although Big Badar was ready to escape, she was still deeply disappointed by Rashina's indecisiveness.

"More importantly, the Dark Lord is heading towards Earth. If this drags on, what are you going to use to report to him?"

Darkseid's order was the final straw that broke Rashina's back, forcing her to submit to Big Badah.

"Judging from your hesitant look, sending you to lead troops to pursue the Justice League might lead to some kind of trap. You stay here and guard the fortress. Do not let anyone destroy the sonic boom."

Big Badar forcefully seized all command, pinning Rashina inside the fortress, thus giving her the opportunity to escape.

Throughout the entire process, she restrained her impulses and consistently delivered accurate analyses of the war, without attracting anyone's attention.

"Lieutenant, bring your troops and follow me. Take all available weapons. There's no rush. The Justice League is waiting for us; they won't run away."

With a wave of her hand, all the Parademon officers sprang into action. Ordinary Parademon boarded transport planes and left the city walls, while ground vehicles resembling wild beasts, loaded with large amounts of equipment, emerged from the ground.

The Parademons army was a magnificent sight, a dark, overwhelming mass. Wherever they passed, it seemed as if everything was coming to an end: dark clouds covered the sky, vegetation withered, beasts fled, and the land began to turn to sand.

“Commander Big Badah, we can use the Mother Box for a quick transfer. The spatial structure of this world is very stable and there will be no problems.”

In response to the Parademon officer's suggestion, Big Badah laughed and said, "The Justice League has three original Mother Boxes. If we use ordinary Mother Boxes, I'm afraid the enemy will turn the sonic tunnel into our own advantage as soon as it's opened. It would be a losing proposition!"

"Although the current pace of advance is slow, it is stable. The Justice League's forces are far inferior to ours. As soon as our army arrives, the enemy will surely collapse."

Big Barda was spouting high-sounding words, but in reality, she was just stalling for time, hoping the Justice League could make more thorough preparations so that she would have a better chance of escaping.

"Justice League, Justice League, I hope you can break the nightmare brought by Apokolips, so that you can save yourselves, and me."

……

"It's a bit strange that Apokolips didn't use a Mother Box to move!"

Diana received the news and was puzzled. She didn't have any good way to prevent the use of the Mother Box.

This message came from Superman, who was flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters. Although he was flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters, his eyesight and hearing were not affected in any way, and he could still see everything that was happening on the ground clearly.

While waiting to raid Apokolips Fortress, Superman also served as a reconnaissance satellite.

Their initial plan was to retaliate immediately after being attacked. However, Apokolips didn't use that strategy, which was quite surprising.

"Whatever the enemy is thinking, this is a good thing. Since they are arriving so slowly, we should draw some troops from our main force to ambush and intercept reinforcements."

After some consideration, Diana was still worried about the troops blocking her retreat and decided to make some minor adjustments.

(End of this chapter)