Martin Variety in American Comics.

Chapter 586 Encirclement and Reinforcements (Please subscribe and read, and vote with monthly tickets!)

Once Big Badar had found all the legitimate reasons, the advance of the Apokolips forces became unstoppable. The Parademons army surged forward like a black swarm of locusts, turning everything in their path into barren desert.

This is the style of Apokolips: no matter how cunning or clever the enemy is, Apokolips' army can simply crush them with their strength without having to consider anything else.

Even if Apokolips fails ten or a hundred times, they can always launch another attack with their powerful strength. However, the planets targeted by Apokolips do not have such accumulation. Once they fail, they will be completely destroyed.

Not to mention the Parademons below, even the Big Badger, who was determined to escape from Apokolips, regarded Earth as just another ordinary planet that had been conquered in the past. They did not believe that Earth had the power to defeat Darkseid, which is why they kept delaying.

However, Big Badah's wishful thinking was itself a sign of distrust; deep down, she believed that the outcome of this war would inevitably be the destruction of the Earth.

Therefore, Big Badah did not contact the Justice League; he merely hoped to use this opportunity to escape.

It's normal for someone with a specific personality type to have this kind of thinking, even though Savage frequently sends information about the Justice League to Apokolips.

However, the Justice League has not yet dealt with any forces outside of Earth, so it is difficult to produce convincing evidence for the Parademons officers on Apokolips.

The demon-hunting army, divided into two groups, one in the sky and one on the ground, charged forward in a mighty force.

They only sent out a small number of endothelial units and drone-like equipment for reconnaissance. Although the Parademons sent out were fully committed to carrying out their mission, they failed to find the hidden Justice League forces.

On the one hand, after observing the terrain, the allied forces did not find any area where a large force would ambush them.

So the frontline commander left small groups of troops scattered and hidden in those hills, using their personal equipment to quickly dig underground tunnels, while using optical equipment to conceal all traces.

Secondly, these scattered small units served as surveillance, guiding spatial coordinates while simultaneously planning the main army's operations.

No one in the Parademon army, from top to bottom, expected that their greatest advantage had already been exploited. They brazenly crossed the dividing line between Kolank and Savage and jumped straight into the trap.

"These aliens on Apokolips are so arrogant, they've really done us a favor. Now we don't need to worry about the enemy. As long as we cut off their retreat, that's enough, we can disperse and break through."

"Order: All troops shall move out immediately and launch a full-scale attack on the enemy."

At the command of the frontline commander, a small group of Alliance troops hidden in the desert activated the sonic boom channel.

The ground forces, which had been poised for action, launched an assault on the arrogant Parademons, spearheaded by armored units.

The alliance members had long regarded Apokolips as their greatest enemy, so they unleashed their most powerful firepower from the outset: artillery, armor, missiles, drones...

All firepower was concentrated and slammed into the Parademon army, focusing on destroying the heavy vehicles and commanding the large number of Parademon officer nodes.

The Parademons on Apokolips were caught off guard, their tight defensive formation was breached, and the attack on the officer nodes made it difficult for the weather spirits' Parademon forces to organize an effective defense.

"Don't panic!"

Big Badah was quite surprised, not expecting the Justice League to launch a surprise attack so quickly, without any prior warning.

She instinctively issued the order: "Immediately order the officers to organize an effective defense, report our situation to the fortress, and call for reinforcements. At the same time, send troops to open up a retreat route."

"We will never lose to these natives for the sake of the Dark Lord."

Big Badar did not give any specific instructions, and that was not his task.

With a wave of her hand, her adjutant respectfully came to her side, awaiting orders: "How did the main force of the Justice League suddenly appear? Why didn't our reconnaissance find this out before?"

"Sir, we underestimated the capabilities of the Justice League. We didn't expect them to be able to manufacture Mother Boxes and distribute them to frontline troops."

The Parademons on Apokolips are no pushovers. Despite being attacked, they quickly figured out why they were attacked.

“We expect the Justice League to leave a small force along the way to guide spatial creation, while the main force will move to another location to wait for us to step into the trap. Then they will use the sonic boom to jump directly behind us and stab us in the back.”

"Well, they actually have such abilities. No wonder the Dark Lord is so wary of the Justice League."

Big Badah clapped her hands excitedly, realizing that she had underestimated this alliance on Earth, and couldn't help but feel happy.

The stronger the enemy, the higher the chance of the Apokolips army being defeated, and the stronger his chance of escaping.

How could Big Badah not be happy about such a wonderful thing?

"Tell everyone, there's no need to be afraid of these natives. I'm going to fight them for real. Let these ignorant guys experience the power of Apokolips, and they'll naturally surrender."

Big Badah's orders aroused no suspicion.

This is the way Apokolips operates: before the situation is clear, the Dark Lord's forces should charge, charge, and charge again.

As long as they display selfless and fearless courage, as Darkseid warriors, they can achieve victory in the charge and should not retreat in any way.

Big Badar, as the unit commander, chose to confront the enemy head-on at this time. This is so consistent with her own character and the tradition of Apokolips.

Deep down, Big Barda had already guessed the Justice League's plan: to besiege the Parademon army, draw all the troops from behind the walls of Apokolips Fortress, and then cut off the sonic tunnel connecting Apokolips during the troop rotation.

This is a simple, direct, yet highly effective method, because Rahea, who is guarding the city, will never obediently follow orders and quietly defend the walls; she will definitely rush out to claim the credit.

"However, the Justice League's idea is too presumptuous. They have parents, but don't we? If we get into a stalemate, we can simply back out, while the Justice League will gain nothing."

Big Barda's only doubt is this: she now wants the Justice League to win this war even more than the Justice League members do, otherwise she won't be free.

"How is the situation with the troops sent out to clear the retreat route?"

"The situation is very bad. Our escape route has been cut off by the Justice League. Although the distress message has been sent to the Fortress, those who have stepped into this trap cannot leave and can only wait for the Fortress to fall ill so they can be rescued."

The adjutant reported the news with a grim expression.

"What's going on? You're not going to tell me that all the master boxes we have are invalid?"

The Apokolips army is able to roam the universe because of the Mother Box, which can open the blast channel at any time.

They can attack enemies at will, without considering time or place, while the enemy does not have such capabilities. Even if they slowly wear them down, no civilization can outlast Apokolips.

But this ability was actually cracked by the natives of Earth. Are these people really that clever that they even managed to bring the original Mother Box under their control? "Our Mother River wasn't affected; rather, the other side used some unknown method to distort the surrounding spatial structure. No matter how we open the sonic tunnels, the exit at the other end of the tunnels will only lead to this area."

The adjutant was also surprised.

"The Justice League really knows how to use their methods."

Big Bada clapped her hands and laughed: "Isn't this all just a way for these Earthlings to keep us here? Huh? Since they've issued a challenge, I'll play along to the end."

"Order our troops to retreat and build defensive positions on the spot, and have the warriors and the Justice League fight head-on. I want to see what makes these Earthlings so formidable."

Big Badah played another trick here.

Although the Justice League distorted the teleportation structure of the Infernal Channel, the space of the material world still maintained that behavior, and they could now force their way out and break free from the Justice League's control.

But Big Badah would never allow this to happen.

"As long as we hold our ground and hold off the Justice League's attack, Rashina will soon send troops to our aid. With the help of both inside and outside forces, the Justice League's army will be quickly wiped out, and we will only need to focus on dealing with the main force of the Justice League."

"Good idea, sir. If we can annihilate the Justice League's army here, humanity on Earth will lose the will to fight. When the Dark Lord arrives, we can proudly say that we have completed our mission."

The adjutant didn't see anything wrong with the plan.

Could it be that the main force of Apokolips couldn't withstand the human attack?

Could it be that Rashina, who possesses the Mother Box, couldn't make it over such a short distance of just a few hundred kilometers?

These were all things that were bound to happen, and the adjutant couldn't think of what to say.

So he arranged for the Parademons to contract their defenses in preparation for a counter-encirclement of the Justice League.

……

"What the hell? These guys know they've already stepped into a trap, yet instead of trying to break free, they're shrinking their control area and stopping here. Are they plotting something?"

The Alliance commander responsible for cutting off the Parademon's retreat remembered Diana's order: to keep the main force of the Parademon army here at all costs and not allow them to escape.

So at the start of the battle, they unleashed their maximum firepower, hoping to destroy the command node of the Apokolips Parademons, to inflict pain and fear upon them, so that they would never dare to look back at the retreat route again.

This is the first phase of the operation, and before the enemy forces that had retreated have even made a real move, the Parademons have already withdrawn on their own.

"This is unbelievable. Are we just that lucky, and the enemy made a stupid mistake?"

Without any hesitation, the commander immediately ordered his troops to move swiftly to occupy the positions abandoned by the demons and join forces with the main force, which was being used as bait, to form a large encirclement and prevent any enemy from escaping.

"I don't think it's because we're lucky, but because these aliens look down on us and think that we Earthlings have no ability to break through their defenses, so they swagger around and shrink their defenses."

Most of the officers in charge of political work in the army had thought of this point, and after being educated by Martin, their horizons broadened considerably.

"What arrogant bastards! They treat Earth like a playground! They come and go as they please."

"It's not like the commander-in-chief gave the order not to fight. I'm going to smash his head in today."

"When the general offensive begins, anyone who dares to be even a step slow or a second slack off will become a laughingstock among these aliens. They can take off their uniforms and go home to nurse their babies!"

The commanders and soldiers on the front lines were furious when they realized the arrogance of Weather Star. If it weren't for orders and discipline, they would have launched a general offensive right now.

"Apokolips does indeed have an arrogant nature."

Diana, as the overall commander, oversaw the entire situation and then realized that at several key junctures in the battle, if the Lemurian army hadn't made its own foolish mistakes, they would have had to pay a heavy price to push the enemy to this point.

"Not to mention that the war has reached this point, and we've even brought out our most treasured weapons. And this is all without the New Gods showing up. If Darkseid comes to Earth, he'll definitely be bringing warships. At that time, we won't be as relaxed as we are now."

"Now is not the time to talk about these things."

Martian Manhunter was in charge of logistics and knew better than Diana how much the war had taken to achieve so far.

"It might be a bit hasty to reveal our trump card now, but the enemy is already at our doorstep, and we can't just let them get away with it."

“I have a feeling that the Parademon army is acting strangely; it seems like they are cooperating with our plan.”

He banished all those chaotic thoughts and focused his attention back on the battle: "Could it be that Martin has become one of the Parademons?"

"will not."

Martian Manhunter swiftly rejected the possibility: "If Martin's new identity is that of a member of Apokolips, he would only cause a bigger commotion than this. The Parademon army hasn't been truly destroyed yet, which is very unlike Martin's character."

“You’re right, such a small commotion doesn’t seem like something Martin would do.”

"We still have time to observe what exactly happened within the Parademon army. The focus now is on the army within the Apokolips Fortress."

Diana set her sights on the Apokolips fortress.

Superman flew at an altitude of 10,000 meters, his eyes also watching the changes inside the fortress.

After Big Badah sent out her distress message, Rashina immediately made the decision to rescue her.

She was more "decisive" than Big Badah, withdrawing all the troops from the fortress at once and sending them out in three groups to provide rescue.

News of the Justice League possessing the Mother Box had reached this place, so Rashina did not use the Boom Channel.

At this moment, the rest of the Parademon army had not yet arrived, and even if they did, there were no commanders like Big Badar and Rashina to give orders.

Some officers hoped that Rashina could leave some troops to guard the fortress.

But this suggestion was rejected outright.

(End of this chapter)