The aliens who were picked up by Superman at the beginning

Chapter 201 A Daring Escape

"And then there's the steel skeleton in the watchtower, which, after being infected with the virus, can remind Superman, who's overly concerned, to take proper protective measures before setting off again."

"But on the other hand, this virus, which is inherently intelligent, knew early on that ordinary protective measures were useless."

Why go through the trouble of repairing an infected steel skeleton?

"Was it to gain trust and prevent everyone from realizing he'd been infected? Logically, Superman hadn't even thought of that—"

The more Li Zhen talked, the more quietly the other Teen Titans distanced themselves from Batman.

Apart from Tim, who was still half-supporting Batman, the rest of them quietly moved to Rachel's side, facing Batman from a distance.

"So I was thinking, does this virus possess some kind of subtle, guiding wisdom?"

"It seems to be able to actively control the infection process of infected people, but once a person is infected with this virus, their thinking will be silently affected by it."

"Jason is likely still committed to protecting Gotham City, but that's what the virus wants too."

"Cyborg's warning was entirely out of genuine concern for his Justice League partners, but this was also condoned by the virus."

.

"And you, Batman, you do want to fight it, you desperately want to develop a cure—and the virus desperately wants to see me appear and pull out that USB drive with the crucial data."

Li Zhen concluded casually at the end.

"Every choice may seem to stem from the infected person's heart, but in reality, every decision you make is simply a coincidence," and does not conflict with the virus's purpose.

"Now, it's proven you're not infected, Batman."

Li Zhen's meaning was clear: as long as Batman could prove that he was not infected, he would immediately appear and cooperate with him in developing an antidote.

Tim, who was closest to Batman, looked completely bewildered.

He considered himself a detective, but because he was too concerned, he never really thought deeply about what Batman had said before.

Now, after carefully considering Li Zhen's questions, I was suddenly terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.

Especially since he just touched Batman's lower abdomen, and the injury was so severe, with such a huge wound, Batman, like Jason, was clearly among the first to come into close contact with the most concentrated original virus!

The red helmet only blocked the respiratory infection route, but the bat armor was not completely airtight.

However, he still did not let go of his arm, but instead turned his expectant gaze to Batman's profile.

The Dark Knight of Gotham City had half his face shrouded in shadow, his brows furrowing and relaxing before tightening again.

After a long while, he finally looked up again.

"you are right."

Then Batman looked at Tim and surprisingly gave him a smile.

"You made an absolutely correct decision. Your instructor is someone who can think about problems from the most detached, yet also the most calm, perspective, no matter the situation. Only he can protect the critical virus data."

"I can't prove I haven't been affected by the virus, Tim, I—"

Before he could finish speaking, Batman's body suddenly began to convulse violently.

A black, downy substance seeped from Batman's skin, the bristles of hair pushing aside the mask covering his face. He then shoved Tim aside and fell to his knees.

The Batsuit, which should have been crafted using the pinnacle of human materials science, began to swell violently, and Batman's body began to rise amidst the sounds of his bones cracking and reforming.

But the screams of pain accompanying the complete remodeling of his genes were Batman's final warning.

"—Run! Run! They're already lying in ambush outside, Tim. Trust your instructor! Let's find someone who can solve this problem!"

A pair of real, enormous bat wings tore through the bat armor, and Batman's words finally turned into a sob.

He transformed into a real, enormous bat with bloodshot eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth from which clear saliva flowed, just like the other infected.

At the same time, a terrifying noise rang out outside the secret chamber, which was personally crafted by a magician using magical materials.

The bat-like Batman didn't pounce immediately. Instead, he swung his claws, which pierced through the glove, wildly before turning and rushing toward the door of the secret chamber.

boom!

Amidst a deafening thud, a fist-shaped mark appeared on the door of the secret chamber.

Fortunately, this alloy gate, also blessed by magic, seems to be connected to the entire Gotham City landscape. Unless the attackers outside can unleash their full power, they won't be able to destroy it for the time being.

But the next second, the entire alloy door turned bright red and scorching hot, with a constant sizzling sound.

Rachel threw off her cloak and shouted at the other teenage Titans.

"Come here quickly."

While it's impossible to teleport so many people over long distances, short-distance tunneling is no problem, as Rachel demonstrated on the Titan submarine at sea.

A dark magical aura spread across the ground, then expanded into a circle resembling an ink mark. Everyone, including Tim, who was scrambling to his feet, stepped onto it.

But cold sweat began to bead on Rachel's forehead.

"The magic circle set up here is interfering with my teleportation. This secret chamber is not only magically constructed, but it's also interfering with other magic users!"

Looking at the increasingly red alloy door, Mal felt a sense of foreboding.

"How much longer?"

The giant bat's ears twitched slightly, then it spread its wings and stood in front of the group of young Titans.

The gate was pierced by Superman's heat vision, leaving a large hole. Through the gaps, one could vaguely see all the members of the Justice League standing in the passageway.

However, their faces were either ashen and covered with black veins, or, like Batman, they had undergone abnormal physical changes.

The giant bat roared and lunged at the Justice League, only to be easily knocked aside by Superman with a casual slap.

The god of the mortal realm, his red boots treading on molten iron that flowed like lava, his eyes gleaming with a scarlet light.

"No time to welcome Batman back, you ants. Something seems wrong with the only magic you can trust?"

Mar screamed.

"My God, they still retain some consciousness! This is terrifying!"

Rachel gritted her teeth, her arms trembling as she struggled against the magic left behind by Zatanna.

"Two more seconds needed."

"Two seconds?"

In a near-frozen moment, Superman's dark lips curled into a disdainful smile. He tilted his head slightly, and a golden bolt of lightning shot out from his side.

The Flash, also infected, laughed with unparalleled confidence and arrogance.

"For a speedster, that's enough to kill you a thousand times over!"

At this critical moment, Rachel's cloak suddenly moved without wind, and a golden ray shot out from the darkness of the cloak, sending the oncoming Flash flying back the way he came.

Superman flashed, dodging the Flash who was being shot back, and in the last fraction of a second, he threw a punch at Rachel.

"Save her! Or continue hiding?!"

To Superman's surprise, Lee Jung, who was hiding in the shadow of the cloak, simply pulled up a corner of the cloak to cover her fist, and then exchanged a punch with Superman.

The violent shockwave tore the magical chamber apart, and the earth began to collapse amidst the roar. A corner of Gotham City sank in.

The Teen Titans disappeared into the secret chamber.

Superman, who was stopped in his tracks by a punch, immediately turned around. He didn't look at the Flash, who was sprawled on his back, but instead looked at Cyborg.

The steel skeleton's electronic eye flashed for a moment.

His black skin didn't show any bluish-gray or black lines; the only visible feature was its pale whiteness, which was quite unsettling.

"The exchange between you was too fast; we couldn't capture any valid footage even at the highest frame rate."

Meanwhile, the Titans traversing the Shadow Dimension finally caught a glimpse of Li Zhen.

The instructor stood at a distance, his figure appearing both real and unreal, indistinct.

He issued new commands to the bewildered young Titan.

"Let's seek the help of magic."

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