Floating in Earth's exo space, Su Ming paused slightly in surprise. He sensed the vibration of X Metal, a message from the Hall of Justice.
Although it was expected that Joker and Luthor would fall out, what Su Ming didn't foresee was that Batman immediately dropped everything critical and went back to Gotham for the appointment upon receiving the news.
Ron can indeed act on behalf of the Justice League, but isn't the Totality issue the key here? Shouldn't we first concentrate on solving that?
Su Ming pondered for a moment, and eventually decided not to delve deeper.
Trying to follow Batman's train of thought will only drive oneself crazy.
A game between two crazies, outsiders best not interfere. After all, Joker is one of the consumers too; the Jester Badge was acquired from him.
While trusting that Batman surely has an unknown reason for his actions, Su Ming still had a bad premonition; that's the sixth sense of a Super Mercenary.
Of course, it might just be because things have gone beyond expectations, making it slightly awkward.
He didn't waste time in outer space, launching a satellite into orbit from a silk pouch. After adjusting its trajectory and speed several times to keep it geosynchronous over the United States, he directly used a teleportation gate to return to the lair.
Oliver and Bo Bo were sharing a can of spam, while Diana sat on a crate, honing her sword with a whetstone.
"All set?" Oliver looked up.
"It's done, but there are two pieces of good news and one bad news." Su Ming nodded at him and walked over to Diana: "Which do you want to hear?"
Green Arrow was a bit unnerved by this unconventional approach. Isn't it usually one good news and one bad news? This seems quite unbalanced!
Diana smiled at Su Ming as a greeting, her melodious voice ringing out: "Which type of news do you want to share?"
"Let's go with the good news. First, Joker and Luthor fell out; he left the Destruction Legion. Second, Ron, Hawk Woman, and John returned from Sena Gang, and they brought back some crucial intelligence."
Bo Bo glanced at Oliver, and a look of disappointment flashed across Green Arrow's face. If before, he might have hoped to be re-accepted by the Justice League, those chances vanished with this strong formation's return.
Now, only Diana, Steel Bone, and Sea King are missing, yet it has little impact on the rest.
His hopes were dashed.
Gorilla already knew this would happen. Green Arrow's plans never seem to go smoothly, so Gorilla raised his furry paw and asked: "So, what's the bad news?"
Su Ming took off his helmet and moved his neck around; even he needed to adjust to the gravity after his sudden venture in and out of space: "The bad news is, Batman received Joker's love letter and went alone to Gotham for the meeting."
"Tsk tsk tsk..." Bo Bo pursed his lips and shook his head in apparent disapproval: "Joker probably set a trap, and Batman, as usual, just jumps in."
Diana sheathed the Fire God Sword, leaning her head on her hand: "What else could he do? Joker would take Gotham's entire population hostage, killing one every second Batman doesn't show. It's not like he hasn't done this before."
Su Ming nodded with a smile, drawing a cigarette from the pack and placing it in his mouth. Under the dim light, his armor seemed to reflect light: "And he wouldn't use a gun; he'd throw them off Wayne Tower or another skyscraper, grading the road's blood splatters as people fall."
"I guess the scoring system isn't the same as diving," Oliver shook his head with a gloomy face, knowing Star City never had such a freak.
"Probably the more the crater from the body's impact resembles a smiley face, the higher the score would be — though only Joker himself would know." Su Ming added with a grin, for madmen, perhaps the contest is more entertaining.
Diana pondered for a moment, then cocked her head: "How do you know what happened in the Hall of Justice?"
It's not that she's the only one who thought of it; Green Arrow and Gorilla naturally thought of it too, but were wise enough to keep quiet.
Su Ming looked at Diana's little face, smiling as he answered: "Barry told me."
Diana nodded, understanding it was Divine Speed, which made sense, so she asked again: "Then aren't others too busy to get distracted by Gotham, with Ron in charge of the Justice League? Why didn't he contact me?"
"Uh, perhaps they suddenly found Luthor hiding in the men's restroom?" Su Ming picked up one end of her Lasso of Truth, playing with cat's cradle to prove he wasn't lying: "There must be something you aren't well-suited to participate in, right?"
Diana rolled her eyes at him, disbelieving that the Destruction Legion could be hiding in a men's restroom — what about Cheetah? That was just Deathstroke talking nonsense again.
Yet, seeing Deathstroke at ease, it seemed he had things under control.
Her gaze shifted gradually to the golden rope, which flipped between Deathstroke's hands, forming a basket at one moment and a ball the next, quickly drawing her attention.
"That might be true; I did make it clear I wouldn't involve myself in tasks related to Olympian Pantheon or intervene in any internal conflicts among the Atlantis kingdoms. Nor would I visit the New Genesis Star or Netherworld. But if it's crucial, I might make an exception...
Su Ming nudged the rope closer to her, kindly teaching her how to play: "Not contacting you probably means the situation isn't that urgent. We still have half a year, right? We've all been busy, maybe it's time for a little rest and state adjustment."
Diana reached out her fingers, hooking several spots as the rope between them morphed into another shape. She smiled: "Indeed, it's been a while since my last break — attending Xiaozha's magic show..."
"Don't worry about Batman. His life is quite resilient. For him, playing these bizarre games with Joker is his way of resting." Bo Bo looked enviously at Deathstroke and Diana playing with the Lasso of Truth, interjecting.
Other ropes don't look this appealing, but if he picked this up and tied his hands together, it'd turn from cat's cradle to truth or dare.
"So what's our next move? I've rested long enough to rust." Oliver voiced his dissent, poking a spam with an arrowhead and chewing on it.
Su Ming's fingers twisted, creating another pattern before looking at him: "The Justice League will deal with Luthor, Batman will handle Joker, so what do you think we should do?"
"Laughing Bat..."
Oliver understood, even after a satellite launch, that guy remained elusive. Besides waiting, there wasn't much else they could do to deal with him.
Su Ming offered further reassurance: "I've set it all up. Once the Earth Protection Array is operational, I'll have some free time. Just wait a bit longer."