bookmarkrole Chapter 244 Shazam's Power: You Villain Stole It, I, Batman, Will Repay It
Chapter 244 Shazam's Power: You Villain Stole It, I, Batman, Will Repay It
Chapter 244 Shazam's power: You villains can steal it, but I, Batman, can't?
Fawcett High School.
This is the high school that Billy Batson, who plays Shazam, currently attends.
It was a little past 10 a.m. in the counseling room, and Scarecrow, the Gotham City villain disguised as the school doctor "Dr. Phil," was packing his things.
A few months ago, a mysterious man who called himself "The Outsider" rescued him from prison and gave him the task of constantly using his expertise to seduce Billy Batson.
But now... the mission is over.
Under the constant self-suggestion that "power only brings disaster to the powerless," Billy Batson shared his power with his father, his biological father [CC Batson], yesterday.
The goal of being an "outsider" has been achieved.
So now? His scarecrow is no longer relevant—
Scarecrow knew perfectly well that from initially giving Bane the nuclear bomb in an attempt to murder Batman, to now secretly hiring him, using his knowledge of phrenology to manipulate Billy Batson's fears, and later getting him to share his power, this man who called himself "The Outsider" was always the ultimate mastermind hiding behind the scenes.
Whatever he's planning to do this time, it must be a big conspiracy.
But what does this have to do with the scarecrow? The scarecrow doesn't care what they want to do; it's all just a transaction.
"Since you're here, come in quickly."
The scarecrow said without turning its head.
With a creak.
The door to the counseling room opened. A pale-faced man wearing a top hat and carrying a cane walked in first; it was the "Outsider."
Behind him, Dr. Sivana, whose eyes were filled with lightning, followed closely.
The outsider didn't speak first. Instead, Dr. Sivana, with a fake smile on his face, walked over to Dr. Klein's side as if they were old friends: "Dr. Klein! (Gotham City villain Scarecrow's real name) Long time no see!"
As he walked over, wisps of colorful mist emerged from his ears, coalescing into images of the meditation mite.
He seemed quite familiar with the scarecrow, but before he could exchange pleasantries, the outsider spoke first: "Dr. Klein, where is what I asked for?"
"Here."
The scarecrow ignored Dr. Sivana, who seemed far more friendly than the outsiders.
He turned around and took out a bucket filled with a yellowish liquid from the cabinet behind him: "A potent fear gas, 30 times more powerful than the regular version on the market."
Dr. Sivana snapped his fingers, and the bucket lid opened. He took a sniff from a distance, then immediately put the lid back on.
"Great stuff. It truly lives up to its name as a scarecrow."
"Of course." The scarecrow slowly turned around, looking completely unsuspecting, and continued packing his luggage. "Well then, my mission is complete, and I will..."
However, when he turned his head, he saw the outsider's dark gun barrel.
A mocking expression appeared on his face.
"Are you going to silence me? I knew you weren't planning on letting me leave alive the moment you finally told me your plans without any hesitation a few days ago."
"Goodbye." The outsider's reply was concise and to the point.
boom!
However, the bullet missed its mark. The outsider turned to look at Dr. Sivana, who had just used magic to deflect his arm, thus affecting the trajectory of the bullet.
puff!
The bullet struck the ceiling, but didn't penetrate it. Instead, it slowly stopped as if it had hit something sticky. This invisible substance absorbed not only the kinetic energy but also the sonic waves emitted by the gun. The Mite of Meditation had already erected a magical barrier in the room, preventing anything from escaping.
呲!
The scarecrow rolled over, donning its scarecrow mask, and then a terrifying gas suddenly erupted from the corner of the room. It lunged towards the window, seemingly trying to escape.
boom!
However, he crashed into the magical barrier like a bullet, and the scarecrow immediately realized his situation, his eyes filled with despair.
"Fear gas? The same old tricks, Dr. Klein," the outsider said.
His face remained unchanged amidst the increasingly dense, terrifying poison gas: "You really think this stuff will work on me?"
He turned to look at Mite and Dr. Sivana: "Stop this damn gas."
Dr. Sivana quickly blocked the nozzles of the fear gas with magic, and a bolt of lightning shot from his eyes, mercilessly electrocuting the scarecrow until it convulsed.
But his expression was very unpleasant.
"You're mistaken, Mr. Outsider."
Facing the bewildered gazes of the outsiders, Dr. Sivana stepped forward and picked up the scarecrow that had been electrocuted and rendered unconscious.
He removed the scarecrow mask from the other person's face, revealing the gaunt face beneath.
Then he reached out and smeared on the face for a while, wiping away all the makeup.
The outsiders' expressions instantly turned extremely ugly.
"It seems the infamous Scarecrow, Dr. Klein, has tricked us all," Dr. Sivana said. "He had already sensed our intention to silence him. He hypnotized a teacher at the school beforehand, using psychological suggestion to distort the teacher's thinking, making the poor wretch believe that he was the Scarecrow and stayed in the counseling room to wait for our arrival, while he himself made his escape in advance."
"What happened to the magical tracking I had you set up on the scarecrow, Mite?" The Outsider turned to look at Mite, who was present as an image of colored smoke. "Can you locate Dr. Klein now?"
The mite remained silent for a while.
"I can't do it."
"What?"
"Surprisingly, the Scarecrow seems to have mastered some magical tricks as well. He used the magic of Shazam to eliminate my tracking. The Shazam I'm referring to is the old wizard [Shazam] who was a member of the Wizarding Council and bestowed the power of thunder upon Billy Batson. His power is undeniable, to the point that his name has become a spell to summon the power of thunder. Only his spell can resist my magic."
"But where did Scarecrow learn Shazam's magic... wait, Billy Batson's spellbook. Scarecrow, as Billy's psychiatrist, must have peeked at that book."
The magic worm exclaimed from the bottom of its heart, "Such amazing magical talent! The people of Gotham City always manage to surprise me."
"So now that the Scarecrow has run away, he might have leaked our plans," the outsider said.
"Don't worry, my friend."
"Dr. Klein knows only limited information, and it's all too late," said the Mite.
"And our collaboration is coming to an end, Meditation Mite," the Outsider said.
He pointed to the bucket of fear gas left behind by the scarecrow: "I've brought you what you wanted."
"It's time for me to step back and go behind the scenes."
He turned around: "Bring me Pandora's Box, Meditation Mite, and then we'll have nothing to do with each other."
"Of course, of course," said the Mite of Meditation. "My ally, rest assured, everything is proceeding according to plan."
"We have mastered the power of Shazam the Thunder, we have mastered the key."
"What else can stop us?"
……
……
……
"Your experience is far too glamorous; it's not like you're just pretending, is it?"
Chen Tao said.
"..." Billy's biological father, Old Batson, froze on the spot.
This is the Justice Hall of the Justice League. While Chen Tao was busy with other matters, under Alfred's management, the basic framework of the Justice League had been established.
"Aba?"
Mudface, dressed in a Robin uniform and slumped there like a lump of real mud, heard Chen Tao call his name and immediately triggered the keyword.
He turned his head blankly, pointing what looked like his head at Chen Tao, and then his eyes gradually regained their clarity, like a puppeteer who controls many puppets focusing his attention on a certain clone.
"Batman, what do you want?"
"It's nothing, dear Mudface Robin."
"Oh. Ah bah bah bah bah bah..."
Seeing that Mudface's clone had switched back to the happy little brain-dead mode, Chen Tao turned his head and focused his attention back on old Batson in front of him.
He crossed his legs.
"So you think you can join the Justice League, huh?"
These questions, which sounded like a gangster's induction test, left Billy's father, Old Batson, completely bewildered.
He turned to Billy with a pleading look, and Billy quickly said, "Batman, he is...."
"I know your biological father," Chen Tao said, looking at old Batson with a scrutinizing gaze. "But I'm clearly asking your father himself."
Strangely enough, despite having a preconceived notion that Billy, the "biological father" who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, must be problematic, Chen Tao had already used many methods to investigate him after he came in, but to no avail.
However, this only strengthened Chen Tao's conviction in his judgment.
"Ah, I didn't want to join the Justice League, it's just that Billy said..."
He suddenly smiled brightly.
"Hehehe, I was just kidding." He chuckled and patted old Batson on the back, then his expression suddenly softened: "You're a member of the Justice League now. Welcome to the superhero world, Mr. Batson."
He stood up, patted the muddy face beside him, and the person instantly transformed into a blonde, blue-eyed, half-naked beauty.
"..."
Chen Tao's face immediately darkened: "It's wrong, start over."
Mudface then transformed into an oversized dog in a flash. Chen Tao took its leash and led the dazed dog toward the Hall of Justice.
"Come on, Billy, and Mr. Batson," he said like a tour guide. "I'll check you in first. The first meeting of the Justice League will be held tomorrow afternoon."
He turned to them and said, "We need to discuss how to hunt down the Steppenwolves and a magical worm called the Meditation Mite."
He looked at old Batson: "Things are always busy, there's never a chance to stop, is there?"
……
……
……
After the Outsider and the Meditation Mite parted ways, they went to a secluded place.
The pale-faced man turned on the projector on his walking stick.
The figure appearing in the video was none other than the mechanical superhero.
The voice of the mechanical superhero rang out.
"Well done, outsider. Everything is going according to plan. Mite has done most of the things we couldn't do on our own. That bug thought that 'helping me open the portal to Apokolips and summon Darkseid's arrival' was just a trick to get me to join him, just like he tricked that alien blood mage Atositas into joining him."
"He was foolish enough to think that he had pulled me into our alliance, rather than that we had both deliberately orchestrated this whole thing."
"He was so foolish as to believe that the idea that Pandora's Box could open a portal to Apokolips was just a lie."
He said, "In the end, only Dasside will control everything!"
"Of course, of course, my ally." The outsider bowed exaggeratedly. "All belongs to Darkseid!"
In a corner unseen by the mechanical superhero, an outsider's lips curled into a smile.
"Foolish fellow..."
……
……
……
"Batman... um... is there something you need from me alone?"
Inside the room, Billy was somewhat flattered as he accepted the tea that Batman poured for him.
This was a training room. Chen Tao summoned Billy under the guise of individual combat training, and then used the Bat Mage's magic to completely seal off the room where they were talking.
Then he began to speak:
"Although I've already heard it from Alfred, I'll ask anyway—Black Adam and the Seven Deadly Sins are still on the run, right?"
"Ah, yes, yes, yes." Billy nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
"Oh, I was just asking." He heard Batman say, "Hey, Billy, let me ask you something. Sometimes... have you ever thought about being a normal person?"
Billy paused for a moment, then honestly replied, "Oh, of course. I've never been superhero material."
He lamented, "I'm not a hero, Batman. I mean, I lack the talent to be a hero."
"In such a short time as a superhero, I've already killed countless civilians. Even after having these powers for so long, I'm still a novice. My dad did a much better job than me, you know? Right after he got the Shazam power, he beat Black Adam to a pulp!"
"Perhaps the wizard made a mistake in choosing me, I should..."
Billy rambled on and on, too embarrassed to tell his biological father whom he had just met, and unable to tell his adoptive parents who knew nothing of his superhero career.
Phil, the school psychologist who enjoys playing with scarecrows, might be a good candidate, but he also doesn't know that Phil is a superhero.
Therefore, looking around, he realized that he didn't have anyone he could confide in in his daily life.
Therefore, when facing Batman, he was somewhat self-pitying and couldn't control himself.
But what he didn't notice was that Chen Tao's gaze was growing colder and colder.
It's almost certain that someone is indoctrinating Billy with his ideas, telling a teenager that his ideas are so simple, so easy.
"I want to comfort you, Billy, but I'm sorry, sometimes it really is like that. Because of your age, you sometimes can't bear the power that the wizard Shazam has bestowed upon you," Chen Tao said slowly.
"Our planet faces an incredibly dire situation, and every bit of strength is extremely precious. So, Billy, have you ever thought about...?"
"Share your power with me, just as you share it with your father?"
(End of this chapter)