Reading settings
Chapter 255: The World Outside is So Terrifying
Appearing on the holographic screen of the control panel was something utterly horrifying and indescribable.
It had no fixed shape, constantly shifting on the screen. The first impression upon looking directly at it was of a dark nightmare given form. Like a mass of black gel, it had no mouth, no nose, and no eyes, yet strangely, one could almost feel its gaze, its breath, its roar. Even through the transparent screen, an ineffable pressure could be felt.
The agent who discovered this couldn't help but gulp. "What... what is this thing?"
Orin Vale said nothing. He walked up to the control console and typed rapidly, quickly pulling up a corresponding information screen.
It was the Apokoliptian script. Although he didn't know much about the technological and knowledge base of Apokolips, perhaps thanks to the fact that traces of Apokolips's long years of conquest were recorded throughout the universe, Orin Vale's interstellar database had the corresponding language records. Pal quickly helped him translate the interface.
It was a log.
"Experiment Log. Test Target, Codename: 'Anti-Life Test Subject 779'."
"Test Subject 779 is the first individual to successfully withstand the side effects. The target can coexist with the power of 'Anti-Life.' It's just that the energy has eroded its nervous system, causing it to lose its sanity... but who cares? It's not like it had much sanity left after all the experiments anyway, right?"
"Experiment Log Update... The prognosis for Test Subject 779 seems to have been overly optimistic. The test results on Akesalan Star were unsatisfactory. The test subject's power reached the expected level, and the Anti-Life Engine is functioning well. However, the results show that the individual is incapable of obeying commands. While making it powerful, the Anti-Life Engine also fosters a will to resist, making it difficult to restrain once released.
Experiment Result Record: Akesalan Star destroyed. A single blow of Anti-Life pierced the planet. Akesalan was torn into fragments from the inside. No survivors.
A beautiful destruction, a gorgeous demise. That Lord will undoubtedly be very pleased with this power, provided we can make it controllable."
"Experiment Log Update... Steppenwolf is a brute. The Anti-Life Test Subject is far from ready for combat, but he insists on deploying it in the conquest of this New Earth. He'd better bring back good news. Otherwise, if things go south, don't say I didn't warn him."
There was no signature, no name of the recorder.
But as for that amorphous, terrifying thing, Orin Vale had a good idea of what it was.
As is well known, as one of the most terrifying beings in the DC Multiverse, one of the things Darkseid is most obsessed with is the "Anti-Life Equation."
In many versions of DC lore, the Life Equation is one of the foundations that created the positive-matter universe, and the Anti-Life Equation is its direct counterpart. It is the most terrifying weapon in the universe, but its manifestation is akin to a corrosive and engulfing cosmic principle. Darkseid has spent his entire life pursuing and studying its power.
And what was mentioned in this log was likely a byproduct of that research.
"Captain?" the agent asked cautiously.
"Oh, it's nothing." Orin Vale casually closed the interface and turned his head. "You all continue with the original plan. Blow this place up. I'm going over there to investigate."
"Yes, Captain!"
The agent stood at attention and saluted, not daring to ask any more questions.
Parting from his team members, Orin Vale came to an outer corridor and scanned the area.
"It's below..."
His X-ray vision activated, his sight penetrating the thick rock and looking deep underground. Just as he thought, this base had a facility that extended deep into the earth.
A vast space had been carved out underground, containing something that resembled a pool. The unnamable demonic creature resided in that terrifying place.
Orin Vale phased, passing directly through the thick ground and descending.
The high-speed afterimage was more than just a simple holographic projection. It was his research and application of the Speed Force's spatial properties, allowing him to exist in two places at once, though his focus would be relatively concentrated on one of them. Moreover, it wasn't as severely energy-consuming as his innate duplication technique. The most significant burden on him was merely a slight reduction in his top speed.
Then he saw it. That terrifying, twisted thing, locked behind an energy cage.
From within the chaos, a gaze seemed to fall upon him.
"Food... flesh and blood..." The message was received telepathically.
Orin Vale was beginning to understand. "I see. Steppenwolf hid you here, having people periodically feed you flesh and blood... You're a trump card he's been raising in captivity, right? Once the situation on the main battlefield gets tense, he'll consider deploying you."
"Raising me? No..."
The black thing began to change.
Its originally twisted, amorphous form began to develop a structure resembling a torso and limbs. It took on the body of some giant creature with wings like a bug's, all wrapped in black metal armor, as if the machinery was part of its body.
It resembled a Parademon.
A Parademon dozens of meters tall, a fusion of the biological and the mechanical.
Orin Vale had a vague memory of it. It had appeared in the DC Mecha comics—a Super-Parademon created by Apokolips using a technology called the "Anti-Life Engine." Its immense power made it almost impossible for the Justice Society of America on that parallel world's Earth to fight back.
Orin Vale quickly used his various enhanced senses to scan and analyze the monster's entire body.
He did indeed discover some unfamiliar energy, suspected to be a reaction related to the so-called "Anti-Life Equation."
But fortunately, it didn't seem like anything he couldn't handle.
"Steppenwolf is a coward," the Super-Parademon spoke in a low voice.
"You should thank this barrier for protecting you, little thing. Otherwise, your flesh and blood would already be my dinner for today. But obviously, someone your size isn't even enough to get stuck in my teeth.
Once I leave this place, once I break free from my restraints, I will devour everything, I will—huh? What are you trying to do?"
The Parademon looked down, somewhat puzzled, at the "tiny thing" by its feet reaching out a hand and pressing it against the transparent barrier.
Meanwhile, Orin Vale had already used his Ultra Vision to scan and analyze the energy barrier restraining the Parademon. It wasn't just a barrier; there was also interference from multiple layers of force fields that could affect how power functioned within this space and absorb energy blasts.
Apokoliptian technology was really something else; no wonder this Super-Parademon couldn't break free.
But the swift scan and analysis also allowed Orin Vale to find a weak point in this cage.
Speed Force resonance.
In his early days of learning the Speed Force oscillation phasing technique, The Flash would often use the wrong frequency and fail, with the result being that the object he was trying to phase through would implode on a molecular level.
After he mastered the resonance technique, such accidents no longer happened. But in rare cases, The Flash would still use this move offensively—intentionally phasing through with the wrong frequency could make almost any matter implode.
And in the current timeline, Orin Vale was the one who had taught The Flash this move.
When it realized that the tiny thing before it was actually trying to break open the cage, the Super-Parademon almost laughed out loud.
Seriously? How drunk do you have to be to try something like that?
I've worked my ass off and couldn't even scratch this thing, and you think your tiny body can do it? A toothpick trying to stir a cauldron? You must be dreaming!
If you could actually open this gate, that would be a fucking joke—
What The F*ck???
In just a second, the Parademon's eyes widened as it watched in astonishment.
The cage that had left it helpless, the cage it once thought was indestructible, in the hands of this little toothpick, with a loud CRACK—
It shattered.
With a series of resounding cracks, it shattered mercilessly all over the ground.
The Parademon stared at the tiny thing calmly retracting his hand, momentarily stunned.
This should have been the moment it had always dreamed of.
It had fantasized countless times about what it would do once it got the chance to break this barrier and leave this cage—how it would slaughter to its heart's content, how it would devour all the flesh and blood in sight.
And now, this dream-like moment had finally arrived.
The Parademon suddenly felt that it no longer wanted to go out.
The world outside is so terrifying.
(end of chapter)
Appearing on the holographic screen of the control panel was something utterly horrifying and indescribable.
It had no fixed shape, constantly shifting on the screen. The first impression upon looking directly at it was of a dark nightmare given form. Like a mass of black gel, it had no mouth, no nose, and no eyes, yet strangely, one could almost feel its gaze, its breath, its roar. Even through the transparent screen, an ineffable pressure could be felt.
The agent who discovered this couldn't help but gulp. "What... what is this thing?"
Orin Vale said nothing. He walked up to the control console and typed rapidly, quickly pulling up a corresponding information screen.
It was the Apokoliptian script. Although he didn't know much about the technological and knowledge base of Apokolips, perhaps thanks to the fact that traces of Apokolips's long years of conquest were recorded throughout the universe, Orin Vale's interstellar database had the corresponding language records. Pal quickly helped him translate the interface.
It was a log.
"Experiment Log. Test Target, Codename: 'Anti-Life Test Subject 779'."
"Test Subject 779 is the first individual to successfully withstand the side effects. The target can coexist with the power of 'Anti-Life.' It's just that the energy has eroded its nervous system, causing it to lose its sanity... but who cares? It's not like it had much sanity left after all the experiments anyway, right?"
"Experiment Log Update... The prognosis for Test Subject 779 seems to have been overly optimistic. The test results on Akesalan Star were unsatisfactory. The test subject's power reached the expected level, and the Anti-Life Engine is functioning well. However, the results show that the individual is incapable of obeying commands. While making it powerful, the Anti-Life Engine also fosters a will to resist, making it difficult to restrain once released.
Experiment Result Record: Akesalan Star destroyed. A single blow of Anti-Life pierced the planet. Akesalan was torn into fragments from the inside. No survivors.
A beautiful destruction, a gorgeous demise. That Lord will undoubtedly be very pleased with this power, provided we can make it controllable."
"Experiment Log Update... Steppenwolf is a brute. The Anti-Life Test Subject is far from ready for combat, but he insists on deploying it in the conquest of this New Earth. He'd better bring back good news. Otherwise, if things go south, don't say I didn't warn him."
There was no signature, no name of the recorder.
But as for that amorphous, terrifying thing, Orin Vale had a good idea of what it was.
As is well known, as one of the most terrifying beings in the DC Multiverse, one of the things Darkseid is most obsessed with is the "Anti-Life Equation."
In many versions of DC lore, the Life Equation is one of the foundations that created the positive-matter universe, and the Anti-Life Equation is its direct counterpart. It is the most terrifying weapon in the universe, but its manifestation is akin to a corrosive and engulfing cosmic principle. Darkseid has spent his entire life pursuing and studying its power.
And what was mentioned in this log was likely a byproduct of that research.
"Captain?" the agent asked cautiously.
"Oh, it's nothing." Orin Vale casually closed the interface and turned his head. "You all continue with the original plan. Blow this place up. I'm going over there to investigate."
"Yes, Captain!"
The agent stood at attention and saluted, not daring to ask any more questions.
Parting from his team members, Orin Vale came to an outer corridor and scanned the area.
"It's below..."
His X-ray vision activated, his sight penetrating the thick rock and looking deep underground. Just as he thought, this base had a facility that extended deep into the earth.
A vast space had been carved out underground, containing something that resembled a pool. The unnamable demonic creature resided in that terrifying place.
Orin Vale phased, passing directly through the thick ground and descending.
The high-speed afterimage was more than just a simple holographic projection. It was his research and application of the Speed Force's spatial properties, allowing him to exist in two places at once, though his focus would be relatively concentrated on one of them. Moreover, it wasn't as severely energy-consuming as his innate duplication technique. The most significant burden on him was merely a slight reduction in his top speed.
Then he saw it. That terrifying, twisted thing, locked behind an energy cage.
From within the chaos, a gaze seemed to fall upon him.
"Food... flesh and blood..." The message was received telepathically.
Orin Vale was beginning to understand. "I see. Steppenwolf hid you here, having people periodically feed you flesh and blood... You're a trump card he's been raising in captivity, right? Once the situation on the main battlefield gets tense, he'll consider deploying you."
"Raising me? No..."
The black thing began to change.
Its originally twisted, amorphous form began to develop a structure resembling a torso and limbs. It took on the body of some giant creature with wings like a bug's, all wrapped in black metal armor, as if the machinery was part of its body.
It resembled a Parademon.
A Parademon dozens of meters tall, a fusion of the biological and the mechanical.
Orin Vale had a vague memory of it. It had appeared in the DC Mecha comics—a Super-Parademon created by Apokolips using a technology called the "Anti-Life Engine." Its immense power made it almost impossible for the Justice Society of America on that parallel world's Earth to fight back.
Orin Vale quickly used his various enhanced senses to scan and analyze the monster's entire body.
He did indeed discover some unfamiliar energy, suspected to be a reaction related to the so-called "Anti-Life Equation."
But fortunately, it didn't seem like anything he couldn't handle.
"Steppenwolf is a coward," the Super-Parademon spoke in a low voice.
"You should thank this barrier for protecting you, little thing. Otherwise, your flesh and blood would already be my dinner for today. But obviously, someone your size isn't even enough to get stuck in my teeth.
Once I leave this place, once I break free from my restraints, I will devour everything, I will—huh? What are you trying to do?"
The Parademon looked down, somewhat puzzled, at the "tiny thing" by its feet reaching out a hand and pressing it against the transparent barrier.
Meanwhile, Orin Vale had already used his Ultra Vision to scan and analyze the energy barrier restraining the Parademon. It wasn't just a barrier; there was also interference from multiple layers of force fields that could affect how power functioned within this space and absorb energy blasts.
Apokoliptian technology was really something else; no wonder this Super-Parademon couldn't break free.
But the swift scan and analysis also allowed Orin Vale to find a weak point in this cage.
Speed Force resonance.
In his early days of learning the Speed Force oscillation phasing technique, The Flash would often use the wrong frequency and fail, with the result being that the object he was trying to phase through would implode on a molecular level.
After he mastered the resonance technique, such accidents no longer happened. But in rare cases, The Flash would still use this move offensively—intentionally phasing through with the wrong frequency could make almost any matter implode.
And in the current timeline, Orin Vale was the one who had taught The Flash this move.
When it realized that the tiny thing before it was actually trying to break open the cage, the Super-Parademon almost laughed out loud.
Seriously? How drunk do you have to be to try something like that?
I've worked my ass off and couldn't even scratch this thing, and you think your tiny body can do it? A toothpick trying to stir a cauldron? You must be dreaming!
If you could actually open this gate, that would be a fucking joke—
What The F*ck???
In just a second, the Parademon's eyes widened as it watched in astonishment.
The cage that had left it helpless, the cage it once thought was indestructible, in the hands of this little toothpick, with a loud CRACK—
It shattered.
With a series of resounding cracks, it shattered mercilessly all over the ground.
The Parademon stared at the tiny thing calmly retracting his hand, momentarily stunned.
This should have been the moment it had always dreamed of.
It had fantasized countless times about what it would do once it got the chance to break this barrier and leave this cage—how it would slaughter to its heart's content, how it would devour all the flesh and blood in sight.
And now, this dream-like moment had finally arrived.
The Parademon suddenly felt that it no longer wanted to go out.
The world outside is so terrifying.
(end of chapter)
