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Chapter 379: The Chancellor's Spirit
Through the World Army's channels, Orin Vale had managed to gather a fair bit of intelligence.
In the Geneva region, something named the "Fire Pit" had appeared. A massive hole on the surface of the Earth, it emerged along with the invasion from Apokolips.
No one knew its cause for now, only that it was the result of an immense amount of energy. Ever since its formation, the giant pit has been relentlessly spewing blazing flames into the sky—or rather, pillars of high-temperature energy shaped like flames. No person or object could get near that area; even the most indestructible materials would be melted into slag upon approaching the vicinity.
This information was classified. With the current internet blockade, it was nearly impossible for the ordinary populace to learn about events in other regions. Only the World Army could grasp the situation across the globe.
This couldn't help but make Orin Vale think of Apokolips.
In his memory, Apokolips seemed to be covered with such Fire Pits. The blazing flames, unextinguished for hundreds of millions of years, made it look like a perpetually burning Hell.
Now that a similar phenomenon was occurring on Earth, what did it mean?
Did they want to turn Earth-2 into the next Apokolips?
The other most noteworthy thing was, of course, the Apokoliptian commander who seemed to be confirmed as Superman—Slaughter.
The related information was also classified within the World Army, including some video footage left behind by frontline troops who had experienced head-on confrontations with Slaughter.
And through these, Orin Vale noticed some things that were surprising even to him.
In one piece of combat footage, although the recording wasn't clear, Orin Vale was certain that when that "Superman" was hunting down the retreating World Army, the Heat Vision shooting from his eyes... swerved.
It was a bizarre deflection. Dark red energy shot from his menacing eyes, twisting unnaturally in mid-air. The dark ray traced a "Z"-shaped trajectory in the sky, consecutively striking several warships in different locations with a single attack.
The warships that were hit instantly exploded, the resulting fireballs engulfing them completely, seemingly melting all crew members inside on the spot, leaving no survivors.
Orin Vale's expression grew grave.
No one on Earth-2 had ever seen Darkseid, nor did they know of the "Omega" concept. Therefore, in their archives analyzing his abilities, they had simply summarized this power of the corrupted, returning Superman as "Heat Vision that has gained homing capabilities."
But Orin Vale knew better.
This Superman was, more than likely, using the Omega power.
This made Orin Vale turn serious. A Superman possessing the Omega power—no wonder the armies and superheroes of Earth-2 had been helpless so far. That was indeed not an opponent that a world which had lost its core, the Trinity, could handle.
It was also no wonder that Darkseid himself hadn't bothered to show up yet. With such a powerful warrior leading the charge, this world had no hope at all. There was no need for Darkseid to act personally.
However, this Superman was clearly the core of the invaders. As long as this guy could be defeated, this wave of Apokolips's offensive against Earth-2 would be thwarted.
Night fell, and Orin Vale had already returned to the vicinity of the coffee shop. As he was walking, he suddenly heard the sounds of a struggle and shouting coming from a nearby alley.
He paused and glanced toward the alley. A few men who looked like thugs were cornering a beautiful woman against a wall.
"Don't run, let's have some fun together..."
"Yeah, the world's about to end, what's the point of acting all proper? Better to have some fun with us brothers..."
While there is brilliance in humanity, there is also an undeniably stubborn darkness. It seems that the doomsday of any world always brings out the dark parts of the human heart, sometimes even being used as an excuse for one's own depravity.
The woman screamed, swung the small bag in her hand to slap a man in the face, and ran yelling out of the darkness. When she saw Orin Vale passing by, it was as if she had seen her savior. She shouted for help while hiding behind him.
"Sir, I'm begging you—"
The beautiful woman stammered.
"Save me! I'm a married woman!"
Orin Vale: "?"
What kind of unconventional way to cry for help is this? Is this some unique local custom of your Earth-2?
Seeing that he seemed completely unmoved, the woman made a split-second decision. She hugged his arm tightly, using her assets to press against him, a pitiable and lovely expression on her face.
"I'm the kind with a husband!"
Orin Vale: "..."
So, there's a kind of married woman without a husband? Oh... a widow, right?
People say 'Cao the Rogue' is a kind of spirit, and they truly weren't kidding. This spirit has not only crossed the barriers of time but also transcends national borders and even the boundaries of the universe...
The woman's actions grew bolder, looking as if she was about to round the bases. Orin Vale remained expressionless and silently sidestepped. The woman felt her body lean against what felt like a slippery hide, and she staggered and slid off, nearly face-planting on the sidewalk.
"Eh?"
The woman looked back, bewildered.
The moment she turned, she saw Orin Vale's hand was already in front of her face.
His middle finger flicked out with a *pop*.
It was a casual flick, seemingly without any force. But at the point of contact, a transparent ring of air exploded on the woman's pretty face, crushing and distorting her delicate skin.
The woman's neck snapped to the side. The irresistible impact on her cheek sent her entire body flying sideways, spinning like a top before crashing heavily to the ground.
The few men who had been pretending to close in from all sides were instantly stunned.
Wait, didn't the intelligence report say he had a weakness for married women?
Didn't it say he loses all resistance and starts thinking with his lower half whenever he meets one?
Was the person described in the intelligence really the one they were seeing before them?
"From Apokolips, are you?"
After sending the woman flying with one magnificent blow, Orin Vale slowly turned around. His gaze swept over the men, a faint blue light glinting in his eyes.
"I don't know why you decided to target me, but as it happens, I was looking for you," Orin Vale said with a slight smile. "Thanks for the trouble of delivering yourselves to my doorstep."
Hearing this, the men's hearts lurched.
We've been exposed!
They didn't know why, or how they had given themselves away, but one thing was certain—their disguise had been seen through.
And the power of that finger flick just now... was definitely not human!
"A hidden super-powered individual?" someone wondered.
"Doesn't matter," another growled in a low voice. "Get him! All at once!"
The men shouted in unison, dropping their pretense and lunging forward. Each of them possessed astonishing speed, far surpassing that of any human—no, it should be said, far surpassing any regular creature on Earth.
However, Orin Vale could see that they weren't New Gods. They seemed to have originally been human, merely enhanced in some way. He could see traces of Apokoliptian technology within their bodies.
"For Darkseid!" the men yelled in unison.
But Orin Vale stood his ground, motionless.
In an instant, it was as if an electric current was overflowing from space itself. The world in his eyes seemed to be covered by a pale blue filter. Distortions, like those caused by the refraction of light, appeared in space, and electric arcs constantly radiated out from these ripples.
As for the men, they were all frozen in their leaping postures. Even their roaring expressions and facial muscles seemed to have congealed. Their bodies, suspended in mid-air, approached at a speed so slow it was almost imperceptible.
Time slowed to a crawl under his accelerated perception. Orin Vale unhurriedly circled the statue-like figures, stroking his chin in thought.
(end of chapter)
Through the World Army's channels, Orin Vale had managed to gather a fair bit of intelligence.
In the Geneva region, something named the "Fire Pit" had appeared. A massive hole on the surface of the Earth, it emerged along with the invasion from Apokolips.
No one knew its cause for now, only that it was the result of an immense amount of energy. Ever since its formation, the giant pit has been relentlessly spewing blazing flames into the sky—or rather, pillars of high-temperature energy shaped like flames. No person or object could get near that area; even the most indestructible materials would be melted into slag upon approaching the vicinity.
This information was classified. With the current internet blockade, it was nearly impossible for the ordinary populace to learn about events in other regions. Only the World Army could grasp the situation across the globe.
This couldn't help but make Orin Vale think of Apokolips.
In his memory, Apokolips seemed to be covered with such Fire Pits. The blazing flames, unextinguished for hundreds of millions of years, made it look like a perpetually burning Hell.
Now that a similar phenomenon was occurring on Earth, what did it mean?
Did they want to turn Earth-2 into the next Apokolips?
The other most noteworthy thing was, of course, the Apokoliptian commander who seemed to be confirmed as Superman—Slaughter.
The related information was also classified within the World Army, including some video footage left behind by frontline troops who had experienced head-on confrontations with Slaughter.
And through these, Orin Vale noticed some things that were surprising even to him.
In one piece of combat footage, although the recording wasn't clear, Orin Vale was certain that when that "Superman" was hunting down the retreating World Army, the Heat Vision shooting from his eyes... swerved.
It was a bizarre deflection. Dark red energy shot from his menacing eyes, twisting unnaturally in mid-air. The dark ray traced a "Z"-shaped trajectory in the sky, consecutively striking several warships in different locations with a single attack.
The warships that were hit instantly exploded, the resulting fireballs engulfing them completely, seemingly melting all crew members inside on the spot, leaving no survivors.
Orin Vale's expression grew grave.
No one on Earth-2 had ever seen Darkseid, nor did they know of the "Omega" concept. Therefore, in their archives analyzing his abilities, they had simply summarized this power of the corrupted, returning Superman as "Heat Vision that has gained homing capabilities."
But Orin Vale knew better.
This Superman was, more than likely, using the Omega power.
This made Orin Vale turn serious. A Superman possessing the Omega power—no wonder the armies and superheroes of Earth-2 had been helpless so far. That was indeed not an opponent that a world which had lost its core, the Trinity, could handle.
It was also no wonder that Darkseid himself hadn't bothered to show up yet. With such a powerful warrior leading the charge, this world had no hope at all. There was no need for Darkseid to act personally.
However, this Superman was clearly the core of the invaders. As long as this guy could be defeated, this wave of Apokolips's offensive against Earth-2 would be thwarted.
Night fell, and Orin Vale had already returned to the vicinity of the coffee shop. As he was walking, he suddenly heard the sounds of a struggle and shouting coming from a nearby alley.
He paused and glanced toward the alley. A few men who looked like thugs were cornering a beautiful woman against a wall.
"Don't run, let's have some fun together..."
"Yeah, the world's about to end, what's the point of acting all proper? Better to have some fun with us brothers..."
While there is brilliance in humanity, there is also an undeniably stubborn darkness. It seems that the doomsday of any world always brings out the dark parts of the human heart, sometimes even being used as an excuse for one's own depravity.
The woman screamed, swung the small bag in her hand to slap a man in the face, and ran yelling out of the darkness. When she saw Orin Vale passing by, it was as if she had seen her savior. She shouted for help while hiding behind him.
"Sir, I'm begging you—"
The beautiful woman stammered.
"Save me! I'm a married woman!"
Orin Vale: "?"
What kind of unconventional way to cry for help is this? Is this some unique local custom of your Earth-2?
Seeing that he seemed completely unmoved, the woman made a split-second decision. She hugged his arm tightly, using her assets to press against him, a pitiable and lovely expression on her face.
"I'm the kind with a husband!"
Orin Vale: "..."
So, there's a kind of married woman without a husband? Oh... a widow, right?
People say 'Cao the Rogue' is a kind of spirit, and they truly weren't kidding. This spirit has not only crossed the barriers of time but also transcends national borders and even the boundaries of the universe...
The woman's actions grew bolder, looking as if she was about to round the bases. Orin Vale remained expressionless and silently sidestepped. The woman felt her body lean against what felt like a slippery hide, and she staggered and slid off, nearly face-planting on the sidewalk.
"Eh?"
The woman looked back, bewildered.
The moment she turned, she saw Orin Vale's hand was already in front of her face.
His middle finger flicked out with a *pop*.
It was a casual flick, seemingly without any force. But at the point of contact, a transparent ring of air exploded on the woman's pretty face, crushing and distorting her delicate skin.
The woman's neck snapped to the side. The irresistible impact on her cheek sent her entire body flying sideways, spinning like a top before crashing heavily to the ground.
The few men who had been pretending to close in from all sides were instantly stunned.
Wait, didn't the intelligence report say he had a weakness for married women?
Didn't it say he loses all resistance and starts thinking with his lower half whenever he meets one?
Was the person described in the intelligence really the one they were seeing before them?
"From Apokolips, are you?"
After sending the woman flying with one magnificent blow, Orin Vale slowly turned around. His gaze swept over the men, a faint blue light glinting in his eyes.
"I don't know why you decided to target me, but as it happens, I was looking for you," Orin Vale said with a slight smile. "Thanks for the trouble of delivering yourselves to my doorstep."
Hearing this, the men's hearts lurched.
We've been exposed!
They didn't know why, or how they had given themselves away, but one thing was certain—their disguise had been seen through.
And the power of that finger flick just now... was definitely not human!
"A hidden super-powered individual?" someone wondered.
"Doesn't matter," another growled in a low voice. "Get him! All at once!"
The men shouted in unison, dropping their pretense and lunging forward. Each of them possessed astonishing speed, far surpassing that of any human—no, it should be said, far surpassing any regular creature on Earth.
However, Orin Vale could see that they weren't New Gods. They seemed to have originally been human, merely enhanced in some way. He could see traces of Apokoliptian technology within their bodies.
"For Darkseid!" the men yelled in unison.
But Orin Vale stood his ground, motionless.
In an instant, it was as if an electric current was overflowing from space itself. The world in his eyes seemed to be covered by a pale blue filter. Distortions, like those caused by the refraction of light, appeared in space, and electric arcs constantly radiated out from these ripples.
As for the men, they were all frozen in their leaping postures. Even their roaring expressions and facial muscles seemed to have congealed. Their bodies, suspended in mid-air, approached at a speed so slow it was almost imperceptible.
Time slowed to a crawl under his accelerated perception. Orin Vale unhurriedly circled the statue-like figures, stroking his chin in thought.
(end of chapter)
