"Hmm? What's wrong with naming something you love and talking to it?" Harley raised the hammer, looking it over: "You really don't understand women."
Su Ming took off his helmet and grabbed a bottle of wine from the cabinet: "Is that so, Ivy?"
Poison Ivy turned her head with some guilt, knowing it was a bit unusual, but she did it too.
Some plants she particularly liked, she also gave them human names and talked to them every day...
Bo Bo chimed in at that moment, saying he wanted a few drinks too.
"Dorothy, from 'The Wizard of Oz', the story mainly talks about how the protagonist and her friends grow in their quest for self-identity, so Miss Quizer probably thought she found a way to realize her self-worth at that time."
"I thought I was the only psychiatrist."
Harley pouted. She really thought that way at the time. Back then, she considered following the Joker as her life's purpose, but later, it proved he only saw her as a burden and a scapegoat:
"But I still prefer the author's words in the book, 'She was no longer just an ordinary girl from Kansas,' it reminds me of Superman. Every time I hit Batman with this hammer, I feel like I have Superman's strength, hehe."
Superman's hometown is Kansas, which he admitted on TV, not seeing it as part of his secret identity.
Moreover, he thought by saying this, people would see him not as a Kryptonian, but as an Earthling, bridging the gap.
However, the result was quite the opposite, inducing a fear among people of being replaced...
"Alright, go sign an autograph for the lovely Trish, Bo Bo and I have something to discuss." Su Ming waved his hand, knowing talking to Harley was pointless.
"Aren't you going to look at the bloodstains on the hammer? This one's Batman's, this one's Nightwing's, and this one is..." Harley pointed to the bloodstains on the hammer, showing off. The stains had turned black, soaking into the wood's grain.
This time, it was Bo Bo's turn to twitch. He glared angrily at Trish.
Bringing a real weapon into the bar, wasn't there enough weaponry in the bar already?
Su Ming pulled Bo Bo, letting him sit beside him at the bar; Su Ming scraped off a large piece of charred skin stuck to the bar, revealing the wood underneath.
Finally, a clean spot to put the wine glass.
"Bo Bo, I need you to assemble the Shadow Contract Team." He didn't mince words, getting straight to the point.
Bo Bo was in a bit of a bind, pouring some wine into his mouth, and taking off his hat.
"That's Jim's organized team, I just handled some logistics for him, I don't have the right to command them."
"Bo Bo, it's over, Master of the Dark Night Jim has already sacrificed. Whether you accept reality or not, you are now the Second Generation Master of the Dark Night." Su Ming sighed, though Gorilla could be quite amusing at times, he was truly loyal to his friends: "He entrusted Maya and the bar to you, and also the Night Blade, naturally giving you the qualification to lead the Shadow Contract."
"No, matters of the Magic Realm are handled by the Dark Justice League, the Shadow Contract Team isn't suitable to appear again." Bo Bo drank a cup with a pained expression.
And Su Ming's demonic voice echoed in his ear: "Do you really think the Dark Justice League is enough? Think about last night, while we were running around, what did they accomplish?"
Gorilla scratched his head, indeed, when facing a big crisis in the Magic Realm, it was a layman like Deathstroke who solved the problem.
The Dark Justice League, which Batman placed high hopes on, ended up being a side show, and the designated leader Diana was in a coma for a long time...
This ironclad fact made Bo Bo waver a bit.
So the Shadow Contract Team really needs to be regrouped?
That was also Su Ming's point. Anyway, the Shadow Contract listens to the Master of the Dark Night, and the Master of the Dark Night Bo Bo now listens to Su Ming...
After a while, and after several drinks, Bo Bo finally nodded: "You're right, the fate of the world hangs on a whim from us, the warlocks indeed should exert their strength, the Shadow Contract Team may not be whole, but their combat power hasn't been critically affected."
Why is this team called the Shadow Contract?
Because their power almost isn't traditional witchcraft at all, but inherited through bloodlines from various dark existences.
Su Ming knew from the comics that the Shadow Contract could assemble four members at the moment, and he was familiar with all of them.
The Fallen Witch, who once joined the Suicide Squad, also known as Banshee, her power derived from the Demon Soul within her, considered an unorthodox warlock.
She is now working for both the Dark Justice League and the Shadow Contract simultaneously.
Night Shadow, the girl who saved Trish last night, could use traditional magic and also possessed forces from the Shadow Plane and some Shadow Magic. Other than being unable to engage in close combat, she's almost a replica of the Secret Guest.
Blue Demon, a stuntman wearing demon skin, his superpower comes from his costume, making him a magical version of Iron Man.
Lastly, there's Black Alice, a young girl, although young, her strength is terrifying.
Her magic only has one move, which is completely mimicking others' powers. Rather than magic, it's more like a superpower, only she prefers stealing warlocks' powers.
If Superman appears in front of her, then she can become Superwoman. If Barry appears in front of her, then she can become the Speedster.
Her ability is just that unreasonable, regardless of where your power comes from, bloodline or mutation, as long as she sees it, she becomes you.
Her most outstanding achievement was stealing the powers of the Ghost and Celestial Erosion, turning the Ghost himself into a harmless cloud of smoke.
And what is the Ghost? He's DC World's 'God's Wrath', representing a part of God's will, causing the entire Justice League to suffer terribly when facing him.
With these skills, although she can only steal the identity of at most two heroes at a time, there's no doubt that this teenage girl can squeeze into the first-class superhero ranks in terms of combat power.
Of course, she's not entirely a hero. She's very short on money and did some dirty work for the Secret Six for a while.
But she needs money only to pay for her father's cancer treatment. She's not some irredeemable villain. Although she's very decisive in killing, she's just a teenage girl.
She has a good relationship with the Shadow Contract and the Birds of Prey, and she's also Trish's goth-style buddy. As long as it's explained that the world needs her now, she'd definitely be willing to join.
Su Ming can also offer her some small incentives, like a sum of money or finding someone to take a look at her father's illness.
Isn't it just cancer? Making it sound like some incurable disease, this is the DC World, after all.
"Since you've figured it out, let's assemble the team. Tell them to avoid water when they come over, don't be like Zatanna, it cracked me up. She's almost the world's strongest warlock now and ended up turning into a fish?"
Su Ming patted Bo Bo on the shoulder. Before reinforcements arrive, he could have a few drinks.
Then he would take the team into the skies for a decapitation strike. Are the aliens this time of the Cthulhu style?
Having created an ancient god version of Wade, and now encountering an alien sea race, what is this? Karma?
Bo Bo downed his drink in one go and went to the wall to make a call, while Su Ming took back his phone. Naturally, he had to let his ever-watchful employer know his whereabouts.
Now the whole world is in chaos; it's better to stay in touch.
Bo Bo quickly finished his call, barely needing to say anything.
Perhaps he thought he wasn't qualified to lead the team, but the others in the team undeniably saw him as Jim's successor.
Bo Bo used to be in charge of logistics for the team, providing analysis or communication support, just like Batman's role in the Justice League, an indispensable part.
The team members felt he was fully qualified.
So, when Bo Bo sent out the call, they arrived almost immediately.
The first to arrive was Night Shadow. Her shadow magic could lift a corner of the real world like a carpet at any time, diving in from one end and out the other.
Moreover, this special ability was given to her by the Shadow Plane, with no payment required to the Inverted Man.
The second to arrive was the Banshee, still wearing a mental institution patient gown, having no idea where she escaped from.
Her dark circles were very prominent, as if she hadn't rested for a long time.
If there's an evil spirit inside constantly wanting to seize control of her body, it's certainly wise not to sleep.
Next, the Blue Demon and Black Alice arrived together, as the Blue Demon has no casting ability, and Black Alice needs to 'borrow' someone else's ability to teleport.
Su Ming nodded in satisfaction, set down his wine glass, and welcomed everyone, while the Gorilla began to introduce Su Ming to each of them, this Otherworld Deathstroke.
Of course, the introduction was somewhat beautified; Bo Bo had just seen him kill a hundred people without batting an eye, and that couldn't be included in the introduction.
Through Bo Bo, Su Ming instantly assembled a team comparable to the Justice League, and he was confident that this team would follow orders in battle.
It's actually quite simple, taking Bo Bo along and offering these heroes some benefits.
Su Ming wasn't like the Justice League's management style, demanding self-sacrifice with big righteous speeches. He preferred deals and personal favors.
For instance, the Banshee, who was always troubled by the evil spirit's erosion within her, received a promise from Su Ming to assist with her issue.
The evil spirit inside her is an ancient demon, and now Maggie Ken from Hell owes Su Ming a favor.
It was Su Ming who removed her from the throne, and though it was just a small effort, the Banshee's issue is also a trivial task for the Hell Demon King Mai Zi, isn't it?
Black Alice, real name Laurie, got a promise from Su Ming to help treat her father. He also gave her tens of thousands of US dollars as a welfare allowance.
Night Shadow, worried about the casting cost issue, dared not cast other magic. This can be easily resolved by Su Ming negotiating with the Inverted Man to loosen her repayment terms.
The only somewhat troublesome one was the Blue Demon, who asked for almost nothing and was a true hero. But he was struggling financially, having worked as a bouncer at the Forgotten Bar, so Su Ming promised to give him a house.
After the metal event, Gotham City's housing prices plummeted, so it only cost a little money.
Originally, the Blue Demon planned to join in the world-saving action, but now, considering Bo Bo and the house, he also agreed to follow Deathstroke's command.
The team command in hand... the plan progressed smoothly.
Bo Bo is indeed a good gorilla, providing a lot of help and being smart enough not to say what shouldn't be said nor ask what shouldn't be asked.
Su Ming decided to give it some advantages in the future, maybe introduce a mate or something.
Correct, plunder a clever female ape from Grud's Chimpanzee Island to match with Bo Bo, it's undoubtedly a good pair.
Though Grud and his kind are gorillas, like King Kong, and Bo Bo is a black ape, more like a monkey, at least they're both primates, right?
Meanwhile, in his heart, Su Ming gave Bo Bo a new title. Calling him Detective Gorilla was too awkward. From now on, he'll refer to him as 'Little Fortune Ape.'