Even for Batman, seeing the array of diverse rings worn on Deathstroke's fingers caused his pupils to constrict.
He finally understood the roles of Harley and Ivy; he'd been focused on their combat prowess as villains, neglecting their primary expertise.
Gotham's best psychiatrist and plant chemistry expert.
Their abilities, coupled with Deathstroke's temperament and physical prowess, meant he could strategize any known or unknown emotional spectrum.
Batman was somewhat bewildered, uncertain why Deathstroke chose to reveal his possession of the rings.
Deathstroke should know this would only heighten Batman's suspicion, propelling him directly onto the Justice League's 'Multiverse Calamity Level Threat' list.
Yet, Deathstroke still did it, but why?
If it was for bragging rights or spur-of-the-moment whimsy, such motives seemed implausible for Deathstroke; he surely had a grander design.
A single or even two Lantern Rings wouldn't concern Batman; he could even swipe Hal's ring in an instant and knock him off his feet.
Batman had faced many opportunities to wield rings, but he refused each time.
He wouldn't serve the galaxy's authoritarian corps; Batman was meant to exist for humanity.
But ten Lantern Rings?
In Batman's perspective, the full spectrum can already be considered one of the pinnacles of the multiverse's power, especially with the mysterious white, black, and Invisible Light rings.
What else does Deathstroke plot?
Thus, when Deathstroke spread his fingers, flaunting them before him, Batman paused silently for a moment.
"Earth doesn't need a God of Mankind."
Let alone Deathstroke, Batman wouldn't allow even his closest ally, Clark, to become the God of Mankind.
People ought to have the right to choose their own lives, not bend to power and superpower.
"Hmm? Who wants to be the God of Mankind? Superman? If you want me to take care of him, it'll cost you dearly." Su Ming retorted, casually wiping the grime from his orange ring.
"Let's end this riddle; you know what I'm referring to." Batman spoke coldly.
"Why so serious, Batman? Hehehe, I can let you make a choice, right now."
Su Ming chuckled and hooked his arm around Batman's shoulder, gesturing towards the distance as if pointing at an unseen Asia's largest tidal power station.
"Now, listen to the puzzle! A Gotham subway originally carries fifty passengers: thirty men, twenty women. At the first stop, three women board, along with three baby girls, while five elderly women disembark. At the second stop, four strong men, four human-demons board, while the disguised Bat Clan disembark. At the third stop, they re-board, capturing Penguin Man, and no one disembarks. But before reaching the fourth stop, Penguin Man jumps out the window and escapes..."
Batman: "...."
Why does this feel familiar?
Su Ming continued whispering beside him, listing Batman's acquaintances boarding and disembarking at each station, prompting amusing reactions from Batman.
Despite maintaining a poker face, Su Ming's hand on Batman's neck could feel his heart rate change.
Especially upon hearing Catwoman's name, Batman visibly hesitated.
"Alright, pay attention to the question; when reaching station twenty-seven... what color clothes does the subway driver wear?"
Batman: "..."
He realized this wasn't a riddle, but a cold joke.
"Your question and answer are unrelated." Batman finally retorted, though still expressionless, unable to resist adding, "It makes no logical sense."
"Heh, this question is like your suspicion of me; I am the driver, and the passengers are these rings, no matter how many get on or off, does the driver change? Your suspicion of me lacks logic entirely."
"..."
Su Ming patted him: "Human beings themselves are fundamental, bearing whatever force, just like life's journey carrying passengers or goods; there's gain, and inevitably loss… What you're doing now is seeing others' vehicles crowded with passengers and suspecting the vehicle lacks sturdiness or the driver suddenly mutates."
Batman isn't impossible to persuade, but method matters; trying to evade like with Barry won't cut it.
To engage with this black-clad figure, capture his attention first, provide examples or data, then engulf him with copious amounts of Jung's psychology theories.
Freud and Jung are psychological masters, but their theories differ; they parted ways after years of collaboration.
Freud posits humans resemble animals, driven by sexual impulses, with their personalities forged by childhood events, unchanging in adulthood.
Failing in childhood sexual impulses leads to mental disorder.
Conversely, Jung believes in human moral excellence, with adulthood dreams and ideals still shaping personalities.
Jung reasons that contemporary causes should be sought for psychopathology, not past events.
He asserts when patients begin experiencing "stagnation," they've developed mental disorders, suggesting they aren't following psychological growth patterns from aging.
This stagnation often stems from escaping life's burdens.
Batman fits this; his time stagnated on the day of his parents' death.
But did Batman change?
After joining the Justice League, he did change somewhat, at least he would roughly share his plans with his teammates now.
Actually, Batman started changing after accepting the first Robin, his condition began to improve at a super slow pace since then.
The key is that the improvement is so slow that the people who see him every day hardly notice it.
Every day Batman is the same, coming and going with a blank expression.
But in reality, outsiders like Su Ming can analyze it clearly from Batman's profile.
He used to treat Gotham as his territory, but now he arranges the Hall of Justice as if it's his territory too.
Setting up shields, arranging contingencies, setting traps, moving in a bunch of equipment and instruments...
Just for fun?
Territorial awareness, though others can't see it, and even Batman isn't conscious of it, but Deathstroke can see it.
The Hall of Justice is a collective territory, Batman doesn't admit it, but his attitude is open now, he's trying to understand others, those who consider him a friend.
But this understanding process is always accompanied by vigilance, caused by an extreme lack of security.
Batman needs some distance, he's not used to close contact with others, when powerful things get too close, he instinctively reacts.
But Su Ming is determined to cross this distance, directly pointing the problem at Batman's heart, this is a psychological suggestion through body language, making Batman feel there's nowhere to hide, forcing him to face the issue.
In any case, Su Ming has his plan to implement, it's impossible to let the Justice League become an obstacle, so he might as well treat Batman's mental illness too.
There's a saying that habit becomes nature, now with superpower, Su Ming is hanging around Batman every day until he becomes numb.
When familiar with something, people naturally let their guard down, this is human nature.
Next, he plans to demonstrate the power of ten rings in front of Batman, giving him a direct experience.
Having seen something with one's own eyes gives a more specific concept, rather than amplifying fear through self-hypnosis, scaring oneself.
With a thorough plan in mind, Deathstroke started narrating a bunch of things to Batman, things that Arthur couldn't understand, in Sea King's despairing gaze.
Something like "you're not you, actually the you in your dream is the real you, time is stagnant, physical transcendence, self-awareness and external driving force and whatever...."
I say, that Sea Demon is about to fall, can't you guys chat later?!
......
"Light blue, all staff in the Gotham Subway must wear light blue uniforms during work hours."
Batman took a deep breath and answered Su Ming's previous brain teaser, this answer seemed to circle back to the question but represented that he acknowledged Deathstroke's words had a point.
But he wouldn't admit it verbally, humph~
"You see things quite clearly, don't you? You need to know, except for Indians, no driver would run an overloaded train around."
Su Ming withdrew his arm and pointed to the distant Sea Monster, that's the result of suddenly acquiring too much unbearable power, sending uncontrollable weapons to the battlefield is the Indian tactic...
Batman just stared at him expressionlessly, this Deathstroke was nothing like the one in the Main World, when did he also act as a part-time psychologist? Did he learn from hanging out with Harley for two days?
For now, he admitted Deathstroke had a point, but Batman wouldn't relax, he would keep an eye on Deathstroke.
Too much power without oversight isn't good, even subways need a control station.
Thus, Batman began considering the possibility of letting Deathstroke join the Justice League, when he found that Deathstroke wasn't making a move, just to stare at Diana's thighs, he had a plan...
"If the Sea Demon makes contact with the ocean, everything is over, we've already wasted too much time."
Batman told Deathstroke, the distant comrades were all sweaty from exhaustion, only he and Deathstroke stood on deck enjoying the breeze.
"Hmm, that's true, it's all your fault, wasting so much of my time." Su Ming gave Batman a disdainful look, if it wasn't for your sudden burst of hostility, no one would waste words with you.
The employer just needs to pay, that's all.
"..." Batman just took two steps back, signaling Deathstroke to hurry and start whatever he was planning to do.
"The Anti-Life Equation's effect is generally average, only those who think themselves gods do multiplication and division, we mercenaries just need to do addition."
Su Ming raised his hands, charging the rings with his bones.
Will + Anger + Fear + Greed + Hope + Love + Compassion + Life + Death + Repentance + Creation Metal = ???
Su Ming didn't know what kind of power this was, it's higher than the force of the White Lantern and the Power of Death of the Black Lantern, this combination of forces granted him a power akin to a concept.
Anyway, whatever concept the Death Sea Demon possessed, Su Ming had the opposite here, and with the X Metal's addition, his concept energy was even stronger.
Interlocking his fingers to line up the ten rings into a zigzag curve, he aimed at the giant Sea Demon.
When the thick beam formed by the ten colors shot from his hand, accurately hitting the distant creature, he gained an insight.
This was not power meant to exist within the Origin Wall, this was power meant to create worlds, this was the original 'zero,' a vague concept from chaos.
What Batman held as 'Transcend,' indeed didn't contradict with what Luthor held as 'Destruction,' because what conflicted with Luthor's concept, 'Creation,' was now in Su Ming's hands...