Thick blood splattered, and the monster's face was forever adorned with a silent, broad grin. Its mouth full of sharp fangs opened wide, revealing its unfathomable throat, while a fetid odor lingered at the tip of the nose.
Poison Ivy raised her hands and twisted forcefully, two massive vines shot up from the ground, sweeping across the building's exterior like windshield wipers, clearing the clinging monsters, yet more seemed to materialize from thin air.
The target of the mad laughter was either Su Ming or Harley, but Harley was more likely, as these monsters were clearly no match for Su Ming.
The mad laughter, who had faced Su Ming before, couldn't possibly send these low-level minions to deal with him.
Even though each of them possessed half of Captain America's prowess, they were mere fodder in the face of Su Ming. That's why he was here; otherwise, relying solely on Harley and Ivy, they might be caught or killed.
Though Ivy was quite powerful, her biggest weakness was her inability to fly. These flight-capable and night-vision monsters made it difficult for them to evade even if they dived into the sewers.
"Sss! Crack!"
The vines on the window were breached, a monster's head squeezed in, its terrifying smile growing clearer.
Ivy took a moment, spat into the monster's mouth, instantly halting its movements, and it dropped like a puppet that had lost its strings.
Su Ming merely glanced, thinking if the building was sturdy enough and seed reserves plentiful, Ivy could undoubtedly be considered a master of defense. Fortunately, the enemy didn't use fire; brute strength alone couldn't easily breach the vine barricades.
These monsters weren't afraid of Himeko's poison arrows yet succumbed to Ivy's saliva. Was there a difference between the two?
But before he could explore further, Harley emerged from the bathroom.
Her red and blue ponytails were already tied; she had drawn on her eyebrows and eyeliner, with a small moon and star painted on her cheeks, and bright red lipstick.
With a thought, she fetched a red and blue jacket from the wardrobe, maintaining a large smile as she approached Su Ming.
Her snow-white jade hand slid around his neck, pulling herself up and kissing him on the face armor, leaving a red print.
"You've been waiting, hee hee, the superhero Harley Quinn has arrived!"
"Poison Ivy will cover us, I'll lead the way, we're headed to the rooftop, keep up." Su Ming didn't mind her antics. Harley's combat ability, uh, depended on her mood; at her best, she rivaled first-line superheroes, at her worst, she couldn't defeat anyone.
She seemed like a hot-blooded comic protagonist, fighting with rhetoric and willpower; well, she was a fanatic.
"Pop!"
Harley swung a hammer at the monster's head on the ground, but the big mallet bounced back, leaving the monster unscathed, and Harley nearly toppled over.
"Dorothy, you're... old." Harley dropped her smile, coldly eyeing her weapon, seemingly dissatisfied with its performance.
"Enough chatter. When we get to Apocalypse Star, I'll get you a Fixed Star Power Hammer; for now, focus!" Su Ming swung his weapon, bringing Ivy close: "I'll carve a path, then we'll head to the rooftop."
Ivy nodded, in the city her plant seeds needed pre-cultivation; this was Harley's home, not her lab, and there were too few usable plants.
If they could find a rainforest, no amount of monsters would be a match for her.
Su Ming felt Ivy's back against his, he stowed away his Nightfall Giant Sword in his space bag, and the hand armor seemed to melt slightly, revealing a ring on his finger. The intense red light flooded the room.
The Godslayer Tower Shield lowered, Su Ming let out a dry heave towards the door.
The face armor made way for his mouth, copious bright red liquid sprayed from it like a high-pressure water gun. Monsters touched by the red blood appeared to be scorched by flames, turning into charred skeletons within seconds.
"Go!"
After using the Red Lantern Ring, Su Ming immediately issued the command, holding the Godslayer, charged up the stairs, leaving a temporary vacuum as the monsters in the hallway were slain.
The Red Lantern Ring concealed by hand armor, the other fingers displayed Green and Blue Lantern Rings.
Lacking a Lantern Furnace, Su Ming charged them emotionally, affecting the rings' endurance.
The Red Lantern's blood-spew skill was immensely potent, channeling rage into lethality through blood from the Lantern Demon's mouth, it was a self-destructive yet powerful skill.
However, it suited Su Ming well; his self-healing ability had the side effect of inducing rage, with this support, as long as the rings were powered, he grew ever stronger.
Next was the Green Lantern's manifestation ability, forming a turtle shell around the trio, ensuring safety while heading to the rooftop.
To avoid being overwhelmed by monsters on the rooftop with insufficient defense, Su Ming also used the Blue Lantern Ring, enhancing the Green Lantern's power output to 200%.
"Bang!"
He kicked open the door, and sure enough, the rooftop was crowded with all kinds of monsters, with more pouring in from all directions.
If Su Ming had arrived a little later, Harley and Ivy would have been in trouble. These monsters kept appearing out of thin air, falling from mid-air like dumplings, making it impossible to determine where they came from.
There's no need to know if anyone nearby is activating a magic array, nor to waste time on these minions. The most crucial thing now is to evacuate with everyone.
The Justice League flying device that Su Ming had bargained from Batman last time was never returned after the flood receded. Now it's just invisible and placed in a corner of the rooftop. Before bed, Harley and Ivy even used the bathroom inside to shower.
The monsters lunged at the three of them like hungry wolves, attacking the turtle shell-like protective shield with their bodies and claws. The green energy fluctuated constantly, teetering on the brink of collapse.
Su Ming thought to himself, and the turtle shell instantly transformed into a porcupine guest. Immediately, a dozen monsters couldn't stop in time and were impaled by the long green spikes.
Then he turned the spikes into blades, spinning the shield, allowing the three of them to walk over the wreckage and filthy blood to the spaceship.
The shield disappeared, and the Green Lantern Ring instantly switched to the Yellow Lantern Ring, manifesting a giant fly swatter that slapped and swept across the rooftop. Ivy, using the cover of vines, fumbled in the air nearby.
"Psssss..."
The sound of the airtight door venting echoed, like a tear opening in the sky. Immediately, the three boarded the spaceship. Although Harley seemed eager to try out the hammer, Su Ming didn't give her the chance and scooped her up onto the ship, tossing her into a seat.
The hatch closed, and the invisible spacecraft took to the skies once more.
Only then did Su Ming feel relieved.
This small spaceship has technological invisibility and the cloaking magic previously released by Night Shadow and Banshee, making them relatively safe for now.
Harley peered out the window, watching the strange creatures flap their wings into the sky, aimlessly flying around since they couldn't locate the trio.
"Good thing I didn't bring the circus folks back, or they'd be in trouble now." Harley wiped her forehead, ignoring a piece of black skin stuck in her hair, and looked at Su Ming piloting the vessel: "By the way, whose jurisdiction in the Justice League covers New York? These monsters have invaded the city."
Su Ming revealed his face and took a breath, motioning Harley to sit in the back and not block his view: "New York isn't anyone's turf. Even though the Justice Society is in hiding here, they haven't managed affairs in a long time."
"Justice Society?" Ivy in the back seat cleaned off the filthy blood on herself, raising her head to look forward.
"Ah, the American Justice Society, JSA, the predecessors of the Justice League." Su Ming aimed straight for outer space, heading to rendezvous with the Wave Rider, where they could dock the small craft.
Harley's eyes widened, her pink-haired head bobbing in front of Su Ming, eyes wide open.
"Do they have Batman?"
"No, that's not Batman's team. They were a group of superheroes from last century who actually died 60 years ago." Su Ming pushed her head away, flipping a few switches to break through the atmosphere: "They were brought back from the Divine Speed Plane a few years ago, leaving their position quite awkward."
Harley's little head tilted as she started daydreaming about a group of old men and women in tights fighting crime, defeating enemies with canes or wheelchairs, with killing moves like heat-ray reading glasses or false teeth boomerangs...
It seemed quite fun.
But then she imagined liver spots under the tight suits, sagging skin, big beer bellies, and the gaping smiles formed by toothless mouths....
She shivered, a look of disgust appearing on her little face: "Forget it, they better not come out."
Su Ming didn't know what she imagined, given that she's a lunatic, so he just nodded: "They probably signed a retirement agreement with Batman, and unless the Justice League is wiped out, they're not coming back, as they have a connection with Divine Speed, which might have unforeseen impacts."
If someone from 60 years in the future were killed by people who died 60 years ago, the time logic just doesn't add up, right?
If they weren't such seniors, Batman would have long devised a plan to send them back to Divine Speed.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go knock some villain heads!"
Harley said eagerly, unable to control her thoughts.
A masked man with osteoporosis, a vigilante sucking oxygen from a tank, superheroes in diapers due to incontinence... her mind conjured up exaggerated images one after another.
"Calm down, we need to gather forces first."
Su Ming ignored Harley's rants, while the scenery outside quickly turned to scenes of the cosmos, a spaceship resembling a swan resting in orbit nearby.
Without knowing the communication frequency, they could still use light signals, even though it's unclear why Batman's ship has lights in the cockpit. By blinking the lights at intervals, they could send Morse code, letting the Wave Rider see it.
Harley slumped in the back seat, muttering to herself until she found a lollipop in her jacket pocket without knowing when it got there.
Even as the spacecraft docked with the Wave Rider, she just let Ivy lead her out, licking the lollipop with her eyes half-closed, not caring where they were heading.