"Launch the second wave immediately! We can't wait for their formation to fully assemble—destroy their battle lines at all costs!"
President Ellis issued the order without hesitation.
He was afraid—deeply so.
So much effort, so many resources, had already been expended just to repel the enemy's initial forces.
If they allowed this clearly stronger army to complete its formation, what chance would they have left to fight?
Once the Air Force received the command, nearly a thousand fighter jets circling nearby turned back in unison. Their engines flared as they accelerated toward the undersea coalition's front lines.
Upon reaching their designated targets, the missiles mounted beneath their wings detached instantly, streaking forward with blazing exhaust toward the assembling enemy forces.
At the same time, naval missiles, artillery shells, and rocket barrages were fired once again.
The sky filled with yet another overwhelming curtain of fire.
But this time—
One of the super sea snails stepped forward.
The massive shell on its back began to glow with countless crimson points. In the next instant, innumerable thin red beams shot outward simultaneously.
Each beam was no thicker than a chopstick—yet far faster than anything deployed by infantry armor or jellyfish turrets.
A single super sea snail possessed tens of thousands of firing ports.
The combined barrage resembled a torrential storm of light, flooding the sky in every direction.
In the blink of an eye, every missile—along with the fighter jets behind them—was pierced clean through.
Moments later, the Sky were filled with blossoming explosions, fireworks of destruction consuming the sky as humanity's terrifying barrage was completely erased.
With a single strike, humanity's strongest non-nuclear assault was utterly neutralized.
Seeing this, President Ellis collapsed back into his chair.
This had been the most powerful attack humanity could muster short of nuclear weapons.
"Commander-in-Chief!"
Secretary Ross noticed Ellis's shaken state and immediately spoke up.
At a moment like this, if even the supreme commander lost his resolve, the already-desperate situation would only worsen.
"I'm fine," Ellis said, waving him off before letting out a long sigh.
"You're not about to suggest using nuclear weapons on Gotham, are you?"
"Sir," Ross replied gravely, "don't forget—you still have another option."
"Another option?" Ellis murmured. His unfocused gaze suddenly sharpened.
"You mean… the one in prison?"
"Yes," Ross nodded firmly.
"I know who you're talking about," Ellis said bitterly.
"But do you really think someone who voluntarily went to prison will listen to us now?"
"No matter what," Ross replied, "you have to try."
Ellis fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Fine. I'll try."
He picked up his phone and made the call.
---
"Hello. What do you want?"
On the other end of the video call, Lucas, who had just stepped out of the gravity chamber to take a breather, answered casually.
"Lucas, I need your help," Ellis said bluntly.
"What's going on?" Lucas asked, mildly puzzled.
Aside from showering and occasionally checking messages, he spent almost all his time inside the gravity chamber.
Unless it involved the destruction of Earth or the extinction of humanity, he generally couldn't be bothered.
"This morning," Ellis explained, "we were completely outmatched—militarily and technologically—by a group calling themselves Atlanteans."
"Gotham City has already fallen into their hands."
"Gotham fell?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.
That city wasn't it famously full of lunatics?
"Yes," Ellis replied heavily.
"And it's already been reduced to rubble by artillery fire."
"…Interesting," Lucas said, clearly amused.
A city that, in DC lore, supposedly never fell—now flattened by artillery.
Which meant Batman's home base had been completely wiped out.
"Well," Ellis continued, his voice heavy with exhaustion,
"short of deploying nuclear weapons, we have no way left to stop their advance."
Then, lowering his pride, he said:
"So, Lucas… I need your help. America needs your strength."
"Oh?" Lucas replied coolly.
"You need my strength? That's unfortunate—I'm currently serving a prison sentence."
"I can issue a presidential pardon immediately," Ellis said without hesitation.
"No," Lucas replied flatly.
"If you wanted to use me that way, you would've done it long ago. Right?"
Ross suddenly interjected,
"As a citizen of America, isn't it your duty to fight for your country?"
"And as one of the military's top commanders," Lucas shot back calmly,
"the fact that you can still talk so tough after things have reached this point is honestly impressive."
"Enough, Ross!" Ellis snapped.
Lucas could tell immediately—classic good-cop, bad-cop routine.
Ellis turned back to him and said earnestly,
"Lucas, we truly need you. Name your conditions—whatever they are."
"A man who was falsely imprisoned," Lucas replied evenly,
"needs only one kind of condition."
With that, he ended the call and walked straight back into the gravity chamber.
---
"I knew it," Ellis muttered, taking a deep breath.
"He went to prison for a reason."
He immediately called the Department of Justice.
"William," Ellis ordered coldly,
"execute the plan we discussed earlier. Get Lucas Reed released immediately."
---
Ten minutes later, District Attorney Harvey Dent sat dazed in his car.
His superior had just delivered an ultimatum from the Attorney General:
If you don't get Lucas Reed cleared immediately, America may not survive.
In short—
You put him in prison. Now you take him out.
Something inside Harvey Dent quietly collapsed.
When he finally came back to himself, he was already standing outside the Prison.
The procedures were absurdly brief.
No body search. No delays.
He was escorted straight to Lucas Reed's sector.
As he passed rows of inmates standing respectfully at the perimeter—
as though approaching sacred ground—Harvey's eyelid twitched uncontrollably.
Looking at the massive structures and surrounding recreational facilities, he could only think:
This is a prison?
Dragging his heavy steps forward, guided by a guard, he entered Lucas's "reception room."
"Wait here," the guard said after checking his watch.
"Mr. Reed should be out in about thirty minutes."
Harvey Dent nodded numbly.
---
Thirty minutes later—
"Well, well," Lucas said as he walked out of the gravity chamber, spotting him immediately.
"Isn't this our 'righteous' district attorney?"
___
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