American Comics: BOSS Invasion

“Steppenwolf! From Apokolips, a New God, a destroyer of worlds. His sole interest is conquest. Those who meet his axe are transformed into Parademons, monsters akin to special bio-weapons, possessing immense strength, flight capabilities, and existing in endless numbers.

They feed on fear, obey commands, and fear no death!”

Wonder Woman seriously tapped the whiteboard, upon which simple lines depicted two creatures.

The Flash compared it to the image on the computer and exclaimed, “Wow, you really are an artist!”

Wonder Woman nodded. “Thank you, but focus, gentlemen!”

She drew three boxes with different patterns on the whiteboard, saying, “Mother Boxes! These are their targets.

Mother Boxes represent power itself. When the three Mother Boxes are combined, they form the Unity, a catastrophic energy that can not only destroy worlds but even revert localized universes to their initial state, like Apokolips, Steppenwolf's birthplace.

As early as five thousand years ago, Steppenwolf attempted to turn Earth into chaos. We were outnumbered and outmatched, destined to die at his hands. But fate brought humans, Amazons, and Atlanteans together.

We unleashed our own Unity, and with great difficulty, defeated him.”

The Flash's eyes twitched; he felt like he was listening to a myth.

But seeing everyone else listening intently, he could only suppress his inner urge to complain.

Aquaman slowly said, “According to the history recorded in my tribe, this should be the first time Steppenwolf tasted defeat. Enraged and ashamed, he even vowed to erase his humiliation.

Our three tribes maintained strict vigilance for twenty years, constantly guarding against Steppenwolf's reappearance.

Later, from news brought by an alien warrior, we learned that Steppenwolf had been banished to deep space by the gods of Apokolips for his defeat, forbidden to return for ten thousand years.”

Wonder Woman continued, “Only then did Earth usher in true peace. But the Mother Boxes Steppenwolf left behind were too dangerous, and they could never be kept together.

So, each of the three tribes took one. Atlantis and Amazon placed theirs in heavily guarded fortresses.

Human history changed too quickly. The king at the time chose to bury it deep in a secret location. Only in this way could we ensure that no one could use the power of the Mother Box to conquer the world.”

She looked up. “However, after only five thousand years, Steppenwolf has returned. To return to Apokolips, he will surely gather the Mother Boxes again and erase his shame.”

“Master Wayne?” Alfred's voice suddenly came through.

From the narrow grates on the box, they could see a rat-faced kid inside, cowering in a ball, pissing all over the place.

On the outer steel plate, a large, humanoid fly was stretched out by a rope net, struggling to escape.

Wonder Woman nodded: “That's it, a Parademon!”

This thing seemed to have no independent consciousness, constantly roaring with a sharp, yet somewhat hoarse voice; definitely not a human voice.

It struggled constantly, the three square energy sources on its chest becoming brighter and brighter. With a 'pop' sound, it exploded into a pool of green fluorescent blood.

The steel plate was neatly coated with three square patterns of blood, clearly representing the Mother Box.

The others exchanged glances. Bruce asked, “Alfred, how many of these things are there now?”

“Everywhere, sir! Moreover, according to satellite network reconnaissance, the number is increasing geometrically every hour! They clearly prefer more chaotic areas; the more chaotic the place, the more of these things there are! Arkansas is almost full of them!” Alfred calmly replied.

The Flash suddenly thought of something: “Are you saying that the demons' target might be Steppenwolf? They use chaos to attract Parademons, and when the number of Parademons reaches a certain level, Steppenwolf is bound to appear.”

“A good idea, but not realistic!” Wonder Woman shook her head. “Steppenwolf is a New God of Apokolips. He can be defeated, but never killed. If the demons coveted the Mother Boxes, that would be understandable, but targeting Steppenwolf...? I can't think of any benefit to doing so!”

Bruce nodded. “Perhaps this is just an excuse from the demons.”

“But they clearly know that fear can attract inner membranes and speed up Steppenwolf's pace. Why deliberately send Doomsday to create chaos everywhere?” The Flash argued.

Wonder Woman shook her head. “Either way, both the demons and Steppenwolf are our enemies. We need to be fully prepared!”

Joan, who had been silent all along, suddenly said, “Argus is already making targeted strategic deployments based on newly obtained information. Amanda says she has crucial information and may be able to turn the tide soon!”

Bruce said, “Let’s hope so!”

In Batman's mind, the military helping by not causing trouble would be a great help.

Now he needs to prepare to face the upcoming war.

Colorado, below an unnamed lake 150 kilometers from Single Falls.

The elevator doors slowly opened, and Amanda walked in quickly with two assistants.

A soldier with the rank of major saluted and said, “Director, 532 special criminals from all over the country have been sent here and have been classified and detained.”

Amanda's pace did not stop, and she walked directly to the depths of the base, asking calmly, “Any gains?”

“Yes! A Japanese gangster, he is the head of an organization in Single Falls Chinatown. During interrogation, he revealed that he had killed a zombie from the underground alliance.”

“Zombie? Is that what they call those special forces?”

“Indeed!”

Amanda asked, “What do our experts say?”

“The expert group has not found anything abnormal! The special personnel we captured have not undergone any physical enhancements. Some speculate that there is a problem with their souls, or some other special energy.

But so far, the laboratory responsible for testing has not given any conclusions!”

“I know! Bring that Japanese man over; I want to talk to him personally!”

“Yes!”

Orders from above are followed below.

Amanda waited in the office for two minutes, and the Japanese man was escorted over.

He was wearing an orange prison uniform, not tall, his head was shaved clean, and tattoos stretched from his chin to his neck. His arms, however, were clean, probably a Japanese-style vest tattoo, exclusive to gang members.

Amanda didn't care about such a small character at all. Before the other party could sit down, she directly said, “Tell me how to destroy the zombies, and I'll let you go!”