The rise of comics

The projected light reflected on the mechanical hands flashed and changed rapidly, and Cyborg displayed the data list compiled by the central processor in a 3D image for everyone to check in detail.

"The original record of the magic lamp began in Europe in 3000. Its origin cannot be verified, but there seems to be a secret organization that compiled these stories that were originally just oral accounts and rumors. You can see that from these In top-secret documents, legends and wild histories about the ‘wishing objects’ from around the world, there are traces of the activities of this organization.”

The three-dimensional page projection quickly stopped in front of everyone, and then flashed past.

"An inverted triangle mark."

Bruce narrowed his eyes slightly.

Among the ancient information listed by Cyborg, there always seems to be a mysterious mark that appears every once in a while, connecting all these ethereal legends into a straight line.

This imprint is like a long river running through time, leaving its traces in different places around the world.

"Yes, it's like a mini pyramid turned upside down. The total frequency of this mark is about 680 times. Some are deliberately hidden, but some are very obvious."

The steel-bone fingers made a virtual point in the air and made an expansion movement. He singled out a three-dimensional inverted triangle mark and enlarged it to ten times its original size.

"What does this mark represent?"

Constantine raised his hand and touched his chin.

"According to my derived investigation, this is an ancient tissue mark that existed a long time ago."

Cyborg waved his hand, and a man's upper body projection appeared on the 3D virtual mark.

This is a middle-aged man who looks very domineering, with long and curly black hair. His face is like a sculpture in the hands of an artist, with sharp edges and corners, a towering nose, eyebrows like sharp swords, eyes like stars, and lips. With a neat and delicate beard on his chin and chin, he looks like an emperor who is not angry but shows his unique style.

"This is!"

Barry Allen was startled.

"Vandal Savage..."

Clark spoke slowly and deeply.

"Yes, as you all know, Vandal Savage is a legendary immortal wild man. According to his own words, he has lived for tens of thousands of years. As for the reason, it is unknown... That is It was an era when human beings had not yet developed a civilization. If the legends of the ancient war are true, including the legend of the magic lamp, then this Vandal Savage must be a witness of that era."

Cyborg raised his head and stared at the slowly rotating male upper body projection.

"About 5000 years ago, Vandal Savage founded the [Immortal Sect]. This is the name of this marked organization."

"This matter actually has something to do with Vandal Savage..."

Constantine was also staring at the projection of Savage's portrait, with a strange look in his eyes.

"I have heard of his legend, and I thought he was just a fictitious existence, but until the last time he appeared in this world, he made a big fuss. Wasn't he later captured by your Justice League?"

Constantine looked at Clark.

"Where did you keep him?"

"Vandal Savage is imprisoned in a special prison prepared for him by the federal government. This prison is also supervised by our Justice League. It is located on the edge of Star City. The guardian of Star City, Green Arrow, will visit from time to time. 'Hit him."

Bruce took over.

"Oliver Queen?"

Constantine was stunned for a moment, then looked thoughtful.

"If this is said, this old immortal who has lived for tens of thousands of years may really know the historical truth hidden behind the legend of the ancient war."

"I think we may have underestimated Vandal Savage. Since all the information about the magic lamp was compiled by this organization called [The Immortals], and we have never known such an organization before, then It means that it must still be hidden underground, hidden behind the scenes.”

Barry Allen spoke quickly.

"If Savage is the founder of this organization, and he is now under strict supervision, then maybe this is all a setup to attract our attention..."

"You mean someone's trying to save Savage?"

Clark was suddenly startled.

"But it's not like the [Immortals] would take such a big risk to save a Vandal Savage, right? Besides, with Amanda Waller's power, if she wants Vandal Savage to escape, we simply can't You can’t prevent it, don’t forget, the main messenger of this mission is still Amanda Waller.”

Sea King Arthur rarely said a word.

"Yes. We have no evidence and suspect that Amanda Waller is a member of the [Immortal Sect]."

Barry Allen nodded.

"If this organization has been researching the magic lamp for thousands of years, then why didn't they start earlier? Since all the evidence has pointed to the place where Gaia is sealed, maybe they have already explored it before us. It’s just that they also didn’t find the magic lamp, nor did they accidentally release the monster like this time..."

"No. That's not what it means."

Constantine shook his head.

"The 'Tomb of the True Ancestor', which is the sealed place of Gaia, actually has a corresponding guardian for each generation, and you already know that the entrance to the sealed place is actually a tunnel leading to a different space. As for the sealed place itself, , that is, where is the alien space body... I tend to hide it deep underground, maybe in the center of the earth. And this entrance is supervised by each generation of guardians, and it is fluid. It’s not just this one entrance. The places guarded by each generation of guardians are different. Therefore, even after so many years, those who want to find the true ancestor’s tomb have not been able to find their wish, but at first... I thought this The measure is to prevent those vampires hiding in the dark who don’t even know there is such a thing as a magic lamp.”

"So the guardian of this generation is you."

Bruce and others looked at Constantine.

"That's right, the entrance guardians are all personally selected by Hell Lord Mephistopheles. If he thinks you are suitable, he will come to you himself."

Constantine shrugged.

"But I know now that this Bichi is hiding the real truth. The biggest threat to the so-called 'Tomb of the True Ancestor' is not Cain or Dracula, but the incarnation of the earth's consciousness, Gaia. If The Sealed Land has been invaded a long time ago, and I'm afraid the outcome will be no different from the current situation. Therefore, this [Immortal Crowd] organization has definitely never entered before us."

"..."

But looking at Constantine who looked confident, Bruce didn't think so.

He thought of what the honest male voice said to him.

If you want to safely explore the sealed land of Gaia, you must have the artifacts left by the 'gods' who fought in the ancient times. This is equivalent to a kind of pass. Although it is not known whether it is true or false, at that time, it was Under the circumstances, there was no need for the voice to just make up a lie to deceive him.

These are things Constantine also doesn't know.

"That different space may have a 'pass'."

He was silent for two seconds before speaking.

"what?"

Constantine frowned.

At this time, Bruce's eyes noticed the trident in the hand of King Arthur.

"Poseidon, let me guess, this trident in your hand is left by the legendary Poseidon, the god of the sea?"

This sudden question made Arthur stunned for a moment.

"Why do you suddenly care about my weapons?"

"Yes or no."

Bruce just stared at him.

"...Yes, although I am not very clear about the origin of Neptune's Trident and cannot verify it, it is indeed a treasure passed down from generation to generation by the Atlantis royal family. It is the staff of authority and the symbol of the ruler. , is also a weapon that can control the sea. There is also a general consensus among the Atlantis clan that it should be the artifact in the hands of Poseidon, the god of the sea. You know... At that time, the Amazon clan also had Atlantis. The Tis clan has the closest relationship with the gods. Even if we are said to be descendants of Poseidon, no one will object."

Arthur raised the trident in his hand and made a circle, and the buzzing sound of heavy metal was clearly audible.

"Then we can verify this conjecture."

"Guess, what guess?"

Clark and the others were a little confused and didn't understand what Bruce wanted to say.

"The Gaia seal actually contains 'keys' for secure communication. And these 'keys' are most likely the treasures left behind by the gods. The Poseidon Trident is a famous artifact in legend. I guess it would make sense if it was one of those 'keys'."

"Wait, where did you hear this?"

A look of suspicion appeared on Constantine's face.

"I can't tell for a while now."

Bruce shook his head.

"Are you sure this information is true?"

Clark knew now was not the time to ask unnecessary questions, so he asked immediately.

"confident."

Bruce glanced at him and only used these three concise words.

“…”

Clark's expression showed a thoughtful look.

"Wait, what are you looking at me like?"

Arthur suddenly noticed that Clark's eyes were on his face.

"Oh Shet, you don't want me to go back to that ghost place, NONONO, there are still two big monsters that haven't been born yet, and now it's just a clone that comes out and it can cause an uproar. ..I don’t want to die trying to verify an uncertain piece of information.”

Arthur's face suddenly stretched.

"The Flash is coming with you."

Bruce answered.

"what?"

Barry Allen's eyes suddenly widened.Subconsciously, he waved his hands and stammered.

"I...I don't have any artifacts like a trident or a tetradent. Even if what you said is right, what if a artifact can only be effective for one person? Then I"

"We have other artifacts."

Bruce interrupted.

"Wonder Woman is now seriously injured and unable to move, but in her hand, she has the legendary Vulcan Sword and the Mantra Locket. These are famous artifacts. You can take them with you for the time being and join Neptune. , I need you to find the whereabouts of the magic lamp. Even if you can't find the magic lamp, I hope you can get new clues, any new discoveries and clues that are beneficial to the current situation."

Turning around, Bruce looked at Barry Allen very seriously.

"Uh... ok, I understand."

After being stunned for two seconds, Barry could only make a grimace and nodded in agreement.

Turning around again, Bruce looked at Arthur, who looked hesitant at the moment.

"I know you are worried about Atlantis and your compatriots. But don't forget that the blood of half of us humans is also flowing in you, and at this moment the entire world, the entire human civilization, including Atlantis, is in a state of imminent crisis. On the verge of collapse, we must unite now more than ever and do what needs to be done.”

"Batman, what are you going to do?"

Arthur took a deep breath and asked in a deep voice.

"We don't know at this time whether Amanda Waller and [The Immortals] are related."

Cyborg spoke at this time.

"I just hacked into all the computers of the federal government through the central network in my brain, and checked all official relevant information since the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security, including all of Amanda Waller's personal information. I didn't find anything special. place. But information can be faked and information can be packaged. These are not dead, but things that can be fabricated and manipulated by humans. If we want to verify the truth with our own eyes, I'm afraid we have to meet this 'old friend' and let her Come and have a nice chat with us."

"I'm afraid we don't have much time to chat with Amanda Waller either."

Bruce looked around at the people present.

"My suggestion is that Cyborg and I go find Amanda Waller. Cyborg, by the way, notify Martian Manhunter that we will need his telepathy. Superman and Constantine go to pick up Green Arrow. Let’s go to the prison on the outskirts of Star City to find Vandal Savage, and as soon as we finish here, we’ll come over to fight with you.”

After a pause, he continued.

"The Flash and Aquaman take the artifact and return to that different space to find the whereabouts of the magic lamp, but do not use the time-travel device. I need you to enter through the entrance opened by Constantine and conduct a detailed search. However, everything Safety must come first. Cyborg, you can tell Hawkman to come up and stay in the watchtower. On the one hand, he can monitor the situation in London at all times. On the other hand, he can also look after hyperspace teleportation and Heroine. And we must ensure that everyone can stay in the watchtower. Within the range of signal reception. If something goes wrong, you two, Flash and Aquaman, can allow emergency evacuation, but on this premise... I still hope you can gain something."

In one sentence, Bruce turned his head left and right and spoke to different people.

"Does everyone understand?"

Everyone nodded.

"This operation is to find the truth of the past, the possible flaws or weaknesses of Gaia, and the legendary magic lamp. If this magic lamp is really as magical and incredible as the legend says, then it may It will be our only chance to completely solve Gaia once and for all. Although the hope is slim, we have no better way now. Although the facts are cruel, we have to admit that we humans have always dominated this planet We call ourselves rulers, rulers, guardians, etc., but in the end, we are actually just a weak civilization on this planet. If 'nature' wants to destroy us, we have almost no power to fight back."

Bruce said slowly and in a low voice.

These words also caused the six people present to fall into a moment of silence.

"But nothing is absolute. I admit that humans still have many imperfections, but this should not be the reason for 'him' to be ruthlessly exterminated. As a member of the human race, I cannot watch all this happen. Even if the enemy we face is the planet that gave birth to us, if this war is destined to be a life-or-death battle, I still firmly believe that the final victory will definitely belong to 'us humans'."

After finishing all these words in a calm tone, Bruce looked at Clark, who was standing closest to him.

"If there are no objections or questions to the plan, leader, you can give the order."

The other party was startled for a moment, and then showed a firm smile.

That is also a smile of trust in others.

"Just do what Batman says. Justice League, it's time for us to act."

(End of first volume)

"The Rise of American Comics"