American comics: What kind of evil intentions could Batman have?

Chapter 657 Today, I'm determined to be this dog!

Chapter 657 Today, I'm determined to be this dog!

Strictly speaking, describing it as a dog is still too exaggerated.

As far as Chen Tao's proposed solution is concerned, Parallax Mohal is at best an avatar that is controlled by Chen Tao downstream in the hypertime flow.

Was he completely subjugated by Barbatos like the Anti-Monitor Dragon? No.

He simply voluntarily channeled his power through a weapon.

If Batman Dragon could offer him not a crowbar, but a puppet made of metal, or a powerful physical body like Barbatos offered the mortal Möbius to the Anti-Monitor, then Hal should have been able to act on his own.

However, due to the fact that the weapon cannot fire automatically, he now needs the Batman Dragon as its wielder.

Batman: The Dragon is like a ride-hailing service on Didi Chuxing. This request sounds a bit insulting, but in fact... it seems acceptable.

Parallax Morhal is still in a standoff with Barbatos and the others, but the standoff seems to have lost its meaning.

Although the portal with the protruding chain is still there, everyone knows that Hal no longer has the chance to go through it, so Batman's suggestion does seem to be Hal's only option at the moment.

If we can't actually go downstream in our physical bodies, then it seems like it's not such a bad idea to settle for second best, like the Anti-Monitor Dragon.

but……

"You've thought about this before, haven't you?" Hal said quietly.

Chen Tao was just about to brush off that statement when he suddenly had another jolt.

He didn't answer immediately, but carefully considered Hal's thoughts, and then changed the subject:

"At least I never tripped you up or tried my best to pull you up. This was just a backup plan when all else failed."

This is a fact; Chen Tao is using facts to show Hal that he has no intention of rebelling. This is already a show of weakness, but Hal is being aggressive.

"No, no, no, why be so modest? My... friend. I didn't mean to blame you," Parallax Morhal said.

"Look, you did a pretty good job. You urgently found a blacksmith, reconstructed the metal in a short time, and then put it to use immediately..."

Parallax Mohal said, "Your plan is excellent."

Chen Tao knew that whatever he said now would be wrong. Hal praised him, but in reality, he was attacking him for deliberately scheming against him and had long wanted him to leave the Time Stream.

This is a very serious accusation. Hal is accusing him of infidelity and questioning whether their relationship was never truly stable from the beginning.

Chen Tao knew he now had two options.

One approach is to find a way to simply gloss over the situation; he has the means to do so.

He didn't start figuring out how to make the crowbar that early on. The real reason was that his original plan wasn't to have the Time Trapped help him forge an ugly stick, but to have the Laughing Bat help him make a sword.

Therefore, there must have been a time gap between when he obtained the power of the fifth dimension and when he successfully slept with the Laughing Bat, who was unfortunately suppressed and imprisoned by Barbatos.

Although he ultimately did not choose to cooperate with the Bat of Laughter because he realized the danger of him, and instead had the Trapped One take his place, the time difference still existed. Chen Tao could use this to argue that he did not have a plan in advance, but rather it was a spur-of-the-moment idea.

If you insist on explaining it, it makes sense; logically speaking, it's barely plausible.

But the problem is...

Chen Tao lowered his eyes.

Once suspicion arises, no amount of evidence will help.

When Parallax Morhal doubted whether Chen Tao was truly sincere in dragging him into the downstream of the Hypertime Stream, this had transformed from a question of ability into a question of attitude, and further, a question of loyalty.

What Chen Tao should be doing is not proving his ability, but proving his attitude. Doubt has arisen, and the right thing to do is...

"Enough, Hal. If I could, I, like Barbatos and the others, wouldn't want you, the Demon Lord, to come down from the Time Stream."

Chen Tao said, "Your attitude towards everything is too radical. The new world I want to create is completely different from the one you want to create."

Parallax Demon Hal laughed: "You've never agreed with my opinion."

Although he was smiling, a fierce glint was already flashing in his eyes.

"I agree, but we still have differences. I'm afraid I have to admit that."

Chen Tao said.

He then changed the subject: "So for me, the best scenario is that you entrust your power to me, and I will reshape the world in a less radical and more gentle way to make it a better place."

First, Chen Tao must provide an explanation that Hal can believe. Hal will immediately turn against anyone who conflicts with Hal on the premise of reshaping the perfect world, even if it's the main universe's Superman from the "Zero Hour" era.

But aside from that, Parallax Morhal's attitude toward the definition of "what kind of world is perfect" is surprisingly very gentle. When Barbara, the Batgirl from the Zero Hour era, agreed to reshape the universe, he was very willing to listen to her definition of "perfect world".

Simply put, Hal's attitude is: "As long as you agree to my reshaping of the perfect world, we can discuss what exactly constitutes 'perfect.' Even if you say you want to preserve the history of your entire family's death, as long as you consider it 'perfect,' I will accept it even if I don't understand it. But you cannot refuse to reshape the world, then we are enemies."

Chen Tao's attitude here is more aggressive; he shows a willingness to compete with Hal for the right to define "perfection".

"I don't want your opinion on what's perfect, I want my opinion." He couldn't soften his stance, he couldn't appear ambiguous. He had to seize this right to define, otherwise he would seem too unassailable and make people doubt his true intentions.

Once this aggressive struggle for the right to define is revealed, it gives Hal a misconception to some extent:

At least on the issue of whether to reboot the world, he and Batman Dragon reached an agreement.

Parallax Morhal's voice softened: "But even if I entrust my power to you, it still can't compare to me doing it myself. You still can't reshape the entire universe against Barbatos and the superheroes of the main universe."

"That's why I tried to help you get down," Chen Tao said. "When have I ever done anything to harm you? I did everything you asked me to help you get down from the time-travel loop, didn't I?"

Hal nodded slightly.

He had to admit that.

You see, it's the same claim that he helped Hal, but this time Hal's attitude is completely different from before.

"If I could, I would have taken you off the hyper-time stream, and then we could have discussed the specific modification plan. But you failed, Hal. You couldn't get off the hyper-time stream. Your plan has fallen apart."

Chen Tao pointed at Parallax Mohal and accused him, "At this point, you have no right to accuse me of activating Plan B, much less accuse me of scheming against you and trying to use your power. You broke your promise first. You told me that you could come down from the timeline and then reshape the entire imperfect world."

Chen Tao paused, then countered with a question to Hal: "Since I've already prepared a Plan B beforehand, and you've already failed, why can't I activate it?"

"Now that you're finished, Barbatos and Brainiac will surely retaliate against me. I need your strength to protect myself, so what's the problem?"

"Since you can neither come down from the hyper-time stream to help me, nor lend me your power from upstream in the hyper-time stream, what contribution have you, as an ally, made to the cause of reshaping the world?"

Chen Bat's three questions to Parallax Demon slightly disrupted Hal's rhythm.

Hal was already somewhat delirious from the questioning. He thought for a moment and realized that Batman's words made some sense, followed by a sudden feeling of guilt towards his ally.

"You're right," he said.

Yes, his apparent failure has indeed put some pressure on Batman.

He really wanted to tell Batman at that moment that he still had a plan to get out of the time loop, but fortunately he was still rational and didn't do something so stupid.

After calming down, he realized that Batman was probably right about most of what he said, but even so, it would be too foolish for him to reveal his trump card.

He carefully considered his words and continued, "Your suggestion is reasonable, and I agree. So, after receiving my help, what are your specific plans?"

"With your power, if we join forces, we can tow away Reverse-Flash's universe like a truck."

Chen Tao said, "You pull from the front, and I push from behind, using the hook of a crowbar to hook this universe, and then push it to glue it to the fortress I built. You must know about the fortress I constructed in the Dark Multiverse, right? I am the vanguard in the fight against Barbatos."

"Yes, yes, this plan is conservative, and it can save a universe." Hal nodded, but then he couldn't help but add, "But what if the entire universe is rebooted..."

"Yes, but we are superheroes, and we always have to do what superheroes are supposed to do." Chen Tao interrupted him: "I know that what we are doing now after the universe reboot is meaningless, but at least for now, we have stopped Barbatos and Brainiac from becoming more powerful."

He stared at Parallax Morhal: "Do you really think that Barbatos and Brainiac went to such lengths to get Reverse-Flash's universe just to eat it up for fun?"

They've destroyed countless universes, yet they show particular favor to Reverse-Flash's universe. Don't you think there must be some unknown force at play driving this?

Parallax Morhal originally intended to express the view that there was no need to save a universe that was supposed to be erased, but Batman's words made him think.

"And we are superheroes, I've said it before, and superheroes would never stand idly by and watch a universe crumble before their eyes."

Chen Tao said, "Reshaping the entire universe is a heroic act, aimed at saving billions of beings trapped by their tragic fate. Saving this universe, which was destined to disappear, and allowing it to exist temporarily, is also a heroic act; the two are not contradictory."

In fact, what Chen Tao said was a sophistry. If he saves this universe now, can that offset the sin of HAL melting this universe during the future reshaping of the universe? Of course not, but HAL is susceptible to this kind of argument.

Even though I, Parallax Malfurion, kill superheroes like chickens, and I'm a villainous monster who's going to destroy the entire universe, I, Malfurion, am still a superhero.

Chen Tao flattered him, and even though Hal knew it, he still felt that what Chen Tao said made sense.

At this point, his thinking had been further clouded by Chen Tao's barrage of nonsensical logic.

He wasn't supposed to be so easily dealt with, but Chen Tao had repeatedly assumed that he had already failed, and by belittling him, he made him seem somewhat insecure. So, in a daze, he somehow found Batman's words to be quite reasonable.

However, these were all minor details for Hal; he was only temporarily misled. Chen Tao knew that Hal might still have objections after careful consideration, but his goal had already been achieved.

Hal's suspicions about him have now been completely dispelled by Hal's preemptive confession and the diversion of blame, if his prediction is correct...

"Okay, I agree to your request."

Parallax Mohal said, "I'll continue to feign a furious attack on the Anti-Monitor Dragon and Brainiac in a moment to buy you time."

He said, "Take this opportunity to use the power I've transferred to you to catch Barbatos off guard and forcibly drag that universe away. I'll keep our common enemy occupied while they react, giving you a chance."

After calming down for a while, Parallax Morhal regained some of his intelligence. He took the lead in the entire plan and successfully set a trap for Batman.

He still has the trump card of being trapped, and he may have tried to break through the time-lapse again.

But the prerequisite is that he needs Batman's help.

"Are you sure you've thought this through? Don't you think you're just being my dog?" Chen Tao said.

He once again displayed some aggression at opportune moments. However, this aggression was harmless and could not harm Hal's core demands. On the contrary, it made Hal feel more at ease with him.

Taking advantage of others' words is an aggressive move; he creates a situation where Hal has to appease him, and through this proactive appeasement by Hal, Hal becomes even more convinced of his words.

"It's alright." In the zero-timeline, Hal waved his hand and blurted out, "I'm going to be this dog!"

Not far away, the Emperor Joker, hiding in the shadows, had been observing the situation:

(End of this chapter)