After acquiring technology from Krypton, Atlantis, and the alien knowledge brought back by Green Lantern, Batman finally completed the Brother Eye satellite and the corresponding nanorobots.
As always, Batman was consumed by paranoia. Concerned about potential threats from within the Justice League itself, he uploaded vast amounts of confidential data into the satellite, weaknesses, strategies, and countermeasures for every League member, including himself.
His contingency plans were thorough, disturbingly so.
"Wait a minute… don't tell me he made the Brother Eye system fully sentient?" Shin asked, nearly rolling his eyes.
"Not quite," Diana replied. "Bruce anticipated that risk. He only gave it a weak AI core, no independent self-awareness, and no potential for sentience. In theory, it should have been safe."
"In theory," Shin muttered. "And this world always loves exceptions."
Still, the fact that Batman deliberately avoided creating a fully self-aware artificial intelligence did earn Shin's reluctant approval. At least he was more cautious than someone like Tony Stark, who had trusted Ultron with disastrous consequences.
"So what went wrong?" Shin asked.
Diana's expression darkened. "The system was hijacked by an artificial intelligence called Grid. It accessed the nanobot factory and downloaded all of the Justice League's personal files and weaknesses."
"With that kind of access…" Shin rubbed his chin. "No wonder Superman and the Flash were neutralized so quickly."
Diana nodded. "He used kryptonite against Superman and exploited Barry's civilian identity and connections. As for Bruce… he fell victim to his own trap."
"That's brutal," Shin commented, shaking his head. "Where did this Grid AI even come from?"
Diana gave a helpless shrug. "We're not sure."
It was then that Lex Luthor, typing furiously at a terminal nearby, spoke up.
"Where do you think it came from?" Luthor said dryly. "Cyborg. After the Mother Box corrupted him, he digitized part of his mind and uploaded it to the Internet."
He slammed a fist onto the keyboard. "It stayed dormant for a while until it saw that black-suited maniac setting up the Brother Eye system. Then it took over. It's been wreaking havoc ever since."
Luthor took a deep breath, then pushed back from the console. "Good news is, I've finally finished reconstructing Brainiac. Now we're not completely helpless in cyberspace."
He glared at the screen. "And if someone hadn't borrowed my Kryptonian core, I'd have completed this days ago."
Shin coughed awkwardly, clearly implicated, then looked to Diana for a subject change.
"So… who are the rest of the charming folks here?"
Diana let out a resigned sigh. "You know the Joker. He's in one of his 'helpful' moods. The moment he heard Batman had been captured, he escaped prison to lend a hand."
The Joker, watching the security monitors from a dark corner of the room, cackled.
"How could I miss the chance to gloat over the Bat? It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
Diana continued. "And this is Lex Luthor. I assume you've heard of him. The moment he found out Superman was down, he came running."
Luthor grinned without humor. "I only want to save the world, of course. But once I beat Grid, I'll make sure Superman knows who the superior man really is."
Next, Diana gestured toward another man in a heavy parka and visor. "This is Leonard Snart. You may know him as Captain Cold... Barry's longtime rival."
Shin raised an eyebrow.
"No one else gets to beat the Flash," Captain Cold said with a deadly-serious tone. "If anyone's going to take him down, it's me."
Shin blinked, then gave a half-laugh. "Superhero villains really are their biggest fans."
The Joker and Batman's twisted dynamic was legendary, but even Luthor, who spent his life trying to outmatch Superman, showed genuine concern the moment Clark was in real danger.
Shin vividly recalled a storyline where, after Superman disappeared into deep space, Lois Lane sought out Luthor. The man who claimed to hate Superman the most was the one who found him and brought him back.
In some strange way, Luthor cared more than Batman ever did.
Then there was Captain Cold, not as infamous as Reverse Flash but undeniably the heart of the Rogues. And unlike most villain groups, the Rogues had standards.
Rogues Code:
No harm to women and children.
No killing unless absolutely necessary.
No drugs.
No global domination.
Their only goals? Profit and taking down the Flash.
Shin knew the stories well. Whenever the Flash was presumed dead or sacrificed himself in battle, the Rogues disbanded. All criminal activity ceased. The moment the Flash returned, they reassembled in full force. Frenemies didn't even begin to describe the bond.
Captain Cold hadn't officially formed the Rogues yet, but his devotion to Barry Allen was already clear. The second he heard the Flash was in danger, he'd rushed to help uninvited, unpaid, and fully armed.
Shin shook his head. "This world gets weirder every day."
He looked at the group, which included the Joker, Luthor, and Captain Cold. "Any of you have a working plan to deal with Grid?"
Diana crossed her arms. "Batman's contingency plans only covered Superman and Flash effectively. The others weren't as easy to trap."
Shin nodded. "Superman's got a soft spot for his mother. Flash has his father and fiancée. Classic hostage bait. All you need is a leg injury and some kryptonite, and they're out."
"But Diana? Not so simple."
She gave him a slight smirk. "My family's on Themyscira. Good luck getting past that. And thanks to the Phoenix Fruit and the Legendary Spring of the Drowned Twin, I'm not exactly easy to kill."
[T/N: As mentioned in Chapter 333, Shin still had to give the Phoenix Fruit back to Marco in One Piece World.]
Indeed, Diana had become one of the most formidable members of the League. Her physical prowess, mystical resistance, and leadership put her in a category few could match.
The stakes were high. Grid had technology, intelligence, and all of Batman's paranoia at its disposal. But now, the Justice League had something just as unpredictable its enemies, rivals, and a few wild cards, all working together.
A fight was coming. And it wasn't going to be clean.
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