บท 2498: Chapter 1737 S: Apocalypse Major Event (Part Four) _1
Gotham is free — in the physical sense, in a practically effective way, so much so that no one can argue or refute it.
But as you can imagine, the disappearance of a major city on the East Coast of the United States would undoubtedly lead to enormous chaos.
If it were any other city, the chaos would primarily occur within the city itself. Although people on the outside may be busy and concerned, their efforts would be of no use. But this is Gotham, and Gothamites are in no hurry at all.
Many Gotham citizens, who did not participate in the voting, were somewhat surprised by the prospect of their city rising to the same height as the sun. But after their initial shock, the first thing they did was open Google Maps, mocking the tardiness of updates to their city's status.
Compared with the tragedies that play out in their dark city, a city flying up into the sky is not at all unacceptable. Even if they were to fall and crash to their death the next second, at least they could enjoy a moment of amusement, imagining the shock of others.
It's not that living on the ground would lead to less chaos, but at least now a bunch of people would have to join them and suffer through the impending commotion together. It's enough to make Gothamites laugh even in their dreams tonight.
So, the biggest victims of Gotham taking flight are not the Gothamites, and not even the Federal Government. God knows how long those politicians have been contemplating causing the city, which is responsible for elevating the nation's crime rate, to disappear.
Gothamites can boast the coolest city in the world, the federal government no longer has to worry about a rising crime rate in the United States, and Gotham's neighbors no longer have to fear lunatics rushing out of the city or environmental pollution from Gotham's bizarre climate. It's really a win-win for all.
Put it this way, Gotham gaining physical independence would seem like a good thing, but the biggest victims are really the Court of Owls.
And to delve into the Court of Owls, one must mention the infamous "Metal" event in DC Comics, its origins, and how the Bat-Knights from the Dark Multiverse arrived in the Prime Universe.
The mastermind behind all this is the Court of Owls, or rather, a group of Barbatos Cultists who manipulated the Court of Owls, known as the Judas Cultists.
DC Comics dedicated a lot of content to set the stage for the "Metal" event, the background is quite complex, but anyway, Batman in the Prime Universe was able to discover the existence of metal for various reasons, and then began to investigate. But in fact, it was all a conspiracy of the Court of Owls, to lure Batman to the Court of Owls' base, use his blood to open the door to the Dark Multiverse, and carry out Barbatos' plan to invade the Metaverse.
In another comic, Batman was also lured into the Owls' base and trapped in a massive maze, unable to escape.
The point of this story is, the Court of Owls spent a great deal of time creating a huge maze underground in Gotham, one that could even confuse Batman. This shows the enormity of the project and the grandeur of the construction.
Of course, to make even Batman fall prey, the maze must be well-hidden. And the best way to maximize the concealment of an underground maze is to build it as deep as possible.
As the maze was not only dug out with physical strength but also involved arcane factors, the Court of Owls' base was built deep underground and was extremely solid. After many generations of resource investment, this maze is virtually indestructible and unbreakable.
As a result, when Gotham took off, the city didn't take the maze with it because it was too deep and too heavy. The insane launch array, designed by the inhabitants, could simply not pull it along.
But Gotham did take the roof of the maze.
In the literal sense, Gotham took off and swept away the skull of the Owl's carefully constructed maze. The ceiling and everything above it soared into the sky with Gotham, leaving behind the countless trenches and gullies below.
This has led to an awkward situation for the Court of Owls: while the majority of the Court of Owls' members, who are the old nobility of Gotham, were active in the city when Gotham took off, the Owl Parliament, which is the Judas Cultists and some Owl Ritualists, were all left in the underground labyrinth.
When news of Gotham's disappearance spread around the world, the Federal Government and the Federal Bureau of Investigation may well have celebrated privately, but they still had to keep up appearances.
Facing the huge event of a city suddenly disappearing, of course, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Guard, Navy, Army, and Air Force were all mobilized. It didn't take long before they had secured the original land of Gotham.
If at this moment, an open-air underground maze suddenly appeared where there should be nothing, and inside there was a group of sly and sneaky individuals who look like they're up to no good — so absorbed in their astonishment that they would not move, who else could the federal government blame?
After all, they are just trying to appease the public and alleviate panicked public opinion. Since the people underground look so much like a cult, then even if they're not, they might as well be. Surely, they must be the ones who made the city disappear. Arresting them would certainly stifle the media's questioning.
Due to the Owls' complete shock at the sudden disappearance of the huge city above them, their response to the federal government's arrest was too slow. Furthermore, the federal government had sent a sufficient number of armed forces. The handful of Talons left underground couldn't make any waves.
After a struggle, they managed to apprehend dozens of people alive. The others had either died or run away.
After all, the phrase "open-air underground maze" sounds preposterous. To figure out the situation in Gotham now, they wouldn't even need a plane. Standing on the intact ground by the entrance to Gotham City, they could see the entire structure of the maze clearly. It was like one of those transparent rulers with a maze and metal ball inside, even a fool could navigate through it using exhaustive methods.
When Batman arrives, he would see the completely transparent maze and scoff, "This is your test of genius?"
So, the more competent Judas cultists, realizing the situation was hopeless, could only run and hide to prevent being arrested by the federal government and ending up in the hands of that foolish woman, Amanda.
But the members of the Court of Owls left in the city weren't much more fortunate either.
Of course, they recognized that the Dark Power that sent Gotham into the sky and now kept it functioning came from the metal they had hidden for generations. But there's a problem, the wires and electricity had all gone upwards, but the main control room and batteries remained on the ground. What if the power ran out?
Gotham's madmen had impulsively, with their ingenious minds and audacity, lifted a gigantic city into the sky. They wouldn't consider how long the energy source could last or what would happen if there was no more energy and it fell. Or perhaps, they didn't care about whether it fell, dying in such a manner would be rather cool, wouldn't it?
But members of the Court of Owls are different from them. As mentioned earlier, most members of the Court of Owls in Gotham are either wealthy or influential. Some are highly successful businesspeople, others are well-known figures who have been cultivating in Gotham for many years. Their wealth, power, families, and their own lives are all in this city.
If Gotham were to plummet to the ground, everything they possess, along with their lives, would be reduced to ashes. They'd certainly be scared.
Those with nothing to lose do not fear death, choosing to find pleasure in the cracks of life and death. But the more one possesses, the more apprehensive they become. Even if the plan of the Dark God fails now, wouldn't the immortality and power promised to them by the Judas cultists be gone?
Other than the Judas cultists, the majority of the Owls have no real devotion to the Dark God. The Court of Owls came into existence because Barbatos's cultists promised these elite individuals many benefits. What could be more tempting than ruling a city and keeping their families forever in high status?
But they are also very clear that to spend money, one must remain alive. If Gotham were to fall now, everything they've built in the city would be shattered, all their existing descendants would die, their family would disappear forever. They are even more unwilling to see Gotham fall than those madmen.
So, an absurd but extremely reasonable situation occurred — the members of the Court of Owls approached these madmen, demanding immediate maintenance of the facilities that kept the city aloft, while simultaneously searching for more energy to ensure Gotham would not fall.
Their fears were not unfounded. Although the madmen of Gotham are all evil geniuses, both time and numbers can't compare to all the genius scientists of Earth in the Marvel Universe. The way they got Gotham afloat is not so sophisticated, simply dismissing it as brute force.
Succinctly put, the principle is similar to the one Red Hood's small device operated on, manufacturing a core pulse machine using a fraction of energy from Wizard Felix, and then using the pulse to constantly stimulate the Dark Power within Gotham's metal.
This method is not useless, but the efficiency of utilizing the Dark energy inside the metal is greatly lacking. It is like a toy remote-controlled car that needs an entire industrial battery to operate, with over 80% of the energy being wasted during the stimulation process.
Upon seeing this, the Court of Owls realized that if such waste continued, Gotham plummeting was inevitable. Even if it escaped the earth's gravity, once the protective shield disappeared, the cosmic environment would be enough to kill them all.
Their initial plan was to attempt contact with the surface to provide enough energy to keep Gotham afloat, ensuring a smooth landing, but it was clear that the Owl Ritualists in the underground maze's main control room had all either died, been injured or fled. There was no one to respond to their demands.
Thus, the remaining members of the Court of Owls had to start working overtime to study how to maximize the use of this Dark energy, hoping to ensure that Gotham could land safely before the energy ran out.
In the end, burnt out from sleepless nights and exhaustion, the members of the Court of Owls in their offices did not receive a savior, but instead, a figure with green hair, a pale face, and a wide, blood-chilling smile.
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