Let me show you a new way Chapter 068

[WARNING: This chapter contains a large amount of original and pre-reboot settings. Comic fans, please do not overthink it. Also, though the English is the same, to differentiate, the Crime Syndicate’s is called Grid, and Cyborg’s body part is called Net.]

Darkness descended upon the world!

The moon, as if pushed by something, gradually deviated from its original orbit, obscuring the sun and plunging the entire nation into darkness.

That was Ultraman, because the Kryptonite energy within his body would be harmed by sunlight, causing him to lose his superpowers. So, he forcefully created a solar eclipse.

Due to the moon’s orbital shift, countless disasters immediately appeared on Earth: gravitational changes, abnormal tides, frequent earthquakes, and more. In this moment, countless lives were lost.

And that wasn’t all. The Earth was as if hit by a global EMP bomb; all networked machines malfunctioned.

And on people’s cell phones, computers, televisions—almost everything with a screen—a line of text appeared simultaneously.

[This world belongs to us!]

In another part of Metropolis.

Cyborg let out a painful scream.

All the mechanical parts of his body were screaming, struggling, resisting, desperately trying to escape his body.

Cyborg was originally human. During Darkseid’s first invasion, he was severely injured and unintentionally connected with a Mother Box. With the help of his scientist father, he rebuilt his body into a mechanical one.

But now, he could feel his body losing control. A special will awakened within his mechanical shell. That will was resisting Cyborg, or rather, resisting Victor Stone.

His mechanical body instantly turned into a fluid, detaching itself from his body. Victor Stone’s human body fell weakly to the ground. He was missing half his face, both legs, one arm, and most of his internal organs. His life was in grave danger.

The mechanical shell in the distance was in a special unstable state, trembling in the air, then slowly coalescing into a human-like form, but its entire body was metallic, emanating a terrifying aura.

It looked at this world. Although it had seen it more than once through Cyborg’s eyes, it still tried its best to observe this world.

Then, it spoke its first words after its new birth.

[Net, online!]

The robot soared into the sky and disappeared from the city. It was going to find its allies, to find its brothers.

It was going to find…

[The Crime Syndicate!]

Above the ruins of Old Metropolis, a huge satellite descended from the sky, crashing heavily onto the site of the former Hall of Justice. This was a Wayne Enterprises satellite, originally the Justice League’s headquarters, the Watchtower in space.

Then, a group of people walked out of the satellite.

Leading them was Ultraman. Beside him were [Owlman], a man dressed in an owl-like costume, whose real name was Thomas Wayne Jr., possessing extreme intelligence and ruthless methods.

[Superwoman], the Amazonian Queen, with a cold heart, cruel methods, and powerful strength. At her waist was a golden Lasso of Thorns, which could make anyone caught in it submit.

[Deathstorm], a deranged scientist who merged with a corpse, becoming a half-living, half-dead entity with the ability to restructure atomic arrangements.

[Johnny Quick], a cruel speedster. In his world, he was a clumsy scientist who accidentally invented a speed serum. This serum gave him unimaginable speed but also brought powerful addiction. He had to keep injecting it, or he would suffer a mental breakdown from withdrawal symptoms.①

[Power Ring], a cowardly and incompetent waste. He was originally a janitor at a military industrial company. He was caught while prying into military secrets and, while being beaten, received a Power Ring from space. The Power Ring feeds on the pain and fear of life, so it found that ambitious yet cowardly and incompetent waste, and controlled him.

And last but not least, the Apokoliptian robot that had taken control of the entire Earth’s network, [Grid]②.

It was an accident. An Apokoliptian Mother Box that fell from the sky was activated under the research of an evil scientist. The scientist tried to use this power to join the Crime Syndicate, to become one of the most powerful people in that world, to slaughter and conquer at will.

But when the Mother Box activated, it plundered surrounding machinery to forge a body for itself, then unhesitatingly killed its creator.

“How much longer until your friend arrives, Grid!” Ultraman asked impatiently.

“Soon, Ultraman, soon!” The tall Grid immediately replied beside him. Its body was covered in special stripes of Apokoliptian technology, and a Mother Box was embedded in its chest.

“Soon?” Johnny Quick, wearing a red bodysuit with lightning stripes, raised his head curiously. “I thought you’d state the time and specify the number down to the millisecond!”

“I am acquiring emotions and attempting another thought algorithm, a chaotic thought algorithm simulating humans,” Grid replied. “And most importantly, he is indeed arriving soon, like now!”

Clang—

A heavy mechanical vibration sound. Another robot descended from the sky and appeared before everyone.

It was Net. After the Crime Syndicate entered this world, Grid used the Mother Box’s network connection to invade Cyborg’s body, injecting a powerful thought virus into him. This virus also contributed to Net’s birth.

[Are you my brother?] Net looked at the somewhat similar mechanical figure before it, a cold voice emanating from its mouth’s loudspeaker.

Ever since its emergence, Net had been desperately wanting to gain freedom. It was another part of Victor Stone, another mechanical personality.

When Victor was angry, Net was mechanically processing data. When Victor was despairing, Net was mechanically processing data. When Victor experienced joy, excitement, fear, pity—these emotions appeared one by one in his brain and data processor—Net finally developed curiosity.

It wanted to understand emotions; it wanted to obtain emotions.

So, when Grid’s virus was injected into Cyborg’s body, it knew it had found an excellent opportunity, a perfect chance to break free from its useless shell, an opportunity to find emotions that belonged only to itself.

So, it unhesitatingly detached itself from Victor Stone to find the brother who would save it.

Grid looked at the robot, barely two minutes old, before it. A mechanical smile curved at its mouth.

“Brother? No, no, no, you were never my brother.”

Grid’s smile at this moment appeared so eerie, so dangerous. Then, Grid unhesitatingly pierced Net’s abdomen with a mechanical arm, then turned the mechanical arm into a fluid, seeping into Net’s body, slowly devouring it and integrating it into its own body.

“You will only be a part of me!”

The following is a humorous Aquaman.