"Your Majesty, the Holy Lord, I believe I am very suitable for this mission."
Just as Bai Qi was thinking about who to bring, a voice sounded, and then a burly figure slowly walked into the hall.
Bai Qi looked in the direction of the voice. The person who came was none other than Black Tiger Afu.
In the beginning, Afu was indeed one of the few capable generals under Bai Qi's command. He had also received many rewards from Bai Qi. However, as Bai Qi's strength grew and more capable individuals emerged among his subordinates, Afu's strength gradually became insufficient.
Afu saw all this, but he was not discouraged by Bai Qi's neglect. Instead, he went into seclusion to cultivate, constantly strengthening his body through medicinal baths and integrating with the power of Long Ya.
Now that Afu had emerged from seclusion, his strength had undergone a qualitative leap, and he could easily control and use the power of Long Ya proficiently.
Upon hearing from San Sha that Bai Qi was about to open the next Hell Gate, Afu came out to volunteer.
Bai Qi looked at Afu and asked, "Afu, do you know the difficulty of this mission? A single misstep could lead to eternal damnation. If combat occurs, I may not be able to attend to you."
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I am no longer the same as I was before."
As he spoke, Afu's body transformed, turning into the异类骑士龙牙 (Yi Lei Qi Shi Long Ya) in an instant. Then, a fierce-looking black dragon also emerged from the reflective floor of the hall, coiling around Afu.
"Not bad, not bad."
Seeing Afu's transformation, Bai Qi clapped his hands lightly and said, "Afu, your transformation truly surprises me and shows me your potential. You will accompany me on this mission, and you shall be in charge of the Pan Ku Treasure Chest."
As Bai Qi said this, a glint flashed in Afu's eyes. After thanking him repeatedly, he bowed and picked up the Pan Ku Treasure Chest from the ground.
With Afu confirmed to be in charge of the Pan Ku Treasure Chest, the remaining manpower was easy to arrange. More than a dozen异魔 (Yi Mo) were dispatched from the warships in outer space.
To Bai Qi, the sea creatures of Zerubel posed no threat. Even in underwater combat, as long as Bai Qi wished, he could easily annihilate their entire kingdom. The dispatch of Yi Mo was mainly to protect Afu, who held the Pan Ku Treasure Chest.
Just as Bai Qi was planning to release Basha, on the other side, Batman, with Damian by his side, was flying the Batwing towards Superman's Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic.
As one of the few who knew Batman's true identity, Superman trusted him implicitly and considered this hero without superpowers to be the only one who could stop him if he lost control.
Not only did he confide in him completely, but he also gave Batman the last piece of native Kryptonite on Earth, so that he could use it to stop him if he lost control.
However, what Superman didn't know was that Batman had a large stash of Kryptonite. He had Kryptonite smoke bombs, Kryptonite spears, Kryptonite bullets, Kryptonite batarangs, and even Kryptonite earrings, rings, and typewriters.
But these were not the main points. Superman also gave Batman a backup key to the Fortress of Solitude and registered his information in the Fortress's database, giving him the authority to enter and exit.
As it turned out, Superman's actions were very wise.
Now that Superman was severely injured and unconscious, it was difficult for him to return to the Fortress of Solitude to heal, let alone travel to the Arctic.
But with Batman's help, the situation was vastly different, especially with Batman having the authority to enter and exit the Fortress of Solitude at will.
However, compared to Batman, Damian, who was sitting in the back, was clearly more excited.
It was an unbelievable feat, the Fortress of Solitude! Not to mention that it housed the highest technology of the entire Kryptonian civilization, just the fact that it was Superman's secret base would attract ninety-nine percent of people on Earth. If it were open to the public, it would definitely be a top-notch tourist destination.
Now, not only could he see it from the outside, but he could also enter and tour the interior. How could Damian not be excited?
As the main door opened, the AI guard saw the key in Batman's hand and chose to let them pass. Damian, with Batman as his guarantor, also entered the Fortress of Solitude without any obstruction.
Here, Damian saw many strange and peculiar creatures. These creatures were all from Krypton. With Krypton's destruction, they had followed Superman to Earth, making them the last remnants of Krypton.
To take good care of these Kryptonian creatures, Superman had built them individual rooms, replicating their former living environments one-to-one.
In his free time, Superman would also come here to play with them.
Although Damian was excited, he had not forgotten the main purpose. He followed behind Batman, and Batman followed behind the intelligent butler, who was responsible for managing and guarding the Fortress of Solitude in Superman's absence. The AI he was equipped with was very advanced.
Seeing the unconscious and extremely weak Superman, the intelligent butler showed signs of sadness. However, he did not blame Batman, as he understood that with Superman's strength, the person who could injure him so severely would have been no match for Batman without adequate preparation.
Carrying Superman, the three soon arrived at the treatment room.
At the door, the intelligent butler turned to Batman and said, "I will now proceed with Superman's treatment. You two can wander around the Fortress of Solitude at your leisure."
The implication was clear: he did not want Batman and Damian to enter the treatment room, nor did he want them to see how he treated Superman. Or rather, it was a form of protection for Batman.
Batman didn't mind this, as long as he knew that the butler was acting in Superman's best interest.
Inside the treatment room, the intelligent butler placed the unconscious Superman into a cocoon-like restoration pod. Then, he walked to the control panel beside him and began to operate it.
Under the butler's operation, four flexible mechanical arms began to change Superman's clothes, removing his original battle suit and replacing it with a pure white solar suit.
Then, the restoration pod's hatch closed, the platform below began to rise, and the restoration pod became transparent. Superman, lying inside, appeared to be floating in mid-air.
At the same time, the walls, floor, and ceiling became increasingly bright. As the restoration pod reached the center of the room, the light reached its peak, and the temperature in the room rose to a terrifying level.
For a living person in this environment, temporary blindness would be the least of their worries. They would likely be burned to ashes by the high temperature within seconds.
Of course, this was only for ordinary people, but for Superman, it was a completely different matter.
After completing all this, the intelligent butler set the room's program to cycle and then walked out of the room.