The mystery that should have been shrouded in secrecy was instantly shattered by the old man's laughter.
As soon as the old man finished speaking, with a loud bang, the light vanished, the chandelier stopped swaying, and the round table fell to the ground. Everything returned to calm.
Madam Adjudicator, her eyes blazing with fury, opened them and scolded, "Foolish man! You've ruined the magic! Your wife will never return!"
Looking at Madam Adjudicator, who was putting on a show, the old man sneered, "Is that my wife? Haha, my impatient wife would have spanked me. I've wasted my time on you."
Madam Adjudicator, even more enraged, stood up directly.
"No refunds for non-believers!"
To this, the old man calmly replied, "We both know that the non-believer is you, Madam."
"A hairdryer?"
"A jack hidden under the table? How pathetic. Your demeanor is perfect for a medium. Nothing would make me happier than reuniting with my wife."
As soon as the old man finished speaking, a hand suddenly reached out from behind, grabbed his clothes, and lifted him up.
It was a burly, dark-skinned man with a braid, wearing black trousers and a white shirt.
"You'll be with her very soon."
With that, a flash of white light illuminated the room, and the large man and the old man vanished instantly.
Madam Adjudicator, who had been watching this series of events, was dumbfounded. She had merely been using some technological means to swindle people out of a living. What was happening before her eyes clearly went beyond her comprehension.
That evening, in a certain theater.
The old man and the burly man, who had been kidnapped two weeks prior, were now performing on stage. The burly man was named Aber Kadyba, who claimed to be a time traveler from the future and a charlatan wizard using advanced technology. However, the old man, who was now bound and occasionally subjected to electric shocks by Aber, was a genuine wizard.
The old man's name was Kent Nelson. If this name doesn't ring a bell, then his other identity will surely enlighten you.
At the venerable age of one hundred and six, Kent Nelson was also known as the renowned Doctor Fate, a vital member of the Justice League. However, due to his advanced age, Kent's body could no longer sustain him in battle. He was now tasked with guarding the Helmet of Nabu to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.
Unfortunately, without the Helmet of Nabu, Kent was merely an elderly wizard, no match for the young and strong Aber, who was equipped with futuristic technology.
Indeed, Aber had kidnapped and tortured him to force him to open the tower where the Helmet of Nabu was stored.
Abern stood beside Kent and said indifferently, "Let us into the tower, and I promise I won't torture you anymore. If you still refuse..."
Abern lightly tapped Kent with his wand, and a jolt of electricity coursed through Kent's body.
"Ah!"
Aber's repeated electric shocks tormented Kent both mentally and physically. But Kent was a tough old bird. After so many days, he had refused to yield. Coupled with his advanced age, Aber was afraid of accidentally killing him, which would incur the wrath of his superior.
The superior Aber mentioned was none other than the Wonder Child.
As the embodiment of chaos, the Wonder Child had no actual subordinates. Aber had originally been one of Wandal's men, but since Wandal could not participate in this operation, he had sent Aber to assist the Wonder Child.
However, the Wonder Child was currently in the front row of the audience, watching the performance with great interest, occasionally cheering and shouting for more, completely deriving his pleasure from Kent's suffering.
He didn't even react when his beloved cat, Tick, jumped onto his lap.
"Shh, Tick, I'm enjoying the show."
The Wonder Child said this while stroking Tick's back, his eyes fixed on the two on stage, afraid of missing even a single moment of excitement.
"Wonder Child, your taste in entertainment is rather peculiar."
Just as the Wonder Child was engrossed in the performance, a familiar voice reached his ears.
Following the direction of the voice, the speaker was none other than Bai Qi.
Far from being angered by Bai Qi's teasing, the Wonder Child enthusiastically invited Bai Qi to sit down and watch the performance with him.
"Ah, Holy Lord, you're here. Come quickly and sit down. The performance is about to reach its most exciting part."
Bai Qi, of course, did not sit down to watch the show. He glanced at Kent, who was bound on stage, and said, "The Teen Titans are here. Judging by their demeanor, they intend to enter the tower. So, can you two speed things up?"
Bai Qi's words, though seemingly urging the two to hurry up and interrogate Kent instead of fooling around, were actually meant for the bound Kent to hear.
Without the enhancement of the Helmet of Nabu and with his staff nowhere in sight, Kent was like a small piece of trash in the eyes of the three. Escape was impossible, and the Justice League had no idea of his whereabouts.
The Teen Titans' visit was his chance to escape, his only chance. If the Helmet of Nabu were taken by the Teen Titans and entrusted to the Justice League, Kent would lose his value. The Wonder Child and Aber, unable to obtain the helmet, would undoubtedly fly into a rage. A devalued Kent would be their perfect scapegoat, and death would await him.
Kent, having lived for over a century, undoubtedly understood this principle.
The Wonder Child gave Holy Lord a sly grin and said to Aber on stage, "Take him with us. We must get into the tower before those brats do."
Although Aber didn't know what game Holy Lord and the Wonder Child were playing, since they had spoken, he, as a minor figure, would simply follow their orders.
Soon, with Aber's technology, the four of them and a cat appeared on a patch of grass in a park. Not far from them were the members of the Teen Titans, but the Titans clearly hadn't noticed the three of them, nor the bound Kent.
The Wonder Child looked at Aber with a playful expression and said, "Hey, Aber Kadyba, did you use adaptive micro-optical and phase-shifting technology?"
Although it was a question, the Wonder Child's tone was very certain.
As a magician, Aber disliked having his tricks exposed. He was no different, but he dared not act due to his own limited power.
The four did not rush to attack. They quietly watched the Titans.
The Teen Titans had already obtained the key to enter the tower from Red Tornado.
Under the watchful eyes of the group, Kaldur took out an ancient golden key inscribed with the words "The Test of New Year."
"Stand behind me."
With that, Kaldur walked forward alone for a short distance, closed his eyes, and inserted the key forward. The front half of the key disappeared into thin air, as if inserted into the void.
The next moment, an ancient tower appeared before everyone. The sight of the towering ancient structure left everyone dumbfounded.