I, the anti-superman, have hacked into the chat group.

"Damn it! This half-snake monster looks like Doomsday. Fighting her is completely unwise. Without the ability to instantly kill Doomsday, we'll definitely be worn down by her unreasonable evolutionary abilities." The Drowned One, who had been knocked away, was now considering a strategic retreat.

"I still have a few trump cards I haven't used, but the cost is high. Why should I fight her to the death? Doomsday is something that 'Superman' should handle."

The Drowned One turned and retreated, heading directly towards Karl's location. Clearly, she intended to draw the powerful enemy to someone else.

There's no sense of unity or camaraderie within the Dark Knights; when there's an opportunity to use a teammate, no one will hesitate.

Just like how Red Death Demon retreated to a corner of the battlefield immediately after Dawnbreaker died, his smooth retreat was due not only to his speed but also to the presence of Karl and Merciless Ironfist, who drew a lot of attention away from him. He was using his teammates as tools to escape.

The drowning victim was having a similar idea. What to do when faced with a life-threatening situation? Fight to the death? No, of course, lure the enemy to your teammates so you can survive until Barbatos arrives.

Since Karl is ostensibly the strongest fighter in the Dark Group, the Drowned Ones would naturally consider how to exploit such an existence for their own benefit. Therefore, their move to divert trouble was very decisive.

What she didn't know was that sometimes the real hunter appears in the form of the prey.

Chapter 380 Dead Water Legion

In the process of reducing the number of Knights, if Karl were to choose the order himself, the first one he would want to kill in the Dark Knights would naturally be the Bat Who Laughs, an unstable factor.

Ideally, the second target would not be the stronger Nameless Iron Fist or the Red Death, but the Drowned One who was heading his way.

It would be difficult for the Drowned One to arrive in time to escape Mebius's pursuit, given that the closer she gets to Carl, the stronger the superheroes she will encounter, and overcoming these obstacles will not be easy.

So the drowning victim had no choice but to start using his trump card: "I wanted to save up a certain number before using this card, but unfortunately, when it comes to actually putting a plan into action, there are always unexpected things that happen."

The drowning victim deftly dodged the attack from behind, while simultaneously tilting his head back and shouting out a peculiar sound wave.

With this action, Gotham Bay, which had already been suppressed by Aquaman, erupted once again. But this time, instead of a tsunami that would submerge the city, a large number of giant, shrimp- and crab-like beasts appeared.

"These are! Atlantis's war beasts! When did she take control of them?!" Aquaman, who was receiving medical treatment, immediately recognized the origin of these giant beasts.

These belong to his family. They are sea monsters specially bred by the Atlanteans. These armored behemoths are natural war chariots, and thus they were tamed and became important weapons of war.

These behemoths are currently moving like zombies, but their purpose is very clear: to protect the drowned and fight the superheroes.

With the help of these heavily armored sea monsters, the Drowned One finally broke free of the encirclement, with only a small number continuing to pursue her.

"Could this be the Dead Water Legion mentioned in the intelligence?" Aquaman recalled the intelligence from Karl, which said that the Drowned Ones had the ability to control the dead to form an army.

Suddenly, his expression changed: "If her ability is to control the dead, then these sea monsters must have been secretly killed by her using some means. Given her understanding of the underwater world, creating a virus or curse targeting these sea monsters shouldn't be too difficult. But the soldiers responsible for guarding these sea monsters wouldn't just stand by and watch all this happen. What is their current situation...?"

Aquaman intended to attack the drowned, but he soon realized he didn't need to, because zombie-like figures began to emerge from the ocean – Atlantean soldiers.

Aquaman regretted it; he shouldn't have assigned that force.

Because Karl knew about the Deadwater Legion from the beginning, he didn't send ordinary soldiers into battle, but instead had them wait on the seabed.

Unexpectedly, even without his personal presence, the Drowned One still managed to kill and transform the deep-sea soldiers. He underestimated the Drowned One's ability to control Atlantis. The first batch of Deadwater Legion had already been transformed. Had he known this, he shouldn't have bothered preparing any soldiers.

"So the Deadwater Legion has appeared again? Fortunately, their numbers aren't too large, so they can't shake the overall situation for now." Karl noticed the drowning man struggling to run towards him and pondered how to quickly eliminate him.

The Drowned One has the ability to control the dead, transforming them into soldiers under her control, whom she calls the Deadwater Legion.

Such an ability inevitably evokes images of the Black Death, who manipulated the dead and nearly plunged the entire universe into deathly darkness—truly terrifying.

Of course, the two are not actually comparable.

The Black Death Emperor used the true power of death. His Black Lantern Corpses could perfectly exert the strength they had before they were born, and even their intelligence was no exception. It was basically equivalent to being resurrected. Moreover, as long as they were dead, no matter how long they had been dead or who killed them, the Black Death Emperor could control them.

The number of drowned victims was much larger. She created a group of subordinates through some secret method, and not only did she have to kill them herself, but she also had to try to ensure the integrity of their physical forms.

To put it bluntly, the so-called Dead Water Legion is actually a relatively advanced corpse-driving technique. It simply brings the corpses of those who drowned back to life, at most restoring some of the deceased's original instincts.

It is naturally incomparable to a world boss like the Black Death Emperor.

However, the Drowned still have the ability to leverage the advantages of the undead army, using war to fuel their own war effort, snowballing their strength, and the more they kill, the greater their own power becomes.

For this reason, you should never use a human wave tactic when facing drowning victims, otherwise too many cannon fodder will only fuel the drowning victims' rise.

Karl didn't allow Tiamat to create monsters on the battlefield for two reasons: first, he needed to conceal his identity, as a Kryptonian would be too conspicuous and the monsters would likely target him first; second, it was to limit the number of Drowned.

The Deadwater Legion, which grows through war and slaughter, may not be invincible, but such an existence is too dangerous for the lower classes. The Deadwater Legion, which wins by sheer numbers, can easily cause massive casualties if one is not careful. It is best to avoid it as much as possible if possible.

Unfortunately, the Drowned Ones still managed to secretly amass a batch of initial troops.

"The current Deadwater Legion is not quite up to par in terms of numbers. Without a replenishment of corpses, it will soon be wiped out by the heroes. Fortunately, they arrived in time." Karl's actions hindered the formation of the legion.

The drowned woman herself realized this, and she needed to carry out another massacre.

But there are no suitable targets right now. The superheroes who can appear here all have reached a certain level of combat power. Even second-tier heroes won't be easily defeated by her. And adding a single-digit number of heroes is not very meaningful.

She would only waste the Deadwater Legion card by herself, so she needs help, she needs someone who can crush second-tier heroes, which is Karl.

The Drowned One entered the fray, using the powerful magic of her trident to disrupt the Incredibles' actions. Carl immediately seized the opportunity, using his heat vision to sweep away the surrounding heroes.

The drowning man then made a request: "Possessor, merciless iron fist, help me hold off the pursuers behind us. Don't fight Superman and the others to the death. We need more cannon fodder."

This request is reasonable; having cannon fodder would indeed make their fight easier. Unfortunately, Karl is an undercover agent, and he had already secured cooperation with the merciless and iron-fisted leader.

“Ha, helping you take down the pursuers is no problem, but if we go to find your bodies, who will deal with Superman and the others in the meantime? Will you take their place?” Karl questioned.

The Drowned One was stumped by the question. Naturally, she didn't consider that point. While creating corpses, the heroes' attacks wouldn't stop. But her original intention was to use Karl and the Merciless Iron Fist to build the complete Deadwater Legion. The risks involved and how to escape after the rain were none of her concern.

But now that he's been asked, the Drowned Man can't bluff his way out of it: "What about the Red Death Demon? We can have him help."

Chapter 381 Intrigue and Schemes

Karl could sense that the aura unique to the Dark Multiverse was growing stronger.

Due to Barbatos's mistake, Karl came into contact with the origin of the Dark Multiverse, and therefore has a deep understanding of the Dark Universe.

This is his advantage, and it has many benefits. At this moment, he can roughly estimate the progress of the opening of the cosmic channel.

Knowing the progress bar might not seem like a big deal, but it's actually very important because currently only Barbatos and he know this, allowing Karl to overwhelm everyone else with information.

The passage is 9% complete, and Barbatos could appear at any moment. The Dark Knights can simply retreat and defend until the time is up.

Just like what Red Death is doing now, this is the right thing to do.

"Damn it, I can't get in touch with Red Death. What is he thinking?!"

The drowning man wanted to drag the Red Death Demon down with him, but no matter how he tried to contact him, the Red Death Demon wouldn't give him a single response.

The death of the Dawn Lantern made him realize the danger, and he had made up his mind to hide until the very end. Out of fear of Barbatos, he dared not completely leave the battlefield, but he also absolutely did not want to run back to the most dangerous center of the battlefield.

Karl made no comment. Previously, he might have helped the Drowned Man lure the Red Death Demon, but now time was running out. Even if the Red Death Demon arrived, he might not be able to kill him quickly, so it was best to focus on the present.

“Since the Red Death Demon isn’t coming, our cooperation is off. We won’t help you. It’s up to you to expand your legion. That’s all I have to say,” Karl said deliberately, knowing the other party wouldn’t give up easily.

As expected, the drowning woman was immediately unhappy. She didn't know when the battle would end, so she wanted to gather as much fighting power as possible to ensure her safety.

However, she alone could not have orchestrated a massacre to replenish the Deadwater Legion. It was easier to do something clandestine than something openly done. The Drowned Ones, who had already been exposed, could no longer repeat their act of cursing the Atlanteans to death.

"No, even without the Red Death Demon, it doesn't matter. As long as we cooperate sincerely, we can definitely kill enough heroes to allow the Deadwater Legion to grow to a point where it can influence the course of the battle," the Drowned One said anxiously.

"Oh, a sincere cooperation? From what you're saying, you're going to take over Red Death's mission and help us hold off these main heroes, is that right?" Karl asked.

“Of course not!” the drowning man refused very quickly: “I hope you can help me stop all the frontline heroes.”

She would never do such a thing. Taking on the combined attack of the main heroes by herself is already beyond her capabilities. Asking her to risk her life to buy time for her companions is simply a joke in a villainous gang like theirs.

It's not that villains can't unite as one, but the conditions aren't met right now.

Villains are usually more focused on immediate gains than heroes, so genuine cooperation between villains is either out of desperation or because their interests are too aligned.

The suggestion from the Drowned One to expand the legion would ultimately benefit only her. The Dead Water Legion is her one-person legion, and everyone else is just working for her. Therefore, genuine cooperation is destined to fail.

The merciless, iron-fisted Drowned One said disdainfully, "You want to expand your legion, but you're unwilling to take the risks yourself, leaving us to shield you from all threats for nothing. Is there such a good thing in this world?"

The drowned man, his expression unchanged, said, "Listen to me, I did gain some advantage in this plan, but it wasn't intentional. I simply had no other choice."

"I don't have the ability to stop the heroes in your place, nor can I be distracted by modifying the corpses during such a fierce battle, so you are the only ones who can help."

"I know that as the commander of the legion, I will ultimately benefit the most, but I promise that I will repay you many times over after this is over. I am willing to give you forty percent of the reward that Lord Barbatos promised me as a token of my gratitude."

The drowning victim tried her best to express her sincerity, and objectively speaking, the reward she promised was very valuable. However, even those who believed in Barbatos's merciless iron fist were not tempted.

Anyone can make empty promises. It sounds good now, but who can guarantee that she will keep her promises once things are over? It's impossible to get Barbatos to vouch for them or anything like that. So, any reward that can only be redeemed in the future is meaningless.

Instead of responding immediately, the merciless iron fist switched to a different communicator and secretly communicated with Karl.

"Possessionist, what do you think? We should reject them; this guy has absolutely no sincerity."

Karl multitasked, carefully estimating the time of Barbatos's arrival in his mind while replying, "No, we might as well agree to her request. It doesn't matter whether the drowned one is sincere or not; as long as she dies, that's a good thing."

The merciless iron fist immediately understood Karl's meaning: first stabilize the opponent, then there would be plenty of opportunities to make moves later.

They blocked all the main forces of the heroes in front, while the drowned took the opportunity to slaughter the weaker second-tier heroes. Under such great pressure, it is normal for them to accidentally miss a few first-tier heroes, isn't it?

"We agree, and we hope you remember what you said."

"Don't worry, you won't be disappointed," the drowned man said firmly. "Then I'll leave this place to you."

The drowning woman was delighted. In her eyes, Karl and the merciless iron-fisted man were blinded by greed. She knew her own words were unreliable, but what if the benefits she promised were real?

Just as the merciless iron fist had guessed, the drowning woman indeed had no intention of fulfilling her promises. By deceiving her opponents with the benefits she had described, she had already accomplished her goal.

After the negotiations were completed, the Drowned One immediately withdrew and set her sights on the second-tier heroes who were fighting against her Deadwater Legion. The main heroes who tried to stop her were stopped by Karl and the Merciless Iron Fist.

The drowned woman's fighting power overwhelmed these people, and she happily pounced on them, ready to cause a massacre.

Meanwhile, Karl relayed new instructions to the merciless iron fist, stating that their fighting intensity was high and they were at a disadvantage.

"Pay attention to the rhythm of the battle, fight and retreat at the same time, and let these heroes surround the drowned."

"What?" Wu Min Tie Wan was surprised, barely managing to reply: "Is it really necessary? A mere drowned one, just deliberately letting a few high-level combatants through would be enough to eliminate her, right? Besides, once the encirclement is complete, we'll be trapped inside too."

Carl explained: "It's all too normal for someone to slip through, so normal that the drowned woman would definitely be on guard against it. She wouldn't entrust her life entirely to our fight, so we have to use extraordinary measures."

While Iron Fist was weighing the pros and cons, his opponent's attack came. He had no choice but to dodge Superman's punch, but was hit by Captain Atom's nuclear energy and suffered minor injuries.

The intensity of the battle didn't allow him to think for long, so the merciless iron-fisted man had no choice but to reluctantly reply, "Fine, let's do as you say."

Chapter 382 Unreliable Helper

Under the heroes' fierce offensive, the merciless iron fist gradually felt overwhelmed, and he had no time to repair the damage to his armor.

If it were just about self-preservation, the situation wouldn't be so bad. But he not only had to face an attack, but also had to actively approach the enemy to block the pursuers for the drowning victims. This made the battle more difficult than he could handle.

The merciless iron fist was really getting to it. He wasn't afraid of normal combat, but fighting to protect the drowning was just too frustrating. He preferred brutal warfare to protecting some random guy.

“I say, isn’t it about time to close the net? This feeling of being held back is awful. Let’s retreat. The Drowned One can’t escape; she doesn’t have super speed,” the Merciless Iron Fist secretly suggested to Karl.