Nite Owl's finger hovered over the communicator, no longer daring to make the slightest movement.
Chen Mo was standing behind his chair.
The distance between the two was less than half a meter.
Cold sweat seeped from Nite Owl's forehead, quickly soaking the inside of his mask. His heart pounded to its limit in an instant, and his muscles instinctively tensed.
But just a second later, the Nite Owl regained its composure.
Unable to resist.
They cannot beg for mercy.
Superwoman and the Power Ring both did this, and they are now dead. Death Stormfront chose to flee, but he too did not survive.
Any solution that has been proven ineffective should not be tried a second time.
Nite Owl slowly lowered his right hand, choosing to take the initiative.
"I'm curious, when did you find me?"
Chen Mo walked around the chair and looked down at the communicator on the table.
"Actually, I noticed it quite early, but I was just watching you play with clones for a while."
"No abnormalities have been detected in the surveillance footage from Base Two."
The Nite Owl turned to look at the screen.
In the scene, Chen Mo was still sitting opposite the clone, toying with the coordinates in his hand. The clone didn't notice anything wrong and continued to introduce the so-called intelligence about the person behind the scenes.
If what's in front of me is real.
And what is that on the screen?
"That one."
Chen Mo followed his gaze and casually said, "I also left a clone there to chat with him, so he wouldn't feel awkward sitting alone."
The Nite Owl fell silent.
In order to deceive Chen Mo, he prepared a clone with complete memories.
Chen Mo left behind a physical clone, which then negotiated with the clone.
Neither side used their true forms.
The difference is, he lost.
Nite Owl looked at Chen Mo again, his tone now calm, and even began to probe.
"Did you find this place through surveillance signals?"
"Almost."
Chen Mo over a chair and sat down.
"You dug such a huge hole under the moon, it's hard to imagine it not being discovered. But your renovation is quite frugal."
The Nite Owl did not relax because of those words.
The base's outer layer isolates it from conventional detection, and all communications are relayed multiple times. Even if someone were to trace it in reverse, they would ultimately only find a few abandoned satellites.
Therefore, Chen Mo did not track him using technological means; he must have other detection methods, and these methods could normally cover the distance between the Earth and the Moon.
It only took the Nite Owl a few seconds to deduce the general situation.
But this doesn't solve the immediate problem.
Chen Mo has found him.
His armor was five meters away, and it took 0.7 seconds to activate. There were three weapons under the table, the fastest of which could be fired with just a light touch of the knee.
It's meaningless.
0.7 seconds is too long; even the armor can't beat Chen Mo.
"You didn't kill me right away."
Nite Owl glanced at the communicator on the table and said, "You still need me? Do you want me to contact its owner?"
Chen Mo leaned back in his chair.
"Continue the analysis."
"You can read memories, but you can't be sure if you can find the other person in my memories. In fact, every time we contacted each other, it was he who unilaterally provided the coordinates and tasks; I never confirmed his location."
As Nite Owl spoke, he observed Chen Mo's expression.
No change.
Chen Mo still wore that nonchalant smile, neither confirming nor denying.
Nite Owl frowned. Wait, I haven't gotten to the point yet.
"This communicator has an identity verification function."
The Nite Owl reached out its hand, but didn't touch it.
"If you kill me, the other party might immediately cut off contact. Only if I live will there be a chance for him to show up on his own."
"That sounds reasonable."
Chen Mo nodded.
So what are you trying to say?
"I'll help you find him, and you let me go."
The Nite Owl answered quickly.
He neither offered to join him nor reiterated his own value. Chen Mo clearly had no need for the Crime Syndicate, much less trusted an enemy who had just plotted against him.
The conditions for survival must be simple.
The more complex it is, the more it feels like a waste of time.
Chen Mo raised his hand and pointed to the communicator.
"Then let's get in touch."
But the Nite Owl did not act immediately.
"The chances of success in contacting them now are very low. The teleportation base was just destroyed, and all my teammates are out of contact. If the enemy has been monitoring our movements, they'll know I've failed."
He paused briefly at this point.
"I need to produce a plausible outcome."
Chen Mo became interested.
For example?
"Tell him that I have obtained some of your body tissue and found a way to counter your ability to devour."
Nite Owl retrieved experimental equipment from the base.
"If the spoils are significant enough, he might provide the coordinates again, or personally retrieve the samples."
This plan isn't perfect, but it's the best option Nite Owl could find in a short time.
At the same time, this was also a test.
If Chen Mo is willing to cooperate, it means he genuinely wants to find the person behind the communicator. As long as Nite Owl retains control of the communication, he has the leverage to negotiate.
But Chen Mo still did not respond.
He simply sat there, watching the Nite Owl with interest.
Beneath the calm exterior of Nite Owl, an uneasy feeling inevitably arose in his heart.
Did I make a mistake?
Chen Mo kept him around, not for the communicator?
The Nite Owl's eyes quickly scanned the surroundings.
The last sanctuary has been exposed, and the clone has become useless. The remaining cross-dimensional equipment and intelligence within the base are of even less value to Chen Mo.
Aside from contacting the people behind the scenes, he couldn't think of any other use for himself.
What are you waiting for?
"I'm asking, "Nite Owl finally asked.
"I'll wait for you to continue."
Chen Mo raised his chin.
"A double, a fake base, a surveillance relay, and your real base hidden beneath the moon. This whole process is quite interesting. I'd like to see if there's more to it."
Nite Owl's expression shifted slightly.
He does indeed have a backup plan.
The base's self-destruct program is connected to a consciousness backup device. As soon as his vital signs disappear, his latest memories will be transferred to another clone that has not yet been activated.
That clone doesn't even exist in this world, so theoretically it's absolutely safe.
Seeing Nite Owl's reaction, Chen Mo's smile widened.
"There really is one?"
The Nite Owl did not answer, nor did it even consider any further plans.
His left hand quietly moved down, and his fingertips gently pressed on the inside of the armrest of the seat.
The consciousness backup process starts immediately.
There were no notifications on the main control panel, and the base's energy levels remained unchanged. This is a completely independent system that will complete memory uploads within thirty seconds of startup.
The Nite Owl didn't expect to escape Chen Mo's notice.
But it's worth a try.
Can I ask you a question?
The Nite Owl sat up straight again.
"Ask."
Why is everyone else dead, but I'm still alive?
That's the key issue.
The Nite Owl needs an answer to determine whether it should cooperate or continue to conceal its plans.
Chen Mo glanced down at the area below the main control panel.
Nineteen seconds of the thirty-second memory upload has already been completed.
"Stop guessing."
Chen Mo reached out and picked up the strange communicator, turning it around casually a couple of times.
I'm keeping you around, not because you're so important, nor because I need you to contact anyone for me.
The Nite Owl stared at him without saying a word.
Chen Mo leaned back in his chair and added with a chuckle, "The others were too boring; their deaths are no big deal."
"You're different, you're Batman."