DC & Marvel: This Guy Is Crazy

Chapter 147: Recruiting Doctor Night — Encounter with Black Widow

"Who's Warren?"

Orm looked bewilderedly at the odd, twitchy man in front of him.

Strangers had suddenly barged in, claiming to rescue him. Orm's first instinct was: Is this some kind of plot by Aquaman?

"No time to explain. We'll talk once we're out of here."

Allen yanked at the chains with all his strength, prompting Nanaue to mimic him.

"Don't waste your energy. The chains are made of a custom alloy, anchored to a mechanical transmission shaft."

Orm, sounding weak, explained, "This prison was designed and built by me."

He found himself lamenting why he hadn't designed any escape mechanisms. If he had, maybe he wouldn't be in this sorry state now.

Once the king of Atlantis, his throne stolen, his wife taken—Orm might seem disheartened, but deep down, he still longed for a comeback.

Ding!

Before he could wallow further, he saw Allen cleave the chain with one stroke.

"Looks like my blade wins this round."

Allen sliced through another chain and gave orders: "Nanaue, carry Aquaman's brother, Mr. Seaweed. We're leaving."

The blocked entrance was brimming with sand that began flowing outward in a surge, making it impossible for the Lost Tribe's mounts to dig through.

Just then, Nick turned and dismissed his sand control.

In an instant, the sand gushed like a tsunami, flooding the prison. As the chamber filled, he manipulated the sand into waves that swept the team out of the underground lair.

The Lost Tribe, rushing in from all directions, were powerless to stop the rushing tide. All they could do was watch helplessly as the group escaped.

"Chieftain, shall we pursue?"

A Lost Tribe warrior asked a more burly tribesman.

"No need. Let the ocean kingdoms hunt them down."

Clearly, the Lost Tribe had their own agenda.

During Orm's reign, he had promised them various deals. But after Aquaman took the throne, all prior agreements were voided. As a result, the Lost Tribe no longer held any reverence for Atlantis.

What's more, Aquaman neglected political affairs, allowing the nobility to seize control. And those nobles—greedy to the bone—refused to even acknowledge the Lost Tribe's legal seat in the United Kingdom of Atlantis, leading to passive resistance and duplicity.

Amid the golden sands of the desert…

A geyser of sand erupted skyward from the earth.

The group rode the sand fountain out of Lost Tribe territory.

Allen explained their objective truthfully. Out of gratitude for being rescued, Orm agreed to help—just once. He still dreamed of reclaiming his throne and wasn't about to hand over power willingly.

As a pure-blood Atlantean, Orm carried the usual aristocratic disdain for mixed-bloods.

They boarded a helicopter and headed straight for the nearest quantum relay point.

——

A bustling city. People strolled the streets, enjoying a rare weekend of rest.

Young people, in particular, played and laughed freely—evidence of the city's vibrant energy.

Naturally, the usual criminal undertone persisted, accompanied by the ever-present force of justice dispensing retribution.

A hooded man moved alone through a chaotic neighborhood.

His face twitched with anxiety; he avoided eye contact with anyone, hurrying past with his head down.

Suddenly, a burly Black man yanked him into an alley, brandishing a gold-plated pistol and threatening, "Hand over your cash, or I'll mess you up!"

"I've been waiting for prey like you."

Under the hood, a pale and gaunt face appeared, eyes glowing crimson with fangs bared.

Doctor Night Morbius—had been living a vagabond existence since his transformation.

At first, synthetic blood had helped suppress his bloodlust. But over time, it became less effective—now it didn't work at all.

By chance, he had once tasted real blood—and found it especially effective at quelling his urges.

Since then, he had taken to roaming the streets at midnight, lying in wait for prey.

Though feeding repulsed him, if he didn't suppress his urges early, he feared completely losing control.

"Shit! What the hell are you?"

The mugger didn't hesitate and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The gunshot echoed through the alley. Smoke curled from a bullet hole in the wall.

Morbius tilted his head, dodging the shot with ease. He was just about to sink his fangs in—

Zzzap!

Suddenly, electricity arced across the mugger's body, sending him into spasms on the spot.

Morbius turned in surprise to see a red-haired woman in a tight black suit.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Natasha. Pleased to meet you, Dr. Morbius."

Black Widow got straight to the point. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has been monitoring you for a while. We'd like to help resolve your problem."

But Morbius didn't buy their "goodwill."

He knew S.H.I.E.L.D. operated outside of government constraints and was viewed poorly in anti-hero circles for their overbearing methods.

Given his condition, Morbius could never be a spandex-wearing, spotlight-friendly hero. Instead, he had gravitated toward the underground, often taking jobs targeting criminal organizations.

He flatly refused: "Thanks, but no thanks."

"I hope you make the right choice," Natasha said coldly.

If Morbius had been harming civilians, it wouldn't be her showing up—it would've been a full S.H.I.E.L.D. tactical squad.

"Only children choose. I want everything."

A dark shadow dropped from above, landing between them.

"Batman?"

"Allen?"

They spoke in unison.

Morbius had mistaken Allen's outfit for Batman's, while Natasha—who knew more—frowned deeply.

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s surveillance logs showed Allen should be in Gotham. Why was he in a different city?

"Wow, Widow, I must mean a lot to you. You recognized me right away. So touching. Come give me a kiss."

Allen puckered up, walking toward her.

Natasha instantly drew her gun. "One more step and I'll shoot your teeth out."

"Then I'll just have to catch that bullet with my mouth."

Allen grinned, flashing his teeth and gesturing for her to fire.

"What the hell are you doing?" she snapped.

She could never guess Allen's motives. He always did the most inexplicable things.

"Bats is on vacation. There's trouble in Gotham, so I'm recruiting a team. Widow, interested in helping out? Fair warning—no salary. Purely volunteer work."

"No pay? Then who'd want the job?"

She latched onto something else. "Wait—Batman's gone again?"

"So even you know Bats is a chronic no-show," Allen sighed.

"Do whatever you want. I'm out. Gotham's under the Justice League's protection—I can't get involved."

Natasha turned toward the alley exit.

She knew Gotham was once again in trouble. But stepping in could spark conflict between the League and S.H.I.E.L.D.

Besides, vampires were far beyond what a normal human like her could handle.

"Widow, don't leave me! Can you really abandon a poor lunatic to wander the streets alone? What if some degenerate does unspeakable things to me? I've kept my pure, unspoiled body just for you…"

Allen stretched out dramatically, grief plastered across his face.

"Widow, without you, how will I go on…"

Natasha clenched her fists. Her brows furrowed tightly as she hastened her pace.

Only when her silhouette vanished did Allen stop.

"She's just another woman afraid to face her feelings—how tragic. Why does a poor lunatic like me have such an alluring face that everyone lusts after?"

He turned to his right hand with a deep gaze. "Alas, my loyalty belongs to Righty."

He brought it to his nose and inhaled deeply. "You smell just like me, Righty."

Then, turning to his left hand: "Lefty, stay away. I don't do ambiguous entanglements. Give up your delusions."

Watching Allen perform a love triangle with his hands, Morbius felt a chill run down his spine.

Suddenly, Allen looked at him.

"What… what do you want?"

Morbius backed up against the wall, fearing the lunatic might suddenly snap.

Smack!

Allen pinned him with a hand on the wall and declared, "I like you. Want to join my Midnight Bruisers? Don't worry—you'll be thrilled."

"Thrilled"?

Morbius gave a disgusted look. That name sounded like a complete joke.

"What's with that face?"

Allen declared proudly, "The Midnight Bruisers are a legit team to resolve Gotham's crisis. Punch the League, kick the Avengers—unless something goes wrong. Which it will."

"Can I say no?"

Morbius's spectral vision could see the blood pulsing in Allen's neck, and he swallowed involuntarily.

Just moments ago, he'd been about to feed, but all the commotion had interrupted him.

Thunk…

A syringe jabbed into his leg.

Shock swept over Morbius's face as power surged through his body.

Allen asked smugly, "Feel like you're about to explode?"

"What… what did you inject me with?"

Morbius stared at his hand. His blood vessels were glowing red—it was unlike anything human blood could do.

"Ever heard of divine blood?"

"Divine…!?"

Morbius perked up, suddenly excited. "Is this the blood of a god!?"

"Of course not. I can't beat gods," Allen shrugged. "Some washed-up old gods are hiding in the woods—I don't have time to go hunt them."

"This is demi-god blood. My pet shark, Chili Pepper, is the Shark God's son. He just lost a tooth the other day, so I collected some blood and started experimenting."

"If you can keep supplying demi-god blood, I'll join your team."

Morbius could feel it—his bloodlust was completely gone.

The sensation far surpassed drinking human blood. Best of all, it enhanced his abilities.

He was desperate to study it further and create a long-term solution.

"Don't ask too much."

Allen slung an arm around his shoulder and said confidently, "I've got a second option for you. Want to hear it?"

"Let's hear it."

"…"