The Dawn Trail in the World of American Comics

”这是海格的猎刀,我们在禁林中找到的,也是他最后使用的武器. ”

The Kite Man drove to the meeting point with his superior according to his ID card.
In the stolen car that looked ordinary on the outside, Mason handed a bat signal gun to his subordinate.
He had obtained the blueprint from Nightwing last night but had not had time to make it yet.

He said to Kite Man, ”If anything happens later, I ’ll take the lead.
You fly up and request support.
Don ’t worry, Batman is focusing on me now.
As soon as the signal goes off, he will come to check it out immediately. ”

”Okay, ” Kite Man replied.
Charles took the signal gun and put it in his flying backpack.
He looked at the building in front of him and his expression changed.

”Why did they choose this place to meet? Are they implying something to us? ” he asked his boss.

Mason looked out the car window and saw that the parking spot was in front of the Iceberg Lounge, which was a luxurious and uniquely designed place with five chain stores in Gotham.
However, the one in front of them was the first store built by the Penguin in this city, and it was also the headquarters of the Penguin Gang.
This place had a ”special meaning ” for Mason.
It was where his new life began and his old life ended.
The bottle that killed the young man was thrown down from the Iceberg Lounge, and Mason still did not know which drunk guy threw it and brought a soul from another world into this world.
Perhaps he would have to find him later and ”thank ” him harshly.

”Let ’s go in and take a look, ” Mason said.
He opened the car door and walked up the steps.
He wore the gray windbreaker and bypassed the police cordon, then walked into the closed bar through the side door.

The place had been closed for almost ten days and was very quiet.
They found the power supply and turned it on.
They took the elevator all the way up and walked into the top floor, where they saw a light shining outside the Penguin ’s original office.

The light ball was suspended at the door like a guidepost.
Mason patted Kite Man ’s shoulder and asked him not to be nervous.
He also took a deep breath before pushing the door open and walking in.

The huge French windows let the morning light shine into the gorgeous and spacious office.
In front of the two men, a tall figure wearing a starry cloak like the old K was standing in front of the window, seemingly overlooking the morning scenery of Gotham.

Only one person came, but looking at his imposing aura and cool pose, it was clear that he was not ordinary.
Mason and Charles stood in the clean office like employees summoned by their boss, waiting for the superior ’s reprimand.
Perhaps this was also the moment that would decide their fate.

”Is K dead? ” The superior finally spoke after nearly a minute of silence.

It was a calm male voice with a magnetic quality, sounding not too young and with a faint sense of oppression.

”Yes, our beloved captain died in the ruins of Hogwarts School.
He was holding a cursed item and was besieged by monsters in the Forbidden Forest.
We wanted to help him, but our strength was too weak to even retrieve his body.
We could only follow his last wish and burn his body and the monster he killed in that hellish world, ” Mason calmly stated most of the facts.
He also took out Hagrid ’s hunting knife from his luggage, which was stained with the venom and blood of the eight-eyed spider.
He put it on the desk like submitting evidence and added, ”This is Hagrid ’s hunting knife.
We found it in the Forbidden Forest, and it was also the weapon he used last. ” ”Charles and I did our best to capture some of the monsters involved in killing him with the magical items left by Old K.
If you need them, we can release them.
But they are very dangerous. ”

”No need! ”

The superior waved his hand and said, ”When you embark on this path, life and death should be put aside.
How he died is not important.
What ’s important is that his death can please the dark stars and illuminate our path forward. ”

As he spoke these words like a funeral, Mason felt chills in his heart.
If he remembered correctly, Old K had said such things before.
More than once.
So, is this a tradition of the Starry Sky Society?

”Let me introduce myself.
My name is ’Hunter, ’ of course, it ’s a code name. ”

The senior official turned around, revealing a face with a starry mask.
The cloak with star patterns almost covered his entire body, just like Batman ’s cape, leaving almost no gaps.

He reached out with his black-gloved hand and touched the blood-stained hunting knife, introducing himself in a gentle tone, ”Currently serving as the ’Exploration Grand Master ’ of the Starry Sky Society… ”

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

He stated his position, but seeing the confused look on Mason and Charles ’ faces, the Hunter was stunned for a moment and asked strangely, ”Didn ’t Old K tell you about the Starry Sky Society ’s secrets and member divisions? ”

”He promised to tell us after our ’entry test ’ was over, ” Charles gestured and replied in a sad voice, ”But he died too suddenly…so… ”

”I see. ”

The Hunter nodded and said, ”Then I ’ll forgive your rudeness this time.
Let me briefly introduce our organization on behalf of Old K.
You are currently E-level personnel, and new members of the organization are generally guided by specific C-level personnel to familiarize themselves with daily work.
Old K was supposed to be your novice guide, but he had an accident.
When you complete your first interdimensional exploration mission, you will become D-level personnel, which is considered the backbone of the Starry Sky Society.
After twenty missions, you will be assessed for promotion to C-level.
The promotion of B-level and A-level members has internal regulations, which you don ’t need to know too much about now. ”

”Are you an A-level member? ” Mason asked softly.

”No, I am the Exploration Grand Master. ”

The Hunter emphasized his position again.
He looked up and down at Mason and said, ”I am the Commander-in-Chief above the twelve-member council of A-level personnel.
The three Grand Masters of Exploration, Combat, and Logistics are responsible for the daily operations of the Starry Sky Society and internal and external affairs of the organization.
Above us, there is also a ’Fate ’ Lord.
He is the founder of the Starry Sky Society. ”

”A big shot! ”

This thought jumped into Mason ’s mind, making him immediately bow to the person in front of him and kick Charles, who was still standing there, to also bow.
The Kite Man also hurriedly bowed when he came back to his senses.

He thought that the superior sent to them would at most be someone on the same level or one level higher than Old K, but he didn ’t expect such a high-ranking leader to come directly!

It ’s like a new employee reporting to a superior in a company, thinking that the other party is just a business manager, but finding out that the person sitting there listening to their nonsense is actually a member of the company ’s board of directors.

It ’s too scary, isn ’t it?

”Well, the etiquette is very standard, and your mind is flexible and your character is introverted.
I am very satisfied. ”

The Hunter nodded, pulled out a penguin boss chair and sat on it in a comfortable and relaxed posture.
He waved his hand and said to Mason and Charles, ”It seems that Old K chose new members with good quality this time.
I guess you must be wondering why I ’m here.
Let me explain it to you… ” ”Don ’t be so formal, Mason, and Charles. ”

”I ’m an easy-going person. ”

”Please, have a seat. ”

”This conversation may take up some of your time, but I hope you don ’t have any urgent matters today. ”

The big shot spoke, and Mason and Charles naturally complied.

The two sat on the black sofa, maintaining a very proper posture, and then they watched Mr.
Hunter play with the giant hunting knife that killed Old K, saying in a gentle tone:

”The first reason I came here is simple.
Did Old K tell you about the story of his rookie team? I was his rookie guide, and I was his old team leader.

At that time, the Starry Sky Society was just established, and various regulations were not perfect yet.
The 12-person council had not been established either.
I also had to occasionally do things like guiding new people.

Old K was my pick.

In the initial seven-person team, only he became a C-level member, and the others had already pleased the Dark Stars with their deaths.

It ’s a tragedy.

The best student I have ever taught has also died.

To be honest, it makes me a little sad. ”

Mason ’s heart tightened.
Old K, you actually have connections!

It would have been nice if you had said so earlier…

”Your heartbeat has accelerated, Mason.
Are you nervous? ”

Mr.
Hunter ’s finger brushed the blade, and he suddenly said in a low voice.

”I ’m only 17, Mr.
Hunter. ”

Mason said softly:

”The most powerful person I ’ve seen before was just the city ’s protector, a weirdo called Batman, and you are one of the leaders of a huge organization that spans countless parallel worlds.

My old team leader, whom I couldn ’t save, was still your friend.
It would be strange if I wasn ’t nervous in this situation. ”

”Well, that makes sense. ”

Mr.
Hunter nodded and no longer dwelled on this issue.
He put down the hunting knife and said:

”As for the second reason, it ’s the special nature of the world you are in.

Old K may not have had time to explain to you the definition of the Starry Sky Society for parallel worlds, but I must tell you two that the danger level of the world you are in is extremely high.

In our world evaluation system, it is rated as an A-level.

But to be honest, it is an A-level world not because its danger level is only at this level, but because the highest level in our system is only A-level.

Especially in your world, there is a Kryptonian called ’Superman ’… ”

Mr.
Hunter paused and shook his head:

”The combat master ’Swordsman, ’ with the strongest front-line combat power in the Starry Sky Society, encountered him during his exploration of this world several years ago and was beaten with two punches, breaking his ribs and fleeing back to the Starry Sky Castle in embarrassment.

Since then, all large-scale exploration actions of the Starry Sky Society in this world have been frozen.

You should not have established your base here.

This place is not suitable for newcomers like you.
This is also the second reason why I came here.
You can choose a safer world for your base.

This is your special power, and I can help you arrange it. ”

”Wait! Mr.
Hunter, I have a question. ”

Mason raised his hand and asked:

”If all exploration actions in this world have been frozen, how did Old K… ”

”I said all ’large-scale ’ exploration actions, Mason. ”

Mr.
Hunter emphasized:

”Pay attention! In addition, it ’s not a good habit to interrupt me.
There are other teams in your world that are operating covertly, and the lowest-ranked members of those teams are all C-level.

As for Old K…

He could have become a B-level, but because of his wild behavior, after two incidents that led to the destruction of the K team, his promotion was blocked. ” ”At this B-level, what we need are explorers and leader captains who can grasp the overall situation, not a brute. ”

Mason nodded.

At the same time, he thought to himself that if someone like Old K could become a B-level fighter, then the Star Alliance might not be as powerful and invincible as they imagined.

Leaving aside the rest, Batman probably wouldn ’t have too much trouble fighting Old K, and Superman could directly defeat another big shot in the Star Alliance.
So, in terms of combat power alone, he needed to lower his evaluation of the Star Alliance from ”godlike ” to ”invincible. ”

Hmm, it doesn ’t seem to make much difference?

”So, what are your answers? ”

Mr.
Hunter gave Mason and Charles three minutes and asked:

”Do you want to change your base world? In light of Old K ’s contribution, I can let you choose from any of the 33 C-level worlds I currently manage. ”

Mason glanced at Charles, who gave him a look that said ”you decide, I obey. ” The young man nodded, stood up, and said to Mr.
Hunter:

”No, we don ’t want to change our base world, sir.
It ’s not because we think too highly of ourselves, but because we ’ve already established certain connections and obtained some precious things through our efforts in this world.

Like this. ”

Mason took out a set of blueprints from his bag and laid them out on the desk in front of Mr.
Hunter.

The blueprints showed a very complex and annotated battle suit design.
If Batman were here, he could immediately recognize it as the structure diagram of his own conventional bat suit.

Mason had already analyzed the main body of the bat suit on his character card.
He had drawn these diagrams before as a study, but now they came in handy.

”This battle suit…has good technological content, is very suitable for melee and stealth infiltration, and has so many reserved weapon slots.
Obviously, it can be modified multiple times to meet different operational needs.

Not bad! ”

Mr.
Hunter was obviously knowledgeable.

He reached out to touch the blueprint and carefully examined it.
When he leaned in closer, Mason suddenly noticed a strand of playful long hair peeking out from behind Mr.
Hunter ’s mask.

Huh?

Is this a woman?

Or a man with an artistic style?

”Are you going to offer this blueprint to the organization, Mason? ”

Mr.
Hunter asked:

”Although it ’s just the most basic blueprint of a battle suit structure, those members of the organization who follow the technological path will probably love it.
It can get you many things you urgently need.

If you trust me, I can help you find a suitable buyer.

At the trading fair in a month, you can complete the transaction. ”

”Of course, sir, I can ’t ask for more. ”

Mason agreed.

Then he took out a dark jewelry box and opened it in front of Mr.
Hunter.
Inside was an irregular, thumb-sized blood-red crystal.

Even the calm Mr.
Hunter held his fingers tightly when he saw it.

”What is this? ”

He looked at Mason, and the young man explained:

”It ’s Old K ’s relic, sir.
He said he entered that world just to find this thing, and it was a reward task from the organization.

This is a magic stone.

It ’s the treasure we found in that ruins, but unfortunately, it broke in the disaster.
We searched the entire ruins and only found this piece.

We can ’t expect the reward for the reward task.

This is something Old K completed himself, so I think, as his former captain, you should complete that task on his behalf and get that reward. ”Mr.
Hunter didn ’t say anything, just stroked the small magic stone in front of him.
After ten seconds of silence, he let out a strange laugh and said to Mason:

”You are a sharp little guy.
I almost know why Old K chose you as the captain.
But unfortunately, I can ’t use the reward for this mission.

Because the reward is to upgrade the members ’ levels.

Old K was looking for this thing to complete his B-level promotion, Mason, and I have already reached the highest level.

Take out your identity card. ”

He said, and Mason decisively pinched his fingers and took out the Starry Sky identity card.

Mr.
Hunter also took out his own card, which was a luxurious crystal card.
The material alone was higher than Mason ’s poker-like thing.

At the moment when the two cards touched, a dazzling red light surged up Mason ’s arm.
The intense heat made the young man dizzy, and he fell to the ground and was picked up by Charles who came over.

”This is how it is for the first promotion, let alone two consecutive promotions.
It can be considered a small record.
This is normal. ”

Mr.
Hunter said to Wind Kite:

”Take him to the next room to rest.
We ’ll continue talking when he wakes up. ”

”Thank you, sir. ”

After Charles carried the unconscious Mason out of the office, Mr.
Hunter picked up the blood-stained giant hunting knife.

He stroked the sharp blade and stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

After several minutes, he sighed and said:

”Old K, did you call me over just to see him? Is this the ’farewell gift ’ you want to give me? Do you think he can help?

But you, an old hunter, how could you be killed by such a rookie?

Did you make a mistake? Or have you given up on life?

It ’s really embarrassing.

Sigh.

May death, which will eventually come for us all, please this cold and ruthless group of Dark Stars… ”