Regardless of what Batman meant by suddenly quoting Descartes, since they were researching the combination of Venom and moonlight, they had to start from a scientific perspective.
"In reality, moonlight is just sunlight reflected by the moon. It is not the same as the moonlight represented by our Moon God Khonshu, but essentially, it is still some form of energy... Lord Khonshu, you don't mind me saying that, do you?"
In his excitement, Dr. Banner didn't forget that the subject of his research was a deity.
The Moon God Khonshu nodded slightly, a hint of amusement actually present in his voice:
"You wish to measure holy light with a mortal ruler?"
"I have existed for millennia. Believers offer sacrifices, priests pray, knights wield blades... Priests view me as a judge, believers view me as a guardian, knights view me as a source of strength... What do scientists view me as today?"
"Let you wise ones solve this puzzle for me."
Clack clack clack...
Dr. Banner paused his typing on the keyboard, pulling up the data they had previously gathered on Venom. The heads of the other three scientists immediately crowded around.
Dr. Otto was not proficient in biology. After watching for a while, he gave up on that front. He turned around, extended a tentacle to dismantle the proton accelerator built earlier, and removed the various lenses from within.
Dr. Otto reassembled and processed these lenses, forming a complex prism device.
"Lord Khonshu," Dr. Otto said to the Moon God, mimicking Dr. Banner's address. "Would it be convenient to give a demonstration?"
Khonshu tapped his falcon skull lightly. Just as he was about to raise his hand to release moonlight, Dr. Otto hurriedly added:
"I hope you can cast it directly on Batman."
As soon as these words came out, the three scientists who had been huddled before the computer studying symbiote data also turned their heads.
Batman also looked at Dr. Otto.
"We need to know what method Moon God Khonshu uses to grant abilities to his agent. Since you have Venom in your body, we can conduct further research on whatever reaction the symbiote has."
Dr. Otto explained.
"No problem." Batman did not reject Dr. Otto's proposal. He looked at Moon God Khonshu. "Can you temporarily grant abilities without signing a contract?"
Moon God Khonshu chuckled, "Heh heh."
"Certainly."
As the words fell, the crescent staff in Khonshu's hand floated up, rotating around him.
With every rotation, the crescent moon on the staff became fuller. It wasn't until twenty-some rotations later that the staff stopped behind Khonshu. The new moon had completely turned into a full moon, rising slowly behind Khonshu's head.
Bright white moonlight poured out from the full moon disk like the waters of the Nile, converging toward Batman.
This moonlight was like a living thing, gathering at Batman's feet and spreading all the way up his body.
Strips of mummy wrappings wound around him at high speed, wrapping Batman's body tightly.
The pitch-black Arkham suit was replaced by moon-white wrappings, covering even Batman's exposed chin. A wide cloak billowed behind him, and inside the large, sharp bat symbol on his chest, a crescent moon appeared.
Morbius and the others exclaimed in wonder. Batman remained expressionless, while Moon God Khonshu tilted his head, looking at the black bat symbol that stood out starkly on the white wrappings.
Unlike the dilapidated exterior of the Pym building, the interior was filled with soft light from various experimental lamps, even if not brilliantly illuminated.
The inside of the building was hollow, with a light well extending from the roof down to the first floor.
Spiraling up around the light well was a staircase, but this staircase did not seem intended for human use. Instead, giant ants, each about a meter in size, were on it.
These ants wore various electronic instruments or mechanical devices. Creatures that should have relied on their antennae to communicate now seemed to be working busily as individual units separated from the colony.
Black Widow Natasha raised an eyebrow at the sight inside the Pym building. She quietly activated the "Widow's Bite" electric shock device on her wrist.
"You really don't have to do that, Natasha. They won't attack people proactively unless I order them to."
The voice sounded right by Natasha's ear. She immediately took a half-step back into a defensive stance, eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly.
Under Natasha's gaze, the originally busy ants all turned their heads in her direction, their antennae twitching slightly.
"I've been separated from S.H.I.E.L.D. for a long time. What do you want by sneaking into my territory?" The voice continued to sound in Natasha's ear, yet no figure could be seen anywhere near her.
"Dr. Pym? The Director hopes to re-establish the relationship between S.H.I.E.L.D. and you," Natasha said to the air, unable to find the source of the voice.
As she finished speaking, Natasha felt a tap on her left shoulder. Then, a black dot jumped from her shoulder and landed on the ground.
Buzz...
Amidst a faint buzzing sound, the black dot, smaller than a sesame seed, grew rapidly, turning into the 1.83-meter-tall Dr. Pym.
"You're not here to see Dr. Pym, but Ant-Man, right?"
Wearing a red and black suit and a silver helmet, Dr. Pym—or "Ant-Man"—looked at Natasha with a smile.
Having her true objective exposed, there was not a trace of awkwardness on Black Widow Natasha's face.
"Not just Ant-Man, but also the Wasp, Janet."
Just as Natasha finished, another crisp female voice rang out on her other side:
"I thought this didn't concern me."
The sound of beating wings grew from faint to loud. Wearing a suit with a black base and bright yellow armor, with two transparent insect wings flapping behind her, the Wasp, Janet, also appeared before Natasha.
"Long time no see, Natasha."
"Haven't seen you since the end of World War II," Natasha added, looking at Ant-Man and the Wasp.
"Heard you found a new partner called Hawkeye? I'm guessing he's aiming a bow at this place right now?" Janet wasn't wearing a cowl; her short hair and delicate face were exposed to Natasha's view.
Natasha sidestepped the topic of Hawkeye.
"I am here under the orders of S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury, hoping to reach a cooperation agreement with you."
"Sneaking into my house in the middle of the night isn't exactly the attitude of someone seeking cooperation." Ant-Man looked at Natasha with hands on his hips and a faint smile. "Especially since you threw yourself into the arms of Hydra long ago."
As the words fell, the sizes of Ant-Man and the Wasp shrank rapidly. They charged at Black Widow Natasha from the left and right.
Venom was inside Batman's body, but when Batman transformed into Moon Knight, Venom showed no reaction whatsoever.
Several hours passed. Moon God Khonshu had already retracted the moonlight bestowed upon Batman, and the suit woven from white wrappings was replaced once again by the pitch-black Arkham suit.
Batman did not personally join the scientific research. With Dr. Banner, who held seven PhDs, and the peerless genius Dr. Otto, who could build a sun with his bare hands, there was no need for Batman to do everything himself.
Moreover, even though he had brought Moon God Khonshu back to South Brother Island, it didn't mean Batman had let down his guard against this deity.
Batman had been secretly on guard against Moon God Khonshu the whole time.
As the experiment continued, Dr. Banner couldn't help but scratch his head, feeling that progress seemed stuck.
Dr. Otto's mechanical tentacles stopped dancing. Professor Morbius rubbed his eye sockets, and Professor Connors stroked his chin with his remaining hand.
"The theory is sound, but the reality is harsh." Dr. Otto shook his head. "Batman's idea is indeed good, but I feel that moonlight and Venom cannot be combined."
In the laboratory on South Brother Island, the scientists reached a conclusion after hours of research: Moonlight and Venom simply could not parasitize each other.
To use Professor Morbius's words:
"It's like trying to drive an engine with a poem."
"It's completely impossible."
Moon God Khonshu stood in the center of the laboratory, consistently providing moonlight for the four scientists to study.
But after several hours, aside from the initial analysis of the moonlight's energy essence, the experiment had made no progress.
"Moonlight can illuminate all things, but it cannot become all things. This is not your sin." Moon God Khonshu seemed to be comforting the scientists.
Dr. Banner took off his glasses and rubbed his aching temples.
"The moonlight either passes right through Venom like air, or it gets absorbed by the symbiote like a stone dropping into the ocean, without a single ripple."
"According to Batman's idea of 'I think, therefore I am,' making Venom's existence dependent on moonlight, and the moonlight's existence dependent on Venom's reaction... I do have an idea. We could approach it from the perspective of the Quantum Realm to achieve symbiosis, but they need an extremely stable element to complete the initial fusion."
Professor Connors thought of an element: "Gold?"
"Gold won't work," Dr. Otto shook his head. "I thought of that just now, but gold isn't even as good as Vibranium, and Vibranium is too stable... We need a substance that is stable, yet not that stable, to complete it."
"...Huh?"
Halfway through his sentence, Dr. Otto suddenly remembered the proton accelerator he had dismantled into pieces. He snapped his head around to look at Batman.
"Try using a Vibranium isotope?"
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