23 The War of Gotham

The people of Gotham have been steeped in the city's pervasive darkness since birth, long accustomed to blood and fire. Yet, even so, the strange atmosphere haunting Gotham in recent days was enough to make anyone’s heart race.

Whether it was the frequent movement of ships near Gotham Bay, the subtle influx of unfamiliar faces in the city, the increasingly fierce and powerful fists of Batman, or the sudden emergence of the legend of the "Red Ghost" over the past two days—all of it stirred an unease as if a storm were brewing.

Regarding that final legend, however, Batman clearly had something to say—

[Barry Allen! Didn’t I warn you not to come to Gotham until the major event began? Can someone tell me what exactly is going on with that "Red Ghost"?]

In the exclusive channel for the seven founding members of the Justice League, Bruce’s roar was as forceful as the punch he was currently delivering to a thug.

In Central City, Barry, who was busy devouring a burger, shrank his neck. Long-legged and tall, he curled himself into a small red ball, looking aggrieved.

[B-because, isn't the grand opening tonight? What if I mess up because I'm not familiar with Gotham's traffic conditions? Besides, Batman, didn't you say we should minimize collateral damage? If I’m not familiar with the routes and accidentally destroy public property...]

Bruce was so angry he laughed.

[So that’s why you came to Gotham two days early to scout the location? Have you considered what the people of Gotham will think if they find out you were here two days before the battle officially broke out? Do you think they might suspect you are involved with the mastermind behind this chaos?]

Never underestimate the conspiracy theories of Gothamites! If Barry were to slip up, it would be extremely detrimental to the public image of the Justice League—which was intended to be independent of any political institution.

[Hey! Bat, I’ve been putting up with you for a long time!]

Green Lantern Hal Jordan, who had the best relationship with Barry, couldn't take it anymore. He stood up heroically, voluntarily drawing Bruce's fire.

[First of all, why are you so furious? Honestly, you just don't want anyone else stepping into "your" Gotham! And another thing, we aren't supposed to use real names in the channel, right? That’s your rule! Why did you use his real name when scolding Barry?]

Bruce took a deep breath, struggling to suppress his rage. What absolute nonsense! He wasn't the "real" Batman, he didn't follow the DC superhero principle of "one city, one hero," and he certainly didn't view Gotham as his own city—

Thinking this, Bruce once again ruthlessly delivered a crushing blow of justice to a gang leader attempting to incite further chaos in Gotham, then skillfully wrapped his cape around a frightened hostage.

He was clearly just worried about the plan hitting a snag, wasn't he?!

[Boys.] Seeing them about to bicker again, Wonder Woman, who had originally wanted to stay out of it, sighed, her voice weary. [For the sake of the fact that we have less than an hour before we join forces to fight the enemy, how about we stop arguing and focus on pre-battle preparations? I don’t want the Justice League’s debut to be a chaotic brawl.]

Two cold snorts came over the channel, and then silence fell.

Diana Prince, finally finding some peace, stared at the ceiling with vacant eyes. She should have seen this coming; what kind of relaxing role could Wonder Woman possibly have? Was "Justice League Justice" just a title?

But she really didn't want to deal with this! Why hadn't she thought to swap roles with Hawkgirl? Now, she was stuck with a character who had way too much screen time. When she worked alone, she didn't get much attention and could slack off occasionally. But once the Justice League was established, with countless eyes on her every move, she would be working 24 hours a day!

At this thought, Diana’s resentment was almost palpable. She secretly calculated how she could squeeze more funding out of Bruce once the Watchtower was launched to build an ice cream and dessert energy station, just to soothe her wounded soul.

***

In Gotham, having just finished an argument that wasn't quite an argument, Bruce calmed down and continued his activities for the night.

Initially, he had planned to conserve his energy, as a tough battle awaited him beyond his daily patrol. Even though the villain was one of their own, he couldn't afford to go too easy during the fight; he had to carry the brunt of it himself.

However, once he actually started patrolling, he realized all his previous plans had fallen through. He simply couldn't stop himself from stepping into those narrow alleys, because he could not bring himself to turn a blind eye to the darkness unfolding everywhere.

He recalled Hal’s words about "your Gotham," and the white lenses of his mask narrowed slightly.

Fine. He still didn't consider Gotham his city. But perhaps... he had grown accustomed to being the one who reaches out to hold onto her in the near-infinite darkness. Yet, tonight, he was the one who had choreographed the script of harming her and saving her, becoming the bringer of both disaster and hope.

[Bruce.]

Perhaps it was a psychic connection, for even though he hadn't spoken in the channel, the Man of Tomorrow across the bridge in Metropolis seemed to sense something. Using a private channel they had recently developed, Clark sent him a message.

[I am ready. The moment the chaos breaks out in Gotham, I will rush over to contain the disaster.]

So, there was no need to worry. This premeditated chaos would keep the damage to a minimum through their meticulous arrangements and perfect coordination; Gotham would never sink further because of this. Behind every disaster, there is always hope.

Bruce closed his eyes, and for the first time since the plan was set, his restless heart found a moment of peace. He uncharacteristically remained still, leaning back in the Batmobile’s seat, waiting quietly for the moment to arrive. He knew that in neighboring Metropolis, Clark, who could reach him in just a few breaths, was waiting with him. So, effectively, Clark was by his side right now.

As the clock struck twelve, it was as if some strange magic enveloped the gloomy city, casting a faint shimmer over the gothic architecture.

No, this wasn't some poetic exaggeration—the sky was actually glowing!

Several massive blue circular voids appeared out of thin air above Gotham. Metal spheres were ejected from them, hovering just before they hit the ground—because Bruce had warned the creator not to destroy Gotham’s roads upon arrival.

Then, the metal spheres began to transform in place, and hideous robots crawled out from within!

"Ah!"

The law-abiding citizens of Gotham, who had been busy conducting some illegal transactions under the cover of night, had never seen such a spectacle. As the flying robots swept through the low altitude, they could only let out screams and instinctively crouch down, shielding their heads.

"Batman! Where are you? Come quickly, something’s wrong!"

When these people were doing bad deeds, they wished Batman didn't exist, but when faced with this kind of crisis, they had never longed for him more. Because, even if some refused to admit it, Batman had become a symbol—the guardian knight whom every Gothamite thought of when in danger.

When these robots first emerged from the blue light-voids, Barbara, stationed in the Batcave, had already monitored them. On the surface, she was sharing news of the robot invasion to the Bat-channel with a serious expression, while simultaneously directing the movements of the vigilantes.

However, in the internal Bat-channel:

[Can someone please comment on this? I mean, those blue teleportation voids—was it necessary to go to such lengths?]

Clearly, Barbara wasn't the only one finding this ridiculous. The current Robin, Tim, quickly joined the banter.

[To be fair, let’s discuss this rationally—Savage isn't an alien, is there any need for teleportation? Bruce’s desire to replicate the Battle of New York from the first Avengers movie is impossible to hide.]

[Don't be so hard on him. Didn't he give an explanation? Savage wants a surprise attack, so he created a teleportation array to let the robot army launch a raid—and with the technology of this ancient old monster who has lived for who knows how long, he could definitely build this.]

Nightwing, who had just joined the channel, was currently riding his beloved motorcycle, racing toward Gotham. Unfortunately, a major incident had occurred in Blüdhaven the previous day, and he had been forced to stay there until the very moment this important show was set to begin.

They had all seen Bruce’s script long ago. The primary villain chosen to stir up trouble was Vandal Savage; the process didn't matter, he was just a tool for the "Gotham Battle."

According to the script, the Bat-family would fight individually, and just as they were about to be overwhelmed, their future Justice League teammates would descend from the sky, work together, and successfully clear the dungeon.

It was a very common trope—so common that if it were filmed as a blockbuster movie without special effects, the plot would be utterly lackluster. But if the script were too complex, it would be hard for everyone to act out, and it would be difficult to control the collateral damage in Gotham.

However, even though Bruce had considered almost every aspect, some things were hard for human beings to control—

A middle-aged man rushing home tripped and fell. As he sat on the ground, struggling to get up, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine. A piece of robot debris, just exploded by Robin, was flying toward him, and it looked like it was about to impale him—

*Boom!*

The debris slammed into the corner of the wall.

The man, who had narrowly escaped, looked in shock at his savior—

It was Batman!

Batman didn't spare a glance at the man he had saved. After confirming he was fine, he vaulted over the wall and entered a deserted corner. He looked at the dense swarm of robots in the sky nearby, his expression both grave and puzzled. He reached for his grappling gun, preparing to head toward the center of the chaos, when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his injured arm and stumbled—

A pair of hands steadied him.

Before he could even turn around, a lighthearted male voice rang out from behind him.

"Hey, Bat! Looks like there’s some chaos going on here—need a hand?"

Batman paused almost imperceptibly, immediately shook off the arm supporting him, and turned to look at the man in red.

The Flash, dressed in red, was clearly rattled by the sharp, piercing gaze and stuttered instantly.

"Uh... I know Gotham is your city, but you need help right now, don’t you?"

As he spoke, he frantically poked Bruce in his mind.

[Why are you looking at me like that? We agreed to work together, right? Are you trying to pull some "Bat-style" playing hard to get? Is that how dedicated you are?]

As he said this, he looked with some awe at the overly realistic wound on Batman’s body. To be honest, the director seemed truly dedicated; this wound looked so real... Had the other party actually been injured for the sake of the performance?

The Flash felt a surge of respect.

Then, he turned his head and saw the black shadow standing on the wall behind him. And the question that rang out in his mind:

[Flash? What are you talking about? Who is that next to you?]

The Flash froze completely.

On the wall was Batman.

Then who, in the world, had he just been supporting?!