24 Two Bats

A cold drop of sweat slid down the Flash’s forehead... and then smeared against his mask.

The scene before him was like something out of a horror film—his companion stood right there, yet he heard that companion’s voice coming from behind.

He began to regret agreeing to play a two-player horror game with the genius earlier; now his mind was filled with strange notions of “doppelgängers” and “anomalies.”

By contrast, Bruce, having experienced journeys through parallel universes, remained far calmer.

The moment he saw the black cape billowing, he guessed that the Batman beside the Flash was likely a counterpart from a parallel world.

The memory of being stranded on another Earth, struggling alone to script a scenario with only two useless allies, was still fresh in Bruce’s mind, and he felt a wave of darkness sweep over him.

Damn it. Now, this keen Big Bat had flown straight to his old lair. He couldn’t just improvise like he did in someone else’s world; without physical evidence or witnesses, any flaw in his story would be exposed in an instant.

This was maddening! How much time had even passed? How many times had this happened? Was this world riddled with holes like a sieve? If it was already this broken, maybe it was better to destroy it physically!

Of course, complaints aside, Bruce immediately tried to contact the World Mind, attempting to eject this intruder who didn’t belong here.

...Only to despair upon realizing that until now, the other party had always been the one reaching out to him. He had no idea how to summon the boss, who was constantly bugging out, to clean up this mess!

Bruce silently vowed never to work for a boss who only drew castles in the air and never fixed bugs again in his next life.

All these events unfolded within the realm of consciousness; in reality, only two seconds had passed, but there was no time to delay.

He noticed the Batman’s nerves were stretched taut.

Knowing that continuing this “who blinks first loses” game would cause a character out-of-control moment, Bruce decisively dropped down from the wall.

“Welcome to Gotham, Flash,” his voice was deep and steady, yet strangely urgent.

“But the current situation isn’t suitable for hosting you...”

“No, no, no!” The Flash finally relaxed, his mind coming back online.

Bruce had just told him telepathically to ignore the suddenly appearing Batman and to keep following the script to fight the villains.

Only then did he realize: to everyone else, Gotham was in crisis, and he was here to help.

So, no matter if this mysterious Batman had traveled through time, been reborn, or was artificially created, saving Gotham was the priority. He could afford to ignore him for now!

With that thought, the Flash felt a wave of clarity, silently grateful to Bruce for staying behind to bear the pressure alone while letting him leave first.

He barely glanced at the Batman beside him, quickly saying, “I’m here to help. It sounds like someone is calling for me over there; I’ll check it out,” then dashed off like a streak of red lightning, leaving two caped warriors standing there, exchanging bewildered looks.

---

A cold wind blew, causing Bruce’s cape to flutter, mirroring the turmoil in his heart.

True, he had just hinted to the Flash to leave that extra Batman aside and fight the villains together...

But the key word was “together”! Why did that unreliable fellow slip away first, leaving him behind alone?

Now Bruce felt a tingle of dread creeping over him.

He had never minded playing Batman before, but now he hated himself for not having super speed like Superman or Flash. At this moment, running away might not even be possible.

But what must come will come.

Since the plan to escape with Flash had failed, Bruce gritted his teeth and forced himself to speak with this Batman.

“We need to talk, but not now—Gotham is in danger.”

“I understand,” the Batman nodded.

He looked far more battered than any Batman Bruce had met before, his armor scarred as if he had just endured a fierce battle.

Yet his eyes remained sharp, razor-like, without a trace of wear.

“But my Gotham is also in danger—Scarecrow, allied with someone calling themselves the Arkham Knight, is leading a mercenary force to seize Gotham. Scarecrow plans to unleash a new version of his fear toxin on the city. I must get back as soon as possible.”

Scarecrow?

Bruce immediately pictured a man wearing a bizarre knitted mask.

This fellow was one of his arch-enemies, known for his abstract, almost artistic methods.

In fact, many of Gotham’s infamous villains favored the abstract: some liked raising penguins, others dreamed of joining the circus, and there was even one extremely politically correct eco-extremist...

Who would have thought these abstract villains could actually take over Gotham in a parallel universe?

Bruce felt a chill, grateful that most supervillains in his universe were mere actors with limited lethality, yet he empathized deeply with this Batman’s anxiety—

Gotham was calling for her knight, but he could not reach her side immediately.

Bruce sighed, a weight settling on his heart.

He couldn’t contact the World Mind now, unable to help him return.

All he could do was offer a weak excuse he himself didn’t believe: “I have to deal with those damned machine armies first. As for helping you get back to your universe, maybe others can come up with a plan...”

---

“Wow.”

A light, teasing male voice accompanied the sound, causing both bats to look up in near-perfect synchronization.

A man emitting a faint green glow descended from the sky, watching the two bats standing at the gate with a mixture of surprise and amusement.

“Two old bats? Honestly, this sounds more like the start of a nightmare.”

Silence.

Bruce’s expression was blank, but inside he was nearly losing his mind: he’d always known Green Lantern was unreliable, but usually his antics were reserved for teammates—not in front of the real deal! He’d better shape up before he got two out-of-character warnings!

Unfortunately, perhaps due to his character’s inherently loquacious unreliability, Green Lantern never received any such warnings.

Instead, Bruce quickly caught the meaningful gaze of the Batman.

“You really just let these tight-suited freaks fly around Gotham?”

Green Lantern gasped exaggeratedly, deciding he hated his former idol Batman for a moment.

“Hey, old bat, are you talking about yourself?”

He smirked wickedly.

Suddenly, a large green hand materialized from thin air, lifting both bats together and soaring rapidly toward Gotham Bay.

“!”

Batman, unfamiliar with Green Lantern’s full powers, was caught off guard and lost his advantage, quickly ascending to a height where his grappling hook was useless.

He glared darkly at Green Lantern and silently drafted a plan: once back in his own Gotham, after dealing with Scarecrow and the Arkham Knight, he would investigate superheroes from other cities, learning their strengths and weaknesses.

No matter what, his Gotham would never welcome glowing, flying super-powered interlopers!

---

Meanwhile, at Arkham’s Seaside City...

Hal: Achoo! Who missed me? It must be little Bear, right? Hahaha, it can’t be the gloomy Big Bat, can it?

Batman is watching you (cross-universe edition)!