8 Everything Was Part of the Plan

Bruce had once wondered if Luthor was trying to sow discord by smearing Superman.

He had assumed the man was aiming to strike at the sensitive nerve between the public and the government—perhaps by eroding public trust in Superman or convincing the authorities to launch missiles at the Man of Steel.

What he never anticipated was that Luthor would take matters into his own hands, attempting to provoke Batman into fighting Superman.

To put it simply, he wanted Bruce to go after Clark—his childhood friend, his constant companion, and the only person in this world who truly stood by his side.

How to describe this notion? It was absurd, yet it possessed a sliver of twisted logic. After all, from Luthor’s perspective, he had no idea that Bruce and Clark were secretly colluding—or rather, acting in perfect harmony.

All Luthor knew was that Batman was scouring the globe for kryptonite capable of killing Superman. It was hardly surprising he would conclude that Batman held a deep-seated antipathy toward the Man of Steel.

On the surface, Metropolis’s Son of Tomorrow appeared in every corner of the globe to perform rescues, yet never once set foot in Gotham. Meanwhile, the Dark Knight kept his city locked down tight, never once crossing paths with Superman.

Who would believe that these two spoke to each other eighty thousand times a day in private?

If Bruce weren't one of those two, he wouldn't believe it either.

He sighed inwardly for someone, his blue eyes behind white lenses fixed steadily on Luthor.

Luthor looked incredibly confident, his already striking bald head practically reflecting the moonlight.

Clearly, Luthor was convinced that even if Batman didn't accept his offer of partnership, he would inevitably work against Superman in the shadows. And then, Luthor could seize the opportunity to stir up trouble and set the two at each other's throats.

Would Bruce shatter his illusions now?

No, of course not.

After a long moment, Batman seemed to have made his decision. His low, gravelly voice sounded like the embodiment of the city's nightmares.

"I’m afraid we aren't on the same path, Luthor. Until Superman truly poses a threat to humanity, I will merely continue to watch him."

Batman rejected the partnership, yet Luthor did not look discouraged; instead, he smiled.

"It is meaningless to wait for the charity of a false god. You will come to understand that eventually."

With that, he made no further attempt to persuade him and departed decisively.

Underneath his cowl, the look in Bruce’s eyes grew not relaxed, but increasingly grim.

Luthor’s tone and expression as he left left him feeling deeply uneasy. He seemed to have guessed what Luthor would do next.

Destroy public facilities and frame Superman?

No, that level of sabotage was too minor.

Could it be... murder?

Bruce gritted his teeth.

He had intentionally maintained an ambiguous stance on Superman—partly to fit the persona of Batman, and partly to leave Luthor with just enough hope to bait him into a trap.

But it seemed he had underestimated Luthor’s obsession with Superman.

If the man were willing to kill to frame Superman, could he truly foresee it and stop him in time?

After driving the Batmobile into the Batcave, he slammed the car door shut, his resolve hardened.

[Robin, monitor LexCorp around the clock, especially any anomalous financial expenditures. Oracle, try to tap into all of Luthor’s private conversations and phone calls. Notify me the moment you determine he’s about to make a move. And Clark, you do your best to eavesdrop as well. If you find him entering a room lined with lead, coordinate with Oracle over our mental link to figure out what he’s doing inside.]

To hell with caution. Just do it! Even if it meant exposing the unusual connection between him and Superman, he had to stop Luthor from hurting anyone!

Thus, through the combined efforts of many, Luthor’s plan was uncovered before it had even begun.

In the Batcave, Bruce clenched his fists, his expression dark.

The thought that the intelligence he’d just received indicated Luthor planned to stage a bombing and frame Superman made his blood boil.

"Although I haven't read any comics about Superman yet, I’ve already started to hate Luthor. He really is a loser."

He complained to Clark over the comms.

The man claimed that Superman threatened the interests of humanity, yet here he was, treating lives like ants.

"Necessary sacrifices," right? Huh?

Bruce loathed such self-righteous people.

He decided to make a drastic change to the script, planning to join forces with Clark to stage a mock duel ahead of schedule.

Luthor would certainly be interested in this unexpected development. Given his arrogant personality, he would undoubtedly be lured out of his hole to watch what he perceived as a death match between a god and a mortal.

Then, they could arrange for Barbara to send all the evidence they had gathered to the Metropolis Police Department, allowing them to swoop into LexCorp for a surprise inspection while Luthor was away!

As for him and Clark, they would "shake hands and make peace" on the scene after Barbara "notified" them that she had uncovered the truth of Luthor's framing, and then they would catch him in the act.

To prevent Luthor from making any impulsive moves, Bruce decided to make it quick: he would schedule the "fight" with Superman for tonight.

Clark had no objections to the plan, but he did have reservations.

[But I don't really have a reason to run to Gotham and challenge Batman to a duel right now, do I?]

Batman might have a momentary lapse in judgment and decide to test Superman’s threat level through a fight, but Superman wasn't being threatened by Luthor at the moment; he had no reason to answer a challenge from a vigilante who, in his eyes, was barely a colleague.

Bruce was confident.

[I’ve already thought of the reason for you. Remember to turn on the TV later and tune into these channels; they’ll be broadcasting doubts about the "vigilante justice" of Gotham’s masked hero. You just need to mutter to yourself something like, "I wonder if that bat has lost control," and then it’s perfectly reasonable for you to fly to Gotham to check on the situation, right? And it’s perfectly reasonable for you to get into a fight with me after I actively provoke you, isn't it?]

Clark: "..."

[What's wrong?]

[You...] Clark swallowed hard. [Have you really never seen *Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice*?]

[What’s that? A comic? Sounds like a movie.]

[It is a movie. I remember mentioning it to you before; you really don't pay attention to anything in that regard.]

Clark reflexively retorted, then shook his head in disbelief. [Your train of thought perfectly aligns with the villain’s plan in this movie...]

Could it be that the legendary line between genius and madman was truly so thin? He hadn't expected his childhood friend to have such a talent for being a villain.

Bruce took it as a compliment.

On a night in Gotham, the fully armored Batman confronted the Superman who had descended from the sky.

Sparks seemed to fly between them as they locked eyes; it appeared they were on the verge of an all-out war.

However, over the mental link:

[Luthor is in position.]

Tim, the Robin monitoring the area from afar, whistled. He could see that shiny bald head on a distant skyscraper.

[Hey, once this is over, we can finally get together and have a proper meal, right? I’ve been wanting to see Superman for a long time.]

[Oracle, hurry it up.] Batman gripped a Batarang, his tone over the mental link filled with a weary, hopeless resignation. [I hope we can "shake hands and make peace" before I completely destroy this suit, and then deal with Luthor... Alfred said if I wreck a third suit within a month, he’s going to make me eat vegetable salad for a straight month!]

The atmosphere seemed tense, but everything was under the actors' control; nothing could go wrong.

So at this stage, everyone—including Bruce, who had nearly developed anxiety—felt much more relaxed than before.

Meanwhile, in another universe, Batman was far from relaxed.

The Batmobile tore into the Batcave, and an infuriated Dark Knight stepped out.

He strode to the computer, ripped off his cowl, his graying temples showing that he was no longer young.

Yet, his eyes held a crushing pressure, accumulated over years of trauma, enough to strike fear into anyone who dared meet his gaze.

Today, while pursuing mobsters, he had run into Superman at a corner.

That damn alien had torn his car door off and threatened him with that tone!

—Of course, he conveniently ignored his own act of slamming on the gas.

Batman had an extraordinary need for control over his city, and Superman’s attempt to interfere had thoroughly enraged him.

If he hadn't fully made up his mind before, now, he believed that god-slaying was the only thing he should do!

Batman, face dark, began to intensify his search for kryptonite. Just then, his butler, who would never normally disturb him at such a time, connected to the internal channel.

"Master?" Batman swore it was the first time he had heard Alfred sound so uncertain.

"You really must see this... Good heavens! I dug this up from beside the villa. I always felt something was buried under there while I was gardening... God!"

"Alfred? What is it? What did you dig up?"

Batman had temporarily set aside his work and was preparing to head up. Alfred was his family; he was truly worried about his current state.

"No, I am fine." The usually calm and restrained butler finally composed himself, though he still sounded deeply conflicted. "Master, you must see this—I dug up a letter left by Master Thomas."

Batman’s footsteps slowed immediately.

It wasn't that he didn't think a letter written by his father was important, especially one buried by the lakeside villa; it must have contained something Thomas deemed vital at the time.

Perhaps some kind of time capsule... though was that even popular back then?

But for him, finding the kryptonite was the most pressing issue; everything else could wait. He also feared that if he read this letter and recalled the past, it might inadvertently shake his resolve to stake his life on killing a god.

"No, you must see this letter now, because I have already read it—" Alfred said, enunciating each word, "—it mentions Superman."

Batman’s pupils contracted sharply.

He reached the lakeside villa in record time. After taking the thin, yellowed sheet of paper from Alfred’s hand, he didn't scan it as he usually would, but read it word by word.

...And then, he fell into the most bewildered state he had ever experienced.

"I truly never imagined that the 'other me' was such a terrible father, letting Bruce don a dark costume and fall into such an isolated, helpless state... that even Alfred has become such a stranger to him. Could it be that I caused this?"

If even Alfred was a stranger, just how lonely was the Batman of that universe?

Batman dared not imagine. He was already lonely enough, and the other Batman, whom his father had caught a glimpse of through a twist of fate, seemed to be utterly alone.

He dared not imagine.

However, what he dared not think about most was—

"The 'me' of that universe calls him the Son of Tomorrow, the best of them all, the Superman who always brings hope."

"What kind of person could be worthy of me crowning him with such a title? Just how brilliant and extraordinary must he be for me to resolutely abandon Bruce? I do not understand."

Yes, I don't understand either.

Batman recalled the cape billowing like blood in the night, the indifferent gaze of the god looking down at him, and his utterly unreasonable demands.

Son of Tomorrow? The best one? The bringer of hope?

Is this describing Superman? Seriously? Which one of those adjectives fits at all?!

This description is even more exaggerated than those of the people who worship Superman as a god! Has the other Thomas been brainwashed?!