Chapter 19, Chapter 19, what's going on with the players? Don't mess around...
Wen Yue wasn't the real Batman after all. When a completely unexpected situation occurred, she had no backup plan A, B, C... The only way to win that she could think of at that moment was deus ex machina—to have the world's consciousness possess her and fight with cheat codes.
However, she suddenly realized that she had no way to actively contact the world consciousness. The only way was when Bruce Wayne's original body was in mortal danger, at which point the [Synchronization Ascension] mode would be passively triggered, and the world consciousness would activate its auto-play function to help her fight.
Wen Yue glanced at the distance between her clone and Wayne Manor. The Batman clone wouldn't be able to get there in time to provide support, so she had no choice but to grit her teeth, put on the nano bat armor, and leave the spot.
Players don't have many usable weapons in their inventory, only flashbangs, stun guns, and a bomb that can indiscriminately injure both friend and foe (Deathstroke exclusive).
Surprisingly, there weren't many claws surrounding Batman; no more than ten could be seen. A strange premonition quietly grew in Wen Yue's heart.
What was initially thought to be an imminent, thrilling showdown turned into a chaotic battle. In reality, the Claws fought with extreme restraint and hesitation, posing no threat to Wen Yue's life and preventing the player from summoning the World Consciousness to fight for them. Despite the enemy holding the upper hand and constantly pressuring the player, the Claws retreated quickly after a short while.
This left Wen Yue completely bewildered, and her confusion continued until she saw the empty isolation room.
Wen Yue was stunned and immediately turned pale with shock. Oh no, she'd lost Dick! Damn the Court of Owls, what's wrong with the players? Don't mess with Dick!
The enemy's target was Dick, and this feint caught her completely off guard. By the time she realized what was happening, Dick had already been taken away by the enemy for an unknown period of time. Any later, and the entire process of brainwashing and reawakening him into a ruthless killer would probably have been completed.
No? The Claws have already pinned the player to the ground and are beating them up. Why would they need to use a diversionary tactic? Aren't you giving her too much credit?
Standing alone in the desolate Batcave, Wen Yue felt a sudden sense of despair. Just then, Batman's clone finally arrived, albeit belatedly. She quickly handed the nanotech armor to the clone; the armor provided stat boosts, further enhancing the clone's combat abilities. The player, controlling the clone, relentlessly pursued the courtroom's trail. The game map continuously displayed Dick's location. Batman sped through traffic lights and crashed through numerous obstacles, shaking off the police encirclement, and arrived at the sewer entrance.
Traffic laws and stuff, is this the time to discuss that? It's a matter of life and death, why bother with obeying the law? If there's a problem, just go to Wayne Enterprises for reimbursement. Players lack everything except money. Everyone knows Batman is backed by Wayne Enterprises.
Gotham's sewers are a favorite among locals. Supervillains like Killer Croc and Grandi have made their home there, and the Court of Owls, currently under investigation, has also established a base there. Even Batman has dug several Batcave holes in the sewers. You could say that you can find almost anything in Gotham's sewers, except for the fact that you can't find your way around.
The Batmobile braked sharply, and Batman was ejected from the car, leaping into the sewers and landing at the entrance to the courthouse base.
It felt like stepping down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland, with the surrounding light brightening and the scenery becoming bizarre and fantastical. Chaotic, distorted, muttering, laughing, and twisted sounds came from the speakers through the computer.
Like a hallucination caused by eating too many poisonous mushrooms, the distorted images and sounds made Wen Yue, who was controlling the device from a distance, feel irritated. She found that she seemed to be a little dizzy from 3D.
Wen Yue turned down the volume, but somehow the noisy sound from the speakers suddenly disappeared. "I didn't mute it..." she scratched her head in confusion, then turned the volume up again. The Bat computer monitor froze for three seconds before flickering and going black, the main character on the computer screen gradually being swallowed by darkness.
Wen Yue's hand trembled, and she began to wonder if she had accidentally pressed some button. After checking, she still found no problem.
Like any appliance with a faulty connection, she patted the computer and tower until her hands were practically falling apart, but to no avail. Who unplugged her network cable?
A sense of utter despair, a feeling of helplessness, suddenly surfaced: "What happened? I've lost contact with my clone."
The missing person has finally returned, and Wen Yue turns around and questions him: "What happened? Is your computer so bad? It crashed halfway through the game!" It's definitely not the player's fault!
After reviewing the system logs, the World Consciousness understood everything and was speechless with emotion. It was indeed not the player's fault; Barbatos had intervened. The last image recorded in the logs showed a twisted, indescribable force dragging Batman into the depths of darkness.
—Barbatos, all he does is steal other people's Batman. Doesn't he have his own Batman?
[Your clone is offline; the quality is too poor. We suggest you rework it.] Wen Yue turned the tables, demanding defiantly despite her lack of confidence: [Get me a new clone right now; I urgently need to save someone!]
【No.】Do you think clones like Batman are as common as cabbages? The universe is steadily rising, and the world's consciousness and humanity are deepening, almost driving players to become the source of their吐槽 (tu cao, a form of online commentary/criticism).
Wen Yue rummaged through the player's inventory, looking for anything that might be useful. Hearing this, she looked up and said, "So what do we do now? Dick's been arrested by the court, and we can't contact his clone. How about you possess my body and fight for him to bring him back?"
No. The Owl Court is Barbatos's home ground now; I can't get in.
【So, do you have any ideas on how to save Dick?】 Wen Yue was powerless. Dick was in grave danger, but blindly going there would only be suicide for her. She should ask the cheat provider for their opinion first.
There's no need.
"What?" A look of surprise flashed across Wen Yue's eyes as she wondered if she had misheard.
"There's no need to save Dick." The World Consciousness repeated clearly.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Wen Yue slammed her hand on the desk, her knuckles turning white. "Did those claws just now steal your brain? Or did you eat too many poisonous mushrooms? What rubbish are you spouting? What do you mean there's no need to save Dick?"
"If you want a Robin, I can bring over a Damian." The world consciousness answered irrelevantly, believing it had grasped the player's true desires.
Her arrogance, stemming from a world consciousness, was unconsciously on full display. Her gentle emotions were abruptly extinguished as if doused with cold water, then rebounded sharply, her face becoming calm and devoid of any anger or joy—this was the true sign of her anger.
The world's consciousness, completely oblivious, continued its persuasion, like coaxing a fussy child: "Don't worry too much. I've found a spare Damian in another world. That world is very close to ours, and I can soon bring him here to be your Robin..."
[Sometimes I'm really curious, am I the player, or are you? In your eyes, is Dick just an NPC representing Robin's identity?] Wen Yue interrupted the world consciousness's words, her voice suddenly turning cold, her expression calm and composed to the point of being terrifying.
[Wen Yue.] This was the first time the world's consciousness had called a player by name. It said solemnly, [In the destiny of this world, Dick should have ceased to exist long ago.]
[The true history of this world originally began after Dick's parents died. Dick traveled alone to the location of the murderer, and both he and the murderer perished. He is still alive because of my intervention, which altered his original destiny. The power of the world has left a blessing upon him to protect his mind and soul.]
Dick's only purpose was to infiltrate the Court of Owls as a claw, helping me uncover Barbatos's plans—his greatest blessing was simply being alive, and now he was merely returning to his original fate.
Wen Yue laughed in anger, only then realizing the meaning behind all the previous signs.
The World Consciousness and Barbatos, one sees Dick as a pawn, the other as a weapon. When Wen Yue first met Dick, the World Consciousness described him as "recycling," while Barbatos, behind the Owl Court, treated him as "using."
No one treated Dick as an independent, free individual. They were the controllers, the rulers; to the world consciousness and Barbatos, Dick was merely a tool in their power struggle. They viewed humanity's insignificance through the vastness of the universe, never considering that the world encompassed not only the cosmos but also the life within it. They didn't understand that "a tree that can be embraced grows from a tiny sprout; a nine-story tower rises from a mound of earth," that the vast and profound天地 (heaven and earth) are composed of the minutiae of life; they didn't understand that "having traversed the universe, one's heart is boundless; yet, observing ants, one's thoughts are profound," that even in understanding the macrocosm of the world, one cannot forget the minute details; they didn't understand that "having witnessed the vastness of the universe, one still cherishes the green of grass and trees," that even after witnessing the universe and the grand, expansive world, one should still cherish the small, ordinary lives.
The essence of life is actually no different; all things will one day perish, including us, including them, including everything in the world. Arrogance is their greatest source of failure. In fact, neither world consciousness nor Barbatos is inherently a great and invincible being.
In DC Comics, there's a case of Barbatos' failed invasion. He was ultimately bound to the bottom of the Dark Multiverse by the Justice League, chained to chains made of the tenth metal by the Super Monitor. In that timeline, Barbatos was defeated by the ants he despised most. He is forever imprisoned in those inescapable chains, forced to watch the World Forge burn again, creating new worlds.
"In your eyes, am I just like him, merely a dispensable tool?" Wen Yue asked sarcastically. He possessed freedom in the world, yet he wasn't truly free. Perhaps, like Dick, the player appeared free, but in reality, he was not in control of his own destiny.
The World Consciousness finally recognized Wen Yue's anger from her emotions. Its initial intention was simply to comfort her. Although somewhat puzzled, it still took the initiative to express its sincerity: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to use you as a tool. It's just that regarding Dick, I truly am powerless. Barbatos has completely taken control of the base where the Court of Owls is located, and I cannot infiltrate areas shrouded by His dark power."
The World Consciousness frankly stated: "Batman's clone has been taken by Barbatos. Once it completely devours the fragment of this world's authority contained within that clone, this universe's defenses will crumble. At that point, Barbatos can easily invade this universe. If it were possible, I would very much like to help you enter the Court of Owls; our interests are actually aligned: rescuing Dick and bringing back the clone. However, I cannot do it. Even if you went, you would surely lose, and might never return."
Hearing the explanation from the World Consciousness, Wen Yue's expression softened slightly. "World Consciousness, I am not truly a Fourth Calamity. Because this world is not a game, and my life is not just about winning and losing. Someone is waiting for me. No matter what, I will go and try my luck in the Court of Owls, regardless of the outcome."
"We must always fight, the world consciousness." Wen Yue spoke her mind without reservation, saying sincerely, "If we compromise this time, then what? Find a substitute? And the next one? The next Jason, the next Tim, even the next player… Perpetual avoidance, perpetual compromise, and we've already lost in terms of momentum. Because we lack the certainty of victory, we never have the courage to fight? If we keep thinking like this, we'll never win."
A rational approach is only effective when making very small decisions. As for changing the future, there are no standard answers, and Wen Yue must take risks. Even amidst storms, the journey continues. She wants to be a responsible person; avoidance is never the answer to problems, facing them head-on is.
If Barbatos were to gain access and invade this world without hindrance, it would still be destroyed, still dragged into darkness. Therefore, it doesn't matter whether we have a chance of winning now; we must face the challenge head-on, we have no way out. True courage isn't about possessing intimidating weapons or a guaranteed winning formula. Courage is knowing you might lose before you even begin, yet still doing it, and persevering to the end no matter what, living out possibilities within the unchangeable. While victory is rare, it does happen.
Her tone was firm: "I only want to be able to face the end without shame, without becoming numb, without giving up, and with the will to fight to the very end." Like a person of principle, she told herself that she was not a coward; she had done everything she could. No matter how powerful the forces of darkness, they could not make her yield, nor could they make her remain silent and endure this moment.
Wen Yue cannot retreat, for behind her lies the world, Jason, Dick, even Tim, and the supporters within the Wayne Enterprises, as well as all her family and friends in this world. No matter what lies ahead, she cannot run away; she must move forward, confront Barbatos's threat, reclaim what rightfully belongs to this world, bravely face the abyss, and ignite eternity with sacrifice.
A note from the author:
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*How the Steel Was Tempered
*I want to be happy, not necessarily normal.
*To Kill a Mockingbird
*Don Quixote
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