Chapter 39: Batman's Deepest Dilemma (?)
The seasons cycle endlessly, and those destined to meet will meet again. No matter which path you take, they all lead to the same destination; all that is lost will return in another form.
Bruce Wayne makes his debut, accompanied by the now-legendary Batman. With his sophisticated and targeted strategies for dealing with different criminals, he wipes out Gotham's troublesome criminals overnight, striking fear into the hearts of all evil and single-handedly suppressing Gotham's dark side.
Batman then stops Dick from turning into claws, saves Tim's father and family, and together they overcome numerous obstacles, gradually assembling the Bat-Family... Everything is as perfect as it can be.
The scene before them abruptly vanished, and everyone's consciousness sank to solid ground, as if it had been just yesterday. It turned out that Wen Yue, sensing something was wrong, had finally severed the connection to their consciousness. They dared not share Anti-Life Equation data again; the players had intended to loot the boss's equipment, but instead, they had looted their own and the world's consciousness.
It's just that Wen Yue discovered it too late; the big movie playing on the other side was already nearing its end. The players were on the verge of tears: nothing is more heartbreaking than despair. Earth is no longer a place to stay; it's time to say goodbye to this world.
Wen Yue smiled with relief, her only thought for a moment being to ride the wind and return home. Goodbye everyone, the player is setting sail tonight. A sense of shame was stirring within her; the only consolation was that no one had yet seen the specific details of the player's memories after logging in, nor witnessed the player's various outrageous antics. Otherwise, she would have been utterly mortified. The player's true form was gone, and now she didn't even dare to use a clone. It was good that no one could see her true state; let her simply drift away with the wind.
Players who were previously inhuman are now too afraid to be human. Wen Yue is thinking of abandoning Gotham Bay again. Please, please, let the world spare the players! She just wants to go home immediately, or cast a spell of oblivion to save the players.
The password! Why was she so eager to show off? She insisted on showing the others the backend data of the equation, but due to improper operation, she turned the data into a self-inflicted torture device. How did she end up opening the box herself and even affecting the world's consciousness? Sometimes I really want to call the police (hug myself). This mistake will leave the player with a lifelong psychological shadow.
It's all the fault of the evil Barbatos!
The power of the Anti-Life Equation has been completely converted and absorbed by the Angelic Halo, and the halo's external energy charging progress is now 100%. This wave of players has made a fortune, and Wen Yue is very satisfied.
The Anti-Life Equation has been renamed and transformed into the Life Equation by an external power-up. The brainwashing of the superheroes has also been lifted, and all the superheroes, even the vampires, have regained their senses. They are filled with guilt and self-blame when they think about their experiences of being manipulated, especially Nightwing and Barbara, who are like two children who have done something wrong.
Batman stepped forward and gave Nightwing and Barbara a hug, a gesture of relief at having found them again. The other members of the Bat-Family patted the two on the shoulder in comfort.
A glint of light appeared in Dick's dull eyes, and his gaze regained its lively sparkle. He stood there, stunned, as if he had just woken from a long dream—a dream of an infinitely rebooting world and Bruce's silent protection. The dream was so real that it didn't seem like a dream at all; it felt like a true story that had actually happened in the world.
Dick remembered that before entering the dream, he was still confronting his enemy, and the next second when he opened his eyes, the battle was over. Dick's gaze fell on the blade he was tightly gripping in his hand, the edge stained with mottled blood, and he felt a dull ache all over his body, as if he had been beaten up in his dream.
An unseen embrace came from behind, a warm current spreading from the point of contact, and in an instant, the wounds and pain on his body disappeared. The real touch was not what he had imagined. Dick heard a gentle and soothing voice, "Don't be afraid, no one died, no one was hurt. Everything went smoothly, we won."
Everything was just right; justice triumphed over evil once again, and the players saved the world as usual.
A hero in a standard blue and red color scheme rapidly approached from afar, landing steadily beside Batman with a wave of air.
“Bruce…” Superman hesitated, then stopped.
Batman silently patted Superman on the shoulder; he said nothing, yet it was as if he had said everything.
The wind has stopped, the sky has cleared, and Superman is back. Players don't even want to criticize him; this Superman really needs to go back and reflect on why he's always so late to the party. He always disconnects at crucial moments and is never useful in times of crisis.
[The Fourth Calamity]: Clark, after the battle just now, I have some insights and have come up with a wonderful set of moves. Would you like to experience it?
[Happy Hero]: I'm sorry, I was wrong. I thought I'd be back soon and it wouldn't have much of an impact...
[The Fourth Calamity]: Five Consecutive Lightning Whips.JPG
[Red Date Dafu]: Where are you when I woke up? Where did you hide in the group chat? @Fourth Disaster
[Red Date Dafu]: Also, why are other people looking at me so strangely?
[Fourth Calamity]: Uh, I'm nearby, but everyone should have their own space. Let me be alone for a while. I want to be quiet.
[The Fourth Natural Disaster]: The three great illusions in life: She (he) is looking at me, She (he) likes me, I am so handsome.
[Red Date Daifuku]: Get lost!
[Duck Detective]: Bruce, there's something I'm not sure if I should say, but what I just saw...
[The Fourth Calamity]: Don't talk about it, get out!
[Sweetheart Wings]: Bruce, I also saw some of those images just now...
[The Fourth Calamity]: Okay, we'll talk about it later.
The hypocritical player is as despicable as ever.
...
[Happy Superman]: So what did I miss?
Jason also wanted to know about this.
Superman took over the aftermath, imprisoning Wonder Woman, Hal Cyborg, and Melinda back in the Watchtower. Batman imprisoned Nightwing and Barbara back in the Batcave. Compared to last time, each side had one or two more people imprisoned. It's like the Calabash Brothers rescuing their grandfather—the more they rescue, the more there are. If this continues a few more times, the superheroes will probably have their homes raided.
Morning light streamed gently through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating a corner of the bedsheet. Bruce, who had been up all night dealing with the aftermath, staggered back to his room with a water glass in his hand, looking like a lost soul. Moments after he entered, the sound of breaking glass could be heard.
Damian, who was doing his usual morning exercise, quickly appeared, followed by Cassandra. Dick and Jason, who had just woken up, also came over to check the situation. Seeing the crowd gathered, Red Hood also came to join in the fun, arriving at the scene of the drama without delay.
Damian kicked open the door with his knife, standing on either side of Cassandra like doormen, their sharp eyes scanning the surroundings. "An enemy attack?"
Jason and Dick, two cats peeking out from behind, furtively peered through the door, while Red Hood was openly revealed.
The morning light was bright, revealing the entire room. Bruce's hand rested on the edge of the table, where a water glass lay shattered, water splashed everywhere.
There was also a Batman figure in full uniform on the bed, sprawled out on the bed, taking up the whole space. When the noise woke him up, he propped his head up and squinted at the bed with sleepy eyes.
Cassandra summarized the situation: "Two Bruces."
Red Hood questioned, "What's going on?"
Jason reasonably speculated: "Bruce has mitosis?"
Still half asleep, Wen Yue asked, "Hmm?"
Dick's eyes lit up.
“TT.” Damian’s hand holding the knife slowly fell.
"Why are you in my bed?" Exhausted Bruce was wide awake.
Wen Yue's mind went blank, but she remained honest as always: "I wanted to change to some low-key new character skins, but I didn't have any in my game inventory, so I came here to take a look." The player was currently wearing the old version of the Bat Armor that her clone had originally worn. After transforming into a physical form yesterday, she wanted to find some casual clothes to wear.
"But this bed is big and soft and no one's here. Isn't this ironic invitation?" So the player sprawled out and took a nap. "I closed my eyes and opened them again and here I am. I'm helpless. I just made the mistake that everyone who's sleepy makes."
Everyone: "..." This is hard to judge.
"You disappeared all night, just to sleep here?" Jason, the only one kept in the dark, simply assumed the player had been slacking off. He urged the player to get up quickly and draw back the curtains to let light into the room.
Wen Yue covered her mouth and yawned, only to realize that she hadn't even taken off her helmet while sleeping. The player skillfully bent down and removed it, her soft, black hair swaying. Her eyelids fluttered slightly as she lifted her clear, gentle azure eyes. The physiological tears in her eyes reflected the light, creating a shimmering effect. The sunlight fell unobstructed on her handsome face, making her fair skin appear translucent, as if she were glowing, radiant for a moment.
"Wow!" Someone exclaimed from the bottom of their heart, overwhelmed by the beauty filter.
Wen Yue tilted her head in confusion. Everyone looked so serious; it seemed the player had just hallucinated.
Jason, engrossed in drawing the curtains, didn't notice the commotion. He was still rambling on about yesterday: "Bruce, I heard you used your last bit of energy to heal me after I passed out? Actually, you could have just put me in the Lhasa Pool afterwards, and there wouldn't have been any aftereffects."
Jason looked at his counterpart across from him, seeking validation: "Right? The other me."
The man in the red hood standing at the door fell into an eerie silence.
Damian, holding his knife, mercilessly refuted, "Hmph, who said there were no aftereffects? He suffered quite a few aftereffects. Soaking in the Lhasa Lake directly damaged his brain, leaving him with dementia for a whole year."
Jason and Damian stared at each other, puzzled: "The Lhasa Pool can damage the brain?" Does it have such a side effect? As far as he knew, the pool water only drove people insane.
"With Batman helping you, of course there are no side effects." Damian crossed his arms, holding the knife, and turned his head disdainfully.
Jason was even more confused and tried to clarify: "How could he help me? Didn't I have to do all of this myself?" He hadn't even met Batman yet.
Wen Yue's lips twitched. "Please don't mistake illusions for reality, please don't project false images onto the player, and please don't connect experiences from other worlds to the player. The player is innocent, without any hidden grievances, nor any lofty experiences or status; just an ordinary, unremarkable member of the Fourth Calamity."
This matter needs to be clarified sometime; it can't be delayed any longer. We can't let these people continue to make wild guesses and fill in the blanks like this. They need to shut up!
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