Chapter 196 [Extra] Diverse Travel 4 [Extra]
Megan and the Joker sat in the back seat of the car. She leaned on the window curiously to look at the scenery outside. Noticing her actions, Bruce slowed down the car slightly. They drove out of Gotham City, crossed the Robert Kane Memorial Bridge, and then passed through an uninhabited wilderness before arriving at Wayne Manor.
The car stopped outside the manor with a distinct Gothic style. Arthur got out of the car and first lent a hand to Megan, helping her down.
Megan stood firm and jumped on the spot. She looked at Bruce, and suddenly her eyes passed over him and saw Alfred who was walking towards her slowly. She smiled softly and happily, and greeted the old butler who looked more amiable with age: "Afu!" Although it was Afu from a different world, he was obviously old and his hair was too gray, but Megan still felt close to him.
For Alfred, this was an intimate enough name. He watched the whole thing in the Batcave and barely understood it to these two visitors from another world.
Because Bruce's decision to invite these two special guests to live in Wayne Manor, or to supervise them nearby, was undoubtedly a risky move. Although it was proposed by the Joker, when Batman was still hesitating, it was Alfred who took the initiative to agree.
He understood Bruce's concerns, knowing he didn't want to leave this ticking time bomb in Gotham City, lest it be triggered by other factors. Given the Joker's attitude, he also had to ensure the safety of the children around him, and ideally, not separate them... How many places could be selected based on these criteria? Very few.
So is Wayne Manor, as proposed by the Joker, suitable? Perhaps it is, but Bruce needs to bear all the risks that the Joker has, or rather, bear them all by himself, by this manor that has already been destroyed once, and by the people he cares about.
This is a huge sacrifice.
Because of the Joker's danger, as soon as Bruce noticed the Joker's abnormality, he decisively told the other vigilantes who received the message not to go there anymore. He encrypted the only surveillance there and fully turned on the Batcomputer's defense system to prevent the leakage of information about the Joker from the other world, and also wanted to warn his younger companions.
When he realized the danger, he was always reluctant to involve others, but he was not a feudal patriarch. When he rushed to Gotham City, because Batgirl, Red Robin and Robin had already discovered the abnormality, he briefly explained the cause of the incident to them, but he wanted them to stay outside for the time being.
Once an accident happens, such as when the Joker tries to target the Bat-type vigilantes, they will not be caught in one fell swoop, and the members who remain outside will be strong backup. Perhaps after knowing this information, there will still be young people who are ignorant of the world and try to cross the obstacles he set up and come back, but this is at least a heavy guarantee.
Bruce had many concerns at the time, but Alfred agreed first. The old butler knew how dangerous the career of the children he was raising was. He himself had had unusual experiences when he was young. As he grew older and his vision gradually improved, he realized that the clown was a madman like the clowns in this world, but the children around him did not show any signs of disguise.
The child named Megan is innocent, soft, and has the resilience of life. The Joker was able to raise her into what she is now. The most important thing is to take good care of her mental state in Arkham, a place full of crazy people. The effort and energy required is definitely not small, and she may have never seen darkness.
——For children who grew up around clowns but never experienced those bad things, it is clear what it means.
Unlike Bruce, Alfred chose to believe the child. He didn't have much affection for the clown from another world, but when he turned his gaze to the child who greeted him enthusiastically, he returned a kind smile and asked gently, "Miss Megan?"
He just greeted her, and the child followed him like a little tail. However, she seemed to not know how to respond to the old housekeeper who didn't know her from a different world. She could only stare at him, unable to say a word.
Alfred smiled and said, "Knowing that guests are coming, I have prepared snacks and hot tea. Would you like to try some?" With just one sentence, he took Megan away and made her follow him without looking back.
Arthur raised his eyebrows slightly, but he didn't say anything to stop her. Instead, he sighed with Bruce, "...She's just like that."
What's she like?
If there was something more important, she would abandon her old father and run away. But isn't this proof of having enough security? The older she gets, the healthier she becomes, and the more complete her self is, the further away she is from him. But he watched the child walk for a while, and before reaching the door, she turned back and grabbed the clown's hand, "Can you please not be mean to Alfred, Jason, and Bruce here?"
Her eyes were clear and bright, full of vitality. "Dad, this is a bit of a strange journey, and I want to spend it completely with you." She always expressed her love and asked for love directly, and was extremely confident that everything she would get was what she wanted.
This was a child who had been spoiled and indulged into a habit. Seeing how self-righteous she was, Arthur smiled at her, bent down and gently pinched her cheek. "Ah, you always give me problems. Wait, don't rush to hit me." He placed his palm against her forehead and said slowly, "You don't even have this little patience, and yet you still want me to agree to you."
Megan, who was prevented from headbutting him in advance, didn't feel guilty at all. She said to him seriously: "Then answer me quickly. What if we are not together when we go back? Then you will abandon me."
"Oh my God! Who told you I was going to lose you? That's really unreasonable."
Megan didn't even put her heart into pretending to be pitiful, and the same went for Arthur. It was obvious at this point that they were somewhat similar, and the word "unreasonable" was obviously referring to a certain child, pushing her back.
Megan took his hand off her forehead and shook it slightly, "Well, you will never leave me, then it's a deal~" She felt happy because she was compromised, and ran back to Alfred and left with him.
Arthur, who stayed where he was, complained to Bruce, "Look at her, she's been spoiled by me!"
Bruce truly didn't know how to respond in this situation. Sharing parenting tips with the Joker? How mad must the world be for what he was experiencing to happen? Yet, nothing could be faked. The Joker was incredibly patient with his child, even coaxing her, giving her a sense of security, and even compromising on her behalf, things that seemed impossible for a Joker.
Even though he had raised and taught several girls, they were all very different from Megan, with very different personalities, so the way he treated them, his expectations, and his attitude would also be different. Finally, he asked a seemingly unrelated question, "...What mental illness does she have? Are you treating her?"
“Autism.”
Arthur watched Megan's figure disappear through the door. The smile on his face made it impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry or any other emotion. He said, "It's incredible, right? I actually raised such a child, but you don't know how pitiful she was at the beginning, like a little mouse." She was always hiding here and there, and then getting herself covered in dust.
But Arthur didn't plan to say more about the past and Megan's illness. He followed slowly, leaving Bruce standing by the car door.
…
Wayne Manor in this world was not very fun for Megan because without her good friend Jason, even though Alfred was taking care of her, it was still a lot less fun. She also didn't really want to play games. After having dinner with Arthur and Bruce, she said to Arthur, "Dad, I want a toy doll."
But now the father and daughter are still living under someone else's roof!
Megan watched Arthur pull out his empty pockets. Even though he said nothing, her meaning was clear. So she went to ask Alfred. The old butler was in the kitchen putting the dishes and cutlery into the dishwasher. Hearing the child, who was only waist-high, making a request, he smiled kindly and said, "Miss Megan, is there anything you would like?"
"You can call me Xiaomei, Afu," Megan said before answering the question: "I want a teddy bear, a white teddy bear."
It was just a small request, and Alfred agreed easily and brought the gift to Megan before she went to bed.
Megan and Arthur lived in two adjacent guest rooms. When she finished washing up and was ready to go to bed, she took the small pills Arthur gave her. She heard a knock on the door outside. When Megan went to open the door, she saw Arthur who showed no sign of washing up.
Megan had already changed into long, plush pajamas. Her already curly hair had been braided during the day, so when it was left loose at night, it became even more fluffy and fluffy, like a black marshmallow. She tilted her head in confusion, and then she heard Arthur ask her in an excited tone, "Want to go exploring, Megan? That's definitely a fairy tale world that will amaze you!"
But he was obviously going to do something bad, and Megan showed suspicion on her face, and then she heard him continue: "I have made concessions for you, now it's your turn to compromise for me."
Even if he was planning something bad on Batman, so what? At least he wasn't trying to kill them all! It was just a joke.
"Then I won't go to bed on time tonight?" Megan asked behind him. You know, her previous schedule was regular, with only very few exceptions.
Arthur: "I promise to finish all this before eleven o'clock, and I won't let your growth be affected by lack of sleep." He didn't say anything nice, but Megan didn't get too angry. It was a fact that she grew slowly, so she just snorted at her father.
In the Batcave under Wayne Manor, Batman is sorting out information about the Joker and Megan from another world. Because Robin who is away is clamoring to come back, he hands over all the ongoing affairs in Gotham City that need to be handled to Red Robin and Batgirl. He also communicates with the troublemakers, asking them to stop Robin and hold on until at least tomorrow before coming back.
If this clown was restless, it was inevitable that he would take action on the first night after arriving at Wayne Manor. He had already made preparations and set up arrangements in the manor. On the other hand, many of those arrangements needed to be ensured to avoid accidental injuries, which required him to monitor them at all times.
While he was busy, Red Hood stood beside him with his hands folded, without any intention of sharing his burden. In fact, it was rare for them to get along so peacefully. Batman didn't mind his inaction, because his mere presence made his attitude clear.
Red Hood looked at the code instructions flashing rapidly on the huge computer screen and asked, "Hasn't the information of 'Megan Damon' been retrieved yet?"
If the clown from another universe has already arrived, then it wouldn't be a problem for them to search for information on the children around him, right? However, considering the clown's superb disguises and Megan's normal interactions with Jason and the Wayne family from that universe, it can be judged that her life story is likely fabricated. So the last name Damon may not reveal anything, but facial recognition and DNA testing should definitely provide some clues.
As for where Meghan's DNA came from? There are many possibilities.
Black hair and green eyes are rare in Gotham, and Megan's illness is too special, so it can also be used as a search condition.
Autism remains a challenge that modern medicine has yet to address. The cause remains unsolved, and neither is the cure definitively known. While some substances appear to be effective, they remain unavailable for clinical use.
As for the state Megan showed, she was just a little too sensitive and mentally fragile, but she did not have the "neurotic" feeling that most mental patients have. It could only be attributed to the Joker's drugs. He could make such horrible and unsolvable poisons as laughing gas and the Joker virus, so it is obviously not impossible for him to master some other drug formulas.
And Red Hood and Batman can guess some of the ingredients in the medicine...
It's nothing more than the same power contained in the Lazarus Pool, and perhaps there are other things mixed in to play a supporting role. A delicate balance must be achieved to slowly cure the autistic child instead of directly destroying her consciousness and making her more confused.
They made such a guess. If it could be confirmed, it would only prove that the Joker cared deeply for his daughter and even researched medicine specifically for her, but it would not have any substantial effect. The current situation is still as bad as ever, and they have to be on guard against the Joker going crazy in Wayne Manor at any time.
As time passed, Batman's fingers tapped on the space bar through a layer of special leather, "...Found it."
His voice was as low and hoarse as ever, but Red Hood was keenly aware of something. He looked at the big screen and found that none of the candidates listed completely matched the characteristics of 'Meghan'. They made a rough inference about Megan's age and the timeline she was in, and were able to lock down the age range, not to mention that there was more than one search condition.
But there was no one who matched the criteria, not even a young girl who looked like the child.
Red Hood had a premonition, but he didn't quite believe the result. He even found it unbelievable. He couldn't help but ask in a deep voice, "What did you find?"
Batman pulled up a scanned document that clearly showed Megan West's name. She was only eight years old, and her height and weight were below the standard for children of the same age.
"A death certificate."
The author has something to say:
I remembered that when I was talking about the idea of "Gotham Succubus, Attack with all your might!", a reader mentioned Seaview Valley or something.
Here is Ugly Dad: Multiverse Out-of-Print Valley, Only I Have It ()
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