amaotonovel Chapter 3924 MU Superbody Major Event (4)
Chapter 3924 MU Superbody Major Event (4)
Chapter 3924 MU: The Superbody Incident (Part 4)
Washington, D.C. The President's Office. 3:00 PM.
The enormous floor-to-ceiling windows reflected the man's handsome face, an icy blue like a polar storm. His lips were slightly pursed, his expression solemn, like a statue. His lowered eyelids concealed a complex gaze, and his entire being exuded a cold, austere aura. The compassionate and benevolent god of humanity revealed another kind of unfeeling, ruthless divinity, more like the indifferent God of the Old Testament than the Jesus of the New Testament.
This is the scene that Batman from the main universe saw when he walked into the office. He didn't know much about Injustice Superman, but at this moment, the difference between the man's demeanor and that of the Superman he knew still surprised him.
On his way here, he had already learned that after Brainiac's invasion, the Injustice Superman changed his previous strategy of ruling the Earth by force and instead became the supreme ruler of the Federation through legal means. The speed at which the three powers were unified was much faster than that of Batman in Arkham.
Compared to his actions, Arkham Batman became a moderate reformer. In just one day, democracy vanished from this vast continent: Congress was dissolved, military mutinies were violently suppressed, and public protests were rendered ineffective. From that day forward, the Stars and Stripes bore only one star: the name of the great President Kent.
No one could have imagined that on the day the Kent Act was passed, Clark Kent would become the greatest president in American history among millions of people. In fact, he did.
When the main universe's Batman saw the increasingly harsh tax policies targeting the wealthy in the bill, he knew that Superman had become "Superman" in a different sense. Thanks to Raoh, he was given a body of steel that would never die from assassination attempts; he used this body to shield himself from countless bullets aimed at the poor. Truly deserving of greatness.
Therefore, the Batman of the main universe has mixed feelings. He knows how many people will die during a period of violent rule, how many will fall from grace, and how many will rise from the ashes.
He also knew how much disaster this Superman and his Injustice League had brought to the earth: how many innocent people had died at his hands, and how many evil people had escaped because of his tyranny.
Regardless, he liberated countless people trapped in poverty across the Americas and even the world, eliminating the original sin that bound 90% of humanity – exploitation.
This alone makes it impossible for the main universe's Batman to stand on the moral high ground and talk to him. Instead, he can only climb up the steps at the bottom of the pyramid and see saints standing on both sides while he stands in the center.
"Hello, Your Excellency the President," the main universe Batman said, lowering his eyes. "Please forgive my intrusion."
“It’s alright,” the main universe Batman heard him say in a nonchalant tone. “Come on, I think we can talk.”
The alarm bells were ringing in the mind of the main universe's Batman. Before coming here, he had prepared for everything: including being unwelcome, being verbally abused, or even being expelled outright; of course, there was also the possibility of receiving insincere courtesy but gaining nothing of substance, but certainly not of facing such a polite Superman.
When the main universe's Batman looked up and met those incredibly light blue eyes, he was momentarily stunned. He didn't look like Clark Kent at all.
Every Batman has had a moment of reverie: what if Krypton hadn't been destroyed, what if Superman's spaceship hadn't come to Earth, what if they hadn't met on this blue planet, but instead, one day when he was deep in the universe, caught a fleeting glimpse among countless stars? The main universe Batman believes that what he would have seen would have been a pair of eyes like the silent ocean currents beneath the Arctic ice cap.
The Batman of the main universe finds it hard to imagine feeling so alienated in a Superman. Even facing the real Kal-El wouldn't evoke this feeling. It's as if the winds of Earth have sculpted this cosmic orphan in a different way—or perhaps not wind, but suffering.
The Batman of the main universe tightened his grip slightly. He followed Injustice Superman's movements and sat down on the sofa, but he didn't look into Injustice's eyes again, staring straight at the reflective glass coffee table until Injustice Superman's face suddenly appeared on it as well.
The two sat facing each other, speechless for a moment. The main universe's Batman decided to choose a safe topic.
"How's it like being president?" the main universe Batman leaned forward slightly. "There's a Batman who's president now. He's incredibly busy. Will my visit interfere with your work?"
“No,” Injustice said succinctly. “My work isn’t too busy, thanks to a good assistant. I’m more interested in that President Batman; how’s he doing?”
“Very good. However, we’ve recently encountered some trouble: an unidentified electronic life form has invaded the multiverse. Haven’t you made any moves on your end?”
"Perhaps a little. But what is there that I can't solve?" Injustice Superman gave a very faint smile. "Solving an electronic bug isn't much harder than solving other bugs."
"He didn't cause any trouble on Earth?"
"He won't have that chance. Do you know why?"
The main universe's Batman felt those eyes staring at him, and alarm bells started pounding in his head again. But before he could react, he felt his neck being grabbed and lifted up. He instinctively looked down, feeling his spine being frozen by a pale blue storm.
Then he suddenly realized that Injustice Superman wasn't holding him; he was flying into the air. This couldn't be Superman's power.
The main universe's Batman is forced to look into Injustice Superman's eyes, and when he sees the magical light flashing within them, he suddenly understands.
The main universe's Batman was released. He fell onto the sofa, bracing himself with his arm, and just then saw Injustice Superman slowly lowering his arm. He couldn't help but frown.
He stood up from the sofa, looked directly into Injustice Superman's eyes, and asked, "Where's Batman?"
"He's fine. What's wrong?"
The main universe's Batman took a deep breath and said, "I want to see him. Let me see him."
"I'm afraid that's not possible now." Injustice Superman slowly shook his head.
The Batman of the main universe didn't ask "when is it okay?" because he knew that answer meant "never." So he asked directly, "What is he doing?"
"He's very busy; he has a lot to take care of. What do you need him for?"
"There are some issues concerning the multiverse that require his help. Please believe that in a multiverse catastrophe, no universe can remain unscathed. Therefore, we must contact him immediately."
"I don't think he can play any role in the multiverse. Besides, didn't you already contact him through the Battle Realm System?"
The main universe's Batman felt a sudden sinking feeling. How could Injustice Superman know that he had contacted Injustice Batman? No Batman would ever reveal their private communications.
They might tell Superman about the situation within the multiverse, so that Superman can be mobilized in case anything goes wrong; they might also say that there was such a communication, but they would never name anyone specifically who contacted him, and most Supermen don't care about that anyway.
But Injustice Superman's attitude was very certain, as if he was absolutely certain that the main universe's Batman had contacted Injustice Batman. What made him so sure?
"I think you've got it wrong. The person who contacted him before wasn't me." The main universe Batman decided to test the waters again.
"Really? I thought you were in such a hurry to come here... Never mind. Anyway, he doesn't have time to see you right now, and I don't care about the disasters in the multiverse. Please leave."
If before it was just a feeling that something was amiss, now the main universe Batman is certain: something must have happened to Batman Injustice.
He continued, looking into Injustice Superman's eyes, "You don't want to deal with events in the multiverse, but I doubt you'd be willing to be bothered by Batman from the multiverse either. If I don't get to see him, many more Batmen will come looking for him."
"So he's that important?" Injustice Superman suddenly smiled and said, "In that case, I can let you meet him. Anyway, it's no different from communicating with you."
"Where is he?"
"Come with me."
The main universe's Batman followed Injustice Superman out the door. They arrived at the White House's underground safe house, passing through thick metal doors until they reached the deepest, deserted area, but Injustice Batman wasn't there either. At the far end of the room was a portal shimmering with magical light.
Injustice Superman stepped through the portal, and the main universe's Batman hesitated for a moment. However, he maintained constant contact with Batman and his crew from Arkham, and they would arrive immediately if anything went wrong; moreover, he was carrying the Sling Ring and could use the portal to leave, making it difficult for Injustice Superman to stop him. Figuring out Injustice Batman's situation was more important right now.
The main universe's Batman stepped into the portal. Suddenly, everything went dark. As he grew increasingly alert, he heard a slight noise to his left. He instinctively turned to look, but in that instant, he stopped breathing.
Inside a huge jar filled with fluorescent liquid lay a familiar figure. Injustice Superman stood in the darkness, his voice echoing across the sky:
“Go say hello to your best friend, Bruce. He seems worried about you.” Injustice Superman’s eyes glowed white in the darkness, looking so cold and evil that it sent chills down your spine.
"You still came." The voice of Injustice Batman came through, carrying that teasing tone that the main universe Batman had heard in communications before, light and airy, exactly like Injustice Superman's tone. For a moment, the main universe Batman felt a little nauseous.
"Is this interesting?" he heard Injustice Superman ask. "You came all this way just to hear me speak with another mouth?"
The main universe Batman suppressed the horror that crept up his spine and slowly approached the huge tank. He saw that the Injustice Batman floating in the liquid had many thin wires attached to his head, and above him was a huge machine that could be heard humming as he got closer.
“You’re insane, Clark,” the main universe Batman said, looking at the massive machine. “...You killed Batman.”
“I didn’t,” Injustice Superman’s voice came again. “His intelligence is a treasure of Earth, and it shouldn’t be used to stop me. I just made reasonable modifications to him and gave him a job that suited him better. Everything went so smoothly.”
The main universe's Batman truly felt his arms trembling. He took a deep breath, stepped back, and said, "You'll regret this, Cal... you'll regret this."