Chapter 2473: The Strange and Quirky Bat Family (16)

God of War Batman was now facing an awkward situation.

It happened like this: he brought his girlfriend, who was the now power-depleted Wonder Woman, back to the Prime Universe.

Thomas and Martha were overjoyed. They had always liked Diana's character, but unfortunately, in the Prime Universe, Batman and Wonder Woman didn't quite spark a romance. Since other universes brought such good news, they naturally provided the best possible conditions they could.

The most important thing at the moment was to help Diana regain her divine power. However, after discussing with her brother, the Fire God, they believed that Diana's demigod bloodline had not disappeared; it was just energy depletion. Due to overconsumption, the energy that the bloodline could provide was completely exhausted. Thus, she naturally showed an inability to use her divine powers.

So the most urgent task was to find enough energy to fill the void left by the missing divine power. As long as they could add the first trickle to this dried-up creek, the demigod bloodline would naturally be able to exert its function and complete the subsequent energy supply.

For the average person looking for energy, there are naturally two choices: magic or science. The God of War Batman chose the latter because he had had enough of magic.

Projects like artificial suns were, of course, also under Batman's research. But so far, these were neither in the mainstream of human scientific fields nor Batman's primary areas of study. To obtain such massive energy through science, Batman needed deeper research.

But now, in order to investigate the mysterious blood, all the machines in the Batcave were running at full capacity. There was simply no time to spare to help God of War Batman, so he had to find a research institution himself.

When Thomas and Martha heard about this, they said it was a minor issue. They quickly found one of the few remaining energy research centers, preserved underground in Sky Island Gotham, for God of War Batman to use.

However, due to the limited number of research centers left, most of the scientifically-versed villains gathered there to work, including Mr. Freeze.

God of War Batman swore he had no intention of tampering with Mr. Freeze's cryogenically preserved wife, but the Fusion Ignition project that God of War Batman attempted was quite power-consuming in its early stages. Even with the support of Wayne Enterprises' energy, it still caused the research center to short out three times in just a few days.

Even though there was a backup energy source to ensure that Mr. Freeze's wife in the cryochamber was fine, Mr. Freeze couldn't stand it anymore.

In any universe, Mr. Freeze Victor couldn't be considered a pure villain. His desire to freeze the world usually had two reasons: either to save his wife or because he was unable to save his wife, and he felt if he couldn't be happy, then no one should be.

But as long as his wife was safe and his experiments were progressing smoothly, Victor could easily be considered a breath of fresh air among the villains. The most extreme thing he would do would be to freeze Batman with his Freeze Gun and have a life chat with him.

But as they say, even a cornered rabbit will bite. God of War Batman's disregard for others' welfare with his energy-consuming methods angered Mr. Freeze, and soon, with a snap, God of War Batman was frozen there.

In theory, with divine power, God of War Batman should be able to break free, but with the room full of equipment, an outburst of divine power would not only ruin Mr. Freeze's experiments but his own as well. What else could he do but sit tight and listen to Mr. Freeze's philosophy of life?

At exactly this moment, Diana burst in. She had come to find God of War Batman to urge him not to rush things. Although she couldn't use magic without her divine powers, her sheer physical strength was still there. She hadn't become an ordinary person. Besides, to the Immortal Species, the basic unit of measurement was years. Batman was in such a hurry that he was likely to make mistakes in his haste, and it was completely unnecessary.

As soon as Diana barged in, she understood what was happening. Her face said it all, "See, what did I tell you?"

But they still needed to find a way to resolve this, and it couldn't be solved by simply knocking out Mr. Freeze because before entering, Diana had also heard Mr. Freeze say something reasonable inside the room.

There might be countless Batmen across the universes, but she had to contend with her own super hasty one. If he had a little patience, he wouldn't have assumed she was dead the moment she fainted, strapping on the helmet in a frenzy.

Although Ares, who made that helmet, was at fault, wasn't Batman also in the wrong for so eagerly taking the bait?

Diana had been holding back her anger over the incident, and Mr. Freeze Victor had just happened to bring up the topic.

"…I truly do not understand how you can be so foolish. We are on an island in the sky, where energy is extremely precious. Even if we can replenish it from the ground, any transmission method involves loss. Will you be paying for this?"

"For someone middle-aged, you are still so childish. I cannot even imagine if at your age, I was still spending my parents' money, I would not feel as complacent as you do."

"On the surface, you've only caused a few power cuts at this research center, but in reality, you've stopped several important projects. These are vital to the future development of our Sky Island. Do you realize how much your parents have to smooth over behind the scenes for this?"

"And I don't even want to talk about you," Mr. Freeze expressed with visible distaste. He said, "After all the trouble you've gone through, which actually has a negative effect, is it all just to impress your girlfriend or yourself? Do you think you are still a teenager? Do you still think you need 999 roses to make a girl cry tears of joy?"

"Perhaps there's a possibility that he could have dealt with this situation on his own, and he actually wanted to, but because you might have blundered, you are desperately trying to make amends without considering his thoughts. You're just doing whatever you want, risking making even bigger mistakes without his consent."

"If this causes something more serious than a blackout, like a huge explosion or casualties, he will inevitably share the blame with you for acting without his approval. I really don't know how a mature adult can do such... I can't even describe it."

Mr. Freeze spoke in a calm and rational tone throughout, but he was actually just venting his grievances, at least until Diana burst in. Once Diana arrived, he knew this couple was a perfect match for each other.

Entering the lab without protective clothing, not wearing gloves, not preparing, and leaving the door open after entering, she violated more than 200 lab regulations in three minutes. Isn't it said that one's bedfellow never changes?"

But seeing Diana's fierce demeanor, Mr. Freeze knew there was no easy end to today. He had drawn his gun, merely going back to finish what he had started with his previous statement. Instead of charging at him, Diana just stood there, nodding incessantly with widened eyes.

"Batman, I've wanted to say this for a while. You've been a bit too hasty in dealing with Ares. I know that for humans who can only live for a few decades, a prolonged war is a terrifying disaster. But on the other hand, a war that has lasted this long must have its reasons. You think a decisive battle can end it, which is really unwise."

Diana sighed and said, "I've always believed that the theory of a quick victory and the theory of surrender are two sides of the same coin. The root of the problem is the extreme and dangerous idea that if something can't be fixed immediately, it's doomed to fail. And these are the ideas that constantly circle in your head."

"Why can't we wait a bit? The more you see your compatriots suffering, the more you should stay clear-headed, instead of blindly pinning all your hopes on a decisive battle. And you've made this mistake more than once. I really don't understand what's got into you."

Judging by her expression and tone, Diana had been holding back for quite some time. In fact, she hadn't felt it much before, but after seeing so many Batmans, she realized that her own Batman was a very unique variety—the Hasty King.

Although not all other Batmans plan for decades, or even for centuries like old conspirators, at least what they don't lack is patience. Few prey can compete with Batman in patience—as Harley once said, most Batmans are so careful they are flawless.

But her own man could not be said to be cautious and patient. He more resembled someone who took the bait eagerly and persistently. "If I don't perform an elaborate act of getting hooked today, it would be a disservice to your meticulously designed scheme," she thought.

"Being impatient isn't very likable," Mr. Freeze quipped, flipping the gun in his hand. "You're different from the Batman I know. That guy's demeanor sometimes reminds me of a koala coming down a tree. When he's around, the whole space feels like a movie in slow motion. Sometimes, the main reason I enjoy talking to him is his unrushed, steady mood that everything is under control, which is good for easing my anxiety."

The God of War Batman frozen in the ice block was utterly speechless, of course, he couldn't say that these two were completely wrong, but Diana, could you please look at what you're doing? You're joining forces with the man who attacked your boyfriend to criticize him. Can this world ever become a better place?

Diana walked over and knocked on the ice block, and now that Batman could only move his eyeballs, he silently conveyed a look that screamed "get me out of here quickly."

It seemed that Diana found this Batman quite amusing, so she cleared her throat and said, "Of course, I'd be happy to free you, but as we said before, if you can't guarantee that you won't cause any more trouble with your impulsive temper, I'm afraid you'll have to stay here a bit longer."

Batman blinked, clearly expressing his agreement, but Diana knew her boyfriend best. She said, "No, that's not good enough. To show your sincerity, you'll have to take off your helmet for me."

After a moment's hesitation, Batman conceded. Now that he was awake and no longer influenced by the helmet, he didn't see anything particularly precious about it. He didn't use divine power on a regular basis, and to make his girlfriend happy, he nodded in agreement.

"Please, sir, could you help thaw the ice above his head? Be precise, just the helmet part," she requested.

"I'm very glad to help, enlightened lady," Victor replied. Curiosity about the helmet had been eating at him for some time. He used the Freeze Gun to thaw the ice encasing Batman's head, and Diana took the helmet off.

Victor approached and touched the helmet, his brow furrowing as he said, "I can feel an extraordinary energy emanating from this thing."

"That's my divine power," replied Batman.

"No, no, no, there's more to it. These patterns are quite unique. They look like an energy amplifier created by another civilization—it seems useful."

"Can you decode and study it, sir?" she inquired.

"Certainly, but first you'll need to hand it over to me. I need to hear the story of this helmet. If our research is successful, it could potentially solve your energy problems, mine, and those of the whole city."