Chapter 2406: Mental Assault (24)_1

In Atlanna's description, she particularly emphasized one point: the reason the Dakotazo she controlled arrived at Gotham's coast was because she had sensed an unusual force that had erupted in Gotham a few days earlier.

From her perspective, that dark power shared a curious kinship with the dark force pervading this universe, or perhaps, they were simply one and the same.

Where there are too many coincidences, there are no coincidences at all. Batman was well aware of this fact. It was possible that Atlanna hadn't told the whole truth, but Batman believed that the two points—that the shadowy figure resembled him and that the two dark forces were very similar—were likely true.

So the question arose: the figure that resembled him could also be a Batman, but it couldn't be the Batman from their own universe since Bruce hadn't been born yet in that era; and the Primary Universe Batman didn't think he looked like Bruce anyway.

It was possible, then, that there was a completely new and mysterious Batman, and he certainly didn't seem like a good guy.

Plus, that kind of dark power was Batman's main focus of study because he had just discovered that the source of Gotham's evil, the culprit behind the city's constant decline, might be Barbados. Barbados might be targeting him.

If Barbados' energy first manifested in Gotham, and now it had reached a universe with similar energies, did it mean that Barbados was about to act?

If Barbados had indeed prepared a series of traps, the primary task now was to figure out who Barbados was and what he really wanted.

Batman had previously heard the name Naog Sokhup; originally, he had planned to return to his own universe and then look for him, but now it seemed there was no time to wait, the search had to be immediate.

To find a scholar like that one needed to consult his colleagues, so the Primary Universe Batman used Battleworld communication to send Shiller a message, inquiring about the doctor's status. Unfortunately, Shiller said he hadn't heard of him either, so now the only chance to contact Doctor Sophocles Sokhup, who belonged to the same mystic world and was also English, was Constantine.

The problem was, Constantine in this universe was nowhere near Gotham; everyone knew Batwoman had gone mad, and that guy had likely been hiding far away for some time now.

So the problem circled back to the starting point: to find Constantine, they would need the help of the local Batman and Batwoman. But to stop Batwoman, they needed to find Harley Quinn; and to find Harley Quinn, they had to rid themselves of the adverse effects this universe was having on them. To do that, they still needed to investigate what was going on with this universe, ultimately forming a vicious circle.

"I think we might as well try the simplest method," said Clark, holding a cup of hot coffee as he came over. "During their negotiation, I'll rush in and throw a punch at each of them, and then we can talk when they've calmed down."

"Putting aside whether you can defeat them under these circumstances, if the Queen of the Sea gets agitated and immediately orders the Atlantis Army to launch a full-scale attack, we'll have a hard time stopping all the armies at once. Gotham will be ruined, Batwoman will have gone mad, and we'll still end up empty-handed," said Hal.

"How about this," he proposed a plan, "I'll use teleportation to check out what's going on with the Total Furnace. If there's no big issue, I'll borrow some strength and use a powerful protective shield to cover Gotham, which should prevent Batwoman from going berserk."

"Then you might have to cover the entire East Coast, or even the world's coastlines, otherwise Batwoman will still regard the Queen of the Sea as a criminal, and they will end up fighting anyway," Atlanna said.

"I'll meet her," Batman declared decisively.

Hal and Clark exchanged looks, thought for a moment, and then stepped back, conceding without asking any questions.

"The two of us will escort you, so if anything goes wrong, we can still pull you out," said Clark. "It's a pity we came in such a hurry; we didn't have time to craft a suit of armor for you, otherwise it could have been safer."

"That won't be necessary," Batman said as he turned and walked toward the door.

With Clark present, locating Batwoman was simple. They had previously refrained from seeking her out directly for fear of provoking her and had wanted to learn about her condition through the dead rival of the Universe Batman. But given the urgency, they could skip this step—trusting in Batman was enough.

Batwoman was in her Batcave, organizing her gear. She had already received the invitation to negotiate from the Queen of the Sea but was very pessimistic about it and was ready for a big fight.

Just then, the Batcave's security system sounded an alarm, showing that someone was approaching. Batwoman frowned, unsure who would visit at this time.

The surveillance feed switched over, and Batwoman first saw the figure of Chief Gordon, but more importantly, the man following him—a man dressed as a bat.

Even Batwoman was taken aback. Men wearing her costume were… indescribable.

"I am Batman," came a deep, magnetic voice from the surveillance screen.

Batman? That name was too strange. Batwoman instantly went on high alert, gripping her weapon and moving to the door. "Have you captured Gordon?" she asked.

"I haven't captured him; I just asked him to show me the way. And the reason he agreed is that he finally got an excuse to come and see you," said Batman.

Batman's last words seemingly made Batwoman hesitate. In most universes, Batman had immense respect for Gordon because, although Gordon was just a mere human, he could often hold to his principles for even longer than Batman could.

"Leave this place," Batwoman said, turning back. "You shouldn't be here. Once I resolve the last issue, I will disappear."

"But that doesn't solve anything," Gordon's voice also came through, "Batwoman, open the door, let's talk."

"My responsibility towards Gotham has ended," Batwoman replied, "Now I must deal with the criminals from outside."

"The criminals are not the key issue," Batman said, "It is you, Gordon, tell me you're not well."

Having said that, Batman suddenly changed his tone, adding, "You're very weak, isolated with no support, but you understand that the Sea people waiting outside Gotham port are waiting to pounce, you have no assurance of victory."

"Yet we all understand that Gotham can no longer endure another pyrrhic victory, otherwise what awaits you and this city is only destruction. And I have brought my companions, Green Lantern and Superman, they obey me without question, this means that no matter how powerful Atlantis is, it cannot pose a threat to us."

Clutching her weapon tightly, Batwoman felt Gordon add fuel to the fire, "Trust us, Batwoman, we really are here to help, we don't want to see you like this, at least for the sake of everyone in Gotham City."

Seconds later, the doors to the Batcave opened, but the figure of Batwoman had already vanished into the darkness.

Gordon wanted to follow, but Batman stopped him. They entered the Batcave at an unhurried pace, Batman ascertaining through observation of the equipment here that this universe's Batman was very similar to him, indeed a gender-swapped version of the traditional Batman, simply put, always had a plan, very smart.

That made things easier. Batman gestured to Gordon to wait at the door, and he alone walked into the brightly lit workroom, Batwoman looked back at him, Batman looked at her and said, "I am Batman from another universe, brought here by an accident."

"This accident also happened at sea, and accompanying us here was Atlanna, the ancient Emperor of Atlantis, who bears a deep vendetta and bitter blood feud against the Atlanteans."

Batwoman's brow furrowed slightly, but this indeed made her less resistant, as her curiosity was piqued to find out what this was all about—curiosity is the key that opens the mind's door.

"Long ago, when Atlantis was still a magnificent terrestrial nation, Atlanna's brother usurped the throne, killed Atlanna's family. Enraged, Atlanna discovered this massacre and used his divine power to sink Atlantis, going into a slumber in the Mariana Trench, waiting to awaken and resume his vendetta."

"Now he is awake, but before he could seek vengeance, he was brought to this universe." Batman was clearly suggesting more with his words, saying, "He wants to cooperate with us, but we don't fully trust him. Rather than an ancient Emperor of the God Clan who has slept for many years, I would prefer to work with the human race."

"Do you think he and Atlantis..." Batwoman fell into thought, saying, "No doubt, those people outside have ill intentions, they never intended to negotiate, they came to kill me."

"Because you killed some criminals, they think you've lost control, thus they decided to strike first. It's understandable, but you're not planning to tolerate it."

Looking at Batman with a touch of surprise, Batwoman heard Batman shake his head and say, "Even now, I'm still like you used to be; I won't kill any criminals, but I don't want to argue about it with you."

"Why?"

"If you had traveled through the universe, you would understand that in the countless multiverses there are countless versions of us, almost each one different, some exceptionally so."

"Seems like I'm not the most outlandish?"

"Far from it." Batman sighed, and Batwoman detected the real depth and helplessness in that breath.

"I'm getting a little curious about all the different Batmen you must have encountered," Batwoman tilted her head and said, "I plan to fight Atlantis to the end, so what are you planning to do? Stop me?"

"Of course not, I'm sorry, I'm not sure if it's your style, but generally speaking, that is to say, the vast majority of Batmen in the universes would not choose to charge directly into the enemy's forces and punch their leader; it's too dangerous and inefficient."

Batman looked at the equipment on the table with that classic disapproving gaze, as if to say you're planning to swing fists at them with just these things?

With her brows deeply furrowed, Batwoman stepped in front of Batman, arms folded, looking at him and asking, "Then what is your brilliant idea?"

The tone was not without sarcasm, but she was genuinely asking. Batman met her gaze unflinchingly, and in the moment their blue eyes locked, he said, "Perhaps once you had only that choice, but not anymore. You and Atlantis have not yet truly clashed; the enmity between you is far from the depth of Atlanna's grudge against Atlantis."

"You want to use him as a pawn?"

"It's their internal affair," Batman said with lowered eyelids, "a matter of their own history, entirely internal to the Sea people, and beyond our power to interfere."

Narrowing her eyes, Batwoman said, "You're more despicable than I thought."

Batman placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "I just understand myself better than you imagine."

Batwoman averted her gaze.