Chapter 2914: Bat Hotchpotch (Part 2)

The Primary Universe Batman had actually noticed before that, although the Batmen were largely alike, there were some differences in the details, such as age, temperament, and many had slightly different appearances.

The Primary Universe Batman classified all the Batmen's appearances into several categories: the first category was those who looked almost identical to himself, the second category should look the same as him, but differed slightly due to age, the third category should also resemble him, but the difference in temperament made them look less alike, and the fourth category simply didn't resemble him at all.

That damned brat fell into a combination of the second and third categories, which is to say, theoretically, they should look exactly the same, but due to differences in age and temperament, they didn't quite look alike.

Regarding Bruce's age, the Primary Universe Batman had also noticed a problem: over the past few years, he hadn't seemed to age. He suspected this might be because Bruce had acquired a mysterious power that kept his appearance forever in his twenties.

Of course, it could also be because that guy, no matter his age, always acted like an ill-behaved slacker, which made him seem young.

Meanwhile, another Batman who was getting along famously with Mr. and Mrs. Wayne was of the third category. That is to say, he actually looked exactly like the Primary Universe Batman, but because their temperaments were so different, they didn't look much alike.

The biggest gap in temperament was that this fellow was a bit too sunny, and it wasn't Bruce's kind of wild craziness, but a very normal and healthy sunniness.

How so? When the Primary Universe Batman stood next to him, he always felt like he was the one out of place.

The last one who gave him this feeling was Superman when he first started out, mind you, that small-town youth. The later God of the World was somewhat lacking, as years of big-city journalist work made him lose some simplicity.

But now, the Primary Universe Batman saw in another Batman the qualities of positivity, innocence, simplicity, and openness combined. He saw the same temperament in that Tim, so he guessed this might have been their foster father.

Looking in the mirror with someone who's exactly like you is a strange feeling, especially when that person is identical to you, but so different in every other way.

The Primary Universe Batman could hardly resist observing him.

The one who looked exactly like him, whom the Primary Universe Batman now called Sunshine Batman, revealed a sunshine-filled smile that perfectly suited his nickname.

It wasn't Bruce's slightly malicious kind, nor the brick Batman's feigned hearty laughter, but a very normal, even nostalgically warm smile.

"That was a long time ago," he said, "I was hiding in my bedroom, and Alfred told me he had made my favorite cookies, but I was so upset that I didn't want to move. So he opened the door and put the cookies and milk by my bed."

"I slept for over ten hours, and when I woke up, I had such a stomachache it felt like I was going to eat myself, but I found that the milk was still warm; Alfred must have been watching over me."

"I knew he was getting on in years and couldn't stay up all night like that, so to ease his mind, I ate the cookies and the sandwich, downed a big glass of milk, and pushed him back to his room."

"When I got back into bed, I found I couldn't sleep anymore. Then I sat there sorting through your belongings, spending about half the night putting them all in a box."

"The next morning, I poured myself a strong tea and braced myself to attend your funeral. The officiant had omitted the viewing of the body, which I guess was because Alfred didn't want to scare me."

"But then he still got me a psychologist, and for the next few years, I had to fill out a form almost every two months, thankfully I passed all the assessments."

The longing look on this Batman's face grew stronger, and nearly all Batmen don't look back with nostalgia; the first half of their lives had hardly anything worth reminiscing over.

Yet, when this Batman showed a nostalgic expression, the other Batmen, as if on cue, suddenly understood what he was reminiscing about.

"My first adopted child was named Dick; he came from a family of gymnasts and had endured some unfortunate events. But I will never forget his surprised, uneasy, and somewhat skeptical expression when he first came to Wayne Manor."

"He seemed to wonder if he was dreaming. My only regret is not recording that moment; I could have shown it to him every time I caught him running around the manor."

"Once, he found that box and opened it. I just happened to walk in the door then, and he had that same look, as if he had done something wrong. But I knew he hadn't, because it wasn't something unspeakable; I would never teach my children that death is a taboo subject."

The Primary Universe Batman's hand tightened slightly, but there was nothing in his grip, at the moment his fingertips touched his palm, they sprang apart as if electrified.

"We looked at the photos in the box together, and I told him about the times I had spent with you. Although it wasn't a long time, there were many beautiful memories. Then he shared his with me."

"We didn't mind that there was so little that we could talk about. Every time I saw him sitting on the bed holding the box, it was as if I was seeing myself from years ago. There were cookies on the bedside, and the milk was still warm; he could sleep for over ten hours in one go."

Mr. and Mrs. Wayne sat at the table listening quietly, as if trying to make up for the decades of absence in their own child's life. The other Batmen seemed to be busy with their own things, but if their pointed ears truly had the ability to hear, they would surely be standing taller than the next, for they had even more to make up for.

"The second child I adopted was a little troublemaker. He stole the tires from my Batmobile, clearly showing his rich enthusiasm and talent, so I called the disasters that followed as the envy of God."

"We shared a disaster, and during that time, neither of us felt very well. When he was down, he'd sleep with his head buried under the covers, refusing to eat. When he woke, he'd be overly irritable, smashing everything to pieces."

"When he wasn't medicated, he'd have nightmare after nightmare, waking up in shock, and then he'd lean over the side of the bed, vomiting, though nothing would come out. When he was on his medication, he would sit by the window in a daze, seemingly unable to think at all."

"This went on for six months. I was grateful there was no urgent work at the company and that Batman is a freelancer. I took half a year off without any major disasters happening. Dick helped me take care of the trivial jobs. It was then I realized that he had grown up."

"Then Jason started to get better. Frequent, sometimes twice-daily, psychotherapy sessions and medication started to take effect. His sanity began to return. I thought the communication I had with Dick was very effective, so I showed him your photos."

"But unfortunately, he still seemed very confused, as if the concept of parents was foreign to him. He couldn't relate to any of the familial details I mentioned."

"I realized this was a problem, so I started working on it. I repaired the playground in the garden that had been neglected for over a decade, creating a swing out of tires like Thomas did for me, embedding the bars for the jungle gym into the ground, and building a seesaw and a slide."

"When Jason saw all this, he seemed very surprised. He felt embarrassed, panicked, and incredulous, then he told me he was too old to play with these things."

"But he didn't refuse," Batman said with a smile. "Because he really liked tires, even just to sit on one and swing."

"We spent a lot of dull moments there, with him sitting on the tire, holding the rope and swaying, while I sat in the sandbox, doodling with sticks and talking about interesting chemical reactions. Dick, with his astonishing balance from his gymnast background, would steadily jump from tree to bar."

"Every afternoon was like this until the weather turned gloomy and it started to rain, muggy and hot, and then we'd return to the garden gazebo for the afternoon tea Alfred had prepared."

"Of course, there was also an unexpected little guy I never thought of—Old Drake's son, who discovered my identity and quickly joined our gang, squatting in the sandbox with me."

"I always felt he was the one who resembled me most. His father always complained to me that he'd given the Wayne family a son. I wouldn't say it, but I'd chuckle to myself every time."

"Because if I had one more, he'd have one less. If Tim used the energy he spent on Wayne Enterprises' business for the Drake Group instead, Wayne Enterprises would have a terrifying rival."

"Of course, when I talk about sons, but if we talk about daughters, the one I value the most is Cassandra. She's the most skilled learner among everyone, and a girl I admire a lot. She's almost like Superman."

"But maybe that's just how it is between dads and daughters. If I had met her earlier, she would have definitely been my dearest sweetheart who understands me the most. But now it's a bit awkward. She has her little secrets she doesn't want to tell me, and I can't always query her. I just hope that one day I won't hear bad news, learning that she's dating."

"I also can't help but mention Barbara, but she is too independent. Her father has taught her well, and often she takes on the role of the lady of the house in the Batman Family, slightly more dependable than Catwoman, at least she hasn't taught anyone how to pickpocket."

"And the athletic kid Duke; after he arrived, we finally managed to have some ball games in the backyard—but unfortunately, when Damian came along, I had to stop all competitive sports. Otherwise, he wouldn't stop until he had won."

"Damian is really 80% like his mother, and in the remaining 20%, there's still a part that resembles his grandfather. Every time I meet with Talya, it's to complain. I admit I never paid her any child support, but that's no reason for Damian to wreck Wayne Manor."

"When I first met Damian, I thought I finally had the chance to raise a real child, not a half-grown teen. But regrettably, four-year-old Damian had better grammar than I did."

Batman rambled on for quite some time, and no one interrupted him; the atmosphere of the cave remained quiet.

Not a single Batman looked his way, no one seemed to care much, they suddenly became busy as though some century-old problem needed to be solved then and there—if indeed they were engaged in academic pursuits in such an environment, they would have mastered controlled nuclear fusion by now.

But they all knew what was really on their minds, at least the Batman from the Prime Universe did. He had just been reminiscing, wondering where he had placed his late parents' belongings that he had sorted through so many years ago.

Even as he came back to the present, he only found it slightly amusing—"To protect a Batman like this? Me?"