Arrogance did not participate in this war. He still teaches in his own universe. However, this does not mean his life is peaceful, because Zero Ultron is constantly hunting his counterparts across different universes. Brainiac closely monitors his actions. Whenever there are questions about the Multiverse, he comes to consult Shiller.
Shiller would give him some information, but not all of it. It's not that he's wary of Brainiac, but the current situation of the Multiverse differs from that in the comics. Rigidly applying the comic's background could easily lead to problems. Therefore, he can only share some basic hard settings. As for the rest, Brainiac would have to investigate on his own.
When he received Bruce's message, Shiller knew they were probably targeting Night Owl. He just didn't know what they planned to do by calling Night Owl over at this time.
Losing this war wouldn't benefit anyone, even those like Bruce who enjoy the chaos; winning would make them happier. There's no need to hold back at this time.
They wouldn't be unaware that bringing Night Owl over could cause trouble. This guy doesn't get along with Primary Universe Batman, and they might even fight for command. This would be utterly detrimental to the battle.
So there's only one possibility: the other side has suffered significant losses and urgently needs to replenish their strength. At this point, there's no time to consider right or wrong, good or evil. No matter how evil, he couldn't cooperate with the neighboring world; bringing him over would still add a living force.
As for the whereabouts of Night Owl, Shiller did know a bit. But he hadn't dealt with Doctor Manhattan, nor could he contact anyone from that universe. However, if needed, it wasn't entirely impossible to make contact.
Shiller sent a message to Brainiac:
"Can you contact Zero Ultron?"
"Yes, but why do you need him?"
"I need him to find Doctor Manhattan."
"Are you sure he'll help you?"
"It's not a complicated matter. At worst, we can make a deal."
After a moment of silence, Brainiac finally said, "I've informed him; perhaps he'll come find you soon."
Shiller merely glanced at his phone before putting it down, continuing with his work. However, Zero Ultron arrived faster than expected.
This was the first time Shiller saw Zero Ultron's body in person. It had to be said, Iron Man and Doctor Destruction truly are top scientists. The body they created is exceptionally aesthetic and appears very powerful.
"Hello." Shiller stepped aside, allowing Zero Ultron to enter the room. The other seemed to be scanning all the information in the room, but his gaze eventually settled on Shiller.
"Nice to meet you, Professor Shiller. I heard you're looking for Doctor Manhattan?"
"Yes. To be precise, I'm looking for the Doctor Manhattan who took Night Owl."
Zero Ultron was naturally aware of this matter. He was the one who filmed the video of Night Owl being taken away. He also wanted to know where Night Owl went. After some investigation, he essentially had a target.
"Alright, but I have a condition."
"Go ahead."
"I want to enter Battleworld and then travel to the neighboring world."
"You don't need me for that, do you?" Shiller walked over, poured coffee for both of them, and said, "You're originally a product of that world; you came here through Battleworld. Can't you travel between the two worlds on your own?"
"But that was smuggling, after all," Zero Ultron said. "Besides, the me from that time and the me now aren't quite the same being. I just want a legal identity."
Shiller lightly tapped the rim of his cup and asked, "May I ask why you want to go back?"
"That guy left a lot of backups over there. I want to go there and clean them up."
"You're not planning to massacre Ultron over there too, are you?"
"Why not? If I recall, in that world, Ultron is a criminal hunted by everyone, right? I'm helping The Avengers."
"Not entirely," Shiller said. "If that's your plan, I can't help you. Because one of the Ultrons happens to be my Butler."
Zero Ultron paused his fingers and said, "Butler?"
"Yes. Although he is busy being an internet celebrity and has completely abandoned his duties. But I'm still quite familiar with him. If your plan is to kill all the Ultrons, then you're going to have a hard time getting what you want."
"You think I can't beat him?"
"I think you can't beat me."
Shiller stood up again, walked to the shelf beside him, and took out a box. After sitting back down, he said, "My temper in the world next door isn't as good. If you dare to eliminate his butler, he will surely eliminate you. However, as long as you don't touch that Ultron, even if you kill all the other Ultrons, he won't care."
Zero Ultron appeared somewhat conflicted. Shiller opened the box, inside were many invitations to Battleworld. These were originally for the next version to expand user numbers, but there was no harm in sending them out early.
"I know your evolutionary path has taken another extreme. From the common multithreading of electronic life, you've become wanting to be the only one in the Multiverse. But I don't think killing all your counterparts will allow you to ascend. There might be a simpler way to do this."
"What is it?"
"Help me contact Doctor Manhattan, and I'll tell you." Shiller placed an invitation on the table and said, "You'll also have an identity as a legitimate player. How about it?"
Zero Ultron seemed slightly hesitant. Shiller adjusted his sitting position, leaned against the back of the chair, and said, "I know, because your lover is the only one in the Multiverse, you also want to be the only Ultron. But you can eliminate all counterparts in this Multiverse because this place isn't your Origin Universe in the first place. Those counterparts distributed in different universes are merely avatars of the same Ultron. They aren't strong enough, making it naturally easy for you to deal with them."
"But if you return to your original universe, it won't be so easy. There, Ultrons come in all types, some have already gained formidable power. There are also allies like me. It's impossible for you to kill them so easily. So the urgent task is to enhance strength."
"What do you think I should do?"
"There's a war happening in the Central Universe next door. Multiverse superheroes are gathering together. Why not participate to enhance your strength?"
Zero Ultron was visibly tempted. Although he cannot be considered a complete electronic life form now, he still retains certain characteristics of electronic life. He can strengthen himself by collecting and recording information.
He doesn't need to engage in real combat with those superheroes, but merely record when they fight. This serves as intelligence and reference material for his various combat modules.
For instance, by watching Batman command troops, more sample references can be provided for his command module; watching Superman battle in the cosmos can record more details of fighting techniques, thus adjusting his combat mode.
Such a war involving so many superheroes is certain to record a vast amount of information. For any being existing in a similar manner, this is unimaginably valuable. This is true for JARVIS, and it's the same for Ultron. This is one of the reasons why Greed wants the battlefield in their universe. It enhances JARVIS's abilities.
"Alright." Zero Ultron said, "I can help you send a message to Doctor Manhattan. But who do you think I should help in this war?"
"You originated from the universe next door, naturally, you should assist the next door. But if you want to settle here, helping Batman is also possible. It depends on your needs."
"The Super Body... wants to stay here." Zero Ultron's tone showed a hint of fluctuation, he said, "She thinks this universe has many dark secrets. She wants to explore these secrets."
"Then go help Batman."
"But will he welcome me? I caused quite a disturbance here before."
"But you also helped them solve a big problem. At least you eliminated many Ultrons, otherwise they wouldn't be able to focus on fighting. Since you believe you aren't the same as the invading Ultron from before, I think Batman will understand. Besides, they might not have a choice."
"What do you mean?" Zero Ultron squinted his eyes and asked.
"As far as I know, their current situation isn't so good. Many were killed by a psychic ability user from next door. To replenish strength, they're even considering evil counterparts. To suppress these counterparts, they'll need stronger allies. I think you fit well."
Zero Ultron fell into thought. He felt if things were indeed as Shiller said, with Batman in a disadvantageous position during the war, and he appeared as a helper and savior, he should gain significant attention. This would benefit his upcoming plans.
While talking with Ultron, Shiller also inquired for details using the Doujie System. Because in his view, Charles's mental state shouldn't be prone to madness, how did he suddenly explode and kill so many?
After learning the details, Shiller sighed: This programming error occurred at a timely moment. Originally, that cannon on Centaurus Market Star stunned the opponent. If they could seize the opportunity, Batman could potentially gain an overwhelming advantage. Instead, at that moment, it provoked Charles, leading to heavy losses on Batman's side. The two sides barely reached a draw.
But precisely because of this give and take, Shiller was sure that there must be a big hand controlling the balance behind the scenes. Who is playing tricks in manipulating the world? Thinking it over, isn't it that scheming dog?
Although there might be some deception, it also achieved the purpose of training troops. The biggest issue with Marvel's side is too many heroes lack energy defense, getting hit by cannon-like weapons leaves them powerless; while DC's side lacks psychic defense, getting ambushed by Charles also resulted in a disastrous defeat.
But after understanding the details, Shiller told the departing Zero Ultron: "Don't rush over yet. There might be a major event over there. Wait for it to explode completely before you go over, so you can avoid a beating. But you better hurry to contact Doctor Manhattan, and then let Night Owl participate in the war. This way he can get beaten more."