"I don't think this is entirely the Primary Universe Batman's plan," Shiller began, "At the very least, Erik not dying might not have been in his plan."
Stark and Steve both appeared to be listening attentively. Shiller continued, "Batman certainly wouldn't let the Apocalypse Domain return alive to its own universe, but he wouldn't choose this moment to destroy Apocalypse Star. Because their team hasn't gained enough advantage, losing the base could lead to a catastrophic defeat."
"Batman is a very greedy person." More accurately, he believes he can have it all. He wants to eliminate the future threat to his universe and also win this war. He already has a comprehensive plan to accomplish both tasks without sacrificing one for the other. Destroying Apocalypse Star at this time would greatly increase the risk of losing the war, which is not what Batman wants."
"Furthermore, although this war appears to be just a military drill, it actually concerns the struggle for the position of the multiverse leaders. If the Primary Universe Batman suffers too many defeats in this war, his confidence and voice as a leader won't be as strong, and it might even allow Night Owl to take advantage. That's not what he wants either."
"So, I tend to think that using Magneto to frame Darkseid is indeed one of the Primary Universe Batman's plans, but Magneto not dying should be unexpected."
"In the Primary Universe Batman's plan, killing Magneto—no matter which universe's version—would certainly anger the mutants and prompt them to act prematurely. This would both disrupt our strategic deployment and place Darkseid in crisis."
"However, because Magneto isn't truly dead, he would still be resurrected in Battleworld. So even if the mutants decide to fight, they would follow conventional tactics: first besiege, then probe, break the shield, and invade the planet. It certainly wouldn't be by violently erasing the Apocalypse Domain."
"During this time, the Primary Universe Batman would find ways to reverse the situation. Either by sending a small elite squad to take action behind enemy lines while the mutants' defenses are empty, or by making a feint and launching another assault on the Asgard Base."
"In any case, by the time Apocalypse Star is hit to the point of being defenseless, they would have already achieved substantial success outside, and could smoothly retreat to other bases to continue fighting. This would just be a strategic shift."
"But now, with Apocalypse Star suddenly destroyed, Batman's next attack plan hasn't had a chance to materialize. Their hasty retreat looks like a panicked escape, which severely damages the Primary Universe Batman's reputation. And with Night Owl's arrival, even his leadership position might be shaken."
"Wait," Steve interrupted Shiller, "Could this be Night Owl's doing?"
"If Night Owl had this ability, he wouldn't be chased to the point where he can't return to his own universe," Shiller shook his head and said.
"The key is, after the program error occurred, Erik disappeared, but he didn't resurrect in Battleworld. That leaves only two possibilities: either he's truly dead, or he's been captured. Either scenario is more serious than a resurrection in Battleworld."
"Under such circumstances, the mutants wouldn't leisurely engage in sieges but are more likely to have a destructive entity like the Scarlet Witch strike directly and take Apocalypse Star in one go. And since the Primary Universe Batman's next arrangement hasn't taken effect, he'd be forced to flee hastily. Clearly not what he wants, so Erik not dying shouldn't be the act of the Primary Universe Batman."
"Then, when the Primary Universe Batman realized that Magneto wasn't dead, why didn't he think of a countermeasure?"
"Because he may not have known at the time that it was the Central Universe's Magneto," Shiller chuckled and said, "Most universe's Magnetos are lonely old men, and even if they get entangled with Professor X, Professor X clearly doesn't have the power to directly destroy Apocalypse Star."
"I see. So, the person who caused the program error set the Primary Universe Batman up. They knew that the Omega Ray hit our universe's Magneto, so they intentionally caused a program error to let Magneto survive, creating the false impression of his death or capture, forcing our universe's mutants to destroy Apocalypse Star."
"Something like that," Shiller said, "Although the Primary Universe Batman recognized it was Magneto, he didn't immediately find out which universe's version it was. He might have thought, even if captured, that universe's mutants couldn't do much about it. Unexpectedly, he won the lottery and caught our universe's Magneto."
"That's not really so lucky," Stark said, "After all, it was our universe's Thanos who was unfortunate at the time. Thanos has never gotten along with Magneto, and the police section of the Ring Star District Daily has always been about their conflicts—it's common knowledge. So, when Thanos was down on his luck, it's definitely our universe's Magneto who would rush up to mock him, who else could it be?"
"So, the behind-the-scenes manipulator causing trouble is from our universe? Because only people from our universe would understand the complicated relationship between Thanos and Magneto, whereas people from other universes might initially think that Thanos and the mutants aren't bitter enemies..."
As Stark and Steve talked, their gazes fell on Shiller's face. But Shiller shook his head and said, "It really wasn't me this time, nor was it on my orders. Besides, as you've mentioned, Magneto and Thanos' entanglement is known throughout the universe, it's something easily found in the news. People from the neighboring universe having been here for so long should have figured it out by now."
"That's not right," Stark realized another problem, "This matter is so widely known, the Primary Universe Batman couldn't have been unaware, so he should have recognized that it was our universe's entities when seeing Thanos and Magneto together, he wouldn't have misjudged because of ignorance..."
Meanwhile, Steve had already pulled out his phone. He connected to the interstellar network and started searching for relevant information, then handed the phone to Stark.
Stark scrolled down, revealing a surprised expression before saying, "What's going on? Why have those news articles been deleted? I remember there were many news pieces about conflicts between the Interstellar Security Committee and the mutants, why are they all gone?"
"Remember? We used Jarvis to delete all information on the interstellar internet about Earth running away. The other side might have pulled the same trick, intentionally deleting all news about conflicts between the mutants and Thanos to mislead the Primary Universe Batman."
"Jarvis, Jarvis?" Stark called out.
"I'm here," his phone responded, "What's up?"
"Can you find out who deleted those news articles?"
"Hold on... hmm, the deletions were done rather cleanly, no traces left. However, from certain details, it seems to be an old friend of ours."
"Who?"
"Ultron."
Both looked again at Shiller.
"Why do you keep looking at me? My butler is busy being an internet celebrity lately and doesn't have time for these things. The one causing a big commotion before wasn't the Ultron I'm most familiar with."
"You mean the one that went to the neighboring universe?" Stark said with some surprise, "But as far as I know, he doesn't seem that smart, does he? This time he really put the Primary Universe Batman in a pinch. If he had such skills, the Multiverse would have been turned upside down long ago?"
"The methods are very similar, but it may not be him," Shiller said, "Why don't you think about who could surpass their master?"
Shiller and Steve's gaze fell on Stark's face again.
In the Dark Quadrant, within the temporary base beneath the Palace. Primary Universe Batman watched the screen. A Superman walked in; it was Superman from the Big Adventure Universe.
He patted Primary Universe Batman on the shoulder and said, "Don't blame yourself too much, it's not your fault. The gap between our power and theirs is significant. Have you thought about how to protect our new base?"
"I'm still thinking," Primary Universe Batman said, "Have things gotten chaotic up there?"
"It's okay. Most who choose to follow you, Batman, look down on the antics of Night Owl. Even if he dances triumphantly, he can't affect the big picture. The Batman from my universe is also actively supporting you, so don't put too much pressure on yourself. After all, it's just a practice session."
Primary Universe Batman remained silent, saying nothing. Big Adventure Superman thought he might be feeling a bit guilty, but it wasn't appropriate to comfort him excessively, so he quietly walked out, leaving the space for Primary Universe Batman.
But Primary Universe Batman just stood there quietly, neither appearing to be contemplating nor looking sad, like a statue devoid of joy or sorrow, inscrutable.
Suddenly, the lights in the room flickered and then completely dimmed. A slightly luminescent figure gradually appeared behind Primary Universe Batman.
Primary Universe Batman didn't react to any of this. He just stood there as if he had expected it, as if he were waiting.
Until a slightly chilly hand rested on his shoulder and Primary Universe Batman slightly turned his head to look at that cold yet beautiful face.
"Batman..."
The female voice was very low, with a mechanical sharpness at the edges, and an ambiguous allure.
Primary Universe Batman turned around, and the other person withdrew their hand, standing there quietly watching him, her eyes downcast, the dim light dancing, her whole being cold as if she were a mermaid just fished out from the Deep Sea.
Then she suddenly looked up, watching Primary Universe Batman and said, "The taste of failure is unpleasant, isn't it?"
Primary Universe Batman still didn't answer.
"You need me." Her figure flashed for a moment and then moved to his side, her voice still so low, as if coming from all directions, "You don't want to experience such a failure again, do you? I can help you. Your new base needs protection, and I can give this planet a Magical Defense Network."
"Super Body," Primary Universe Batman called her name for the first time, "You misled me, causing Apocalypse Star's destruction, just to make me ask for your help?"
"I don't need you to beg me." Super Body suddenly laughed, but the smile was devoid of warmth, looking like cracks on ice, she said, "Helping you is my honor. I just need to prove my existence."
"And if I refuse?" Primary Universe Batman looked at her.
"You can't refuse," Super Body said, "Repeated failures have put you in jeopardy. If you don't want to lose the war, you must accept my help."
"It seems you're good at leaving people with no choice." Primary Universe Batman turned back, his fingers lightly stroking the screen, his tone equally low, "But unfortunately, you didn't grasp the essence... you're too slow."
In an instant, the entire space froze. The dimension peeled off like a piece of paper, and the part belonging to Super Body was pinned down, like a butterfly spreading its wings but suddenly pinned to a specimen board.