"In the end, this is all the fault of the screenwriters..." Shin sighed inwardly.
The more famous a city's superhero was, the more villains that city would have.
After all, in the eyes of the writers, superheroes were cash cows, and letting them have peace was out of the question. The moment one villain was defeated, another would rise to take their place—it was a never-ending cycle.
And since Batman was one of the most popular superheroes of all time, it was only natural that he had the largest villain's gallery.
As he pondered this, Shin glanced around Gotham City.
During the day, the city didn't seem too chaotic—it looked like any other modern metropolis.
That illusion didn't last long.
Da-da-da-da-da!
A sudden burst of machine-gun fire snapped Shin out of his thoughts.
Turning toward the source, he spotted a group of gangsters robbing a bank in broad daylight.
Shin glanced up at the sky. Yep—the sun was still shining. It seemed daytime wasn't much safer than night in Gotham.
Before the robbers could escape, a large, armored SUV suddenly skidded onto the scene, nearly tipping over from the speed of its turn.
A man in the passenger seat leaned out with a machine gun and unleashed a barrage of bullets at the bank robbers.
Within seconds, they were all gunned down.
The shooter spat on the ground, then sneered, "You idiots thought you could steal from a gang-controlled bank? Morons."
Holstering his weapon, he climbed back into the SUV, and the vehicle sped away.
Meanwhile, the bank employees calmly began collecting the scattered bills and restoring order—as if this were a normal occurrence.
Shin stared at the scene for a moment, then muttered to himself,
"...Is this really Gotham? Or did I accidentally step into a war zone?"
This was broad daylight. At night, Gotham must be hell itself.
When Shin arrived at Wayne Manor, he hadn't even reached the door before the gates swung open. Bruce Wayne sat inside a sleek black car, casually waving him over.
"Get in," Bruce said.
Shin didn't ask questions and slid into the backseat.
For the next ten minutes, they drove through the massive estate grounds before reaching Bruce's personal residence.
Only then did Shin realize just how absurdly large the manor was.
"...So this is what it means to need a car just to get around your own house," Shin muttered.
Bruce didn't respond. Instead, he led Shin through the mansion and into a hidden elevator, which descended into the Batcave.
Shin took a quick glance around—strangely, Alfred was nowhere to be seen.
As the elevator doors opened, the vast underground lair came into view, filled with advanced technology and high-tech equipment.
At the center of the Batcave, lying motionless on an operating table, was a strange, dark figure.
Shin's eyes narrowed as he stepped closer.
The creature was skeletal, its tall frame covered in dry, leathery skin. A pair of tattered wings extended from its back, though they looked useless in their current state.
Most notably?
The corpse was riddled with gunshot wounds, deep lacerations, and burn marks from electricity and chemical exposure.
"What is this?" Shin asked, poking at the thing's head.
"This is the 'monster' you were talking about?"
"It's dead," he observed. "Who took it down?"
Batman folded his arms. "I don't know."
Shin raised an eyebrow.
He knew that Batman didn't use guns, and yet most of these wounds were from firearms—some from incredibly advanced weaponry.
Whoever had killed this thing had access to high-tech gear.
"This creature showed up in Arkham Asylum," Batman explained. "It caused mass panic, leading to a prison break. By the time I arrived, I found several corpses like this one."
Shin's expression shifted.
"...Several?"
Batman nodded.
That detail changed everything.
"Hold on," Shin said. "Are you telling me someone's doing illegal experiments in Arkham again? Because this thing screams 'bioweapon' to me."
Considering that Arkham housed some of the most dangerous criminals in the world, it wasn't hard to imagine that someone inside had the knowledge—and the insanity—to create something like this.
Hell, half the lunatics in Arkham were basically super-soldiers already.
Batman remained silent for a moment, then shook his head.
"No. After analyzing their DNA, I found something... unusual."
"Unusual?"
Batman's expression darkened.
"They weren't human."
Shin frowned.
"...Wait. You're saying these things weren't just modified humans?"
"They weren't modified humans at all," Batman confirmed. "Their DNA isn't from Earth."
Shin's expression shifted.
"...So they're aliens?"
For a moment, Shin said nothing. His fingers tapped idly against the operating table.
"Do you know something?" Batman asked, noticing the thoughtful look in Shin's eyes.
"Maybe," Shin muttered. "But I don't know if I'm right yet..."
Batman's sharp gaze locked onto him.
"Tell me."
Shin exhaled. "If these creatures were genetically created, then there's a chance they might be..."
He hesitated.
"Parademons."
Batman's expression hardened. "Parademons? What the hell is that?"
Shin's serious expression deepened.
"If I'm right, these creatures come from Apokolips—a planet ruled by beings that might as well be called gods."
"Gods?" Batman scoffed. "These things don't look like gods."
"Because they're not gods," Shin clarified. "Even though Apokolips is technically a god's realm, its inhabitants don't represent 'life' or 'creation.'"
"In fact, it would be more accurate to call it a realm of demons."
Batman frowned. "And these 'Parademons'?"
"They're biological weapons—mindless soldiers created to serve Apokolips," Shin explained.
"But that's the thing… If they're Parademons, then there's no way they should have ended up in Arkham alone. Apokolips' forces don't work like that."
Shin's gut told him something was off.
According to DC movie timelines, Superman's death was supposed to trigger Steppenwolf's invasion.
But Superman was still alive. And even if Steppenwolf was coming, he should have arrived through a Boom Tube, not randomly dropped monsters into Arkham.
"Something doesn't add up…" Shin muttered under his breath.
If these were Parademons… then something was very wrong with the invasion timeline.
And that meant Earth was in more trouble than he had originally thought.
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