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"Shouldn't you be focusing on what he wants to do?" Bruce, in his hospital gown, bluntly dismissed the argument. "It's obvious he's implementing a plan to achieve a certain goal. Shouldn't you be focusing on that? What is his plan? What does he want to do?"
"You know?" Bruce stopped arguing and his inquiring eyes fell on Bruce in the hospital gown.
"I'm very grateful that he helped me get rid of the nightmare without tampering with my memory. That memory isn't worth recalling, but the other me, or rather the darker me after combining with the Joker, did leave me with some very important memories." Bruce, in his hospital gown, pulled out a chair and sat down with his legs crossed. "The other person must have read through that dark memory. What he wants is a way to enter the Dark Multiverse. In other words, the residence of the real mastermind behind this."
"Do you know how to get in?" Bruce narrowed his eyes. Stephen beside him also quieted down and listened carefully to what Bruce in the hospital gown said.
"Of course I know. That Barbatos dreams of me doing this." Bruce in the hospital gown said, and added an explanation: "Barbatos can be understood as the dragon that destroys the world. The ruler of the dark multiverse. At least, that's what it told me. It advocates despair and pursues destruction. Its greatest wish is to erode and destroy the stable main universe and lead it into destruction.
The Laughing Bat, that is, my dark self, borrowed his power to travel to various dark and distant universes and gathered a group of [companions] to serve as the vanguard of attacking the main universe.
The method to open the portal to the dark universe is not difficult. All you need to do is gather five special powerful metals and use you, Bruce, as a carrier to achieve the conditions for opening the portal.
"Luke is right, you are really a jack of all trades. No one can do without you, and any kind of power can adapt to you." Stephen opened his mouth and said with a slightly strange tone.
"He might not use me as material." Bruce now felt a certainty about Luke. It wasn't that he didn't believe Luke would let him go if needed, but because Luke had clearly extracted what he wanted, he became irrelevant. Otherwise, how could Bruce, dressed in a hospital gown, have come out? Couldn't he be used as a carrier for the five metals?
Bruce paused for a moment, then asked Bruce in the hospital gown, "Now I want to know, what are these five special metals?"
"The first is amber gold, a colorless liquid metal like fresh water. It can even be used as drinking water, sweet and thirst-quenching. Regular consumption can also delay aging, enhance strength, and increase regenerative power. If used as a material for crafting weapons, it will grant weapons the ability to harm magical creatures such as ghosts. It can also be used as a material for crafting defensive magical armor.
The second is promethium metal, one of the hardest metals known in the universe and the best metal for building artifacts and motherships.
The third type, bat gold, looks like copper, but radiates a red glow, like a spontaneous energy source. It's a magical metal, inherently low in hardness, but this doesn't prevent it from being an excellent material for high-end magic, amplifying its power. It's a rare material for magicians.
As he spoke, Bruce in the hospital gown glanced at Stephen beside him, paused, and continued, "The fourth type is N metal, which has the effects of immortality and flight, can ignore or offset gravity, and has a strong restraining effect on magical creatures.
The fifth type is the Dionysus Factor. It's a green liquid metal. It holds a significant place in the myths you know, but it's mysterious and difficult to observe. It's a symbiotic metal that can exist within the human body, normally hidden, but capable of restoring the host's body when harmed or fatally injured. The Joker's blood contains the purest Dionysus Factor.
"If I collect these five metals, will I be able to open a portal to the dark, far-flung universe? In other words, do they act as a key?" Bruce was also intrigued by the magical properties of these metals. He believed that these metals could be used to upgrade and forge his Batsuit. As for the other properties that ordinary people pursue, such as immortality and self-healing, which would make ordinary people excited to the point of madness, he was not too concerned.
"You forgot one ingredient." Bruce in the hospital gown pointed at himself, then at Bruce himself, indicating that he had underestimated himself. "But maybe Luke can open the portal without us?"
"In fact, as long as there are possible coordinates, Luke's Bifrost can teleport anyone to anywhere they want. In the case of Becky, she doesn't even need the Bifrost. She can travel to various universes and dimensions, even timelines, at will." Stephen spread his hands. "But having precise coordinates will save a lot of effort and trouble."
Before the two Bruces could respond, Luke, who had left earlier, reappeared from a sudden halo of light. He held a black box in his hand and raised an eyebrow at Stephen and the other two. "Looks like you guys had a good chat?"
"You found those five metals?" Stephen looked at the box in Luke's hand, a little stunned. His spiritual sense could sense the uniqueness of the black box in Luke's hand, and the subtle energy fluctuations. He speculated that this must be the key to the destination. But how long had he been away? And he had already collected all five mysterious metals?
"It wasn't difficult. His head told me enough information, and the data dimension I unlocked backed up all the information I needed. I just went out and collected it. It wasn't difficult.
"Would you like to come with me and take a look? It might be a little dangerous, but I think it's safe enough?" Luke raised the black box in his hand and invited the three of them.
"Of course." Bruce nodded. Although he was now missing a large part of his emotions, as long as his memories were intact, his old habits and responsibilities would not change suddenly without external influence.
"Let's go, then. I'd like to borrow your surveillance room to open the door. Do you mind?" Seeing Bruce nod in approval, Luke immediately activated the black box in his hand. A rotating black door quickly filled the spacious surveillance room, centered around the box. Pairs of blood-red, violent eyes, like tiny stars, were shrouded in black mist.
"It seems they really want to come through, but for the safety of this world, this is a one-way door. It's in, not out." Luke ignored the swarm of stares, smiled, and turned to reassure the three. "Not even a speck of dust can get through this door, and it won't cause any damage to your universe."
What kind of world is behind the door?
Before entering, Bruce thought he would see a scene like hell, with no order, no civilization, and it would be even more hopeless than the previous chaotic and dark Gotham.
There are strange and evil people everywhere running rampant.
But after entering, what you see and what you observe are completely different.
They arrived in a world of perfect order, seemingly peaceful and tranquil, filled with peace and contentment. The scarlet eyes, brimming with madness, that had lingered in their minds just a moment before vanished completely the moment they stepped through the door. It seemed merely a means of intimidation, a test of the courage of those who entered.
"Here?" Bruce looked puzzledly at Luke beside him, and Bruce in his hospital gown, wanting to inquire about the current situation. He had thought he would face a difficult battle upon entering. Instead, he prepared for any possible contingency, but in the end, everything was calm, as if he had overestimated it.
"What you see isn't reality. As I recall, this world is a city constantly cycling in darkness. It's unique, so unique that the Laughing Bat chose it as his home." Bruce, in his hospital gown, said solemnly, "Don't be fooled by the fact that it's a normal and beautiful city now, full of order and tranquility. Soon, it will fall into the abyss of darkness at a speed no one can imagine. Even if countless people in this city want to save it, it will be of no avail.
The Laughing Bat has endowed the city with a dark and evil soul, causing it to cycle back and forth, greedily devouring the darkness and fear in the hearts of everyone in the city.
Bloom, bear fruit, and repeat. Eventually, the entire universe will be destroyed."
Bruce in the hospital gown finished speaking, and followed Bruce's gaze to a landmark building in the city. He continued, "Yes, this is Gotham! The Gotham of this world!
The side of order represents Bruce, our will, while darkness and destruction represent the Joker's clown, the Batman Who Laughs, and the being behind him. So you'll see the beauty we all long for, but also how, when darkness encroaches on this city, many stand up to protect it, only to ultimately sink into eternal defeat. Despair is this city's favorite food.
Just as Bruce followed Luke and the others in front of him in silence, the hard ground under his feet shook like a lifted carpet, making a dull and terrifying sound.
Beneath the ripped ground, pale green water gushed upward like a fountain, transforming into a crystalline liquid that sprayed in all directions of the city. Those who could not escape the streets were covered and washed away by this green rain curtain.
"The Dionysus factor. Or rather, the Laughing Virus created based on it. This is the beginning of a viral disaster." Bruce, in hospital gown, reached out and felt the nearly atomized liquid falling from the sky.
"This city will gradually go mad under the influence of the Laughing Virus, then despair, and eventually decay. All the darkness and destruction accumulated during this period will become food for the city, making it even stronger. Every destruction is a meal. The only way to stop it is to reverse everything. But under the arrangements of the Laughing Bat, such a reversal will only be a dream that is out of reach."
"It seems that the energy basis of this world is somewhat similar to that of psychic energy. It's just that we use positive energy, while they are frantically creating and collecting the opposite dark energy. If the Laughing Bats erode Bruce and obtain the method of preparing psychic energy from him, this universe will probably evolve into an abyss." Stephen used magic to shake away the Dionysus factors that were approaching, and the levitation cloak turned directly into a raincoat, covering him tightly.
"What should we do?" Bruce looked at Bruce in the hospital gown.
"Generally speaking, in the end, we have to face the Laughing Bat and the members of his Dark Legion. They are the various [organs] that maintain this city. According to my memory, they should be preparing in this city." Bruce in the hospital gown spread his hands.
"Where are they?"
"You know that, don't you?"
Bruce's face darkened when he heard that. He thought of Wayne Manor and the Bat Base beneath it. Seeing the look on Bruce's face in the hospital gown that said, "You guessed it right, it's right there," he subconsciously clenched his fists.
"The transformation is happening quite quickly! It seems the city has discovered our presence and is starting to digest us." Bruce, in his hospital gown, sighed softly as he watched the pedestrians suddenly twitch and then cast malicious glances at them. This seemed to have cut off their chance to complete the process.
They didn't have time to crack the code and then turn the situation around bit by bit based on the clues. From the very beginning, the situation began to spiral out of control towards the worst possible outcome.
"Can all this end as long as we defeat those members of the Dark Legion?" A ball on Bruce's body emitted a warm golden light, helping Bruce isolate and dispel the influence of the Dionysus factor.
"We don't need to go over. They're already here." Luke in front suddenly spoke.
As his words fell, the sky suddenly turned dark. A massive, dark bat shadow, obscuring the entire city like the deepest terror, enveloped the entire city. If for Gotham, the Bat-Lantern meant that the pesky Batman was about to meddle again, then the Bat-Lantern now signified that the city's deepest darkness was about to join in this carnival of destruction.
One after another, figures emanating a powerful dark aura appeared, surrounding Luke and the others. Stephen surveyed the faces that appeared and sighed slightly, "They're all familiar faces."
The members of the Dark Legion that appeared in Bruce's spiritual world now appeared in front of them in their true form.
"Where's Barbatos? I want to meet it." Luke greeted the Bruce combination closest to him in a friendly manner.
"You killed the Laughing Bat?" It was the Merciless Iron Fist who spoke.
"That depends on how you define death. If it's physical death, then it shouldn't be here yet. But if it's death of consciousness, I prefer to call it rebirth. Look, Dawnbat, who tends to be orderly, has gotten rid of the Joker virus, and has restored his original will! He's back." Luke stepped aside, revealing Bruce in a hospital gown behind him, and spoke.
"He is not the Laughing Bat." Merciless Iron Fist just took a look at Bruce in the hospital gown and said in a decisive tone.
"Kill him! Let me sentence him to death!" A metallic voice sounded.