American comics: Starting in Arkham, a system-based Batman

Chapter 114 Are We Gods?

Having healed his injuries, Jung Eun walked straight out.

He checked the time and knew he had slept until noon the next day. He hadn't felt anything when he first woke up, but now his stomach was growling with hunger. Alfred would need some time to cook, so he decided to find something to eat in the living room.

Wayne Manor is very large, but few people live there, so it always feels empty when you walk around.

After finding the snacks, Zheng En turned on the TV, and with the sound of voices, the surroundings seemed a bit more lively.

Alfred pushed in a cart full of food and placed it on the coffee table, though in America it would be called a coffee table.

In the past, when only Bruce and Alfred were present, they would eat at a formal long table.

But Jung Eun has a habit of watching videos while eating.

He liked the huge TV in the living room, but was too embarrassed to change places to eat under Alfred's disapproving gaze, so he would always sneak away when the old butler was away, and put the cutlery back on the long table after he finished eating.

But Alfred actually knows everything, so he will pretend to have an accident and leave the dining table, and at this time he will push the dining cart directly into the living room.

The food cart was filled with plates, and Zheng En stood up to help the old butler set them out.

Alfred initially tried to resist, saying, "Your injuries haven't fully healed yet, I'll do it."

He was the one who bandaged Jung Eun's wound, so he naturally knew that the other's injury wouldn't heal in such a short time; otherwise, she wouldn't have almost fallen. Alfred reached out to try and take the plate from Jung Eun's hands, but failed.

"My injuries have fully healed."

Zheng En deftly bypassed the old butler. Seeing this, Alfred didn't insist. "It's wonderful to see you recover so quickly."

He knew that Zheng En had many unusual traits, but he didn't intend to investigate further.

There was a thumping sound coming from the stairwell. Zheng En looked out and saw Dick coming down the stairs, looking disheveled.

"Jung Eun!"

He exclaimed with delight, casually wiping the sweat from his forehead that got into his eyes with his sleeve. "I'm so glad you're alright!"

His clothes were covered with varying shades of sweat and dust, and his hands, hanging down, were red and swollen from scrapes and impacts.

Zheng En knew immediately where he had just gone. Dick must have been feeling terrible while he was unconscious; Bruce wasn't there, and Alfred couldn't persuade him either.

They should be in school, but they're still at Wayne Manor, and they look like they just came out of the training room.

She didn't even take a shower; she probably rushed over as soon as she knew he was awake.

Zheng En waved his hand, and a red, pink, and blue stand-in appeared on his body. After several punches, Dick's body was restored to normal.

He didn't notice this at first, but lowered his head after getting close to Jung Eun.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that that day."

Dick's joy at seeing Jung Eun recover was quickly overshadowed by self-reproach. He lamented, "I know it was hard for you to fight Claws all by yourself, yet you still had to spend your energy comforting me."

After Jung Eun collapsed, he realized that he was the only one left. He had come to help everyone, and even if he couldn't save Bruce, he had to pull himself together and help the others who had been poisoned by nitrous oxide.

He had no time for self-pity; there were many more important things for him to do than to cry.

He had to treat Zheng En's wounds, he had to notify the police and hospital to take away the poisoned people, and he had to distribute the antidote.

After Jung Eun fell into a coma, Dick took over the cleanup work at the port.

The gang cleared the area for the deal, but the loud explosion still attracted the attention of nearby residents. Someone had already called the police before Dick could notify them.

He dragged Zheng En's body and put him in the passenger seat. Not long after, a new batch of police officers arrived.

They didn't trust Dick at first.

"It's completely unbelievable that a child would say something like that."

"I've never heard of Batman being accompanied by a child."

"If you ask me, kids should just stay home. They can't save the world just by wearing clothes that look like a theatrical costume."

Some people even wanted to arrest him, saying, "No matter who you are, you'd better come with us to the police station first."

Dick dodged his hand, left the antidote, and ran away.

He couldn't prove what he said, whether it was about Batman's partner or the origin of the antidote.

While some police officers tried to arrest him, they were more busy dealing with the laughing gangsters and their associates. Because they couldn't catch him immediately, they had even less time to focus on him afterward.

Dick successfully escaped back to Wayne Manor, but felt too ashamed to face Alfred.

The old butler awaited Batman's return just as he always did.

But he brought not victory, but bad news.

"You've done very well, Master Dick."

When Alfred hugged him, the tears he had been crying all over burst forth again. Dick cried for a long time, but he couldn't let go of all his resentment and regret through his tears.

While Jung Eun was unconscious, Dick stayed in the training room.

He had neither the time nor the energy to maintain a normal life. He kept pounding his fists against the sandbag without even wearing gloves. His knuckles were rubbed raw and bleeding, and his fingers were bruised and swollen.

When he was hit by the rebounding sandbag, he lay on his back on the ground, tears and sweat streaming down his face, his wet hair sticking together in strands.

As soon as he learned that Jung Eun had woken up, he rushed out of the training room.

"I won't do it again next time."

Dick regretted his immature actions, only to be met with a rub in return.

"Come on," Zheng En said dismissively. "Kids should act like kids. Even Batman can't be perfect in everything."

"You're still a long way from becoming a qualified masked vigilante, you little brat who hasn't even been promoted yet."

After rubbing his head, Zheng En felt her hands were sticky. "Wow! How much sweat did you get?! Go take a shower and wash your hair!"

Everyone felt the same way about worrying about Bruce.

But figuring out how to bring him back to life requires careful preparation.

Zheng En didn't want Dick to be unable to take care of even the most basic aspects of life because of his anxiety and unease, something Alfred did much better than the others.

"Although I am more worried about Bruce's safety than anyone else, being impatient will not get anything done."

Alfred lowered his eyes. "I believe in you, and I believe in Master Bruce."

Zheng En will not let this trust down.

To rescue Bruce, the first thing to do is find his location.

Both he and Bruce had trackers installed on themselves, so finding each other wouldn't be too difficult; the only requirement was time.

He has to rescue Bruce before the Joker discovers the locator.

The plan is progressing fairly smoothly; the locator is attached to the Batsuit, perhaps the Joker isn't interested in taking off Batman's clothes.

The signal from the locator was intermittent, but remained in the same position without changing.

The next question was how to bring Bruce back.

After waking up, Jung Eun watched all the footage from that day and learned about what had happened to Batman.

The clown's words reminded him of the dreams he had while he was unconscious. Although he couldn't remember the details clearly, he felt that they were sad stories.

He didn't know if it was a coincidence, or if the clown was having a fit of hysteria.

"This world is a ridiculous and enormous dream, and the first fool to wake up is called the clown."

In the video, Batman is seen choking the Joker.

"And when we wake up—the world will be turned upside down."

Zheng En watched the video over and over again, but couldn't find any clues.

The only thing he could think of was the Hindu Vedanta doctrine of non-duality, also known as the doctrine of burning dreams.

The core idea of ​​the "Dream Burning Theory" can be summarized in one sentence: the world is a dream of God.

Based on this viewpoint, some people believe that when God awakens, the world will cease to exist.

Jung Eun didn't know when the Joker converted to Hinduism, but the Joker in this timeline had done so many things that defied common sense and logic, so this one more wouldn't make a difference.

The other person seemed to know a lot of things, yet also seemed to be just going crazy. Perhaps the so-called dream was just another metaphor used by the other person.

The one who seriously studies what the Joker is thinking is the real Joker.

To be honest, Jung Eun was inexplicably bothered by the clown's words.

But he really didn't have time to investigate further.

The Joker had locked Batman up somewhere, and as time went on, the signal from the locator became weaker and weaker.

Jung Eun wasn't sure if the clown would move again, so he needed to race against time.

After confirming that everyone was in good physical condition and that all the necessary equipment was ready, Jung Eun began searching in the direction of the last signal emitted by the locator, while Dick and Alfred provided remote support from inside the bat cave.

"Are you sure this is the place?"

Using the X-ray vision function of his monocle, Jung Eun searched downwards. Gotham after nightfall was both bustling and desolate; the city center was brightly lit, while areas like the East Side and the Old Town were deserted.

At this time, most people had returned to their homes, with their wives and children mostly resting in their rooms, while the men in the living room were drinking and watching TV.

The neighborhoods in these areas are generally not very safe, so many married middle-aged men choose to keep watch this way. The television is turned up very loud, both to make the night less quiet and to deter thieves and robbers.

The signal from the locator showed the suburbs of the East District. Looking down, Zheng En saw robbers, thieves, and businessmen. There were teenagers buying addictive monsters from idle people in society, as well as men who would run away after robbing someone.

He dealt with the person and returned the lost items in three seconds, and then snatched the drugs from the hands of a vagrant in two seconds.

"Yes, all the signals we receive come from here."

Alfred's affirmative reply came through the earpiece. Zheng En knew there was no mistake on the other end, but since the signal had always been coming from this side, the probability of the Joker suddenly changing his location was not high.

There must be something he didn't notice.

Zheng En tried to call out to Tong Bat in his mind, but as always, his words went unanswered.

He calmed down and thought about it, but suddenly felt a large number of images flashing through his mind.

I cannot understand it, I cannot remember it.

These are all familiar things, but I can't remember anything. My brain feels like it's been overwhelmed by a flood of information, and it hurts so much that I can't think straight.

"Jung Eun! Jung Eun!"

Zheng En was awakened by shouts coming through his earpiece. Dick asked him anxiously, "Are you alright? What happened?"

"It's nothing."

Zheng En wiped away the sweat that was about to slip into her eyes, and opened the panel as she spoke, "My condition is normal, I am not injured, and my energy is also good."

Although he didn't know what had happened, the pain reminded him of a scene from a comic book.

The Court of Owls' lair is built in the sewers, but that doesn't mean there isn't space deeper and further underground beneath the rock.

He remembered that the pool containing the Dionysian factor was located in a cave a thousand feet above the ground.

"Found it."

In the deepest, most remote cave, the clown hummed a song, pushing a surgical trolley that he had somehow acquired.

The wheels of the truck were still stained with undried blood, and the ground was uneven, so it would bounce every few steps.

The tremor woke up the people in the car who were restrained by straps.

His hood and cloak were still on, and his battle suit remained as it was before he lost consciousness, stained with blood and dust.

But the all-purpose belt is gone.

Batman instinctively opened his eyes, and a pale face immediately met his gaze.

His face broke into a wide smile, but his brows were tightly furrowed.

"Oh no, you shouldn't have woken up so early!"

He instinctively tried to throw a punch, but found that he couldn't lift his hands. The restraints were tightly binding his wrists, waist, and ankles.

The clown muttered incessantly, "You should have woken up later, much later—"

"That way, when you open your eyes from your dream—you'll see a new world!"

His tone grew increasingly louder and sharper as he spoke, causing Batman to frown.

But he quickly realized this was a good opportunity to get the information out of people.

"You think this world is a dream?" Batman remembered what the Joker had told him at the port: "When we wake up, the world will be turned upside down."

He stared intently at the clown's expression, not missing a single change.

Whom are you referring to by "we"?

Batman knows the theory that the world is a dream. Hindus believe that the world is a dream created by the gods, and that all things are creations of dreams.

He had initially thought the clown was using a metaphor, but now it seemed to be the other person's true feelings.

The clown frowned and chuckled. "We are who we are, little bat. Did you get knocked out of your head?"

Batman ignored his counter-accusations, saying, "The Dream Theory believes that the world will be destroyed after the gods awaken."

"So you mean we are gods?"

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