I'm in an American comic book, and all my teammates are main characters and bosses.

Chapter 70: A Moment of Silence for the Batman of Another World

As Ron spoke, Thomas looked up and gazed out the car door.

From a distant house, the Joker, dressed in a white straitjacket and with long, green curly hair flowing down her back, emerged like a star surrounded by admirers. A wide smile graced her face, and her steps were relaxed and carefree.

With a carefree look in her eyes, she approached the car, her gaze piercing through the windshield to see Thomas in the back seat. Martha, with a bizarre smile, asked:

"Look who's here? The great Batman? Do you still think Gotham is the Gotham before the apocalypse? Don't be ridiculous!"

As she continued, Martha's face grew increasingly cold: "Give me a reason... Batman."

Looking at the clown lady in front of him, Ron felt that this world was too interesting.

Martha Wayne. Thomas Wayne's wife. Born into a prominent family, she is the eldest daughter of the Kane family, one of Gotham City's four great families. Although she comes from a powerful family, this family is far more complex than it appears on the surface. For example, Arkham Asylum is a Kane family business.

This family suffers from a congenital genetic disorder, resulting in highly sensitive and hyperactive nerves. Batman and the Joker are indelible figures in Gotham City, like a concept, or perhaps a curse. And in the Crime Alley on that fateful night, with Bruce's death, Martha Wayne's genetically induced hypersensitivity overwhelmed her reason.

In fact, this wasn't Thomas's first time here. However, before this, Thomas had always come under a different identity—"Batman."

Now, Thomas wasn't wearing his battle uniform, but rather a sharp suit. A white flower was pinned to his chest, and his eyes held a solemn expression.

Stepping out of the car, Martha saw Thomas and involuntarily took a step back, but then her eyes were filled with hatred once again.

Apart from the extra white flower, Martha recognized it as the dress from that night.

A surge of intense anger welled up within Martha, causing her to clench her fists involuntarily. Her voice was almost hoarse from the throat—"What are you doing! What are you doing!! Why did you come here! Why are you wearing this outfit!!!"

Amidst the intense screams, Martha's lip split open, and the simple stitches that had been sewn shut reopened—Martha had gone mad after Bruce Wayne left.

During that time, Martha spent her days in tears because of Bruce's departure. And then Thomas said, "How much I miss him, and your smile!"

Martha agreed wholeheartedly, and so she slashed her face with a knife. From then on, Martha became the clown of this world, or rather, Mrs. Clown.

And now...

Looking at Martha's crazed eyes, Thomas's lips twitched a few times before he said, "Bruce isn't dead yet."

"..."

Startled, Martha pulled out a dagger without hesitation, rushed to Thomas's side, pressed the blade against his neck, and growled hoarsely, "Do you know what you're saying?!"

"Know."

Thomas said quietly, "I asked a friend... The people who should have died in Crime Alley that night were you and me. Bruce would have survived."

"Then why now—"

"Someone altered the timeline, saving those who shouldn't have been saved and causing those who shouldn't have died to die," Thomas said quietly. "And now, by changing all of this, we can put everything back on track."

Upon hearing this, Martha fell silent, then distanced herself from Thomas and asked coldly, "So what are you going to do?"

Thomas then turned and looked at Ron.

Seeing this, Ron climbed out of the car, greeted Martha, and after a brief self-introduction, corrected her, saying, "It's not about changing all of this, but about ushering this world into a new cycle."

"What about Bruce? How can I trust you?"

Martha stared coldly at Ron, her eyes filled with indifference.

More often than not, Martha the Joker comes across as utterly insane and without limits. Her actions seem completely meaningless to others—only those who have truly read the story can understand that, from beginning to end, Martha is seeking revenge on Gotham for Bruce's sake.

Now, looking at the two people in front of him, Ron said, "Let me check."

With a simple search, Ron quickly determined through the World Tree system that a derivative world of this universe existed within the Celestial Sphere. No, rather than a derivative world, it would be more accurate to say that this world, after completing its cycle of reincarnation, gave birth to the DC Universe.

Thinking it over, Ron said, "Perhaps we need to change our attitude towards the current problem."

"What do you mean?"

Looking at the two people before him, and meeting their questions, Ron said, "The catastrophe this world was originally destined to experience is called the 'Flashpoint Paradox,' which is the apocalyptic world caused by the butterfly effect after the Flash altered a major historical event. After correcting the Flashpoint Paradox, the world will enter the next cycle, rejuvenated."

"And in this process, all the souls, matter, and everything else in this universe will also enter the next cycle of reincarnation."

"But now, due to the emergence of the global virus, the continuity of the Flashpoint Paradox and the spacetime nodes have been utterly disrupted, transforming the paradoxical world into a complete apocalypse. If before it was merely a sapling undergoing growth, withering, and then tenaciously growing again the next spring..."

"So now, no matter how much we change things, the end result is still the destruction of the world, like a withered leaf falling from a tree, with no chance to sprout again."

"Then what's the point of you saying all this?" Perhaps because it was related to Bruce, Martha the Clown became much calmer, but deep in her cold eyes, there was still an unyielding madness.

"If this world is destined to end, then what's the point of being here now?"

"Like pike in a school of sardines," Ron explained, "with the Flash from another world and an unknown intruder, this stagnant world has gained more possibilities."

"Under the best of luck, with the arrival of the apocalypse, there may be a tiny fraction of people in this universe, less than 0.0001% of the total life in this world, who will be able to regain their vitality and gain the right to travel to other worlds."

After a pause, Ron continued, "So, how do you view Bruce from other worlds?"

"Just seeing him one more time is enough."

Martha continued without pausing, her eyes fixed on Ron: "As long as I can see him one more time, I won't hesitate for a second, no matter the cost. All I want is to love him again... even for just a fleeting moment, I'd gladly offer my soul to the devil."

Hearing Martha's answer, Ron turned to Thomas. Receiving a silent but resolute look, Ron nodded. "Our next destination is Metropolis, to make contact with the Flash from another world. Besides bringing your core members, is there anything else you need to prepare?"

Upon hearing this, the couple exchanged a glance, their eyes both revealing a resolute determination. They didn't say anything more, simply nodding to each other. Then Thomas said:

"There's one last thing left, and I won't waste too much time."

As they spoke, the two tidied themselves up a bit. Not long after, the couple, who wore white flowers on their chests, once again went to the place where the nightmare had occurred, decades later.

Even though the world is now shrouded in apocalypse, Crime Alley remains exactly as it was back then. There are no changes whatsoever, and you can even see some signs of cleaning.

In the middle of the empty, dark alley, the silhouette of a child lying on the ground is outlined in white chalk. There are no other embellishments, only a bunch of bright red roses placed on the chalk outline.

Standing outside Crime Alley, gazing at the two mourners from afar, Ron was certain that the Wayne family, like the Kane family, had some kind of special hereditary disease.

Judging from the traces in the alley, it's clear that this place has been carefully preserved to its original state. And given the personalities of the two individuals, it's obvious that they wouldn't delegate the maintenance work to anyone else.

Perhaps every quiet night, someone comes here to cry.

A moment later, they walked out of the crime alley. Although it was only a few steps, Ron could clearly feel that in those few steps, the two of them had undergone a huge change in their aura from the inside out.

Back in the limousine, Martha tidied her hair slightly, her white women's suit still impeccably tailored. Compared to before, Martha was no longer manic, but a strange kind of obsession emanated from her.

"Excuse me, Mr. Ron, could you tell me what kind of person Bruce will be in the future?"

"A good person who suffered for you his whole life, spent his life trying to make up for his childhood fears, and couldn't trust anyone."

Ron calmly replied, "He's also Batman from another world."

Upon hearing that her son would become Batman in the normal timeline, Martha couldn't help but frown: "This is not a good thing."

Although her voice was calm, the way Martha said those words always gave off a strong sense of distortion. It was like a volcano about to erupt beneath the ice, with an indescribable eeriness.

That's not Martha's fault... You see, in a slightly more normal Flashpoint Paradox, Martha would go crazy just hearing that Bruce would become Batman in the future.

After all, Thomas, the Batman, never showed mercy to criminals. But in Martha's heart, Bruce would always be innocent and kind...

However, it's clear that after numerous changes, Martha's current ideas are completely different from those in the Flashpoint Paradox. It feels like... it's not just Martha, but the entire universe has been assimilated by the Trash Can Universe, with everyone's thoughts seemingly similar to, but not quite, the Flashpoint Paradox of the main universe.

"Unlike Thomas, Bruce never kills anyone. He's the strategist for the Justice League, which defends world peace, and has saved the world from destruction countless times. He's a true hero!"

Whether he is a true hero is hard to say, but considering Martha's mental state, Ron doesn't mind saying a good word for Bruce.

But Martha was clearly not relieved by this. Instead, she sighed, a mixture of joy and sorrow on her face. Although she wore a smile, her expression was filled with a twisted sadness.

"My Bruce... my little Bruce. I know Gotham, and I'm amazed by Bruce's kindness, but what kind of suffering would he endure if he weren't ruthless?"

"He needs protection, he needs love..."

Does Batman need protection?

Upon hearing this, Ron scratched his head: "It does seem necessary. I remember Bruce once broke his spine, it was terrible."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Martha, who was deeply immersed in grief, suddenly fell silent. The headlights shone down from above the limousine, but failed to illuminate the couple's faces. In the absolute darkness, all Ron could see was a bottomless, suppressed rage.

Sensing this strange atmosphere, Ciri couldn't help but stretch her shoulders a couple of times.

That's so strange...

We're just two ordinary people, so why do I feel my body trembling uncontrollably?

"It will become a paradise."

Thomas quietly embraced his wife beside him and whispered, "We will turn Gotham into paradise."

“Yes, Thomas…” Martha nodded, “in the name of love.”

Wow, now we really have to mourn for the Batman who never met in another world.

Ron watched with a smile as Thomas and Martha prepared to help Batman turn Gotham into a paradise in the name of love. He was filled with disbelief and anticipation.

Interfering with the worlds of the Trash Can Universe to increase possibilities could allow Ron to obtain a considerable amount of System Coins. But from another perspective, if these worlds pulled in by the celestial convergence also develop sufficient vitality, could they also provide him with System Coins?

Thinking to himself, Ron smiled and said, "Actually, we don't need to be so angry, because Bruce in the other world isn't always drowning in hatred and resentment."

"..."

Seeing the two remain silent, Ron spoke up, "For example, his spirit has attracted many people to surround him, forming the Bat Family. It's not just teenagers drawn by his ideals, but he already has a biological son in the truest sense."

"!!!"

Upon hearing this, Martha and Thomas, who were still immersed in their grief, widened their eyes in an instant, their hearts raced, and even their breathing became unusually heavy.

(End of this chapter)