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

Chapter 90: The Strange Reaction Between Batman and Laughing Gas

Paradise Island's beaches have now been cleared. Except for those who have already obtained the qualification for reincarnation, everyone else has left Paradise Island and been forcibly relocated to other areas.

Realizing there was no hope of survival, many desperate people tried to stay on Paradise Island, hoping to catch the last train when they were reincarnated.

To prevent them from interfering with important matters, the divine stance of Paradise Island was raised, except this time they were outside.

On the beach, Barry was warming up thoroughly on a makeshift rubber track. After finishing, he waved to Ron and the others, "I'm off then! See you all again! I'll miss you!"

"Sure thing!" Ron said. "Don't forget to give my regards to Bruce too!"

Upon hearing this, Barry's lips twitched slightly, but he remained silent. Then, taking a deep breath, accompanied by the light of his Speed ​​Force, his robust figure swiftly transformed into a blur and sped away into the distance.

Without the barrier of the global virus, Barry's connection with the Speed ​​Force was incredibly strong. In just a moment, the speed reached its maximum threshold. Accompanied by a sound of spacetime shattering, the golden-red afterimage was synchronously accelerated to several times the speed of light. Infinite light was stretched into distorted light trails in that instant, and then everything returned to calm.

As he sped along, feeling himself break free from the constraints of his original space-time confines, Barry's eyes gleamed with excitement. Without pausing, his swift body raced forward, and guided by the Speed ​​Force, Barry soon once again experienced the reality of the material world. And, unlike before, this time Barry could clearly sense that this was the world he had been born into.

Barry reappeared on the cosmic treadmill in the Justice League headquarters watchtower. Dr. Elias, looking exhausted, gleamed with excitement upon seeing Barry's return, then asked, "Where were you all this time? Why did it take you so long to come back! Two whole weeks have passed!"

"Two weeks? That seems alright." Hearing this, Barry breathed a sigh of relief.

The flow of time differs between universes. In addition, the Speed ​​Force can sometimes go out of control, so even as the Flash, Barry would find it difficult to return to the desired point in time without sufficient preparation.

And now, I've clearly been in that world for at least a month, while only two weeks have passed here... That's already pretty good. After all, I was prepared to have disappeared from this world for a year.

Thinking it over, Barry said, "Something rather unusual happened, I'll tell you about it later. Right now, I need to get some cloth, and I need to go see Batman. I have something important to tell him!"

As he spoke, he waved to Dr. Elias, and then Barry vanished in a flash of light once more. He didn't even have time to return to Earth via the watchtower; instead, he used the Speed ​​Force continuously generated within his body to disregard the physical laws of the universe and race towards Earth.

That night, watching the golden-red afterimage streak across the sky, Clark, who was about to rest, blinked in surprise, looked in the direction Barry was running, and then nodded thoughtfully.

Barry has been gone for so long, and now he's suddenly back, rushing to Gotham in such a hurry. He must be looking for Bruce, right?

Yes, it's obvious that Barry has run into some trouble and wants to ask Bruce if he has any solutions. That's not hard to understand, since his superhuman intelligence usually gives him two answers: one is to quickly use his superpowers, and the other is why not ask the amazing Batman.

I just hope Bruce can be more honest, at least not keep things to himself, which makes it seem like he has so few fans in the league...

With these thoughts in mind, Clark leisurely got into the car and slowly started his journey home.

Meanwhile, Bruce, who was conducting research in the Batcave, glanced at the video on his computer after hearing the notification sound of someone entering. A look of surprise crossed his face when he saw it was Barry.

Bruce was quite concerned about Barry's sudden disappearance for two weeks. He just hadn't expected Barry to return and come to the Batcave... It seemed he had something else to discuss with him?

Thinking this, Bruce did not relax. Instead, he raised his head and gestured for Barbara, Drake, and the others to hide and get ready.

Because of the fleeting glimpse of the Joker's eyes in the mirror a few days ago after he imprisoned him, Bruce hasn't relaxed at all. Although all the investigation results tell Bruce that it might just be a hallucination caused by his exhaustion, Bruce doesn't believe it.

In Bruce's view, while the chase for the Joker was undeniably physically and mentally exhausting, it wasn't nearly enough to induce hallucinations... This level of fatigue paled in comparison to the anti-hallucination experiments he underwent during his training with the League of Assassins. Hallucinations under these conditions? Don't even dream about it; Batman wouldn't lose his composure under such intense stimulation.

While pondering, Barry jogged to the center of the Batcave, to Bruce's control room.

The entire control room was impeccably clean. Although the base was built inside a cave, the main areas were well-organized and scientifically planned, meeting the requirements for experimentation, research, relaxation, logistics, and combat preparation. However, considering Batman is a very busy man, it's likely that Butler Man was the one managing it most of the time.

Barry was a regular here, but he was somewhat moved when he saw the pistol on the table in a dust cover—if he remembered correctly, old Thomas also seemed to carry this gun with him.

It's no wonder they're father and son; they even have the same thoughts, deliberately placing the murder weapon that killed their parents (children) where they can see it as soon as they open their eyes.

Despite his thoughts, Barry still greeted them cheerfully:

"Hey Bruce! Long time no see!"

"It has indeed been a long time. You suddenly left for two weeks... What's up? Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Yes, something has come up."

As he spoke, Barry glanced around and said, "Is there anyone else here?"

"no."

Barry merely curled his lip in disdain, while Bruce remained calm and unmoved.

However, it wasn't a big deal, so Barry didn't make any further demands. He simply pulled out two slips of paper from his pocket and said, "While I was running, I was drawn by a special force to a world that was similar to ours, yet completely different."

"And in that world... you died."

Upon hearing this, Bruce paused slightly, then chuckled and shook his head, saying, "It's just that another version of me from another world died. According to you, in countless parallel universes, countless versions of me die every moment for various reasons, some even using firearms and killing indiscriminately, right?"

"..."

Seeing Bruce's calm demeanor, Barry pursed his lips and said, "But Batman still exists."

"So who's it this time?"

Bruce asked calmly.

While Bruce was wary of Barry the Flash, he was, frankly, much more relaxed than when facing other Justice League leaders. The main reason for this was that even Bruce couldn't deny Barry's kindness.

Of course, while acknowledging Barry's kindness, Bruce Wayne's methods against the Flash Barry were far more ruthless than imagined, given the terrifying nature of the Speed ​​Force. He didn't show any mercy just because he appreciated Barry's kindness, and it's hard to say whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.

Seeing Bruce's calm demeanor, Barry inexplicably thought of Ron's earlier behavior. Although it was highly unethical, glancing at the pistol placed in the dust-free enclosure, Barry couldn't help but scratch his head. He then took a deep breath and slammed the letter in his hand onto Bruce's chest.

"Things are a bit complicated. I... I don't know how to express it accurately. You'll have to see for yourself..."

Upon hearing this, Bruce remained silent for a moment, then a serious look appeared in his eyes—to make such an optimistic and cheerful guy like Barry show such a complex expression, there was no doubt that the origin of these two letters must be quite astonishing.

With that thought in mind, Bruce took a deep breath and opened the envelope. There were two sheets of paper in the first letter.

At first, Thomas really didn't want to write a letter. Even after hearing Ron's words, he only planned to ask Barry to pass on a message. However, Barry felt that he couldn't bring himself to say cheesy things like "my dear son" or "I love you" to Bruce's face. So, at Barry's insistence, Thomas finally had no choice but to write down the words he had been longing for day and night after his arm had regenerated.

Now, there were two sheets of paper, the first folded together. When Bruce opened them, a red lipstick mark came into view.

Looking at the lip print, Bruce's eyes showed a hint of confusion. He instinctively felt that the lip print was familiar. But upon careful recollection, Bruce found that he couldn't find any related memories.

Perhaps the lip lines above could be used for searching?

With these thoughts in mind, Bruce opened the second letter. The first sentence that caught his eye made him sway from side to side. He took two steps back, bumping into a nearby table, causing the pistol in the dust cover to fall to the ground, but Bruce didn't even try to pick it up.

Seeing this from afar, Barbara couldn't help but cover her mouth. She and Drake exchanged a glance, and after sensing the same surprise in each other's eyes, they both turned their curious gazes to Bruce.

As Batman's sidekicks and "family," they are well aware of just how powerful their patriarch is.

This kind of strength is not the all-encompassing, flawless strength of Superman, nor is it the strength of Barry, who excels in a particular area. Rather, it is absolute rationality, the ability to rally and launch precise and effective counterattacks against the enemy, no matter how desperate the circumstances.

How so? It's as if, as long as Batman is still here, there's always a chance to turn the tide, no matter how dangerous the situation.

Having fought side by side for so long, this was the first time Barbara had ever seen such an expression, such movements, and such vulnerability in Bruce!

And looking at the first line on the letter—"My dear son."

Barry.

Bruce only saw the first line, but the captivating handwriting made him realize something.

After a brief silence, Bruce was shocked to find that he didn't even have the courage to read the next line. Or rather, more than reading the content, Bruce desperately wanted to know—

"Is this... really true?"

"...This, this is a bit complicated."

Scratching his head, Barry said, "It's true what you think, but again, it's another world. Normally, transferring matter from one world to another is an ironclad rule among speedsters. But..."

"Tell me if it's true or not; I can confirm the rest myself."

Bruce simply gripped the letter tightly, his eyes filled with solemnity.

"……yes."

Barry shrugged helplessly, then after a moment's thought, pulled out a USB drive and said, "In that world, we encountered a Superman infected by a virus. With the help of some time travelers from other worlds, we won. This contains relevant footage; you can study it later."

Bruce took the USB drive, glanced at Barry, and then nodded, saying, "I will."

Seeing Bruce's silent, preoccupied expression, Barry shrugged. Without saying anything more, he turned and said, "I'll be going now...call me if you need anything!"

"……OK."

With his head down, gazing at the letter, Bruce could feel the warmth welling up in his eyes.

As Barry vanished in a blur once more, Bruce opened the letter and began to read it carefully.

Looking at his own haunting image, and at the words his father had tried to express, yet which appeared somewhat pale and awkward on paper, Bruce found a smile creeping onto his lips.

So, it was me who died in the other world? Ah, that's quite a lucky little Bruce.

As he watched, Bruce's expression suddenly turned strange.

Damian? What Damian? I don't remember ever having any children. Besides, I died so young in the other world, how did my father know about my life in this world?

In the distance, Bruce was seen crying and laughing intermittently, and after a while, he looked completely bewildered and confused.

Thinking of the supervillain Bruce had recently captured, Barbara gasped and said to Drake:

"Oh no, Batman's been inhaled with laughing gas!"

(End of this chapter)