[Integrated/Crossover DC/Marvel] Why Did the World End Again? - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Quiet Town

Who is Todd???

Alice was puzzled, but the viewers in the livestream immediately provided the answer.

“Fun fact: Apparently, the second young master of the Wayne family was named Todd, but he has passed away…”

“666, this game developer is going too far!”

Looking at the messages in the chat, Alice’s brows furrowed. To be honest, it wasn’t that she possessed superior morality, but she knew the basic respect due to the deceased. Thinking about it this way, her mood suddenly soured. This game wasn’t exactly a “must-play.”

A game that shows no respect for the dead, leeches off the fame of the richest man, and profits from a tragedy—what kind of depth could it possibly have? No matter how “cool” the opening slogans were written, it was just a piece of trash game!

With that thought, Alice’s temper flared. She threw up her hands and finally said:

“Sorry, everyone, but this game is too trash. I’m not streaming it anymore. I’m ending the stream now and we’ll talk tomorrow. I’ll see if I can find some new games then.”

Late that night, Alice lay in bed and drifted into sleep. She loved dreaming because, in her dreams, she could be anyone she wanted—perhaps a savior traversing heaven and earth to save the world, perhaps an invincible billionaire socialite who could hire eight hundred male models at once, or perhaps a shining superstar surrounded by countless fans and watched by the whole world. Thinking this way, Alice felt that her daily dreams were something to look forward to.

However, tonight’s dream felt different. Alice felt an intense headache, sensing herself standing silently in a corner watching a scene unfold, like watching a 3D movie.

It was a long, dark alley with no end in sight. A disheveled figure was running desperately, mumbling something under its breath.

“I’m sorry, Lord, please forgive me. I didn’t… I didn’t mean to do it. Please spare me, I beg of you!”

The figure was incoherent, saying strange things. Before Alice could realize what was happening, she heard a familiar laugh. Was that Lycoris Wayne? But for some reason, Alice felt that this laughter sounded more like someone else—The Joker.

The figure, perhaps out of fear, felt its legs go weak and collapsed to the ground. Its head appeared to be injured; blood dripped onto the ground, mixing with the dust—a grim foreshadowing of a tragic end. Despite falling, it didn’t give up on the possibility of survival. It crawled on the ground, scrambling forward. Alice, watching this, didn’t know what to say; she only felt that everything was incredibly strange.

Soon, the laughter drew closer. Alice didn’t know what was happening, but her heart clenched inexplicably. This sense of uncertainty in a pitch-black environment was truly terrifying. Even though the figure crawled pathetically, it ultimately could not escape its fate. It was caught.

The empty wilderness, the long path, and the dark night, paired with the crazed laughter, made Alice’s skin crawl. Moonlight spilled onto the path, illuminating Lycoris Wayne’s face. This was a completely different person from the one under the streetlight in the game.

Alice didn’t know how to describe it. She didn’t even dare to move, standing rooted to the spot. When the other person’s gaze swept toward the ground, Alice even suspected that she could be seen…

“Why are you running? You can’t get away. To be honest, I feel a bit sorry. I was trying to control myself, and I didn’t want to do this, but you really triggered me. Why did you have to mention that name?”

Lycoris Wayne stood under the pale moonlight. Her face was stained with blood. In the late autumn season, she wore thin clothing. Alice could clearly see visible scars on her knees and elbows, yet her face wore a strange, eerie smile.

“How many girls did you kill? Seven? Eight? Nine?”

The figure only trembled, finally looking up to reveal his face completely. He was a middle-aged man in his 40s, now weeping bitterly.

“No, I was wrong! I’ll turn myself in! Please let me go!”

“Oh, right, I remember now. If you count me, it makes ten. I’m a very fair person. Since there are ten people, I’ll chop you exactly ten times. If you die, it’s just your bad luck. If you don’t die, then heaven has forgiven you…”

Hearing the words from Lycoris Wayne’s mouth, the man’s features became completely distorted. He screamed while pointing at Lycoris.

“You’re a lunatic! You and that damned boy should both go to hell! What right do you have to do this? You have no authority! You aren’t the police!!”

As the man spoke, Alice could feel Lycoris Wayne’s expression grow even darker.

“Do not mention my brother. You are not worthy…”

The final frame of the vision was a massive axe falling, and Lycoris Wayne’s final words:

“Oh, he’s dead…”

Alice woke up with a start. She opened her computer and clicked on the game. The screen was stuck at the visiting stage. Alice was controlling the character to go find Lycoris Wayne, but someone knocked on her door first.

Opening the door revealed a very beautiful girl. If Lycoris Wayne exuded a cold, detached aura, this girl possessed a natural charm that made people want to be near her.

“Hello! I’m your neighbor from upstairs. I heard you just moved in and brought you a little something. It’s nice to meet you, I’m Medusa.”

“Oh, hello. I’m Mary.”

After a brief interaction, the system prompted that a character had been unlocked.

Character Unlocked: Medusa

Name: Medusa

Gender: Female

Age: ???

Abilities: ???

Affection: 15

“Legend has it that this name represents beauty and misfortune. Will it bring the same fate to its owner? An eternal beauty, or a fallen Gorgon?”

Alice didn’t care about all that; she just wanted to find Lycoris Wayne immediately. However, when she ran to the first floor, not only was Lycoris not there, but she also received a quest.

[Quest: Please get to know your neighbors before coming to see her.]

“Tsk!”

Alice finished through gritted teeth, but she could only control the character to visit everyone as quickly as possible.

Next, Alice moved the character to the second floor and knocked. After a moment, a young girl opened the door. Alice couldn’t be sure if she was Lycoris’s sister because she didn’t show her face; instead, she wore long clothes, pants, and a hoodie. Honestly, Alice felt a strong “shut-in” (hikikomori) vibe from her.

However, the girl looked very slender. She wasn’t short, but her frame was so delicate it gave off a “fragile girl” impression. But as soon as she spoke, she shattered that atmosphere completely.

“I don’t know you. Thanks.”

With that, she tried to close the door. Alice quickly jammed the doorway.

“Hello, I’m the new neighbor from upstairs. My name is Mary.”

“Mhm. I’m Anna. Do you need something?”

Seeing her cold attitude, Alice didn’t mind because she was in a hurry. She turned the character toward the fourth floor.

Congratulations! Player has unlocked Annabelle.

Alice reached the fourth floor and knocked. A man opened the door; he had beautiful blue eyes and semi-long black hair, with long lashes visible when he looked down.

“Hello, may I help you?”

After he opened the door, another voice shouted loudly from inside the room.

“Who’s knocking? Is it Anna again? Tell her I’m already dead! Do not disturb!”

Hearing the voice from inside, Alice wanted to laugh behind the screen, but managed to hold it in.

“This character is too hilarious.”

“Hello, I’m a new resident. My name is Mary, nice to meet you.”

The black-haired man nodded and introduced himself as Thea. The other man then walked out, and when Alice saw him, she fell silent.

What was this game developer thinking? They put their soul into characters and their feet into the plot. If they didn’t leech off fame, they could probably get popular just on these faces alone.

The man who had shouted before had beautiful long blonde hair and strange, light-colored golden eyes. Alice didn’t know how to describe it, but looking at him gave her an inexplicable sense of sacredness and peace, like seeing a priest in a cathedral…

For a moment, Alice’s heart raced. A sacred Holy Son and a cold little trophy wife?

Before Alice could say anything, the blonde man spoke.

“I’m Aurora. And get a grip—the two of us are just friends, not a couple. If we were together, it would destroy the world.”

Huh?

His nonsensical, “read-but-replied-randomly” style left Alice speechless.

Congratulations! Player has unlocked Thea Wicks and Aurora.

After a brief interaction, Alice headed to the top floor to meet the last NPC. A man opened the door; he had beautiful long hair and a faint air of sadness. Alice suddenly felt a “non-human” vibe from him, but there was no time to overthink. After a brief self-introduction and learning his name was Narcissus, Alice rushed back to the first floor to find Lycoris Wayne.

Congratulations! Player has unlocked Narcissus.

As she finished visiting the NPCs, the system indicated all character cards were unlocked. Alice didn’t care about the cards anymore. She had a feeling that the strange dream last night was definitely related to Lycoris, so she had to find her no matter what.

Before she could start searching, Lycoris mysteriously appeared at the apartment entrance. Honestly, seeing Lycoris gave Alice a bit of a shock; she hadn’t quite moved on from the image of her wielding an axe.

The girl looked perfectly normal.

“Are you going out? I can give you a lift.”

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