[Integrated/Crossover DC/Marvel] Why Did the World End Again? - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Disaster of the Wayne

Alice lowered her head, wanting only to pretend she hadn’t heard a thing. Heaven knew if she would be killed to keep her silent.

“Are you afraid?”

“…”

Alice really wanted to say she was terrified…

“I thought you’d run the moment you saw me. After all, I’m the murderer the media talks about.”

“What murderer…?”

“The murderer who killed everyone in the Wayne family.”

Alice swallowed nervously and looked up at the round moon.

“The moonlight is truly beautiful today. A perfect time for a picnic or a barbecue…”

Lycoris Wayne looked at this strange girl. She had an intuition that she might know her, yet she was certain she had no memory of this face.

“Sorry, I’m a bit mad. Please bear with me, Miss Red Shirt.”

Alice watched as the other woman spoke while casually smoothing out Alice’s collar. It scared her so much she nearly jumped out of her skin.

“We’re almost there. Next up is a game for the three of us.”

Alice looked around, her mind full of question marks, trying to find a third person. Faced with the empty surroundings and the other woman’s eerie smile, Alice’s skin crawled. This is all fake… so what is real? This was supposed to be a romance dating sim—why was it turning into a horror game?

Hearing those words, Jason stepped silently out of the shadows.

“Hello, Miss Wayne?”

As he spoke, he extended his hand. Alice looked at the sudden stranger in shock. She couldn’t tell which side he was on; he looked quite muscular, and there was a strange logo on his chest—it looked like a bat?

Lycoris Wayne looked at the familiar bat-themed gear, gave a polite smile, and reached out. Alice didn’t understand. Why did the atmosphere suddenly turn into two friends shaking hands? Just as she was about to marvel at the absurdity of this world, the moment their fingertips touched, the two burst into a violent fight. Alice was left standing alone like the figure in The Scream.

“Huh?! Why did they start fighting all of a sudden?!”

Alice didn’t know what to do, but as they fought, a mist mysteriously rose in the air. Alice thought she could smell seawater; Lycoris Wayne and Jason Todd smelled it too.

The two stopped fighting and separated. Jason watched the so-called Wayne before him. He was certain she had received Batman’s training.

“It’s coming.”

“Who?”

Lycoris Wayne smiled and answered Jason’s question.

“Batman.”

“Ah, the Gotham tabloids were actually telling the truth! He really isn’t human?”

Alice exclaimed as she watched the mist rise. In Gotham, Batman had always been an urban legend. Very few people had ever taken a photo of him; they only ever caught the Bat-Signal. Some said he was a vampire, others a bat demon. Looking at the mist, Alice understood: Batman’s secret identity was—Slender Man!

“What Gotham tabloids?”

Lycoris Wayne asked, showing a rare spark of interest. Though Alice had only spent three days in Gotham, everyone knew that time units in Gotham were different from elsewhere. They had their own way of calculating. Living there for three days felt like years. She barely dared to leave the house, and her only entertainment was reading the newspaper. Why didn’t she watch TV? Because when the gangs fought, they always knocked down the antennas…

“They say he’s a vampire, an incarnation of a monster. Isn’t he? He can even summon mist. I bet he’s Slender Man.”

“Why not the ‘Handsome Boy in the Mist’?”

Jason expressed his confusion. If it had to be associated with mist, wouldn’t the “Handsome Boy in the Mist” be a better fit? Wandering the alleys, answering all your questions, and guaranteeing that what he says becomes reality. If he says he’ll cripple you, he won’t just leave you with light injuries (not). Though a Batman who can kill three people with one punch has nothing to do with the word “handsome boy.”

“Handsome Boy is Japanese. We’re American.”

Hearing Alice’s words, Jason fell silent. Lycoris Wayne made a valiant struggle to defend what little remained of Batman’s reputation.

“No, that’s a madwoman in the water. You can call her… Batwoman.”

“A female Batman?”

Lycoris Wayne felt the knife in her pocket and looked at Jason.

“She was attracted here by you, Jason Todd…”

“What do you mean?”

“The Red Shirt girl and a version of my brother from another world? I don’t know how you got here, but this place is a mess. You’d better get as far away as possible.”

At the mention of this, the slightly softened atmosphere grew heavy once more.

“What exactly happened to Gotham? Where did Batman go?”

Jason looked at Lycoris Wayne, trying to get an answer, but she remained silent.

Lycoris looked toward the sea. “She’s coming out. She’s got the key…”

Just as Alice was about to ask what was going on, everything before her shattered like a broken mirror. Alice felt herself falling continuously. She tried to control her descent but could do nothing. Then, she suddenly snapped her eyes open and sat up in bed.

“It’s morning.”

Jason observed his surroundings. The scene kept shifting until he finally appeared at the gates of Wayne Manor. Inside, warm yellow lights were glowing. It seemed to be winter, and snow was falling from the sky.

The familiar door opened, and a familiar figure stepped out. Lycoris Wayne smiled at Jason.

“Jay, you’re finally back.”

Jason was wondering how to bluff his way through or whether to just turn and leave, when suddenly, a familiar person appeared behind him. The person was riding a motorcycle, wearing a jacket, with a streak of white hair on his forehead—it was himself.

He saw his other self holding a box and tossing it directly to Lycoris Wayne.

“Bought it. Ready to give the old man a surprise?”

“I think Father will like these. And he’ll be so happy that you’re back, Jason.”

“Don’t say such disgusting things, Lycoris. I’m getting goosebumps.”

As the two talked, another familiar figure appeared at the door.

“Let me see who’s talking at the door and refusing to come in.”

“Shut up, Dickhead.”

The group made joyful sounds and returned to the house.

Jason watched all this with a complex expression, but his body was honest. He slowly pushed the door open and entered the room. Everyone sat together. He also saw Tim, the boy who replaced him as Robin and inherited his cape. In that instant, he felt his temper flare. He suddenly wanted to destroy everything.

He didn’t want to see this anymore. He wanted to turn and leave. They sat together as happy as a family. Lycoris Wayne sat there, saying happily:

“The Bats are a big family. We all love everyone in this family, don’t we? Merry Christmas. Here’s to every even better year to come.”

Watching the pointless gift exchange and the so-called family meeting, Jason licked his lips, feeling like laughing. Better years? From the moment he emerged from the earth six feet under, he knew that the world and its “years” had nothing more to do with him…

Jason Todd died in the year he became Robin. He would never have a “better next year.”

“Little Wing, I love you!”

Dick threw an arm around Jason’s neck and shouted. Jason, being hugged, pushed him away.

“Damn it, can you not be so disgusting!”

Everyone burst into laughter. Jason only looked at Bruce sitting in the head seat. For some reason, he suddenly couldn’t see the man’s face clearly…

“I hate you, Bruce.”

In a Gotham safehouse, Jason woke with a start from the dream. The sun shone through the window into the room.

“It’s morning.”

Alice looked around to confirm she was back home, then scrambled to open her computer. Sure enough, the game was running. She couldn’t close it no matter what. A character card automatically popped up on the screen. Upon clicking it, Alice found she had unlocked two character traits.

Character Trait Unlocked: Holy Mother’s Heart Description: People often say to kill the “Holy Mother” first in a chaotic world. But when disaster strikes, did you ever wonder if your past moments of softness toward others would bring a helping hand? Turns out, you weren’t wrong. The hand reached out and turned into a powerful rein, pulling you tightly from the bottomless abyss.

Character Trait Unlocked: Bat-Stan Description: You are a fanatic Bat-fan. When someone insults Batman, you gain a Berserk buff, doubling your combat power.

Alice covered her face. She wouldn’t argue with the second one, but the first one? Sister, even if you’re a bit cute riding that pink scooter, you’re taking heads with an axe. I really don’t see the ‘Holy Mother’ anywhere…

Then again, sending someone to heaven—couldn’t that be considered a form of salvation?

“Congratulations, Player, on unlocking character traits. Please use them boldly!”

“Use my foot! This game is a piece of trash, forcing itself on me!”

Alice didn’t want to deal with it anymore. She kept right-clicking her mouse, attempting to uninstall the game, only to find that no matter how she tried to delete it, the game remained on her desktop like a ghost.

Alice fell into silence… What could she do now? Call the police?

Alice clicked on the Metropolis Forum and tried posting to ask fellow netizens.

“Guys, there’s a problem with a game I downloaded. I seem to be able to transmigrate into it, and I can’t uninstall it. What should I do?”

“OP, turn left at the exit and go to Arkham. Your mental state is very concerning.” — This was someone looking for a laugh.

“Maybe it’s a virus? OP, try a different computer or go to a repair shop to clear it?” — This was a rational suggestion.

“My god, that’s so cool!!!” — This was a chaotic fun-seeker.

Alice slumped in her chair, staring at her computer. Honestly, she was a bit reluctant to part with it; after all, it was the tool she used to make a living. After checking the money in her personal account, Alice calculated the price of a new computer.

Selling the computer was an option, but she didn’t want to harm other members of the public. Alice looked at her poor computer and finally raised a hammer.

“Goodbye, brother…”

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