Even in a Gotham that had already improved, without police maintaining order, it was still dangerous for an outsider to stand on the street for so long. Many unpleasant memories of this terrifying Dark City welled up in Clark's mind.
But then he realized it was not that he had let down his guard too much. The place where he stood was not all that different from nearby Metropolis. It was neither dark, bloody, nor violent, and the people carried themselves no differently from Metropolis citizens.
"Looks like Batman supported them all." Bruce looked around and said, "He must have ruled all humanity through some method, then organized production and allocated resources, ultimately allowing everyone to live happy lives."
"Then what's going on now?" Diana frowned deeply.
Bruce shook his head. "There are still too few resources. Even if the entire Earth were perfectly balanced and absolute fairness achieved, it would only ensure that everyone had food and clothing. It could not satisfy their spiritual needs or allow every person to fully realize their self-worth."
"That made them feel unfree. They could still personally feel Batman's control over them and devoted too much energy to it. Put bluntly, they had too much time on their hands."
Just as Bruce said that, a notification sounded from his communicator. After checking it, he said, "As expected, he isn't dead. He contacted me. Let's follow the coordinates he gave us and look for him."
The three flew onward, finally reaching an island farthest from Gotham, where they at last found a weak signal.
After landing, Clark looked everywhere but saw nothing that resembled Batman. He had no choice but to fly up again and circle the island several times before finally shouting in delight, "I see the Batmobile! He should be nearby!"
The