At the same moment the boy's voice appeared, the laboratory lights began to flicker eerily, and the scars on Batman's body were spreading at a visible speed.
It certainly looks very dangerous.
"You can't just appear in my dreams?!"
The Flash looked down at his arm, where the scars were emitting an eerie blue light, which even the thick black bandages couldn't stop.
Even the entire scar seemed to wriggle at this moment, as if it were alive.
"Yes, I've always been in your mind, but I was afraid that would terrify you." The Dream Boy's voice echoed in the Flash's mind once more.
It is young but possesses an undeniable strength.
The Flash has indeed been living in constant fear lately, and he doesn't know whether he should thank the other person, since the other person seems understanding but is also a harmful "parasite."
"If you want to save him, or stop what's about to happen, you need to make a quick decision about whether you're willing to accept my temporary arrival in your world to help you."
At this moment, the Dream Boy gave another reminder.
"You can help him? Really? What did Bruce do to himself?" The Flash was breathing heavily; he could feel the strange sensation spreading beneath his skin.
Because he was already being cautious enough, the Flash didn't respond immediately. He worried that it was like a pact with the Demons, and that giving a reply would open a door to this world for the devil.
"He made the craziest decision a madman could make." The Dream Boy didn't show any annoyance or urgency; he simply made his judgment in a shrug.
"Hearing that, for some reason, I wasn't surprised at all." The Flash went over to check on Bruce and found that Bruce's body was trembling.
"You and Bruce have the same problem. I'm sorry, but I can't agree to something like that," the Flash said in a deep voice after a moment of hesitation.
The Dream Boy was silent for a moment.
"Every broken universe has two choices. The Shattered Universe that targeted Bruce Wayne... clearly made the bad choice, a different choice from ours."
The boy's voice seemed to come from a distant time and space. He wasn't sure if he was trying to persuade the Flash, but the Flash remained completely unmoved.
As the world's fastest man, Barry Allen encounters an even faster opponent every year, and almost every year he also encounters a bad guy disguised as a good person.
Ten or twenty years of honing skills.
This really makes The Flash hesitant to easily trust inexplicable acts of kindness.
"There must be some price to pay for your help, right?" The Flash probed warily, his fingers unconsciously clenching as if considering Jordan's earlier suggestion.
He was conflicted.
If the scars on his arm started spreading wildly, should he really just cut the arm off? Because Batman was in a coma, he couldn't find anyone to help him think about it.
"Of course there's a price to pay. The price is that you have to help me get home. I remember I already told you that before." The boy's voice carried a hint of helplessness.
"I don't think it's that simple."
The Flash begins searching the base, using his knowledge to try and find the backup plan left by Batman —he firmly believes that Batman would not take risks easily.
This man always makes the most thorough preparations before taking an adventure.
"That's not easy. Our hometown has drifted to who-knows-how-far away. But Flash and Batman, you two always manage to find a solution, don't you?"
The Dream Boy carried a hint of anticipation.
"You seem to know us very well. How can I be sure you're not deceiving me now, trying to trick me into doing something that's detrimental to our world?"
The Flash remained unmoved.
He tried to unlock the door of a warehouse, his fingers frantically searching through every possible combination of passwords. Fortunately, Batman hadn't set up a mechanism that would explode if he failed to unlock it five times.
"If I wanted to harm you, Barry Allen, you would have been completely corrupted long ago—believe me, I'm not lying, my power is beyond your imagination."
The boy's voice suddenly took on a serious tone.
" Batman can't die. I still need him to help me figure out a way home—this is my sincerity." As these words fell, the scar on the Flash's arm suddenly faded away.
The skin has also returned to its normal color.
What happened?
The Flash was somewhat surprised. The problem that he and the Justice League had been trying to solve for so long seemed to have been taken back by the very Outer Universe that had been eroding him.
"The corruption you've suffered is only so that we can observe the outside world—that's our eye." The Dream Boy's voice sounded somewhat ethereal at this moment.
It was as if the message was being transmitted to the Flash's brain from a much farther location.
"So, you mean Bruce's current situation is due to invasions from many Outer Universe observing our world?" The Flash looked at Batman, whose face was covered in scars.
"My television no longer displays what your eyes see, but your understanding isn't wrong." The Dream Boy's voice was faint and slightly unclear.
It's like there's a problem with signal reception and transmission.
"This is really not a good thing."
The Flash exhausted all possible six-digit password sequences but still couldn't open Batman's warehouse. His attempt to use resonance to break into the warehouse also ended in failure.
"You need to make a decision quickly. I can't lend you my power; you're too weak." The Dream Boy spoke again, stating the fact in the most ordinary tone that left the Flash speechless.
"I could run faster, but ever since you corrupted me, my speed and physical abilities have been declining." The Flash slammed his fist on the door.
His strength wasn't even enough to trigger the intrusion alarm.
"..."
This really made the Flash very uncomfortable.
"This isn't because we're secretly absorbing your power; just read less of those books written by Superman's youngest son." Dream Boy had clearly seen Ian's work through the Flash's eyes.
The novel " The Overbearing Superman Falls in Love With Me " has reached a new stage. The Superman, whose soul is in a deep sleep, has become the makeup mirror grandpa of the reincarnated female lead. Every day, he secretly wipes off the reincarnated female lead's sunscreen and then uses her skin to absorb sunlight to restore his soul—occasionally, he also absorbs some of the female lead's superpowers.
Yes.
The female protagonist gained supernatural abilities in her second life.
Urban novels often end up like this in their later stages.
"Oh? If it weren't for you guys, would my speed have just vanished into thin air?" The Flash didn't believe Dream Boy at all; everyone in the Justice League loved reading Ian's novels.
Superman is an exception.
"No, they've always been there. In fact, you're much, much stronger than before. You feel slower only because you're running with me and my Minecraft on your back, and my Minecraft is attracting more cosmic matter to reinforce it." The Dream Boy's response clearly exceeded the Flash's expectations.
His expression remained blank for a long time.
It wasn't until Batman let out a painful groan that the Flash snapped out of his daze at the unexpected answer.
"I need... to find someone who can make decisions and assess the situation." The Flash's eyes darted around violently. He glanced at Batman, who looked like he might explode at any moment, then turned and ran towards the door.
Before he finished speaking, he had already transformed into a golden lightning bolt and shot out of the underground base. The energy of the Speed Force left a dazzling trail of light behind him.
In the blink of an eye, they were on the ground.
However.
Before the Flash could even rush towards Metropolis, an unexpected scene came into view.
On the ground.
In front of a dilapidated church.
Superman was already hovering in mid-air, his red cape fluttering in the wind. The Flash was extremely puzzled, wondering if Clark had become so powerful that even Batman's base couldn't block his Super Hearing anymore.
" Clark?"
The Flash stopped in surprise.
Superman did not answer.
His expression was unusually serious, his gaze fixed on an abandoned church in the distance. Before the Flash could ask any further questions, Superman had already dashed towards the church like an arrow.
"Etc!"
The Flash quickly followed.
The two stormed into the church one after the other, and the sight before them made The Flash gasp – Ian Kent was standing among a group of fallen Fallen Angels.
Beside him was Madison, the Plague Daughter.
"Remember!"
After seeing off the Dream God, Ian jumped back onto the stage, raised his arms, and shouted, "Every drop of sweat you shed on earth today is your ticket back to Heaven tomorrow!"
The Angels were so moved by what they heard that several of them were wiping away tears.
Look at this!
Ian suddenly pulled out a large disc, the cover of which was prominently printed with "[ Angel Roulette ]," adding, "Complete your performance targets and you can exchange them for Heaven Points!"
"You can use Heaven Points to participate in a lottery, and the lottery has a chance to win a Fragment—a certificate to return to Heaven. Anyway, once you collect all 108 fragments, I'll definitely send you back to Heaven."
As he spoke.
Ian also demonstrated the back of the roulette wheel on the spot, disassembling it to prove that he is a conscientious Archangel Ian and that the one in twenty chance of winning on the roulette wheel is not subject to any behind-the-scenes manipulation.
to be honest.
This was entirely due to Ian's conscience; he even stopped his Super Brain from trying to use the kind of strategy that involves collecting 107 fragments through a Pinduoduo Lottery and then starting to collect the fragments.
Archangel Ian has such a kind and gentle nature.
We will try our best to atone for our sins!
"Hope is just around the corner!"
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience. The Angels who arrived later also signed their employment contracts with tears in their eyes, afraid of missing this "precious opportunity" if they were even a moment late.
Ian was so engrossed in his speech that he didn't notice Clark, with a dark expression, walking up behind him, grabbing him by the back of the neck, and lifting him up.
Ian.
Superman's deep voice suppressed his annoyance.
"What are you doing?"
He truly never expected that without him noticing, his youngest son would become a pyramid scheme leader, even managing to fool a whole bunch of legitimate Angels.
"I'm helping homeless Angels! Yes! We're just doing charity work! Helping lost Angels find new jobs!" Ian swung his legs in the air.
Stubbornness won't work.
Superman did not respond.
He slowly turned his head toward Madison, who was trying to flank him and hit him on the back of the head with a street lamp.
The girl had hidden the three-meter-high streetlight behind her, who was less than 1.7 meters tall.
Superman's expression was both speechless and hilarious.
"Your mom and dad are worried about you, you should go home." Superman could hear Madison's parents' voices, but he was actually lying here.
no way.
Madison's parents also seemed to have some mental issues; they actually believed that since their daughter had finally managed to hook up with an alien, she should follow him and work hard for his career.
"You're lying, you're lying, my parents support me." Madison would be very clever in this situation; the most basic skill of a sophisticated "green tea" woman is to discern whether someone is deceiving her.
"I'm the PR Manager Ian hired. He needs professionals to handle media relations, and he also needs me to stop the Angels from joining the local nasty unions."
"Oh, right, he's also making a few movies about his greatness in taking in homeless people, and I'll be the female lead in one of them." Madison was truly completely won over by Ian.
Ian gave too much.
It's not wrong for her to dream of becoming a Hollywood star.
"Yes, yes, I not only provide them with food and lodging and the opportunity to return to Heaven, but I also pay them a salary." Ian made timely adjustments to his strategy to align with his father's values.
They don't need your help.
Clark spoke expressionlessly. He was also quite frustrated. How come those aloof Angels who refused Batman's help in broad daylight were now all acting like they were easy to fool?
Batman's assistance doesn't even require the Angels to do any work! Batman collects Angels blood for research, so why can't Ian Batman, who considers himself even more Batman- like, do the same?
Clark has observed this!
The wealthy Ian just secretly bought several laboratories! Even without guessing, the old man could tell that Ian was researching an " Angel Serum " potion that was "tastier" than the Superman Drug!
Just when Clark was at a loss for how to evaluate Ian's actions.
"Release Ian!"
Madison clearly wanted to save Ian. When one plan failed, she came up with another, demonstrating her profound skill in ostracizing people she didn't like at school and gathering a group of scheming girls.
"You evil Superman, let him go! He's the one everyone wants! We'll work for him to atone for our sins!" Madison shouted, his head bowed and his voice strained, as he hid in the crowd.
The Hollywood child star's restrained acting made her crying voice very moving.
"You definitely don't want us to go back to Heaven! You want to trap us on Earth!" These words were like a Mars falling into a powder keg.
The surrounding Angels immediately erupted in chaos.
"That's right! Release the Salvific Angel!"
"We did it voluntarily!"
"This is a sacred employment ceremony!"
A Weeping Angel even flew up and pointed her finger at Superman, threatening, "If you don't let go, I'll go to the Daily Planet!"
Publish details of how you confessed your love to Lana's photos every night when you were a child!
"I know what you said, all that filth, and you certainly don't want me to tell Lois!" The Angels certainly knew Superman, and they really did know about Superman's dark history from childhood to adulthood.
"..."
Superman's hands were trembling slightly.
His face turned red at a visible speed.
The redness spread from the base of my ears all the way down to my neck.
Ian seized the opportunity to break free and landed lightly on the ground. He shook his shoulders, Seventy-two Wings Mimicry Wings, illuminating the entire church as if it were daytime.
"Alright, alright, don't treat my dad like that. He's still my dearest family member." Ian waved his hand, feigning seriousness; he genuinely suppressed his curiosity for the sake of family harmony.
certainly.
Through the Angels ' fragmented words.
Ian probably realized that the "dirty and vulgar language" that Jordan often used in his dorm room was also a kind of bloodline inheritance, and that he had ultimately misunderstood his second brother too much in the past.
It seems that Kryptonian all have heat cycles.
Just as Ian changed his opinion of Jordan.
What a tolerant adult!
"That's the demeanor of Archangel!"
"Lord Ian is so kind!"
The Angels, seizing the opportunity, began to flatter him—you see, while the Angels may not have learned many other things in Heaven, they were masters at flattering Archangel archangels.
There are indeed other Archangel in Heaven who enjoy being flattered.
Clark stood to the side, his face contorted with an almost tangible black line that seemed to stretch all the way to the surface of the moon. He opened his mouth, but found himself completely unable to get a word in edgewise.
The old father could only begin to convince himself that this was perhaps what God wanted Ian to do, even though it was absurd, at least it would allow him to get a good night's sleep.
Even the invincible Superman is no match for his youngest son's courage.
Deceiving the Angels?
Sending Angels to a factory to tighten screws and then livestreaming it? Even Demons wouldn't dare do something like that.
"Um, excuse me, I have something very important to say." Just as this farce was escalating, the Flash, standing at the church entrance, finally couldn't hold back any longer.
Nobody paid him any attention.
The Angels are asking Ian when he can begin his atonement.
"As early as tonight, or at the latest tomorrow morning, don't worry, it's all very simple work. Oh, by the way, Little Punk Girl, you need to find a few dance teachers so the Angels can learn some modern hot dances."
"I'll also have my pet Minotaur teach you how to listen to the troubles of citizens late at night through a phone chat service."
You must use the gentlest and most caring tone to comfort those most vulnerable to suicide by jumping off buildings. After all, the fees will be high, so the service must be excellent.
Ian likes to treat paying customers like God.
He actually has the desire to get things done.
Quite a few people jump off buildings late at night.
Ian hoped that while the Angels made money for him, they would also accumulate merit for him. If the Angels could win once, he could probably win three, four, five, six, seven, or eight times.
"Oh, by the way, don't let me catch any fallen Angels among you using my live streams or chat platforms to engage in unhealthy transactions, that would damage my merits."
Ian was still talking at length.
This new era's method of accumulating merit was not understood by the corrupt father, and Clark could only sigh heavily upon seeing this.
They even covered their ears and ostriched.
"...
?
Seeing himself seemingly invisible, the Flash was utterly helpless. He took a deep breath and shouted with all his might, " Batman is dying!"
With so many Angels present, and Madison in attendance, the Flash didn't call Batman by his full name. That one sentence, however, was certainly eye-catching.
The church fell silent instantly.
Batman is immortal.
An Angels spoke with certainty.
Superman looked at the Angels, seemingly lost in thought.
"I haven't even seen Batman turn evil yet, and that guy's already going to kill himself?" Superman's expression and tone were complicated, and it was hard to tell whether it was surprise or regret.
He didn't even care about Batman as much as Ian.
"My biggest connection in America can't be ruined! Mom hasn't even started her presidential campaign yet!" Ian couldn't quite figure out what had happened.
How could Batman, who was so lively and energetic during the day, be declared critically ill just a few hours later?
He was racking his brains.
But the Little Punk Girl already had a guess in her mind.
"Could it be that Batman poisoned him in his... you know?" she whispered, reciting a scene straight out of a movie. Clearly, this girl had always believed that Batman and Batwoman were a couple.
Such unethical speculation is not entirely without merit.
"You're so clever! But it's probably not Batgirl, it's some Wildcat out there! Batman loves to go out and have late-night chats with those cunning cats!"
"This is also mentioned in the upcoming book, ' Catwoman, Don't Look Back, I'm Batman!'" Ian praised Madison while also promoting his new book.
He doesn't think Batman will fade away anytime soon.
That's Batman, after all.
There are no major events that pose any real threat to DC's "big daddy"! Even Lady Death has proven this. Batman is no match for DC.
It is extremely important to the universe.
"Your new book is being made into a movie, could I play the lead role?" Madison had heard of the book; the female lead was Wonder Woman.
She felt she could portray the character very well.
"No problem!"
Ian has always treated his friends well.
He readily agreed.
"..."
Superman hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
"Or should we talk about what happened to Batman?"
He changed the subject, not wanting to discuss Ian's work, because recently, while he was doing chivalrous deeds, people had started asking him if he had really fallen in love with an older woman.
"I'll just take you there to see it." The Flash was clearly feeling cheated; he glanced at the Angels gathered together.
It did not mention anything about pollution from Outer Universe.
The main concern is that there might be fallen Angels mixed in among the Angels. Paranoia is a stage that every superhero goes through, especially Barry Allen, who is persecuted by other Speedster every year. He even worries that if he exposes his corruption, he and Iris will be eliminated by Heaven as a threat.
Angels in movies always do things like that, so it's no wonder the Flash has such a stereotype.
"Alright, alright, hurry up and take us to rescue my Uncle Batman, then I can continue to take advantage of his kindness." Honest Ian revealed his simple and honest thoughts.
Superman glanced at him several times upon hearing this, but did not criticize or lecture him.
Where is he?
Clark looked around but couldn't find Bruce in Gotham— the guy was hiding so well that even if he mutated into the Batman Doomsday, no one would find him.
"Um, it should be here."
The Flash pointed directly to the ground below the church, suspecting that Batman's reason for activating the base was because there was a little boy above it proclaiming cult culture.
"An underground base, huh?" Superman immediately frowned and looked down into the ground. His X-ray vision penetrated through layers of soil, but he found nothing unusual. He had no idea what kind of isolation measures Bruce had strengthened.
"I'll take you there myself. Hopefully, the door hasn't automatically sealed shut." The Flash noticed Superman's confusion, sighed, and golden arcs of the Speed Force crackled around him.
Superman is getting ready to follow.
Ian quickly turned to his general manager, Madison, and instructed, "Take good care of these important assets of Ian's Greatest Technology Group! Buy them some takeout!"
"Buy more, we need to eat organic food. Don't let my assets get poisoned! Who knows if the powerless Angels can tolerate America's current pesticide technology?"
Ian pulled a wad of cash from his pocket and handed it to Madison.
That's indeed a significant share.
"Lead the way." Superman glanced at the amount that seemed to be equivalent to several years of his salary, then looked back at it several more times before following the Flash.
Ian is the same.
The Flash has slowed down to a point where he can easily catch up with him.
"Uncle Flash, please don't die. If it's really necessary, let me beg my suitor to spare your life. What will you do if you die and you owe me over nine million dollars?"
"After you die, you won't go to Heaven or Hell; you'll have to go to the Speed Force to pay off your debts. It'll be very difficult for me to contact you." Ian's voice, growing increasingly distant, drifted from outside the church.
After Ian left.
Madison immediately pulled out her phone and opened the food delivery app, only to find that all the shops in Gotham at night were marked "closed." Without hesitation, she swiped her phone to switch to the Metropolis area.
" Gotham has just experienced something major, and it's a chaotic city anyway. But it's different in Metropolis; we have delivery people at midnight."
Madison has regional pride.
She spent a lot of money ordering a bunch of takeout from the Metropolis, and because it involved many different shops, the bill was a bit messy. Mathematics really touched on some of this Little Punk Girl's blind spots.
She did a lot of calculations.
None of them were able to figure it out clearly.
"Um... Miss Madison,"
?
An Angels cautiously approached and began to instruct Madison on how to keep accounts. Although the Angels were illiterate, they certainly had no problem with basic math.
"Not bad, not bad, your math is really good, you're half as good as Ian." This was Madison's usual way of praising people. The Angels chuckled a few times, not daring to say that he could sit down and discuss mathematics with several truly great mathematicians. Just as Madison, under the Angels's guidance, was frantically starting to keep accurate accounts...
The church doors were suddenly flung open by a blinding beam of light.
"What are you doing here?" His voice made the temperature in the entire church drop sharply. Michael walked in with a gloomy face, his handsome features filled with displeasure.
"Your Excellency!"
The Angels were immediately excited.
They finally saw the familiar Archangel. So, while flattering Michael, the Angels chattered on about how the Archangel Ian had arranged their path of atonement.
They all started explaining Ian's "salvation plan," and the more they talked, the uglier Michael's face became. The Archangel could hardly believe his ears.
He was delayed for a moment because of other things.
Who would have thought?
Heaven is being hollowed out!
"You fools! All of you, come here!" Michael roared, turning and heading towards the door. He wanted to hide the Angels back in Heaven before the evil spirits discovered them.
Even if it goes against God's original will.
However.
It's certainly better than the Angels being completely fooled. Michael doesn't want to see the Angels working on Earth; that would be a disgrace to Heaven.
It made him angry.
They walked all the way to the place where the Gates of Heaven had fallen.
Not far from the church.
"Halt! This area is sealed off!" Wayne Tech ' security personnel immediately surrounded him, all sorts of high-tech weapons aimed at him. Michael merely gave a cold warning, and all the security personnel collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Those protective devices also turned to ashes in an instant.
This is how easily the will of the Archangel can rewrite reality.
Even if one cannot exert their full power in the human world.
Michael easily broke through all the defenses, however, when he arrived at the fallen Gates of Heaven, an unexpected event occurred—an event completely unexpected by Michael.
"Click~"
Michael reached out and pushed the door, but it wouldn't budge. The Angels followed behind him, waiting anxiously. Michael, feeling a little embarrassed, pushed harder.
The door remained unresponsive.
"What's going on...?" Michael began to radiate a dazzling glory, attempting to forcefully open the Gates of Heaven. But something even more terrifying happened—the glory on his body was rapidly fading.
It vanished completely in the blink of an eye!
The Angels were dumbfounded.
"Your Holiness Michael... do you also wish to atone for your sins?"
The Angels stared in disbelief at the Archangel before them, clearly sensing that the Archangel's glory was fading.
It's as if their former glory has faded.
Upon hearing this...
Michael remained silent.
His face showed utter astonishment.
His eyes were filled with disbelief.
"No! Impossible! I am Archangel! I am the Swordholder!"
He frantically pushed at the door, but still failed, and even his wings began to wither. Just as Michael roared to the sky, Madison squeezed out of the crowd and considerately handed him a document.
Michael, his eyes bulging as if about to burst, looked down.
The document title clearly stated...
[ Ian's Greatest Technology Group Angels Employment Contract]
This Copy of [ Ian's Labor Contract ] was left by Ian for Madison because he anticipated that other Angels might arrive after hearing the news.
It's an ability that the Magic Book gained after consuming the Death Note.
now.
It has clearly found its place.
"I've read the Bible, I know you. Archangel are very powerful. I'll make you the group leader; you'll get to spin the Wheel of Ian three more times a month than other Angels."
Madison, mimicking Ian's grandiose rhetoric, began speaking to Michael.
The tone already captured three-tenths of the essence.
The air was rather quiet.
Countless other Angels gasped in envy Gates of Heaven.