A Joke

A Joke

The second surprise?

Zhang Ye's ears twitched. He could hear the hidden meaning in Bruce Wayne's words, and he already had an answer in his heart. Outwardly, however, Zhang Ye said nothing and showed no reaction.

The two followed Bruce Wayne into the castle. Its decor was even more exquisite than President X's castle, but Zhang Ye had no mood to appreciate any of it. His gaze remained fixed on Bruce Wayne.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Zhang Ye, and this is Pietro. We came here from another universe. We originally only planned to rest here for a while, but it seems this universe is caught in a catastrophic disaster."

"If you're talking about the Multiverse and altering the timeline, then you've come to the wrong person. I'm just an old man enjoying retirement. Still, I'd be happy to introduce you to the 'culprits' behind this disaster." Bruce Wayne grinned.

"I came here to find you, Bruce. I need your help," Zhang Ye said seriously.

"Is that so?" Bruce Wayne continued walking without looking back. "Then you must be one of my friends too. In another universe, were we inseparable comrades-in-arms?"

"You may have misunderstood. I don't know you. None of the universes I've experienced had you in them. You're the first Bruce Wayne I've ever seen with my own eyes."

"Then how did you know I existed?" Bruce Wayne casually picked up a bottle of liquor and drank as he walked. There was no emotional reaction in his voice.

"The interconnected nature of universes. I know the people and events in most universes, so naturally, I know you too—Batman. Every universe is connected, yet unable to peer into the others. But that doesn't mean they can't affect one another. You exist in many universes, and you are also the one and only Batman."

"Then do you know that I'm retired? And in this world, none of the other superheroes you know exist either. So you've come to the wrong person."

"No, my purpose is simple. It isn't as complicated as you think. Other superheroes are worthless to me. I came here for you." Zhang Ye paused, then added, "And to try to save this world before it is destroyed."

Bruce Wayne let out a low laugh. Then he swayed as he walked and stopped outside a room. From the smell drifting out, it was probably the kitchen.

"If you're here to save this world, then I don't think you should be looking for me. You should be looking for the people who caused all this. Come take a look. They're right in here—"

Following the direction Bruce Wayne pointed, Zhang Ye saw two identical men sitting at the kitchen table. One of them held a plate and kept shoveling noodles into his mouth.

The instant he saw them, Zhang Ye recognized who they were: Barry Allen from the future, and the Barry Allen of this timeline.

It seemed that events had already unfolded as they had in the story. The older Barry Allen had taken Little Barry Allen to gain superpowers, only for them to be pierced by lightning. Both of them had been struck, and the older Barry Allen's Speed Force had transferred into Little Barry Allen.

This caused the older Barry Allen to lose his Speed Force. He was no longer a speedster, while Little Barry Allen had instantly become a super-speedster.

That perhaps explained why skills the older Barry Allen had needed to train for so long to master—such as vibrating his body at high speed to phase through objects—had come naturally to Little Barry Allen without any training at all.

"So this is the first surprise you mentioned." Zhang Ye smiled, unsurprised.

"Yes. Since you're all from other universes, I assume you know each other. Whatever you have to say, you should talk it out yourselves. This old man won't get involved."

As Bruce Wayne spoke, he picked up another bottle of liquor, then slumped onto the stairs and began drinking deeply.

"No, no, no, no, no! I don't know either of them! I've never seen them before! Wait, you said they came here from other universes too?!" The older Barry Allen's eyes widened as he shot to his feet. He stared fixedly at Zhang Ye and Pietro, his trembling hands raised and waving for a long time before he finally managed to force out one sentence. "That's impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible, Barry Allen." Zhang Ye stepped forward, his tone stern. "It's fine if you don't know me, but I know you. You once lived in a world full of hope. Even if it was suffering, heroes still stepped forward to save it. But you destroyed it with your own hands."

"I didn't," the older Barry Allen protested.

"You didn't? Then tell me, where is this world's Aquaman? Where is Wonder Woman? Can you put your hand on your chest and firmly tell me whether Atlantis and Paradise Island still exist in this world?" Zhang Ye pressed him relentlessly.

"I..." The older Barry Allen froze. Only then did he realize that he might have caused a terrible disaster. He grabbed his hair viciously with both hands, his entire face twisting in agony. "What have I done?"

"Don't tell me the Bruce Wayne from your universe never warned you how uncontrollable the consequences of this would be. You're treating everyone's lives and the safety of the timeline like a joke!" Zhang Ye said harshly. "Without Atlantis and Paradise Island, what are you going to use to fight Steppenwolf? Not to mention Zod now."

"Did I warn him?"

"I wasn't talking about you. I meant the Bruce Wayne from his universe." Zhang Ye glanced at the slightly drunken old Bruce, then continued speaking to Barry Allen.

"Do you know how selfish what you did was? You didn't understand what happened that day at all, yet you recklessly altered the timeline according to your own wishes. It was an utterly irresponsible thing to do. Look at this world. This is the world you created, and it is about to be destroyed by Zod."

"I... I can stop all of this," the older Barry Allen argued.

"Stop it? Easy to say. But have you considered that from the moment you altered the timeline, two—or even more—universes were born? To the people living in those universes, they are living, breathing lives. They have their own stories and experiences. Are you going to erase their value and the meaning of their existence?"

At that, Zhang Ye glanced at old Bruce. Yes, perhaps this world's Batman was different from most Batmen, but he had his own story too, and those stories inspired and influenced others.

But with the older Barry Allen's alteration, they had all been erased.

Everyone in this world, no matter how great their achievements or how much they had sacrificed.

In the end, they had all been reduced to nothing more than a joke Barry Allen had told Aquaman.