It shouldn't have been like this.
Barry Allen was on the verge of collapse. Before this, he had already witnessed the changes in this universe with his own eyes.
His mother was indeed alive, but the comrades he trusted most had all vanished. He didn't know whether what he had done was right or wrong, but he already regretted it.
Perhaps, just as Bruce Wayne had said, time was an incredibly fragile and unstable thing. Any change could cause unpredictable consequences. Perhaps every superhero needed to go through hardships in order to grow. No matter how despairing those hardships might be, they were things destined to happen.
Changing the timeline had clearly been a selfish act.
"I... I can find a way to make up for it, right?" Barry Allen stared blankly at Zhang Ye. Though he had no idea who these two people claiming to be from another universe were, it was obvious that they were far more experienced than he was.
He was merely a speedster capable of traveling through the timeline, and still a "rookie" at that. He had only just begun to understand the power of the Speed Force and was still unable to fully comprehend or control it.
But this man named Zhang Ye could travel freely between parallel universes. Their power and understanding of parallel universes were surely far beyond that of a complete beginner like him. Barry Allen sincerely hoped that Zhang Ye could tell him how to remedy his mistake.
Seeing Barry Allen's reaction, Zhang Ye felt somewhat helpless too. Who could have imagined that he would escape from an utterly hopeless universe, only to immediately have to clean up after a rookie Flash's mess?
"It won't be that easy. I don't want to discourage you, but the truth is that this universe will be difficult to save. Even if you travel back and correct history, a broken mirror can't truly be restored. Like shattered glass, even if you piece it back into its original shape, the corrected timeline will still retain cracks."
"How could this be..." Barry Allen staggered back a few steps and slumped into a chair.
"So you finally understand how huge a disaster you caused. A time branch has already formed. For you, returning to repair the timeline might restore a universe similar to the one you originally came from, but that doesn't mean the universe you created now will disappear."
Zhang Ye raised a hand and pointed downward with his index finger as he spoke.
"For the people here, this universe hasn't disappeared. The only one who disappears is you. You mistakenly created this universe, then abandoned it. After you leave, this universe will continue to operate until it is eventually destroyed and becomes dust in the Multiverse."
"What should I do?" Barry Allen gritted his teeth in anguish. Suddenly, he seemed to think of something. He jerked his head up and spoke hesitantly. "Then... then if we solve the problem with Zod, will this universe still be destroyed?"
"You really dare to say that." A bitter smile appeared on Zhang Ye's face. Dealing with General Zod sounded simple, but actually doing it would be unimaginably difficult.
Still, Barry Allen wasn't wrong. This world would ultimately be destroyed by General Zod. But if they really could find a way to deal with that problem, then after overcoming this hurdle, perhaps this world could truly continue developing like a normal parallel universe.
Although this universe had no Superman, Wonder Woman, or Aquaman, that didn't mean it wouldn't have Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, or Green Arrow in the future. Anything was possible in the future. No one could say for certain.
What's more, this world had no Mother Box. That meant Darkseid and Earth's old gods had never gone to war, so Steppenwolf most likely wouldn't come here to fight for the Mother Boxes either. Perhaps this world really could break free from the shackles binding it and become an independent timeline.
Thinking of that, Zhang Ye nodded. "If possible, then as long as we resolve this problem, this universe can survive. You'll be able to make up for the mistake you made as well."
"What should I do? Can you teach me?" Barry Allen came before Zhang Ye as though clutching at his only lifeline and asked earnestly.
"Don't you already have a plan? Otherwise, why did you come here looking for Batman?" Zhang Ye prompted him.
"What? Bruce Wayne is Batman?!" Little Barry Allen, who had been quietly eating noodles nearby, suddenly shrieked.
Barry Allen was instantly speechless. He turned to this "former version of himself" and said, "What else did you think? Why do you think I brought you here?"
"Didn't you say we were looking for our cousin? I thought we came here to find our cousin," Little Barry Allen muttered.
"I..." Barry Allen pointed at his counterpart for a long while without being able to say a word. He had never dreamed that he would be this stupid in this timeline.
"Alright, enough of that, Barry. Don't you still have work to do? There isn't much time. You need to get moving." Interrupting the two Barrys' antics, Zhang Ye patted Barry Allen on the shoulder.
Hearing this, Barry Allen finally came to his senses and nodded. "Right, you're right. I still need to find Superman. As long as we can find Superman, we'll have a chance of defeating Zod."
After saying that, Barry Allen immediately ran out with Little Barry Allen. Aside from looking for Batman, they had come here in the hope of using Batman's supercomputer to locate the superheroes scattered across the world.
Of course, Superman was the most important one. After all, in Barry Allen's memories, Superman had personally killed General Zod.
Watching the two Barrys rush out in a flurry, Zhang Ye sighed. Then he turned to look at Bruce Wayne, who was passed out drunk on the stairs.
"You're just letting them into your Batcave? That doesn't seem like you."
"Hehehe..." Bruce Wayne let out a low laugh. He took another swig of alcohol and chuckled.
"Looks like you understand me better than that young man who calls himself 'the comrade of Batman from another world.' Interesting. Compared to those two, I'm more curious about you two. Honestly, how long has it been since you last bathed? The stench of blood and gunpowder on you is so strong I thought you had just come back from a battlefield."
"You wouldn't be wrong to say that. We did go through some unpleasant things." Zhang Ye spread his hands.
"So, what is your purpose?"
"As you can see, I'm not a superpowered person. Like you, I'm just an ordinary man—far inferior to you, even. So I came here hoping you could provide some weapons and equipment, so that I could have some means of protecting myself."
"Oh?"
Old Bruce Wayne's cloudy, weathered eyes suddenly flashed with light. A chilling aura instantly erupted from the body that had appeared so slack and lazy until now.
Under his gaze, Zhang Ye felt every hair on his body stand on end, as if a sharp edge were pressing against his back.
After a long while, Bruce Wayne finally opened his mouth. His white beard trembled slightly as he slowly spoke.
"Why should I help you?"
Zhang Ye didn't answer immediately. After pausing for several seconds, he merely smiled faintly and asked in return, "Then why did you help those two?"
Hearing Zhang Ye's question, Bruce Wayne fell silent. His eyes remained fixed on Zhang Ye, as if trying to see through the young man before him. The entire restaurant fell into silence.
None of the three people present spoke. Pietro had actually wanted to interject, but seeing how grave and solemn the atmosphere was, he hesitated for a long time before deciding to stay quiet so as not to disturb Zhang Ye.
At last, the old Bat snorted coldly, breaking the silence.
Bruce Wayne raised the bottle and took a drink, then spoke in a deliberately casual tone. "Whatever. I'm retired anyway. If you want my Batsuit, I'll give you two of them."
"No, I don't want your Batsuit." Unexpectedly, Zhang Ye shook his head.
"Your Batsuit is indeed formidable, but like I said, I'm nowhere near your level physically. So even if you gave me a Batsuit, I wouldn't be able to bring out its true power. It would only limit me at every turn."
"Then what do you want?" Old Bruce Wayne set down the bottle.
Seeing the curiosity in the other man's eyes, Zhang Ye's lips curled into a harmless smile.
"What I want is merely the relics of your old friends."
(Guess what equipment it is. Well, everyone probably already knows.)
Before you continue