A shift in the worldline

Oswald bought some bread and sausages, and the two of them squatted on the floor to eat.

Dick realized he had been left out. He couldn't go outside in his hospital gown, and he couldn't sleep if he went back to bed. All he could do was stand barefoot on the floor, awkwardly watching them eat.

Grrr~

His stomach growled at the worst possible moment. He lifted a cold foot and rubbed its sole against the top of the other, his hands fidgeting in the air. After much hesitation, he finally spoke:

"I... can I have some?"

"Realized you were wrong?" Qin Wei took a bite of bread, popped open a can, and gulped down some beer before lifting his eyes to give him a cold look.

"You were right. You weren't the ones who killed my family. I should go after Baron..."

Dick's eyes dimmed as he said this. He lowered his head and clenched his fists, his rigid body trembling as though a javelin had pierced the top of his skull and pinned him to the floor.

A piece of bread appeared in front of him.

"Here! Eat. Your clothes are in that metal cabinet in the corner. Once you're done, go do whatever you want," Qin Wei said.

Dick jerked his head up as though jolted by electricity and snatched the bread.

He opened the cabinet. When he saw the bloodstained Flying Graysons costume, he suddenly turned to Qin Wei:

"Should I really kill him for revenge? Aren't you going to stop me?"

When Qin Wei heard those words, he distinctly felt the space around him shudder. At the same time, the entire world seemed to plunge into the empty heart of the universe, and every sound around him fell silent.

His breathing, the beeping of the heart monitor, and the faint snores from beyond the corridor all disappeared.

Dick's mouth moved as he said something, but Qin Wei couldn't hear a thing.

"Will, what's wrong? You look awful!"

As though wrenching free of a nightmare, he was awakened by Oswald's urgent call. He blinked in confusion, only to discover that everything around him had already returned to normal.

This was the first time Qin Wei had encountered anything like this. After a brief moment of panic, he began biting his nails in thought.

What did Dick mean by that-aren't you going to stop me?

Those words didn't seem meant for him. They seemed more like something addressed to Bruce Wayne.

If things followed the script, Bruce Wayne would surely pull Dick into a tight embrace and tell him with a heavy heart, "Revenge will only make you lose your way. I don't want my story to repeat itself through you."

At that thought, Qin Wei raised his head and stared straight at Dick.

He had a rough idea of where that eerie sensation had come from.

He had done many things since arriving in this world, but none of them had ever affected the main plot.

Dr. Hugo attacked the casino, Catwoman took revenge on Falcone, and Penguin quietly rose to power amid the conflict between the two mob bosses. Those stories would still happen even without his involvement.

But this time was different. Dick Grayson stood at a crossroads, one path leading to Robin, the other to the unknown. At this very moment, Qin Wei had taken Batman's place. His words would influence, perhaps even change, Dick's life, and might very well trigger a butterfly effect that rewrote this universe's predetermined fate.

Aren't you going to stop me?

Those words reflected Dick's inner confusion, but they were also a warning from this world to Qin Wei-do not rewrite the plot!

"Interesting!"

Qin Wei drained his beer, and the can slowly crumpled beneath the pressure of his hand.

For the first time since arriving here, he had touched upon the truth of this world, and he had done it by attempting to rewrite a major character's life.

This was a risky move. Playing this piece might bring unforeseen consequences. The universe collapsing, or space tearing apart? That would be quite a price.

But Qin Wei didn't want to become a slave to the plot. If he followed his plan, he would have to face this situation sooner or later.

Then I might as well do it now.

Qin Wei took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and looked straight into Dick's eyes:

"When the law fails to bring justice to those involved, personal vengeance becomes just and noble from that moment on. Do you understand what I mean?"

Dick nodded firmly. The confusion faded from his eyes, replaced by the flames of vengeance.

He changed into his clothes and jogged out, leaving only a grim-faced Qin Wei and a bewildered Oswald behind.

"What's he going to do?"

"Take revenge on Baron, I suppose."

"He's crazy! With injuries that bad, isn't he afraid he'll tear his stitches and bleed to death halfway there?"

"That's not our concern," Qin Wei replied indifferently.

"So you didn't spend all that money saving him to recruit him?"

"I do want to recruit him, but I need to see what he can do first..." Qin Wei said, then suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his brain.

It was as though an invisible icicle had pierced his temple, slowly prying open his skull and stirring his brain. In an instant, agony seized him by the throat, and he clutched his hair as he curled into a ball.

"Oh, hahahahaha! That's it! Hurry up and turn this damned worldline upside down! Then we'll be able to meet very soon. I can't wait to see that adorable face of yours!"

A familiar voice slowly writhed through his mind, its shrill, raspy tone steeped in undisguised madness.

It had appeared like this on his very first day in Gotham, helpfully introducing him to the city's entire backstory. Qin Wei had initially thought it was a system prompt, but now it seemed things weren't as simple as he had imagined.

The agony faded. Qin Wei wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and got to his feet, a purple figure involuntarily surfacing in his mind.

That voice was so distinctive that it was difficult not to associate it with Joker.

But the question was, how had Joker gotten inside his head? There was another detail that grew more horrifying the longer he considered it: the voice had told him to turn this worldline upside down.

Why "worldline" instead of "world"?

There were too few clues and too many questions. Qin Wei felt as though his brain couldn't keep up.

Better focus on the present for now.

"Are you all right? You've been acting strange for a while now." Oswald helped Qin Wei up. "We haven't rested all night. Why don't we head back and get some sleep?"

Qin Wei pulled the key to Dodge Manor from his pocket.

"We still have something important to do. Maroni gave me this. Want to come take a look with me?"

At those words, Oswald swallowed, tears glimmering in his eyes.

"Really?"

He reached out with both hands to touch the key, only to recoil in panic like a wax figure confronted with the blazing morning sun.

He feared this was a dream, an illusion that could burn him.

He would always remember the words he had heard more than ten years ago, when his father disowned him and drove him out of the house.

"Oswald! You're nothing but a lowly sewer rat. You don't deserve to inherit the Cobblepot Family name. Find some dark corner to curl up in and wait to die!"

For years afterward, he had struggled to survive in the cracks and shadows of Gotham's Lower District. He had stolen fruit from vendors and picked wealthy businessmen's pockets. Rival gangs had cornered him in alleys over petty grudges and beaten him within an inch of his life. He had also killed defenseless, pitiful people in return for small favors from his employers.

He had been sick and injured, had lain beside a sewer waiting to die, but he had gritted his teeth and survived it all.

For no other reason than to prove one thing to that man-Oswald was no rat. One day, his name would resound throughout Gotham.

"Can I really go?" He rubbed the corners of his eyes, pleading with an almost abject look.

"It's not a question of whether you can go. This manor is ours to begin with."

Qin Wei solemnly pressed the key into Oswald's palm.

"Now, my great lord, let us inspect our domain!"