368. A Voice

368. A Voice

Late at night, the entire Earth was shrouded in deathly silence.

After being swallowed by a seemingly eternal darkness, people living here were reminded once again of their fear of the dark and the unknown.

Due to Dr. Doom's extraordinary feat, humanity gained precious time for survival, but at the same time, they were thrust back into a "semi-primitive" era, forced to rekindle fire from wood.

In the tech workshop of Blood Nest, a faint glow of firelight seeped through the cracks of the building. In this world, aside from a few unique superhuman beings, the only light source left was the primitive oil lamps used to keep the darkness at bay.

"Barbara, I need you to adjust the capacitor parameters again—reduce the differential from 65-35 to 55-45. This world's parameters are still quite different from the ones we're used to."

Bruce Wayne, the Batman, had completely removed his battle suit. Since he and Barbara arrived at Blood Nest, he had immersed himself in the depths of technology.

He knew exactly what needed to be done, as always. In any situation, Bruce Wayne would make the choice closest to the right one.

"Got it."

Barbara responded casually, stifling a yawn.

The two had been working here for three days and nights. Though they'd taken breaks, the intense workload was a severe strain on their mental stamina.

Every so often, Barbara couldn't help but think of Cyborg. If Cyborg were here, with his abilities, restarting Earth's entire network and power grid would be a simple task.

Given enough time, Cyborg could even rebuild a "Watchtower" outside of Earth.

Sadly...

With a silent sigh, Barbara continued her work and glanced at Bruce Wayne, who was working not far from her.

"I heard Dick and the others had to put in a lot of effort to wake you up."

Bruce's hand paused as he tightened a screw, but he continued as if nothing had happened, replying in an even tone.

"They're all exceptional heroes. Unlike when they were Robins, now they can all stand on their own. I'm pleased to see how much they've grown, especially with respect to my actions."

"Oh, come on, you're always like this, Bruce! There are no cameras here, no reporters, no other Justice League members—just the two of us. Could you drop the act just this once?"

Barbara shook her head, exasperated.

Despite only having known Bruce for a few years, Barbara had discovered just how seriously he carried his "idol image," especially around young heroes.

She still couldn't tell if it was because he wanted to leave a stern impression on them or just wanted to emphasize his serious demeanor.

"What would you like me to say?" Bruce turned and showed Barbara the still-dark circles under his eyes. "A speech, perhaps?"

Barbara couldn't hold back her laughter, and the exhaustion she'd felt vanished in an instant.

"I just wanted to hear your thoughts on their combat skills. By the way, Bruce, you know Jason is a super-soldier now, right? How did that feel?"

"Jason..."

Bruce Wayne felt a faint ache in his ribs.

She and others like her were writing their own stories, sometimes even surpassing his expectations.

With this in mind, Bruce gave a slight nod.

"The Justice League members are scattered, working to protect the citizens arriving here. Lois and Harley Quinn are tallying the Suicide Squad's losses while trying to keep super-criminals under control."

"Don't tell me those criminals are planning to go back to their old ways."

"That's precisely our concern. While everyone stood united against an enemy like Darkseid, now that it's over and we're in this new wasteland, it's easy to imagine their personalities stirring up trouble."

Batman's concerns weren't unfounded; there were plenty of precedents with these villains.

They'd survived two years of despair on Apokolips, and now, in this "lawless" wasteland, it was hard to predict what these super-criminals might do.

"It's a pity. I heard the Suicide Squad lost a lot of people in the attack on Luthor Tower. I felt awful at the time, but now I wonder if those people had survived, this place might be even more 'chaotic'."

Barbara shook her head, a complex mix of emotions surfacing within her.

"By the way, what about Luthor?"

Hearing her question, Bruce Wayne responded in a level tone.

"Lex Luthor is planning to establish a new government in the wasteland. He's currently negotiating with several factions, and Black Canary is with him."

"What?"

Barbara couldn't hold back her reaction to Bruce's casual mention of such a bombshell.

"You know as well as I do how ambitious Luthor is. He wants to be the ruler of this wasteland, and you're just going to let him?"

"He's a member of the Justice League."

"He's a traitor who changes sides when it suits him," Barbara said, displeased.

"But he's a capable leader and exceptionally intelligent," Bruce replied calmly. "I understand why this shocks you, and that's normal, but the truth is, we need Luthor."

Bruce scanned the room, activating a low-frequency soundproofing device to ensure the busy vampires nearby wouldn't overhear before he continued.

"I've met the heroes of this world—Clint Barton, Kate Bishop, Baron Blood, Frank, and so on. You have to admit, they're getting old, and some of them have become mentally unwell.

"They're not exactly threats, but they're far from ideal leaders either. Their obsessive, grim personalities wouldn't bring hope; they'd only make the wasteland more divided."

"I discussed this briefly with Clark. We hope these two civilizations can truly integrate, but achieving that will take a long time, possibly even a lifetime of effort.

"But no matter where we start, the wasteland can't remain fragmented."

Bruce Wayne's face grew solemn as he concluded.

"To bring real change, the wasteland must have a single voice."

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30 advanced chapters on p@treaon

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