Batman is the world's best scientist, an undisputed fact, but most people seldom recognize this, instead thinking of him as a slightly off-kilter vigilante.
But isn't it said that necessity is the mother of invention?
A few days before Batman's return, many began to realize that Gotham's skyward propulsion system had severe problems.
If this was happening to any other city, it would have caused citywide panic by now. After all, Gotham is currently floating in space. If it were to fall, not to mention the disaster this large city would cause on Earth, at least the city's inhabitants would definitely not survive.
But for Gothamites, freedom is more important than life. They've only been free for a few days, and now they're about to fall. Wouldn't that ruin their newfound pride?
In order to protect their precious freedom, they began drastic repair efforts on the system. However, the system was hastily put together, and regardless of how optimized it becomes, it is merely a patch-up job. The primary issue is that the system is neither stable nor efficient.
The inhabitants of Arkham Asylum had pretty much exhausted every possible solution they could think of. Even Robin got involved in the repair work. But unfortunately, there are limits to what wishful thinking can achieve. It was already a miracle that they made Gotham fly once; expecting it to stay airborne for a long time was simply unrealistic.
Gotham's top scientists had a meeting and realized that the city's fall was inevitable. However, the meeting had included the Joker, and the monarch of Gotham's comedy scene once again brought good news: when in doubt, ask Batman.
The people of Gotham had an epiphany. Of course! Batman is the world's greatest scientist! Could there possibly be a power system issue that he can't solve?
Conveniently, Batman had just returned at that time. The crazies thought it over; they were usually causing trouble for Batman, so this time when they needed his help, they had to show some sincerity.
Hence, Gotham City was filled with scenes of drums and firecrackers, flags flapping in the wind, and a sea of people. The patients of Arkham Asylum lead the citizens of Gotham in welcoming Batman back to his loyal city, hoping for a brighter future under Batman's leadership.
Walking down the bustling Gotham Streets, surrounded by cheering crowds and fluttering confetti, Batman was at a loss for words.
They ignore me when they move houses, but when the new house has problems, they think of asking me for help. Who am I? Can I really stand this?
Batman fixed the power system.
This wasn't solely due to the warm welcome from the crazies and Gothamites, but mainly because he too was in Gotham. If Gotham fell, wouldn't he also be doomed?
However, he decided to adjust the power system output to allow Gotham to descend slowly. He predicted that Gotham would return to the atmosphere within a week, and back to its original place within half a month.
This stirred up a hornet's nest.
The lunatics of Gotham didn't want to go back at all. They thought space was simply too wonderful – quiet, isolated, bleak yet bustling. It was the promised land for the equally cold, irascible and neurotic Gothamites – they'd allow the sun to leave, but not them!
This was within Batman's expectations. He knew these lunatics too well. Why should he argue with lunatics?
But what baffled him was that America also disagreed.
That's right, about a week after Gotham left the ground, the U.S. Congress actually signed an independence order.
When the Joker slapped the legal document in front of Batman, he was shocked. Texas State isn't closing its eyes in death, Florida is rising in rebellion and even distant Hawaii is singing a song of injustice.
How could they just let it go independent?
At first, Batman didn't understand, but when he took the Batplane back for a look, he got it.
Gotham may have run off, but it didn't take the whole continent with it. It only took the surface layer, lowering the sea level by a few dozen meters, but the continental shelf still remained.
In other words, America still owned this land, and what was more, it was a piece of undeveloped land on the expensive East Coast.
Upon understanding this, Batman could already imagine the bloody fights in Congress. It wasn't about Gotham's independence, but who would get to develop this land next.
By making the city with the highest crime rate in the country disappear, and gaining a new, emerging land free of any obstacles on the Golden Coast – complete with a massive underground labyrinth that was instantly ready for tourism development – the U.S. President was baffled. After signing the independence order, he ran to Mount Rushmore overnight to loudly exclaim, "God Bless America!" three times. Even Metropolis' mayor was building his villa by noon after the morning signing of the legal order.
The people of Metropolis and Brude Haven were delighted. Brude Haven is still okay, but Metropolis had also been troubled by a dense population and high housing prices for a long time. Now a new area nearly as large as their city has emerged, giving their children the opportunity to become a property elite.
Some people are still wandering, while others are already homeless. Anyhow, Batman, facing a sea of people viewing houses, was unable to form words. The only consolation he had was perhaps the even more miserable Owl.
If the government wasn't working out, he still had to go back to Gotham and find solutions. After all, the houses weren't built yet, and if Gotham insisted on landing, they should have no way to stop it.
Then he ran into another sharp problem – his biological parents, Thomas and Martha, also disagreed with Gotham's landing.
After some investigation, Batman found out that the most popular house viewing groups on the ground were looking at buildings jointly developed by the Wayne Enterprises and Kane family.
Batman thought he should at least receive support from Robin, right? They should, and have the right to, stand on his side, right?
Turns out, the Robins were the most vehement in their opposition.
After arguing with the Robins for two days, Batman gradually realized that their refusal wasn't due to them being unreasonable or self-centered. Their refusal was purely because they were teenagers who thought it would be cool to have their city floating above Earth, a neat bragging point when they go to college.
Alfred sided with the Robins.
So did Batman.
He had to admit, he was genuinely taken aback at the idea of the Robins considering going to college. If they indeed were to go, then let Gotham float for the sake of their conversations at parties.
Batman thought that this was the greatest compromise he could make. However, humans are inherently greedy. Upon learning of an interstellar war happening in the cosmos, the Robins argued that Gotham was part and parcel of the Universe. How could they miss an opportunity to join in the spectacle?
Batman was completely exasperated. Worse yet, Thomas and Martha emphatically argued: if he can be Batman, why can't he take the kids to the cosmos for an educational experience and then safely bring them back to Gotham?
Batman was left speechless.
He found himself in a supremely awkward state of life—between generational obligations, indulging the whims of the younger ones, and being caught in the middle of the older generation.
Maturity brings a sense of direction, whereas the loss of parents only leaves a sense of duty and an arduous journey home. At this point, Batman's once clear destination seemed muddy and the return was dreary. It is rare for Batman to be peturbed, but he was now consumed by a sense of frustration.
Eventually, he decided to ignore everyone's suggestions. After all, he was the one who installed the power system, and he could land Gotham whenever he liked.
Unfortunately for him, his opponents knew him too well. Before Batman could activate the power system, the Robins summoned Gotham to Hell.
Both Red Robin and Red Hood had studied magic, but Red Robin was the key because he had Lilith within him.
Yes, Lilith never truly left. She found the human race and their world incredibly entertaining, no wonder Lucifer never wanted to return after his first visit.
Lilith had no country or army to look after, so she decided to stay in Red Robin's body. After learning about the predicament of Gotham's people, the Mother of All Blood decided to open the gates of Hell for them.
Lilith's generous actions nearly infuriated all the other demons in Hell.
You want to enjoy the show with no consideration for our lives? The last time Batman showed up, he nearly wiped out our entire territory. Now you brought an entire city here, and you've been alive since the creation of this world, while we've only lived for a few years, right?
While demons had their complaints, on the night Gotham City descended, Hell undertook a mass evacuation they hadn't seen in a millennium. Hell was big enough for them to set up their city anywhere they wanted. They figured, if we walk away, what's the big deal?
As it turned out, it was. Even the power system, modified by Batman, still required an energy source. Due to Batman's advanced technology, the range of potential energy sources had increased significantly. Any entity with energy could be shredded in the extraction machine. The purer the energy, the greater the amount of electricity it could generate.
The demons in Hell were essentially energy-based lifeforms by traditional human understanding. Upon Gotham's arrival, they realized they were surrounded by batteries, why not start generating electricity directly?
This time, not only did the inmates of Arkham Asylum shine, but the Robins did not pale in comparisons. Since these creatures were demons, there was no moral qualm in killing, eating, and burying them.
If it was just the Robins from the Prime Universe, the efficiency wouldn't have been high enough. But the Robins from Shiller's universe were still here, and together they worked with shocking effectiveness.
In the past, Gotham had waged a great war, with fierce battles in the upper, middle, and lower city districts. The families, back in the gangster era, needed fresh funds.
They realized that the two lucrative businesses of energy theft and human trafficking had fused into one. Why would they not get involved? For a time, people referred to Hell as Little Gotham.
Such a situation continued for a while. At first, some demon tribes did not take the situation seriously, deciding to stay despite the evacuation order, and consequently turned into batteries.
Gothamites patrolled in shifts and geographical sectors. Those with planes flew, and those without drove trucks. Those with the capabilities attacked colonies, and those without targeted solitary individuals. Restoring the glory of the mobs was their bounden duty.
In fact, Gothamites couldn't defeat any decent demons, but there were too many demons in Hell, and not all of them were strong. They targeted the vulnerable ones and reaped significant gains.
With their energy needs fulfilled, they could finally enjoy their favorite pastime: spectating. But despite the vast size of Hell, entertainment was scarce. The intensity and strategic level of territorial wars were not sufficient, and the Gothamites were tired of it.
That's when Constantine showed up. After discovering Lilith within Red Robin, Constantine knew he was stuck.
It would have been fine on Earth. He could simply hang up the phone. But here in Hell, Lilith might be a mere street away, poised to cause a gruesome injury to Constantine. Having no choice, he revealed everything that he was facing.
Upon hearing that an Earth from another universe had fused with their familiar Earth, the Gothamites could hardly contain their excitement.
Why had they tirelessly accumulated all this energy? To fly to a new dream home? No, to seek entertainment across the universe.
So what were they waiting for? Let's see what sparks fly from these two cities.
A deafening cheer erupted as the enormous city took flight, joyfully heading towards a new visual feast.