After Batman and Batwoman left, Clark and Hal stayed in the universe that Batwoman was from to do some cleanup work. The so-called cleanup was really just to keep an eye on Atlantis and make sure they didn't fight too fiercely, affecting the land.
Atlanna had only hatred for the current Atlantis, and clearly, the Atlanteans did not recognize this new king at all. The conflicts between them erupted much more intensely than expected, and eventually, Clark and Hal had no choice but to move the Queen of the Sea to land.
They found a note left for them by Batman in Batwoman's Batcave, which detailed the incidents that Batwoman had encountered, as well as the potential pollution caused by that mysterious meteoric metal.
Realizing that something was amiss, the Queen of the Sea no longer cared about past grievances, and with the help of Clark and Hal, they resealed Atlanna back into the ocean. Then they began to inspect the energy system of Atlantis and, sure enough, discovered a problem at the outlet filter.
There was ample evidence to prove that the pollution was not coming from the continent, but from Atlantis itself, and it was very likely that the pollution in Atlantis came from a certain piece of mysterious metal.
After a thorough investigation, the Queen of the Sea finally found the culprit. It seemed to be the core of a filter. Once Hal wrapped the object with the green lantern energy, the pollution level immediately dropped.
In the end, the Queen decided to hand over the object to Clark and Hal and returned to Atlantis to reorganize the order of Atlantis.
Clark and Hal, holding the hot potato, didn't know where to go, and just then Bruce called Clark to go on a trip, so Hal decided to take the object to the Little Blue People of this universe.
Never mind whether the Little Blue People knew what it was, just send any trouble their way. It wasn't important whether they could study it or not. Even if a disaster occurred that wiped out all the Little Blue People, there would be no loss to the cosmos.
After Clark returned to his own universe, he asked Bruce why he had to take such a big detour to send them to that universe, and Bruce answered like this.
"Our universe is a two-sided disc, with the Light Universe on top and the dark universe underneath, with both worlds being completely opposite and the densest energies all converging at the bottom of their respective sides."
"Which means that the Source of Light and the Dark Source are actually pressed up against each other. To enter the Light Universe, one must go through the Source of Light, and to enter the dark universe, one must first go through the Dark Source."
"This is also the reason why Barbados has never been able to launch a large-scale attack on the Light Universe. Even though they are only an inch apart, he, being the ruler of the dark universe, is unable to break through the limitations of the Source of Light."
"And likewise, people from the Light Universe who want to go to the dark universe must also pass through Barbados' territory. Obviously, Batman is a key target, and both Batman and I are of utmost importance, making it difficult to travel to the dark universe without being detected by Barbados."
"So I had to create an accident, making Barbados think that a certain energy mass couldn't be left unmoved, and then hide you guys within that energy mass. You could say I hid you in the depths of a cargo truck, allowing us to transport you over without being discovered by Barbados."
Clark had a moment of realization.
"But are you also going to the dark universe this time? How do you plan to get there?"
"This time, there's no need to sneak around. We can make an official trip," Bruce said with a snap of his fingers. "That's why I called you and Diana. It's a free trip; it would be a shame not to join."
"You got the budget?" Clark walked over and draped an arm around Bruce's shoulder. "Looks like the reimbursement limit is pretty high."
"I said I'm just an ordinary human being, too weak, and going to the dark universe is inevitably dangerous. I need at least two bodyguards, and the stingy boss gave me two slots for bodyguards, so I could only bring you and Diana with me."
"Wait, you are going to the dark universe? The one similar to where we went this time?" Clark showed a hesitant look and said, "I wouldn't mind protecting you, but if you don't actually need it, then I could stay behind."
Bruce noticed Clark's reluctance and looked at him curiously. Clark sighed and said, "Those universes made me feel very uncomfortable. My powers weakened there, and the sun couldn't restore my energy well."
"That's because the universe you went to is a bit special; it has some pollution. The universe we are going to is inside the dark universe, but it's not actually dangerous—or rather, it can't possibly be dangerous."
Clark noticed that Bruce seemed to imply something more, so he asked, "What do you mean?"
Bruce smiled and said, "Do you know what my business trip is for?"
"What?" Clark blinked, not knowing why Bruce was so cheerful.
"The great Barbados Your Majesty is finally ready to step into invading the Light Universe, but now he is too weak and hampered at every turn. So for the great cause of His Majesty, I must delve into the dark universe to find some useful assets, to form an elite team. I plan to name it—The Dark Knights!"
"You might as well write 'schemer' across your face," Clark couldn't help but tease.
"Don't talk nonsense; I'm loyal to the core," Bruce said, leaning on Clark. "I haven't called Diana yet. Let's go."
They went to the Metropolis Library to pick up Diana, who was working there. Diana looked at Bruce and said with surprise, "Are you really treating this like a serious job? You're not actually planning to form an army of Batmen, are you?"
"Of course," Bruce nodded. "Not only to form an army, but every member must be carefully selected, the elite of the elite. For this purpose, I have specially devised a set of assessment procedures where those who don't pass have no right to join this great cause."
"I feel there's something odd about this," Clark said. Although Bruce's expression couldn't be more serious, having known him for a long time, everyone understood that the more serious he was, the bigger the mischief he was planning.
Diana yawned and sighed, "Just as well, I haven't taken my annual leave this year..."
"Wait a minute," Clark said, "you took such a long break for the music festival, haven't you used up all your annual leave yet?"
"That was an official inspection," Diana said. "Metropolis's dear mayor also wanted to know where Gotham got such popularity, so most of the culture and art departments sent out staff for inspections, and I was one of them."
"I'm so envious of you guys with your business trips," Clark said with a shake of his head. "Ever since I became a freelance journalist, I dream about my next piece's content."
The three of them chatted as they made their way to the basement of Wayne Manor, where Bruce had set up a portal leading directly to the dark universe.
"Is this also on the company's dime?" Clark asked, looking at the huge portal.
"Of course, how could I possibly spend my own money on building a subway for work?" Bruce said with a slight roll of his eyes. "I'm a worker, not a believer, I wouldn't pay out of my own pocket to get to the office."
"I feel like you're just trying to avoid getting scolded by Thomas, so you insist on finding yourself a job," Diana pointed out sharply. "You're doing it to unfreeze your card and to dissuade them from wanting a second child."
"Please, do you know how many Batmen there are across the universe?" Bruce complained. "If they think they don't have enough sons, they should just grab one from another universe. Why bother having their own? And in the end, wouldn't I be the one raising them? I've finally brought up Aisha; I don't want to raise another child!"
Diana snorted coldly and shrugged, "You won't succeed. Your parents are still young; sooner or later you'll have a brother or sister."
After they went through the portal, they didn't arrive in some universe, but rather a circular office floating in dark space, with a massive table in the center and a holographic projection of the universe's structure floating above it.
Bruce walked over and pressed a button, and several points in the holographic projection lit up; he was just one of the points. Bruce said, "We'll go here first. I've looked into it, and this Batman is quite good; he has strong capabilities."
Diana and Clark narrowed their eyes.
Popping through the portal formed by the lights, Clark and Diana found themselves inside Arkham Asylum. Of course, this wasn't because they were so familiar with the place, but because fragments of a fallen sign were lying right at their feet.
Bruce walked unhurriedly while Clark said, sniffing, "It actually doesn't seem so bad anymore; is this really the Dark multiverse? Aside from the air being a little damp, it doesn't seem much different from our place."
"The magic elements are obviously denser too," Diana said, snapping her fingers and conjuring a ball of fire for illumination. "I guess many non-intense magic spells would perform better here, but the upper limit is still unknown."
"Where's the Batman we're looking for?" Clark asked.
"I guess he's probably inside the insane asylum, but we'd better be careful; this one's a real whopper."
"A whopper?" Diana raised an eyebrow. "I've never expected you to use that word to describe any Batman; I get the feeling you're not exactly fond of them."
"That's true, but this time this one really is exceptionally big."
As they turned the corner and Bruce's words fell, the three focused their gaze on the enormous footprints in the hallway ahead.
"ROAR—!!!!!"
Crack! Boom!
With the deafening roar, a gigantic head burst through the wall beside them, sticking out from the stairwell, its glinting fangs and eyes brimming with killing intent shone intensely in the dim space.
Diana and Clark were stunned.
Emerging from the stairwell was a huge Tyrannosaurus Rex, its upper half black and its lower half gray.
Next to the towering presence of the dinosaur, the three very strong humans seemed utterly insignificant as they all looked up at this immense creature.
"Don't tell me this is Batman."
"He is, look at his coloring."
"No, you can't expect me to..."
"Look at the scales on his neck," Diana interjected. "Doesn't that look familiar to you?"
Clark took a closer look, then realized that what seemed like scales clinging tightly to the skin weren't scales at all, but layer upon layer of shimmering, crisp Batman darts.
BOOM!!!!!!
"...Run!!!"