The fog had dissipated.
Gotham's already scarce sunlight felt even chillier as it shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows on Wayne Tower's top floor, but King Robin didn't care, because he could be certain the dense fog was truly gone.
After his first encounter with the arriving fog, which nearly resulted in a fall from a skyscraper, King Robin was well alerted. Once the fog cleared, he used the equipment in his belt to measure the magnetic field and various data at this location to determine what the world data outside the fog was like.
After entering the fog, he also monitored the world's data inside it, where all sorts of readings, including the magnetic field, differed from those of the real world.
So, when King Robin measured again, he found he had indeed returned to the real world.
Of course, he didn't exclude the possibility that the fog could disguise data, so he had one more trump card, which was to use the portal to go back and see Mad Laugh.
Having worked under Mad Laugh for so long, King Robin was very clear about where the fusion of Batman and Joker's strength lay—in a nutshell, no one could deceive him.
No illusion could imitate Mad Laugh; wherever he was had to be real. As long as Mad Laugh was real, the world he was in would definitely be real.
King Robin's quick departure and return didn't take much time. He even managed to update the gadgets in his belt and brought the materials needed to build the brain-wave invasion device.
The saying still held true, "Knowledge isn't false." King Robin knew the principle behind the machine he saw in the illusion was correct and fully operational.
As for someone laying a trap within the machine's structure, King Robin didn't spare it a thought. If someone could create a mechanical structure trap that he couldn't detect, then he would just have to admit defeat.
In fact, he believed it was impossible. Every detail in the machine's structure flashed through his mind, precise to every single mark, every thread; he was sure there was no problem—it was the confidence that came from being a super-genius like Bruce Wayne.
What's more, as soon as King Robin matched the brainwave data from Batman in the fog with his own monitoring, he understood that the data could very likely be real and not some fake information provided by Batman to create a trap.
Because the fog could mask measurements far more effectively than his own methods, even Batman, facing such an anomaly for the first time, would probably be unprepared. Therefore, data from a third party through the fog should be accurate, and with the comparison, there would be even less of an issue.
As soon as King Robin returned, he began building the machine, aiming for both speed and quality. He even took down the Energy Core that had been used for the Electromagnetic Storm Gun to power the brain-wave invasion machine.
After the machine was built, King Robin didn't use it right away. He was very cautious and still needed to take one last precaution in case he was really facing a trap concocted by Batman and the fog. He needed to find a test subject first.
Batman's Robins were the perfect choice. They could greatly lower Batman's guard and were the best pathfinders. If anything did go wrong, causing this group of fragile birds to verge on madness, the trap-setting Batman would be guilt-stricken for life.
Next, it was time to catch a little bird, and for some reason, King Robin was particularly interested in Jason; or rather, all criminals found Jason very intriguing—seeing such a tough nut crack and collapse in agony was far more entertaining.
While Dick was experiencing illusions in the fog, Jason's group had similar experiences. The content was pretty much the same, leading them to deduce similar patterns: don't stay in one place too long, spatial and temporal alterations occur, and so forth.
One person in Jason's group also got lost, coincidentally Jason from the Schiller Universe. Due to the illusion, he had run some distance in the fog; once out, he found himself completely off the original street.
Jason wasn't panicked, though; he was well-equipped, and he had coordinates to his destination. He just needed to head towards the target.
And the safety of the other two wasn't a concern either. Red Hood had a Fifth-dimensional Imp, which seemed to obey whoever had captured it last. The creature's ability to force Batman into a retreat spoke volumes of its power, so even if those two encountered danger, it was unlikely to be serious.
With that in mind, Jason continued towards the target location. Although only half the distance remained, if he walked, it would still take about half an hour. He needed to hurry.
Just as Jason emerged from an intersection, he saw a legion of crazed Robins descend from the sky; he knew they were targeting him, and his escape route was similarly blocked by a large group of Robins.
What was this? A Robin convention? Jason looked disdainfully at the group of crazed Robins who appeared monstrous. Although aware they were the products of modifications, he still couldn't help but find their grotesque limbs repulsive.
Jason drew his gun; his street fighting experience was extensive, and he had faced multiple opponents before. Even though he hadn't received training from Batman like other universe Red Hoods, his gear was top-notch.
Jason fired two quick shots, turning a crazed Robin in front of him into an unthawable ice block. Swiping a switch on the Freeze Gun, the original ice cones instantly turned into a fog, freezing two Robins who had leaped to pounce on him mid-air into ice sculptures.