Batman's squad had made it through the fifth level unscathed, a process that was tense but without danger. The sixth level, however, was a muddy swamp, which presented some problems, namely that the vines hanging above were a bit too loose. Batman pulled on one and ended up with a brand-new vine in his hand.
"Are you telling me that the Cultists endure this hardship daily just to get to their own bedrooms?" Batman wondered in bafflement.
Superman and Wonder Woman had no good answer—they knew this was a bit abrupt, but it didn't matter, as long as they were immersed, it all seemed real.
"I think we should call for an ally better suited to handle all this," Martian Manhunter suggested. "Let's bring in Aquaman."
"Are you sure he's good with swamps?" Batman asked skeptically, while Superman deliberately brought up the Court of Owls.
"Remember that Mysterious organization we saw in the secret room?" Superman asked. "I suspect this might not be their dwelling but just a trap they set before withdrawing."
Batman nodded, putting aside Martian Manhunter's suggestion to contact Aquaman and after giving it some thought, he said, "They must be very cunning and evil. I have been in Gotham for many years and never noticed that there's such a grand ancient city beneath us."
"Perhaps there's a flaw in your surveillance." Wonder Woman commented. "But I can understand, who stares at the sewers, right?"
Superman didn't want to dwell on this topic but instead directed Batman, "Do you think they're connected to that red-eyed evil clone?"
"I believe that's the weapon they left behind," Batman said. "They want to replace me with another Batman and trap me here forever. I won't let their evil plan succeed."
"Right." Batman then turned to Superman and asked, "You mentioned the recycling plan was a scam, what's that all about? What exactly do you know?"
"Sorry, but that was what the Evil Batman told me, and I can't be sure if it's true, so I didn't explain further; I was afraid it would cloud your judgment." Superman, surprisingly candid wherever he was, spread his hands and said, "He claimed that there isn't really any such thing as a recycling plan, and the so-called Life Factor doesn't exist either; it was the Court of Owls who misled your parents..."
"Elaborate."
"He said that the Court of Owls had introduced a toxin into Gotham's buildings long ago, which not only made the Gothamites insane but also slowed their body's natural healing processes, as if they were running low on some essential material."
"Then they revealed the concept of the Life Factor to Mr. and Mrs. Wayne, making them think that by recycling, they could replenish the Life Factor and thus save the world, leading them to self-destruction along with the previous generation of superheroes. The Court of Owls would then annihilate all superheroes without waging a war."
Everyone else gasped in shock. Martian Manhunter said, "That's too dark. How can this so-called Court of Owls be so evil?"
"But shortages of materials aren't just happening in Gotham," Batman said. "Aren't they also in Metropolis?"
"We can't prove it because we lack certain elements collectively," Superman shook his head and said. "The theory was only put forward by Mr. and Mrs. Wayne, yet they left no reliable research, only conclusions, without processes."
Batman wanted to argue; he felt his parents couldn't be so unfounded, but as Superman had said, all the research material left by Mr. and Mrs. Wayne only had outcomes—all state the existence of the Life Factor but do not clarify how these conclusions were reached.
Batman, being a scientist himself, knew that results without a verified process were unreliable, and he couldn't arrogantly claim there was no issue just because his parents were the researchers.
"So, the weakening of our body's self-repair abilities might be a natural occurrence?" Wonder Woman asked, furrowing her brow. "Are we doomed then?"
Superman recalled Shiller's theory; their body's reduced ability to heal might be because their universe hadn't been chosen but was about to be forgotten.
The choice made by Mr. and Mrs. Wayne and the previous generation of superheroes, because it was too cruel, wasn't accepted by some who had voting rights, hence their universe was heading toward extinction.
If the theory of the Life Factor was indeed someone misleading Mr. and Mrs. Wayne, their real purpose was to make Mr. and Mrs. Wayne commit such cruel acts through their hands, thus leading the universe to not be chosen.
And their plan was half-successful.
Years ago, they had achieved their goal, and now they had released Clone Batman, aiming to cause greater casualties, as confirmed by the intentions of the Clone Batman himself.
Seeing ordinary people suffer, the superheroes could not just stand by. Watching countless lives constantly fade away, they might even make the same choices as Mr. and Mrs. Wayne.
But if so, then the cruel acts happening again, their universe would be even more despised, and that would be the end of hope.
Superman and others knew that the Court of Owls might be fictitious, but they also felt that Mr. and Mrs. Wayne's conclusion that the Life Factor exists was too hasty, potentially misleading.
Although the behind-the-scenes manipulator might not necessarily be called the Court of Owls, if they could lead Batman to combat them, they naturally would have much more advantage than these outsiders.
So Superman, Wonder Woman, and the others staged this play in order to make Batman believe there was indeed a behind-the-scenes manipulator misleading his parents, as he could not accept that his parents were the culprits behind everything, due to his sentiment towards them.
As long as you draw a target in the void first, allowing Batman to figure out a way to shoot it, you can then kill the person behind the target by shooting it. That was the idea of the Primary Universe Batman and Shiller.
Never mind if it was the Court of Owls or not. As long as someone did it, I'd call them the Court of Owls, and it doesn't matter if they deny it. After all, you're the villain, aren't you?
Aquaman arrived quickly. He is the most out-of-order person in the entire Justice League. The moment he arrived, he immediately waved his hands and said no, explaining that although he could control water, he needed his Trident; without this weapon, his remaining superpower was just talking to fish.
But obviously, there were no fish in the swamp to communicate with, and he didn't bring his weapon. Apart from some vines above that could be used for holding onto, there were no other paths, and the walls were spiked and not passable.
And it was clear that the vines were unreliable—actually, they were reliable originally, but due to component assembly issues, they were definitely unreliable now.
As Batman was thinking of a way to break through, Deadpool gave Shiller a call, saying he had found the location, right in the middle of Gotham Airport.
In fact, Shiller could guess that he would choose there; the skyscrapers of Gotham were closely spaced, and the wide areas were not many, the rooftop of the Wayne building was a good choice but too high, so the airport was probably the only choice.
Gotham's airport was on the sea, a result of land reclamation, relatively remote, and it took some time to drive there.
Shiller decided to go there first to check the situation, as even though monsters were rampant within Gotham, flights were still taking off and landing normally. If they needed to open a teleportation portal there, they had to figure out a way to stop the flights for a while.
The Primary Universe Batman also needed to ensure that opening a teleportation portal there would not cause too much of an impact on the city, so he, Shiller, and Tim went there together.
This resulted in the Batcave being left empty, or rather, there were no serious people left. The less serious one was Dick.
And Batman, who was still trying to break through the challenge, seemed to be stumped by the sixth level. However, apart from the superheroes, there was another person who was always paying attention to them; that was the Joker.
The Joker couldn't wait to see Batman's ugly face after he saw through it all. This time, he would not allow him to escape but would make him admit in person that he hated him the most.
Batman, seen in front of so many friends as a fool who was easily manipulated, would surely come to utterly despise the mastermind. Whether it was the strangely shaped Clone Batman or the hypocritical psychologist, none should expect to take the Joker's place as the mastermind behind the scenes. Whoever came forward to admit it first would be it.
Batman would surely hate him to the bone. Just thinking of this scene, the Joker was already bubbling with pink anticipation.
But still, it was unworkable. This damned ancient city had as many as thirteen levels. When would he be able to see Batman's defenses breaking down?
Since it's all deception, it might as well make the process a bit shorter. The Joker thought about it and felt that he could perhaps help Batman speed up the completion of the next seven levels.
This coincided perfectly with Dick's idea, so when the two met on the seventh level, they were both startled.
Dick had come from the Batcave with equipment, directly breaking through one side wall from the sewer; he initially wanted to go to the sixth level to help Batman get through the swamp, but he drilled at the wrong spot and ended up in the seventh level, which had clues.
The Joker wanted to breach the ceiling of each level directly below the sixth, allowing Batman to fall straight to the thirteenth level.
Dick, holding a drill, gave a forced smile and said, "If I said I didn't mean to come here, would you believe me?"
"What do you think?" the Joker revealed an evil grin.
Soon, Batman's communicator buzzed, and Dick's desperate face appeared on the screen. He said,
"Batman, I've been kidnapped by the Joker! He threw me into the depths of a terrible ancient city! Can you come and save me?!"
Batman's eyes widened as he responded to the image of Dick on the screen, "Are you saying you've been kidnapped by the Joker to the ancient city of the Court of Owls? Which level are you on?!"
"I don't know, but that maniac said this is the bottom, also saying that you don't have the skills to get here or save me, he'll smash me into pieces with a crowbar…"
Superman and Wonder Woman quietly stepped back because they could see the flames flickering in Batman's eyes.
"The Joker... the Joker also said," Dick took a deep breath, as if mustering great courage, and roared at the camera.
"He said that the cookies Alfred makes taste awful!!!!"