Crack!
Not far away, there came a crisp sound. It could have been a cable snapped by the wind, or perhaps rain causing a short circuit in the transformer box. The Wayne Group lightbox above their heads suddenly sparked and emitted a wisp of smoke before going out.
The smoke was quickly dispersed by the rain, disappearing without a trace. The two of them simply raised their heads, gazing at the darkened billboard, without saying a word.
The surroundings grew dim, except for the flickering of their cigar tips.
After a moment of contemplation, Eugene decided to speak first:"I come from a parallel world. What's the situation in Gotham now?"
The other party was also on the same page, knowing that this information could be shared with her. When intelligence couldn't be utilized in action, she wouldn't spread or betray this news.
It's like Batman collecting weaknesses of all Earth's superheroes, ready to tackle any problem if they turn rogue.
This information served as a strategic reserve. Eugene could use it to demonstrate his sincerity without worrying about repercussions in the short term, as long as nobody paid her to kill him. Keeping the secret with her was relatively safe.
Both the Reaper and Batman knew each other's true identities. But based on their principles, Batman wouldn't attack the Reaper when she wasn't committing a crime, and there were certain things he wouldn't act upon without evidence, even if he knew they were the Reaper's doings.
Luckily, the Reaper always executed her jobs cleanly.
Similarly, the Reaper wouldn't target Bruce Wayne, Batman's alter ego, because Wayne Enterprises was too wealthy, and Bruce's life was extremely valuable. Without a few billion at stake, the Reaper decided to keep Bruce's head on his shoulders, perhaps for a future payoff.
Just like the Joker, he actually knew Batman's true identity. But he just wanted to play with Batman, not the boring billionaire.
However, that didn't stop him from kidnapping people around Bruce, from his butler Alfred to Bruce's several girlfriends. The Joker would force Batman to come out and play games with him.
There were plenty of villains who knew Batman's identity, including Black Mask, Hush, Bane, and others. But since Batman symbolized Gotham, defeating him was the only way to prove one's control over the city. Beating Bruce Wayne, who didn't dress up as Batman, would only mean defeating a playboy billionaire...
Since the Reaper thrived on the dark side of society, she also had to protect its existence.
Whether someone wanted to destroy the Earth or play against the rules of darkness, they were enemies of the Reaper.
Every time an alien big shot invaded Earth in the comics, chaos ensued. Thieves took advantage by robbing banks or jewelry stores, and even ordinary people went to roadside shops to grab a TV, thinking why not take advantage when the superheroes were busy.
But among these troublemakers taking advantage of the superheroes' predicament, the Reaper was never among them. In fact, many times, the Reaper helped the heroes deal with the invaders from outer space and other dimensions, participating in resolving global crises without taking a penny.
However, when the crisis passed and the world became safe again, the Reaper would continue her mercenary business. Any superhero blocking her path would face only one word: Deal with it!
"Hmm, I have a rough idea, but I've never heard of someone like you," Eugene responded.
Cindy, cigarette in hand, her voice drowned out by the pouring rain, but Eugene heard her loud and clear.
"Have you met people from parallel worlds before?" he asked her. They stood side by side, both looking at the distant bat-shaped silhouette in the sky, twisting and turning in the dark clouds.
"A pitiful man, wearing a cloth hood like a bank robber, using old-fashioned firearms. He was old, his body deteriorating, but he came here to kill..."
Cindy said indifferently, without a hint of emotion on her face, despite talking about someone pitiful.
"Did he ever say why he came to this world? And how did he leave?" Eugene also wanted to leave. Although the days before were boring, there were no alien invasions or super villains beyond comprehension.
"He said a criminal group called the Cindy Gang killed his child. He managed to follow them here when they traveled between worlds, trying to find an opportunity to kill his enemies... Unfortunately, he didn't succeed in the end. Our world is ruled by the Amazon Council, highly centralized, with faster response and stronger power. The invaders from parallel worlds were quickly driven away. They returned to their world, closed the spacetime gate, and the old man naturally went back."
"Was it the Justice League that drove them away? Wait, do you have a Justice League in this world?" Eugene pondered for a moment and decided to ask this question because, before his crossing, DC had just updated its new DC Universe event, Metal. If there was no Justice League, it meant this was a dark multiverse, a reflection of the multiverse of light.
They were universes made up of dark matter, like the two sides of a coin. But because of the nature of the world, everything here was darker than ordinary DC parallel universes.
If this were Earth-11, there wouldn't be much trouble, the environment for survival would be much more relaxed. As long as one didn't provoke the Amazon Council and the female version of the Justice League, they could make money comfortably.
But if it were Earth-11, it would be a big problem. It was a world without other superheroes, only Batwoman and countless villains.
At the same time, it was a world on the verge of extinction. In the future, the entire world would be submerged due to the war between Batwoman and Atlantis, with only the modified Batwoman surviving.
The cause of the matter was actually Batman.
Atlantis and the Amazons waged a war on land and sea for supremacy in this world. After collecting intelligence, Batwoman believed it was due to the excessive ambition of the Sea Queen, who was an anti-government extremist and a potential threat. So, she mobilized to capture the Sea Queen and imprison her in Arkham.
Under the guise of negotiations, the Atlanteans raided the waters near Paradise Island, while Batwoman went to capture the Sea Queen.
However, in their fight, Batwoman, who was unfamiliar with underwater combat, accidentally killed her. Afterwards, of course, the Atlanteans chose retaliation, immediately triggering a tsunami through unknown means, utterly destroying Gotham.
With Gotham gone, Batwoman's loved ones and friends all perished. She sought revenge madly, undergoing special modifications to her body, becoming a demon with water-related superpowers like breathing underwater, controlling seawater, and swimming at high speeds, and changed her name to Drowned!
In the comics, she won the final war by controlling her liquid monster pet, Dead Water, which could replicate infinitely.
But unfortunately, due to the disasters caused by years of fighting, there wasn't a single other life left on Earth. She herself created a Bat-Signal from the sea floor, shining it towards the surface, the last beacon of Earth-11...
Batwoman, Beryl Wayne, was the chosen daughter of this world, the only one destined to survive.
No, actually, on the day Gotham was submerged, Batwoman died. The one who survived wasn't her, but the terrifying supervillain, Drowned.
After the world's destruction, she listened to the advice of the Laughing Bat and joined the Dark Knights, heading to the multiverse of light to destroy many worlds.
"What Justice League? Sounds more like a rock band. With the Amazon Council overhead, it's already annoying enough. Do you want to form some idol group?" Cindy laughed disdainfully."If it were a McDonald's M, maybe it would be better for both of us standing underneath."
Eugene smiled wryly, allowing their monocular vision to meet, his excellent eyesight even able to see his reflection in Cindy's eyes.
"Indeed, I don't like it, but if my memory serves me right, there have been a few times," Eugene replied. Although this memory actually came from the comics, and it was the Reaper of the main world, Cindy's mouth twitched slightly, and Eugene couldn't tell if it was a smile or what expression.
"Okay, just this once. I'm a bit clueless about this mission, but you can only get a quarter of it, understand?"
"Money doesn't matter, intelligence is more important."
Eugene took a drag of his cigarette and extended his right hand. It was just a joke; he knew he couldn't stay here too long. He had appeared in the Dark Multiverse, and its existence signaled the beginning of a major event. If he didn't want to die, he had to head to the Bright Multiverse. Earth-11 was missing many things, and it wasn't a place to linger.
"If you're willing to join me in preventing the world's destruction, that would be great. If not, I'll have to act alone," Eugene said.
"Do you trust me?" he added, feeling relieved that Cindy seemed to accept his explanation.
"Of course," Cindy replied."We're both mercenaries. If someone asked me to spread such an exaggerated false message across worlds, I wouldn't do it, no matter how much they paid. Our abilities determine our position in the mercenary world, and top-tier mercenaries don't engage in such boring tasks."
"That's because we both know what Jester is like," Eugene continued."But we still need to find out where she is. Let's go look for Hali. She might not be her girlfriend, but according to Hali, their relationship is... something like sisters?"
Cindy nodded in agreement."Alright, let's go find Hali. Although she's not exactly Jester's girlfriend, in Hali's words, their relationship is more like... pumpkin and pudding?"
Eugene chuckled under his mask."I guess that's what she meant. You have a talent for understanding crazy people's language."
Cindy's voice, although hoarse due to the mask, carried a hint of resignation. Dealing with the Joker was a mix of fear and admiration, and someone like Eugene, a mercenary, felt more helpless than others.
However, the Joker was aware of this, and he preferred to see other emotions from people, such as anger or curiosity. After all, why was Batman always so serious?