Chapter 3983

"What happened to you all?" Strange couldn't help but ask. He wanted to reach out to help, but he watched as Eternity used his last bit of strength to crawl toward the back of the temple, shouting as he crawled: "I'm not dead! Don't start scavenging my corpse yet!"

Strange immediately became annoyed. He landed on the floor of the Eternity Temple, crossed his arms, and said: "In your eyes, am I such a petty person who would take advantage of someone in distress?"

"Then let me ask you, why is there distress in the first place?"

"Never mind that." Strange looked around again and asked, "What are you all doing? A beach sunbath?"

"How can you even ask that?! Do you know how many days of overtime we've been pulling because of this broken plan of yours?!" Infinity roared at Strange. "We've been testing for a year without sleep or rest just to get the universe into compatibility mode!"

"Come on, it's not that exaggerated. It hasn't even been a month, has it?"

"You seem to have forgotten one thing," Eternity said gloomily. "We can travel through time and reset the universe."

Strange paused, looked at him, and said: "So you reset the universe? What about the compensation?"

"Compensation my foot!" Eternity roared at him again. "We're working overtime for free, and you still want us to pay you compensation?! It's a miracle we aren't asking you for wages!"

"I'm not your boss." Strange rolled his eyes. "What's the deal with Apokolips? How did Batman manage to bring it over? Are you sure this thing won't crash the program?"

At the mention of this, Eternity was clearly filled with bitter tears: "It's just like that. I don't know if Batman is crazy or what, but when the second round of optimization finished testing and we were pushing the timeline forward, he had a sudden whim to cooperate with Darkseid and use his Apokolips as a forward base for the invasion. You have no idea how desperate we were when we heard that news! It's equivalent to optimizing all the processes for brewing and selling alcohol in a tavern, only for the player to walk in and order a plate of fried rice."

Strange began to understand a little. He said: "So you were focusing on optimizing the superheroes before."

"Of course, it also involved some supervillains, but not many. We didn't think Batman would add so many unstable factors to the battlefield, but he did exactly that. The screaming in the office could be heard from the next universe over."

Thinking of that scene, Strange couldn't help but laugh.

About three days before the war began, the DC main universe held its final war meeting. Everyone present thought that most matters had been prepared and that this was just a mobilization meeting.

However, as soon as the meeting started, the main universe Batman said to everyone present: "I know you all think we are well-prepared, but I must tell you, it is still far from enough."

The other Batmen frowned, as they had already conducted detailed analyses long ago. They had prepared hundreds of plans for various situations, and the presets for various scenarios numbered in the thousands—even for a Batman's brain capacity, that was reaching the limit. Now, the main universe Batman was saying it wasn't enough; they didn't know if his brain's upper limit was too high or if he was just too paranoid.

The next words from the main universe Batman stunned them all. He said: "I have confirmed that the beam of light that took Owlman came from Dr. Manhattan. I have already sent the information regarding this person to the group."

The Batmen looked down to check, and froze the moment they saw it. The main universe Batman continued: "I don't need to say what this means. Regardless of whether we win or lose this war, we must give it our all to test our limits. Otherwise, facing such an existence, we might not even have the chance to strike."

The Batmen fell silent collectively. The Supermen nearby looked at them with concern, but the Batmen said nothing, seemingly choosing to default to this.

"Next, I would like to introduce a new partner. I hope some of you here won't be alarmed. Since he can appear here, I can guarantee with my personality that you are all safe."

The Batmen had a bad premonition. When they looked up, they saw an exceptionally tall and strong figure walk into the meeting room. Many of them felt suffocated the moment they saw him.

"Darkseid?!!!" The Batmen stood up one after another. Even Superman's eyes began to glow red, and Wonder Woman gripped her lasso; the atmosphere in the meeting hall was instantly ignited.

"Don't be nervous. I'm here to help this time." Darkseid's mood was quite stable. He raised an eyebrow and said, "I know many of you have psychological shadows regarding me, but I also hope you can think calmly: in the hands of someone like Dr. Manhattan, what is the difference between us?"

The Batmen's momentum weakened first. They knew very well in their hearts that the current Dr. Manhattan was just a few lines of text in a file, but those abilities summarized by a few words were absolutely not simple when truly used; he could do far more than described.

And this was just what they knew. In corners they didn't know, how many Dr. Manhattans were there? In the eyes of such existences, weren't they just tiny ants?

Although Darkseid was stronger, in front of these existences capable of directly modifying universal rules, he was just a slightly stronger ant. Even if he were dozens of times stronger, as long as he didn't have administrator permissions, he was just a living being that could be destroyed at any time.

Batman was a man who rarely complained, but at this moment, he couldn't help but resent the unfairness of God. Humans were like duckweed on the surface of a deep pool, helpless and fragile, easily devastated by any gust of wind. And this was just on ordinary days; no one knew what monsters might suddenly rush up from the bottom of the deep pool and swallow everyone whole.

The main universe Batman looked at their changing expressions and sighed lightly in his heart. He remembered the conversation he once had with Strange, where he thought Strange was too extreme.

But now he suddenly understood that weak creatures must appear fierce enough to fight for a glimmer of survival in the cruel nature. If they didn't even have the strength to bare their fangs and brandish their claws, anyone would dare to rush up and bite off a piece of flesh. No one could demand mercy from someone with zero margin for error, because one wrong step would lead to falling into the bottomless abyss.

"I invited His Majesty Darkseid to come here to help us gain an advantage in the subsequent war."

"But you said we should test our limits in this battle, so naturally, the more difficult, the better. Why do you still need help?" Batwoman asked.

"Although adversity can better hone us, if we are crushed at the first touch, we won't achieve the effect of training," the main universe Batman explained. "I am more familiar with the center universe where the war will start than you are. I can only tell you that if we go there with our current preparations, we are very likely to be defeated quickly."

Some Supermen wanted to ask why the main universe Batman didn't say so earlier, but seeing that the other Batmen didn't speak, they didn't either. In fact, most Batmen knew why.

Before, they just thought that since they could be resurrected, it didn't matter if they lost; they would just fight as far as they could. Although it looked like they were going to seek justice, they knew in their hearts that they wouldn't really get anything out of it in the end—could they really kill all the culprits? At most, they would get the main universe Avengers disbanded or get some compensation. This small gain wasn't enough for Batman to show his trump cards.

But now it was different. The main universe Batman intended to use his true skills to fight to the end. The Batmen only heard him say: "The ones going over there with us this time are not just Darkseid, but also the Apokolips he controls and the army of Parademons."

Darkseid is stronger, but in front of these existences that can directly modify cosmic rules, he is just a slightly stronger ant. Even if he were dozens of times stronger, as long as he doesn't have administrator permission, he is just a creature that can be destroyed at any time.

Batman is a person who rarely complains, but at this moment he couldn't help but hate God for being unfair. Humans are like duckweeds on the surface of a deep pool, helpless and fragile and small. Any gust of wind can ravage them beyond recognition. And this is just an ordinary day. No one knows what monsters are hidden at the bottom of the deep pool that can't be seen, and they might suddenly rush up and swallow everyone in one bite.

The main universe Batman looked at their changing expressions and sighed lightly in his heart. He remembered the conversation he had with Strange a long time ago. At that time, he thought Strange was too extreme.

But now he suddenly understood that weak creatures must appear fierce enough to win a glimmer of survival in the cruel nature. If they don't even have the strength to bare their fangs and brandish their claws, then anyone will dare to rush up and bite off a piece of meat. No one can ask a person who has no room for error to have any compassion, because one wrong step will fall into the bottomless abyss.

"I invited His Majesty Darkseid to come here to help us gain an advantage in the subsequent war."

"But you said that we should test our limits in this battle, so naturally, the more difficult the better. Why do you still want to find helpers?" Batwoman asked.

"Although adversity can better hone us, if we are defeated at the first touch, it won't achieve the effect of training troops," the main universe Batman explained, "I am more familiar with the center universe where the war started than you are. I can only tell you that if we go over with our current preparations, we are very likely to be defeated quickly."

"Why?" Other Batmen asked.

"It's not because of the Mechanical Demon God, nor because of Schiller, but because the overall level over there is too high," the main universe Batman said, "Global superheroes and mutants are united, global ordinary people are united, there are fleets, there are outposts, there are allies who share weal and woe, there is almost endless energy, and there is incomparably sufficient combat readiness that is used to deal with the multiverse crisis on their side. If all of it is used on us, we can't resist at all."

Some Supermen wanted to ask why the main universe Batman didn't say it before, but seeing that the Batmen didn't open their mouths, they didn't open their mouths either. Actually, most Batmen know why.

Before, they thought that anyway, they could be resurrected. If they couldn't beat them, they couldn't beat them. They could fight as far as they could. Although it looked like they were going to seek justice, they understood in their hearts that in the end, they couldn't seek anything out. Could they really kill all the culprits? At most, it was to let the main universe Avengers disband, or ask for some compensation. This little harvest was not enough for Batman to show his trump card.

But now it's different. The main universe Batman intends to take out his real skills and fight to the end. The Batmen only heard him say: "This time, it's not just Darkseid who is going over with us, but also Apokolips and the Parademon army he controls."