Chapter 4424

In the Batcave, Bruce stared at the surveillance screen. On the screen, Diana had successfully returned to Themyscira and had regained consciousness while surrounded by a group of female warriors.

Diana was still somewhat dazed when she woke up, and she subconsciously looked behind her. There was a golden boom tube there; it was clearly not a passage opened by the Amazon Queen, but rather another kind of unfamiliar power.

He leaned his body back, resting it against the back of his chair, and turned the swivel chair to say to Shiler, who was beside him, "It worked."

Shiler was currently reading through several documents in his hands; he didn't even look up as he said, "That's good. With the boom tubes, efficiency will be higher. How is Diana?"

"She's fine," Bruce said, "We owe her a lot this time."

"Are you going to tell her the truth?"

"Let's wait until it's all over."

Bruce saw on the surveillance screen that Diana was slowly walking toward Steve. She knelt halfway in front of him, seemingly wanting to touch his face, but at that moment, Steve's eyelids twitched.

Diana looked as though she had been startled and immediately pulled her hand back. When those azure blue eyes opened, Diana froze there for a long while. Even though the surveillance equipment was on her, Bruce could still tell she was crying, just as she had been on Christmas Eve.

The day before Christmas Eve, everyone in the Justice League was preparing for Christmas, except for Diana, whose spirits were low. Bruce noticed this, so when Diana was sitting alone at the bar drinking, he sat down next to her.

"You don't have the habit of celebrating Christmas, do you?" Bruce asked.

"I didn't when I was in Themyscira, but having been in Metropolis for so many years, I occasionally join in the fun." Diana smiled, though the smile was very faint.

"I don't really like celebrating Christmas either." Bruce picked up his glass, took a sip of his drink, and then said, "My closest loved ones all left in the winter; this season hasn't left me with a single pleasant memory."

"Do you miss them?" Diana looked at him and asked.

"Occasionally." Bruce placed his hands on the counter, revealing a look of reminiscence, and then said, "I usually don't go out around Christmas; the streets and malls are full of happy families then. Seeing them, I also wonder, if my life weren't the way it is now, would it be like theirs?"

"I often wonder about that question too," Diana said, "After a certain node of fate is changed, is everything completely different?"

"Are you feeling melancholy because of this?" Bruce looked at her and said, "People always romanticize the path they didn't take."

"But that is walking it actively, not accepting it passively. These things accepted passively are all without exception regrets. I am not a person who likes to dwell on the past, but even recently, I have always been unable to sleep at night, tossing and turning."

"For whom? Yourself?"

"You could say that," Diana said, "Amazons don't gather for Christmas, but seeing humans gather, I also get homesick and think of my sisters."

"Why not go back and see them? Even if they don't celebrate Christmas, they should be very happy to see you, right?"

Diana took a sip of her drink, lowered her head, and said in a low voice, "I just finished attending the funerals of several sisters. They were all heroes who sacrificed themselves in the war against Atlantis. Although Amazons take pride in dying in battle, if the war itself has no meaning, I don't know what there is to be praised about their sacrifice."

"You have been changed too much by human society," Bruce said bluntly, "You cannot be like a true Amazon, who can fear nothing for the sake of faith. You have started to think about the meaning of all things, especially war. Such contradictions will always be painful."

"You are right," Diana said, "I have stayed here too long and have completely become a modern person. The meaning of the Amazons' existence is to give those female souls who have suffered torture and persecution a chance to take revenge on this world. However, the injuries and deaths make them suffer even more; I always empathize with this and cannot sit idly by."

"I know, you feel regret for those sacrificed warriors. But after all, the dead cannot return to life, and you can only accept your grief."

At this moment, Diana suddenly bit her lip. She rarely revealed such an expression; she was no longer so firm, but instead showed a bit of hesitation and fragility. She kept rubbing the wine glass in her hand and said, "Can the dead really not return to life?"

"What?"

"I watched the combat footage against Steppenwolf," Diana said, "Hal was already dead at that time, but he was resurrected, wasn't he?"

Bruce did not answer for a moment, but Diana kept staring at him with a burning gaze. After a long while, Bruce sighed and said, "Death and resurrection are not good things. Everything has a price; it's just a matter of sooner or later."

"But how can you know without trying?" Diana said, "Hal is a member of the Justice League; to fight against Steppenwolf, he sacrificed a lot, but my sisters are the same. Whether it was fighting against Atlantis or against the army of Parademons, they never once retreated and were always fighting bravely forward. Why can't it be done?"

Bruce drank his wine without speaking, clearly disapproving. Diana also turned her head back, as if she had nothing more to say. Afterward, Bruce urged her again: "I know, for so many years, the Amazons have never had such heavy casualties, and those who died were all sisters who grew up with you, so you cannot accept it for the moment. However, resurrection is not that simple. Diana, don't do anything foolish, okay?"

Diana seemed to be drunk; she put down her wine glass with a "clink" and said somewhat incoherently, "Victor resurrected Hal because they were comrades-in-arms fighting side by side. But my sisters are not just my comrades, they are also my kin. Since there is hope, why can't I try?"

"I do not agree," Bruce delivered the final verdict, "And don't think about using other methods to manipulate Victor; he won't listen to you."

After saying this, he turned and left the bar. Diana slumped over the bar, downing drink after drink. In the end, she couldn't even stand steadily, and she staggered back to her room and collapsed on the bed.

When she woke up the next day, Diana felt some regret. She shouldn't have said that to Bruce; that tone was too much like an accusation. But on the other hand, she couldn't control herself.

Just as Bruce said, this was the most severe casualty the Amazons had suffered in many years. On the day of the funeral, although everyone was full of talk about glory and blessings, everyone was very sad.

Amazons have very long lifespans; many of Diana's sisters had accompanied her since the moment she was born. They taught her knowledge and martial arts, grew up with her, and had been inseparable since childhood; she had never thought she would be separated from them.

However, everything happened too suddenly. Those once-familiar faces had turned into cold corpses. Diana could do nothing about their deaths. After clearing her head a bit from the breakdown, Diana was desperately wanting to do something for them.

However, comforting the spirits at the funeral simply could not soothe Diana's sorrow. She wanted a more powerful means to undo the regret, and she couldn't help but think of the resurrected Hal.

Diana had originally intended to discuss it with Bruce after the Christmas Eve banquet ended, but she hadn't expected Bruce to see that her state was not right and to have learned of her intentions in advance.

Diana also hadn't expected Bruce's resistance to be so intense; he had probably already notified Victor by now. Diana closed her eyes, full of irritation, sat on the edge of the bed thinking for a long time, and finally picked up her phone and called Shiler.

"Hello? Shiler, are you in Metropolis? Yes, I want to meet with you. Okay, I'll wait for you."

Diana sat at a table in a cafe, watching Shiler push the door open and enter, and waved at him. Shiler walked to her seat, lightly adjusted his scarf, and then sat down.

"What's wrong, Miss? Why didn't you go to Mars to prepare for the Christmas Eve banquet with them?"

"I can't worry about those things," Diana said, "Besides, Amazons don't celebrate Christmas; that's a holiday for pagans."

"What's troubling you?" Shiler ordered coffee, handed the menu to the waiter, and looked at Diana as he asked.

Diana opened her mouth, but then felt it wasn't easy to speak. She knew that Shiler and Bruce were of one mind; he would definitely side with Batman, and she was worried he would tell Bruce about this.

But on second thought, Bruce already knew about this. If she came to find Shiler now, it wouldn't matter if she couldn't get any ideas. If she really could get an idea, Shiler probably wouldn't tell Batman; after all, if something really went wrong, the person who gave the idea would also have to take responsibility. Shiler should be eager to distance himself from it.

Steadying her mind, Diana spoke up: "It's like this, many of my sisters sacrificed themselves in the war..."

Diana drank her coffee and recounted the matter unhurriedly. Worried that Shiler wouldn't understand her, she added: "Since I was born, the Amazons have never had such heavy casualties. I have never been separated from so many sisters at once; I really cannot accept it, so I just want to do a little more for them..."

"I completely understand, Miss." Shiler took a sip of the scalding coffee, sighed lightly, and then said, "It's just that Batman could never agree to this matter. On one hand, it is a time of many troubles, and the manpower and plan arrangements everywhere are already overwhelmed; if any slip-up occurs, it will affect the whole situation. To ensure the perfection of the main plan, Batman is definitely unwilling to create extra complications."

"And also, I think you know that Batman has also lost a son. How do you know he hasn't researched technology related to resurrection for so many years? If this matter were really that easy, with his ability, he wouldn't be so resistant. I'm afraid there is some key point we don't know, and he can't say it directly, which is why he is blocking you."

Hearing him say this, Diana frowned. She was actually a bit uneasy in her heart, but in the end, her sorrow outweighed the uncertainty in her heart. She said: "But Victor wasn't there before. Victor was resurrected, and Hal was also resurrected; this matter is not as difficult as imagined. And I just want to try; even if it doesn't succeed, at least I tried my best."

Shiler nodded again and said, "Then you invited me here, presumably because you want me to persuade Batman?"

"Not exactly," Diana said, "It would be best if you could persuade him, of course. But I also know that it's hard to change things he has decided. So if there is any other way..."

Shiler took another sip of coffee and said, "Miss, your words leave me a bit confused; what way could I possibly have?"

"Aren't you the best at creating cards out of thin air?" Diana said, "I'm still under the Pharaoh's curse even now. If Bruce doesn't agree, then we'll bypass him. You definitely have a way."

"This makes me feel even stranger," Shiler looked at her and said, "If you want to bypass Bruce, coming to find me is taking the long way around."

"What do you mean?" Diana was a bit confused.