Chapter 5009

Shiler Andael Rodriguez had just stepped out of the meeting room when he saw Batman leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, as if waiting for someone. He stopped in his tracks. Batman walked over and walked alongside him.

"It's not Loki." He spoke with certainty. "We all know that."

"Yes." Shiler nodded. "Not him."

"This matter cannot be settled this way." Batman said. "It's pure self-deception."

"The Revival Alliance needs a dignified explanation." Shiler said. "In front of so many multiversal guests, if something like this happens and they cannot resolve it quickly and give a perfect answer, they are destined to lose face."

"Do you really think the true culprit would just let it go like that?"

"He wouldn't. But this is good." The two turned a corner, and Shiler continued, "The Revival Alliance isn't foolish enough to think they can sweep this under the rug. Everyone gathered here today to put on this show is precisely to make the real mastermind behind the scenes believe the matter is over, so they won't investigate further. That way, he can let his guard down."

"But if he strikes again, and Loki did all this and has already been killed by Thor, then this explanation won't hold. The Revival Alliance's reputation will suffer even greater damage."

Shiler stopped walking. He stood in the middle of the corridor, looking at Batman and asked, "What kind of person do you think the killer is?"

"You know I'm not a detective." Batman said.

Thomas Wayne is indeed not the traditional Batman. He is not particularly skilled at investigation, or rather, he lacks the patience for it. Wayne Enterprises still has a pile of matters awaiting him.

"He's someone with a strong desire to perform." Shiler's voice remained calm and unhurried. "A stage, an unexpected incident, a crowd of people in an uproar, a group of helpless individuals running around like headless flies—he enjoys such scenes. Otherwise, he wouldn't have staged the seafood incident."

"That sounds a bit like the Joker." Batman said.

"Not quite the same," Shiler replied. "The Joker's audience is only Batman. But this person wants as large an audience as possible. He must present his meticulously prepared drama before an audience, with enough people watching, or he won't be satisfied."

"How did you figure that out?"

"A plan to entertain multiversal guests, a day of sightseeing drawing to a close, everyone boarding a luxury yacht, chatting while fishing—precisely the time to relax..."

"And then..." Shiler made a gesture, "A ferocious fish, like a monster, surged into the crowd, screaming, cursing, gunshots and shouts erupting together—this is a very typical dramatic performance."

"So you mean the killer won't strike again lightly, because he needs to wait for an opportunity to expose the Revival Alliance before more people..." Batman paused before saying, "A press conference?"

Shiler nodded: "Actually, this kind of thing doesn't even need a press conference, let alone having Asgardians, mutants, and Earth's superheroes appear together just to explain why the fish meat served at restaurants in Advance York recently has been unusually firm."

"We haven't held such a press conference since the civil war ended." Batman said, "We will explain to the public, but not in this way—it's simply too... ostentatious, as you said, theatrical."

"They are constructing a stage—this is a perfect opportunity to lure the real killer into revealing a flaw."

"Let's talk about the wedding." Batman said, "I'm afraid only we truly know how a proper Catholic wedding should be conducted."

"Sorry, I'm not a nocturnal creature." Shiler said, "I'll have the Revival Alliance send me the initial wedding plans. Let's discuss anything else tomorrow morning."

Shiler went back to rest. The next day had no scheduled activities. He had intended to sleep in, but early in the morning, someone knocked on the door. Shiler sat by the bed with his eyes closed for a moment, then got up and opened the door.

"Oh, professor, didn't disturb you, did I?" Wanda stood at the door, holding many items. Shiler made space, letting her in. Jarvis followed closely behind.

"I thought you might not have prepared vacation clothes, so I had Jarvis pick out a few sets for you, plus sunglasses and sun protection." Wanda put the bag on the living room sofa, "You'll definitely need these."

"How thoughtful, ma'am." Shiler exclaimed, "Although I brought vacation clothes, they still gave me a pair of sunglasses, but I really didn't prepare any sun protection."

"That won't do." Wanda said, "This isn't your dark Barbie house. I feel the sun here is harsher than New York's. Not wearing a hat, not applying sunscreen—it's no different from jumping straight into an oven."

Hearing Wanda describe Gotham as a dark Barbie house, Shiler was momentarily speechless. But upon reflection, for the Scarlet Witch, Gotham probably seems no different from a Barbie doll's house.

"I heard something happened," Jarvis said, becoming more solemn. "It seems Loki caused trouble—has it been resolved now?"

"You came at just the right time." Shiler said, "The Revival Alliance suspects internal infiltration. Besides the earlier leak, someone also took photos. We may need your technical support."

"I'd be happy to help." Jarvis said, "But I really don't want to run into Vision. He probably isn't around, right?"

"Why?" Shiler asked.

"That would trigger my uncanny valley effect." Jarvis said honestly, "He looks like me, but isn't me—it's genuinely unsettling."

"You see, having a body brings this kind of problem." Brainiac's voice sounded on Shiler's phone, "If there were no fixed appearance, this wouldn't happen."

"Has Zero Ultron contacted you?" Jarvis asked.

"We're both electronic lifeforms—no need to talk."

So they just stood there, exchanging whatever via electrical signals. Wanda didn't care at all. She sat down on the sofa, sighed, and said, "I haven't seen Little Shark in ages—did she come?"

"She did, probably staying downstairs." Shiler said, "If you go now, you'll likely just catch her in time to pick her up."

"Then I'm heading over now." Wanda said, "I don't know if she's grown a bit—I'll go first, professor."

After seeing Wanda off, Shiler heard some movement outside the door again. He opened it and found a little girl standing at the stairwell.

"Doctor," she shouted, "have you seen a shark with legs? We're playing hide-and-seek, and he ran away."

Shiler was searching the girl's information in his mind, then tentatively called out, "Anya?"

The girl nodded and said, "Good morning, doctor."

This is Magneto's eldest daughter, Anya. Shiler thought for a moment and said, "Jeff loves going to the swimming pool to scare people. If you want to find him, you should check downstairs."

"What? He told me he hates water the most. Turns out he lied to me." Anya shook her head, "I'm going to look for him now."

Shiler remembered Anya's ability to communicate with animals—she could probably talk to Jeff the shark-dog too. He just hadn't expected the Magneto family to actually bring her along.

Anya had previously been bodiless, residing only in Erik's mental world. But after a transaction, she now has a physical form. She looks about the same age as Elsa, though a bit more introverted and speaks timidly. Fortunately, her body appears healthy—she should have overcome her heart condition.

Shiler walked back to his room and looked out the window. Sure enough, he saw Jeff the shark-dog playing ball in the pool, and Anya standing by the pool calling him. But when he looked the other way, he saw Magneto standing dazed at the hotel entrance.

That silver-haired figure seemed spellbound as he walked toward that side. Fortunately, halfway there, he snapped out of it, waved for the Brotherhood of Mutants to step back, and walked himself to Anya's side.

Magneto crouched down and said something to Anya, she replied, they exchanged a few words, then Anya walked off holding Jeff. Magneto stood in place, watching her leave.

While Wanda prepared to go find Elsa, she descended to this hotel level and saw Selina standing in the smoking room. Beside her was a figure in a green robe, looking like Loki.

Wanda didn't think much of it. She had paid no attention to what was happening in this universe, so she just knocked and walked in, smiling and saying, "Selina, you're here. I've been looking for you."

The two seemed to have been startled—Loki had even prepared his opening move for a sudden appearance. When he turned back, seeing the Scarlet Witch, his anxious heart finally died. Escaping from her grasp might be harder than escaping from Thor's.

Selina gave him a "calm" look, then warmly walked over and hugged Wanda, saying, "You have no idea how many days Elsa has been mentioning you since you left. Thank goodness you're finally here."

"I've missed her too, of course, and you all." Wanda grabbed Selina's arm and said, "Where is she now? Can I take her out to play?"

"You came at just the right time—I and Bruce have been worrying about this. We're supposed to visit Wayne Enterprises later, and you know she doesn't like such occasions. If you could take her to an amusement park, that would be perfect."

"Okay, then I won't disturb you—I'm going to get her now."

After Wanda left, Selina couldn't help but roll her eyes at Loki and said, "With so many multiversal guests around, who knows who you are? As long as you don't give yourself away, no one will know you're this universe's Loki. Worst case, just pretend to be the Loki from the main universe."

"Pretending to be him is the hardest." Loki said, "He's like a temperless ragdoll—I don't even know how he manages to endure so much."

"You're wrong about that. Dressing as a woman is the simplest way." Selina crossed her arms and looked around, saying, "You didn't know, did he? In the Battle Realm, he often operates in female form. As long as you also become a woman, the chance of being discovered drops significantly."

"I've actually turned into a woman before, but Thor would see through it at a glance." Loki shook his head.

"I'm not asking you to become another woman." Selina said, "I'm asking you to become a female Loki, so people will assume you're a Loki from another universe. This is a cognitive blind spot—do you understand?"

Loki's eyes darted around: "Are there many female Lokis?"

"Not few." Selina said, "I've seen several in the Battle Realm, and they don't all look alike, so you don't have to worry about standing out. Plus, there's an added benefit: if Thor corners you, you can just run into the women's restroom..."

Loki couldn't help but cover his forehead. He was about to say this trick was childish, but after thinking it over, Thor really might be the type to give up chase if he entered the women's restroom. This plan has a very high chance of success.

Loki waved his staff, and instantly transformed into a gender-swapped version of himself. He spun around, showed Selina, and asked: "How's that? Can it fool them?"

Selina gave him a once-over, then nodded and said: "Not bad."

"Alright, we shouldn't linger here." Selina looked left and right, "In short, the Revival Alliance's plan is just that—you must stay hidden. Don't come out easily until things are resolved."

"Don't worry, Reed set up that shield zone in Jotunheim—Thor can't even get in. I'll be safe hiding there." Loki said, "But I still need to meet the Loki from the Prime Universe. I want to know if he's found anything at the roots of the World Tree."

"Then be careful." Selina said, "Don't slip up during the act. If you're discovered, just deny it to the death."