The talkative raven in the world of American comics

Chapter 153 I Became Myself (Part 1)

Jason, living in another dimension, was unaware of everything that was happening in Gotham.

He didn't know that Oz the Clown had thrown a bunch of furniture into the ring so that Uncle Dragon could win.

When the bat mite scolded Lord Crow, "How could you cheat?"

Lord Crow retorted with the argument that Batman has a magic belt, so what's wrong with me giving Uncle Long some furniture?

In short, everything in Gotham is irrelevant to him, no matter which universe's Gotham he arrives in.

He is still searching for his own answer.

Or perhaps he's trying to find the heart that the clown himself smashed with a crowbar.

During his travels through various universes, he encountered many versions of Batman.

There's a Batman who can't twist his neck.

The Batman and Jason said he has never adopted any Robin.

Similarly, in his universe, the principle of not killing seems unimportant to him; he is willing to give up everything to eliminate evil in Gotham.

Jason decided to leave after talking to him for a short time.

Before leaving, the Batman seemed to notice the damaged heart inside his chest cavity.

Like the first LEGO Batman and his counterpart, he also gave himself a gift.

It was a belt, Batman's all-purpose belt.

Frankly, Jason doesn't think he needs these things much.

Before he died once, he desperately wanted to become the new Batman.

Many things happened in the days after I came back from the dead.

All of this led him to abandon the idea.

The mantle of Batman was no longer so important to him.

Because inheriting Batman's cape is a very difficult thing.

He didn't think he could do it well, for the same simple reason: he would kill.

Those who can kill are destined to be unable to uphold their bottom line like the old man, day after day, year after year.

During this time, he also encountered a Batman who looked a lot like a certain movie star.

He doesn't have the amazing high-tech gadgets of other Batmen; he's more like a character from a police thriller.

Like the previous Batman, he never adopted Robin.

But after learning of Jason's confusion, he also offered his own advice.

"Why do we fall?" Batman asked at the time.

"So that we can get back up again?" Jason replied.

Jason remembers the Batman being stunned at the time.

If he didn't know he came from another dimension, he would have really wanted Jason to inherit his mantle.

Unfortunately, Jason had no such intention.

He didn't want to be Batman, that's what he said at the time.

But this Batman said, "I don't want to be Batman. I'm just willing to give everything for Gotham. Whatever Gotham needs me to be, I will be."

Jason listened in silence. Every Bruce in every universe is like this, willing to give everything for his city.

Perhaps this is why he has always cared about the old man.

He is a hero.

A true dark knight.

The significance of Batman's existence lies in the fact that he is a symbol of fighting evil.

Awaken the spirit of fighting against evil in people's hearts, and instill fear in those who harbor evil. Only in this way can humanity continue to fight against evil.

Batman is more than just a hero; he wants to do more than just be a hero.

Similarly, after talking to Batman, he was given some gifts.

It was his set of light armor.

According to this Batman, the armor can... protect against dog bites.

Jason had no idea what the reason was, but he accepted Bruce's gift nonetheless.

The more Batmen he encountered, the closer he felt to his own heart.

"He died in my arm, and I witnessed how he breathed his last."

""

Batman, leaning back in his chair, recounted a past event, while Jason listened intently, staring into Batman's pupils.

This Batman's pupils are a deep blue mixed with a hint of green, and he doesn't look very well.

"Admittedly, I did my best to save him, but I must also admit... on the day he died, I felt a sense of relief."

Arkham Batman calmly looked at Jason.

This Jason from another universe is significantly different from the Jason he knows.

The other person didn't have the letter "J" branded on his face by the clown; on the contrary, his face was clean.

The only similarity between Jason and himself was in the expression between their brows.

His Jason was filled with the Joker's anger, resentment, and hatred.

And Jason... was only sad and confused.

Jason gazed at Arkham Batman and asked softly, "And him? I mean... the other me."

"Actually," Arkham Batman sighed, "I never saw him again that night, and I really wanted to tell him I could help him."

"But... he was heartbroken by me and hid away, refusing to see me."

'

""

Batman and Jason in this universe talked about many things.

This naturally includes Jason, whom the other party adopted.

Although Jason wasn't killed by the Joker, his mental fortitude was destroyed by the Joker.

While suffering greatly, he hoped that Batman would come to save him, but instead, he was separated by a wall and heard Batman fighting evil with a new Robin.

Then one day, Jason was freed from the Joker's torment.

He began calling himself the Arkham Knight, and he teamed up with Gotham's criminals to embark on a revenge plot against Batman.

Fortunately, Batman stopped the chaos in just one night.

Unfortunately, he couldn't save his son.

Just like... myself?

Jason didn't know.

All he knew was that the old man he knew, like this Batman, was always Batman first and Bruce last.

Jason couldn't help but think.

If these two Batmen knew their identities the moment they did.

The first words I uttered were, "I miss you so much, I love you so much..."

Will the outcome be different?

Instead of saying "You've gone astray, damn it," I'm here to save you, and to tell you where the clown is.

But these are just thoughts we can only have.

Because they are Batman, they could never start with these fairytale-like, fantastical lines.

"Is the Joker's death...something to be happy about?" Jason asked.

"Why would you think that?" Batman from Arkham asked in return.

"I don't know." Jason shook his head. "I just feel that he brought you so much misfortune, and although you felt relieved afterward, you must have wondered if Gotham would have been better off without him..."

'

Arkham Batman paused for a moment, then tapped his Bat-helmet with his fingers.

"He is not dead."

"He lives in my mind."

"!?!" Jason's eyes widened in disbelief. He pressed, "What do you mean?"

Batman Arkham sighed, closed his eyes, and whispered, "Deep inside me, his voice keeps echoing in my mind. He whispers, urging me to cross that line."

"That line, being eroded by mud and worms, is trying to corrupt me."

Then Arkham Batman opened his eyes. Although the surrounding environment was somewhat dark, Jason seemed to feel the light in the other's eyes.

Even the remaining green light has largely disappeared.

Batman Arkham said, "He lives in my mind, and I must do everything I can to get rid of him and fight against him."

"If I let him succeed like this, then the fact that my identity will be exposed and my life will be ruined will be a joke."

"Admittedly, I secretly hope for his death, but I will stick to that bottom line."

"Everything begins with one. If I cross that line and the result is his breaking out of the tomb, plunging my city into panic again, then everything I've done before will have been meaningless."

"I must keep fighting, no matter what the outcome."

'

'

Jason clenched his fist, letting out a low, barely suppressed growl: "Why can't this scumbag just behave himself?! Why won't he give you a normal life?! His existence is making your life increasingly chaotic, and hurting those around you too. Why?! Why can't this scumbag just die?!???"

Jason.

Batman from Arkham looked at him, then took off his helmet, revealing a tired Bruce face.

Bruce said, "Because I'm Batman, you know, I'm Batman."

"The more he tries to prove himself, the less I will let him succeed."

,

Jason took out the wrench the first Batman had given him and said, "Maybe this can help you. It can transform into anything you want."

'

Bruce shook his head and refused.

"Don't do this, Bruce, I can help you!" Jason stepped forward and tried to persuade him.

However, Bruce raised his hand to stop him from moving forward and shook his head, continuing, "You've already helped me, Jason. Now it's your turn to need help."

"I...

'

Bruce handed the Bat-Helmet to Jason and said, "If you're still confused about why we stick to our principles, then take this helmet and go find the next Batman. I believe he'll give you the answer you're looking for."

Jason remained silent, holding the sleeping crow in his arms, and then accepted the gift Bruce had given him.

"I missed the best opportunity to save my Jason before, and I don't want to repeat the same mistake."

Bruce said, "Similarly, I believe your Batman thinks the same way I do."

Jason sighed and put all the gifts Batman had given him into the backpack he was carrying.

After placing it, he looked up and met the gaze of the man, Bruce, in a calm stare.

"Promise me that next time you see him, you'll remember to tell him you love him and miss him."

Jason said, "Believe me, what he wants to hear most is that sentence, not 'went astray'."

Bruce nodded, about to say something, when a weight settled in his chest.

It turned out that Jason had hugged himself with one arm.

"I miss you, old man," said Jason, not the Jason he knew, but another Jason.

"Me too." Bruce gently patted the young man on the back.

For Batman, matters of the heart have always been an unavoidable part of his life.

On one hand, Batman believes he doesn't need emotions, as they would only hinder his ability to punch evil.

On the other hand, he himself did not realize that he actually needed external affection.

Batman thinks he doesn't need it, but Bruce does.

Batman is always complex.

He could be a mortal standing shoulder to shoulder with the gods, or the final hero who turns the tide and saves the day from defeat.

But he is a person.

And it wasn't just one person.

After leaving the Batcave where Batman was located in Arkham, Jason carried Oz to a great viewpoint with a panoramic view of Gotham.

Jason gently stroked Oz's feathers; the creature's slumber was growing ever deeper.

"Oz, wake up... are you alright?"

Jason lowered his head, his fingers slightly lifting the crow's beak.

Crow snuggled closer to him and mumbled, "Crow just wants to sleep... There's only one stop left, and I feel like my energy is being sucked away by something... Only one stop left, Little Bird."

"Then let's make it the last stop."

Let's go through it again.

Let's go back to the very beginning.

Ethiopia.

April 27th.

The death of a family.